Authors: Mentally Challenged and Evil Child
Disclaimer:
We don't own no Dragon Balls.
***
"Pan?" I walked into their usual clearing, sensing that
something was not quite right. Sniffing the air expertly, I grinned. That was
Pan for you- she couldn't wait five minutes before cooking dinner! "Pan! You
wench! You should have waited!"
Pan emerged from behind a fire,
grinning. "Just starting the fire, Bura."
"Uh-huh," I wasn't convinced. "I bet
you've already eaten most of the fish- you pig! How are we supposed to get
through this test with no fish?"
"We?" Pan lifted an eyebrow. "This
test is only for you- I just offered to cook my dinner. You can cook your own."
"Pan!" I whined, grabbing the nearest
acceptable stick and then shoving a fish on it. "You're supposed to be my
friend you know!"
"That's why I came," Pan grinned,
sitting down cross-legged. I stared at her in amusement.
"Why did you come here Pan?"
"I already offered you my
friendship- I won't take it back. But I suggest that we split ways for a few
days. You're supposed to be alone for the test…and mine is coming up," Pan
paused.
"And we're supposed to be rivals," I
sighed. No one had objected when Pan and I had first formed their friendship.
They had thought that the two were only trying to act civil to each other, and
nothing would amount from it. As soon as it had become apparent to both of us
that we were not allowed to be friends, we began meeting in secret, sharing the
stories of our lives both so close to the other's yet so different.
Now that we both were fourteen and
considered eligible to become full-fledged Amazons we have to go through the
test. There would be no help; no comradeship through the test- we would have to
prove ourselves worthy on our own.
It would be fine if it were just that-
we would be able to get through the test and then go on living; friends for
life. But the reason we had to have a secret friendship in the first place was
because I am the daughter of the tribal leader and Pan's family was the tribal
leader's natural rival. Our families were supposed to hate each other and try
to best the opposite family's daughter in the test.
I sighed, knowing that our friendship
had been too good to last, but also too good to throw away so easily. I
reflected on the messes we had gotten into together in the past; the stories
that we told each other until the sun began to peek out over the horizon. There
was no way that I would want that part of my life to end- it was insane that we
had to be rivals!
"Yes…rivals," Pan sighed. "But…what
I'm suggesting for now is a friendly competition. You have to promise me that
if I do better in the test and gain tribal leadership you won't be upset."
"And you have to promise that if I
win, you won't get upset," I said, smiling. Pan nodded. "Well, I promise too
you goose! My friendship to you is more important then being a tribal leader."
"Are you sure about that Bura?" Pan
asked. "Or will your loyalties change when you see how much this competition
means to both of our mothers?"
"I guess we'll have to wait and see,"
I grinned innocently. "But I don't think a silly competition will change our
friendship to the point that we'll be full fledged enemies."
"Friends forever?" Pan asked now
grinning too.
"Friends forever," I agreed.
Little did these two natural rivals know how much
their future friendship depended on that promise.
***
I woke
with a start taking in my surroundings. Sometime during the night we had both
fallen asleep companionably beside each other. I cursed myself for falling
asleep during the night- Kami knew how I would get myself out of trouble this
time.
"Pan?" Bura squinted open her eyes. I
smiled slightly at my half-asleep companion's innocence.
"Go back to sleep Bura, you have a
long day ahead of you," I said softly. Bura nodded, following my instructions
without thinking. "I'll miss you Bura. Friends forever…right?"
"Of course," Bura mumbled. I grinned.
***
"Pan
wake up!" Marron screamed into my ear, hitting me lightly on the head. I tore
myself away from my thoughts to see my friend grinning at me. Somehow I had
miraculously managed not to get into any trouble with my mother for staying out
all night, but it had been a close shave indeed.
But due to my lack of sleep it was hard to keep my
eyes open throughout the whole day. Videl had dismissed me right away
thankfully, pinning my inability to focus on the fact that I am worried about
my upcoming test. In actual fact however, I was worried about Bura.
"You'll start to burn if you stand there any longer!
Hello Pan…are you listing to me?" Marron waved a hand in front of my face,
amused by my lack of focus. I was usually the most focused member of our tribe.
"Oh, sorry Marron, I'm just in my own little river
of thoughts." I said unconcern flowing through out my voice. "What did you
say?"
"You'd
better not go swimming in your thoughts any time soon- the tribal leader is
watching you," Marron warned. "She wants to see you make a mistake so she can
denounce you of your proper title."
We both knew this- I had suffered under Bulma's
scrutiny my whole life because of my being second choice for new tribal leader.
Logically Bulma wants to keep the tribe under her name.
"But you can do anything Pan; you can defiantly
become the new tribal leader," Marron said. "And then you wouldn't have to
listen to Bura talk about how she's better than all of us because then you'd be
the best!"
I silently disagreed with my friend but said
nothing. Although my mother would kill me I would rather be denounced from my
title so that I wouldn't have to put up with knowing that the woman of my tribe
either hated me or loved me. I'd give anything to be an ordinary Amazon but I
don't want to disappoint my mother too.
"Come
on Marron- lets just go fishing, your starting to sound like my mother. You
could seriously scare people if you keep talking like that," I stripped my
skirt off to display my deerskin underwear.
It was a shameful thing for an Amazon to be seen in
only her undergarments. In fact when preparing to go to town or to even see men
an Amazon wears a large cloak to cover all her 'sacred' body parts.
This idea of modesty could only be kept because of
the tight security the Amazons kept at all times. Guards were posted near every
river bend that was being used by the Amazons and all around the Amazons'
settlement in case a man accidentally wandered into the settlement. If this
happens the guards are able to warn the Amazons in advance so that they are
able to hide.
Abruptly, I dived into the river, shivering as I
felt the cool water engulf my body. I heard a splash behind me, which meant
that Marron had jumped in too. Swimming back to the surface, I felt very
relaxed for the first time that day. My head broke through the surface of the
water and I saw Maren waiting for me.
"I don't know why you like to go swimming so much-
if you don't be careful you'll turn into a fish!" Marron said jokingly. I just
smiled.
"Did you bring the spears in with you or do we have
to get out and get them?" I asked. It might be the hottest season of the year,
but it was a pretty cold day. I wouldn't want to get out of the water if I had
to, but if Maren didn't bring them in with her then it would be detrimental not
to get them.
In answer to my question Marron
held out the two spears, giving me a knowing smile that made her face light up
like the sun matching the color of her hair. I smiled back, taking my spear.
I love to go fishing- it must be my all-time
favorite thing to do, which meant that I could spend hours fishing without
tiring. Usually we catch a bunch of
small fish since they are easier to kill and cook- besides the bigger fish have
the best tasting babies so we rarely kill them.
I dived back under water, seeing a fish pretty
close. I held my body inert- if I stay still long enough than they'll ignore me
or come up and see what I am. Slowly, carefully, I took out the special fish
food that we use and thousands of small fish came immediately over, I got my
spear and clearly caught five fish with its pointy-head. When I saw that I
could hold no more on my spear, I swam back up to the surface to wait for
Marron. It would be curious to see how many Marron caught.
***
I
showed my mother the fifteen fish Marron and I caught together and she smiled
appreciatively and then showed me the seven rabbits that she had caught. We got
to work after we each admired the other's work. It was our turn to make dinner
for the three houses that Videl's friends were living in. We always had fun at
dinner because 18 and Lunch were knew how to have a good time (this of course
is because they steal 'liquor' from the nearest city or house).
***
"You'll never guess what we saw today on our
rounds!" 18 said happily, making her drunkenness apparent. Lunch immediately
went into a fit of giggles, which meant it was something that we might want to
here. They usually just found a bunch of 'hot guys' in town that they slept
with or something but this sounded interesting.
"There's
a house in the mountains!" Lunch blurted out, giggling uncontrollably which
made us all very confused.
"Um…Lunch I hate to break it to you
but that isn't very exciting," Pan said and Marron giggled in the background.
Houses in the mountains, although unusual, were not big news or very
interesting.
"Let me explain what Lunch is trying to say, Pan,"
18 said. At this point everyone in the room was questioning how much wine 18
and Lunch had drunk. "We went to see if there was any wine, and all of a sudden
we noticed a bit of movement, so we went over to see what it was and it turns
out that there's a whole house filled with men that- here's the best part-
FIGHT!!!"
Everyone looked at each other for a moment in
indecision and then almost immediately asked what they looked like, but we
found that useless because they didn't 'remember'. After a few minutes of
hushed talking everyone agreed to go check it out and see these male warriors
for themselves. Not only would it be an interesting change but we also need to
know if these warriors are a threat and if they are we might have to destroy
them.
***
We
silently crept through the forest to see these warriors. 18 guided us (Lunch
wasn't there because she passed out from too many drinks) to where they had
seen the warriors. The woods ended abruptly in a round clearing and we walked
to the edge, peering out at the lone house. There were seven men; two were
fighting as the others watched.
"Wow! Look at 'em go!" Videl said, in awe. "I want
to be able to fight like that."
There was anger mixed into my mother's awe-filled
voice and it frightened me. I never heard her voice sound so intense before.
But I was forced to push away my fear when I saw the two fighters stop their
spar and look in our direction. 18 muttered a quick curse only loud enough for
us Amazons to hear and abruptly all of the fighters started towards us in an
accelerated rate.
"Pan in the tree, Marron in that bush…come on! Find
a place to hide and don't get angry!" Videl said warningly. We nodded, knowing
that it would be wise to keep our power levels down. "I think their Saiyans..."
The last part was a warning- we had all heard about the awesome powers of the
Saiyans…some had even seen it for themselves. "Go! Now!"
With that order, we did as Videl directed. Hoping
for the best, I climbed to a part of the tree that if they did look up then
they probably wouldn't be able to see me, but I could easily get down to help
fight.
They were there in a matter of seconds after we had
hidden, muttering under their breaths about Amazons and their inability to stay
out of other peoples business- at least the one with the tall black hair said
that. The others seemed more intent on finding us then anything else.
From the tree I was in I could see Marron smiling
encouragingly at me. I grinned back. Where are the others? I peered through the
trees, but couldn't find anyone else.
A violet haired boy look up, stared straight at me,
and turned to say something that I didn't understand. I gave Marron one last
panicked look, knowing that I made a mistake in the process. He pointed at me
and where I was looking and immediately we were taken out of our hiding places,
which had been closest to them.
But I wasn't about to give up that easily. Taking
out my dagger, I heard Marron do the same. As soon as my feet touched the
ground I started to attack the warriors my mother called Saiyans. Out of the
corner of my eye I saw Marron follow my lead and start to attack them too.
My aim was for the violet haired boy, but only
because he was closest to me. I easily knocked his sword out of his arm and
pressed my dagger to his throat. It was a wonder that I could so easily best a
Saiyan…they were supposed to be fierce fighters that would never lose a fight
easily.
"Get away from them!" My mother screamed, and I felt
her stand beside me. I looked over my shoulder to see 18 standing behind us, a
dagger in her hand ready to fend off any cowardly attacks.
The straight black haired man grabbed Marron and
threw her to the ground looking mad. Mad was an understatement…he was furious.
He started for us, but stopped when my dagger dug deeper into the boy's throat.
After a few seconds he crossed his arms, looking sourly at me.
"Amazons," the man grunted, spiting at the fallen
girl. I growled under my breath, glaring at him, but he merely smirked. "Don't
worry little girl- you're friend will be fine."
"You're a Saiyan aren't you?" Videl asked, ignoring
the man's actions. She looked very impressive in her tiger-stripe brown cloak.
"We're Saiyans that became earthlings," A different
man said with a goofy grin. He was taller then the first man, but definitely
younger and more innocent. "We don't mean any harm to you or the rest of your
tribe."
His companions looked shocked and confused, all but
the violet haired boy, but that was because my dagger was to his throat. In
fact blood was beginning to dribble down his neck- I refused to loosen my grip,
still angry at what the man had done to Marron.
"Saiyans are known for their lies-give me one reason
why I should trust you," Videl said taking the dagger from my hand and putting
it in her own, as she grabbed the violet haired boy. She turned the boy around
to face the man talking and placed the dagger to the boy's throat now bleeding
throat.
"Lighten up- we have no reason to lie to you," the
man with the goofy grin said, seeming to ignore the seriousness of the moment.
Videl tossed me my dagger, however, and I caught it
and without giving it another thought I put it in my holder that was on my leg.
A boy that looked like the youngest of them noticed were I put it and turned a
bit pink, because I had to lift my cloak up to put the dagger in its holder. I
blushed myself when I realized that I had lifted up my clock to display my
skimpy skirt, although if truth were to be told my skirt was longer then most
Amazons.
Marron, still laying on the ground looked up at me
and gave me a smile. I bent over and extended my hand to pull her up, which she
gratefully took. As she stood up she took her dagger out of the ground (it
landed point down) and put it in her holder, but in doing so she had to lift
both her cloak and her longer skirt to get to the holder.
"Do you think we'll get in trouble for being caught
by these males?" Marron whispered with a hint of fear in her voice. It was true
innocents weren't aloud to see males, but I supposed that since my mother had
let me come everything will turn out all right.
"Pan, since you run fastest, take the news of these
Saiyans to the tribal leader, she'll know what we should do about them." Videl
said, frowning. I nodded, though I desperately wanted to stay and help.
***
"BULMA
COME HERE QUICK!!!" I screamed from the street. Peering up, I was just in time
to see her jumping down from her second story window.
"What's wrong? Where's Videl? What happened?" She
asked amazingly fast. Even though they are rivals doesn't mean that they
couldn't be friends at heart.
"There's men in the mountains- Videl called them
'Saiyans' and they fight! Lunch and 18 found them during there rounds- they
found our hiding places and Videl said to go and get you," My words came out in
a jumble. I was so tired after sprinting to get Bulma that I didn't think I
could run back.
"Did you say Saiyans? Show me were…can you fly?"
"I find it easier to run but I can sort of fly- just
not that fast." I said. She would probably that against me in the future since
tribal leaders are supposed to fly. But Bulma didn't even give it a second
thought as she levitated in the air, saying that she could follow me that way-
so I took off, her following swiftly behind me.
***
As we reached the clearing I grabbed a tree and
turned my feet the opposite way, skidding to a halt. I stood for a second
breathing hard, and then collapsed on the ground. I looked up and saw that
Bulma had landed a little way behind me looking impressively murderous as she
spotted the man that first talked to us. I could barely stop myself from
laughing as the man took an involuntary step back when he saw Bulma.
"What
are you doing here woman?" He grunted, smirking and crossing his arms again.
"Didn't get enough the first two times?"
"Vegeta," Bulma snorted. "I
should have known it was you when I smelled that foul stench."
***
Heehee…
so how'd you like it? TELL US! WE COMMAND YOU TO!!!!!! (review or else…) *evil
laughter*
