untitled

Mysterious Beauty
Chapter 1: Dream Girl
By Lady Starra
presea94@netscape.net
Rating: PG
See foreword for standard disclaimer.



"No! Pan! What are you doing? You're too weak! PAN!"

"What's happening?!" Goten asked, worried.

"This isn't good...this isn't good at all!" Lutz cried.

"What? Tell us what's going on, Lutz!" Bra exclaimed.

"Pan used the pendant...to go to another world. Kami, what in blazes was she
thinking?" Lutz cried.

"Well, what all did she say, Lutz? WHAT?" Goten said.

"She...said she had something she needed to do, that she couldn't let things
end the way they did. Then she used the pendant and vanished."

"So...earth is completely destroyed?" Bra asked, a pained expression on her
face.

"I...I'm afraid so. Pan's anger towards Zio triggered the Mystoke Forbidden
technique. The force of it was so great that it not only destroyed Zio, but
the whole earth as well," Lutz told them.

"Oh, no. Poor Pan-chan. If I know her, she will probably blame herself for
destroying earth for the rest of her life. It's bad enough that she blames
herself for our friends and family dying," Bra said grimly.

The captain of the guard spoke up. "But Zio killed all of the earth's
inhabitants and set it up as his new base. It's not like any innocent lives
were lost."

"That's true, Crys. But the fact is, the earth WAS our home, and Pan DOES
feel guilty. That's why she used the pendant and left," Goten said.

"What do you mean, Goten?" Bra asked.

"I'm sure she probably wants to give everyone a second chance. I'll bet she's
gone to the past to warn everyone about Zio...so they can prepare for him."

"And HOW would she do that?" Kara asked. "Zio couldn't be defeated without
the use of magic. I don't see how she could stop him unless she went back to
the very day Zio invaded earth and just destroy him then."

"She couldn't have done that. All of her energy was depleted when she left.
For her to fight Zio a second time in the state she was in...I'm sure Pan
would know better than that," Lutz said.

"I wish she would have come back first, that way we could have at least let
her rest and heal first!" Aron said, upset.

"I have no clue what she could be doing...but I know she wants to fix things.
Don't worry, you guys. Pan's a strong girl. I know she'll come back to us
safely," Goten told them confidently.

"Oh...I hope so," Bra said, looking up at the clear sky. 'Pan-chan,' she
thought. 'You're my best friend! We've been through everything together.
Whatever you do...please be safe!'


* * *


"Trunks!"

The voice kept calling out to him. He could barely make out the figure of a
woman running towards him. She was so close, but he could not see her face.
He could only make out her long, dark hair, and her sad, pain-filled voice.

"Trunks! Please! PLEASE, DON'T DIE! TRUNKS!"

Mirai Trunks shot up in bed, sweating. He breathed heavily, his mind reeling.
He'd been having this dream for some time now. WHO was that girl supposed to
be? He got up from his bed and stepped out onto the balcony of his room. The
sun was just starting to rise as he looked out at Capsule Corporation, and
then out at the city beyond. Well...what was left of the city, anyway.

The cyborgs had left the earth in utter ruin. Many of their rampages had even
caused environmental catastrophes, causing new plagues and viruses to emerge.
That, along with the cyborgs' 20-year killing rampage, had reduced the
earth's population to what was once over 4 billion, to just a little over
1,500. Since he had killed the cyborgs, Trunks was viewed as the earth's
hero, and many had wanted him to become sort of a new leader, almost like a
king. But Trunks didn't want that, didn't want himself to be glorified. He
just wanted everyone to live in peace.

Because the cyborgs had destroyed everything, and made most of the earth
unlivable, all of the earth's survivors stayed in one area, which was
actually Capsule Corp itself. New housing developments were made, courtesy of
Capsule Corp, for all of the survivors to live, while the cure for the latest
virus was being sought.

'I wonder if earth will ever become prosperous again,' Mirai Trunks thought
as he watched the sun rise higher in the sky. 'I wonder...if I will ever find
out who that girl in my dreams is.'

He sighed. Trunks hoped to find love one day. It had been five years since
his adventures in the past, and he had been envious of the love Goku had
managed to find with Chichi. He wanted someone to love, he wanted to have
children of his own. Although, he wasn't sure he wanted to bring a child of
his up in this depleted, dying world. Just last night, he heard his mother
say that it was possible that the contaminations around the earth could
spread to where Capsule Corp was very quickly, and that they might even have
to go as far as sending a team out into space to search for a new planet to
settle on. Secretly, Trunks hoped that they WOULD have to go to a new planet.
It would be like a new start for him, and he could leave his memories of his
terrible life on earth behind him.

Suddenly, Trunks snapped his head up, looking at the sky. He could feel the
presence of someone's ki approaching. However, it was a weakened ki and
Trunks could feel it getting even lower. He wondered who it could possibly be
coming from. Then, he saw something falling from the sky. It was a person.

"Crap! I'd better help them, before they hit the ground!"

In a flash, Trunks was in the air and caught the person who had been
plummeting from above. He landed on the grounds of Capsule Corp, and then got
a better look at the person.

It was a young woman, and she was unconscious. She had long, dark brown hair,
and she was wearing a strange dark blue outfit, in a matching blue velvet
cape. It was obvious that she had been fighting someone or something, and
even with all of her cuts and bruises, he could tell that she was extremely
beautiful. But...who was she?

Also, there was something very strange about her ki. Because she was badly
injured, he couldn't sense how strong she actually was, but there was
something different about her power. It was almost like something mysterious
and alluring, something that had more of a...magical energy to it. He really
didn't know how to describe it. He also noticed that she had a sword sheathed
at her side. She was definitely some kind of warrior, and he could sense that
she had a good soul. But where in Kami's name had she come from? Beautiful
women didn't just fall from the sky out of nowhere. If there had been a fight
going on, Trunks was sure he would have sensed it.

But he didn't have time to think about that as he rushed inside Capsule Corp
and headed for his mother's lab. She was always in there by sunrise. Bulma
became shocked when she saw her son walk in with the unconscious girl in his
arms.

"We have to get her into a rejuvenation tank, Kaasan," he said.

"Trunks...I kind of have bad news. The tank isn't working properly. I don't
know what's wrong with it. How serious are her injuries?" Bulma asked him.

"She's got some cuts and bruises, and she's unconscious. But I don't know if
she has any internal bleeding or not," he answered.

"I'm sorry, Trunks, but until I find out what's wrong with the rejuvenation
tank, we are just going to have to care for her the old fashioned way. Go
ahead and take her to the infirmary."

Trunks did, and he waited as his mother took off her cape and the rest of her
clothes and put a black cotton tanktop and matching shorts on her. They got
her into one of the beds and Trunks began tending to her injuries. He then
noticed that she had some unusual scorch marks on the side of her right leg
and arm.

'Man, whoever she was fighting...they must have been powerful,' he thought.
'I just hope that this doesn't mean that there's a new threat to earth.' He
continued to clean and bandage her wounds, then wiped the dirt from her face,
cleaning the few scrapes that were there. He felt the softness of her skin as
he ran the washcloth over her face. She truly was beautiful, he had never
seen anyone like her in his entire life. Even after he was done tending to
her wounds, he didn't want to leave her side. He just sat there,
contemplating where she could have come from. A little later, a doctor came
in to examine her.

"She doesn't have any life-threatening injuries, although her physical energy
has been totally spent. And those marks on the side of her leg and on her arm
do need extra attention. Once you have that rejuvenation tank up and running,
put her in there immediately. Until then, keep those burns covered and put
some ointment on them about every four hours," the doctor instructed.

"We'll take good care of her," Trunks promised.

"Contact me if something comes up. You have my number," the doctor said as he
took his leave. Trunks went and sat back down next to the girl.

'This is so strange,' he thought. 'The more I look at her, the more I think I
should know her from someplace. I don't get it...'

Bulma looked at her son and the way he was staring at this young stranger.
She had never seen him so taken by anything in his life. In the treacherous
world in which they lived, Trunks had always been too busy fighting and
running from the cyborgs to worry about falling in love or having a
girlfriend. But now that they were destroyed, Trunks was beginning to strive
for things he could never have before. She didn't know who the girl was, but
she only hoped that her personality was as beautiful as her looks.

Trunks thought so. He could sense that she was a good person. He didn't want
to leave the girl's side, because he wanted to see what color her eyes were
the moment she woke up.

"Do you want some breakfast, Trunks?" Bulma asked him.

"Hmm? Oh, um...sure, Kaasan, but...I'd like to eat in here, if that's okay,"
he said.

"In here?"

"I don't think we should leave her alone, in case she wakes up."

"Oh. You're right, I suppose. I'll have it down here in a few minutes."

"Arigatou, Kaasan." Trunks looked back down at the girl. 'I know that I've
never seen her before, but...she's so familiar,' he pondered once again.

He stayed by her side all day. He ate lunch and dinner in the infirmary, and
just as the doctor ordered, he treated her burns every four hours. He tried
not to stare at her gorgeous figure, but he couldn't help himself. Although
she had injuries almost everywhere, her skin was unbelievably soft. "Oh,
Kami...who are you?" he whispered softly as he gently brushed her hair from
her face.

Suddenly, she began to moan in her sleep.

"Mmmmm," she mumbled, although it didn't seem like she was waking up. Trunks
sat up straight and held her hand as she stirred.

"Miss? Are you all right?" he said, hoping she would hear him.

"T...Trunks..."

Trunks gasped. 'She...she said my name!' he thought in disbelief. 'But...that
voice...I know that voice! Kami, she couldn't possibly be...'

"Trunks," she mumbled again. "Don't...die...please, Trunks..."

He gasped again. She WAS the girl in his dreams! He couldn't believe it. No
wonder he had been so taken by her. She was the girl he had been dreaming of
all these weeks. But he was certain they'd never met before, though it was
pretty obvious that she knew him.

'I wonder...could she be from the other timeline? That somehow, she ended up
in his time, and his other self had been killed? If that was the case...then
the earth IS in danger again, not in this world, but in hers!' he thought.
Then, Trunks realized this was no coincidence. It was fate, giving him his
future.

"Trunks...I can't lose you. Please, Trunks...don't leave me..."

He took her hand in his again, and smiled down at her softly. "I won't," he
whispered. Then, he leaned down slowly, bringing his face to hers. He gently
kissed her lips, amazed at how soft they felt beneath his. Again, he looked
at her sleeping face and spoke, stroking her hair.

"I promise I won't ever leave you."



Okay...I hope that wasn't too confusing. But everything gets explained in the
next chapter!

- Lady S