Pint-Sized Warriors, Episode 1: Apple Juice

[PAN!]

"Haaaaiiii.. YAH!"

Other martial art users might have used a dummy to spar against. For the little girl hovering in the air kicking her legs and throwing punches about, a dummy would have been pointless, as she would have destroyed it in mere moments. In fact, she had done that once already at her Grandpa Satan's home.

Little Pan was having the time of her life. Sure, she was sad that her beloved Grandpa Goku had disappeared to play with someone else, but her daddy was training with her! Pan loved her daddy. He was big, strong, and smart. Before, he had always been really, really busy. But now he was training with her like Grandpa Goku had!

Of course, he still had work to do. So did her mommy. So sometimes Pan still had to entertain herself. And unlike other five year olds, she had no interest in playing with dolls, playing dress-up, or anything else. She wanted to train! .... That was probably going to be a problem if she went into elementary school instead of being homeschooled like her father.

Either way she was too young to care and was more focused on training. And apple juice! Flipping in the air, the pint-sized partbreed turned and darted through the air, landing neatly on one foot next to a table. There was a plate of cookies, and a glass of apple juice there. Picking up the glass, she happily took a sip.

"Mmm!!!"

[Kaya]

For most five year old girls, their only concerns were what they were going to play next and who to play with. For a tiny princess, that was not the case. In this case the small five year old was on a mission of great importance and could have no delays. Nothing could stop the small blonde girl from finding the people she was seeking. Except for cookies and apple juice.

The small Ikikesan could only hold onto the form of animal for a short period of time, and even then she had to concentrate completely on holding the form and maintaining the connection with the gaian energy. Her father often told her that she was ahead in her training, more so than kids her own age, but she was determined to be great like her family. Travelling in the form of a bobcat cub was quicker than on two legs, even if she was only the size of small housecat. Suddenly her exploration of the new green, grassy land was brought to a halt as she smelt wonderful baking.

Kaya crept forward on her belly through the grass towards the smell of the cookies. She had long ago lost her dad somewhere in the trees, as she had the tendency to blend with the surroundings and then get lost while exploring. A tiny pink tongue stuck out from the mouth of the cub as she got closer. Just as the princess had reached the table, another five year old appeared out of no where and began to drink the apple juice. Startled by the sudden appearance of the dark haired girl, Kaya lost control of her form and shapeshifted back to her normal blonde, pointy eared self.

"Oops." She mumbled before smiling brightly at the other girl. "Hi there, I'm Kaya Shichimi Togarashi!" Kaya introduced herself happily and stuck her small hand out for the other girl to shake. She loved making new friends!

[PAN!]

There was absolutely nothing better then apple juice! And cookies! Especially after training! Grinning, the pint-sized saiyajin-blooded girl smacked her lips before looking around guiltily. Her mother was trying to instill some semblance of manners into her, something that her daddy's side of the family had none of according to her, and she sometimes got mad when Pan did things like that. Or when she ate with her hands and not silverware. She couldn't help it!

Before she could take a sip, however, there was suddenly... ANOTHER GIRL!

AND SHE WAS LITTLE LIKE PAN!

Pan's dark eyes widened, her mouth forming an 'o' as she stared at the other girl. The fact that the girl had seemingly come out of nowhere didn't surprise her. After all, her grandpa came in out of nowhere all the time. So did other people. So she was practically immune to people appearing out of nowhere now. What surprised and delighted her was the girl's age! She knew no one as little as her. Everyone else was bigger then her! She was the littlest person. That didn't always bother her, cause she had fun playing with her daddy and Trunks and Goten and everyone. But there was just something wonderful about someone close to her own age! Well okay there was Marron. And Bulla. But both of them only liked playing house and dress-up and boring things. She wanted to fight and play!

Holding her glass firmly in one hand, Pan's face was split by an ear-to-ear grin, her dark eyes lightening to a dark violet shade as she reached out to take the other girl's hand, shaking it with a strong, enthusiastic grip.

"Hi! I'm Son Pan! But you can just call me Pan! Wanna cookie?" Letting go, Pan set her glass down and grabbed the plate, holding it out to the girl. "This is my home with my mommy and daddy! My grandparents live that way!" She let go with one hand and pointed off into the distance. "I was training! What're you doing here???"

[Kaya]

Like Pan, Kaya rarely had the chance of playing with a child her own age as most of them were either babies or teenagers. Plus most of the time, the other Ikikesan children were too scared to play with the princess in case they hurt her or made her mad. She continued to smile brightly at the dark haired girl even as she noticed that she had rounded ears that marked her as a human. She had only met one or two humans in her short life, and they had been oooold.

The tiny druid shook Pan's hand back with her own enthusiasm, feeling like she was going to burst from the excitment she felt. Kaya nearly bounced in her happiness and found that she was lifting up on her heels slightly as her grin spread across her face to be as large as Pan's. She could already tell that she was going to be the bestest friends ever with the other little girl. They were going to have so much fun! The little princess couldn't wait for her dad to catch up so that she could show him the other little girl that she had found. He was going to be so happy for her!

"It's nice to meet you, Pan! You can call me Kaya! I love cookies!" Kaya took one of the large cookies and took a big bite out of it, letting crumbs scatter across her cheeks as there was no one around to tell her to mind her manners. After swallowing the bite, she nodded her pig-tailed head up and down. "I live far away, in the desert." She motioned towards the general direction of said place, before returning her eyes to Pan.

"I'm looking for someone very important. My auntie Sansho ran away, and I have to find her and my uncle Supaisu who went to find her." The little girl gave a sagely nod and continued to munch quietly on her cookie, watching Pan with big dark blue eyes.

[PAN!]

Lucky for Kaya, Pan had no idea that she was a princess, and wouldn't even really care otherwise. Sure, she was familiar with the term. She had seen some of the movies with the pretty ladies and the men saving them. But her favorite 'princesses' were always the ones that fought. She once had a fight over what movie to watch when Bulla came over once. To Pan, it was just wonderful to have someone to play with, someone who wasn't all prissy and girly. And she could introduce her to Bulla and Marron! Then she'd have three best friends!

"Yay! I love cookies too! My mommy baked these for me to snack on while I was training! She...-" Pan lowered her voice, leaning in and cupping one hand by the side of her mouth as she whispered loudly. "-doesn't like me eating so many sweets cause I'll spoil my appetite! But since I've been working so hard, she made me cookies today!" Grinning again, Pan actually bounced up and down.

Pan's big eyes blinked as she mentioned her important mission, her mouth forming an 'o' again. "Wow! Really??? Why did she run away? Was someone mean to her??? She must've run REAL far. The only desert I know of is... Um... That one!" Turning, she pointed vaguely in one direction. For a five year old, Pan actually had pretty decent geography skills. It wasn't surprising, considering she flew around the world on a daily basis for fun. "Are you from there?! Is it real hot! It looks like it'd be real hot! Want some apple juice?"

[Kaya]

The blonde haired princess watched the other girl in awe, still amazed that there was actually someone her age. Even her best friend Meboki was four years older than she was though he acted her age sometimes. She swayed side to side as she nibbled on her cookie, watching as Pan bounced as she had been doing. Pan seemed like...like...what had the Elders called them? Oh, a tomboy. She seemed like a very awesome tomboy. But Kaya didn't mind getting dirty either and liked rolling in the grass at least.

"You have a mommy? What's she like?" Kaya's eyes widened slightly. She barely remembered her own mom even though her dad constantly talked about her and tried to get her to remember. Having a mom wasn't an unusal thing, as she did have a grandma, but she was always intriguied by moms. The little girl leaned closer as Pan whispered a secret and giggled in response. "I don't get to eat a lot of sweets either. My uncles sneak me candy all the time though."

Kaya's head bobbed up and down as she dusted her hands off on her dress, getting rid of the cookie crumbs as she had finished her cookie. "My aunt ran away cause she didn't want to listen to the Elders. I always listen to the Elders...well, most of the time." She giggled as she shared her secret with Pan before answering her other questions. "I'm from Spice Coloney! It's in the desert yeah. It is kinda hot, but I like it!"

Her eyes lit up again at the apple juice that was being offered. She loved apple juice! It wasn't often that she got apple juice instead of water or the tonics the Elders made her drink. Mainly becaue it was lots of sugar. "Yes, please!" Kaya carefully took the glass from Pan with both of her hands and took a sip from it. The young druid savoured the sweetness of the apple juice and took another slightly bigger sip before passing it back with her big grin. "Thank you! So what kinds of games do you play?"

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[PAN!]

For once, all thought of training had been pushed from the five-year-old's mind. That was something in and of itself, considering the family she was descended from, and how she had been raised. Really, Pan wanted to train as much as the rest of her Saiyajin family wanted to eat. And then she wanted to eat too.

"My mommy is amazing! I love her lots!" The little girl affirmed, nodding as she took a bite of a cookie, having already put the plate back on the table. The cookie, like always, was warm, sweet, and had a wonderful buttery taste. Really, it was perfect. "She's not as strict as my gramma, an' she trains with me sometimes! She likes to play too, though she makes me go to bed early sometimes an' won't let me eat candy late. But she's still really, really awesome!"

At the other girl's 'secret', she began to giggle, her eyes flashing with joy. Once again, she began to bounce again, the crumbs falling off of the orange gi that she wore. It really was her favorite outfit, since her grandpa had given it to her.

"I listen! ... When I can. Sometimes though, listenin' is borin'!" Pan giggled softly. "I hope you find her! I bet she'll be real glad to see you! What's she like? Huh?? I like all types of games. And isn't that apple juice nummy? My gramma makes it herself! She always sends over yummy things! An' I like playin' tag an' hide-n-seek an' round the world...! I just like playin' I guess!"

[Kaya]

Kaya was used to having people doting on her day and night, as well as being chased back into the palace when ever she managed to escape. She was enjoying her new found freedom and the new human who didn't care she was a princess. She did miss her home, but she loved it here. It was so green, and free.

The tiny princess listened in awe as Pan told her all about her mommy. "You're sooo lucky." Kaya breathed with stars in her eyes as heard what Pan's mom was like. "I have my dad, and sometimes my auntie Bunny, and my uncle Spice...but I don't have a mommy." She took a slight sip from the cup and savoured the sweet apple juice.

"Your mommy sounds so cool." Kaya clapped her hands after they were free, hoping that she might get a chance to meet the awesome mommy sometime. She giggled along with Pan after telling her small secret while brushing off the crumbs from her flowered dress. "Everyone tells me to listen but I wanna play!"

Her blonde head bobbed up and down, her small pigtails bobbing with her head motion. "I hope so too! I've never met her, but uncle Spice says she's really really lots of fun. I love playing games!"

[PAN!]

Yes, yes, double yes on an ice cream with cherries! Today was gonna be an awesome magical fun-tastic day! Cause she had a new friend! The thought kept circling through her mind, over and over, playing like a broken record. Of course she didn't know what a record was, but she did know that she had a new friend!

The idea that someone didn't have a mommy... That was horrible! She knew that her mommy didn't have a mommy, meaning that she only had one grandma. But she at least had her mommy.

A brilliant idea came to Pan's mind, even as she listened to Kaya talk about her Uncle Spice and how her missing aunty was really fun. The little girl's lower lip came out in a thoughtful pout.

"I've got a wonderful idea! Almost as wonderful as a triple-scoop ice cream cone! I could ask my daddy to help you find your aunty! He's really, really good at finding people! OOH! So is mommy! And if mommy helps us, then she could be like your mommy too! She's not your mommy, but she can be like one for you! Then she can bake both of us cookies! And more juice! And all kind of things!"

Yes, a BRILLIANT idea!

[Kaya]

At the colony, Kaya only really had one friend and that was only cause he was her daddy's friend's son. She tended to scare other kids away by being more determined in her training as well as being a princess. Yeah, she knew it was the princess thing.

But she was a nice princess! Kaya always made sure to share her toys and sweets with the kids who came to play, but they never wanted to play and always went off into little circles so she couldn't play with them. Thinking about the kids who didn't want to play with her made her sad, but then Pan told her about her great idea.

Kaya's eyes widened as wide as a five-year-old's could and her mouth opened in a small 'o' of awe. "Reeaallly? Do you think he would?" She covered her mouth with her hands as she giggled happily. "I really like your mommy's cookies! Do you think your mommy and daddy will like me?"

The little princess paused and swatted hair out of her eyes as she beamed at Pan. "Pan, do you think we could be best friends?!" Meboki was the closest thing she had to a best friend, but he was a boy. She was a girl and needed girl friends.

Why couldn't she have two best friends?

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[PAN!]

The idea that someone could not like someone was unbelievably foreign for Pan. To her, everybody was likable, even that big grumpy poo-bear Vegeta.

"Of course they would! They'd be big doodie-heads not to!" Pan declared, placing her fists on her hip again as she gave a rather sagely nod. Then, she ruined the rather solemn image by bouncing up and down again, adding a bit of twirl before coming to a stop, balanced on one foot rather easily, the other leg bent like she was flying.

Before she could think too much on anything, however, Kaya introduced an idea that caused the pint-sized saiyajin's eyes to widen. Gasping, she clapped her hands together then darted forward, glomping the Ikikesan princess.

"Yeesss! Yes yes yes DOUBLE SCOOP YES!" Pan squealed, hugging her friend tight, though not too tight. She was very, very aware that she was much, much, much stronger then other people. Still, she did end up spinning Kaya around, giggling. "I've always wanted a bestie best best friend! My uncle Goten has a best friend named Trunks! I've always been reaaaally jealous of them! But now I have my own best friend! I should tell mommy!"

With that, she let go and sprang back, grinning in delight before turning to the house. "MOMMY!! I HAVE A BEST FRIEND NOW! And we should have more cookies, and, and... more juice and... and... AND! We need to help her find her runaway auntie!!!"

[Videl]

Videl had grown into her job as a housewife and mother, had learned to love being there for her baby girl where as she hadn't had a mom of her own growing up. Being a mother of a demi-Saiyan was certainly almost as exciting as chasing down bad guys for the police, like she had when she was a teenager herself. Pan certainly kept her parents on alert, but Videl had learned to let her daughter roam as she saw fit. She had placed restrictions on the little girl as needed, and given her certain rules that she knew Pan would follow or risk being grounded from flying anywhere at all.

One such rule that she had given Pan when the girl had learned to fly, was that she was to get permission before flying anywhere. That included her grandparent's house. As such, Videl didn't worry about leaving Pan alone in the yard to play. She wished that there were children her age to play with, but no one else in the family had children Pan's age. It didn't seem to deter Pan from playing with her uncle Goten or really bother her, but it was just a mother's worry.

The young mother was currently cleaning the house, organizing the papers Gohan had left scattered about, sorting through various books that they had collectively brought into the home, as well as working on a snack for the ever-hungry Saiyan family members. She had just placed a cover on the snack to put it in the fridge when she heard her name being yelled by her daughter. What on earth was she talking about?

Videl smiled at the sound of her excited Pan and dusted off her apron before hanging it up on a hook. She grabbed another cup of apple juice as her daughter asked, but left the cookies. No matter the appetite that Saiyans had, Videl firmly believed that too many sweet things weren't good before supper.

Her eyes scanned the yard automatically for anything out of place before settling on the tiny blonde girl standing shyly next to Pan. A warm smile came to the mother's face as she set down the apple juice on the table within reach of the girls.

"Who is your 'best friend', sweetie? And what is this about finding a runaway auntie?" Videl smoothed down her flower dress to kneel on the grass in front of the girls. She never minded getting dirty, having almost been the typical tomboy-like girl.

[Kyo Midori]

How a lazy son of a bitch like Shouga had such an energetic daughter, he wasn't really sure.

The clouded leopard stretched as he panted softly, tail lashing before he sniffed the air again. That wasn't exactly fair, as Shouga hadn't always been so slothful and dazed. The death of his mate, as well as the strange event a decade ago, had broken Shouga, and turned him into a shadow of himself. Still, there were times where Shouga seemed to come to life again. And with each passing year, he was doing better.

Shaking himself out, the druid focused on his current objective. A certain runaway scamp of a princess had taken off, as she did so often. Both he and her father had been argueing about whether or not Supaisu had passed a certain way, and hadn't noticed when she had gone scampering off. And when they had finally noticed, she was long gone.

Of course, that was almost a regular occurence, especially when his own son got involved.

The clouded leopard gave a purr as he shot forward into a run again, tail swishing. He missed Meboki, but the constant contact with Taimu kept him informed of what his son was doing. At first, he had been a bit worried when he had heard about his son's new... companions. But then he was just amused, and rather impressed. Meboki seemed to be doing fairly well with the kids, though apparently they went into hysterics if Taimu came anywhere near them. Rather odd...

Still, as long as they weren't trying to hurt his son or mate, he was all right. And besides, he had to-

Wait. He heard giggling, and voices.

Turning in mid-run, he dashed across the ground, slowing only when he could make out the voices. Sniffing the air, he clearly could pick up Kaya's scent. It was mixed with a rather odd monkey-like scent, however, and the scent of a human. Giving a soft mrowl, he pawed at his ears before his eyes glowed.

The clouded leopard form almost seemed to shimmer before melting upwards into the familiar, emerald-haired Ikikesan. Shrugging his shoulders a bit, he brushed the pale green vest he wore off, and brushed the loose white pants as well. A pair of light shoes, almost like slippers, rested on his feet. While they didn't give much protection, they were ideal for rapid running and keeping a grip on the ground.

"Kaya-san! There you are, you little punk. You gave your father and myself a scare!" The cheerful Ikikesan called as he stepped forward, scratching the back of his head. His long ears twitched as he looked to the woman that had crouched in front of the black haired girl. "Whoops, sorry about dropping in. I came looking for this little punk here, who seems to be a cookie thief... I'm Midori Kyo." He gave a grin and a bow before looking at Kaya and wrinkling his nose at her.

Still, to see her with another child closer to her age and having fun, it was a bit of a relief. Gaia only knew that she had too few of friends.

[Kaya]

Kaya beamed at Pan when the other little girl agreed full heartedly to be her best friend. She squealed lightly when she was glomped then began to giggle happily. Today was turning out to be just a really great day. She clung to the dark-haired girl as she was spun around and laughed more. Pan was definitely stronger than the blooming druid, but that was okay because at least she could shapeshift.

The blonde princess couldn't contain her wide smile and didn't bother trying. She reached for the last cookie to split it with Pan, handing her half while she kept the other half. Sharing was caring, and her daddy told her to always care and share. Kaya nibbled on the cookie in delight as Pan called for her mommy.

She really hoped that Pan's mommy liked her. But here outside the colony, it didn't seem like they knew she was a princess and so far she hadn't been treated like she was a breakable doll. She loved it. A thought flitted across her mind, maybe Meboki would be Pan's friend too! If her two best friends became friends, it would just be really awesome. Kaya was pulled out of her happy musing once her cookie was finished. She brushed her hands free of any crumbs just as an older girl walked out the door at Pan's calling.

It was more likely than not that the lady was Pan's mommy. She was pretty. Kaya fought the urge to hide behind her friend and stood just a little behind her as she gave a shy smile to the grown-up. "I'm Kaya Shichimi Togarashi." Remembering her manners, Kaya bowed slightly to the stranger upon introduction, trying to be more grown-up like the Elders always said she should be. "It's nice to meet you, Pan's mommy."

Her ears twitched and her head tilted to the side slightly before her face turned to see the familiar green haired head of uncle Kyo. Kaya's face broke out into a wide smile again rather than a shy one as he approached. "Uncle Kyo!" She turned to wrap her small arms around his long legs in a hug. "I found a new best friend, and she's a girl, and her name is Pan, and we had cookies and apple juice!"

She stuck her tongue out at him playfully, "I'm not a cookie thief! Pan offered them to me." She nodded solemnly and looked to Pan for confirmation before she peered around his legs into the direction he had come from then looked up at him again. She remembered again her proper manners and pulled away to bow slightly. "Sorry Uncle Kyo for going ahead."

The girl straightened up, eyes worried. "Is daddy mad at me? Is he on his way?" She didn't want to make her father upset with her, especially not after just meeting a really super awesome best friend.

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