Chapter One: Friendships Renewed

A 12 year old Pan was in her backyard fighting an invisible foe when Videl and Gohan walked up to her all dressed up. "Pan, your father and I are going out tonight. We arranged for you to have a babysitter."

Pan groaned. "But mom... I'm almost 13, I don’t need a babysitter!" she protested but her mother gave a wicked grin as a car pulled up in front of the house.

"Oh, look, he’s here." her mother said tauntingly. Pan grumbled to herself as she looked over to the hover car. As she did Trunks got out and returned the car to its capsule. Pan almost jumped for joy as her mother winked at her.

"We'd better be off, Gohan. We don’t want to miss the party." She smiled warmly to Trunks.

"Hello Gohan, Videl, little Panny." he walked over ruffling her hair under her bandana.

"Take good care of Pan, Trunks... Make sure she gets to bed on time." Gohan calls after Trunks as he is dragged to the car by Videl. He mumbles softly, "I don’t really like him babysitting her."

Videl rolled her eyes, "You know very well that he’s the only person she will sit still for and not try to kill..." she was cut off short as Gohan sighed.

"That’s what I’m afraid of."

Videl growled and sighed. "Well, get over it... its the only way we're ever going to get out of this house alone." she smirked tauntingly then got into the car as they drove away.

Pan smiled at Trunks. "So, what do we have planned for tonight?" He always had some fun game up his sleeve for them to play when her parents left.

"Well, I really was just going to have us watch some movies and eat popcorn..."

She sighed, "Alright." getting slightly depressed. Just then Trunks reached down, tickling the unaware girl. She giggled and chased after him threatening that if he did that again she would have to kick his butt. After a few hours of wrestling and a few sparring matches they settled down on the couch and put in some movies. Trunks made popcorn for the two of them as they sat watching the movie.

It was way past Pan’s bedtime but she really didn’t care as Trunks never made her follow it. She glanced over at the half asleep Trunks and smiled lightly. "Trunks, you awake?"

A soft grunt resembling a 'yes' was his only response.

She sighed, "When I get older, will you love me?"

Trunks yawned, not really knowing what he had said. "Sure..." After a few moments he woke up and sighed "Go to bed before your mom and dad get back." Pan beamed and gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek before scampering off to bed. Trunks was dumbfounded by the kiss on the cheek but he brushed it off.

~~~ 10 Years Later ~~~

Pan sat in a fluffy chair in Bra’s room. Bra was sitting on a bed behind her chatting and giggling about something. Pan snapped out of her daze then nodded to Bra agreeing with whatever she had just said.

"Pan, you aren't paying attention!" she sighed. "What has gotten into you lately... Every time you come over you sit around here spacing, then if ‘SOMEONE’ comes into the room you snap into your old lively self."

Pan gave her a scowl. "Nothing is up with me... I’m perfectly fine. I just have a lot on my mind, I just got back from college!" Bra nodded but knew her friend much better then that. She shrugged lightly, "Come on, let's go get some food. I’m getting rather hungry and dinner is still a few hours away." Pan had quickly changed the subject to get Bra off her back.

"I’m not hungry but go ahead. I need to call someone, anyways."

With a nod Pan walked out of the room and down the hall. As she passed Trunks’ old room she stopped, the door was slightly open. As she pushed it completely open she sighed... it was mostly empty now. A bed with white sheets and dresser with a few bits of clothing for when Trunks came for a visit, she continued to walk down the stairs and into the kitchen to rummage through the fridge.

A deep voice echoed behind her and she glanced up an apple in her mouth and some other food items in her arms. Vegeta stood hovering behind her. "Don’t eat everything in there, that's my job." Oddly enough, she and Vegeta got along rather well. Sometimes even better than he did with his own kids. She loved sparring and loved improving herself. He enjoyed her passion to better herself, something he rarely saw in his kids more than a few times.

She sat at the table and took the apple out of her mouth. "Wouldn’t want to do that, Your Majesty." she chuckled lightly. Vegeta just let out a little grunt as he sat down across the table from her. "So, what’s keeping you up?" Pan asked him between bites of food.

"Two brats in the room down the hall from me won’t shut up and let me sleep."

Pan just rolled her eyes and finished eating. She then got up and cleared her dishes. "See you in the morning, Vegeta." He shook his head, grunting.

~~~ Next Day ~~~

Pan woke up yawning. It was rather early as she slunk down the stairs, leaving Bra to her beauty rest. As she entered the living room she saw Bulma talking to someone out of her eye shot. She smiled lightly. "Morning Bulma."

Bulma nodded warmly greeting her, "Morning."

Then another familiar voice greeted her. "Good Morning Panny... Sleep well?" She looked over and saw Trunks.

She beamed "Trunks!" She hadn’t seen him in almost four years. She had been off at college and when she had returned for vacations he was always working. She ran over, giving him a big hug and smiling.

"My little Panny is all grown up." He laughed at her as she scowled at the nickname used so many years ago.

"Well, you're the same old man that you've always have been." She said jokingly as he shook his head, hugging her tighter and then letting her go.

"So, you back for a visit or for good this time?"

She smiled. "I’m back for good, finally."

He nodded. "Good. We can catch up on old times." Even when she was a small child he always got along with her and felt that he could talk to her about most anything. She was a bubbly little girl in his memory who stowed away on a journey to space and competed in a Martial Arts competition when she could barely walk.

"Hum..." He said as he thought.

Pan quirked a brow, "Hum... what?"

He looked at her, laughing. "You'rw not the little Panny I remember... where are you hiding her?"

She chucked as he tickled her lightly for old time sake. "Come on, Trunks... I’m not a little girl anymore!"

He nodded. "I see that."

Pan laughed. "Good! So stop treating me like one!"

He chuckled. "But, Panny, it's so fun to taunt you..." He pinched her cheek, squeezing it lightly.

Bulma sighed. "Alright, you two... is anyone hungry?" They both looked at Bulma and she sighed. "Stupid question... Well, I have breakfast ready in the kitchen if you ever decide to come join us."

Vegeta was already in the kitchen eating when the three of them walked in. "Is there any food left for your daughter’s best friend, Vegeta?" Pan said mockingly. Vegeta just grumbled and continued to eat.

They all sat down to eat when a rather messy Bra walked into the kitchen. "Have I missed it? Is it all gone?" Her hair was a mess, she had rushed down when she heard the words 'food' and 'Vegeta'. Everyone burst out laughing... That is, everyone but Vegeta who ignored her joke.

~~~ 2 Hours Later ~~~

Pan sat on the couch, relaxing and chatting with Trunks. She missed talking to him. Even with her huge crush on him she still felt she could tell him anything. Anything, that is, but how she truly felt about him. Bra had got tired of their conversation and had left to who-knows-where. "So, Trunks, I’ve told you what I’ve been up to. It's your turn... Something interesting has to have happened to you!"

Trunks thought for a moment. "Not really, just working." he shrugged. "That takes up almost all of my time now."

Pan nodded. "Yeah... I need to start searching for a job now that I’m home." She stretched out as much as she could on the couch without laying on Trunks, yawning and tired of being there having spent the majority of her time back with Bra. "Come on, let's go for a walk or something. I’m getting sick of these same walls. I don’t know how you or Bra put up with it." she laughed and hopped up.

"Alright. Where to, Panny?" Pan grumbled, sounding a lot like Vegeta as she did so. They walked outside and around the Briefs' huge backyard.

"So, Trunks, who’s the girlfriend for the week?" she asked in a joking tone.

"Well, lets see." he joked. "No one. I haven’t had time for romance, Pan. With everything happening, this is really the first week I’ve had off in a few years." he sighed, his expression sad. With that, Pan reached over tickling his sides and giggling. "Ah ha! I finally got you back!"

She bounded off, running away like a small child playing tag. Trunks ran off after her. Getting his mind off of the troubles of the world and back to when he had been babysitting her. He caught up with her grabbed her wrists with one hand, tickling her with the other till she whined and pleaded with him to stop. Finally he did, sitting on his knees next to her.

She reached down, clenching her sides from laughing so much. She glanced over at him after catching her breath, smiling then quickly reaching up and tickling him again. "Oh, you're asking for it, Pan!" he said, laughing, and then began tickling her again but abruptly stopped as he leaned over her.

She sighed, her eyes closed, and took a moment to get her breath. When she opened them she saw him looking at her. His gaze was unlike any she had ever seen him give her. She wished she could just absorb into the ground and drift away, feeling her face turning hot. His face inched closer to hers then, as he was about to kiss her, she felt nothing around her. She opened her eyes and glanced around. He was gone. She sighed, pounding her fist into the ground. "Oh, great."