Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ The Truth ❯ Relationships ( Chapter 2 )

Disclaimer: While the characters may not be mine, this story is. Will that do?

A/N: Several people have been asking who the mystery person is. Well, I know who they are, and you will too if you keep reading. I promise to reveal all in due time. You just have to give me a chance. Why is the person's identity a mystery? Because I have to do something to keep you all coming back! I'd also like to take a moment to say something to everyone who reviewed on chapter one. You made this my most highly reviewed chapter yet. That's a lot of pressure. I hope I can live up to your expectations. Thank you for your support. I love you all so friggin' much!

While waiting on his compadre's return, Trunks stood and began pacing as he contemplated his next move. Exactly how much should he reveal? Was his visitor ready to handle it all? If not, would he notice so he could tone the story down?

As Trunks paced and thought, he lost track of time and was brought back to reality by the sound of the door opening. When he turned to see who was entering the room, a large pair of bright blue eyes, filled with questions, confronted him.

"I'm back. Are you ready to start again?" the visitor from earlier inquired.

Trunks smiled, "I see that, and yes, I'm ready as soon as you are. Why don't you sit back down and make yourself comfortable again?"

"Thank you very much," came the reply as the visitor lowered them self into the chair they had occupied less than an hour earlier, pulled out a tape recorder, and began taping. "You don't mind. Do you?"

"Of course not," Trunks replied before picking up his tale.

"All I wanted was to take a much needed vacation. A trip to Cancun, an African Safari, or just a week to take in the sights of Tokyo, anywhere I could get some much needed rest and relaxation. Unfortunately for me, it was not meant to be.

"Things were getting hectic at work and Mom was breathing down my neck more than usual when Dad's archrival, Son Goku, was turned into a little kid by a pint sized super villain who called himself Emperor Pilaf. As if that wasn't bad enough, the dragonballs, our only hope of returning Goku to his normal stature, dispersed into space instead of staying on Earth like they always had in the past.

"Since Goku had just arrived back into everyone`s lives after taking years out to train a boy named Uub, Chi-Chi was not about to let her husband remain a child any longer than necessary. So with the words of doom and gloom from King Kai echoing in our minds, Mom got a spaceship prepared for the search, and Dad forced me to go with Goku and Goten.

"Well, things didn't go exactly as we had planned. As we were preparing to leave, Goten got a call from his girlfriend and left the ship to talk to her and say goodbye. Goku and I went ahead and conducted a last minute survey of the ship to make sure everything was in order. During this search, we found something - or shall I say someone - very interesting: Pan, Gohan's daughter.

"When I saw her, I knew she had to go. No way was she going into space with us. Things didn't turn out as I had hoped though.

"In her efforts to keep from being ejected, Pan launched the ship and we were going into space with Pan in tow, and no Goten.

"We spent a good deal of time in space, looking for the dragonballs together, and since Pan was the person closest to my age, she and I started becoming friends. Finally we were able to restore Goku to his correct age and return to Earth with the dragonballs, saving it from total destruction yet again. I was never so happy to go to work.

"Things weren't quiet long though. Before we knew what was going on, there were old villains appearing everywhere. After several tough battles, things returned to normal for everyone except Pan and I.

"Pan was fourteen, starting high school, and starting to show signs of the beautiful woman to come. I knew it wasn't right, but I couldn't stop thinking about her. It seemed no matter what I did, she crept back into my thoughts.

"One day I was at work and having a hectic day when I bumped into her. I asked her what she was doing at Capsule Corps when she should be at school, and she informed me she was there on a class field trip and had gotten lost. I asked her about that later, and as you can guess, that was only half true. She was on a field trip, but she had gotten lost on purpose to come visit me.

"Well, we spent the rest of the afternoon together. Having her around was refreshing, and suddenly my work didn't seem so bad. I called her school and Videl so no one would worry, and when we got hungry that evening, I took her out to dinner.

"During dinner, we had a wonderful time and the realization of what an amazing girl she was hit me. After a day of having her around making work enjoyable, I knew I couldn't go back, so I offered her an after school job as my personal assistant. She jumped at the chance to hang out at Capsule Corps and earn money, and she started the next day.

"Things were great. The first thing she did was reorganize my office, something it had needed for years. She was so helpful. She took my calls when my secretary was out, she took notes at meetings, drew wonderful charts and graphs, kept all my paperwork organized, and took care of most public relations so that all I had to do was look at whatever paperwork she handed me and make a decision.

"After about two months, I had some major work come up that required all my attention. Capsule Corps bought another, lesser known, company, which coincidently make most of our software. Being the CEO, I had to put in many extra hours and work late into the night to get things set. I tried to talk her out of it, but Pan refused to go home until I did, each and every night. She said I might need some information or coffee and she had to be there to make sure I was cared for and, as she put it, kept in line."

This entire time, Trunks had been sitting in his chair with his head in his hands and his elbows on his knees. After giving a deep sigh, he leaned back and studied his companion's face. "Are you sure you want to hear all this? You must have heard it before, and honestly, I'm afraid I'm going to ruin it."

The visitor's head nodded. "I would like to hear all that you are willing to tell. I don't wish to make you uncomfortable though if, well, you get the idea."

Trunks nodded his head and smiled. "No, we're not to that part of the story yet, and I'll do some editing when we get there. No need to make you feel anymore uncomfortable than you must already be."

"You're not making me uncomfortable. I'm actually very comfortable around you," came the reply. "I think I'm just a little unnerved due to excitement over the revelation and maybe I'm a tiny bit apprehensive about what it all may mean. Do continue though. I am enjoying hearing the story from your point of view, immensely," the visitor grinned in encouragement.

"Very well, I will continue," Trunks started again.

"Since Pan and I were up working most of the night, almost every night, I ended up taking her out to dinner and then coming back to the office, where she would sleep on a couch I had brought in for her. I remember many nights I would stop work and just watch her sleep and think about how I wished I were about ten years younger so I didn't have to be CEO of a company and deal with everything that goes with that job, but most importantly, I wanted to tell her how I felt.

"I couldn't understand it. This was the same little girl who had annoyed me beyond compare when I was a teenager, even using blackmail against me at times, but now something was different. She was different. I was different. And the way I felt around her was different from the way I had felt around any girl before or after.

"Back to the buy-out, everything was set. The only thing left to care for was one document to finalize the sale, which needed my signature and the other company's CEO's along with those of a few witnesses. The other man asked that we meet for dinner at a fine restaurant so we could enjoy a good meal and take care of business on neutral territory. The only thing was, he wanted me to bring a guest, my girlfriend.

"I had figured I would go stag. It certainly would not have been the first time I had shown up alone to an event, but then Mom told me the old man most likely wouldn't go through with the sale since he had specifically requested to meet the girl behind the CEO before he signed the papers - something about behind every good man is a good woman and he wanted to make sure he was selling to the right people. I guess it was one of those old-timer ideas, but whatever the reason behind his request, I needed a date.

"My first thought had been to bring Bra and explain that I had been too busy for much dating as of late. Unfortunately, she had a 'hot' date that night and there was no way she was canceling. I tried Marron, but she was out of town, and my secretary was a bit, well, eccentric, so she was out of the question. The next thing I tried was asking Goten if I could borrow his girlfriend for the night, but she had to work. I was so desperate I even thought about taking Goten as my date. The looks on everyone's faces except our parents', would have been priceless, and reading the papers, especially the tabloids, would have been a good source of entertainment for the next few weeks. In the end, I just couldn't do it though, so the afternoon before the big dinner, I was sitting at my desk, staring at the final forms to be signed, wondering what I would do, when Pan walked in from school.

"She looked hard at me and asked what was wrong, so I told her, and, of course, she came up with a solution. She could be my girlfriend for the night. So after phoning her parents, we went shopping to get her ready. A few hours later, I hardly recognized her. Instead of the boyish fourteen year old who had walked in my office at four o'clock, a beautiful young woman accompanied me to dinner.

"The deal went through without a hitch, and we both had a wonderful time together. By the time we left, it was after one in the morning, so I called Gohan and Videl to let them know everything was okay and that Pan would be staying at Capsule Corps due to the late hour. I decided I didn't want to wake my family, so we went back to my office , I pulled out some comfortable clothes I had stashed, and we prepared for the night.

"We decided I would sleep on the floor, with Pan taking the couch. Just as I was dozing off, thinking about how perfect the evening had gone, Pan asked if she could ask me a question. I laughed and told her she just had, but if she had another, go ahead. She chuckled weakly, took a deep breath and asked. I was not ready either. Looking back now, I should have just pretended to be asleep." Trunks paused for a moment.

"Well?" asked his friend.

"Well what?" he responded.

"What did she ask?" the other person inquired enthusiastically.

"Oh," Trunks smiled, "I'm sure you can guess, but I'll tell you anyway." He settled back in his chair before continuing with his little soap opera that was his life.

"She wanted to know what she was to me. At first I didn't know what to say, so I started off easy. I told her she was my best friend's niece, my employee, and obviously my friend. After I had answered, she sighed disappointedly and I knew I hadn't given her the response she was looking for, so I asked her what was wrong.

"'Nothing,' she answered to which I responded with, 'You didn't sigh over nothing.'

"At first I thought I might have upset her until she asked me, 'Trunks, I can tell you anything, right? I mean, you won't think I'm stupid or treat me differently, will you?'

"'Of course not,' I answered her. She took a deep breath and said words, which are still near to my heart today. Sometimes when it's quiet and I think hard enough, I still hear them.

"'Trunks, am I really just your best friend's niece, your employee, and friend? I mean, I guess what I'm trying to say is I'm not a child anymore, or have you even noticed? I just want you to know that you're more than a friend to me, much more, and if I've stepped out of line by saying so, I'm sorry. I just had to tell you,' she explained.

"I was taken aback by her bluntness, so I dumbly asked her a question to be sure I was understanding her correctly, something along the lines of, 'You mean you want to be more like a couple? Have that kind of relationship?'

"She was quiet for a moment, a moment so long I began to wonder if she was asleep, then she replied, 'That's the general idea.'

"I had no clue what to say. I was twenty-seven years old; she was still in high school. Neither of us had parents who would approve. By definition, it was all wrong, but yet I couldn't help how I felt about her, the way I felt around her. Was it worth it? If we were caught, we'd both be in deep, shark infested waters, but I knew my answer even as I asked myself the question.

"'So, I guess we're dating now,' I stated idiotically.

"'I guess we are,' she replied. 'I don't know about you, but that's what I usually call it when two people who are attracted to each other spend an inordinate amount of time together and do things like going out to dinner as a couple.'

"'Very well, just do me a favor and don't say anything. Your parents wouldn't approve. In fact, I don't think anyone would understand,' I requested.

"'No problem. I know exactly what you mean.' She climbed off the couch and joined me on the floor, immediately snuggling close as if it were something we had done for years.

"Yawning, she said with a romantic aire, 'I guess we're in the same type of position as Romeo and Juliet. Goodnight, Trunks.'

"'Goodnight Pan, my Juliet,' I replied as we both drifted off to sleep."

Trunks looked up to see his friend grinning broadly, on the verge of laughter.

"What?" he asked. "What is it?"

"Nothing," they replied as their laughter got the best of them and began to crack up.

Trunks just smiled, "You're laughing at the Romeo and Juliet thing, aren't you?" His friend was laughing too hard to reply, so they responded with a nod of their head. At that, Trunks chuckled and tried to redeem himself with, "I know, it sounds like a line from a C-rated romance film. Sorry, but I was young back then and did some stupid things, saying that was one of them. Thankfully, I know better now. Well, I guess I'll continue now. It's getting late in the afternoon and I'm sure you don't want to spend the night here, listening to me babble about my youth."

His companion once again had control of their emotions. "Yes, it is getting late in the day, but I'll stay as long as it takes for you to finish. I just can't wait any longer to hear the truth about everything."

"Very well," Trunks studied his friend while trying to recall exactly where he was and contemplated what to say next.

"The next morning, I awoke to the sound of my mother calling my name down the hall. I guess when I hadn't shown up for breakfast, she started worrying and after finding my room empty, the next place to look was my office.

"As I tried to sit, I noticed an extra weight on my right shoulder. When I opened my eyes, I saw Pan sleeping peacefully. She was so beautiful, I hated to wake her, but my mother was getting close, and we certainly couldn't be caught snuggling. I quickly decided what had to be done. I gently lifted Pan and put her on the couch, covering her with a blanket.

"As I turned to face the door and my mother's impending entrance, the door knob began to turn and sweat began to gather on my forehead. Did she suspect something between Pan and me? Did she already know? If not, would I be able to fabricate a story she wouldn't see through?

"I didn't have long to wonder because Mom walked in demanding I tell her how the sale had gone and why I hadn't come in the night before. I had opened my mouth to tell her we needed to talk some place else, when Pan sat up, yawned and asked what all the yelling was about.

"My mother's face filled with shock at seeing Pan. I guess she hadn't expected to find her there. At that moment I began thinking back and realized Mom didn't know anything about the many nights Pan had crashed in my office as of late.

"Honestly, when my mother turned her questioning gaze from Pan to me, I began blushing bright red. I opened my mouth and began sputtering and stammering an explanation when Pan took over and told Mom what had been going on lately and how she had been taking care of me.

"When Pan finished, Mother's eyes scrutinized us intensely while she tried to decide whether or not to believe us. Finally she grinned widely and thanked Pan for looking after her little boy, made a few jokes about my incompetence, and offered to take her home. Pan accepted, gathered her belongings, and left.

"Even though Pan and I were technically a couple, nothing changed. She acted the same around me as she always had until I began to wonder if I had dreamt our entire conversation. I quickly found I was wrong though.

"On Friday, Pan seemed agitated, but didn't offer to tell me why, so I didn't say anything about it. Wrong decision. A little before six, I asked Pan where some papers were. She silently fetched them and then practically threw them at me.

"I was shocked that she would behave like that and decided that I had best find out what was wrong with her before she threw hot coffee at me. When I asked I was even more shocked when she yelled that I was responsible. I thought for a moment, but couldn't come up with one good reason for her to be so angry with me, so I asked her what I had done.

"She answered that it wasn't what I had done, more like what I hadn't. By this time I was getting very confused. Now, I'll admit to this day, I'm not an expert on women, no guy is. Actually, the closest expert on females I know is Gohan. Anyway, let's just say that now I understand what was wrong and I sure don't plan on repeating past mistakes.

"Oh, back to why Pan was angry. Well, it turned out I hadn't dreamt our night together and us being a couple. She was angry because it was Friday night, she had a boyfriend, and he hadn't shown any signs of wanting to do anything together.

"I was speechless, still trying to comprehend the implications of our togetherness when she walked to me, wrapped her arms around my neck, and kissed me. When she pulled back, she gave me her sexiest grin and asked if I wanted to spend time with my girlfriend. I did the only thing I could at the moment, nod my head.

"After that, we were dating. Nothing extremely important happened between us for a while, though that period of time holds fond memories. We were nearly caught by our family and friends, several times, but we always seemed to have Lady Luck's blessings.

"Let's see, I've told you about our friendship, how we got together, and our first kiss. What next?" Trunks asked.

At that moment, the tape recorder made a noise and the record button popped up, signaling the tape was at its end.

"I think the next thing is for me to change tapes," the visitor said, pulling a new tape from their pocket.

"Well, do you mind if we take a break while I go to the gentleman's room?" Trunks asked.

"Not at all," was the answer. "I need to get myself a soda anyway."

"Good. You know where to find them," Trunks said, standing to leave.

"Yes, I do. I'll see you in a few minutes," the visitor answered, placing the used tape in another pocket and also rising to leave.

"You bet," Trunks turned and left the room. After watching him walk through the restroom door, the visitor turned and exited through another.

A/N: Hmm...I wonder what will happen next...What is the next chapter in the story of Trunks and Pan? Will they get caught and have their families go nuclear on them, or will they live happily ever after? Well, you'll have to read the next chapter to find out! Of course, reviews make me so happy that sometimes when I get enough of them I go into a state of euphoria, which will cause me to post a new chapter early! I guess what I'm trying to say is REVIEW! )