Hopefully this chapter doesn't have to many typos, I didn't re-read this one as many times as I usually do. And thank you Ladybugg for your inspiring and thoughtful review. It meant a great deal to me. Well have fun with this chapter, I'll have five up as soon as I can. Thanks for reading.

Chapter 4 - New Beginnings

Pan awoke suddenly to the feeling of a presence in her room. She sat up and looked around to find Trunks standing over by the window. He was just staring out the window, as if he was intently looking at something. But the best that Pan could tell, he wasn't looking at anything at all. "What are you looking at?" Pan asked softly so not to disturb him. "I'm sorry I must have woken you. I'll leave…" "There is no need to leave," Pan interrupted, "It's nice to have a visit or two from time to time. I've barely even seen you these past two weeks. Where have you been?" "Oh, yeah. Sorry about not visiting you a little more often. But I've been busy helping rebuild that little demonstration of yours." "Yeah, I'm sorry about that Trunks. You don't always make the best decisions when you've lost your purpose in life." "As strange as it might sound, I know what you mean." Pan smiled, she really had missed not seeing Trunks. Besides Master Roshi, she had never really had a friend before. Trunks and Bulma were quickly becoming just that. Her friends.

There was a bit of a silence before Pan had enough courage to ask, "So, what were you looking at?" "Oh, nothing really. I was thinking more than really looking at something," Trunks said somberly. Pan sat there, she wanted to know what he was thinking about, but it seemed to bother Trunks so much that she wasn't sure if it was her place too. Trunks looked over at Pan and noticed that she was biting her lip, and had an anxious appearance about her. He knew that she probably wanted to ask him what he was thinking about, but that she was trying to be polite.

"Did you know this was my Master Gohan's room," Trunks began, "This is where he stayed when he had been training me." Pan saw the hurt in his eye's, "You don't have to talk about it if you don't want too." "I know, but I've hid it inside long enough. I think I finally realize that not all pain is meant to last. I defeated the Androids, I took my vengeance for the murder of my Master, yet I still couldn't find peace. I still wondered if I had just tried harder, then he might still be alive," Trunks said as he sat down on the edge of Pan's bed. "But then I met you Pan. And the emptiness that Gohan left me now seems to be gone. Its been awhile since I've had a real friend. And all my friends from the past are long dead in this time. So when I returned to this time, I returned to the emptiness. Even though I defeated the Androids, they still seemed to win. All of my friends, my father…and Gohan are still dead. Going back to the past didn't bring any of them back, so in effect, it did nothing. Sure, there is a timeline that is free of the Androids terror, but its not mine. Its not the one that my mother or any other of the people of this world will ever see or get to experience. All they will ever know is the Androids and the pain and suffering that they have caused," as Trunks said this a tear streamed down his face. Pan sat there for a second before saying, "There isn't anything I can say to that except, life goes on. You are so consumed with the bad, you can't see the good. True, you've lost a lot. But so has everyone else on Earth. And I'm positive that you're not the only one that wishes things were different. I'm sure everyone wishes that. Why do you think I wanted to break in here and steal your time machine. I wanted to go back and defeat the Androids myself. But you know what I found out?" "What?" "That some things, no matter how much you want them to change, just shouldn't cause you never know what tomorrow might bring. I wanted to go back to before you destroyed the Androids, and destroy them myself. But I found out from our battle, that if I had went up against the Androids, then I would have died…..and I would have never met you or your mother. So even though you think things might have been different if you were able to do this, or save that life. You never know if it would have been for the better. As hard as it might be, maybe you just weren't meant to save Gohan," At that Trunks got up from the bed and began to head for the door.

"Trunks wait!" said Pan as she called at Trunks. He stopped, but didn't turn around. Pan's comment about not being meant to save Gohan had really upset him. "Trunks…I in no way meant to anger or offend you. I know how much you cared for Gohan. If anything ever happened to Master Roshi I would feel the exact same way. But we have to live with the hand that fate dealt us. Even if he dealt us a runt."

Trunks just stood there, his legs beginning to quiver. Trunks was crying. He hadn't cried this hard since finding Gohan face down in the mud. Pan couldn't see his face, but she could read his body language. Seeing the all-powerful Trunks cry, made her stomach turn upside down. She knew his pain, she had lived with it most of her life. It was only now that she was beginning to move on.

Trunks' knees finally gave out and he collapsed to the ground. He was now sobbing quite heavily. Pan guessed that he hadn't cried in a long time, and that it had slowly built up inside of him, that only now had it finally found a way of release. Pan, whom now used a single crutch when getting around, moved over to where Trunks sat. "I'm sorry for having to say all of that. But you needed to hear it from somebody Trunks. I just wish it didn't have to be me." "Actually Pan, I'm glad it was you," Trunks said turning to look at Pan. All Pan could do was smile. She had never felt so needed in her entire life.

"Do you think you can fly?" Trunks asked as he wiped away his tears. "I guess so. Why?" "Cause I want to show you something." "What?" "Nope, you have to wait until we get there," Trunks said as he stood to his feet, helping Pan to hers. "Okay, you've got me. I'll go." "Good, we can sneak out your window," with this Trunks gave Pan a wink and walked over to the window that framed her room and opened it to the cool evening air. "Why do we have to sneak out of your own house?" "My mother probably wouldn't be very happy if she knew that I was taking her beloved patient out for an evening flight. So are you coming?" Trunks asked as he slowly flew out the window. "Yeah, yeah, I'm coming. It just takes us gimps a bit longer," Pan said with a bit of humor in her voice. "Well, you should have known better than to pick a fight with me." "And you should have learned some manors, and not hit a girl." "Well you started it. You swung at me first. But unlike you, I finished it." "I think you finished it a little too well." "Well, if you weren't so weak." "Okay, okay, I've had enough. Lets just get to this place that we're suppose to be going." "Okay, well follow me." With that Trunks soared away from the house, with Pan in close pursuit.

The pair flew off into the night sky, Pan with her crutch in tow. "So where are we going?" Pan asked. "Like I said, I'll tell you when we get there. Be patient." "I've been nothing but patient for the past two weeks sitting in my room waiting for my injuries to heal. I'm tired of being patient." "I feel so bad for you," Trunks said with a sarcastic tone. "Yeah I bet."

The pair landed on the ledge of a cliff overlooking West City. "Wow! What an amazing view," Pan said with awe. "Yeah I know," Trunk's agreed, "This is where I like to get away from everything. For some reason this place allows my mind to wonder. This is where I go when things are bothering me." "Did you come up here when Gohan died?" as soon as Pan said it, she had already wished that she hadn't. Because Trunks just froze and peered into the darkness. "…..Yeah, I spent a lot of time here after Gohan passed away. Trying futilely to deal with the emotions that were spinning laps in my mind. I would go from wanting to kill the Androids to wanting to kill myself in an instant." Trunks sighed, he was reliving old memories and it was killing him.

Pan hobbled the best she could over towards Trunks, and rested her hand on his shoulder. She didn't say anything, but she didn't have to. The fact that Trunks had a friend in his life again was more than words could ever say.

After Trunks had a few moments to recollect himself he spoke up again, "Well, I guess we should get back. My mother would kill us both if she found out that we had left the compound." Pan smirked, she understood why he had always come here alone. This was Trunks' place of solitude and peace. On top of this cliff the troubles of the world didn't follow. This was his safe haven. She felt a little honored that he would share this place with her.

"Well, we better go then if we don't want your mom to find out. She might make a late night run to check and see how I'm doing." Trunks gazed at her gleaming face, "Okay then gimp, lets go." "Gimp huh, I'll show you gimp," Pan said as she attempted to swing her crutch at Trunks. But this action made Pan lose her balance and begin to fall. Luckily Trunks was able to steady her fall so that she didn't break or re-injure anything else. "You're right, you sure showed me a gimp," Trunks jested. Pan gave Trunks her best eye of death stare and said, "Will you just help me up so that we can go." "Sure no problem," Trunks said with a smirk of his own as he slowly helped Pan to her feet. Or her foot, since the other one was still hurting pretty bad. "Thanks," Pan said before sailing into the sky. Trunks quickly followed but with a smile spanning his face. He hadn't had this much fun in a long time.

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As Bulma peered out of her bedroom window she saw Trunks and Pan flying back to the main house. Bulma stood there sipping her coffee as the two youths dropped from her view as they neared the other side of the house. 'They must be returning to Pan's room,' Bulma thought to herself, 'I wonder where those two went.' Bulma sloshed around her coffee, doing her best to stir the black substance without the use of a spoon. She then took another sip and walked leisurely away from the window.