Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ A Change Of Heart ❯ Thinking of Him ( Chapter 22 )

Pan sunk her teeth into the apple in one hand, her feet making splashes on the drenched pavement. A notebook under one arm, a purse over the shoulder of another, she headed down the street to the library. Everything was so different here, but it was refreshing in a way. Totally exhilarating.

Pushing through the ancient wood doors of the college's library, she tiptoed up the stairs to the third floor. Making her way the third floor desk, she spoke to the librarian about the books she needed on what topics, and the white-haired woman scurried out of site for a few moments.

Pan leant her arms on the desk, looking at all the interesting things, such as paper clips and staples. Her good mood couldn't be upset, even with the lack of interesting things to gaze at.

Her eyes fell on the computer, and her good-natured looked dropped to a frown. A gleaming Capsule Corporation symbol was visible on the data drive, and she stood up straight, an eyebrow raising thoughtfully.

The older librarian returned with her books, and she checked them out hastily, jogging down the steps and out the door. She didn't want to have to think of him, and she certainly wasn't going to stay in the library longer than she needed to.

She hopped onto a bus and sat down in the back, flipping open a book and scanning through the chapter her report was due on. She looked up for a moment, her eyes catching a cute guy sitting just a bit in front of her. He smiled at her, and she smiled back, and then she looked back at her book quickly.

Dangling from his wrist, was a watch exactly like Trunks'. She knew because Trunks had shown her the scratches on his from the car wreck. When her stop came, she shoved her books into her bag and slung it over her shoulder, trotting out of the bus and onto the pavement of the sidewalk. With just a few more steps, she was safely at the door of her apartment.

Sliding in her key, she twisted it and let herself in. One of her roommate's cats rubbed against her legs, and she shoved it away with a free foot as she climbed the stairs to her room. Throwing her bag on the bed she slipped off her shoes and clothes, changing into some pajama pants and a tank top, and sliding some fuzzy slippers on her feet.

"Pan! You home?" One of her roommates, Katie, one that hated the cat, called from the bottom of the stairs. She was an American like Pan. There were five girls staying in the apartment. Pan, Katie, Lynda and Kaye who were British, and Mary Kate who was from Ireland.

"Yes!" Pan called as she hopped on one foot, putting on the second slipper. With a dash she bumbled down the stairs to find Katie in the kitchen, putting away groceries.

"Shopping, eh?" She questioned, picking up a can of soup and looking over it. Katie smiled and with a grin she nodded.

"I've been starving all week." She laughed. "There was no way I wasn't going to buy food on a free day." She looked at Pan. "You want something right now? I'm about to make something for myself."

Pan nodded absentmindedly as she scanned the back of a box of Scooby-Doo cereal. She held it up with a smirk and a raised eyebrow, and Katie shook her head, snatching it out of her hands.

"Ok, so I happen to have an addiction to it." She admitted, and they both laughed. A cat bounced up on the kitchen island, and Katie swatted it off with a hand. "Ugh, can't Lynda do something with her cats? The fur of those things permanently floats around the whole apartment." She said, pushing some cans into their proper places in the cupboard. "I'm having grilled cheese and tomato soup, sound good to you?" Pan nodded, eyebrows held up agreeably, and Katie pulled some cheese and butter from the fridge and some bread out of a basket by the toaster.

"Here, take this into the TV room, and I'll be there in a sec." Throwing Pan a bag of cheddar chex mix, she motioned to the room connected to the kitchen. The kitchen, I guess you could say, and the TV room, were pretty much one big room. A couch sat, its back facing the kitchen, just about four or five feet from the island, facing a large screen TV. The island had stools on the side facing the TV room, and when standing in one room, the other was totally visible, even to the last nook or cranny.

Both rooms were cream and moss green, and the couch was brown leather. A large bay window was behind the TV, with a stereo to it's right and a recliner to its left, complete with reading lamp.

Jumping over the back of the couch, chex mix in hand, Pan pulled a blanket from a stack next to the coffee table and snuggled under it. Opening the bag with a signature chip-bag rip sound, she began munching happily on the cheesy chex mix while Katie mumbled something gibberish while in search of a pan. With a clank she sat it on the stove, lighting the gas and slapping a sandwich and then another onto its surface.

"Do you like cats, Pan?" She asked, hand on her hip, other hand holding the pan's handle. Her face was genuinely American, holding the cute befuddled expression of the redhead she was.

Pan, fighting to shove a tabby off her lap, defending her chex mix, mumbled. With a final shove the cat was gone, and she turned to Katie. "Sort of. I mean, nice ones that don't get in the way unless you want to hold them." She shoved the second cat, a tuxedo, off her lap also. "These two need to be trained or something though." She shoved them both away and finally pulled her feet high in the couch, making it impossible for the cats to climb up.

Katie laughed, blowing a strand of wavy red hair out of her face. "At least you're honest. I usually tell people I love the furry hairballs." She laughed, and Pan followed. The front door opened with a click, and Kaye walked in along with Mary Kate. Kaye plopped into the recliner without a word, and Mary Kate plopped on the couch with Pan, digging into the chex mix.

"Hard day at dance?" Katie asked, and both nodded. Kaye and Mary Kate had met each other through dance school. Kaye was a ballet dancer, and Mary Kate did Irish Stepdancing. Both were very good, and had come to London on scholarships. Kaye pulled up the footrest and sat her bag down next to the recliner, and Mary Kate simply let her Stepdance shoes drop to her lap, she had left her bag at the door.

"You two want some grilled cheese sandwiches?" Katie asked, putting hers and Pan's on two plates. Kaye shook her head, but asked for a can of soda.

"Tha' wou'be great." Mary Kate said enthusiastically, and Katie nodded, a thoughtful expression on her face as she dug deep into the fridge for a Sprite.

Before leaving the kitchen she slapped another cheese sandwich in the pan, and she walked into the TV room, a tray laden with food in her hands. She sat it down on the coffee table and tossed the soda towards Kaye, who caught it quite brilliantly, although looking like a drunken jazz dancer.

Her legs up over the top of the chair, her upper half leaning over one armrest, she did manage to catch it. Pan suppressed a giggle, but Mary Kate laughed openly.

"Jus' be than'ful you don' look like tha' at rehearsal." She managed to get out, sipping her tomato soup. " `Ey, Kay-tee, this `ere is mozzarella cheese!"

"I know!" Came a voice from the kitchen. "It's all we have." Mary Kate shrugged and took a bite out of it, and a good-sized hunk too.

Pan stared at her mozzarella cheese, now not in the mood to eat what had seemed so good before. Why was it that everything she had come in contact that day reminded her of him? Even before the library, she had seen or heard tons of things that made her think of him.

Even this stupid piece of cheese was making her think of him. Shaking her head, she remembered what had happened that one day:

Rain splashed against the windows, and lightning struck hard, scaring her. She was ten, it was a rainy, stormed out Monday-school had even been canceled the storm was so bad-and her mother had brought her to Capsule Corporation while she ran some errands with Chi-Chi and Bulma, so Trunks could babysit her. Vegeta was there also, but fat chance he'd babysit-or even know how to.

She was sitting in the living room, staring at the rain, listening to Trunks search the kitchen for something to eat. Clanks so loud she thought they were part of the storm outside her, and noises of frustration and pain so loud and savage she thought a monster might be behind her. But no, all this commotion was merely from Trunks as he dug endlessly around in the kitchen, still in search of something to eat.

Finally he appeared in the doorway, and she turned around, staring at his thirteen year-old figure. She swooned as most ten year-olds swoon at older guys they have crushes on, and he shot her a Trunks grin.

"The only thing I could find was some cheese and some bread, so do you want some grilled cheese sandwiches?" He asked, the playful grin still in full play. "And, well," He continued, looking embarrassed. "the only cheese I could find is mozzarella, you know, the kind they put on pizza. That ok?" He grinned again, his embarrassed look gone, and she grinned back. As she mumbled her consent, he disappeared into the kitchen again, making more unearthly noises.

A huge burst of lightning erupted-bigger than she had ever seen or ever would see-shaking the house, and she must have screamed; for Trunks ran out of the kitchen to her, kneeling beside her and taking her up in his arms. She had started crying, something that later she was embarrassed about, but he hadn't laughed.

He had merely held her tighter and smoothed her hair, rocking her back and forth and whispering softly, `It's ok, I'm here.'

It was not a usual thing to do for a thirteen year-old boy, but like him with her crying, it was something she hadn't ever mentioned, let alone make fun of him about.

She remembered she hadn't cried for long, but it had seemed like forever. After her tears had dried, he had taken her into the kitchen with him, and she watched as he burnt their sandwiches to crisps. Even though they were burnt beyond recognition, those had been the best grilled cheese sandwiches she had ever had. They had played and joked around, and when they emerged from the kitchen, smiles broad, the rain had stopped to a small drizzle.

That same rain had destroyed a lot of buildings and towns she discovered when the rain had cleared, more than she cared to think about; for every house that was destroyed, there were people without homes. Bulma had put a lot of them up in Capsule Corporation buildings, until their houses were rebuilt. Bulma was the best that way.

After that day Pan always looked at Trunks differently, and even to this day she felt safe as long as she were near him. It was weird, though, she wondered if he even remembered what he had done, or realized how much it had changed her life. Just a simple gesture of telling her it was all right, that he was there.

After that day she looked up to him as her hero, as someone who would always be there for her, to comfort her, to save her. She always felt safe near him, as if he'd die to save her from whatever was her foe.

"Pan?" She blinked, and looked to her left dazedly. "Pan, are'ya ok?" Mary Kate was looking at her, awaiting an answer. She blinked again, shaking off her expression of glassy eyes, touching her forehead absentmindedly.

"Pan, are'ya sick?" Mary Kate asked again, putting the back of her hand against Pan's forehead. She looked around, and her roommates looked back, concerned.

"Oh, I, I-" She stammered, shaking off Mary Kate's hand and sitting down her mug of now cooled tomato soup. "I'm fine, really. I was just thinking." She picked up her soup and sandwich and walked into the kitchen, putting them both in the microwave.

"You don't look ok." Katie stated, smacking bubble gum as only an American can. "You kind of got all glossy looking, you looked all hazy, as if you were having a vision or something." She smirked. "You aren't hiding something from us, like a divine power to read tarot cards or something?" Pan shook her head and smiled thoughtfully.

"No, I promise." Katie hopped on the couch and blew a bubble, then popped it and pulled it back into the grasps of her mouth.

"Good, cause if you were keeping that from us I'd be mad." Then she grinned. "Cause you'd definitely need to read my cards for me on a nightly basis." The girls all laughed, and the door opened, rainy wind sweeping through along with the final roommate of Pan's, Lynda. She took off her coat and slung it over a chair in the front room, sliding her bag off her should and letting it drop to the ground. She yanked her boots off and came into the TV room, sitting on the arm of the couch.

"What are we talking about?" She asked in a rich British accent. Katie smacked her gum, something that annoyed Lynda-but then again Lynda's cats annoyed Katie, so they were even.

"Pan has special powers with tarot cards, visions, and palm-reading." She explained, and Lynda looked at Pan curiously, but not once dropping her classy British ways. "Just joking. She was thinking and zoning out on us, so we were teasing her. Want some gum?" Katie asked, shoving a pack in Lynda's face.

Lynda pushed the pack away as if it was something highly distasteful and walked into the kitchen, pulling out random things and setting them down on the counter.

"So what were you thinking about?" Lynda asked quietly, allowing only Pan to hear her. Pan put her hand to the back of her head Son style, and began stuttering.

"Uh, nothing really." She got out. "Just thinking about home." She said, telling the half truth. This seemed to satisfy Lynda apparently, either that or Lynda knew Pan would tell when she was ready.

After a few minutes of girl talk, Lynda's meal creation was simmering in a pot, smelling absolutely delectable. Katie was drooling, Mary Kate was sniffing curiously, and Kaye was conked out on the recliner, both cats snuggling up with her.

Pan sat on the counter, a soda in one hand, playing with her bracelet. Bura had given this one to her before she left, also getting one for Marron and one for herself, so that the three girls would have matching ones.

It was silver with blue crystals set into it. It looked strangely aquatic, medieval, and Egyptian all in the same time, if you can figure out how that looks.

She looked around at all her roommates, each with their diverse personalities. Katie was headstrong, loud, somewhat doofy, and streetsmart. Though she was lovable and loyal to the last. Mary Kate was a country girl, used to running through the lush green fields of Ireland, and not caring what other people thought. Daydreaming was her favorite hobby, and she longed for an adventure of fantasy book proportions. Kaye was brought up to be a lady. Her mother wanted her married well, and her father she only knew from occasional cards, phone calls, and short visits. He was a businessman constantly on business trips. He brought in a lot of money, but Kaye longed for a father more than the best schools and the best clothes. Lynda was proper, rich, and smart, but also affectionate, loving, and personal. She was going to school to become an interior decorator, although her personal dream was to be a fashion designer.

Her own story she supposed could be summed up just like theirs, but it being her own, she wouldn't know how to sum it up. She supposed other people could sum it up like she could her roommates and her friends, but she secretly wondered how they could.

Lynda opened a can of cat food, and instantly her kitties ears twitched up, and their eyes snapped open. They were scrawny, but that wasn't unusual seeing as they were in between kitten and cat. Teenagers, Pan thought.

They scurried to their master, tripping over each other and pushing each other out of the way. Lynda smartly put down two separate cans at the same time and went back to cooking.

The phone rang, and Katie, yes, as only an American can do, raced to it yelling, "I've got it!" A few moments passed, and the girls could hear her talking pleasantly on the phone. Then she appeared in the doorway and called for Pan.

"Who is it?" Pan asked, secretly hoping it was Bura. Katie folded her arms and leant against the doorway, looking streetsmart as ever.

"Go get it yourself, I'm not going to tell you." She smirked and then sat down on the couch, attacking the last crumbs at the bottom of the chex mix bag. Pan scurried out of the kitchen, tripping over the cats, and raced down the hall to the phone.

"Hello?" she panted, and her father and mother's voice sounded from the other end. "Oh," She said, her voice dropping. "it's you." She sat down on the floor and brought the phone with her.

"You're disappointed?" Her father's voice said from the other end, and she could picture his frown.

"Oh, no daddy, I just thought it was Bura." He sounded appeased and the conversations began. It was mostly small talk; the kind of conversations to see what each other is up to. Her mother couldn't stop questions, but her father seemed happy to just listen. Finally they realized they had jacked up the phone bill enough, and said their goodbyes. Pan was sad to say goodbye, but knew they were only a phone call away if she really did need them.

Walking back into the TV room, her roommates had turned on the TV. The news was being broadcast, and she plopped on the floor next to Kaye who woke up with a snort. She tapped Pan and leant forward.

"What are they talking about?" She questioned in a whisper, referring to the news piece they were discussing on TV at the moment. Pan shrugged, explaining she had just walked in.

"Your parents called?" Kaye asked excitedly. "That's so cool. Was it nice to talk to them?" Pan told her about it, but didn't feel like expounding. Kaye always loved to hear about conversations her roommates had with their parents; she hadn't had a call from home since she arrived. She was always the one that called home, and Pan felt bad that someone would so desperately appreciate a call from a mom or dad. She thought up an idea, and then promised herself she'd remember to make it happen before turning to the next news item on TV.

It turned to a limo pulling up to a hotel with paparazzi everywhere in site. A young man and blonde woman got out of the limo and people started taking pictures at rapid speeds. It was Trunks and Marron.

"The world's most eligible bachelor may not be a bachelor any longer." The reporter began, smiling fakely as she continued, looking unblinkingly at the camera as the film played behind her. All the girls swooned as the picture behind her turned to a single still shot of Trunks. "Trunks Brief's, new president of Capsule Corporations was seen last night at a business dinner with a blonde young woman. The two were seen talking quite casually at the dinner, bearing signs that this may not be their first date."

Pan started laughing, and her roommates looked at her. The news woman took a breath and continued her report.

"Mr. Briefs made a business deal yesterday that may be the biggest achievement he will ever make in his career." It now showed a logo of Capsule Corporations and another company, Degraid Advertising. Pan winced; it was Conner Degraid's company, the Conner that had had the bet with Trunks.

"Capsule Corporations and Degraid Advertising have joined together to open another company between the two of them. Vixen Entertainment is a venture the two companies have financed together, and most likely it will be a huge profit to both of them." The image switched to a logo bearing a sleek fox atop of a cursive VE.

"Yesterday at a press conference, Mr. Briefs gave us the details of what this company will be affiliated with." Again something switched. Now the whole screen showed the image of a press conference where Trunks was now speaking.

"Vixen Entertainment is a venture that my close friend, Conner Degraid," He looked to Conner and Conner smiled proudly back. Pan was reminded of a couple announcing an upcoming baby. "have decided to make. Spanning film, television, computer entertainment, and music entertainment, Vixen Entertainment will be the most up-to-date media-related company that you have seen or will see." He paused, and everyone applauded. He gave the signature modest smile that only he could do, and Conner stood up, applauding. Pan wondered how long they had been in cahoots about this venture.

He gave a short bow, said thank you, and "turned the time over to Conner." Katie leaned forward in her seat, swooning, and took in a breath.

"Look at him." She said as Trunks sat down, and all the girls looked at her. "He must be the most romantic guy in the world. Oh, I bet that blonde girl is so happy, I sure would be. Man, I wonder what it's like to kiss him!" She swooned again, obviously the thought of kissing him was just too much to bear. Pan rolled her eyes, once again looking at the TV. Mary Kate looked at Pan with concern, for Mary Kate was the only girl in the house who knew that Pan even knew Trunks, and naturally the only one to know what had happened with Trunks and Pan.

Conner got up, said some fluff and promises, and then the clip disappeared, to be replaced with the reporter again. She took a stack of papers and tapped them on her desk, then lied them flat in front of her.

"Reports have shown that stock on Vixen Entertainment is selling at a rapid pace, leaving unsold stock near obsolete." She turned to the reporter next to her, a blonde man, and smiled. "So you might want to go buy yours as soon as you get off work, Sam." She said with a reporter's TV laugh.

Pan sat up and started towards the stairs.

"Where're you going?" Katie asked, remote in hand. Pan stopped and turned around, avoiding Mary Kate's gaze. Seeing Trunks being happy right now wasn't something she wanted to see. Unfortunately, she wanted to see him suffering and wasting away without her. She assumed any girl in her situation would want the same thing, so she didn't feel too bad.

"Just going to go upstairs and get some work done." She said quietly, pulling her lips inward. "If any of you need me I'll be in my room." She expounded; hoping it would avoid any more questions.

They all seemed to take this as if it was a normal answer-wait, it was-and she dashed up the stairs, the tuxedo cat on her heels.