Princess of Earth
Chapter One: Chewing Out

Amayo

As usual, I found myself in a Pokéringer contest with Starblaze.

Of course it wasn't a very challenging contest, since I couldn't join in, but oh well. I'd just have to make due. A little competition in the afternoon was music to my ears, especially since my brother was never around anymore. He was always my biggest competition, aside from Malachite. Malachite was the hardest person to piss off I had ever met, and let me tell you, that's really saying something (I had a talent for pissing people off).

"Starblaze, dive!" I yelled to my small best friend, slashing my hand downward. That was our prearranged for 'dive' signal should she not be able to hear me.

"Right!" She called back.

It was a risky move, but Starblaze and I had practiced it time and again, so we knew how to pull it off perfectly. I seriously wished I could be out there with her though. On my command, Starblaze folded her wings and dove towards the ground.

"Now, pull up and grab it!" I called just as she was about to hit the ground, bending my arm at a ninety degree angle before jerking upwards. Starblaze unfolded her wings and pulled up, then flew towards the balloon where the ring was suspended.

The others followed her, but Starblaze skillfully dodged them. She grabbed the ring in her mouth, and flew towards the goal, then put it in.

As soon as she was declared the winner, she flew towards me at a speed that, to anyone but me, my best friends, and maybe Darien, would look like one big white blur.

I just grinned and stretched my arms out, catching her just below the wings as I spun her around again and again. You see, Starblaze was pretty small for a Lugia. She and I were born at the same time, and she'd pretty much always been the same size.

She stands at about a foot or maybe a foot and a couple of inches high, with a wingspan of four feet. From what I can guess, she would never get any bigger, but that was okay with me.

It works for us, because we make it work. She was small, yes, but she was far more mobile than a normal Lugia, and infinitely many times faster.

Very few could match her speed, and her wing work was something to be admired.

Her power, well it wasn't quite as good as a normal full sized Lugia's would be, but I guess it's the whole speed or power but not both sort of thing.

Besides, she had a lot of concentrated power, meaning she can focus all of it into one deadly attack. So it leaves her drained afterwards? Big deal.

It's like they say, concentration, not strength.

"Good work Starblaze." I praised as I rubbed her head.

Thank you, I know. She replied in my mind.

"Hey Squirt." I heard a voice behind me as Starblaze took flight to go do whatever it is was she did when I wasn't around. I didn't need to turn around to know whose voice it was.

"Shut it Darien." I growled out through clenched teeth, my voice taking on a warning note. "Were you not my brother, I'd pound you into a pulp. Or I'd let Zoycite-nee-chan go at you, and you know what'll happen if I do."

I didn't need to see him to know he winced and shrugged.

I swear my brother and I had some sort of psychic connection to eachother. Or at least, I did to him. He didn't really to me anymore.

"I know you would." He replied. His voice held a hint of a smirk. "And Zoycite, well tell her I've been practicing, and she won't be able to kick me in the soft spot so easily this time."

Zoycite loved to fight dirty. Her favorite technique in fact was to kick a guy the one place no male should be kicked.

I turned around and raised my eyebrows. "Where are you going without me this time?" I asked. He only smirked when he wanted to brag about something.

His voice took on this mock hurt sort of tone. "Whatever makes you think I'm going somewhere without you, little sister?"

I growled, but ignored the little sister comment. "You only get that smirk-y sorta voice when you want to brag, and that usually means that you get to go somewhere that I don't. Come on, tell." I demanded playfully. He wrapped his strong arms around me.

"Well . . ." He began, drawing the word out.

"Spit it out already!" I snapped. I hated it when he started torturing me like this. It was so annoying. He still said nothing. "Come on, Darien." I begged. "Tell me already! Please?"

He grinned. "Ah, you said the magic word Amayo-imouto."

I groaned and slapped my head. "Just tell me, before I'm tempted to whap and or beat you up with the flat of my blade." I said, throwing his arms off of me and drawing said blade for emphasis. "Well, or I could do what Zoycite-nee-chan always does and kick you in the soft spot. That could work." Zoycite-nee loved to play dirty.

"All right, all right." He said, slowly raising his hands into the air in surrender, careful not to disturb Aniken, the Ho-oh perched on his shoulder. "I'll tell you. Geez, I swear you've been spending way too much time around that sadist we so lovingly call Zoycite."

I grinned. "Good. You'd better." I sheathed my sword, but let my hand rest on the hilt, should I decide he needed a good whapping with it. "And on the contrary, dear brother, I haven't been spending too much time around Zoycite. In fact, I haven't been spending enough around her."

Darien sighed and shook his head. "Whatever you say Amayo. Okay, so you know the Elemental Nations on Earth?" He began by way of explanation.

I nodded. "And what of them?"

"Well, I'm going to Konoha to ask that they help us against Beryl."

I sighed. "Fantastic." I muttered under my breath.

Lately it was always Beryl this and Serenity that. Darien never had any time for me anymore. I suppose I was probably being selfish, but before he was named heir and betrothed to Serenity, we did everything together. And lately, when he wasn't talking about Beryl, he was talking about, oh gee, guess who? Serenity.

"What's with the sigh little sister?"

I glared at him and unsheathed my sword again.

He put his hands up in surrender. "Okay, okay." He said defensively, glaring a little at me. "So what'd you sigh for Amayo-chan?"

I raised an eyebrow at him. "You know, I'm quite disappointed in you Darien." I teased lightly. "You used to be able to read me like an open book. But then again, I suppose always hanging out with Serenity-hime and preparing for war all the time has addled your once keen senses. Such a pity." And I meant every word of it.

He winced. He could tell I put a special skeptical emphasis on the title, because I didn't really consider her to be anything but the one who stole my brother's time.

I'd hit him right where it hurt, even though I had only been teasing. Well okay, so by the end I wasn't teasing so much anymore, but still. Darien knew I didn't like it that he spent so much time with Serenity, and never any with me anymore, and that when he wasn't spending his time with Serenity, he was preparing for war with Beryl and the Negaverse.

He sighed. "Mother's looking for you." He said tonelessly.

I nearly groaned aloud. Mother wanting me usually meant I was in trouble for some reason or another. "Whatever." I groaned. "By the way, when we get done do you and Aniken want to have a Pokéringer contest 'gainst me and Starblaze just like old times?"

"Can't." He replied regretfully, though I doubted he really was. "I promised Serenity I'd go see her before I left. Maybe some other time. I promise."

Finally having lost my patience, I slapped my big brother.

"Serenity this," I mocked with an uncharacteristic sneer. "Beryl that. When you're not with Serenity, you're with the generals preparing for war with Beryl. You never have any time for me anymore, and you've even lost your ability to read me like you used to. And you call yourself my big brother. You always make promises, and then you make up an excuse as to why you can't keep them, and it's usually having to spend time with Serenity, or prepare for war. Frankly, Malachite Jedite and Neflite have been better big brothers than you lately, and Zoycite is the best big sister ever despite being a total sadist, and Serenity will never replace her, and they're not even related to me by blood, unlike a certain someone I could name."

"Amayo!" Darien gasped, shocked.

Without waiting for him to continue, I turned on my heel and snapped my fingers, signaling Starblaze to land on my shoulder. She did so and rubbed up against my cheek.

"Come on Starblaze." I said coldly, trying not to cry at the fact that my brother never wanted to spend time with me anymore and instead always wanted to spend it with his girlfriend. "Let's go find someone who actually wants to spend time with us."