This is the revised version of Guiding Light, Chapters one to ten will be revised, so further updates might take a while longer than usual, sorry for the inconvenience, but at least, this way, you'll have a better story to read.
Even if you've read the first ten chapters already, I recommend reading the revised versions again, mostly every small detail has been changed, when chapter eleven is published, and if you haven't read the revised first ten chapters, you might not catch on to some story developments.
Again, I was focusing too much on Pan, having the world revolving around her, so in this revised version, Pan will still probably be the main character, but there will be more Bra, Trunks, Goten, and Marron segments.
Well, Bra, Trunks and Goten for sure, I'm not quite so sure about Marron ^^;
Basically, it's the same plot, but with more depth.
Oh, and one more thing, in this revised version, I will take the Trunks/Pan relationship a bit slower.
So, yeah, like I said, basically, it's the same plot, except it's more serious than the first.
Thank you for all your previous support for this story, and all the future ones. I hope that you will all enjoy this revised version of Guiding Light.
Story dedicated to: Pia Bartolini, for being such an amazing poet, and dedicating a fantabulous poem to … me! ^^ *grins*
Check it out, kay? It's -
Chapter one: Red & Black
"So? How do you guys like it?"
Pan beamed at the older blonde girl walking in front of them, "This is such a great school, Marron! Wow! I especially like the boarding rooms!"
Marron laughed softly, "Oh, that's nothing, you should see our gymnasium, it's huge!"
Bra glanced around her excitedly, "I cannot wait to see the rest of the campus, university is going to be so much more different than high school! I almost can't believe that I'm here! Ooh! There's so much to do! New friends, parties, and not to mention shopping whenever I want!"
Pan grinned at her blue-haired best friend, "You know, Bra, I've seen a few shopping malls around, and they seem pretty big."
Bra's eyes grew wide, "I certainly hope so! From what I've seen, the trend in this school seems to be red and black, I'll need a whole new wardrobe to adjust to the environment here."
Marron smiled a hollow, empty smile at the girls, "Oh, don't bother yourself about those, those are just gang colours, you wouldn't want to be wearing red or black in this school."
"Gangs?" Pan asked, interest gleaming in her eyes, "Awesome! What kind of gangs?"
Marron snorted, "It is not awesome at all, and will take probably a bit of time before it actually hits you about how serious gangs are, but I'll enlighten you by explaining, you see, there are three groups on our campus, the reds, who are mostly jocks and ditzy cheerleaders, or in other words, the popular group, the blacks, who are the troublemakers, the ones who does drugs and takes pleasure in lighting fires and so and so, and then there are the rest of us, the mature ones who actually want to get somewhere in life."
Bra seemed to grow nervous, "Are there a lot of fights, Marron?"
"Un-huh, all the time, but mostly between the gangs, we sensible ones know better to stay out of those things." Marron nodded while shooting the girls a look of superiority.
Bra nodded, her beryl hair whipping about her face, "This must be pretty serious, it would be a good idea to stay out the way of those gangs."
"That's right, I'm so glad that you guys are catching on so quickly, it usually takes other people a month or two before they realize the seriousness that gang fights can bring," Marron smiled and added, "Besides, you two are both pretty smart and responsible, so I'm sure that you can take care of yourselves without getting involved, isn't that right, Pan?"
Bra turned around to look at her ebony-haired friend, who was not there anymore, "Pan? Where'd you go?"
Marron glanced around her also for a few moments, then she narrowed her eyes and pointed halfway down the hallway, "There she is."
The mischievous girl apparently wanted to see what the commotion was, there was a large crowd gathered around the main entrance, and Bra started to call Pan to come back to where she was, when Marron clasped a hand on her mouth and tugged on her arm, "C'mon, I'll show you the gymnasium now."
"But what about Pan?" Bra protested.
"She'll manage fine on her own," Marron sneered, "After all, she seems overly interested in those gangs, I wouldn't be surprised if she joins one of them."
"Pan wouldn't do such a stupid thing, Marron! How could you think so?" Bra stood up for her friend.
"You'd be surprised to know …"
~*~
Pan couldn't help grinning, this was so incredibly awesome! A real, live gang fight! She'd always saw them in television shows and movies and such, but never in real life! She watched intensely as the few reds & blacks charged at each other, she almost laughed, actually, she did laugh.
"Why are you laughing?" Asked a boy who was standing beside her.
"Because this is so funny!" Replied Pan while snickering like crazy.
"How is it funny?" The boy asked as he raised a hand to scratch his head, of which had dirty blond hair.
"I dunno … it's just … amusing, I guess." Pan was still snickering as a black pulled out a sharp knife from his pants pocket.
"People get killed in gang fights, you know." The boy pointed out, a look of bewilderment in his deep blue eyes.
Pan shrugged and snickered again, "Not like that, they don't, look at the way those two are charging at each other, they remind me of cock parakeets fighting for hens."
The boy scratched his head again, "You're weird, aren't you afraid that you'll get killed in a gang fight?"
Pan began laughing, "Oh, I highly doubt that, there are only three people alive in this world that might actually be able to kill me."
The boy started shaking his head, "You're seriously messed up, gang fights are serious, there are even guns involved!"
Pan grinned at the baffled boy, "Cool!"
There were footsteps behind Pan, and an ebony-haired boy ran up to join the crowd, "Hey, Kev! Sorry I'm late! Ashley held me up again, what'd I miss?"
The boy turned around and frowned, "Well, there's this really
strange girl that thinks gang members fight like male budgies."
Pan turned around to correct the boy for his misinterpretation of her
statement, when her jaw dropped three and a half inches from seeing an
all-too-familiar face.
"Uncle Goten!"
Goten was surprised also, he opened and closed his mouth a few times before muttering out, "P-Panny?"
"What are you doing here?" Pan asked excitedly.
"What are you doing here?" Goten asked, his mouth hanging open from shock.
"I go here!"
"I go here, too!"
Pan smiled, "Really? I didn't know that!"
Goten frowned, "Really, Panny, I'm hurt, you don't know the university that your very favourite uncle attends?"
"You're my only uncle, Goten." Pan pointed out.
"So that makes me your favourite." Goten grinned and smacked her on the back, "This is great! It'll be awesome, you going here and all!"
"Yeah! I really hope so!" Pan grinned back, "This seems like a great university!"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, uncle? Panny?" The boy raised an eyebrow, "Would someone be kind enough to explain to me how you two know each other?"
Goten scratched the back of his head, "Opps, sorry, I guess I was too excited to tell you, okay, Panny? This is my very best friend, Kevin Engle, and Kevin? This is my very best niece, Panny, I mean, Pan."
Kevin blinked a few times before smiling at Pan, "Hi, wow, no wonder you seemed to remind me of someone I knew."
Pan smiled, "That better have been a compliment." She then noticed, for the first time, that both boys were clad in red, red sports pants, red hoodies, and red shoes.
Goten simpered at his niece, "Well, anyways, do you know your way around the campus already?"
Pan nodded, "Un-huh, Marron showed me."
Goten's smile turned into a frown, "Oh, her, the super prep, I bet she gave a pep talk about how her group are the hands of tomorrow or something like that."
"Yup, she did say some things of the sort." Pan admitted and then suddenly realized that if Kevin was Goten's best friend, then Trunks wasn't, and she knew for a fact that Trunks went to the same university as Goten. After all, she did have a minor crush on him during junior high.
Kevin tapped Goten on the shoulder, "Hey, do you think we should go? I think he is going to show up soon."
"Good idea." Goten nodded, "Wouldn't want my very favourite niece to get a bad first impression of this school."
Pan wondered what the two were talking about, when Goten grinned at her and gave her a hug, "See ya around, Panny."
"Goten!" A voice boomed … or rather, shrieked, causing both Goten and Pan to jump.
Goten turned around and grinned at the approaching blonde, who did not seem happy at all, in fact, she stomped up to the trio and yelled at Goten, "You jerk! I can't believe you!"
"What'd I do?" Asked a very confused Goten.
"You can't deny it! I saw you! You were hugging … her!" She raised a pink nailed finger and pointed to Pan, "So now you're cheating on me, huh?"
Goten sighed, "I am not cheating on you, Ashley, this is my niece, Pan, she's new at this university, must you make a big deal of every little thing?"
The girl with the curly blonde hair smiled at Pan, "Oh, you're Goten's niece? I thought that you two looked alike, I'm his girlfriend, Ashley Brewer, glad to make your acquaintance!" She grabbed Pan's hand and shook it, she then turned around to Goten and smiled, "I'm going to catch a movie, and you," She latched on to Goten's arm, "Are coming with me, it was great meeting you, Pan! Bye-bye!" She then dragged a half-moaning Goten down the hallway.
Kevin grinned and shrugged, "Well, I guess I better go too, have fun on your first day! But I seriously doubt that you'll have any trouble, not with us, anyways, word will get out that you're Goten's niece, and then everyone will be watching out for you."
"Why?" Pan wanted to know.
Kevin raised an eyebrow, "Oh, wow, I guess you don't know yet, Goten is one of, or, I should say, the most popular guy in school, he is the leader of us, after all."
"Us?" Pan asked.
"Right, the reds." Kevin glanced at his expensive-looking red watch and waved goodbye to Pan, "Well, now I really have to go, it was a pleasure meeting you, Pan, and like I said, have fun!"
Pan waved back and then she decided to find Bra and tell her about the advents that she'd seen just then, but when she turned around, her best friend was nowhere to be seen, "That's funny, where did she go?"
Pan shrugged and decided that she was probably back in her dorm room, and she jogged towards her dormitory, she couldn't believe it! She was so sure that her and Bra would be in the same dorm! But she's stuck with three girls that she doesn't even know! Well, she might as well meet them now. What if they didn't like her? What if they were mean? What if –
She turned the corner, and wouldn't you know it, she bashed into someone, which she did quite often for she rarely looked at where she walked.
"Watch it!" The person yelled.
"Ouch …" Pan rubbed her forehead, wait a minute, her forehead shouldn't hurt, since she was ¼ Saiya-jin, but it felt like she bashed into a lump of Ka'Ching, the world's hardest metal, or something like that … or maybe …
"Pan?"
Pan looked up, surprised that her name was called, "Hello, do I know you?"
The person, who was dressed in an attire of black, pulled off his hood, revealing a head full of gorgeous violet hair.
"Trunks!" Pan grinned, "No wonder I thought I bashed into something hard!"
"What are you doing here?" He asked.
"This is where I'm attending university! Isn't it awesome?" Pan simpered.
"Sure … listen, you wouldn't by any chance, know if Bra goes here too, do you?"
"Of course she does! We are best friends after all!" Pan beamed at the violet-haired man.
"Oh, you are? Oh … that's right …" Trunks patted her on the shoulder, "Well, bye, Pan."
And with that, he was off.
Pan frowned, what was the matter with him? No welcome hugs? No joking around? No Panny? He had just returned to Satan City for a visit in July, and he seemed fine then, what happened? Sure, he often visited her, since West City was quite close to Satan City, but after he had visited her last summer, he had stopped contacting at all, he didn't even return home for either Winter nor Spring break, in fact, he didn't call her, mail her, or even e-mail her anymore.
What happened?
Was he mad at her?
She didn't think that she did anything wrong …
There was the time when she emptied out his hair gel container and filled it up with frozen yogurt mixed with honey mustard and chili pepper juice, but surely he wouldn't forgiven her after all these years, and besides, his hair was back to normal in no time! Well, three and a half weeks wasn't that long.
Pan arrived at the end of the corridor, she glanced up at the number on the door.
"D-17 …"
Yep, there it was, her dorm room, in which will contain the girls who she will share her room with for the rest of the year, Pan crossed her fingers and opened the door, all the meanwhile hoping for amiable dorm members.
Three pairs of eyes glanced at her before a brunette jumped down from a top bunk and ran towards her.
"You must be Son Pan! I'm Janelle Dawes!"
"H-Hi." Said Pan awkwardly. Not knowing what else to add, fortunately, she didn't have to speak at all, because a red-haired girl sitting on an inflatable chair stood up and sort of bounced over to her.
"Hey! You're Goten's cousin, aren't ya?" The girl asked cheerfully.
"Niece, I'm his niece." Corrected Pan politely.
"I see, oh well, all the better!" The girl threw her hands up in the air, "You're still related to the hottest guy on campus! Oh, by the way, my name is Kamala, Kamala Harding, that is."
"Oh, really, Kamala, is that all you think about?" A short-haired blonde girl sighed, "Boys, boys, and more boys, it's always about boys, isn't it?"
"But this isn't just any boy that we're talking about, this is Goten! Goten! You know? The guy with the rippling muscles and that cute smile? Not to mention those gorgeous eyes of his, and -" Kamala was cut off by Janelle, who had a hand raised in the air.
"Okay, I think you're scaring Pan here."
"Sorry." Kamala stuck out her tongue.
"So, anyways, this is Casey Ducharme," Janelle pointed to the blonde girl, who gave a little wave, "And now that we all know each other, I'm absolutely positive that we'll all be the best of friends! Oh, you know what? I have to go shopping for some red clothes today, do you want to come? You should get some too."
"Why?" Pan asked.
"Well, it's only natural, since we have all decided to join Goten's group, and since you're his niece, you definitely should join, after all, you are going to be so incredibly popular, won't you?" Kamala winked.
Pan blinked, she had absolutely no intention of being popular, but then again, being in a gang would be so much fun! She'd make new friends! And meet lots of different people, and get to hang out with Goten, and maybe even get in a fight!
"Sure, I guess so." Pan grinned at her newfound friends.
She could hardly wait to inform Bra that they now belonged to a real, live gang!
End of chapter 1
Well? There you have it, the revised first chapter of Guiding Light, as you can see, I still have kept the characters of Kevin, Ashley, Jennifer, Kamala and Casey, the only change is that Jennifer's name has been converted to Janelle.
And as for another thing, I didn't include that Trunks-Goten-Marron fight over Bra and Pan, and I definitely will take the Trunks/Pan relationship a lot slower.
I personally think that this fic has changed for the better, but I'll need all your opinions also, any comments and feedback are greatly appreciated.
And another thing, it won't take that long to catch up to where I was with the original ten chappies, my estimate is a week, two weeks at the most. ^^ Watch for frequent updates! ^^
-Juunanagou4ever