The Princesses of the Jungle

                                                               The Princesses of the Jungle

                                                         Chapter 1: Competition

        On one day every ten years, the entire village of Heaven gathered together in anticipation. Hidden in the heart of the jungle, Heaven would seem a primitive place to the ignorant beholder, with most of its buildings made entirely of wood and roofed with straw. The village was warded on the outside by a wooden stockade, equally crude in appearance, but highly effective. The village was simple because it suited its name, however. The residents had all their needs met in their simplicity, living in peace and plenty in the jungle, and rarely venturing outside except to hunt or explore. Heaven also suited its name because it was inhabited entirely by beautiful women. Many men of the world would have found Heaven an aptly-named paradise, but Heaven remained a secret to the outside world. This idyllic world of simple pleasures had endured for hundreds of years, uninterrupted by the flow of the world.
         It was a beautiful day, clear and bright, lending further virtue to the village of Heaven. Excitement ran high everywhere as the eligible citizens rallied. In one of the picturesque wooden houses, a clear feminine voice rang out from the first story. "Winry! Hurry up or we'll be late!"
        "Okay, I'm coming!" responded another female voice from upstairs, somewhat irritated. Two figures then rushed out of the house and into the street, both striking young women. Despite having taken longer to get ready, Winry led her companion by the arm as they charged eagerly down the street. Winry Rockbell was a stunning blonde with long hair and blue eyes. She was slim, but not wanting in feminine features, having a prominent bust for her body type. She was clad only in an undersized white shirt that barely covered her chest and a short black skirt that barely covered her hips. Her companion wore a simple two-piece bikini, mostly white but trimmed with a sky blue to match her hair. Her companion, Nefertari Vivi, had blue hair just a shade lighter than the sky, and brown eyes. Vivi was more petite than Winry, shorter, but curvier, with more pronounced hips and breasts. She also had an air of shyness that increased her allure. Aside from their skimpy clothing, they wore nothing else, running barefoot until they reached the town square.
        "Do you really think we have a chance?" Vivi asked, breathless as they ran.
        "I really hope so. We've worked so hard for today, we're certainly going to get results," Winry said confidently. Vivi smiled halfheartedly, wishing she were as confident as her friend. "Come on, Vivi! Have some faith in yourself! You're easily in the top ten of our age bracket," she chided.
        "You're sweet, but there are so many competitors…" Vivi trailed off uncertainly, wondering if her own anxiety would hurt her chances.
        Though she wouldn't admit it, Winry was anxious too. The competition invited all the young women in the village to take part. It took place every ten years, and everyone from 18 to 27 was qualified to participate, making sure that everyone had one and only one chance in their entire lives. Winry and Vivi were caught on the younger end of the bracket. Winry had turned 18 five months ago, and Vivi had celebrated her 18th birthday only 3 weeks before. They would be hard-pressed to compete with the older women, who had more time to fill out their curves and tone their adult bodies. This was important, because the competition was to determine the 10 most beautiful women in all the village.
        "I understand," Winry said after a while. "But relax. It'll all work out, you'll see." With that, they arrived at their destination, the town square of Heaven. The square was a broad, open area that sat before the palace. The palace was easily the most prominent building in the village not only because it was so incredibly large, but because it was the only building that was made of stone, a shocking white sandstone that shone in the sun and reflected the beautiful tones of the sky at sunrise and sunset. The square sat before the palace's main gate, a dark wooden construct that contrasted oddly with the rest of the palace. The palace's contents were a mystery except for what was plainly visible: it was large, it was one story, a huge tree grew out of the palace's center to tower over the rest of the village, and it had large walled gardens surrounding it.
        Rumors ran wild about the inside of the palace, about beautiful fountains, exotic gardens, huge luxuriant chambers, and other secret things. Rumors were all the people had because only the winners of the contest were allowed to live there, and they were not allowed to tell. Even the Empress was not allowed to tell, saying the joys of the palace were reserved strictly for the winners.
        On this day the square was divided into two sections by a low bamboo fence. On the side of the fence closer to the palace were massed the eligible participants, around two thousand of them. A larger number of older women and younger girls swarmed on the other side of the fence, wanting to see the competition unfold. Most of the participants were already inside, and Winry and Vivi arrived with a few other latecomers and stood in line near a break in the fence, where attendants checked off the names of those entering against a long registry of all eligible citizens. It was mostly unnecessary, as it was a rare and strange individual who declined the opportunity to participate. Winry and Vivi pushed their way through the sea of beautiful women, most of whom were clad in some degree of revealing clothing, trying to get a better view of a stage that was situated right in front of the palace gates.
        On the stage stood a woman of indeterminate age, young in appearance but known to be older than she looked. She wore a light-green kimono that parted to show significant cleavage, and had light blonde hair wrapped into two short pigtails. She was Tsunade, widely renowned as the main authority on beauty in the village. How she hid her age remained a mystery, but her beauty tips were highly sought after, especially since she was the chief jury member. It was known that an apprentice of hers was set to compete today, and she was a favorite for selection.
        Tsunade stood with a set of 11 other older women, her selection jury. While Tsunade spent her days as a beauty consultant, the other jury members were teachers or nannies. Between the 11 of them, they had gotten to know pretty much every girl in the village at some stage of their lives from infancy through secondary school, and had been able to identify the most beautiful of them. Between their knowledge of the populace and Tsunade's expertise, they could easily assess who the 10 most beautiful young women in the village were.
        "Hello and welcome!" Tsunade shouted in a booming voice. "After reviewing the list of attendees, we will announce our decision!"
        Some in the crowd groaned impatiently. There were almost 2,000 people there, and they hated thinking that the jury would deliberate over every single name. Fortunately, it wasn't the case. The jury had mostly made up their minds already, they just wanted to make sure those they had pre-selected were in attendance. The crowd could see them skimming through the registry, then observed Tsunade yelling at some of the jury members. The crowd was so loud that no-one could hear what she was saying, however. Tsunade crossed her arms and stamped her foot, and the rogue jury members relented, apparently. Tsunade flashed "V" for victory at the crowd, then stepped forward.
        "Thank you for waiting!" she boomed. "This is the moment you've all been waiting for, when we announce the ten champions, who will go to live in the palace, and one of whom will become the next Empress!"
        The crowd fell silent, anticipation reaching a fever pitch. Winry and Vivi clasped hands, seeking strength in one another.
        "The first champion, Erza Scarlet!"
        The crowd exploded in cheers as a tall woman with long, bright red hair leapt high in the air, then dashed onto the stage. Erza was captivatingly curvy, wearing a black bikini that left little to the imagination. She embraced one of the jury women then stood on the stage, waving at the crowd.
        "The second, Sheena Fujibayashi!"
        The cheers were less intense this time, as the anxiety had already bubbled over. The crowd parted to reveal a captivating woman with brown eyes and dark blue hair that was tied back in a pony tail with a pink ribbon. Sheena's features were enhanced by a red one-piece swimsuit that laced up the front, pushing up her breasts. She ran and vaulted high into the air, landing nimbly on the stage in a show of her physical prowess.
        "The third, Inoue Orihime!"
       No-one appeared for a moment, and the crowd buzzed with confusion. Finally, someone was thrust out of the crowd and onto the stage. Orihime was slender, but with larger breasts than she should have had. She had shoulder-length orange hair and was wearing a small, light-yellow bikini with a clover print on the left breast and the thong. Her real allure was shown when she turned towards the crowd, blushing self-consciously in her triumph as she almost reluctantly came to stand next to Sheena.
        "The fourth, Nefertari Vivi!"
        Vivi squealed in delight as her name was called, her greatest ambition fulfilled. She was a champion, she would get to live in the palace for the rest of her life! After a comforting, tearful hug from Winry, she went forward to stand on the stage. The world seemed so much brighter up there, she noticed. Winry cheered and waved at her.
        "The fifth, Hinata Hyuga!"
        Again nobody appeared, and it remained that way for a minute. The crowd began to grow restless. They knew she had to be here, her name wouldn't have been called if she wasn't in attendance. Finally Tsunade lost her patience. She clenched her fist in rage and leapt into the crowd, who dove out of the way to avoid her wrath. Exposed in the parted crowd was a collapsed form on the ground. Tsunade shook the figure awake, then heaved her to her feet and dragged her back up onto the stage. Hinata had shoulder length black hair and fascinating sea-grey eyes that lacked pupils. She wore only a strapless bra and panties that perfectly matched her eyes. The bra revealed much of her prodigious chest, but her most alluring quality had to be the deep blush that stained her face. She was incredibly shy, trying to cover her breasts and hips with her arms up on the stage, and the adorable look on her face made it perfectly clear why she had been chosen.
        "The sixth, Lucy Heartfilia!"
        A loud whistle was heard from one corner of the crowd as a girl leapt up in the air triumphantly. Lucy had brown eyes and blonde hair that was tied in a bunch on the right side of her head with a red ribbon. Lucy was dressed more elegantly than any of the others so far. Dark red disconnected sleeves covered her arms from her wrist to her elbow, a bikini top marked with paw prints in the same color, as well as a dark red sash that hung over her crotch. Her back was covered in a white dress that tied up under her breasts, and it was all capped with a silver necklet. Despite her elegance, she made more of a scene than the others, screaming and yelling excitedly as she joined the others on stage. She and Erza hugged each other excitedly, seeming to know one another.
        "The seventh, Sakura Haruno!"
        Tsunade announced that name more happily than the others, which was expected because Sakura was her apprentice, her chosen one to be a champion. Sakura played her part well, with her short pink hair and winning green eyes. She wore a strapless red bikini top and matching thong. Tsunade had trained her well, as she smiled and waved at the crowd graciously. She went over and hugged Hinata, who seemed to cheer up a little at her contact, then went to stand in line next to Lucy.
        "The eight, Ino Yamanaka!"
        Sakura's expression dulled a little when she heard that, but Tsunade shot her a sideways glare and she began to smile graciously again, but it was immediately apparent that Sakura was not pleased with this development. Ino emerged from the crowd, breathtaking with her long blond hair that was set in a ponytail and hung to cover her right eye. The other visible eye was a soft blue. Her bikini was the most unique of the set so far, a purple affair, but the two pieces of the top did not connect at her chest, rather tying together behind her neck such that it lifted and separated her breasts beautifully.
        "The ninth, Nelliel Tu Odelschwank!"
        This champion was one who really needed no introduction. She was well known about Heaven for her winning personality; she was smart, gracious, introspective, but often childlike in her mannerisms. She cut such an odd figure about the village that everyone knew her name even if they never met her. She had flowing blue-green hair, hazel eyes, and oddest of all, a red stripe that ran across her face below her eyes. She hadn't even dressed up for the occasion, wearing what she always wore: a green shirt that was torn such that it barely covered her nipples, as well as a matching green strip of torn cloth around her thighs that was somewhere between a thong and a skirt. Despite her oddities, or perhaps because of them, she was surpassingly gorgeous. She skipped happily onto the stage and embraced Orihime whose face was pressed into the taller woman's breast.
        Winry had been growing more anxious with every name announced since Vivi's. She was confronted by a mix of emotions. First there was basic anxiety over whether she would be the next one called. As the names ran out, she feared being separated from her best friend, who would go to live in the palace while she would resume her normal life. She was tinged with jealousy, that her friend would be selected but she wouldn't, and then felt remorse for feeling her jealousy.
        Vivi saw Winry in the crowd, saw the anxiety settling onto her face. Vivi was feeling similar feelings, guilt for winning when her friend had not, hope that her friend would win, and fear that she would win at the cost of being separated from her friend. Of all the winners, she looked noticeably depressed. Anxiety reached its peak in both of them when Tsunade inhaled to make her final announcement.
        "Finally, Winry Rockbell!"
        For a moment, Winry stood there as anxiety drained out of her and excitement floated in. She had done it, she was in! She and Vivi would be living in the palace! Eventually she cheered and threw her arms in the air, then raced onto the stage. Once on stage, she looked at Vivi; both had tears of joy in their eyes. Tsunade motioned for silence again.
        "I present to you the new Champions of Heaven!" she said. The crowd exploded in cheers again, though the crowd in the rear was noticeably louder than the crowd in front, now composed entirely of losers. Tsunade and the jury members went around and shook hands with the winners.
        Up in the huge tree that towered over the palace, someone had observed the whole proceeding. The observer hadn't seen much of the Champions, given that the stage faced away from the palace, but the little the observer had observed had been very impressive. Tsunade had made great choices. This promised to be the best decade in a long while.

Stay Tuned for Chapter 2: Judge