Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ So Many Steps to Death... ❯ Just Another Day: Fire and Ice ( Chapter 5 )

Notes: I'm sorry, but I have a BIG weakness in describing clothes… I hope it does not bore you so, for those of you who don't care much for that sort of thing…

~

The sun was shining brightly, the sky a brilliant baby blue and the air slightly cool and very fresh: the perfect day for the amusement park. Sotari shielded her eyes and peered at a suspicious-looking wooden roller coaster. It was obviously the most popular, for it was the only coaster that had people wobbling off it who didn't know what hit them, not to mention the line stretching all the way to the entrance. The half-Saiyajin frowned disapprovingly, thinking of how she could fly much faster than that toy. Screams from various other coasters rang the air and Sotari cautiously took a step from behind the park bench. She took care to wrap the cardigan around her and leaned forward slightly, trying her best to ignore all the stares.

"I hate this…"

She stole a glance behind her, and the sight of a grinning and waving Futomi only sickened her.

"Show off, girl!!" Futomi yelled, "Open up!"

Futomi wagged a finger and winked.

"Or else…"

Sotari raised an eyebrow, but she still didn't obey. The girl giggled, and snapped her fingers. Out of nowhere, a bucket of water appeared above Sotari and tipped over. Sotari gave a small, indignant shriek as she realized how drenched she was. Futomi laughed and held her stomach. The half-Saiyajin, however, was much less amused. She was on the verge of blasting Futomi to pieces, but then, just to make matters worse, a tall, somewhat-cute guy in a white DKNY sweater approached her, carrying a towel. He wasn't that bad looking, but his spiky hair looked extremely funny with his almost elf-like ears and slightly long face. His handsome brown eyes rather annoyed Sotari, though, and she glared at him.

"What do you want?" she barked at him.

The guy gave a slight jerk. He seemed surprised.

"Do you want a towel?" he asked a little nervously, holding out the towel.

Her eyebrows tightened, and her eyes blazed.

"Um…" said the guy.

Quite a few people had stopped to watch now. There were a few wolf whistles, and Sotari drew the cardigan even closer. If they saw what she was wearing… She snatched the towel from the guy, turned back to sit on the park bench, and started drying herself. The guy, however, followed her and sat down next to her. Sotari turned her head away, mentally giving the guy two seconds to go away.

"Let me dry your hair…" he started, reaching for the towel.

Sotari scowled at him so fiercely that he drew back.

"Hey, I was just…" he began.

"Aren't I little old for you?" Sotari interrupted in an annoyed tone.

He seemed to gather his courage and leaned forward.

"I'm 22, and you look…18?"

She punched him, square in the face. He howled and clutched his nose. There was a big "Oh!" and a long "Oooooh, ouch!" Sotari stood up, towel around her neck. She couldn't help but smirk as she heard one guy holler: "Too bad, mate! Better luck next time!" The guy only groaned and rolled over. He cast one frail look at Sotari and hurried off with his broken nose. A few guys laughed, and one with gelled, sandy-blonde hair and in a orange and blue rugby shirt came over and placed a hand on Sotari's shoulder.

"Hey, that was some hit!" he said in a laughing voice, "Want to go…"

That was as far as he got. Sotari was far from being humored, and she whacked him good. About three seconds later, he was running after the elf-guy, whining about his jaw. The half-Saiyajin put on a demure, little smile, as if nothing had gone wrong. Futomi giggled. The audience kept staring, now more or less terrified of her. Sotari turned to Futomi.

"Dry me," she said shortly.

Futomi snapped her fingers, and Sotari was dry once more. Someone short rushed past, and Sotari instinctively elbowed that someone's head. There was a groan, followed by an "Oh! Ouch!", and then Jito's electric blue eyes looking up at her in pain.

"What the fu---" he started, but Futomi ran up and squeezed him.

"Jito!" she squealed, "I'm so glad you came!"

"Y-yeah…" murmured Jito, practically crushed by the hug, "What's going on?"

"I got Sotari wet!" Futomi eagerly explained, "Then two guys hit on her and she punched them! And then you came and you got a boo-boo!"

"Obviously…"

Jito rubbed his head.

"Ow…"

Futomi looked at him.

"You look like a dork, Jito!"

"What?"

"Dork!"

"What?"

"Dork!"

"What?"

"Dork!"

"Wha…"

"Because of your outfit!"

Jito looked down.

"What's wrong with it?"

He was wearing his usual starched, white shirt and black pants with suspenders.

"Dork!" Futomi yelled again.

The other sighed, and said: "All right, I'll change."

With a snap of his fingers, he was wearing a blue-heather shirt with stripes and a crewneck. He also had long cargo shorts to replace the stiff black pants, and flip-flops for the hard-tipped shoes. Jito had admit, he did feel slightly more comfortable, but also extremely odd.

"That's what comes of wearing business stuff so long!" Futomi declared.

The crowd gasped, but the little group seemed to take no notice. Futomi folded her hands in delight. She herself was wearing a sleeveless, white-stretch polo shirt and pink capris with sandals.

"Brilliant!" she cried, "Now where's Piccolo?"

Jito jerked his chin behind Sotari.

"There."

Sotari whirled around, and her eyes widened.

Piccolo!

And, my… He also looked remarkably nervous at all the people staring at him. Probably because he was eight feet tall, but also because his clothes did not entirely suit him: slouch-fit jeans and a white tank, but those shoes were all right enough… Sotari sensed there were more girls crowding in the gathering throng. She could see his long ears twitch at the giggles. At an instant, she felt sorry for him, wishing she could somehow help him get of this---date---they both had to suffer… Too bad it was the will of the Tokyo Love Goddess. As far as anyone knew, that cracked, old crone held a lot of power, especially over King Enma…

Oh, dear god…But Piccolo does---in a way---look…

"Piccolo," she said, diminishing the thought, "It's been…long."

There was a pause.

"Yes," said Piccolo at last.

Neither moved.

"Um…" said Sotari, looking behind her, "I guess…"

"Let's go," said Piccolo shortly, then lowered his voice, "I can't stand this---staring…"

Sotari nodded, and went up to him. Together, they faced the crowd, and that's when their first trouble began. If it wasn't bad enough that they were being stared, it was the cheers and whistles that got them. Sotari grit her teeth, but forced a smile. If they were going to go through this, so be it! Piccolo, on the other hand, was silent, but Sotari, turning to look at him, could see the annoyance boil behind those eyes.

Those eyes…

She nearly stopped for a moment, and so did her heart. Suddenly, she took his hand, and part of the cardigan slipped away from her shoulder. It exposed a white bikini, with flower patterns on it, the well-tone stomach, and the slightly low-riding khakis… More hoots. Sotari could feel the warm, electric sparks at the tips of her fingers… A very rude face suddenly floated in front of her.

"Hey there, gorgeous…"

Piccolo's head jerked at the offender, his face screwed up in a terrible scowl.

"Hey, you!" he barked, and the ferocity of his voice made the guy cower, "Leave her alone!"

He narrowed his eyes and lowered his voice so that only Sotari and the offender could hear: "Or I'll wring your body like a towel so that…"

The guy didn't wait to hear the rest. He gave a shout and bolted. Sotari stared at Piccolo, who looked at her and said: "I didn't do it to help you."

Sotari smiled slightly, but didn't say anything.

"This is making me sick," Piccolo continued, as if nothing happened, "Utter crap."

"No shit," Sotari agreed, "Let's fly over there."

Piccolo grunted. Within seconds, they were up in the air and received astonished gasps for their performance. They landed lightly in the back of a line for a refreshment stand. Neither noticed that they still held hands. A split second later, Futomi and Jito appeared. Jito looked upset, but Futomi domineered over the next part of the date.

"Okay!" she said in a cheerful tone, "Let's get something to eat!"

"Namekians don't eat," Piccolo said stiffly.

"First time for everything!" was Futomi's answer.

They waited in line for a bit and argued about what was there to eat. Sotari didn't want anything to eat either, and it seemed Jito was, too, so that only left Futomi. When they got to the actual ordering, it was like this:

Cashier: "Hello, how may I help you?"

Futomi: "I'd like…"

Jito: "I changed my mind! I want something to eat!"

Futomi: "What then?"

Jito: "Two hotdogs, a 7Up, a no-salt pretzel, a medium bag of Doritos, a small bag of Cheetos, four red licorice ropes, an Itzakadoozie…"

Futomi: "Okay, then I'd like…"

Jito: "No! A salted pretzel, a huge bag of Doritos, three Polish hot dogs, oh, and cut out the Cheetos and have Lay's instead, one potato salad, a lemonade, but don't cancel the 7Up, and five licorice ropes…"

Futomi: "All that, then, please, and…"

Piccolo: "Wait, what are those?"

Jito: "Corn dogs! I want some! Bring on the ketchup!!"

Sotari: "Ugh, not with ketchup, Jito! Mustard…"

Jito: "I want ten packets of ketchup!!"

Cashier: "Over there…By the napkins."

Piccolo: "Corn dogs?"

Sotari: "They taste good with cinnamon…"

Jito: "Give me fries!"

Futomi: "Right, I want…"

Piccolo (points to something else): "What are those!?"

Sotari: "Churros?"

Jito: "I don't think they are…They're, well---mushy."

Piccolo: "Then what…"

Sotari: "More like that disgusting stuff children play with…Playdoe!"

Jito: "Like a toaster!"

Futomi: "Jito!"

Piccolo: "What?"

Jito: "What?"

Cashier: "I'm sorry, but we don't have toasters. We do, however, have some very nice chickens out back if want…"

Jito: "I'll call mine 'Ooga-booga'!'"

Futomi: "Jito!"

Jito: "What? Not 'Ooga-booga?' How 'bout a donkey named 'Moo-moo-poo'? No?"

Futomi: "No!!!"

Jito: "PSYCH!! If you could have lunch with anyone in the world, what would you order?"

Sotari: "Just what we've been trying to find out…"

And so it went. In the end, the line was held up and the stand had force Futomi to order something or leave. It ended up finally that Futomi ordered four measly lemonades, a big slice of apple pie, and a caramel apple.

"For you," she said in exasperation to Piccolo, handing him the caramel apple and the lemonade, "Enjoy."

"I didn't want this," Piccolo protested, but Futomi screamed and smashed her lemonade on the ground.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Jito covered his ears and screwed his eyes tight. When Futomi had finished, he opened an eye. He grinned in a way that resembled so much like Futomi's smile that it was almost scary.

"Can I have your apple pie, then?"

Futomi screamed again. Now, it seemed their roles had switched; Jito was the crazy one and Futomi had become the serious officer. Sotari thoughtfully sipped her lemonade. Piccolo gave a quick sniff and drowned it.

"It's pretty watery," he said.

"Yeah," said Sotari.

A pause. Piccolo looked at his caramel apple again. He held it out to Sotari.

"What does this taste like?"

Sotari shook her head slowly.

"I have pretty vague memories about eating this…When I was little, I think…My parents used to take me here and this was my favorite thing to eat…"

She looked at Piccolo, her eyes a little sad. Piccolo felt something move in his stomach gazing into those eyes. Those secretive eyes…opening to him…

…Beautiful…

The sound of screams from the roller coaster behind them did not disturb their moment. Piccolo held out the apple again.

"Bite?" he said.

Sotari smiled slightly.

"Sure."

They both leaned forward and took a big bite, their eyes sometimes shyly meeting a glance while they ate. Between them, the apple was finished in no time. Piccolo and Sotari threw their trash away and looked at Futomi, who was sitting on top of Jito's back and grabbing a fistful of Jito's hair while he beat a fist on the ground, his eyes screwed up in pain.

"Uncle! Uncle!" he cried, and Futomi tugged harder.

"YOU ATE MY APPLE PIE!!!!!!!" she shrieked in a high-pitched voice and shaking her head so hard that her pigtails were coming loose, "YOU GREEDY PIG!!!!!!! I HATE YOU!!!!!!!"

Piccolo's eyes shifted towards the roller coaster.

"Want to…" he started, but Sotari was already ahead of him, smiling.

~

The rides weren't as bad as the couple thought. It was like flying, only more interesting. They tried the other rides, sometimes bored and even shared a couple of laughs. Though they made no sense of the video arcade, it was amusing to watch other people lose their games and actually cry about it. Eventually, they decided to go back to the main entrance and wait for Futomi and Jito.

"Come on, folks!" a man had set up a game near the entrance, "Knock down the bottles and win a prize!"

Sotari and Piccolo cast disinterested looks at the game. It was one of those old-fashioned milk bottles, and prizes looked extremely cheap, as all carnival prizes are. The man spotted them.

"Oi! Big fella'! Win a prize for your girlfriend?"

That touched a slight nerve, and Sotari and Piccolo instantly let go of each other's hands.

"We're not…" they started, but the man was still talking.

"Listen, I'll give you three balls for a two dollars and fifty cents, how's that?"

Sotari and Piccolo looked at each other. The half-Saiyajin shrugged her shoulders.

"Why not? We've got time to kill."

So they paid their dollar. The man grinned and hurried to set up the game. As he set the pins, he smiled to himself and pressed down on a button with his foot. There was the small sound of iron bars sliding up into a small number of the middle and bottom pins, so as to prevent their falling at all, and the man rubbed his hands. He stepped aside with a flourish.

"Take your chance!"

Piccolo took the first shot. He didn't throw too hard, and the ball crashed all, but the iron-bar ones.

"Nice shot!" said the man, clapping his hands.

Sotari raised an eyebrow. She knew perfectly well that ball would've taken all the pins… Piccolo threw a second, being slightly gentler. The ball bounced off the pins, but none fell down.

"Oh!" exclaimed the man, "Bad shot!"

The Namekian pulled his arm back. Sotari suddenly stepped in front of him.

"Wait, can I have a shot?"

Piccolo shrugged and handed it over. This pleased the man even more. An easy two-fifty! Maybe they'd try again! He watched closely at the girl. She didn't seem to have a good throwing arm… Sotari took aim, and the ball flew. There was a crash, and all the pins cracked and fell to pieces. The man rose from his chair, his mouth hanging wide open. He flew over to where his pins had been, and touched the exposed iron bars. A hole! Hole right clear through them! His eyes widened at the hole in the back of the tent and peered through it. The ball was still sailing through the air, and then suddenly hit a faraway telephone pole. The pole wobbled, but it stayed. The man wiped his forehead.

"P-pick your prize…" he whispered.

Sotari smirked and surveyed the cheap toys with a satisfied air. Her hand shot out and selected a small Tuxedo Kamen/Mask plushie. Piccolo smiled slightly and shook his head. They left, side by side, but not holding hands anymore. Sotari's eyes caught something interesting. She paused a moment to stare at it, taking in the screams and the twists and turns… Piccolo looked back at her. It only took one glance to know what she wanted.

"No," he said flatly, "No!"

"Yes," said Sotari, tugging his arm, "Yes, yes, yes!"

"NO!"

"YES!"

She pulled, and it moved his feet. Piccolo gave a groan.

"No…" he said weakly.

"All right!"

Another jerk, and Piccolo was flying above the ground, Sotari pulling him along like a doll. The line wasn't long, and before they knew it, they were gripping the front row's safety handlebars. Piccolo's knuckles turned slightly pale green, and Sotari was clearly enjoying herself. An acne-ridden teenager in a dirty blue uniform checked the safety latches while his coworker, a plain, but nice-looking blonde, folded her hands and smiled at them while a voice overhead gave a brief synopsis of the ride.

"Welcome to the Kraken water roller coaster," said the voice, "Prepare to experience the wildest…"

"Hi, I'm Steve," said Acne-Boy, "I'm checking your…"

His eyes fell on Sotari's chest. The drool was more than Sotari could bear. She forced a smile.

"I'm Sotari…" she held out her hand as if to shake it.

He reached for it.

"Sotari, I…Oooowwww!!!…"

Sotari squeezed harder, making sure she heard every crunch. Acne-Boy fell to his knees, and Sotari pulled his hand (and him) towards her. With her other hand, she punched his nose, and, upon hearing it break, she let him go. He crumpled to the floor, and blood trickled, freaking out the blonde girl. As the car pulled out of the station, Sotari smiled and waved back at them mockingly as a first-aid person fixed Acne-Boy.

"It's nice to meet you, too!" she shouted, and then settled in for the ride.

Piccolo looked nervous.

"Isn't there an emergency button anywhere?" he asked, looking around for a button.

"No," the answer came promptly, but with relish.

The ride was pleasant enough---for Piccolo. Sotari practically fell asleep, even when the car got dipped in the icy, man-made lake---twice! Piccolo certainly enjoyed himself, and nudged her awake when the car pulled in.

"What? Is it over?" Sotari opened an eye.

"Yes," said Piccolo, helping her out, "That was incredible!"

"Good," muttered Sotari resentfully, "Glad you enjoyed it…"

As they exited, Sotari noticed the second interesting thing. She paused, and Piccolo looked at her.

"What is it now?" he said.

Sotari's eyes sparkled.

"Are Futomi and Jito here yet?" she said sweetly---too sweetly.

Piccolo didn't seem to notice the tone---or, at least, he didn't show it. He stole a glance at the entrance.

"No."

The sparkle grew brighter.

"Get two more tickets," she said, "It'll be better second time round."

"Okay," said Piccolo, and walked down towards the ticket booth.

As soon as his back was turned, Sotari ducked into her discovery---the Kraken control room! Her eyes easily adjusted to the darkness, and let herself a small snigger when she found a certain clipboard… She found a screwdriver, made some adjustments, and then hurriedly joined Piccolo in the line. When they arrived on the platform, Steve and the blonde girl weren't there anymore. They were replaced by rather sullen-looking guys, who didn't care whether or not anybody did get sick or die on the Kraken---or on anything else. As the riders latched their own safety mechanisms, Sotari looked over at Piccolo (they were in the front row again), grinning widely.

"Brace yourself."

Piccolo cast her a funny look. He didn't have to wait long…

*BOOM!*

Screams and shrieks ripped the air, even from Piccolo! The roller coaster seemed to be flattened by the sheer speed of the ride. Dips in the lake were mere instances, and the twists and turns violent. Perhaps the worst part of the ride wasn't getting wet---the corkscrew was. All that spinning and dipping and turning were making people sick and their vomit flew backward on the backriders' faces and on the passerbys below. People without proper latches would've been thrown out of their cars if it hadn't been for the very gravity and speed keeping them in. Only Sotari was enjoying herself this time, and laughing her head off when the car pulled in. By then, she and Piccolo were the only ones who hadn't gotten sick, though the latter looked close. He wobbled off the ride, looking pale and shaking his head.

"Never again…"

Sotari held his arm and together they got a Sprite to calm Piccolo's stomach. As always, the sugary cure worked its magic, and Piccolo breathed easy in less than five minutes. Though he had no idea how the ride was suddenly so fast, he was amused himself seeing everyone else wobble off just as he had (no doubt none of them knew about the Sprite cure!). One lady protested that she was going to sue, but she fell on her face and people laughed.

"I'm hot," he said after all the passengers had gone and the ride was back to normal.

"Me, too," said Sotari, and she took of her cardigan.

Almost right away, some guy approached her---and went away again, nose bleeding. Piccolo slipped off his tank… Sotari slapped her forehead with her hand and slid it down to cover her eyes as girls shrieked and crowded around him. Piccolo's face turned a bright purple and he backed into a corner.

"This…is just great," muttered Sotari.

"HHHHEEEEELLLLLLLOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!" shouted a familiar voice.

Sotari was almost glad to see that pink-haired freak, who was just rounding a corner with a triumphant expression. Jito came two seconds later, staggering under a load of plushies and stuffed animals. When he went around the same corner, he nearly fell to one side, but imbalance made him collapse on his knees and get buried under the mountain of toys.

"Are you enjoying yourselves??????" Futomi screeched, "Cause we did!!!!"

A muffle came from beneath the pile. It sounded like protest, but Futomi didn't hear him.

"Oh, my," she said, indicating Piccolo and the growing mob of girls, "He does have a nice body… Don't let him get away!"

Sotari glared at Futomi and her face flushed.

"He can take care of himself!" she protested, but Futomi wagged a finger at her.

"Where's your cardigan?" she said, a mischievous spark in her eyes, "I just might make your bikini top disappear if you don't get him out of there…"

Sotari's eyes widened with shock and angry dismay. Futomi laughed, and started counting.

"1…2…3…4…"

The half-Saiyajin gave a disgruntled "GRRRRRRR!!!!!" and a "I hate you", and stomped off to free Piccolo.

"OUT OF MY WAY!!!!!!" she yelled at the girls in a terrifying voice.

None parted, and, if Sotari could breathe fire, it was now.

"AAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!! I HATE YOU HUMANS!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

She took a step back and faced the crowd (all had their backs to her). Piccolo looked extremely distressed and his eyes widened as he saw ki ball form...

"Sotari!!" Futomi yelled, "Wait, stop!!!"

A small smirk curled around Sotari's lip.

*Bom!*

An enormous mirror with no frame appeared in Sotari's hands. The funny things about it were that it didn't reflect anything and that a shining light seemed to be coming from it. A very blinding and hot white one might add, and Piccolo (who was facing Sotari) had to close his eyes from the pain. He could, however, hear what Sotari whispered under her breath:

"Kagami del Sol!"

The light flickered, and it grew a little brighter. However, the light wasn't what made the girls finally scatter---it was the heat. With the mirror pointing at them, the heat grew more and more intense, and it became so scorching hot that it began burning the backs of the girls. Most shrieked at the hastened process of sun burning, and ran away with their heads screaming. Thus, was Piccolo released. He stepped, unharmed, but seriously disturbed, towards Sotari. The mirror disappeared, and Sotari smiled. Piccolo glared at her.

"What was that for!?" he shouted.

"WHAT?" Sotari yelled back.

"You're the one who rigged the roller coaster!"

Sotari was taken aback.

"H-how do you know that!?"

He scowled, but before the argument could go any further, Futomi came between them.

"Now, now," she said, wagging her finger, "No fighting on the first date!"

"WE DON'T…" began Sotari and Piccolo.

Futomi clapped her hands hard, and smoke started billowing out from her hands.

"Come, come, it's ten past three-thirty, so we're running slightly late."

The smoke enveloped them all, and only Futomi's voice could be heard.

"Next on the schedule is---Ice Skating! YAY! I LOVE ICE-SKATING!!!"

There was an awkward pause. Futomi shouted again.

"ONWARD!"

~

"Welcome to Sno King, how may I help you?"

Sotari blinked. Futomi and Jito were in front of her, but they turned around now, dangling four pairs of shoelaces from four pairs of skates in their hands.

"These are for you!" said Futomi in a happy voice, handing over a pair to Piccolo and Sotari, "Enjoy!!!"

It was then Sotari noticed that they were all dressed different---more indoorsy, now, for the ice. Futomi was now wearing a white-stretch halter, flip-flops, and a blue, Japanese print skirt made out of cotton. Jito hadn't changed, but Piccolo had: a flax (gray)-colored sweater with a crewneck (crewneck-rounded neck), with faded jeans and a cap (which he tastefully wore backwards), but he still had the same shoes. In any person's opinion, it suited the Namekian better than the last. For Sotari, the outfit had a distinct contrast with the bikini top and shorts: lightweight, linen, white pants, a stem (light forest green) shirt ("Thank god they're quarter-sleeved!!!"), and matching shoes. The half-Saiyajin gave a sigh of relief---no bikinis---for now. She turned her attention now to the skates in her hand.

"I don't want these," she said distastefully, holding them away from her nose.

Piccolo gave his skates a horrid look. On a bench, Futomi waved to them.

"Come, come!" she called, "Sit with us!"

The two sighed, and sat down on the bench. Jito had already finished, but as he stepped onto the ice…

*Wham!*

Sotari winced. Piccolo widened his eyes.

"Oh, I'm not doing that now…" said Piccolo firmly, waving his hand at Futomi's face, "No way…"

"Come, come!" repeated Futomi, who now leaned over and did this funny thing with her fingers.

When she was done, the shoelaces were in a terrible tangle, and Sotari was left to fix it while Futomi leapt onto the ice with the greatest of ease. Futomi closed her eyes, grabbed her back skate, and spun around, hitting some people, and sending some other skaters crashing to the wall. Smiling, she pushed with her skate and flew off with one foot in the air and her arms spread out like some pink swan in a blue skirt. Jito, who was clinging to the wall, struggled and stumbled after her, shouting out warnings to other skaters. Back on the bench, Sotari alternated glances from the ice rink to the skates. She slowly shook her head. Piccolo had managed to put on his skates now, and he wobbled on them, even on solid ground.

"C-come on," he said, stumbling out of the shoe-changing area, "Let's get it over with."

Futomi whizzed by them, holding Jito up in the air.

"Come, come!" she said again, spinning again.

Jito looked sick. Sotari immediately moved away, but she wasn't much better at skating, either… She whammed into Piccolo, who nearly fell, but suddenly took Sotari's hand and pulled her down onto the ice. With a rough thud, he fell with his back on the ice, and she on top of Piccolo. Piccolo's face flushed.

"…Get…" he stammered, but Sotari had already rolled off.

"Let's go," she said flatly, but she tripped and hit the wall with her shoulder.

"OW!"

Her hand gripped the side and she struggled to stand.

"I can't stand this…"

Piccolo came up behind her.

"Let's get out of here…"

She looked back at him.

"You mean…" she said, lowering her voice as Futomi skated past them again, "…Escape?"

The Namekian nodded. Sotari held out her hand.

"All right."

They slowly skated back to the shoe-changing area, all the while either clinging to the wall or to each other's hands.

"Where should we go?" Sotari asked, nearly slipping.

"It doesn't matter," replied Piccolo, supporting her.

"Well, I…"

She fell again, but Piccolo was still trying to hold her up. However, her momentum knocked his feet out from under him and…

"Get off of me," Sotari said from underneath Piccolo.

Piccolo placed his hands on either side of her, ready to heave himself up, when suddenly, Futomi skated past them again. She halted expertly on her skates, even with her hands on her hips.

"HEY, HEY, HEY!!!" she squealed, "PDA ALERT!!!"

Sotari glared at her, but Piccolo raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

"PUBLIC DISPLAY OF AFFECTION!!!!" Futomi flew off, and it was obvious she was just bursting to tell Jito, though plenty had definitely heard her.

Sotari rolled her eyes.

"Oi vey…"

Piccolo quickly rolled off, but hit his arm on the wall. He and Sotari lay there on the ice and looked at each other.

"So…" said Piccolo.

"So…" said Sotari.

Silence. People took care not to skate on them.

"My hair is in a half-ponytail now," Sotari said lamely, "I had a braid before."

"I don't have any hair," said Piccolo just as lamely.

More silence. Piccolo took off his hat and examined it.

"My hat says 'Santa Clara University'," Piccolo tried.

"Really?" said Sotari, trying to sound interested.

"Um, yeah…"

"Oh, that's nice."

Sotari stared at the ceiling. Piccolo's eyes strayed to the wall, where he had hit his arm. It didn't hurt now that he was lying down. No one disturbed them.

"Do you go on dates often?" Sotari said.

"No. I don't really know a d-a-t-e really is, actually. All I know is that it had to do with you."

"You don't get out often, do you?"

"Same to you. You didn't know how to play---what do you call those---video games."

"Like you knew anything! I knew what a roller coaster was!"

"So what? You rigged that roller coaster!"

"What does that have to do with anything!? And it was boring! I saved you from that mob!"

"I stood up for you!"

"I…"

Futomi appeared again, floating above them. Sotari and Piccolo wouldn't have paid attention if it hadn't been for the explosion of flower petals from above and the sudden change of the blaring ice rink music:

"Every little thing I do

Never seems enough for you!

You don't wanna lose it again

But I'm not like them!

Baby when you finally

Get to love somebody,

Guess what?

It's gonna be maye [I know it's 'me', but they say it funny…]!"

Jito skated up, mostly clinging to the wall, but he was steady enough to roll his eyes.

"I HATE THIS SONG!" he shouted in Futomi's ear, but she seemed deaf.

She wagged a finger at Piccolo and Sotari.

"Come, come!" she twittered, "No fighting on the first date!"

"What's a date?" Piccolo said abruptly.

For a split second, Futomi looked horrified.

"You've been on one since 12:30pm and you don't know what it is!!" she shrieked, loud enough to make a few people stop and stare at them, "THAT'S TERRIBLE!!!!"

The apprentice pulled out a lacy handkerchief from nowhere and blew her nose like a trumpet.

"I'M A HORRIBLE LOVE GODDESS!!!!" she screeched, "THIS IS SOOO SAD!!!!!!!"

She blew harder and longer, and Jito rolled his eyes.

"Oh no…" he moaned, "There she goes…"

A boy with black hair and round eyes skated up to the foursome. He looked at Piccolo, trying to keep a straight face.

"Dude, you've NEVER been on a date OR know what it IS?" he practically bellowed.

Piccolo glared at him.

"Is it a bad thing?"

"BAD!" the kid echoed, "BAD! It's WORSE than BAD!! IT'S HORRIFYING. I mean, what, you're…38???"

Piccolo's eyes glowed red.

"Don't even try and guess my age. It's depressing…"

"Depressing, ha!" replied the kid, "I should say so!"

He eyed Sotari.

"Hey there…"

Lasers shot out from Piccolo's eyes. The kid started to duck, and the lasers hit his hair instead of his forehead. Flames instantly shot out and flared a bright orange. Skater-kid waved his arms and legs, a look of panic written all over his face. People stopped and stared. The kid suddenly skated away from Piccolo, wildly scrambling around for some water until he fell on the ice and it started to melt…

"EVERYONE, CLEAR THE SKATING RINK!!" a voice over the intercom shouted, "OFF THE ICE!!!"

There was chaos everywhere on the ice. Kids cried, mothers panicked, fathers screamed at their wives and children, and fire-loving teenagers tried to crowd around Skater-kid to see his hair on fire. Fortunately, someone had grabbed a fire extinguisher and was dousing the flames before something else could happen. And among all this commotion, Futomi still cried.

"WWWWWWWWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !"

Jito reached for her hand, but he slipped…The skirt billowed up, briefly exposing Futomi's leopard 'power' panties. Futomi screamed, Jito blushed crimson, Piccolo widened his eyes, and Sotari rolled hers. People who were lucky to witness it roared and guys whistled. The love goddess turned around and put on her pink cat paw gloves, claws drawn. Her face was livid. In mere seconds, she had shot exactly 11 sharp and shiny claws at them. The little slivers burrowed themselves into each person's butt (but did not pierce), and each person gave a small yelp and ran off. Satisfied, Futomi retracted her claws.

"Jito…" she said with clenched teeth to her assistant, "We're going to have a little talk about this…"

Her cat ears twitched. A toddler nearby wiggled in his mother's arms and pointed at Futomi.

"MommyMommyarethosecatearsrealonthepinkhairfreakgirl???"

Futo mi's eye twitched. A needle claw drew, flew, and went up the kid's bottom. The end result of a scream made Futomi smile. She turned to Piccolo, Sotari, and Jito and calmly took off her gloves. Futomi seemed to be taking deep breaths with her eyes closed, and no one said anything. Finally, the love godess opened her eyes, which were as bright and sparkly as ever. She rubbed her hands, and one could tell the plot forming in her mind.

"That's that," she said in an oily voice, "Those Up-Your-Arse-Claws will take of them, won't it!"

She threw up a fist and laughed.

"MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!"

The other three stared. Futomi lowered her fist quickly and smiled in a flash.

"Our time of *sniff* ice skating is up," she said with a touch of sadness, "But, ONWARD!!!"

More blank stares. Futomi clicked her fingers, and the pink smoke enveloped them once more.

~