Dragon Ball: Space Adventures

The Long Week II

Was hate the appropriate word? It didn't seem so, hate felt personal and caring. You hate someone when they hurt you, when that pain comes from someone who loves you. Like her mom telling her she can't train with her because she's busy working with the other students. That's painful, that hurts. She had to find a better term, something that encompassed her feelings for Uub better than a four letter word. Despise, that was better. She despised him. She despised him like how Crows hate Owls on an existential level to the point of joining together as a team and beating the poor neckless creature to death simply for being there. That was the sort of energy she was looking for. She despised Uub, like the sun shines on earth every day without vacation or breaks, like a sort of endless force of energy that even if the universe where to end, when all the galaxies and stars have banished and only left behind an obscure vacuum where nothing shines the surviving peoples in the universe could come to her and rest in her endless energy hatred she felt for the man. She looked up, and there he was, with both legs crossed and his arms holding together like a vase, imitating Buddha and his eternal peace. What kind of joker God had set her out to this fate? What was she meant to do against this evil?
Pan hadn't moved in minutes; she hadn't moved her eyes from the boy's. Uub quietly opened one eye, and was immediately hit by Pan's carbon-rage filled stare. Slowly, he closed his eyes again, and Pan almost smirked in reply. It bothered her deeply that this was going to be her job for the next year or so, she had a million things better to do, like playing video games or watching a movie or TV Show of the thousands they brought. Instead, she squatted in front of Uub. Someone had to watch over him, someone had to make sure he knew he wasn't welcomed.
—Is this all you will do?
Pan turned to her left, Bulla was standing with both arms closed and her right leg tilted forward. After the little incident on the lounge, she had retreated towards the room and expended the last twenty minutes unpacking her clothes and finding a proper attire. She had picked the same clothes.
—Is this all you're gonna do?
Bulla sighed in reply.
—Argh! You're impossible.
—ArGh! YOu'Re iMpoSiBlE.
—If you're not going to help then I shall free him instead, since he appears to be interested in unpacking.
Pan turned her eyes towards Uub once again, a quiet and very interested smirk had appeared on his face. Quickly, he made it disappear, once he felt the eyes of the girl on him, like a border collie annoying its owner.
—What even is there to unpack?
Bulla moved her left hand upwards and began raising her fingers.
—First, we must activate the laundromat system, second, we have to order our food by dish composition and see if we must ration it— Pan attentively stared at Uub, who silently nodded in agreement with the blue-haired girl, and then she turned her head towards Bulla again— She was still going. —And we have to divide our tasks, like cleaning, and cooking and—
—Alright-Alright! Jeez, you sound like my mother.
—Well, it's not like she's in the wrong.
—Pfft!
Suddenly, both girl turned their head towards the hostage, who suddenly seemed very interested in pretending to be like stone. Quietly, and doing his best to hold his smile, Uub looked at both girls again.
—May I help with the unpacking?
He said cheekily.
—You may.
—Fuck no.
About a few minutes later, Uub, Pan and Bulla moved around the ship, organizing and setting up the ship's systems. The boy set down the laundry structure under Bulla's order as she took care of the painstaking task of ordering all the capsules in the order she desired meanwhile Pan took action and decide to move Uub's mattress and bag of clothes to the lounge. The bed assembly was inside the ship and all she had to was press a button and the bed disappeared. Happily, she admired how much space her room now had. She could watch movies now with the projector the previous owners had installed but the girl couldn't to scoffed at the rejection she suffered under the pretext of "a serious mission". How many movies and series had they brought? They even had video-games by the dozens of a dozens. For her, they were all hypocrites. There wasn't a good reason for them to say no to her, they simply didn't want her there. "You have to go to school" Or "it's too dangerous." They had told her. Doing their best to try and dissuade her not realizing or perhaps not caring that such words were only having the contrary effect. For her, it was no different from any other time her parents had told her no, and If someone was going to tell her no, then she was going to do it anyway.
To Pan surprise, Bulla agreed with leaving Uub's mattress in the middle of the lounge with the exception that it would only be at night, she somewhat expected a long argument about cleaning and order, but instead, she accepted it. begrudgingly, she put it back, telling herself she would only wait for a couple of hours. That left a vital task left, cleaning. By order of action, Uub was passed down the broom, and as per her own suggestion she would mop the floor—it was the easiest thing compared to the other thing, although Pan was quick to recognize Bulla had quietly set herself the easier job. She would only clean the shelves and small spaces to "make sure they're spotless" Leaving only the dishes and the bathroom.
—I'd say, considering all you ate, then you should wash your own dishes, and we should follow that example and only clean what is ours
—And what about you? Aren't you gonna eat?
Pan worried, at the rhythm this was going, Bulla would easily escape much of the responsibility. She had to do something, she couldn't let her get away with everything. The girl had already risked everything pulling this stunt—which had miraculously worked, and the last thing she wanted know was expending the entire trip cleaning other's peoples messes, not counting this whole debauchery, because if it didn't involve fights, then it wasn't something she gave a rat's ass.
—Do not worry about me, I have eaten before takeoff.
The black-haired girl refused to believe her, she couldn't remember a period time they had been separated which allowed her to eat, unless she had somehow ate faster than her, which by all measures of science was basically impossible.
—May I ask a question?- Uub interrupted, and both girls turned toward him —Will the chains explode if wash the dishes?
Bulla raised one eyebrow.
—No.- She said laughing.
—I see… Could you release me from these handcuffs?
—No.- Both replied.
Uub rolled his eyes tired, The girl could tell he was getting annoyed, she liked it. Then she turned towards Bulla, she had to hit her with something, something that equalized her in the work separation, then, a bright idea resounded on her head, it was perfect.
—Well then, since everything seems to be set, then why don't you clean the bathroom?
Bulla shook her head.
—Why don't we all clean one part of the bathroom, and that way, it's fair to everyone?
—That's fine, I'll clean the bathtub.
Bulla grinned in reply.
—I think I'll rather do that myself, it's an important part and I much enjoy if I could do it myself.
—If you want…- Pan said, as she faked rolling her eyes. —I mean I was just thinking, the bathtub is important, but most of things go away with the soap, in the sink, or in the toilet! You know, some things just don't leave and—
—It's fine, it's fine, I think I'll clean them both.
Pan raised one eyebrow
—You sure? Me and Uub— Pan moved her hand towards Uub, signaling him. —we can do our best.
Bulla's face contorted in horror, as the thought of them putting their hands through the bathroom caused a type of revulsion only something beyond death can do. Pan smiled as the blue-haired girl turned around to get those ideas out of her brains, she couldn't believe how much mileage she had robbed out of that. She wondered, how much could she take advantage of that in the trip?
At last, silence fell on the lounge again. Bulla retreated to the room again and Uub and Pan had no other thing to do but to stare at each other. The young girl soon realized something, she had no clue of what to do. It was so dumb, this was like a vacation, a very strange vacation where the only places allowed are a pair of rooms no bigger than school bus in length, but a summer break no less. There were no mom or dad, no homework or class—just the endless vacuum of space to keep her company at night. For a moment, the girl wondered if she'd taken the right choice, a singular moment where every consequence she would get for doing this suddenly fell on her like a rock dropping from a mountain straight into a climber's head. Quickly, she waved it off. There'd be time for that later, for now, she would focus on the present, And what was a better thing to do than to train! Then she could take a bath, maybe eat some snacks, watch a movie and then eat playing videogames—do the dishes and then go to bed. Pan scolded herself, she was sounding like her mother, but hey, it was summer break, it was time to enjoy.
Pan went to her room and changed to her orange GI and quietly she put some bandages around her wrists and legs, and began stretching her arms in the hall. Uub still laid on his legs, meditating in peace. And as the girl began to stretch her legs she wondered if there'd be a time where they could get to drop him off somewhere, the last thing she wanted was a yearlong trip alongside him.
Once she was done, she grabbed from the armory a boxing bag, and looked at the ceiling, that was as tall as a large bed stacked upwards, and planted the boxing bag in a conveniently placed hook that rested there. She had to admit, it was well designed. The black-haired girl adjusted her posture, and with her left hook, she began hitting it. Usually, it's recommended you use boxing gloves, as the bag is filled with sand and it could severely hurt your wrists, but Pan didn't have that problem. Her wrists were strong and she'd punch many similar bags a million times before, she had strengthened her body towards that much. She wasn't afraid of a boxing bag, or a random punch, she had already faced them before. If there was one wish she had for the upcoming travel, was that she'd get a good fight, something that really challenged her and pushed her to the limits and beyond. It was why she was here, she knew she wouldn't get that back home, but here? The possibilities were limitless.
Pan first warmed up with some punches, and began moving around, her mother and grandfather had told her that the most important thing a fighter can have is footwork, a fighter can never truly be static, he has to move, he must be unpredictable and he must always be in control, and with good footwork, she could assert her dominance solely by moving around. As she grew in comfort, she put her dominant leg forward, and impacted the bag with her left leg, sending it back, slowly she began moving around it, punching it, sending it flying a quietly across the hall. She didn't want to get too crazy, it was just training, and she knew how strong she was. She had lifted cars, she could have sent the bag flying straight into the ship's wall if she wanted, and then, they'd all be dead.
—You have a very good movement.
Pan's left feet stopped a hair's length short of the bag, quietly, she returned her feet to her normal position, and turned her head towards Uub, who looked at her with content stare. She couldn't believe it, in a second, all her interest in training had banished so quickly that now the mere motion of simply throwing a fist disgusted her. Had she asked for his comment? Had she put down a giant sing that said; compliment me? Pan didn't care she had good or bad movement, she'd rather not hear him talk, she'd rather not have him be here, and she would do anything, anything, to make sure it was someone else. Why it had to be him? Was it a prank? Was it a joke from god? Truly, it had to be, she could never get a break. Pan flew upwards to the bag and dislodged it, and put it back on its place. Then, she searched for new clothes, and calmly walked towards the bathroom. She couldn't believe it.
After half an hour Pan softly left the shower, happy, and feeling free of whatever his comment had done to her. With a large towel, she let it rest on her head and calmly put a pair of new clothes, leaving everything in the laundry nest. With that out the way, she began to wonder for how long they'd be doing this? Weeks? Months? They had a year. Three-hundred sixty-five days to cover the cosmos and beyond and save their world. What a daunting task it was, but she liked it that way.
Pan smiled calmly. It was going to be the greatest adventure of her life.