Here's one of my new fics. I'm really excited about this one, even though it's a bit dark. It's dedicated to my cousin's friend who lived in one of the worst cities in the U.S. He eventually got out of there. He and his father learned to survive there not because the wanted to...but because they had to.
It started out in Pan's POV, but it might change to 3rd person in later chapters, but I'm not sure.
Disclaimer: if you have read any of my fanfics before this one, you know the answer to this.
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It had been about five months since my mother died. I can't believe it had been this long. Almost half a year. My life basically fell apart then. My dad went into a state of depression so bad that I didn't know what to do with him. I was only fourteen at the time. I helped him all I could, but it didn't work.
We left Japan. I didn't want to go. I had everything I wanted there. My best friends Trunks and Bra. My crazy Uncle Goten. He always brought humor to any situation, even if he didn't mean to. Oh, what I would do to have Goten here right now.
Trunks...I wish he was here now, too, maybe even more than Goten. He always knew what to say, or when to say nothing at all. There were few times when he didn't know what to say, then he would just hug me.
My father had lost his job, and eventually we lost the house. He wouldn't ask for help from anyone, nor would he accept it. He Saiyan pride prevented it. Like Vegeta said one time, you can take everything away from a Saiyan but one thing: his pride. It will always be there.
Or so I thought. I never thought I'd end up where I did. My dad and I hopped a train and went to Gary, Indiana. It's known as the murder capitol of the U.S.A.* We went there because he thought he could get a job there. He was wrong. We ended up in one of the worst parts.
Before I turned fifteen that year, I had already seen three people die right in front of me. Most people lie awake because of a show they watched before they went to bed. I, on the other hand, lied awake because of the noise of guns going off and people screaming.
Often, I was attacked. People always thought I had drugs or something. The only weapon I had was a knife. It had a ten-inch blade on it. It came in quite useful at times. Though, I never killed anyone. I just couldn't.
Still, my dad would not ask for help. He couldn't. Not now. He'd be too ashamed to reveal what he had become. What our 'family' had become. I wouldn't even call it a family anymore. He and I could barely survive there. We never had full stomachs. We never got much sleep.
What I wouldn't do to be back in Japan with the Briefs family. But of course not, my dad wouldn't allow it. His pride is too strong. I think he's becoming Vegeta.
Then it happened. He was rejected yet again from a job. It's not like it never happened before, but he took it really badly. That night, after I came back from trying to get something to eat, I found him lying on the ground. Dead. He had committed suicide. I took one look at him and broke down.
Oh yes, I did have one friend. She had the same problem as me, except it was her mom and not her dad. Her mom was a drug addict. I had managed to keep my dad out of that. And believe me, it's a hard task.
Well anyway, she lived in the same run-down abandoned apartment building as me. When she heard me crying (the walls are paper-thin and often have holes) she came running, expecting someone to be there. (We kind of look out for each other).
Her name is Angel. Angel. It's kind of ironic...that someone with that name would be living in a place like this. Trunks...I wish you were here.
She took one look at my father and collapsed next to me. She was also crying. She had lost her mother a few weeks ago. It was over drugs. My father and I had looked out for her, even though she wanted to live in the apartment room that she and her mom had shared.
Since the walls were so thin, my dad and I put a 'door' in. It was a hole in the wall that went into her living room. It was covered by a piece of wood that we had found. My dad had offered us security. Now that was gone. We didn't know what to do.
How much more of this can a person take?
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Okay, this is going to be a somewhat dark fic in the beginning, but it will most likely lighten up. Maybe. Also, no flames about the fact that they could have wished Videl back with the Dragon or anything like that. This is an A/U fic (obviously) so it will go how I want it to.
Also, I'm still working on my other fic Space and War, and I will finish it soon. I've almost finished the next chapter!!! Maybe it'll be out today...wouldn't that be a miracle?
*Yes, this is true. I hope I don't offend anyone, but I had to place them somewhere and it was a the first city that came to mind. And yes, I've traveled through there. We usually take a bypass around it now. I'm not going to go into the story as to why, though.