Cherry

° Ch. 1 • Duel °

"Let's go!" A girl's voice pierced through the thick air of the battlefield. Holding a stick in her hand, she turned her head to judge her surroundings. Her green eyes surveyed the area, awaiting her opponent.

She stood in the clearing of a forest of tall, thick trees that were famous for blocking out the sun on a particularly hot day. Her feet were planted into the dry dirt, leaving a mark of her presence.

A long cloak was wrapped around her body, hiding the small weapons that hung from her belt. "Don't be shy!" She called out again, a smirk growing on her face.

There was movement to her left as she heard leaves being crushed underfoot. She kept carefully still, making sure to keep her eyes everywhere. Knowing the tricks her opponent might play, she stayed in her position, although her eyes were darting around.

She felt a presence behind her, although no noise nor no shadow was created, the girl quickly darted to her right, avoiding the deadly blow she would have received.

There stood her opponent. A large muscular man with a giant sword. Despite his appearance, he was quick on his feet, earning him the title of Swift Giant.

The smirk on the girl's face grew and she flipped back her hood that had concealed her short pink hair. "Finally," she murmured, striking a fighting stance.

The Swift Giant charged her, sword in the air, ready to destroy anything in its path. But, the girl was swift too and she dodged the attack, quickly finding herself behind the large man.

Taking the opportunity, she lifted her stick and jumped up into the air, landing on the man's back.

He grunted as her arms wrapped itself around his neck in an attempt to choke him. He grinned, a plan crossing his mind. Taking his free hand, he took hold of the girl's cloak, nearly knocking her off.

She jumped back, taking the giant by surprise as his own force made him stubble backwards, giving the girl the opening she needed. She hit the man's legs with her stick with such force that it was broken in half upon impact but it had done it's job.

The man could not keep his balance and the girl jumped up again, resting half of the broken stick on his neck and her free hand on his forehead, locking him down on the ground.

She gave him a sweet smile. "I win." She said and the man slumped down, accepting his defeat.

"You win." He replied and her face erupted with excitement and happiness.

She helped him to his feet and he wiped the dust of his clothing before letting out a large sigh.

The Swift Giant turned to the girl, who was holding a communication device, relaying the message that she had won to her friends.

"Geez, you're only fifteen and yet you're able to beat me, the thirty-year old Swift Giant. What kind of contract did you make with the devil to gain that strength?"

The teenage girl turned to the Swift Giant. "Oh, c'mon, I'm not that good. And you definitely have more experience than me, Barin."

"You're so modest, Edrea." Barin sighed. "You have great power, Edrea, and if you're too nice, people are going to take advantage of that."

"Aww, you're like a dad!" Edrea teased, staring at him with her jade eyes.

Barin rolled his eyes and ran his hands through his dark hair. "Like hell, I'm a father. Kids are annoying."

"Oh yeah?" The pink-haired girl smirked, making the older man feel a bit uneasy. "What about Tully, then?"

A blush crept up the man's face. "Edrea!"

She chuckled, amused at his reaction. "Ah, don't worry, I won't tell." She waved her hand around in a reassuring way.

He groaned.

The sound of a crowd running soon filled their ears as the turned to see what it was, they were already started to be bombarded with questions that the public press.

"Is it true that you two dueled here?"

"Who won?"

"Did you blackmail her into dueling you?"

"Are you lovers?"

"Could you be siblings?"

"Who won?"

"Why did you have this duel?"

"Did the Swift Giant lose?"

"How old are you, little girl?"

"Will you ever duel again?"

"What are your thoughts on your opponent?"

The two stared at the crowd with blank faces.

A shadow was formed from Edrea's hair, covering her eyes.

Barin noticed this and sighed again. This was sure to cause a problem. He wondered how the press managed to even get a hold of this battle in the first place.

"Hey, ever heard of privacy?" Edrea started, a glint in her eyes making the crowd shut their mouths. "You think me and this guy are lovers?? What kind of idea is that? The guy," she gestured to Barin, "is old enough to be my dad, for crying out loud!"

"I'm not your dad, never will be." Barin added in.

"And 'little girl'?? Fifteen qualifies as 'little?' There are girls here that get married at fourteen and you don't call them little, now do you?" She continued to rant. "Yes, it was a duel but a friendly one between friends! Just because The Swift Giant is involved, suddenly it's a worldwide event that needs to be dissected."

Barin placed a hand on Edrea's shoulder. "Calm down." he told her, patting her head as well since he was much taller than her.

He glared at the press, making most of them back up in fear. He held his fist in the air, almost threateningly, and was about to grab the top of his sword when a loud voice shouted to clear the way.

The crowd of various aged people made way for the owner of the voice. Walking there was Ragnild, one of Edrea's closest friends.

"Nile!" Edrea exclaimed happily, waving.

"Ed!" Ragnild responded and they hugged. Ragnild's long blonde hair was placed in a messy ponytail and her outfit was made up with a mismatch top and bottom.

"Back at it again with the mismatch fashion," Edrea commented, eyeing the horrible choice in clothing.

"Back at it again with the useless fighting," Ragnild commented, eyeing the broken stick in her hand.

They smiled at each other. "But of course," they answered in union.

Ragnild turned to the remaining people who had chosen to stay and watch the event unfold. "To all of you," she gestured, "you are all going to a camp!"

"A camp?"

"Training camp. Don't worry, my father will send you the details."

As if on cue, there was a loud ding that came from the crowd of twelve or so people. They checked their cameras and saw a message from their boss. Almost immediately, they up and ran back to the office in which they worked.

"That's settled." The blonde said, triumph in her words.

"Did you blackmail them again?" Barin asked making Ragnild send him a hurt look.

"Me?" She gestured to herself dramatically, "how could I ever do such a thing?"

"You'd be surprised." He replied back and Edrea laughed.

"Let's go home." She told them, leading them through the forest and back into town.

This was the start of her story. The story of a hero. The story of a villain. The story of Cherry.