This is set in the early Japanese times and setting, before the west discovered the east and America, England, guns and the light bulb were never heard of...
Well, as every story needs, here is the background.
The prologue if you will.
My name is Pan.
I am a 15 year old girl, well, I will be 16 soon.
I have really short hair; I have had short hair since I was four I think.
I've never been one for long hair. I am a bit of a tom boy.
Or so I am told.
But I don't mind.
I don't chase boys like the other girls do. And I don't go to the matchmakers or look forward to the one moment where I become complete by becoming the china doll wife for a rich, prosperous man with military rank and many servants. And the big house seems to be a good plus too.
No, I'm not like that. I'm not rich either. And I don't even try to be. All the other girls my age wear long oriental dresses that have sleeves that come down to their ankles, vibrant colours and large fans. White face makeup and bright red lips and eyeshades. They walk around with large umbrellas to stay pale and saunter around; aiming to catch the eyes of the 'desirable men' of our large village. Like Trunks, Uub, Yamcha Jr or even my Uncle, Goten.
All the girls put themselves forward to become trophies, willing objects, primed and pruned to be the 'perfect little house wife' and raise many, many children.
And then there is me.
As I said before, I have short hair (that the other girls roll their eyes at. They all have waist length hair after all), big hazel eyes, pale skin (the only similarity other than gender to the other girls) and do not wear dresses or dainty sandals. I wear a big Gi, like my grandpa does; only it isn't orange. It's a dark, chaos black with the same black undershirt. I never wear those flimsy wooden sandals. Nope, leather boots work perfectly fine for me, and cause a lot less blisters and soars. I get enough of those in the metal room with papa.
Oh, I haven't talked about my family have I?
Well, I am the great granddaughter of the Ox King. He was the original Baron of our village.
But more on my family.
His daughter, my Grams Chi Chi Ox, married a worrier who became my grampa, Goku Son. They had two boys, one called Gohan who is the oldest and my papa, and the youngest Goten, my Uncle. My Momma is called Videl and is the daughter of King Hercule Satan. He was the Barron of the village on the other side of the great woods. In his travels, my Gramps had a companion, also a worrier. Where they came from, no one knows. Or they just won't tell me. But they aren't anything like anyone else. You see, humans don't have a big brown tail protruding from their tailbone, a tail. So my papa, uncle, and me all have tails. Yeah, another thing that makes me different from all the other girls. I have a big, bushy tail. But my gramps' friend, his fellow fighter, also has a tail. He's called Vegeta Ouji and is very secretive. He hasn't ever told anyone where he came from or his heritage. Vegeta married a prosperous tapestry master's daughter, Bulma. They had Trunks (I mentioned him before) and is pregnant with a baby as we speak. I hope it's a girl. Trunks is a pain as it is. I would hate for him to make another boy, like him, a womanizer. He's already made my uncle Goten into a girl magnet.
If you remember I think I said about my great grandfather being the Baron of the village.
Let me first explain what that means.
In every village (ours is bigger than a village, more of a town or small city), there are a number of people that keep it running.
There is the black smith, my papa. He makes everything from weapons, pots, and other metal works like doorknobs. I try to help out when I can. A carpenter, Krillin and his wife runs that business, a tapestry maker that does rugs, tapestries, and curtains. A dress maker, which Bulma now does with my mother, the grocer, a friend of the family called Tien, the baker, 17, and the butcher Broli.
And guess what?
We are all friends in some way or another. The entire village is friendly.
Or so…it was…
Until the Ok King died a few weeks ago…
It was a big funeral. And even I cried into my papa's chest. But it left an unbalance in the village. Without a Baron, there is no one to run the city. You see, the Baron is like the head leader of the village; he looks over us, ensures there is order and is in charge of the main guards. They are the peacekeepers and Vegeta is the Chief of police. So the village did what the rules say to and sent out for someone to take his place, as the only blood relative to take his place is my grams. And women for some reason are not allowed to be Baron. So this rich guy bought our village, yeah, that's right, bought it, and is on his way to 'run everything'. Let's just say, our family, especially grams, is not impressed.
Confused yet?
No?
Good. At least I hope I didn't confuse you. I tried my best; I'm not as smart as my dad. Yeah I know, he is the black smith but he is smarter than anyone in the village and even teaches at the main school in the mornings. He does metal work, maths, science, history and even English. He mainly teaches the last year, like me. Now, you would think I would have a problem with this, but I really don't. I idolise my papa and have enjoyed my last year a lot more since he taught my class. That means that no one can make fun of my tail 'coz teacher has one too.
Heh heh.
And if I have problems with homework, he always helps me out. And then I get to help him out in the metal room. I think I mentioned that once…yeah I think I did.
Like I said, I am not the smartest of people. But I am good with my hands. I love drawing and have helped papa make an array of various weapons simply by designing them, and then helping to make them. My pride and joy is my Bamboo sword. It's a katana blade that I made all by myself, with only papa watching. I folded the metal over 15 times, as I made it on my 15th birthday. The handle and sheath is a smooth black with the traditional diamond pattern down the side and wrapped in a thick, black leather. The blade has the sharpest point that makes Vegeta jealous and furious when I said I wouldn't give it to him. And when school started, Mamma and grams told him I wouldn't jeopardise my schooling by making another. To top it off, Krillin engraved Bamboo leaves and reeds flowing over the handle, sheath and Papa helped me etch the same pattern along the middle of each side of the blade. All this made it so beautiful, that I have it on its own shelf in my room. I treasure it so much. I call it Bamboo, how silly is that? Maybe it's because I know that that sword, is the best thing I have ever done. Because I know I'm a failure at everything else.
Because I don't, and wont, chase after men, and because I have a tail and dress like a boy, I will never marry. And I can't do anything right as I spill over the hot metal, I end up bending everything I make and Bulma daren't let me near her dresses. After the pin in the customer's bum and making her look like a paper bag, and scolding her with tea, and tripping her up…I hardly think Bulma could even breathe comfortably when I have a pair of scissors in my hand. So I tried cooking…at which I stink. I made my entire family sick when I tried to cook a chicken. And how simple is a chicken? I womp at everything.
Only that sword, my Bamboo, is proof that I can do something. But it is the only sword I have ever made, and it took me so long to make it, I can't make another until I leave school.
Oh school, it's getting worse now.
As we grow older, courting is getting more heated and I find myself hiding up in the trees more frequently now.
Yeah, I know.
Hiding in a tree is not very lady like.
Why Pan! Get down from there this instant! What will the neighbours think?
I have heard them all. I think the only ones who ever found my behaviour amusing was Grampa Goku, and Great Grampa Ox.
But both of them are gone now…
Grampa Goku died of a heart disease a few years ago, and Grampa Ox died of old age…
I miss them.
I think of them at night, when I am alone and I have been sent to bed without supper, for misbehaviour.
Normally for refusing to dress up like an idiot and flirt like the devil. And usually when I chose to stay at home and finish cleaning up the shrapnel for Papa while everyone else goes out to socialise.
Yeah, they give me a choice, but I pay for it later.
Like now.
I am sat here, on the roof in the dead of night, staring at the night sky and counting how many stars I can see. Just laying here, with my hands behind my head and the cool breeze in my face, I can just let it all go. I'll smile and revisit happier times in my child hood, like when Grampa Goku would scrap with me and I would nibble on his elbow. Or when Grampa Ox would take me into the woods and hunt dear, letting me have the horns as a memento. I have many horns on my bedroom walls. The attic is my room, and my skylight is how I get onto the roof.
I can't help but think, as I stare up at the stars, are my grampas up there? Looking back down on me? Are they still proud of me? Or are they ashamed that I don't court like Trunks and Goten, or Marron (18 and Krillin's daughter). I hope they are smiling back at me, as I smile up at them. It would be nice to have someone other than my reflection smile back at me. I would be nice…
Pan huffed and let all her stresses drift away with her consciousness on the light wind. Nikki town was such a lovely place, everyone was friends and there was little if any crime. But would the upcoming and impending arrival of this new Baron prove to be a monkey wrench in the peace? Or would he rock their world.
Or perhaps…
He would rock Pan's world…