Forbidden

Homecoming

*****
17- Homecoming

Mid-Spring

Pan's arms moved slowly as she moved pages on the book she was reading. Truthfully, she wasn't fully recovered from her illness that had struck her for almost an entire season. However, the weather was finally nice enough to go out again, and she was tired of being cooped up inside of a castle all day.

She fought back a yawn as her heavy eyes drifted across the pages of the book. They were moving across the words, but she wasn't reading.

Her mind was too far off. It was thinking of lavender hair and blue eyes. Pan felt a massive pang in her heart, and with trembling fingers, she shut her book.

Maybe it had all been a dream. She had dreamed of him before he ever came, so maybe her meeting him was a dream, too.

Pan knew it wasn't a dream, though. She could still feel the ghosts of caresses from Trunks on her skin. She could remember just how warm he always felt and the way his blue eyes shined brighter than the sky.

The thing that hurt the most wasn't that he didn't say goodbye. It was the fact that Pan didn't even know if he was okay or not. What if something horrible had happened to him? She had no way of knowing.

Pan glanced at the stream in front of her and listed to its burbling. She could hear the faint swoosh of the waterfall nearby, and she let out a small sigh at the calming sound. Her eyes were growing heavy as she leaned against the tree.

A shift ran through the air that made the hits on Pan's neck stand up, and her eyes widened. She had never felt something as strange as what had just gone through the air, but it felt almost familiar. With a huff and shaky arms, Pan pulled herself up to stand. Her knees buckled, and she pressed against the tree as she glanced around the clearing.

A strangled gasp escaped Pan's lips as she watched a familiar figure walk out of the wooded area beside the clearing. She was dreaming. She had to have been. Trunks was there, and he was walking straight towards her!

His blue eyes were set on her, making her insides feel as if they were a mountain about to explode with lava. His lavender hair had grown a bit and was now pulled back into a low ponytail. He almost looked the same as she remembered him, but something was troubling behind his eyes.

Pan was shaking by the time he reached her. She blinked her eyes several times and opened her mouth to say something- anything!- but nothing, not a word would come out. She raised her hand, and Trunks' lips twitched.

"Panna-"

Slap!

Pan gasped, and so did Trunks. His eyes widened as he held the left side of his cheek in shock. Pan glanced down at her red hand.

"My hand's buzzing. It hurts," she sighed as knees gave out.

"Panna-!" Trunks gasped as he caught her fall and landed on his knees.

Pan felt her tears welling up in her eyes as she shook. She could feel Trunks' hands on her waist. She could feel his chest against her arm, and her hand was still hurting! He was there!

Choking on a sob, Pan threw her arms around Trunks' neck and held him tightly as she cried. His arms encircled her and held her firmly.

Several minutes passed before Pan had enough strength to lean back and look at him. His blue eyes looked at her like he had never seen her before, and she gasped as she saw his cheek. It was red! She must have hit him a lot harder than she had thought.

"I'm sorry," she whispered hoarsely as she gently touched his cheek. "I had to make sure you were real."

"Don't be sorry," he told her gently as he grabbed her hand and held it. "I'm the one that should be apologizing. I owe you an explanation if you're willing to listen to it."