First Times For Everything (ch9)

EARLY RELEASE FOR FOR MY $20+ PATRONS!

Now we're onto the final timeskip! These events take place probably a few months before canon season 1 picks up!

Disclaimer: I do not own She-Ra.

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													Chapter 9. Friendly Fire

The weeks turn to months, and the months to years, and all the while Adora and Catra hardly leave each other's side.

Even in their teen years, where most childhood friends tend to grow distant and need more space, Adora and Catra only grow closer.

And though their childish mischief-making had decreased, it still hadn't stopped altogether. Ever since the first night they'd snuck out to see the moon, they'd probably managed the feet half a dozen more times.

And as they gradually began rising up the ranks as cadets, they'd been granted more freedoms, such as unsupervised scouting and training missions outside camp boundaries. Naturally, they had always completed their assigned work, but also tended to go exploring whenever possible.

They'd almost reached the Whispering Woods once or twice, but had always been warded off by their own uncertainty and fear of consequences. Adora has vowed that one day she'd really take Catra there, but that day hadn't arrived just yet.

So they'd made the most of simply scouting every nook and cranny of the Fright Zone, learning their home territory first before they could consider others.

By now, they've both grown into fine junior cadets, and rumors bustling around suggest they might be able to complete their training in record time, and possibly advance to Force Captains sooner than others.

That's Adora's goal. She wants to lead her own forces against the Rebellion and make her mark on the world. And she wants to be able to work and fight alongside Catra with the liberties and freedoms bestowed upon Force Captains.

Like that, they would be able to travel at will and see the world. She knows that's what Catra wants more than anything, and Adora is determined to reach that goal with her someday soon.

But for now, it's more rigorous training, fights befitting of people of their skill level. Now they face dozens of opponents – be it bots or fellow cadets – instead of just one or two at a time. Sometimes it's solo work, sometimes they fight in pairs, and sometimes with teams of five or six. But no matter what, Catra and Adora have always fought on the same side together.

But they know by now there's a first time for everything.

It starts off like any other morning. Adora wakes and can already sense Catra's presence hovering over her eagerly. She opens her eyes slowly to find herself looking up into yellow and blue.

"Bout time," Catra scoffs. Adora rolls her eyes as she pushes herself up.

"Y'know, I remember the one time you actually slept past 5AM. It was nice."

They start getting ready for the day. Adora greets her teammates and friends while Catra just nods. As they finish up in the bathrooms and begin heading for the mess hall, Adora mumbles to herself.

"I wonder what we could be doing in our training today. They keep saying they're going to give us a surefire date for our senior cadet exam, but they still haven't.

"Who cares?" Catra yawns. "It'll happen eventually, right?"

"You should probably start studying more, actually."

"Pssh, I don't need to study."

"Who was the first ever Force Commander to successfully take down a Rebellion princess' army, which princess was it, and what-"

"All right, all right, quit it!"

Adora chuckles as they enter the mess hall and get on line for their food. They sit and eat and chat with their teammates as usual until the announcement is made to migrate to the training area where their commander addresses them.

They start off with their usual warm-ups and exercises, which consist of an obstacle course complete with booby traps, hurdles, and brief battles with bots. The course is different every time, but seasoned cadets like Adora, Catra, and a handful of others are able to predict and react to things quickly and accurately.

They are the ones who complete the course without incident and impress their commander, who is always marking notes. Catra even finishes more quickly than Adora, though she was a bit sloppier in her methods of disarming and dodging the bots.

Once everyone has finished, they move onto today's real objective.

"All right, good work," their commander says. "Now I want you to break off into pairs for our next activity. And I'll tell you now it isn't what you think, so choose wisely."

"The heck does that mean?" Catra mumbles, already stepping closer to Adora. "Sounds ominous. Whatever robots or senior cadets he throws at us, we can take 'em."

Adora smirks.

"Right." She loops her arm through Catra's to ensure everyone knows they are partners. As if anyone expected otherwise.

It's the same for everyone else. They all choose a teammate or a close friend to stand beside.

Once everyone has decided, they're told to put on the usual training armor chest pieces. The commander surveys his troops as he paces across the room.

"Now, as you all know, our junior cadets will soon be assessed, and those who pass will move up the ranks to become seniors, one step closer to Force Captain. What we're doing here today is going to be the first part of your exam."

The room fills with shocked and slightly terrified gasps. Adora is of course, in the latter group.

"What?!" she whispers. "Today?! We're starting our exams today? I'm not ready for this, Catra-"

"Calm down!" Catra gives her shoulder a good shake. "Of course you're ready for this, idiot! You've been training for it your whole life, remember?"

"Yeah... yeah, you're right." Adora straightens up with a fierce light in her eyes as the reality settles in. "Thanks, Catra."

"Whatever."

There's nervous, excited chatter all around now as it starts sinking in that their exam is beginning today, clearly starting off with some unannounced combat practice. Once everyone has selected a partner and retrieved their bo staffs, the commander gives the final set of instructions.

"Now then, I'll be calling you up in the pairs you've chosen. The first part of your exam to move up the ranks will be to fight the partner you've chosen."

"What?!" Catra and Adora shriek at the same time, and dozens of other people do as well. They look at their partners, their best friends in most cases, and begin to worry. Catra and Adora are the same.

"I mean," Catra mumbles. "I've fought you a billion times, but never for a cadet exam."

"Same here," Adora agrees. "That's a ton of pressure. And will only the winner get to pass?"

"Settle down," the commander says above the din. "And to answer your question, Adora, which cadet passes will depend on the fight. If I think you have both demonstrated exemplary combat skills and strategy, I will allow both parties to pass. However, in some cases I may only select the victor, or even neither of you. It all depends on your performance."

Hearing that both people may be able to pass lifts a collective weight off the crowd's shoulders. Adora is visibly relieved; the last thing she ever would have wanted would be if she were to advance and Catra was left behind. And if Catra could advance and not her, she would definitely be a little jealous. Her hope for today's match is that both of them will pass.

Catra crosses her arms and shrugs, though Adora can tell she's relieved at the news, too.

"Oh good," she says. "We can both pass. Guess that means I won't have to go easy on you."

Adora elbows her.

"Oh, as if! If anything, I'm the one who's gonna have to go easy on you!"

"You wish!"

Similar banter breaks out across the crowd. At first, the idea of fighting their best friend was intimidating and more than a little nerve-wracking. But once they've thought about it for a moment, they come to the realization that there's no one else they'd rather battle.

So the commander begins calling pairs up to have them begin. Adora and Catra watch from the sidelines, trying to calm their nerves about their own upcoming match. Instead they focus on what the other fighters are doing right or wrong, and thinking about what they themselves would do differently in their own fight.

The hardest part is definitely the end of the match, when everyone waits in anxious anticipation for the verdict. Those that pass can't even show their joy about it if their best friend doesn't pass as well. The pairs in which both people fail are even relieved just by the fact that they can continue their training together for another three months before they can test again.

The smallest percentage end up in the last group, which is where both parties pass. Only then are both people able to celebrate.

It seems to take hours as they go through the matches, and the longer Adora and Catra wait, the more anxious they become. They watch the group of victors grow gradually, while the group of failures expands twice as quickly.

And when at last they're called up, it doesn't even feel real.

"Next up, Adora and Catra."

The mention of their names sends a ripple of murmurs through the onlookers, cadets and officers alike.

"Oh, this should be good."

"My money's on Adora."

"Yeah, me too."

"I think they could both win... maybe..."

Adora tries to ignore the comments, but she knows Catra's keen ears pick up on everything everyone is saying, whether she wants to hear it or not.

Adora looks to her best friend and partner of over ten years now. Catra appears to be mostly calm and collected, but only Adora is able to tell by the twitch of her tail and the aloofness of her gaze that she's equally as nervous as Adora is. Before they start walking up, Adora offers her hand.

"Hey. Let's do our best out there, partner."

Catra flicks an ear. In the past, it used to take her a long time to decide whether or not to accept that hand. But now she grabs it tightly, firmly, and without hesitation.

"Yeah," she grins. "Make sure not to cry too much when I kick your butt."

"Says the biggest crybaby of them all."

"I am not!"

"Are too!"

They both end up laughing softly, hands still entwined. It's a silent but mutual action when they each find their way to the other's pinkie finger and loop them together. They squeeze, breathe, then release.

"Let's do it," Catra mutters. "Let's give 'em a fight they'll never forget."

"Right," Adora smirks. "Good luck. You're gonna need it."

"You are so full of it."

They give each other one last glance before separating and heading off to opposite sides of the makeshift battlefield. They draw their weapons as instructed and ready themselves.

From then on, they can't worry about one another as friends, only as opponents.

Their commander goes through the usual dialogue.

"Fighters, ready?"

"Yes, sir!"

"Hell yeah."

He nods.

"Very well. First person to three points finishes the match, but I'll decide who advances. Begin!"

Both Adora and Catra charge right away, neither wanting to let the other land the first blow. Adora keeps her staff at the side of her chest, ready to either strike or block depending on which of them gets which opportunity first.

As she expected, Catra lifts her arms and goes to make the first hit. Adora easily side-steps and loops around her, aiming a blow to her back.

She isn't surprised when Catra leaps high and clears the staff by a foot, and she's ready to block when Catra counters midair. Catra lets gravity work for her as she comes down from the jump and leans as much of her weight as she can onto Adora. Adora's boots skid against the floor as she's forced back a pace, but she holds her staff firmly.

For the split second when their weapons are crossed and they're face-to-face, Catra smirks.

"Is that all you've got, Adora?"

Adora knows it's more than just a taunt to agitate her; it's a taunt to motivate her. She returns it with equal fire.

"Please. You're gonna have to do better than that!"

With a surge of strength she pushes forward and up, forcing Catra back. Immediately afterward, Adora swings a low kick at her ankles. Catra jumps back and gets out of range, twirling her staff and using her tail for balance.

They straighten up and begin circling one another like wolves. Both maintain a fair distance, assessing the other's steps and movements with calculating eyes, reminding themselves this isn't just any other mock fight, but a part of their exam for senior cadets.

Adora notes that Catra is gradually inching closer, barely by anything, enough that no one would notice if they didn't already know to look out for it.

Adora lets her, pretending she doesn't notice. She wants to lure Catra into attacking first again. She knows Catra tends to get excited and use a lot of her energy at the beginning of a fight, then have little left for the rest. If Adora can get her tired early on, she can finish this quickly.

But Catra must see through her too, because she stops creeping closer and instead goes on the retreat.

Adora huffs. If one of them doesn't attack soon they'll be given warnings.

So Adora goes on the offense with a charge, just to resume the action. Catra dodges and counters again, but it's all child's play to the two of them. This is only physical action, but they both know they won't land any points here. It's a matter of timing, of who takes the initiative and when.

It takes a very long time for the first point to be made, which speaks volumes to their skill and stamina. Adora takes a huge risk at their next parry and tries out a jump of her own. She isn't nearly as agile as Catra, and she definitely isn't a jumper.

But the action is enough to take Catra by surprise just long enough to leave her open. She still goes to block, but Adora just barely manages to jab her staff between Catra's arms and score her chest piece. The buzzer sounds as one-third of Catra's armor glows red. She hisses.

"Why you-"

Without wasting a second, Catra counters. Adora barely has time to block, but as it is, Catra has much more power in her attack than Adora does in her defense.

With a shove, Catra wrings Adora's staff to one side, ducks down, and makes a perfect upward hit on her chest piece. Adora's armor turns the same fraction of red.

Adora retreats right away before Catra can get in a second hit, but Catra is right on her heels. She uses her impressive speed to back Adora up, swinging at her wildly to intimidate and frazzle her. Adora blocks and dodges as much as she can, but she realizes she's playing right into Catra's plan.

So without warning, she stops moving, crossing her arms over her chest to prepare for the impact. Catra, who had intended to keep pushing forward, yelps when she crashes into her now.

Adora gives a shove with her shoulder and knocks Catra backward, spinning once to gain some momentum for her blow. Even as she staggers back, Catra manages to block, but the staff falls from her grip.

Normally, Adora wouldn't play dirty and hit her when she's unarmed. But this is for the exam.

So she lunges for a hit as Catra stumbles, but to her surprise, her partner blocks the blow with her bare arm. Catra winces and spits out a curse, but quickly pushes Adora's weapon to the side. In a split second she lunges too, ramming her elbow into Adora's armor. The buzzer sounds, and another third lights up red.

The crowds cheer and shout as Adora is sent reeling. She'd been too careless. Catra had wanted to be disarmed to throw her off guard. She'd taken the hits to her own body for the sake of countering without her weapon, and it still counted as a fair point.

Adora isn't sure if she's more impressed or peeved.

But it just proves that Catra wants this victory just as badly as she does, and she's willing to do anything to show it.

Catra quickly scoops her staff back up with a sneer that reveals her fangs.

"Tables have turned, huh, Adora?"

Adora gives her staff a hard spin.

"We're just getting started."

Most other fights had already finished by this point, but the length of theirs shows how seriously Adora and Catra are thinking things through. They don't rush in blindly. They ponder, strategize, and act based on what is logical to achieve, even if it means being unfair; everything the Horde has taught them until this point in their training.

It's several more minutes of intense parrying before the next point lands. Catra might have been clever enough to sacrifice her arm before since it allowed her to land her second hit, but Adora can tell that it's hurting her now. She tries to hold her staff and push mainly with her good arm, which is her dominant one, but it's still clear that without the full support of her left that her blocks and strikes aren't as powerful.

Adora won't let herself feel bad about playing dirty. She starts aiming blows directly at Catra's injured left arm. Catra reads her intent right away and dodges as much as she can, but she knows she can't get her final victory point by evasion alone. She has to try to get close again to land the final hit.

Adora waits for her, egging her on.

"Come on, Catra. Even more of your hair is turning gray."

Catra snorts, but doesn't fall for it. She charges, but it's a fake, so as soon as Adora goes to block, Catra knocks into her side. Not wanting to lose her balance, Adora quickly steps into a spin and extends her staff. Catra jumps back, and the second the staff has passed she charges at Adora's back.

Adora drops down onto all fours and jabs her staff behind herself. She nails Catra right on her bad arm, and as she's sputtering from the pain, Adora cuts it right across her armor. The buzzer goes off again. Catra leaps back out of range and spits.

The onlookers are on the tips of their toes for the final point to be made. There's so much chatter, but the commander doesn't call for silence. He lets the two fighters continue with the noise happening all around them.

Adora can ignore it easily. But she knows Catra is having a hard time. Her ears keep flicking and swiveling, and her tail lashes in irritation. Her senses might be her best asset for tracking, but they can weigh her down during combat if they're too severely overwhelmed.

Adora knows this is her only chance to claim her victory. She can tell Catra is just as exhausted as she is now. Adora is willing to risk her career on this final tactic.

She charges headlong toward her partner and best friend, lifting her staff up high above her head, exposing her armor in a tempting display. Catra must sense it's a trap because she dodges back instead of taking the bait.

Nonetheless, Adora keeps charging at her. She waits until the perfect second to swing, knowing full-well she'll miss. But Catra jumps to avoid it anyway, just to be safe.

That's when Adora drops her staff and lets it hit the floor. It rolls, and as Catra comes down she lands right on top of it. With a shriek she falls hard onto her back, losing hold of her own weapon as well.

Adora tries to use Catra's methods against her and aims to hit her armor with her elbow. But even though she's winded, Catra manages to roll over at the last second and avoid the finishing blow.

She grapples with Adora, grabbing both of her hands as their fingers interlock tightly. Adora pushes her down, applying more weight onto Catra's injured arm. Catra hisses and digs her claws into the backs of Adora's hands. Adora's hair has come out of its ponytail by now, and it all falls down around her face in messy strands. They're both panting, but Adora has the upper hand.

"Sorry, Catra. But I'm winning this."

She pins her down harder, and Catra yelps. Adora flinches, but she can't let her emotions win out just yet. Not until she lands that last point. She just needs to weaken Catra long enough to grab the staff nearby and finish it. Until then she just pushes, putting more and more weight onto her.

Catra is too winded to counter verbally, and she knows she's going to lose if she doesn't do something.

She doesn't even think. It just happens naturally.

She pulls her knees up to her chest, out of Adora's straddle, and starts to kick at her stomach. Her claws come out, slashing at Adora's shirt and armor in a desperate effort to get her off.

Adora feels the hits like she had the first time this had happened so many years ago. The claws cause sharp prickles of pain to spread across her stomach, but her armor protects her from the worst of it this time.

Even so, she can see the fear in Catra's eyes just before she closes them.

"N-No-" she rasps. "No, no, g-get off me!"

And suddenly she's nothing more than a terrified child again. Catra kicks as hard as she can, wrenching her good hand free of Adora's grasp. She swipes blindly, and Adora feels four sharp claws slice her cheek open. She screams and falls off to one side, covering her stomach with one hand and her face with the other. Blood seeps through her fingers and stains her clothes. As soon as her weight has shifted, Catra springs up into a crouch, eyes wide in terror.

"A-Adora?"

Adora watches as the realization of what she'd done sinks in. Catra forgets about where they are, forgets about the fight and the exam.

All she sees is Adora bleeding because of her. Again.

Adora knows she's going to run. There's only one way to stop her.

She grabs her bo staff with her bloodied hand and gives one final swing. The buzzer sounds long and loud, and the crowds around them erupt with applause.

Adora hears someone calling for medical attention. She drops her staff and puts her hand back on her cheek, feeling more blood oozing out.

Sure enough, it all brings Catra back to the present. The fear fades from her eyes, but it's replaced with confusion. She sits there on the floor mere inches away from Adora, gripping her own injured arm as she stares blankly, fighting for breath. When she does speak, her voice is incredulous.

"You..."

Adora swallows. She knows Catra will take this as a betrayal. When Catra had stopped because she'd seriously thought she hurt her, Adora had taken advantage and used it to get her winning point. She can see it in her mis-matched eyes that the betrayal of trust hurts Catra immensely more than the physical pain.

Adora fights to hold back tears.

"Catra, I-"

But before she can finish, a sudden chill fills the air. Everyone in the room feels it, because the talking dies down. Adora shudders too, but no one shakes more violently than Catra.

As Shadow-Weaver parts the terrified crowds, her deep voice – cold enough to freeze hearts – fills the room in a quiet, threatening whisper.

"What exactly is going on here...?"

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A/N: This was a super fun yet horrible chapter to write. I liked exploring their battle tactics, how they'd know each other's nuances better than anyone else, how even Adora might resort to playing dirty against Catra if she had to (exploring the concept that - just maybe for a time - Adora's main focus in life could have shifted away from wanting to be free with Catra, to actually becoming a Force Commander with or without her).

And of course Shadow-Weaver arriving to see her precious Adora bleeding (again, because of Catra), is just the evil cherry on top of it all.