CHAPTER ONE:
Hearing an unnatural noise, Kuroi's head whipped around, finding only trees staring back at her. A lock of stiff black hair fell upon her ivory cheek, pale blue eyes narrowing as she continued to stare. Scowling a bit, she turned back to her work, hoping to finish before dark. She hated having to skin and gut an animal for dinner. Not that it disgusted her; in truth, she was rather used to it. It was just that she wished she could be training with her sister, Shiroi, instead of dallying over necessities.
Pausing in her work, she sat back on her haunches and sighed. She wiped a blood stained hand across her cheek, smearing a red streak across her skin. Shi-chan. Her twin. She had been gone for a week now, and missed her beyond belief. Had she not had to watch over and tend to their house, she would have gone with her, but Shiroi insisted otherwise. She smiled a little. At least she would be returning tonight. She had hunted and killed a large buck for the occasion. Returning her attention to her handiwork, she hoped she had enough time to finish preparing it before her arrival.
Another sound emanated from behind her, causing Kuroi's muscles to tense. Her eyes narrowed again, but she kept her position, pretending she hadn't heard. A small smirk played across her lips, telling herself to chastise Shiroi for being so obvious in her 'sneak' attack.
"Ku-chaaaan! Tadaima! I'm back, and you'll never guess what I found out!" Kuroi looked up, confusion washing over her. She could see her twin's white hair peeking around the corner of the house curiously. Obviously, she had dropped her bundle at the door. Shiroi's black eyes flitted over, spotting Kuroi. A grin formed, and she rose a darkly tanned hand to wave. If Shiroi was over there, then...?
The trees exploded behind Kuroi as a dark figure flew out, aiming for her back. Shiroi's face fell, and she could see something glittering in the figure's hand. A knife. A sharp one.
Shiroi's black eyes widened as she turned the corner and the scene in front of her unfolded. No! Nooooo! Not Kuroi! Please, Kami-sama let me get there first. Take me instead of her. She's done nothing to deserve this end! Let me save her!
Shiroi sprinted towards her sister in the desperate hope that she could deflect at the most, or redirect in the least.
The knife sunk deep. She had been too late! The pain her sister felt melted into her mind, and an empathy wound caused her chest to hurt exactly where Kuroi had been stabbed.
Fury. White-hot fury surged from the depths of her heart, and without putting a hitch in her running feet, she launched herself at her twin's attacker. A battle cry was ripped from her throat, the pain of her soul tinting every single word she uttered. Tears sprung to her eyes with the intensity of it.
"You KISAMA!!! KUSO TAREEEE!!!! SHI NEE!!! Die!!"
The sight of an extremely enraged, white haired girl running at him, startled the attacker. That moment of delay was all that Shiroi needed. She didn't hesitate. The impact of her hitting his chest drove both of them to the ground. Once there, Shiroi clawed and punched at his face then tightened her hands around his throat. Kuroi's attacker clawed at her arms in turn, drawing blood. Shiroi failed to feel it. The pain at the thought of her sister lying on the ground, bleeding her life force into it was too raw, too deep for her to feel the slight discomfort from scratches of a dying man.
His arms soon fell lifelessly, no longer trying to pry her hands and arm away from his throat, trying to ease the pressure not allowing him to breath. Shiroi swiftly crawled over to her sister, her black eyes leaking her pain.
"Ku-chan, Ku-chan," she mumbled as she eased her sister into her arms, ignoring the blood that smeared all over her shirt, shorts, arms, and legs. Rocking back and forth consolingly, Shiroi mumbled her sister's name over and over again, like a spell she hoped would wake her from this nightmare. "It's okay. It's okay. We'll get this patched up, and you'll get better. Everything'll be all right."
Kuroi weakly pushed away her sister's searching hands. "No. Leave it alone." Kuroi's body was wracked with coughing, and a splatter of bright blood decorated her mouth and hand when she settled down. Shiroi's eyes widened once more, her head shaking slowly.
"No no no no no, Ku-chan. You can't die on me."
Kuroi ignored her sister, and coughed weakly, holding back the spasms with her will. They eventually dwindled, and Kuroi exhaled heavily. "Too... bad I.. couldn't kill the..." She halted her words as another cough threatened her. It passed. "Kisama," she spat ferociously. "...myself."
Shiroi gasped as Kuroi struggled to her elbows. Wanting to reach to her sister, but knowing better, she remained where she was, itching to hug her twin and make everything all right. Kuroi stared at the face of the man who would be her murderer. Good thing the yarou was dead. The might of justice was swift when dealing with Shiroi. She smirked.
Her face fell from its sneer in pain as well as anger. With the rest of her strength, she spat bloodily on the attacker, and collapsed onto her back again, her elbows giving out.
"Ku-chan!" Shiroi yelled, bolting forward, a hand touching her shoulder. The contact strengthened the bond the both of them shared. Kuroi's thoughts spilled into her mind, and she let them wash over her. The sounds of her sister babbling faded as darkness wrapped her into a blanket. Sinking into the friendliness of the darkness, Kuroi returned the embrace of something dragging her down.
Shiroi gasped as the bond her and her twin had shared snapped.
A keening wail, born from the mourning heart, split the silence of nature. Wildlife was spooked, birds taking to the skies for safety from the hurt thing condemned to the earth. Condemned to an existence without her other half.
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Gokuu perked his ears, raising from his fighting stance. His brow furrowed as he turned to the direction a heartfelt cry sounded from. Uubu, the little dark skinned kid that was a reincarnation of Buu, stilled his movements at his sensei's obvious interest in something other than fighting.
Gokuu stood still, and silently mourned the incident that caused a being to suffer enough to scream that painfully and with such intensity.
"Sensei?" Uubu approached the Earth raised Saiyajin slowly. He had vague knowledge of the heightened senses of Saiyajin, and wondered what Gokuu had heard. What ever it was, it was far away; too quiet for his now human ears to hear martial artist or not. Uubu prayed that whatever it was, it wasn't something evil. Gokuu's eyes refocused on the young boy in front of him.
"Something really bad just happened." Diverting his black eyes from Uubu's, Gokuu returned his gaze into the distance. "There's a mourner out there, letting the world know of her pain."
Uubu's face fell into a similar solemn expression, looking towards the direction it had apparently come from. Quietly, Gokuu asked Dende to watch over the poor soul, receiving a sympathetic affirmation from the boy god.
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Black eyes stared forward. The only thing they could register was a pale face framed by locks of black hair. Everything else, the sounds of nature startled then quieted, the colors around, the varied softness of the grass and hardness of the earth beneath, the smell of death, all faded into a mute gray. The pain in Shiroi's chest, inflicted the moment Kuroi had been stabbed, slowly ebbed away, being replaced by a stark emptiness foreign to her.
Shiroi reached out for it, the last reminder of the bond so recently ripped from her. Emptiness was all her fingers found. Her body fell forward, landing harshly on the red stained ground. Reaching up, she found Kuroi's still warm hand and clasped it tightly in her own. Shiroi's eyes slid shut, and she allowed sleep to overcome her, hoping that when she woke, Kuroi would be there smiling and saying it was all a horrible nightmare.
When her black eyes finally opened, the bluish black of night greeted her, stars piercing her vision. Tilting her head slightly, she found the ebbing moon shining at her behind the silhouette of tree branches. As her senses slowly returned to her, she felt a cold hand within hers. Her eyes flitted over, tracing along the line of her arm to the source of the sensation, tears trailing down her cheeks for a yet unknown reason. Reality shocked back to her when the moonlight shone over her dead sister's body.
Shiroi stared at Kuroi for what seemed an eternity before she moved to a sitting position. Closing her eyes, she stood, and turned away, walking towards their-... her cabin. After a few minutes, Shiroi had gathered the items she dreaded looking at, much less touching, or, such as now, using. They were the items Kuroi and her had used to bury their parents and baby brother's ashes and remains.
Returning outside, she promptly went up the mountain to her family's final resting-place. Taking a moment to pray, she dug out her shovel and began constructing a new grave. Once a proper depth was established, she returned to Kuroi's side, laying a blanket next to her prone body. Fresh tears stung her eyes when she finally looked at her twin. After a moment of staring, she lifted Kuroi's body, placing it on the blanket and wrapping it around her. Shiroi carried the bundle to the fresh grave, laying it within, and began the arduous task of refilling the hole.
Looking up, dirt streaked and sweating, she found the moon to be setting, signaling that morning was growing near, though the sky remained black. Tossing the shovel aside, Shiroi crumpled to the ground, staring at the four marker stones. Her family. All dead. Barely noticing, her eyes fluttered shut, an exhausted sleep overrunning her.
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Shiroi opened her eyes as the sunlight bled through her eyelids. Her sleep had not been a restful one. Sitting up, she stared at the gravestones a moment longer before standing and turning away, walking towards the lake near their home. Pausing in the cabin, she retrieved a new set of clothes, her current set stained with blood, dirt and sweat.
Stepping out into the front, her eyes flitted over to the stained spot of dirt where Kuroi drew her last breath. Her bottom lip quivered before she turned, heading for the lake. She purposefully avoided the area she and Kuroi always bathed in, choosing a different spot so the memories would not flood her. Once she had finished rubbing her skin raw, trying to wash the blood away, she stepped into her new clothes, and gave a last look towards her home, turned and walked the other way.
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Kuroi stared up at the red giant before her. She had heard stories about Dai Enma from her parents, but nothing could possibly prepare her for the size of the god before her.
"Name?" His voice thundered through her, vibrating her like an earthquake's kiss. The fact that she had no longer had a body didn't quite help.
"Ku-kuroi!" she stammered. His attention returned to the huge pile of papers decorating his desk. He made a noise of triumph as he found the file titled 'Kuroi'. Opening it, he skimmed through the written documentation of her life.
Kuroi tried to fight her fearful shaking to no avail. Yes, though he was apparently male, this was a male worth respecting. Not just because of his size and strength, but because of his godhood. Her fear increased as his eyebrows shot up at something in her file.
"It seems you have a special recommendation and request from Dende."
Her shaking stopped as she paused to consider this. Dende? She searched her memory. No, she didn't recall ever meeting someone by that name. "Den..de?" She spoke slowly, making sure to get the name correct.
He chuckled warmly, easing a bit of the fear eating her inside out. "You don't know him. He's the Kami of your planet."
Kuroi's attention perked up at this. Earth's Kami-sama? What was so special about her that would gather the attention of the god of Earth? Dai Enma had returned his attention to her file.
"Apparently, he wants you to keep your body in the afterlife." Kuroi idly wondered if it was possible.
"But why?" she asked.
Dai Enma's brow furrowed as he came across something else in her file. "I see," he said. Looking down to address her, he explained. "You have a twin, correct?" Kuroi slowly confirmed the fact. "Well, you two have a bond which continues to bind you to her. Until she dies and joins you here, you will continue to be linked to your body. Dende must have noticed this."
A strange sensation rocked through her, startling Kuroi. Blinking a few times, she rose her hands to look at them. She had her body back?! Looking up at the red god, he smiled at her. Taking a huge stamp, he pressed it firmly on the upper corner of her file.
"To heaven," he stated simply. In a daze, Kuroi walked away, joining the line of souls ready to leave for heaven.
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She left graves, she left house, she left land, and she left countryside. The only thing that had kept her at the place the both of them had been born and raised was her sister. Also the fact that neither of them had known anything else save for that home and the small city in the crook of the mountains that their home was set upon.
Both of the twins were not soft little girls, though they did have a degree of innocence about them. They grew up with a bear of a father, an ice cube of a mother (that thawed every now and again), far away from civilization and the soft laws of that civilization. Though their lives were not dictated by the civilization below, they were somewhat dependent upon it, more so after the death of their parents. The noise of civilization was bearable since their father was so loud, and frequently so, but the crowded feeling made the duo shy away from overlong stays.
When Shiroi left, she passed the small civilization that was an extension of home to them; the memories were too raw. Maybe she would return if she found nothing beyond the civilization. She knew that their home- everything she considered familiar was home to the twins (now only her)- was large, but the world was larger. Their mother had lived on the other side of the world, her father close to that. Both had traveled this far so that they could raise a family without ridicule or fuss of the places that they were born. Now that her family was gone, the other side of the world looked more welcoming than a home of memories that hurt to remember.
As Shiroi left, she wept the entire way.
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Uubu looked up in mid kick, as his sensei suddenly became silent; his flurried punches and kicks no longer whistling through the air. "Sensei?"
Gokuu grinned over at the boy. "I'm stopping early today." His black eyes moved over to the horizon, and Uubu knew where Gokuu's mind was. "I want to find out what happened." Uubu could see a faint sparkle gleaming in his sensei's eyes; one he knew meant anticipation of a fight. He knew that Gokuu was hoping there was a monster rampaging around and causing havoc that he could fight. "Whatever it was, it sounded really bad, so," Gokuu returned his gaze to his student. "I'm going to go see if there's anything I can do." Raising his hand in a small wave, he rose into the air.
"But sensei-!" Gokuu powered up a bit and blasted away too fast for Uubu to match before the sentence could finish itself.
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Shiroi fidgeted violently as another one of those cursed 'cars' passed by her with incredible speed. It had taken her a long time to get used to the sight of so many cars in once place. In the village near her home the only one who owned a car was the mayor, and even then he rarely used it.
Just as Shiroi was passing a bar, two men in black and red uniforms yelling loudly and leaning heavily upon one another stepped out in front of her. Shiroi flipped backwards into a deep squat, neatly avoiding a crash between her and the obviously drunken men. The man closest to her had seen the movement, and violently threw himself in the opposite direction, something that would have been executed with much more grace and success if he were in complete control of his motor functions. Instead his body weight unbalanced his friend and both of them spilt onto the concrete.
Shiroi slowly rose as the two men struggled against one another, complaining about the other's weight and clumsiness. "Whan I geh mah wisssh, I'm gonna wissssh yoo a fly. Then yoo woulnt be in mah way ssshhho mush!" One yelled, pushing roughly at the other. His friend retaliated by rolling away and cursing him. "I'm gonna wissht you annnn annt. Then I'lll squisssshya." Once they were both standing, they glared at each other. "Lissen yooo, I'm hiiier uuup then yooo are. I'm gonna wisssssh yoo a fly first, annn flies cannt wisssh nuthin'."
The man closest to Shiroi simply glared at his comrade, having nothing to say. Shiroi sighed, and stepped off of the curb to pass the two men. Males. Idiots. And to top all of that off, they are drunk! Just as she had stepped back onto the curb well out of the way, the male that had noticed her out of the corner of his eye noticed her for a second time. "Hey! Thass the reeson why I nockt yooo over!"
The higher-ranking officer glanced over his shoulder at Shiroi, his face slowly turning up into an expression of lust and contempt that Shiroi did not find all too flattering on his plain features, let alone on anyone's face. He turned fully to face Shiroi, taking a large step forward. Shiroi raised an eyebrow at him, wondering if he knew exactly what he was getting into.
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Kuroi shivered slightly as she stepped up the ladder leading to the stylized plane, which would take her to heaven. Turning to see the source of the sensation, she noticed her arm passing through her neighbor. Gaping a second, she quickly snatched her arm back and turned away from the offended member innocently. Scuttling up the stairs, she refused to look behind her. Was she the only one with a body in the afterlife? Looking around, she had noticed that the only ones with humanoid form were the several oni serving as guides. Self-consciously, she twitched, mindful not to "bump" into more of the other souls bound for the same place as her.
Once she had settled into her seat, she leaned back, staring at the ceiling of the passenger compartment. She wondered what device she was in. She had seen passing skycars through the village near her home, but nothing such as this giant bug looking thing. The oni had to reassure her repeatedly that it was not a monster intent upon eating her. Even so, she had to watch several of them go in and out of the "plane" before she considered doing so herself. She hoped the trip would be a short one.
Her thoughts shot ahead of her and her eyes lost their focus on the ceiling. Realization shot through her. She was dead. So was her family. Well, except Shiroi, but that was okay since their bond was still intact. At that thought, Kuroi frowned as she felt her twin's despair melting into her. Something was odd, however. There seemed to be a small hope echoing within Shiroi's soul. A tiny smile crept across Kuroi's lips. Yes, Shiroi was strong. She was certain Shi-chan would be fine knowing that she was still there in spirit. Again her thoughts wandered to her family and a giddy feeling was born in the pit of her stomach. It had been so long. She would finally be able to see her parents and little brother again! Pausing a moment to look at the floating blob of light next to her, she pondered this. ... Exactly how was she going to recognize her family again?
Turning away from what remained of her neighbor, she glanced out the window, and would have died of a heart attack were she not already dead. Was that the ground all the way down there?! Gripping the window pane tight enough to render her knuckles various shades of white and purple, her eyes widened as the ground grew further and further away, until its shape turned into a sphere, which then in turn, changed into a tiny speck. After a short while, only blackness and a few white dots she recognized as stars colored her vision. Feeling faint, she dropped her hands back to her lap, and wondered if she truly got on the transport for heaven rather than hell.
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In less than a minute, the drunkard was flat on his butt, rubbing his head and uncrossing his eyes, idly wondering what had just hit him. His companion thought this hilarious and roared with laugher so his 'friend' knew exactly how funny he found this. Spurred on by the mocking tone in the near-sobbing laughs, the officer found his footing and staggered upright. This time he was ready for anything that the little white-haired piece of-
He suddenly found her scowling visage in his face and bleated in surprise. Shiroi drove an unforgiving fist into his gut and watched impassively as the officer spilled all of the contents in his stomach on the sidewalk.
It took him a while, and just about the time Shiroi's lip was curling in disgust, he had caught his breath. He turned two brown, bloodshot glaring eyes up to lock with her black eyes, and spat a line of curses at her. Shiroi watched him if only mildly interested. He cursed foully again, and pulled himself upright with as much dignity as he could muster. He's sober now Shiroi mentally mused almost giving into the temptation of smirking.
"I have a new wish." He announced his voice harsh. "Now I'm going to wish that you, you little vixen, are my love slave." Shiroi made a small sound of surprise and regarded the man as if he had sprouted a third eye. Then she crossed her arms and laughed to the sky.
"Oh my, now that is funny!"
The officer, having had enough with being laughed at for the night, balled his fists and lunged towards her. Shiroi's eyes widened in bone deep surprise as he punched her in the jaw. Shuffling backwards, the male glared at her, in a fighting stance. Touching her jaw, she flinched in pain. "That will teach me to never laugh unless my opponent is incapacitated." She softly told herself, a deep pain lancing in her chest as she touched the area when her sister had once resided so that she could share the bit of information with her twin. No one was there to back her up anymore. She then considered her said opponent with dangerous eyes. The male did not flinch. He remained stubbornly in his fighting stance, regarding her angrily.
Shiroi nodded at the man who squatted opposite her, in recognition of who he was: the enemy, and fell into a stance of her own. Determination set in. He never stood a chance, drunk or sober.
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Pale blue eyes snapped opened as she felt a lurch in her body. Sitting up as if awaking from a nightmare caused her neighbor to fling themselves in the opposite direction. The movement, having caught her eye, restated reality for Kuroi. Leaning back, she idly wondered when she had fallen asleep. Frowning slightly, she searched back for the reason she woke up. Raising her hand to her chest, her frown deepened. Why was there a stinging sensation?
Opening her mind, she searched for her twin and realization dawned upon her. So that's it. Shiroi was trying to talk to me while I was asleep. She seems so determined right now. I wonder what she's up to. Turning to her still trembling neighbor, she blinked.
"Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. I was just dreaming." Slowly, the blob of energy returned to its seat next to her.
"Don't you ever dream without nearly rekilling everyone around?"
Kuroi blinked again, and wondered how she should react to a genderless floating mass. They seemed decent enough. They must have been female in their lifetime. "Sorry again. Normally I sleep like a log, but my twin woke me up when she tried to talk to me."
If ever an energy ball could have an expression, it did now. "Excuse me?"
"My twin. We can talk to each other through our minds if we concentrate enough."
"Oh." Silence. "Neat trick."
"Oh, it's not a trick, it's 'cuz we're twins."
"Oh, right." Silence. Kuroi looked up at the ceiling. Okay, this person is a bit slow. Maybe I was wrong in thinking they were female. The blob interrupted her thoughts. "You look like a fighter. Am I correct?"
Hey, someone who knows a great fighter when they see one! I think this person might have been female after all! "Yea. I've been in training my entire life. My mother was a great amazon, and my father an even greater fighter to have beaten her in battle. What about you?" Kuroi blinked at the energy ball in front of her. It was kind of difficult to tell anything about a person if they're nothing but misty light.
"Yes I was." Kuroi's interest was suddenly perked.
"Really?! How strong were you?!"
"By myself, I was nothing special." Kuroi's features obviously showed disappointment. "However, when I was fused with someone, my strength was immeasurable." Once again, Kuroi's interest rose.
"Fused? As in fighting as a team?"
A faint laugh emanated from her neighbor. "No, no, no. Fused, as in one person." Kuroi's eyes widened.
"One person? How is that possible?!"
"The Fusion Dance of course." Kuroi blinked after her eyes started getting excessively dry.
"Fu-sion Dan-ce?" Kuroi spoke slowly, not quite sure if she heard the mass correctly.
"Right. The Fusion Dance."
"And this makes you stronger?"
"It makes you more than stronger! It combines your strength and the strength of who you are fusing with and multiplies it. You become a fierce warrior."
Kuroi clamped her jaw shut after realizing how stupid she must look. "But," she started. "If you become one person, do you stay like that forever?"
"No, of course not! You unfuse later."
Kuroi's eyes sparkled and she smiled sweetly at the floating blob of energy.
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When her opponent was incapacitated, she turned to the lower ranking soldier. He flinched and, not looking forward to having his face smeared on the sidewalk, held up his hands in surrender. Live to fight another day, he told his pride, Tangle with this she-cat and you will not be able to do much of anything. Shiroi bore down on him nonetheless, her mood black.
She curled her fist in the collar of his clothes. "Now what's this of 'wishes'? What's this foolishness that you two were talking about?"
"Wishes?" He repeated feebly. That's it! He chided himself cruelly, go for the 'brainless-idiot' approach. That way she'll beat you for being stupid. Shiroi's eyes narrowed. "Oh! The wishes! Every soldier of the Red Ribbon Army is promised a wish on the Legendary Dragon Balls once they enlist. It makes the soldiers more loyal if they are promised something in return." He breathed a sigh of relief as the hold on his collar loosened marginally.
"Dragon... Balls?" She asked, as if the words were foreign to her. He didn't doubt it. She looked a little...wild. She appeared as if she had been raised by wolves like that little boy in that story he was told as a child. For all he knew, she was fresh out of the woods, looking for a meal tonight.
"Yeah, you've never heard of them?" He ventured. Shiroi looked for a moment a little out of place, and, to the soldier, a bit more human. "Legend has it that once you collect the seven dragon balls, a dragon comes forth to answer any wish that your heart desires."
"Anything." Shiroi's throat had gone dry, heart pounding in her chest as a hope blossomed.
"The way I hear it." Slowly the soldier felt his courage returning. The more he spoke, the more she reacted, and the more she reacted, the more she let go of his shirt. Soon he could break free and run like mad.
"What if I wanted to wish someone from the dead?" The girl's black eyes fastened on him again, his courage retreating a few steps as her grip on him tightened.
"Sure." He offered jovially, shrugging as much as her grip would let him more to test her hold than to offer her a sense of comradery.
"Where are they?" Shiroi demanded, her other hand twisting into his cloth as if trying to squeeze the information out of him. The soldier's courage took a large dive at the desperation and wildness of her expression. The once cold female warrior, who had beaten the crap out of his higher-ranking companion, was now scarier with emotion.
"I-I don't know." He flinched as a hint of malice flickered across her face. "But we do have a Dragon Ball Radar!" He shouted, eyes screwing shut as if expecting a blow.
"What is a Dragon Ball Radar?" The soldier opened his eyes when the blow didn't come.
"It's a machine that tells you where the Dragon Balls are." He offered, wondering if he had any chance of surviving. She was about as unpredictable as a time bomb.
"Where is that?" She asked, a little impatiently. The soldier decided he did not want to make her impatient.
"At the Red Ribbon Base."
"Sniveling MALE! Where is that!?" Shiroi shouted, losing her temper. With effort she regained control of herself and took a deep cleansing breath. "Nevermind. Take me there." She thrust him away from her, and watched, once more impassive as he picked himself up unsteadily. "Forget about him." She told him as he glanced down at his fallen friend. "And forget about trying to escape. I can run a whole lot faster than you can."
The soldier didn't doubt her for a minute.