Pan looked down as she flew over Western Capitol City. She hadn't been there since Marron died, and the funeral, but she knew that it was time to pay a certain someone a visit. She knew that she had to find a way to help her uncle and Trunks stop arguing and become friends again. She didn't like any of this, and she wanted to help. Then again, she thought, I'll have to be careful if I don't want to do the same thing Grandma and Bulma did. I don't want to do anymore damage than what's already been done.

Pan looked up and saw Capsule Corporation very close by. She knew Trunks would be in his office working, or at least she hoped, considering he could be at a meeting and might be out. But pinpointing the area of his ki, she knew he was in the building.

Deciding to skip talking to his secretary, she flew straight towards Trunks' office window. Taking a peek, she saw the back of a very lavender-haired head.

Pan tapped on the glass, and saw Trunks turn around. Upon seeing her, he got up and opened the window to let her in.

"Hey Pan," Trunks said. "What are you doing here?"

"I just came by to say hi," she lied. She couldn't tell him the real reason she was here. He wouldn't be too happy to know that Pan was just trying to get him and Goten to talk to each other again.

But Trunks didn't seem to believe her. "Right," he said. Then he sat down in his at his desk. "So what's up with you Pan? Anything new happen in life for you?"

"Not really." She sighed. She couldn't pretend at all, so she decided to get to the point. "Trunks, I want you to be honest with me…"

Trunks cut her off. "Sorry Pan, but according to Goten, honesty is something I'm not capable of. This is why you decided to come over, isn't it? To talk to me about my argument with Goten?"

Pan looked down. Trunks nodded, confirming what he needed to know. "Pan, I'm sure you asked your uncle, and I'm sure he told you the same thing that I'm going to tell you now."

Pan looked at him. "What's that?" she asked.

"I'm not in the mood to talk about it."

"Then when are you going to talk about it, Trunks? When are you and Uncle Goten going to tell anyone what happened and why you two aren't speaking to each other?

"When we're ready, Pan. Not any time before that."

"But when are you going to be ready? From what I'm seeing and hearing, you and Uncle Goten are just trying to run from the whole thing. It's not going to go away if you just ignore the problem."

Trunks sighed. "That's easy for you to say, Pan. You're not the one going threw this whole mess."

"Maybe not," Pan said. "But this affects me and everyone else, just as much as it affects you and my uncle."

"I just don't know what to do, Pan. I want to talk to Goten, but I'm afraid to."

Pan looked at Trunks, a little bit surprised by what she heard. Trunks had never said he was afraid of something, ever. He may not have been as pride-driven as Vegeta, but he had enough to never admit he was afraid before, even if he was. This was the first Pan had ever heard those words leave Trunks mouth.

"What?"

"I'm afraid, okay? I'm afraid that if I try to talk to Goten, we might start arguing again, and it would be worse this time, because I'm still mad at him for what he said, and we might say worse things than before. I don't want to do anything at the moment, because I'm afraid it might get worse, like with what happened with Mom and Chi Chi."

"But you keep saying 'might,'" Pan said, "as in you don't know what is bound to happen. If you try talking to Uncle Goten, maybe this time you won't fight."

"But no one knows that, Pan. I don't really want to risk it."

"You have to try, Trunks. I don't like seeing my uncle acting the way he is, and the only way to get him happy again is get him and you talking to each other again. You're his best friend Trunks. You have to do something."

Trunks shook his head. "I don't know if I can, Pan. I want to, but I don't know what to do."

"Come with me back home, to talk to him. We can straighten everything out."

"Goten made it pretty clear that he doesn't want me back there."

"What do you mean?" Pan asked.

Trunks looked down at his desk, and said, "The day we stopped talking to each other, as I was going to take off to leave, Goten said, and I quote, 'if you know what's good for you, you won't come back. Ever.'"

"I'm sure he didn't mean it. He probably just said that because he was angry."

"Still, I don't feel like seeing him. I know I won't be able to keep my anger at bay, and I'll just make him angrier."

"But, Trunks…"

"No, Pan," he said. "I can't, okay?"

Pan nodded. She knew she couldn't force Trunks into doing something he didn't want to do.

"Hey, Pan, let me ask you something."

"What's that?"

"Why are you getting involved?"

"Come on, Trunks. Think about that one for a minute. I'm just trying to help Uncle Goten out. He's family after all."

"Yeah, I see."

"And besides, I'm trying to do you a favor, too."

"That's what I don't get. Why are you trying to help me out? Shouldn't you be siding with Goten?"

"Well, I guess I should. But since what he wants and what you want are basically the same, it's convenient for me to help both of you."

"Okay, I guess."

"But that's not the only reason."

Trunks looked at her. "It's not?"

Pan blushed slightly. "Not really, no."

"May I ask what the other reason is?"

Pan's blush darkened, spreading across her cheeks. "I don't know," she said looking down, "I guess you help people that you care for."

Trunks watched her, noticing the redness on her face. "Care for how, Pan?" he asked, curiously.

"Trunks, don't make me go there. I swore I wouldn't do this…"

"Wouldn't do what, Pan?"

Pan sighed exasperatedly. "None of your business, Trunks."

"Come on Pan. You can tell me. You asked me to honest with you, and I was. Now it's your turn."

"It doesn't matter now. You already married Marron, so…"

"What's this have to do with Marron?"

Pan sighed. "Forget it Trunks. Just drop it."

"This doesn't have anything to do with the crush you used to have on me, does it?"

Pan looked up, startled. "You knew?" she asked.

"Knew? Of course I knew. Everybody knew. You may not have shown it, but everybody could tell."

"Well, there goes my secret. But yes, I'm also helping you out because I used to like you. Satisfied?"

Trunks looked at her, then looked out the window. "Pan, I appreciate all your help, but this argument between me and Goten, has to stay between me and Goten."

"But Trunks, you don't understand! This argument with Uncle Goten will not just stay between the two of you. It will affect everyone else too. Just like it did with Grandma and Bulma. Don't you see? You may think that this won't affect us, and the whole thing will blow over, but you're wrong. Just seeing you two this way makes us feel just as bad, and this won't go away until you decide to do something."

Trunks looked at her, then looked away. Pan sighed.

"Fine Trunks. You can be that way. But I hope you and Uncle Goten realize exactly what you're doing." Trunks felt a rise in Pan's ki as she sped out the window and away, back home, or wherever she needed to be. He knew the consequences of his actions, but he wasn't sure what to do about them. He just didn't know what to do anymore.

Why did things have to be this way? And why did everyone have to get involved? Like ripples in the water, what started out as one fight between two people was spreading out to people who they cared for, and didn't want to be affected by this whole disaster. But what could be done now?

Trunks knew that there was no way to turn back the clock and change what's been done, but he wished he could. That would take him all the way back to when he was a child, though, because Goten was angry for what he had done as a child, and just realized it now.

It was too late to change his ways now, but as they have learned before, it wasn't too late to change the future. But what would their future turn out to look like if they never made up? If they never apologized, what would happen?

TBC