Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Growing Up ❯ Growing Up ( Prologue )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

As powerful as she might be, I had to tell myself time and time again that she was still just a child. This was the only way I could keep my temper in check when her antics irritated me. Her attention span during training was next to nothing, and I had to constantly call her attention back from whatever she had gone to staring at. And today she was especially irritating.

"Ryven!" I barked loudly, gritting my teeth.

The girl looked up. "Huh?"

I took a deep breath and set my jaw. "Pay attention, you are trying my patience."

"Oh, sorry." she blinked a little and took the stance I had showed her earlier. I sighed. At least she had retained that much.

"Now that I have your attention, bring your foot forward and punch with your left hand. Iie, your left hand. Ii desu. Foot forward, punch. Ii desu. Again." The look of concentration on her face was comical, but I ignored it and kept instructing her.

"Good, that will be enough." I said, falling out of the stance. She did as well. "Now, if you perform that with the-Ryven! Pay attention!"
She had gone to staring, this time at a passing butterfly. But she started at the ferocity of my voice and turned to look at me, this time sheepishly.
"I'm sorry, Sensei-"

"Do not be sorry, just do not do it." I snapped, cutting her off. Her lower lip trembled, sniffling a little as she nodded. I rolled my eyes a little and turned from her, taking a stance ordering her to mimic it. She was going to cry. I hated it when she cried. Not only was it irritating, but I always felt as if it were my fault. Bah.

And as if on cue, I heard her whimper behind me.

That was it. I clenched my teeth and whirled around. She was in the pose I had ordered her to do, but she had a look of grief on her face that fueled my anger as well as made me feel responsible for upsetting her. But, being who I am, I acted on my anger, rather than the grief.

"Ryven! Stop this immediately!" I ordered angrily. "There is no reason for you to be crying!" My yelling did not seem to be helping much as her eyes welled up even more. She choked back tears and nodded, but I was not finished yet.

"I said to stop this! It is time to grow up, Ryven! You can no longer act as a child! There are things that need to be done, and lives needing to be saved! You cannot sit there and cry when things get hard!"

"B-but Sensei-"
"Enough!"

"Why do you always yell at me?!" she suddenly screamed at me, then turned and ran into the forest around us.

"Ryven, stop! Come back here!"
"No!" she yelled defiantly over her shoulder. I gave chase, but as I did, her small body seemed to melt into the forest, and I lost her. I growled and took out the tree next to me, and that seemed to quell some of my irritation and anger.

Before I go after her again, it seems I must also calm down. I told myself, sitting down where I stood to meditate. I closed my eyes for what seemed only a few minutes, but when I opened them it was dark. I cursed myself as I misjudged the time I had spent to calm my anger, quickly growing irritated again, not at Ryven this time, but at myself. I walked back where we had been training to retrieve my cape and my turban, but as I got there, they were not where I had set them. Growling even more, I closed my eyes and attempted to calm myself again.

<Shut up, old man, I do not need your interference right now...> I growled as my elder spoke. I was about to summon myself a new set when I caught a glimpse of something white out of the corner of my eye.

There they are. Of all the places to put them....why did I put them in the bushes? I asked myself crossly, making my way toward it. I will don them and go look for that irritating little brat-

But as I came upon them, I got more than I bargained for. Ryven lay wrapped up in my cloak, curled into a tree trunk, asleep. My anger flared on last time, but it all seemed to melt away as I looked upon the scene, the urge to yank it out from under her fading all together.

It was a...cute spectacle. Totemo kawaii desu. And as I drew nearer to her, I noticed that she also had my turban on as well. I was surprised that such a small child as herself had not been crushed under the weight with which I train. She was stronger than I gave her credit for.

Her cheeks are streaked...she has been crying. I noticed as I sat next to her. I made her cry.

Nonsense, she cries at the drop of a hat. She will have to get over that eventually. Do not blame yourself.

But somehow, that side of me did not sound as convincing as I had hoped it would. I sat next to her for a few minutes before she stirred and looked up at me. I nodded quietly to her, but she still seemed intimidated.

"I'm sorry, Sensei..."

"It is alright." I nodded toward her. "Why did you take my cape and turban?"

"I was cold..."

There was more, I could sense it. "And?"

"Well...it sounds silly...but after you yelled at me, I circled back, an' I took `em and put `em on to see...what it felt like to be you. To be grown up." She blushed as she poured forth the truth.

I nodded. It was silly in theory, but if it made her think, I would not argue. "And did you see?"

She blushed even more. "No, not really... it was just really heavy."

"Well, perhaps that is what being an adult feels like."

"Being heavy?" She frowned confusedly. I nodded slowly.

"Hai, in a way. And how do you feel without them?"

"Really light."

Really light... I remember feeling like that once. It was pleasant...

I nodded. "And which do you prefer?"

"I like being light. I'm too small for the heavy stuff."

You do not know the double meaning of your words, child.

I stopped to think a moment. She was too small for the "heavy stuff". And perhaps I was aiding in taking away her "lightness" too early. I had done the same to Gohan. And in his way, Gohan regretted it greatly. I glanced down at her, curled up in my cape against the cold.

She will still train. But I must remember that she is still a child, and I will not take that from her. Too much has been taken already.

"I'm sorry about today. I wasted the rest of the day. I'll try and act more grown up."

"Hai. But Ryven?"
"Yeah..?"

I looked down at her, saying quietly, "Do not grow up too fast, Young One. You still have your whole life ahead of you."

She looked up at me and nodded, but my turban, being much to big for her, fell over her eyes. I nearly melted. Nearly. I had to admit, she was endearing. If she were any sweeter I believe I'd lose my teeth like those chubby children from my own dimension. But even so I regained most of my composure. I rested my hand on her head, pushing the turban back from her eyes.

"Get some sleep, Young One. We will start early tomorrow."

"Do you want your cape back...?"

I shook my head. "Iie. I do not need them tonight. I will gather them tomorrow."

"Alright. Goodnight, Sensei." she said, nestling back into the tree, pulling my cape tighter around her shoulders.

"Goodnight, Ryven." I replied, standing up, then added hesitantly. ".....pleasant dreams."

She smiled and nodded, her eyes still closed. And as I walked away, I felt myself wishing that she would not grow up too soon either...