The Odyssey – 5

And There Was Light

Pan pulled her blanket tighter and shivered. It was shocking how much of a difference twelve degrees could make, especially in a tin can hurtling through space, with no sun to warm you. Only one more day, she reflected. She hoped this planet would be hot, but Trunks had said that most planets were colder than Earth, at least the ones with a suitable atmosphere. And based on Rupta IV's proximity to it's star, it should be about the temperature of a cool autumn back home.

It sure was winter on the ship though. Both she and Trunks were staying bundled up in their warmest clothes and blankets, and were constantly drinking warm beverages to combat the cold. The only time she felt warm was while training, so she had been working harder and more often than ever.

She and Trunks had been a little distant since her stupid kiss on the bridge. After he had come to her and explained himself, Pan understood better how he was feeling. She was no longer under the impression that he saw her as a kid, but she understood his reservations and hesitation to consider a romantic relationship, due to her age. It was annoying, but she would give him time to figure it out. He was already hating himself for allowing them to leave on this crazy mission, and she didn't want to add to his misery by making him feel like a creep.

Pan had her doubts as to whether it was really just an age issue. She felt that maybe if she looked a little more feminine, it would help. Her figure was still small, even though she had grown considerably in the last few years. She had a fighter's build, which she knew wasn't as appealing as the more voluptuous women, and she wore her hair short, almost a boy's haircut.

Her mother had once told the story of when Gohan was teaching her to fly and suggested she shorten her hair. Videl had thought he was attracted to women with short hair and was so exited until Gohan revealed that he just thought it would be more manageable in a fight. Videl was furious, but ended up cutting it short anyway. Pan laughed at the story, but realized her father had a point, and cut her own hair as short as her mother's had been.

Either way, Trunks could go to hell if he wanted her to change just to be more attractive. She had realized that she had feelings for him, but her first love was fighting. If that was going to be a problem, she knew where she would land on the issue.

It would be time to eat soon, and Pan decided to head for the kitchen. She and Trunks usually met there around the same time and had dinner together. He wasn't there yet, so she proceeded to start cooking without him.

The air from the freezer was awful, and she snatched a couple of steaks out as quickly as possible before she shut the door and shivered. She relished the heat from the oven though, and was hovering nearby when Trunks arrived.

"Smells good." He said.

"What makes you think it's for you?" Pan asked, shooting him a sly look.

"Because I'm cold and hungry and cold!" He playfully nudged against her shoulder, clattering his teeth in exaggeration. Pan laughed and shoved him off her. He was in a good mood, she thought. He never acted this silly.

"I guess I'll feed you, ya mutt." She said, petting his head. She tried to ignore how much she was enjoying the flirtation.

"We should arrive by midday tomorrow." Trunks said, leaning against the counter.

"Good. I can't wait." Pan said as she stirred some vegetables on the stove top, "How long do you think it'll take to fix the thing?" She had already forgotten whatever he called it.

"Hopefully not too long. I don't have all the tools I would like, but the ones I have should do the job." Trunks sipped some tea and idly thumbed through a cookbook on the counter.

When the food was ready, they sat down to eat. Pan wasn't much of a cook, but it was warm and actually cooked this time. Once, she had left some steak so raw, Trunks could swear he still herd the thing mooing.

"So what are we going to do when we reach the Mulani sector?" Pan asked. This was of course the great loophole of their entire venture. There were fifteen planets, spread across three solar systems in the sector, and they assumed Mourd was one of them. They knew it was a foolish guessing game as to where they would begin looking, but they were committed now.

"I guess we'll scour the planets one at a time." Trunks said, "Maybe we can find a habitable world with a civilization on it and get some information."

This seemed to Pan like a dubious process at best, but they both knew it was the only way. They finished the meal and sighed with a full belly. It was still freezing, but the food-fuel in the furnace helped a little.

"Hey, I've got an idea." Pan said excitedly, "Let's go get in the hot tub! That would be so nice right now."

Trunks eyed her warily. He had thought she was bout to make a suggestion for the dilemma of locating Mourd, but no such luck.

"Come on," Pan said, grabbing his hand and tugging him after her, "I'll behave. I just want some company. After all, I cooked your dinner."

Trunks knew he would've been better off cooking his own meal, but said nothing. He followed Pan through the ship and down to the recreation area. Trunks did like the sound of relaxing in the toasty water, but he hoped Pan would keep her word and behave.

They powered the electrical heating system of the tub and waited a bit for it to warm. The jets positioned strategically throughout the tub shot the water into a froth. When the thermostat registered their ideal temperature, they both slid in, having donned bathing suits before.

Both sighed deeply as they sank into the warmth. It was a night and day difference from where they had been a moment ago, shivering on the deck. The jets massaged their muscles, and Pan enjoyed this especially, since she had been training hard and the pressure on her soreness was wonderful.

"Why didn't we use this sooner?" She asked rhetorically, leaning back against the edge with a sigh.

"I don't know. It does feel great." Trunks replied. He looked at Pan and smiled, feeling relieved that at least for now, she wasn't all over him. He didn't really mind the flirtatious intimacy - he kept trying to tell himself he didn't enjoy it at all – but these past few days had been oddly pleasant with their almost formal relations. Pan seemed to be over whatever wild attraction had led her to be so forward, relaxed now into a patient confidence.

Trunks knew he just needed time and space. Her mind may be made up about her feelings, but his was still perturbed. It still turned his stomach when he reflected on the age divide. Her backing off was helping him see her more as an adult than a kid with a crush, but it was only so much help. He would catch himself thinking about her; how pretty she was or how pleasurable that kiss had really been, but it always ended in self-deprecation.

She hadn't even lived her young life to the fullest yet, he thought. There had been no schoolyard romances for her, no high school sweethearts and flings. She didn't socialize with anyone outside their small circle, and Trunks felt bad about it. Every young person needs to have puppy love with a contemporary and experience the emotional gamut of teenage life, heartbreak and joy. All this should come first, then when that person is a little more worldly, and a little more jaded, she might enjoy a serious relationship.

And he wasn't even sure she wanted a serious relationship with him. This was another cause for wariness. Was she merely letting her curiosity run wild? Did she want to experiment sexually? Did she even know? No matter how mature she was in body, mind and heart, she just didn't have the life experience to make such judgments. And the last thing Trunks wanted was to be her first mistake.

Trunks had discovered too just how immature he still was. He had been around the block a few times with love, and had more experience under his belt than Pan. But he was still letting his primal urges drive him, more than he would like. His father had told him once that Saiyans never ignored their evolved instincts. If they wanted to fight, they did. If they wanted to mate, they did.

But Trunks was half human, and Pan seventy-five percent. He had always believed that the only thing separating humans from their animal kin was the ability to resist their evolutionary drives. Of course humans were supposed to start breeding when they reached the stage where that became physiologically possible – puberty. Society frowned on such, but the drives and impulses remained, despite cultural protestations.

Indeed Pan was in her prime, both as a human and a Saiyan. Trunks was well aware of this, and his own biology was reacting accordingly. But he wasn't sure she understood the implications of these things fully. And he knew he didn't want the stigma attached to himself. It was unsettling, but he couldn't ignore the fact that it was indeed the negative image that gave him pause, more so than his own feelings. Those were a little clearer.

"Trunks, you're spacing out again. What's on your mind?" Pan asked, a bemused look on her face.

Trunks chuckled. You don't want to know, he thought. He leaned forward a bit, repositioning the water jets on his back, "What are you going to do when we get back home?"

This was an odd question, Pan thought, "What do you mean?"

"When this is over, and we've managed to save Gohan and we're all back safe and sound, what are you going to do?"

"Jeez, I don't know." Pan said, "Why?"

"I'm just wondering if you think all this will affect you?" Trunks said.

"Affect me? What are you, my shrink?" She snorted.

"I could be, I suppose." He said, grinning.

"You think I need one." She said, a statement of fact, "Okay then, examine me." She turned and rested her head against the side of the tub, and propped her legs up out of the water on the other side, mimicking a psychiatrist's bench.

Trunks caught the double innuendo, as she displayed her shapely legs and feet, shining with wetness. He sighed and turned his head. Great, now she's turning into a pervert. Pan saw his discomfort and grinned.

Trunks decided to ignore her flirtation and brought the subject to a serious matter, "Well you're obviously not studying like you should, so you'll probably have to be held back in school."

Pan groaned, "Are you my shrink or my mother? For your information, I have been studying. I'm not as big a slacker as you think."

"Sorry." Trunks raised his hands in the air in sarcastic surrender.

"Well what are you going to do?" Pan asked, "You gonna leave again for a year or two? You're so obsessed with work lately."

Trunks was indeed missing a pile of work by coming with Pan. He knew he had been irresponsible in this regard too, and should've just stopped her. It ate at him constantly, but at the time his better judgment had been absent.

"I might just retire." He said with a smirk, "I'll let the VP take over and I'll split. I'll buy up the land next to Goku's and move in right next door to you. We can start a village!"

Pan nearly choked with laughter, and Trunks cringed when he realized how that came out. They both knew he wasn't serious, but this was fun. It was the same way they always used to joke and cut up, and it was nice that they were now. It seemed like the awkwardness of the past few days might be finally fading.

XXX

Al-Mourd led Gohan back to the dark room where they had first met. His thoughts were scattered and disordered as he tried to piece together the implications and circumstances of all that had been said.

He was to be her champion, fighting a foe of incredible strength and cunning. Gohan couldn't help but feel that he was far from the best candidate. He had asked Al-Mourd if she knew of his father, Goku. He was the greatest warrior Gohan had ever seen, surely he would be a better choice.

"I have seen Goku, and he is a powerful one. But it is not mere battle ability alone that I need." Her words had been final, and she would listen to nothing else on the matter. Gohan was fast learning to not expect to understand much of Al-Mourd's reasoning.

"So what now?" He asked as he stood awkwardly, unsure of what to expect.

"Your training will begin." She said, "Based on Ice's movements and his plans I have been able to decipher, we have a little over one year to prepare you."

A year! Gohan was stunned, having never imagined that they had so long. A surge of hope rose in him then, as he figured he may be allowed to go back home to train, and get to see his family.

That dim light was dashed though, as Al-Mourd continued, "I am sending you to the planet of my sister, Al-Fuilar. There, you will prepare your entire being for the battle to come."

His heart sank. What kinds of tortures awaited on Fuilar? Mind racing with visions of horrible ways to be extinguished, Gohan tried desperately to think of a way out of this sentence.

"Al-Fuilar is the embodiment of Motion and Flux, so you will never see her as you have seen me. Her world can be a difficult realm, for the very fabric of spacetime and dimension is subject to the inherent Motion and Flux. Yet do not despair; for as the universe can be cruel and cold, so too can it be pleasant and hospitable. On Fuilar, you must learn to truly comprehend the nature of eternity and the nature of your own self."

Gohan stared aghast as Al-Mourd spoke. Her felt so very small, stupid and alone in that moment. He wanted to tell her, plead with her, promise her that if only he could go home he would train harder than anyone ever had. Dimensional gallivanting was no place for a mere mortal. Surely she must understand this.

Al-Mourd reached out a slender, golden hand to Gohan's shoulder. Her face softened and she spoke again, "I will not send you on this journey alone. Cael will accompany you, as your guide and trainer."

A small measure of the fear fell from Gohan as he heard this news, but it wasn't much consolation. He had indeed wished to train with Cael ever since he fought him those months ago, but this was not going to be some simple training. He actually pitied the old man for having to come with him and face whatever horrors awaited.

"Is he able?" Gohan asked.

"It is not my place to tell his story for him but yes, he is able. Cael has been in my confidence for years, and has watched the threat of King Ice grow. He is an intelligent and insightful ally, and will be an asset to your training."

Gohan nodded and was silent for a while. He was becoming resigned to this fate, but one thing still gnawed at him, "I need my family to know that I'm okay. Can you at least tell that I'm alive, and will return when I can?"

"I cannot." Mourd said.

Gohan's anger flared, "You can't, or you won't?"

"Does it matter?" Al-Mourd asked, "Believe whichever you wish, the outcome will remain."

He hated her then, his fear and frustration seething in his chest. How could she be so cold and callous? Gohan understood her emotional limitations – or at least understood the fact that she was far different from himself – but his request seemed reasonable to him. Why couldn't she just send a message? Was it the half of her that is Strife at work? How horrible.

"You will need all of your focus and concentration for the work ahead." She said, "Try to banish these thoughts of your old life. I promise you, when your work for me is done, I will return you to your home."

Gohan grunted in anger. How could he just 'banish' the thoughts of his family? They were all that had kept him going on this godforsaken world until now. He loved him with everything in him, and there was no way they wouldn't be always near in his mind and heart.

"You are ready to depart then, Gohan." Al-Mourd said, raising her arm towards the exit of the black room, "Cael is waiting for you. He knows all that must be done. Trust him, and learn well."

He stood awkwardly for a moment, wondering what to say in departure or if he should say anything. Al-Mourd seemed to be dismissing him with finality, so he gave her one last look, turned, and left.

XXX

Rupta IV was a desert world. Oceans of blue sand rolled in dunes as far as the eye could see. The star of this world was white, like the Sun of Earth, but Rupta IV had an atmosphere that didn't distort the light, leaving it harsh and sharp.

It sure looked like a warm planet. The Excalibur landed on a relatively flat area, it's struts sinking deep into the sand. Trunks said he would have to power down the ship completely, so they couldn't use any appliances or devices that needed mains power until the repair was finished and the part reinstalled.

Pan went outside to explore. The air was a little cool, but the light of the star warmed the skin considerably. It was a major relief compared to the chill of the ship. There wasn't much to see. The sand was somewhat interesting – sapphire blue and as fine as powder. Pan let a handful fall through her fingers and noticed that the fine dust stained her skin.

She took to the air for a better view. The sand went on forever, looking remarkably like an ocean of water, it's waves frozen in time. The scanners hadn't shown any structures on this side of the planet, and Pan doubted anything could live here. It would be one boring pit stop, she thought.

Trunks soon had the faulty component out of the ship and into the outdoor light, sitting on a metal work table with tools scattered all about. Pan asked if she could help, but Trunks said there was nothing she could do. So she busied herself gathering some chairs, a table, a cooler with drinks and food, and setting it all up outside of the ship for a break area.

She considered training, but the idea of all that sand getting in her clothes and shoes and staining her smurf blue from head to toe put her off that notion. Eventually, she sat in a reclining pool chair under the barely adequate light of the planet's star, and tried to tan. Trunks howled with laughter when he figured out what she was doing.

"You're such a girl, Pan." He said, "When have you ever cared about sunbathing?"

"Nothing else to do." She said curtly. She had put on a two-piece bikini swimsuit and was laying back with her arms raised over her head. Trunks tried not to shoot glances at her as he worked. She's doing this on purpose, he thought. Seeing her in such a revealing outfit, Trunks realized that he hadn't been wrong about her physical development. She could pass for twenty, easily.

The harsh light on the world made everything too sharp and grating to look at, but Pan seemed to glow radiantly. Trunks shook his head with a sigh, and dug into the work. I wish she'd quit messing around, he thought. But she was right – this was a boring planet with not much to do. At least she hadn't flown off to explore and risk getting lost.

As the day wore on it actually got hotter. The sun had moved across the sky, but for some reason the temperature continued to rise. Pan abandoned the sunbathing and was sitting in the shade of the ship, next to where Trunks was working. She still wore her bikini top, but had found the modesty to put on some cut-off pants. Trunks was shirtless, sweating over the workbench.

Repairs were coming slower than he had hoped and it looked like night may catch them before he finished. Just in case, Pan had dragged one of the mattresses outside, with some blankets and pillows. They both agreed that, providing it didn't get too cold at night, it may be nice to camp outside if they had to spend it on this world. Trunks had suggested separate mattresses, but Pan said that was just stupid and prudish, and he couldn't really argue that. She promised she wouldn't violate him.

He continued to work furiously as Pan set up a campsite. She obviously would insist they stay out here tonight even if the repair was finished. Trunks supposed it might be nice to have a break from the confines of the ship. Pan was already in a far more cheerful mood than she had been since they left Earth. She went about, setting up a gas fire pit for light and cooking, as well as a small table to eat their dinner on and other camping staples. Trunks half expected her to produce some marshmallows to roast. It was rather adorable, and he was glad she was having fun.

After dark, he decided to give the work a rest and join her. She was cooking some sausages over the fire grate, which smelled wonderful. The temperature was still hot out, but they knew it would most likely drop significantly over night. They realized that the reason for the day's heat was the dark sand, which absorbed and radiated the heat energy from the planet's star. Deserts on Earth did similar, but the dark color and powdery consistency of this sand amplified the process.

"We've got a whole planet to ourselves." Pan said as they sat down to eat, "What to do?"

"It's a shame it isn't nicer." Trunks said. A temperate world with forests, water and wildlife would be a lot more interesting.

"Yeah, it's a little boring here. But it has a certain charm. There's something kind of pleasant here." Pan said, looking out over the sands.

"If you're a lizard, maybe." Trunks said with a smirk. Pan kicked his leg under the table.

"I haven't seen any life." She said, "Do you think the whole world is dead?"

Trunks knew that the atmosphere and oxygen had to come from somewhere. On most planets with an atmosphere, it was generated by organic forms on the surface, by a process of byproduct accumulation. He had heard of terraformed worlds with artificial ozone, but the Excalibur's initial scans hadn't shown any signs of life or artificial structures on this half of the planet. Maybe there was something on the other side.

"Probably," He said, "somewhere."

"We should try to go find the aliens!" Pan said through a mouthful of food. Trunks laughed, but it struck him then that this was her first time on another world. No wonder she wanted to stay the night. He was glad to share this experience with her, and hoped it would be at least a little fun. Too bad the world was a dead dirt bowl.

They finished dinner and sat on the edge of the bed, by the fire. The little grill did a passable job as a campfire, although it lacked the authenticity and organic feel of wood and flame. The sand underfoot was still toasty, but the night air was getting chilly. Trunks reached back and pulled a blanket from the pile, draping it over their backs. Pan pulled her end tight around her shoulder and slid over to sit next to Trunks.

He briefly considered sliding away from her contact, or saying something about it, but didn't. There was no harm, he thought. Pan was gazing out over the sands at the four large moons that had begun to rise into view. She looked so happy and content and all Trunks found himself wanting was to preserve that for her.

He picked his arm up and placed it across her shoulder, pulling her closer and shivering a bit for show. Pan looked up at him and smiled, the glow of the moon dancing like fireflies in her large, dark eyes. This was too perfect, he thought. Seeing her look at him like that hit him right in the gut with a wave of wholesome contentment, as if he finally understood what he was supposed to be doing in life. The power was unnerving.

Pan leaned her head down onto his chest as they watched the moons rise. The sand spread out before them, dark as an ocean. Trunks wondered if she could feel his heart beating faster in his chest. He felt drunk and giddy, and the combination of elation and contentment was reminiscent of his very first time kissing a girl. It was a child's crush come to fruition all of a sudden, and it was utterly baffling. He was far from inexperienced with women, but his body was reacting like a virgin.

He looked down at her head resting on his chest, and tried to fully comprehend his sudden feeling that this woman was as dear to him as his own beating heart. Try as he might, he couldn't summon that feeling of guilt or decry his own mind like he had been doing these past months. A slow smile formed across his face as he absorbed everything. All this he had known before now, he realized. He had just been too busy fighting a battle that should never have been fought, desperately trying to choke the inevitable.

Trunks raised his hand from Pan's shoulder and ran his fingers slowly through her hair. The short locks glided beneath his hand and between his fingers, soft as down feathers. She looked up at him again, wonder in her eyes. He met her gaze and held it, trying to communicate with his own smile the depth and complexity of his feelings. He willed her to know how sorry he was for being so aloof and morally superior, and how in this moment, she was the most breathtakingly beautiful person he had ever known. His fingers continued to twirl through her hair and caress her scalp.

Damn the conventions, and damn the stigma. His mind was made and there was nothing he could do to stop it now. To turn away and revert to his old walls and chivalric stubbornness would be too painful to bear. He didn't know why this sudden eruption of feeling had hit him here and now, but it was so strong. Strong and...pure. Purity – that was this feeling; wholesome, honest and true. Trunks had spent all this time thinking that to admit feelings for Pan would entail waves of nauseating guilt and self-loathing. He had expected a maggot-ridden rot of lustful vice, but instead found a lustrous swell of devotion and respect.

She would have to be the one to end this, he realized. He had thought before that he didn't want to be her first mistake. This was still true, but he knew now that if that was to come to pass it would be Pan who told him to get lost, not the other way around. Trunks didn't know how far these feelings would carry him, but he knew as sure as he knew his own name that if they did become romantically involved, he would love and honor her until she moved on. His would be the heartbreak, his would be the torment. Pan wouldn't be left, betrayed and crying bitter tears of a first scorned love over him.

Pan pulled away from him then, and turned to look him full in the face. Her eyes sparkled with the lights of stars, moons and hopeful questions. A small smile framed her lovely, pale skin. Trunks took her in as if seeing a sunrise for the first time. She saw too his own reflected wonder and amorous gaze. Both wanted to speak, but were afraid. Somehow this boring, ordinary day had become something of magic as the moons of night rose.

Trunks took his hand again and placed it behind her head, resting it against her smooth neck. He pulled gently and she followed without hesitation, leaning with his guidance towards him. He moved forward and kissed her then, taking this initiative in his own turn. Pan melted in his arms as their lips met, the hesitation and trepidation she had fostered in the wake of their first kiss gone now.

She moved with a passion and fire that was so unexpected and yet so thrilling to Trunks. This girl was a Saiyan like him, not some frail human thing that he could so easily hurt. He pulled away from her and smiled as he realized that the very same burning intensity Pan displayed in training would also be apparent in her love. He wasn't sure what else he had expected, after all this was one of his favorite things about her.

Pan stared at him as he smiled, her look a defiant challenge that electrified Trunks. He had never felt this way before with anyone. He had been with feisty girls before, but Pan could very likely beat him into submission if she didn't get her way. The prospect was evocative and Trunks tried to still his own beating heart, lest it carry him away.

Pan jumped at him then, throwing her arms around his neck in a grip of steel as she kissed him. She was hard and forceful, and Trunks loved it. Her motions were novice and imprecise, but somehow this only added to the flavor and excitement. She was a wild animal he realized, set loose from her cage. No matter the battlefield, her tactics were brutal offense and merciless, relentless pressure.

But Trunks had to pry her off him before she got too carried away. He too was feeling the biological gears at work, and knew he had to stop it. This much he could allow, and enjoy, but no more. Pan panted and stared at him again, her face full of desire and wonder. The look was intoxicating, but Trunks had to be strong for both their sakes.

He grabbed her gently with both hands by the side of her head, pressing his forehead into hers, "Take it easy. We can't get carried away."

Pan pulled back and looked at him with a sly smile, "What do you mean, 'we'? Feeling the pressure, Mr. Sanctimonious?"

"That's me." Trunks said with a laugh, as he fell back onto the mattress. Pan was looking out over the desert again, and he couldn't help but to wonder what she was thinking. Her look of confidence and happiness had faded, and she seemed worried. Trunks figured out then that she was probably waiting for the backlash. All this was so sudden and unlike him, he knew Pan must think that any minute now he would launch into a tirade of self-abasement and reprimand. He cringed thinking of the ass he had been.

"Hey." He said, placing his hand on hers, "You okay?"

She turned and looked at him, brow furrowed with worry, "Are you okay?" She asked with a small smile. Trunks reached his hand up and took pan's shoulder, pulling her down next to him on the mattress. Their faces were level, and they explored each other's eyes.

"I am now." He said, and kissed her once again. He lingered for a moment, savoring the taste of her lips and smell of her skin so close. She didn't move this time, but lay with her eyes closed as she returned the kiss. When he moved back she opened her eyes and Trunks saw how they were alight again, and he swore to the stars and moons above that he would do his best to keep that look on her face for as long as he could.

XXX

Author's Note(s): I had to do it! Let the fiery hatred for this cheese-fest roll in, I can take it! Anyway yes, this was short chapter, but it's early because I'm not going to be able to update until the next scheduled one, which is around the end of next week. I wanted to take the time at the end of this one also to say a few things to clarify a little. Basically, It's my reason for writing this and why it is the way it is.

First off, I haven't written anything but exposition for many years and I've been scared my narrative chops are dying. As has been pointed out, my style can be a little stiff and, well, expository! So this is an effort to revive my fiction. Secondly, I love writing and DBZ and fanfics like these were always very comforting to write and just let loose with. And don't worry, you will be seeing some loose-letting before this is over. But the biggest goal of this work is to get as far out of my comfort zone as possible with the characters. I'm a 27 year old guy with a family and full-time job. My other free time is spent being a gym rat (to keep myself looking like DBZ characters, even if I don't have the Powah!) and playing in a band on weekends...so not only am I strapped for time, I'm also very far from the types of characters I'm trying to write here. The closest one would probably be adult Gohan, which is why I'm keeping him far away from his happy family life. But it goes without saying that I haven't the slightest idea what it's like to be a post-adolescent Saiyan/Human hybrid teenage girl with a crush in space, and so on!

But I am having an absolute blast writing this, and I deeply thank all of you who are reading and following and reviewing. You guys keep the wheels turning and the fire lit under me to - as Majin Buu said - Produce!