The Odyssey – 3

And Darkness Was -

Pan sat in the Excalibur's theater, chomping on some popcorn. She was getting bored already, which worried her. She had read The Shining, and it terrified her. A whole year on a ship in space was a daunting prospect, regardless of what accommodations the ship boasted.

Supplies for the test run of the Excalibur-P included all sorts of junk food, she had been happy to discover, plus the main computer had an incredible database of entertainment media, which was something. She was hardly paying attention to the screen though, busy instead thinking about Trunks and her parents and what the future would hold.

It had been two days since their incident at the pool, and she hadn't seen Trunks since. She knew he was avoiding her temper, and she didn't blame him. Pan was always frustrated, especially so lately for some reason. Trunks was the only person who calmed her and made her happy, although he could be impossible at times.

She tried to show him how much she appreciated his friendship, but it always seemed to backfire. He'd probably be a lot more sane if she wasn't always blowing up at him. Pan grabbed another handful of popcorn and slurped her soda.

Then, out of the corner of her eye she saw something levitating next to her head, hanging over her shoulder. She jerked her head aside to see. It was a huge ice-cream sundae – four scoops of chocolate, with a chocolate fudge syrup drizzle, peanut crumbles and a giant cherry perched on top. Attached to it was Trunks, who stood behind her.

"Truce?" He asked with a smile. Damn him, Pan thought. This exact dessert was her favorite treat and he knew it. She opened her mouth to snap something sarcastic, but realized she couldn't. In fact, this gesture was one of the sweetest things Trunks had ever done, she thought. She looked at him for a moment, then snatched the ice-cream and dug in.

"What's on?" Trunks asked, sitting on the sofa next to her. Honestly, Pan couldn't even remember. She hadn't been paying attention anyway.

"A horror movie, I think." She said with a mouth full of sundae. The thing was perfect.

Trunks laughed, "Figures. I don't know why I thought you'd be watching some sappy romance."

"Hate 'em." Pan said. She was halfway through the ice-cream now, but thought she'd be nice and show Trunks she wasn't mad, so she handed him the sundae, "Want to share?"

"You sure? I made it just for you."

"Eat the damn ice-cream, Trunks." Pan said, thrusting it at him again. Trunks reached for it and Pan snatched it back with a grin, taking another bite.

"Come on now," Trunks said, "you're lucky I didn't eat it all on the way here."

"That's so sweet of you." Pan said sarcastically, finally relenting. They sat and ate the rest of the ice-cream, not watching the movie.

Pan was happy. Trunks always cheered her, at least when she wasn't flying off the handle and making a fool of herself. He had a certain charm and ease that seemed to always be exactly what she needed at any given time.

She felt guilty again then. Trunks had done so much for her, and not just these past few weeks. He was like an anchor she could cling to when times were hard. She wanted so badly to show her appreciation for everything, but just didn't know how. Yet she was glad he was here now, and that they were getting along.

A thought occurred to her then that almost made her laugh out loud and choke. They were sitting here like the perfect couple one might see in one of those cheesy romance movies. Pan knew there was a truckload of girls out there who would kill to be where she was right now.

After all, Trunks was the richest, most handsome and eligible bachelor in half the world! Of course Pan didn't care a thing about his money, and she had known him all her life so was immune to his dashing good looks. It was his manner and friendliness and confidence that made her light up like a Christmas tree every time he looked at her.

But she was pretty sure she didn't like him romantically. She let her mind ponder for a while what it may be like to be in that sort of relationship with Trunks. She had never had a real boyfriend before, but she couldn't imagine how this would be much different from the relationship they had now, save for the physical intimacy. Pan scoffed at such sentimental nonsense as holding hands, and couldn't imagine herself or Trunks sitting and staring into one another's eyes, sighing like dopes.

She knew Trunks had had a few girlfriends in the past, and one relationship had gotten fairly serious before the girl dumped him, leaving him heartbroken for a while. But he hadn't really dated in over a year, and Pan wondered if it was because of her. She knew Trunks still thought of her as a kid sister though, and this annoyed her to no end. She wondered why it did. What else was their relationship if not a sibling one?

She decided then on a whim to try something, just to see what would happen. She looked at Trunks for a moment and wondered if this would make him mad. Oh well, it doesn't mean anything, she thought. Then she reached across the couch and took his hand in hers, twining her fingers through his.

Pan was facing away from him now, but out of the corner of her eye she saw Trunks turn and look at her. She didn't look back and he said nothing, but neither did he let go of her hand. Trunks faced ahead again, leaned back into the sofa and squeezed her fingers a little tighter.

Pan didn't know why her heart was beating faster. The very act she had just been detesting had somehow filled her stomach with butterflies. She had never felt like this before, and wasn't sure what to do. This simple gesture – this contact – was actually nice. She thought she may be beginning to understand now why couples did it.

But she realized something else, and it frightened her. It wasn't the mere act of holding hands that was so pleasant. The fact that she was holding on to Trunks was what made her pulse quicken. If it were anybody else she wouldn't care – she'd probably be nauseous. But she cared for him, and he for her, and it was this familiar intimacy that seemed so right now.

Then it all fell apart. Pan had relaxed back into the cushion of the sofa, her mind churning. The stupid movie was long forgotten. She reached over with her free hand to grab her drink when suddenly a piercing alarm began to sound.

A mechanical voice interjected between the shrill siren, "Alert! Atmospheric system failure!"

XXX

"Goten, I'm really too old for this." Videl protested as she walked with Goten across a field.

"No you're not!" He laughed, "What are you, thirty?"

Videl scoffed, "You don't ask a woman her age. That's rude."

"Why? We should always be honest with ourselves, Videl." Goten topped walking and looked around, "Here is good. You can't be much older than thirty."

"You're impossible!" Videl said with a laugh, kicking Goten in the leg. One good thing about Saiyans was that you could take your anger out on them physically and they didn't feel a thing, "If you must know, I'm thirty five."

"You're in your prime then." Goten said.

Videl had hiked all the way out into the wilderness with Goten because he had come up with the hair-brained idea of reteaching her to fly. He had caught her and saved her life when she jumped off a third-floor balcony in a panic over her daughter taking off into space. Goten had come to her the other day and suggested this foolishness.

They had been spending a lot of time together, both finding comfort in the company. Videl had fun with him, and suggested they just go for a hike or something instead, but Goten insisted.

"The next time you decide to jump off a roof, I want you to be able to survive." He had said. Videl promised her base jumping career was over, but it wasn't good enough.

Videl looked around wistfully and smiled. This field looked like the same one where Gohan had shown her how to fly the first time. Goten had been there for lessons too, but he was just a kid. He had picked it up like a pro, and was flitting around before Videl had even managed to levitate for longer than a heartbeat.

She wondered if Goten remembered the location of that field, and if indeed this might be the very same one. Her heart ached thinking of those happy days. It had been during her flight training that she had fallen for Gohan. Those were special memories, and she had ever since related the feeling of flying to the feeling of falling in love.

Goten didn't know any of this, and had only been trying to come up with something fun to occupy their time. He was so innocent – almost oblivious at times. Videl couldn't help but to forgive that naivete, but she wondered if she could emotionally handle doing something so special and private with anyone other than Gohan.

She and Goten were helping each other though – this was their unspoken agreement. Both were in pain in their own way, and Videl decided to try this, for his sake. The nature of friendship is one of give and take, and she felt she had been taking a little more than giving lately with Goten.

He had thought of everything too. When he arrived at her house to pick her up, he had a heaping picnic basket, a cooler with drinks and even a box of bandages and ointments for the inevitable falls she would endure. Videl couldn't help but to smile, despite her distaste for the endeavor.

Goten began to set up the spot now, laying a blanket out and spreading the goods across it. It was rather picturesque, she had to admit. When he finished, Goten smiled up to her, beaming with excitement.

"Do you want to eat now or later?" He asked.

"I don't know," Videl said, "Do you think it's best if I crash and burn on a full stomach or empty?"

"Full, definitely!" Gohan jabbed, and began digging in the basket. He had sandwiches and rolls, side dishes aplenty and even some kind of pie for dessert, "This is a specialty of mine."

Videl inspected the treat. It looked like some sort of pecan pie. She had come to trust Goten's cooking prowess these past weeks, and knew it would be good.

They ate and chatted, and Videl wasn't wrong about the food – it was delicious. Goten said that she'd probably do better controlling her ki on a full stomach, as the food energy would help her stamina. She wasn't entirely sure. She remembered from her days of martial-arts training that food energy was a must, for the work was physical. But with ki energy it might be a different matter. Videl couldn't recall how exactly it was when she was learning; it had been so long ago, it seemed.

"You ready?" Goten asked, standing up and offering Videl a hand.

"If you think I need a hand standing up, how am I going to fly on my own?" Videl asked jokingly, rising to her feet under her own power.

"Well you keep saying you're old." Goten said, "If you want to play that game, I will too!"

"It's not a game! I am old. I've got ten years on you." Videl said ruefully. It was true that she had been feeling her age lately, and it was bothering her. All these Saiyans in her life didn't age, and she was fast becoming a relic.

"I swear I can't see it." Goten said, looking at her, "You look great. I actually keep forgetting about our age difference."

This made Videl light up, despite herself. It wasn't every day one got such a complement from a strapping young man like Goten. And she knew he meant it, for just like his father, he couldn't bullshit to save his life.

Goten had Videl sit down first, and position her body into a form more conducive to ki flow. They went through breathing exercises and awareness meditation for a while. She was trying to do well, but after such a big meal it was a bit difficult to keep from nodding off.

Finally that came to an end, and they decided to try practical energy accessing. She vaguely remembered this part with Gohan. It was extremely difficult, for she had to use her body and mind in ways totally alien to normal life. She hoped it would come a little quicker now though, since she had done it before.

They stood facing each other, and Goten bid her hold her hands in front of her but not touching, as if holding an invisible ball. He explained that she had to dig deep within and access her well of energy, and bring it forth through her palms. It would be a successful session if she could manifest her energy visibly.

Videl tried for hours, but it just never happened. She was sore and sweating from the exertion, and wishing more by the minute that they could call it a day. Goten was firm though. Once, she thought she had felt a tingle in her palms that Goten said was promising, but nothing ever came of it. Then he had an idea.

"Here, give me your hands." He said, extending his towards her, palm upwards. Videl placed her hands into his, noting the contrast between her cool, clammy palms and his warm and dry ones.

Goten tightened his grip slightly then continued, "I'm going to channel my own energy into you to give you an idea of what it feels like. This should help you get familiar with the feeling of ki flowing through your body. It's my energy, so it will feel a little strange, but try to ignore that."

Videl nodded and took a deep breath, ready for anything. She was pretty sure this hadn't been necessary last time. Maybe the fact that she hadn't really trained in any capacity for years was making this harder than it had been when she was in tournament shape as a teenager.

"Here it comes." Goten said. Videl focused on the sensation of their clasped hands, waiting to feel a change. It came slowly, but built steadily until it was an unmistakable feeling. A warmth flooded her body from head to toe. It was a comfortable heat, like a toasty fire in winter, and it filled her with a comfortable glow. She smiled as the sensation suffused her every pore, invigorating and energizing her like a well-rested dawn. She suddenly felt young and healthy and more alive than she had in years. Flight should be no big deal now, she felt able to jump over a mountain in one bound. Was this what it was to manipulate your ki?

"How's that?" Goten asked, staring intently into her eyes. He was curious and wanted to make sure he didn't harm her from sensory overload.

"This is incredible." Videl said quietly. She had no idea such happiness and pleasure could be derived from this. She stared back at Goten, hoping he was feeling as nice as she was. He smiled at her, and she realized that she was wearing the biggest smile of her own. She didn't care though, and simply basked in the warmth.

"I'm going to bring it back down," Goten said finally, "You should try again now."

She felt the warmth rush out of her then, taking with it the fuzzy pleasure, but leaving a wonderful afterglow, "Why was that so nice?" She asked.

"It isn't always," Goten said, "When someone is attacking you with ki, it can be horrible. But everyone has their own energy, and when they share it it communicates the emotions and intentions of whoever released it."

"So, that's how you're feeling?" She asked in astonisment.

"Not exactly, although that's a little bit of it. It's more the feeling I wanted you to have. It's like writing someone a letter. You put in what you want them to get." He grinned sheepishly.

"That was...for me?" Videl couldn't believe it. All those wonderful feelings and all that happiness and pleasure had been something Goten had constructed for her. It was overwhelming.

"Yep," He said, "From me to you."

Videl was overcome with feeling for Goten at that moment. Such a kind and generous gesture, coming from such an honest and caring person was too much. She flung her arms around his neck and squeezed, finding the words to express her emotions failing. He jerked in surprise at the tackle, then put his own arms around her.

"Thank you." She said.

"Aw, don't thank me," Goten said, rubbing his hand on her back, "I just want you to be happy. It's the least I could do."

And Videl was happy – happier than she had been in a while. This had turned into the perfect day, and she realized there was no one else she'd rather be spending time with right now, as she stood in an embrace with her husband's brother.

XXX

The room was dark. Gohan looked around, seeing nothing but emptiness. He had been stopped dead in his tracks as soon as he was in the black room, and found himself now paralyzed by some invisible force. He tried moving again, but to no avail.

"You are called Gohan." a high, feminine voice called from the darkness. It was crystal clear, childlike and so lovely it made Gohan's heart leap despite his situation. The voice was also terrifying, in a way he could not place but made his hair stand on end.

"Who are you?" Gohan managed to stammer, "Where is this?"

"It is I who questions here Gohan, not you." The voice said in lilting, musical tones. Gohan had the sense he was being toyed with, and this annoyed him. He was exasperated with these games, of not knowing what was going on, and of being tossed one riddle after another with no explanation or help.

"Show yourself!" He finally demanded. He wanted his words to be forceful and authoritative, but the vast darkness swallowed them whole.

"You want to see me?" The voice said after a moment, sounding almost delighted, "Can you withstand the birth of the universe and remain unchanged? Creatures greater than you have been driven blind and mad at the sight."

Gohan said nothing. These words made no sense, but he had a dread feeling of power here. He was confused and frightened, but tried to remain strong.

"I think I do want you to see me Gohan, so I will...diminish. I sense an energy within you and it intrigues me. Something familiar..." The voice trailed off and was silent for a moment, "I will present to you, as an echo."

There was a long, quiet pause. Gohan held his breath in anticipation, curious but fearing what might happen next. Then he thought he saw a very faint light ahead of him. It was dim at first, barely perceptible, but it intensified steadily until it filled his field of vision with a warm, golden glow.

He closed his eyes against the brightness. If he could have raised a hand to his face he would have, but he was still mysteriously paralyzed. Soon the light began to fade, and when he felt it was dim enough he opened his eyes.

The breath rushed from his lungs and his eyes filled with tears. He trembled all over and would have fallen to the floor had he been free to move. Before him, bathed in a glorious radiance, stood the most beautiful, and terrible thing he had ever seen.

Her body was that of a child, yet infused with an ancient power and ageless grace. Golden skin, more fearsome than the clearest dawn seemed to flow like a calm tide over her small figure. Her hair was moonless midnight, and flowed free of gravity around her head, glittering with a galaxy's starlight. Bright eyes bore into his soul, shifting colors along the spectrum of the purest and most precious gemstones – now flaming ruby, now majestic emerald.

Gohan gasped and shuddered, unable to look away but wishing he could die to escape the glorious girl. No, this was no girl. She must be a goddess. He wanted to laugh, wanted to cry, wanted to forsake everything he had ever known and everyone he ever loved for the privilege of serving, and worshiping her.

"I am no god, Gohan." The beautiful voice said, though the girl's lips never moved, "Yet this is but an echo of myself. I wanted you to see me – see the glory of the universe!"

She began to diminish again then. Her golden skin, hot as the sun, paled to a less blinding golden hue. The magnificent hair fell about her slender neck, losing the starlight luster. Suddenly she was less painfully perfect to see, looking almost as a normal girl-child from earth. Her jeweled eyes continued to shift color constantly, but Gohan found he could breathe again. He was still shaken to the core, and tears streamed down his cheeks at the memory of such unnatural beauty and frightening perfection as she had just been.

"I am called Al-Mourd." She said, her lips moving now as a human's would, "And you are the first to see me in over eight-million years."

Gohan's mind was reeling. So many emotions flooding his body and brain had left him dazed and exhausted. Now he stood before this unreal creature, who held such power and was such a mystery. Eight-million years? Was the Elder Kai even that old?

He looked at her then in this new, more tolerable form. Her skin was golden still, but he noticed her long, slender ears which tapered back to a point. He saw the slight slant of her large, bright eyes and the high cheekbones of her long, narrow face.

Gohan gasped in amazement. She looked so similar to Supreme Kai, only it was obvious she was far more powerful and far older. He ventured speech, and found his voice timid and frail, "Please forgive me if I'm mistaken, but...are you a Kai?"

Al-Mourd stared at him for a moment and Gohan couldn't tell if she was angry or merely contemplative. After a while he saw a smile begin to form on her lovely face.

"That's it!" She cried in her singing voice, "I was correct after all. The familiar energy within you – it's a Kai's signature." She twirled around in delight, the thin, white shift she wore swirling with her and stirring up an ethereal floral fragrance.

"You've met a Kai, haven't you?" She asked with a smile.

"Yes ma'am." Gohan said nervously, unsure how to address her.

"And you think I am one as well?"

Gohan hoped she wasn't offended, but decided honesty would be best, "I don't know. It's just that you favor the Supreme Kai...ma'am."

"Supreme Kai, is it?" She laughed, "Oh, but they do love their titles, don't they?"

Gohan remained silent, feeling small and foolish before Al-Mourd. She continued to smile, and glided her way over to him. He tried to tense, not knowing what was about to happen. Al-Mourd extended a slender finger and touched it to his forehead. The touch was burning cold, but somehow soothing. Suddenly he was free to move, and collapsed to his knees from the unexpected liberation.

"Come and speak with me, Gohan." Al-Mourd said, walking away into the darkness, "You must be hungry. I will have a meal prepared for you."

Gohan stood on his shaky legs and walked after her.

XXX

I was afraid of this, Trunks thought as he raced through the ship towards the engine room, Pan hot on his heels. The alarm was still sounding, the din interrupted occasionally by the mechanical voice's warning.

The atmospheric system was responsible for the air they breathed, the temperature regulation and the artificial gravity within the ship. A failure here could mean a slow and horrible death. Trunks hoped it wasn't anything serious. He had played a major part in building the Excalibur though, so it shouldn't be difficult to discover the issue.

As they flew into the engineering section, Trunks gave cursory inspections to some components he passed on the way. His plan was to head first to the main computer, to see if it had logged any anomalies. When they arrived, he began the search. He glanced over to Pan, seeing her standing with a worried look, obviously anxious.

"Don't worry Pan, we'll take care of it." He knew that might just be a lie, but felt he should say something consoling.

"Can that thing tell you what's wrong?" She asked, indicating the computer.

"Maybe. The ship only has a rudimentary diagnostic program. We weren't quite finished developing the primary one." The technology had taken longer to complete than the ship itself, and wasn't finished when they commandeered the vessel. It would have been priceless in this circumstance though.

The program was an AI based system called ED, for Excalibur Diagnostic. It was so sophisticated as to be able to know the ship down to the nuts and bolts, and find issues anywhere. But it didn't matter now, as ED was back on Earth. Trunks continued to scan the computer, disabling the alarm system first, but was coming up empty.

"I'm sorry Trunks." Pan said. Trunks looked up to see her staring at the floor, fists clenched in frustration, "This is all my fault. If I had just listened to you and my mother, we wouldn't be in this mess. And I just had to drag you out here to die with me."

Trunks stood and went to her, clasping his hands on her shoulders, "Look at me, Pan. Forget all that, okay? We're here now, and that's all that matters. I promise you, there's nowhere I'd rather be, even if we are in trouble."

She looked up at him, her eyes red and searching. She took a deep breath and nodded her head.

"I've got an idea." Trunks said, turning and leaving the unhelpful computer behind, "The atmospheric system on this ship is pretty much the same as in all our others, except one new thing. The climate control is a new design. The other systems have been tested again and again, but this part hasn't. I'm going to check it first."

He went down a few corridors then down a hatch into a dark room. It was relatively empty, save for one large machine in the center. There were lines and hoses all over, and several tall tanks lined in rows, with cooling fins up and down the sides. Each tank was full of a thick, blue liquid.

Pan watched as Trunks darted to and fro, checking the machine. He kept talking as he did, explaining what he was doing, "This is the climate control system. It's a new design, utilizing sub-thermal coolant." She had no idea what he was talking about, but his knowledge of the system was reassuring.

Finally, he found the issue. Trunks stood staring at a part, scratching his head. "Here it is." He said, a mixture of relief and worry in his voice. He was staring at a long, black metal tube set in the midst of the coolant tanks. Pan couldn't see anything wrong with it, but she wasn't entirely sure what she was looking at anyway.

"We don't have the equipment to fix this en route." He was mumbling to himself as he inspected.

"Is it serious?" She asked.

"It will be." Trunks said, "This part is responsible for maintaining the temperature on the ship. It isn't completely broken, but it won't be long. We need to find a planet to land on before it goes, or we'll freeze."

"You mean there's no backup, or any way to fix it here?" Pan asked, incredulous. Trunks didn't have the heart to tell her that had the ship been allowed full completion and outfit, there would have been a secondary unit installed on board.

"Nope. We need to land, power down the ship and remove this so I can work on it."

"Where are we going to land?" Pan asked. She was relieved that they weren't about to die, but she felt helpless. All this technology and engineering had never appealed to her. She was a fighter and a foe such as this couldn't be beaten with her methods.

"We'll find a suitable planet." Trunks said, heading back out the hatch, "We're still in known space, so there's charts."

"Charts?"

"Like maps of space." He said, sitting on a bench. Pan sat next to him.

"Who made the charts? Was it Capsule?" Pan asked, trying not to be annoying with the questions.

"Yeah, most of them. We took some information from the Saiyan and Namekian ships we've had, but we've been exploring space a lot since those came into our possession." Trunks answered. Pan remembered all the stories her father used to tell her of journeying through space to Namek, of the strange world and people who all looked like Piccolo. She loved those tales and had always wished she could be a space adventurer. Now here she was, and somehow it wasn't quite as thrilling as she had imagined it to be.

"So how long do we have before that climate control thing gives out?" She asked.

"It's hard to say," Trunks said, scratching his temple, "but if I had to guess, I'd say no more than a week. It's certainly on it's last leg. But I know that it will degrade slowly, and not just blow up or anything."

"What will happen as it degrades?"

"The ship will get colder and colder as the climate control unit becomes less efficient at generating heat. It's very cold in deep space, Pan." Trunks ended by pantomiming a frozen corpse, hoping to cheer the mood. The situation wasn't dire, and at the moment nothing could be done but look for a planet.

Pan laughed and threw an arm around him, "Then I'll just have to keep you warm. I do know enough science to know that two's body heat is better than one."

Trunks laughed nervously at the flirtatious joke. He knew she was kidding, but it was still uncomfortable. He tried to shake Pan off, but she clung to his arm like a cat. She was loving his discomfort as he kept trying to wiggle out of her grip.

Finally she let him go, as the joke had exhausted it's fun, "It's a shame we had to be interrupted during our movie. I was having a nice time."

"You weren't even watching the thing!" Trunks said with a laugh, standing up.

"I was still having a good time." Pan said, "We don't ever just spend time together."

"Yeah, you're right." Trunks said, reflectively. He smiled at Pan and she grinned back.

They made their way back to the bridge and Trunks proceeded to comb the charted worlds near their location, using the center console computer. Pan sat next to him, looking out at the stars. She supposed the ship was certainly moving fast enough to have access to a fair number of planets.

She wondered what sort of setback this would be now. Everything had been going so well, she supposed it was time for some bad luck. She wondered if they'd ever get home.

As Trunks scanned, Pan caught herself staring at him. He was leaning over the console monitor between their chairs, and she couldn't help but notice a lock of his long, purple hair dangling across his face. And she saw how his lips pouted ever so slightly when he concentrated. Trunks felt her gaze and raised his head. His big, bright eyes caught Pan and she froze.

"Found one." He said, flashing a brilliant smile. She melted. Her heart was racing again, and that fluttery feeling in her stomach was back. She was locked in a stare with Trunks, and she saw him wondering what was the matter with her. In truth, she wasn't sure either. All she knew right now was that he was beautiful.

Pan leaned closer, her breath quickening. I'm losing it, she thought. Her head was spinning as she inched closer, and she noticed that Trunks wasn't pulling back. Some deep force took her then, shocking in it's power. It was as if another, long sleeping part of her had awakened, and was now in the lead.

She crossed the remaining inches between them and kissed Trunks. This was her first kiss, and though she wasn't sure to do, that primal, animal part of her was. Her heart was soaring. His soft lips tasted of mint and salt and it was wonderful. Then she felt his lips move.

They opened slightly at her advance, and he gingerly took her lower lip between his, and she felt his tongue graze hers. Pan sighed and drove at him harder, but it was over. Trunks shot up from the chair, a look of horror on his face. He looked around wildly for a moment, then took off from the bridge.

Pan stared after him as he ran, her own senses coming back in a rush, leaving her embarrassed and frustrated, "What the hell is wrong with me?" She leaned back in the chair and chided herself, "We're about to be freezing to death in space and I pull a stunt like that. What did you think he'd do?" But she smiled with a fool's hope as she realized that Trunks had indeed kissed her back. Maybe space really was making her crazy after all.

XXX

Author's Note: Another one down! Thanks to everyone reading, favoriting, reviewing and so on. This chapter may begin to elucidate the paths and character arcs to come, but don't get too carried away with speculation and damnation! Some things will indeed be as they seem, and some will not. This story will be somewhat lengthy, depending on how I decide to proceed, and there is still time for anything to happen. So stay tuned, leave a review and I will return with more in a week!