C H A P T E R - O N E
{c o m i n g - d o w n}

It was cold.... the rain was pooring..... and it wouldn't stop.....
He stood still looking up at the rain falling from the blue evening sky, thinking of what he'd been through, everything that everyone had been feeling and had to go through. But The world was at peace once again.
No one was planning an evil plot to take over the world. There were no mosters wanting to kill Goku or any of the Z fighters, it was peaceful. Everyone was alive and well, with there family and friends. There was nothing to worry about, he could finally live a normal life.
And yet.... as he stood there he couldn't help but feel sad, about what though?
He wasn't sure, he stood there thinking about it, as the rain slid down his pale, silky face.
It became colder every second, and the rain seemed to just fall harder and harder. What was troubling Trunks so much?

"He's been like that for over two and a-half hours now." Said a youthful pretty girl, she'd been watching Trunks just stand out there ever since he made his way out the door. She wondered what was wrong, the world had been saved, every one can live a happy and normal life. But for some reason Trunks was unhappy.

"So what? Let the guy be, if he wants to stand out there in the pooring rain it's none of your buisness Pan." Said a young man he stood about 6"3
and had black eyes, and black spikey hair.
He wore a Blue tank-top and Green baggy pants. And had Bright Yellow boots on.

"Oh and I suppose that it's easy for you to Have a good time and flirt with girls while your best-friend, stands out in the rain with no one to talk to." Smirked Pan, she stood about 5"8 and had deep, dark blue eyes. And soft, jet-black hair, she wore a Pink long-sleeve shirt with flowers around the cuflings of it. Her shorts were a light Pink color like the color of a Pink rose that just blossomed. She had taken off her redish-pink high heels, and had put them in the corner of the room.

"Well excuse me for living.... But I'm not about to go out there in the pooring rain and stike up a conversion!" Laughed Goten sarcasticly as he sat down beside his niece.

"That's not what I ment uncle Goten! And you know it, what I'm trying to say is that he looks so lonley out there and-" Said Pan as Goten interupted her.

"And you thought you might keep him company, is that is Pan...?! Taunghted Goten.

"Oh why don't you go stick your head in some punch!" Yelled Pan lightly, as she put her hand on the window and a frown formed on her face as she stared at Trunks.

"Because that would be dumb my love struck friend. Plus no chick I know would ever be interestest in a guy with punch on his face."
Joked Goten as he headed to the punch bowel and stated to scoop up two cups of the punch.

"Look who's talking, at least I'm not love struck every other day!" Smiled Pan giving him an evil glare.

"At least I have a love life." Said Goten as he handed Pan her Drink.

"I have a Love life! And for your information I'm in love with some one right now! They just don't know it...that's all...." Said Pan as she blushed and turned to look at Trunks and then back at Goten.
"But I guess you wouldn't know what it's like to love some one from afar......." Frowned Pan, as she got up and head toward the door.

"I do to too! And where do you think your going?"
Shrieked Goten. As he spilled his punch on the girl behind him.

"ooopps.... he...he they don't called it Punch for noth'in ..he....he" Said Goten wimpily, as the girl punched him in the face.

"They....Don't....Call it...Punch.... fur...Noth'in.. Yup!" Mutered Goten softly as he fell to the ground.

"Where is Pan, Goten?" asked Videl as she started to help him up off the ground.

"I don't know.... What do you think little Goten-Birdies?!" Muttered Goten as he looked up at the little Goten-Birdys floating above his head.

-~

Pan grabbed the unbrela out of the basket and made her way toward Trunks, as she walked up the hill she wondered what Trunks was thinking about.
He looked so lonely, sad and afraid, sanding there all alone in the rain.

"Trunks....." She wispered solfly, as she felf a cold chill flow up the side of her back. That made her stop heaving up the hill, and almost fall down on her face. But stoped just in time as she felt a hand touch her shoulder,
"What...?" whispered Pan as she looked back only to find her Father, shaking his head. Motioning her to come back inside out of the rain and to leave Trunks be.

"Daddy.....but.." Pan motioned to go back up to the top of the legde and just say something to Trunks. But he tugged her arm, and just shook is head no, as Pan nodded Gohan put his arm around her shoulders and walked her back to the house.

As they reached the front door Pan gazed back at Trunks.
"Are you coming in Pan?" asked her father gently. As he opened the door and motioned Pan to come in.

"I'll be in a minute....." Pan said, the tone in her voice saddened, she looked away from her father so he couldn't see the tears forming in her eyes. But he didn't have to see her face to be able to sence that something was troubling his daughter.

"Okay sweet~heat...." Gohan said as he slowing walked inside the house. But kept his eyes on Pan.


Trunks was about to turn around and head back into the house when he he saw a young girl running, from some kind of a beast. Chasing her, this young lady. When Trunks heard her screaming for her life, he jumped down off the legde and began to run after the monster.

"Ahh!!!!!! help me! Please! Someone!-Anyone!!" The girl screamed, as she ran into the forest she tripped on a piece of broken wood.

"YOU CAN'T RUN AWAY FROM ME!!!!!" The beast growled, read to slash the girl's head right off her shoulders, she began to pant heavily and tears were crowding her vision so she couldn't see what the monster was about to do to her, once she rubbed her eyes she could make out the painful death she was about to encounter. As the horid beast was about to make it's move. She cried out for help one last time before she was sent to the next dimetion. Parelized by fright she was to scared move out of the way, her only sheild were her arms, her handing covering her face and her elbows pressing to her breast. As the beast swung it's claw at her.

When Trunks came from behind the beast and punched it in it's gut. He had little time to think and little time to save this girl before the monster was free to have his way with her.

"What..?" the girl exclaimed, as she began to open her eyes but realized she was unharmed.
And looked over to this strange boy who had just came out of no where and saved her life.

Trunks flew after the beast and then stopped in mid air to look around for where the monster had or was about to land. As he searched carefully for his foe, he finally spotted the beast and flew as quick as he could over to where he was about to land. Trunks flew underneith him and punched him up in the air, firering a huge ki blast into him which caused the giant beast to explode. As the Monster blew up in the sky the sound of the explostion could be heard from all the way to where Pan stood by the kitchen table.

Pan ran to the window to see what had caused that loud noise.
"Where's Trunks?!" sreaked Pan as she looked left to right out her window trying to spot her friend.

"What do you mean? Isn't he out there?" Exclaimed Bulma as she ran out the front door after peeking out the window for a split second.

"Where is he?" Thought Bulma.

-~

As the girl realized what had just happened she picked herself up off the ground and headed over to Trunks.
Trunks was looking up at the sky watching the rain clouds disapear. Then a thought struck his mind. "That Girl! Is she okay?!" Exclaimed Trunks as he ran over to the area where she had been laying but when he got there he found no one.
"Lost some thing?" Laughed the girl as she twirled her hair with her finger.

"Wha...?" mummbled Trunks as he looked around in back of him only to find a beautilful young girl, around his age, with long, blond, thin silky hair that hung down to her waist. She had deep light baby blue eyes, that made Trunks start off into his own little world. She was wearing a tight, low-cut dark, lavender dress. And long tall boots like the ones Bra wears only the same color as her dress.
"I must thank you for saving my life, I thought I was done for, that is. Until you showed up and saved me." complemented the girl, as she contiued to play with her hair.
" Hehhehe....." chuckled the girl, as Trunks's eyes and mouth widend.
"Well.... are you just going to stare at me all day or are you going to introduce your self?" Laughed the girl, as she coverd her mouth and began to walk over to Trunks.
Trunks just stared at her with a goofy love struck look on his face.

"Well?" Ckuckled the girl.

"Oh! m-my..name?" Asked Trunks nervusly without taking his eyes off her, not even to blink.

"Yes." Said the girl friendly.

"It's tr..tru.." Trunks stopped in the middle of his sentince to blush.

"What?" The girl laughed.

"My....name is ...trun-ks Trunks! My name is Trunks!" Trunks was now blushing so much his entire face had turned red.

"Trunsk huh?" questioned the girl, in a friendly tone.

"Yes..." Trunks said softly looking down at the ground, blushing. (I think I got that point across)

"Well hi Trunks! My name is Sheik- I mean... Mandy!" Exclaimed the girl nervusly, hoping that Trunks wouldn't notice her stuttering.

"Oh... that's a nice name..." Complamented Trunks softly, with out looking her in the eye.

"Why thank you Trunks! What a sweet thing to say..." Blushed Mandy.

"So.... why was that big beast thing chasing you?"
asked Trunks, beging to blush a little less.

Mandy only stared at Trunks and smiled, as she began to walk toward Trunks and layed her head on his shoulder and grabbed his arm.

"Ummm..... What are you doing?" Asked Trunks wide eye'd trying to pull his arm away from her grasp.

Mandy laughed. "Let's not talk about that horrid Beast!".

"Okay." Muddered Trunks under his breath,- but Mandy heard him. Trunks motioned for her to let go of his arm once more, and Mandy decided to give him a little space, for now.
Mandy rolled her eyes and then moved her body over to her right.

"Ohh!" Gasped Trunks in a concerned and almost shocked tone of voice.
"Your arm! Your wounded!" Exclaimed Trunks as he grabbed her by the waist and moved her over in front of him.
Mandy began to smile as she realized the position they were both in, she began to blush.

"Do you have a place to stay?" Asked Trunks still very concerned about her.

"Yes- I mean no..- well kinda, but.." Mandy didn't know how to respond to that kind of a question. She had never been asked that question before. Almost as if she couldn't make-up her mind, she felt embarssed.

"I think I understand, it looked like you had been running for a long time." Trunks began to smile sweetly, acting as if he understood what Mandy was trying to say, he thought he did. He had no idea.- "Hey!" Exclaimed Trunks suddenly.

Mandy jerked her head up nervusily, their eyes met.
"Why don't you come stay at my house?" Suggested Trunks humblily.

"Oh, I couldn't possibly-" she bgean but was interupted once more.
"Yes. Yes you could, please say yes. It's the least I can do." Offered Trunks.

"Least you can do?!" Questioned Mandy, surprised at his comments of kindness. He didn't have to act so polite, was it an act? Or was he just one of those gentlemen guys who always acted polite like that. Or was he one of those kind of guys who like to show off and flirt all the time.

"You only saved my life back there.." Exclaimed Mandy.

"It was nothing.." Blushed Trunks.

"Well you sure made it look that way, like you're used to killing giant creeps or something." Joked Mandy, giggling. She realized that Trunks's hands still remained on her waist, she looked up at him. Staring into a his gentle, blue eyes. She placed her hand on his shoulder and Trunks almost knew, just by looking at her face, that sweet smile of gratatude on her face. What she was about to say, and he did know, he knew acsactily what that smile ment. Mandy began to open her mouth to speak, but remained silent from the soft, warm touch she felt of Trunks's finger pressing lightly against her lips.

He began to walk her back to his house, his arm around her shoulder. And walking as slow as he could.- He didn't feel so sad anymore...

-~
"I'm getting really worried you guys." Moaned Pan, sounding depressed and almost bored. Bored of waiting for Trunks to come back if of anything.

"I'm sure he's fine." comforted Goten, placing his hand of his niece's shoulder.- "You know how Trunks is."

Pan turned around from looking out the window, and glared at her uncle with an expression of anger upon her face.
"How can you be so calm?" Hissed Pan, disgusted at her uncle's attempt to comfort her.

"What do you mean?" Questioned Goten, now angered himself from Pan's back-talk. After all he was only trying to make her feel better.

"You know acsactily what I mean!" Hissed Pan.-"And you could care less about Trunks, some best friend you are! He could be stuck somewhere, laying in a ditch bleeding to death, and you'd make a bigger deal over running out of hair-gel two minutes before your date arrives!"

"Who do you think you are talking to me like that? You don't even know what your talking about!" screamed Goten, Pan could see the fury in her uncle's eyes. But still acted as if he didn't indimidate her, because he didn't.
"You have some nerve, going around telling people what they think, and how they should or shouldn't act. When it's really you that needs the attatude adjustment, so don't go and get your panties in a knot over something that doesn't even concern you!"

"Oh, it concerns me. This whole thing concerns me!" Snapped Pan.-"Some people actually want to get involed in their friends lives, because some people actually care about their friend's well-being. But then their are people who couldn't care less if they tried, and are liars. People like you! And I for one think that Trunks deserves so much better friends, then the deciving and self-centered best friend he has now. Uncle Goten, who do you think you are?" Pan couldn't control herself, she didn't want to. In some sense or way she was relieved that she was finally getting all of this out in the open with her uncle, she was telling him asactily what she thought of him. And she didn't care what he thought of her, or what he did to her. Or at least she hadn't thought she did.

"And one more thing-" Pan was about conclude her insulting conversion with her uncle, when she was forcefuly kept quiet her the harsh, painful, cold slap that violently bruised her face as small blood drops appeared on the side of her cheek. Goten slapped her across her face as hard as he could.

"I think you've said enough for one night Pan..." Goten mumured as he slowly turned his back to his neice and made his way back toward the chair in the corner of the room, and sat down in it. Watching the flames burn the fire-wood inside of the fire-place.
Tears were forming in Pan's eyes, but she couldn't start crying infront of her uncle. That would make him think was weak, and couldn't take one mere slap in the face. Pan slowly began to walk toward the stair case that led to her bed-room, as she left the living room behind mumbling under her breath one last insulting remark toward her uncle.- "Baka!". Her slow movements of walking up the stair case turned into a running pace as she finally arrived infront of her bed-room. Closing and locking the door behind her.

Goten sat their feeling so misrable, had that one fight with Pan ruined his evening so badly that he couldn't even crack a smile? No, it wasn't the fight, it was something else. Something felt terribly, terribly wrong, but what though? The world was safe again, he was fianlly free to live a happy and normal teenage life. Was this the feeling of depression that had been effecting Trunks? Was this the feeling that had caused him to run away like he had? Why though? What was happening to them? Something was wrong, if the world were truly at peace once more then they probably wouldn't be feeling so down on themselves. But maybe it wasn't just them, or maybe it was just in their minds.

"It's all my fault..." Whispered Goten under his breath, as a tear slowly made it's way down the side of his face, pausing it's self on his cheek.
"It's all my fault." Goten slowly repeated to himself, a bit more aloud this time.

Locked in her room, crying her eyes out. Her face pressing forcefuly against her pillow, she felt so empty inside, so depressed.
"Where is Trunks?" those three words kept repeating themselves in her mind, over and over again.
She gentely moved her hand over the side of her face where she had been slapped. Did she really seserve that? All was doing was speaking her mind, telling him how she felt, and what she thought of him. But maybe she wrong, truthfuly yes, maybe she was. But to tell him to his face more so, that was awful of her. She was so unsure of what to do, she was too proud to appologize but still. She couldn't live with herself knowing she'd said that to her own uncle, and with the risk of being wrong about everything. But the reassured herself that her first impressions of the friendship between the two half-blooded saiyan might have been and probably were correct.
She would never appologize.

Later that night, after everyone in the entire house had fallen fast-asleep. Goten asleep on the chair, Pan sound asleep, Gohan and Videl had already gone to bed, and everyone else had gone home for the night. The house seemed as if it were the quietest place in the world, nothing but the crickets and the soothing sounds of a child's breathing to comfort you into a deep, restful sleep. But had no one noticed Goten and Pan argueing? Everyone had been too ravled up in the party.

My Message to the World