Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ The Truth ❯ Honor ( Chapter 4 )

Disclaimer: I don't own it, and I'm not making any money, ask my piggy bank. Oh, and if you sue me, you won't get anything but debts!

A/N: Well, it certainly wasn't my cooking that brought you back, so it must be the mystery, and my evil cliffy. You just have to know what's going to happen to Trunks and Pan. Right? Well, I won't disappoint you. Oh, as clarification. When they went into space in DBGT, Pan was twelve and Trunks was twenty-five. They started going out when she was fourteen and he twenty- seven. At this point in the story, he is twenty-nine and she is sixteen. I thought that might help you out a little. I know I didn't make it too clear in the previous chapters. Sorry. Okay, now that I have that out of the way, here's the chappie! Enjoy!

"She was pregnant?" the other person asked. "I would think she should be happy about that."

"You're forgetting a few key facts. One, we weren't married. Two, no one we knew would approve, especially our parents. Three, she was only sixteen and still in high school. She had her whole life in front of her. I was twenty-nine, the most eligible bachelor on the planet, six years running, and it was the last thing we needed."

"Oh, so what did you do?"

Trunks looked his visitor in the eyes. "What could I do? I had done quite enough. I asked her if she was sure and when she nodded yes, I held her until she quit crying.

"That day, I knew for sure I loved her. Being with her was going to ruin everything in my life, and I knew it, but I couldn't leave her. My heart ached for her and I reassured her I would not leave. No matter what, I would do everything in my power to be there for her and our child."

"What happened to change that?" the other person asked.

Trunks looked out the window at the setting sun for a few moments before answering. "Her father found out. We couldn't keep it a secret, but we sure didn't look forward to telling everyone."

"Well, how did you break it to your families?" his companion inquired.

Looking back at the person before him, Trunks asked, "Full of questions now aren't you? I guess this is the good part. We were doing what we craved, what felt right, and at this point we were caught, no more secrets. It's all very dramatic. Impending doom for star-crossed lovers." He studied his companion.

"Well, I guess you're right. This is the most intense part as of yet," they smiled shyly. "Sorry if I seem overly eager to hear about your downfall. I don't mean to sound that way."

"It's okay. If I were in your shoes, I would be just as interested, probably more so.

"Well, Pan asked me to not say anything. She was hoping after the baby was born, if I acted as a father figure, maybe her father, Gohan, would let us actually date and marry. I was at first reluctant, but after she begged and pleaded, I had to give in to her wishes. I just couldn't tell her no.

"Unfortunately, things didn't go according to plan. Pan told her mother, Videl, something was wrong, and Videl took her to the doctor where they found Pan was pregnant. Up to this point, everything was going according to her plan, but that soon changed.

"What we hadn't planned on was her father's reaction. Gohan had always been very calm, levelheaded, and patient. The thing about Gohan is that once you make him angry, he's furious and wants blood, and he's more than capable of getting it, too. Even today, at almost sixty years of age, he could still win a fight with almost any man alive.

"Unfortunately for Pan and I, Pan being pregnant was something that set Gohan off - like a wild fire. It might not have been so bad if she had confessed everything, but she refused to reveal certain details. From what I was told, Gohan raged for hours straight and off and on for weeks, but Pan never budged. The girl had to have had a backbone of steel to withstand his fury and not break.

"Well, after several weeks of Pan refusing to reveal the father's identity, Gohan gave up asking, and began looking for clues. Thankfully, there were none. Had he pieced it all together on his own at that point, I wouldn't be sitting here now. He quite literally would have murdered me. There is no doubt in my mind to the certainty of that.

"Odd as it may seem, having to worry about my possible early death wasn't the worst of it. To punish Pan and keep her safe from being touched by the baby's father, Gohan grounded Pan to their home until he could find the guy and eliminate the problem.

"Pan no longer came over for visits without her parents' watchful eyes. She was forced to quit her job. She lost her communication privileges, so no phone, fax, or email. She even had to quit school and her father taught her at home. The rest of her time was spent studying and doing chores, all because she wanted to protect me.

"Needless to say, I felt awful. I was lost without her to guide me. My job returned to being work, very unorganized work. I felt like crying every time I thought of her and our child. Life held no pleasure, no meaning, no anything without her.

"Of course, we couldn't keep our secret forever. Nine months after Switzerland, the baby came. I was there with my family, both of them.

"As I looked at my child, I knew I couldn't let her go through life fatherless. I had watched Goten and to some lesser degree, Gohan, grow up without a father, but at least Goten knew who his father was. My child, my daughter, my life, deserved the same.

"I wrestled with my decision for almost a week after the birth before I called Gohan and asked for permission to visit. He consented and when I finished work for the day, I flew off to meet my fate head-on, determined to do the honorable thing. I was going to confess and then beg for mercy.

"When I knocked at the door, Videl answered, ushering me to the kitchen where Goten sat, happily tending the infant's every need. Watching him, I couldn't help but feel jealous. I was the one who had played a role in her creation, but I knew I never would be able to be there for her like Goten, my best friend. He was like my brother and he sat happily playing with my child, whom I had never even held.

"Pan was there too, sitting at the table eyeing me. Her mother was busy preparing her a meal, and her father was smiling proudly at Goten. She on the other hand, never took her eyes off me.

"As I gazed into her eyes, I made up my mind. I knew what had to be done. I just had to find the courage to do it.

"I walked up to Goten and smiling, asked to hold the baby. Goten grinned and agreed, gently handing her over to me.

"It was my first good look at my daughter and my heart nearly broke in two thinking about her future and what I had to do. I gazed at a pair of big, bright blue eyes, just like mine. She had my eyes right from the very start. She also had my mouth. She was beautiful and perfect in every way.

"Holding our daughter close, I glanced over at Pan, who was looking on proudly as if she had just won the lottery. Gazing back down at the angel in my arms, I almost lost my nerve. I knew I could be there for her much more as just a family friend and possibly a stepfather one day, than I ever could by admitting to actually being her father. As I felt my conviction waver, I knew I couldn't hold her any longer - and still do what was right - so I gently kissed her forehead and handed her to Pan before turning to face Gohan.

"'I have something I must tell you,' I started, looking at my feet, feeling everyone's eyes bore into me, Pan's piercing my heart.

"Gohan looked at me and smiled as he asked me to continue. I knew I was about to ruin everything and hurt everyone, but it was the right thing to do, and I had to do it, so I took a deep breath and came clean.

"I don't know what I had expected, but I sure didn't expect what happened next as my words sank into Gohan's head and his face clouded over with a million emotions ranging from shock to humor to pain and finally settling on rage.

"Pan's face matched her father's. She was irate. I had spoiled her plans and our chances at ever being a true couple.

"Goten and Videl looked as though they had seen a ghost, which I knew I might well be in a few moments. I honestly believe I would not have survived the confrontation had I not moved close to Goten, because as soon as I did, Gohan leapt at me.

"Goten, being the wonderful friend he was, stepped in Gohan's way, refusing to move no matter what Gohan threatened. As Gohan was preparing to go through Goten to wring my neck, Videl and Pan stepped in to help. They talked, pleaded, and begged with Gohan for what must have been the longest ten minutes of my life."

Trunks smiled in remembrance. "You'd be surprised the things that go through your head when you believe you're about to die. I wondered about the dust in my room, thought about childhood experiences I had long forgotten, all my relationships from the past, who would miss me, and of course, the two most important people in my life, Pan and our daughter.

"Finally, Gohan agreed to let me live, but he was adamant on pressing charges against me for any and everything he could think of, and I was no longer welcome to come anywhere near him or his family, especially Pan and our girl. I figured this was a fair enough deal and left.

"A few days later, I received a court order for a DNA test to prove I was the biological father. I had no choice, so I had the test done, and it came back positive, though the doctors were startled by the irregularities in our DNA.

"I went home and told my family what was happening. Needless to say, they were very unhappy and disappointed. In fact, they disowned and kicked me out, which was fine with me because the police arrived while they were yelling at me. I was cuffed and taken to the station where I was booked.

"I stayed in the jail until my trial. No one would post my bail, which was also fine with me, because I had no place to go if I were freed.

"When I met my lawyer, he explained all the legalities to me, and showed me what the papers were saying. It was pretty bad, that's about all I remember. We talked about our strategy and I dismissed him, opting to face criminal court without a lawyer.

"I don't remember much except the angry and hurt looks on the faces of the people I had once called friend. It hurt so much to see their anger, but I deserved it. I most definitely deserved all they gave and more.

"When asked for my plea, I said guilty. I saw no reason to draw the process out any more than necessary or to waste everyone's time and cause even more hurt feelings. I was guilty - I had committed the crime - but I didn't regret a moment, ever.

"The judge, unfortunately, didn't like me at all. I think it was the fact that I was a rich pretty boy; then again, I might have dated his daughter at one time. Whatever the reason, the judge had it in for me and sentenced me to twenty years in prison for indecency with a child. Being a second-degree felony, that was the maximum sentence.

"I guess that's pretty much the end. I was shipped off to here." Trunks looked around the room sadly, "but not before I told Goten good-bye.

"Shortly before I was to depart for the penitentiary, Goten came to visit me. He and I talked about the old times and what fun we used to have, before he got to the point of his visit. He had come to tell me good-bye, forever. He explained that while it had been fun and he didn't regret a moment we spent together, we could no longer be friends. He just couldn't because of what I had done and how it had hurt his family. His loyalty lay with them.

"What could I do? I told him I understood and he had to do what he felt was right. We embraced and then he left. I haven't seen or heard from him since. He was my best friend and the only one who bore no hard feelings over the incident.

"I came here, and I've been here ever since. Sometimes it seems like forever, and at others it feels like a bad dream. Many nights I have awakened, hoping to find myself somewhere else with Pan sleeping soundly beside me. After all this time, my heart still aches for her and my body longs for her touch," Trunks finished his story.

"How was that?" he questioned. "Did I give you what you needed?"

"His companion shook their head as if trying to clear debris from there and sort the new information. "That was horrible!" they began.

"All this just for falling in love," they mused. "You loved them all so much. Oh, and yes, you answered all my questions, and quite eloquently I might add."

"Thank you, very much," Trunks replied.

"There is one thing I would like to know though. What happened to your daughter?" came the dreaded question; the one Trunks had dreaded facing more than any other. He would rather take a beating, from his father, than have to face it down, but like so many things in his life, it had to be done.

Trunks sighed. "I honestly don't know. No one has told me anything since I was sent away. I suppose she grew up hearing stories about me, some good, some not so good. For all I know, she may hate me for what I did. I just honestly don't know. I haven't seen her since the day I confessed. Let's see, she'd be almost twenty now. It's been that long."

"Wow, I'm sorry to hear that. Is there something you'd like to say to her if you could? I mean, our paper gets pretty good circulation, she just might read it one day," the stranger offered.

"If I could say one thing," Trunks thought for a moment. "It would be that I'm sorry and I do love her. Whether she'd believe it or not is another story, but I do, from the depths of my soul. I do love her, and her mother, still."

"That's so beautiful," the reporter commented. "I certainly hope she reads it. She needs to hear that, and for the record, I think she loves you too. She may not realize it, but somewhere deep down; she has to love you too. I know I couldn't hate you."

"Thank you for everything. Now that it's over, I'm glad I agreed to this interview. I've been hiding far too long," Trunks smiled. "I wish you luck with the paper too. This story should be your breakthrough. Good luck."

Rising from their seat, Trunks's confidant smiled and gathered their belongings. Bowing they replied, "Thank you once again for all you've done, and don't worry, you only have one more year here before you can build a new life. You'll make new friends and things will get better. You'll see."

Trunks just smiled and answered, "I hope you're right."

Crossing to the exit, the other person turned, "I am." Then they were gone, softly closing the door.

Trunks sighed and moved to the window where he could gaze out and think. It seemed a pointless exercise considering the fact that it was fully dark by this time. Yet, it was comforting somehow, familiar. It matched his mood and his life. Dark.

A/N: Well, how was that? Did you like his story? I think the reactions of everyone in here are much more believable than the normal ones you find in Trunks/Pan fics. I'm sure Gohan would not be happy about a twenty-nine year old sleeping with his teenage daughter. Anyways, do you want to know who he was talking to the entire story? I don't know, maybe I should keep that to myself...You know, you do have enough clues, you could probably guess. Maybe I will be mean and never tell. Then again, if I get enough reviews, begging me for mercy, I might relent and give you one more chapter. I don't know, so you'd best review! I'm a devil aren't I?