The Sons had left the site of the battle soon after the others did, instant transmitting back to the house that Chai had grown up in. It had hardly changed, save for being now built of sturdier materials. Didn't her dad recently blow part of it up on accident? White clouds hung overhead, though Chai thought they may have been from the fight, not a weather occurrence. She also noted that there was an extra ki: Yamucha. Otou-san's been gone. Is mom…? Oh gods, is that why she was wearing the armor….? No way! Nearly as soon as Chai entertained the thought Chi-Chi was on them. At least she was back in her usual yellow cheongsam. She looked just as maternal as usual, hair in a tight bun and apron around her waist. No, definitely not possible.

"Goku-sa, where have you been?! Chai-chan, what happened to the kingdom!? Tsuchi-chan, Goten-chan, you two haven't been lagging on your studies again, have you!?"

"I am caught up, Oka-san," Tsuchi-chan beamed.

Goten-kun groaned next to her, his tail dipping behind him. "Call me when dinner's ready," he said and left for his room, which had once been Gohan's bedroom.

Before that, the twins shared Chai's old room until their most recent birthday. With upcoming developments, it would soon be very inappropriate for them to share a room, their mother had decided. This was probably especially wise since Trunks-kun would occasionally stay overnight and sleep in Goten-kuns's room. Of course, when they were young, Tsuchi-chan was there too but that was fine considering all parties involved only had innocent thoughts. Now, well, it was only a matter of puberty.

The matriarch folded her arms before her oldest child. They were matched in height, and in tenacity. "Well?" Chi-Chi asked.

"There was an invasion. We won. The castle is gone. Over half of our people are dead. I'm taking care of it," Chai quickly stated then began into the house. Her mother followed, completely forgetting to press her father for the answers she wanted.

"What do you mean gone! Dead!? What-what happened!?"

"I don't want to talk about it," Chai answered, heading directly for Tsuchi-chan's room. She assumed they'd be sharing it. As she passed the kitchen, she saw Yamucha also wearing an apron and checking something in the oven while Pu-ar hovered next to him. The sight was disturbingly domestic, especially in the Son residence.

What the hell is going on!?

"Chai-chan, you answer me, young lady!"

"Oka-san, please. A lot happened today. I need to think about what I'm going to do," the girl called from the room before closing the door. She'd likely get grounded for that.

Huh? Grounded. I haven't had to think about that in ten years.

Tsuchi came into the room soon after Chai, Chi-Chi's shrill commands audible, even through the door. The girl immediately began getting out of her training gi as Chai looked her over for bruises. There were a few, and a couple of cuts, but nothing that looked severe enough to come from the boys.

"I swore you were limping before," Chai said.

"The boys found me a senzu bean," Tsuchi-chan answered, tossing her clothes in the hamper.

"Was it out of date?" the elder sister asked, nodding to a scratch on the girl's cheek.

Tsuchi touched the mark then frowned. "Before we found you all we found several survivors by the Mad River. They were getting attacked by Rat soldiers and the three of us intervened. The leader, she did something to our ki so it had been a tiny bit of a challenge."

"Why did you not have the leader in captivity?"

"She escaped…" Tsuchi admitted, finishing pulling a towel around her and using her tail to keep it secure. "Now how close are you and Trunks-san, exactly?"

Chai flicked air at her sister, making the girl wince. "We're friends. Good friends, but friends."

"You guys looked like great friends."

"Tsuchi, drop it. All you need to know is that it was in the past. It belongs there. Now then, has Yamucha been a frequent guest lately?" Chai asked, irritably swishing her tail.

"It would be awfully romantic. Rekindled love."

"Tsuchi, I'm about to rekindle you. Now, why is All-Star in our kitchen?"

"I don't know, actually." the girl shrugged. "I'm gonna take a shower."

Tsuchi then left the room and called out her plans to their mother - oddly, it was Pu-ar who answered.

"Sounds good, Tsu-chan!"

It really was as though the ex-bandit lived there, and really it wouldn't have bothered Chai if not for the fact that Dad was gone a lot and Yamucha had a certain reputation. If she was going to get through staying here, however, she should probably resist making the man's presence an issue. After all, she liked Pu-ar. Chai missed having a cat around, and shapeshifter or not, most cats were relatively similar.

Then again, not making trouble meant staying in the room she adn Tsuchi were sharing.. Already, Chai didn't quite want to be alone in the room, but she also didn't want to deal with her mother yet. Either way, she'd end up reflecting on today and that simply wasn't what she wanted to be dwelling on.

The room wasn't too changed from her old one. Some things were moved around, like the bed now pushed to the far left wall, only a foot away from the door and near the window. It wasn't the same bed, at least. Where the bed used to be, opposite the door, was a desk with art supplies and the books Chai was having her sister study. On the wall, above, was an embroidery of a man and woman walking under a cherry blossom tree. On the far right wall was the closet, and the wall that shared the door also housed a bookshelf, smaller than the one Chai once had.

There were some of the same books there that she had as a child but there were also a lot of books on education, diplomacy, and romance novels. Chai turned to the shelf and crouched before in, noticing that the books were double shelved, with books hiding behind other books. Chai pulled forth The Hobbit to find Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe. It was a more recent novel, Chai knew, because she'd read it. It was beautiful and sweet. She actually remembered the text making her heart ache. Why was Tsuchi hiding it?

The door clicked open and in the time it took the younger demi to open it, Chai had already replaced the book and moved towards the closet, opening it casually. She even made sure to keep her ki, heartbeat and tail in check.

"Hey, are any of my clothes still here?" Chai asked.

Tsuchi stepped in, now wearing pajamas with her hair plastered to her face. "Yeah, I believe the top drawer."

Chai frowned, levitating in the air a few inches to reach it. Would she even fit into any of it? Should she ask about the book? Why was imouto-chan hiding it? Maybe it was nothing - just the way Tsuchi organized her books. It just seemed counterintuitive to have half of your titles covered up by other books.

Chai dug through the contents of her old dresser. Those bras probably wouldn't fit her. Those panties definitely wouldn't fit her. Socks, oh good. Something consistent. The queen began to rapidly pull articles of clothing out, pressing them against her body, and tossing them into two piles. So far she only had some socks, maybe one bra, some coveralls, a large grey sweater, another plaid shirt of her fathers, some training shorts, and - why do I still have this? Before Chai could touch the ripped denim material, she threw her acceptable clothes back into the drawer and slammed it shut.

"Hey, Tsuch'. I have a wardrobe for you."

"Hey guys! Boar lasagne is ready!" Yamucha happily called from the kitchen.

Tsuchi ran out the door to the dining room, and Chai could hear the footfalls of Goten-kun following after her. She had to admit, boar lasagne sounded amazing. She could smell the garlic and spicy meat from about the moment they'd gotten home but was too deep in thought to really relish it. The demi shed her father's plaid shirt, and her sai, then joined the rest around the table.

It was honestly a welcoming sight. Mama with her apron still, plating large portions for the twins, who were eagerly sitting next to Papa with their mouths watering and tails fluffed. Papa sat looking quite similar, eyes shining at the sight of food, and a napkin in his shirt. Yamucha appeared from behind Mama, and sat down another casserole dish of food to join the first four, along with the seven loaves of bread, and six bowls of salad.

Chai took her seat next to Goten-kun and watched Yamucha carefully as he sat down the steaming dish. Pu-ar was next to him, feeling the need to direct where things ought to go. It was honestly cute. The young woman wet her lips before asking the burning question.

"So, whatcha doing here, Yamucha?" Chai asked, accepting a piece of bread.

"Oh, well, you know your dad and I are real old friends, Chai. And it gets lonely in my flat in the city," Yamucha shrugged.

The young woman pursed her lips, deciding that didn't explain much.

"You didn't come over like this when I was a child, so I thought perhaps you were in dire straits."

"Not really. My baseball career is doing great but sometimes I like to get away from the city. I did originally come from the desert. Man, those were the days." he told her, taking off his apron and sitting down next to Chi-Chi. Chai narrowed her eyes, trying to stay in control of her ki.

He continued to plate food for himself as though it were normal. That made her tail tense. It began to unravel itself in order to swish her scent around. This was her house.

"You seem rather at home. Do you come by often?"

"Now Chai-chan, what are you implying?" Oka-san glared.

"Oh my!" Pu-ar gasped from across the table.

"What could I be implying?" Chai retorted.

"Chai, you can't possibly think that!" Goku said after he finished his first plate. Oh good, Otou-san wasn't quite as foolish as she thought.

"Right?" Yamucha chuckled, though a horrified look crossed his features. "Goku here would kill me if I touched his wife."

"Well," Goku cocked his head to the side then got another plate of food. "I wouldn't be too happy… but I don't think I'd kill ya. Just rough ya up a bit."

"Yamucha really doesn't come over that much," Goten offered. "Mama's been teaching him to cook and in exchange he'll sometimes bring over the meat! He and Papa catch up on old times and sometimes he tells us about the adventures they had before you were born."

Ohhh… the eldest demi blushed and stared intently at her salad while chewing her lasagne. "One of you could have mentioned that, y'know..."

"It's okay, Chai!" Pu-ar piped up. "You're just looking after your family."

The saiya-jin smiled at the shapeshifter. She was wearing a napkin tied around her neck like Goku was, and still floated before the plate of food.

"While we're on the subject of marriage, have you met any nice princes? Kings? Men?" Oka-san asked, cutting into her piece of lasagne. She stared down at her plate as though her eyes might do the work of her knife.

"Nope," Chai answered, letting the 'p' pop as she did so. She was focusing very hard on cutting her food without damaging her mother's plate. Her appendage sheepishly returned to its usual place.

"Honestly, Chai, with all of the people you deal with, none catch your attention?"

"Not much farther than potential lunar company."

Otou-san suddenly began choking and pounding on his chest at Chai's bold admittance, while her mother shrilled, "Not in front of the twins!"

"They will learn soon enough," the queen countered. "It's part of being a saiya-jin! Not the most pleasant part, depending on your situation but part of it, nonetheless."

"What is lunar company?" Goten-kun asked.

Everyone froze at the question. Chai wasn't exactly ready to answer that when she didn't even know if the twelve-year olds knew what sex was. How would she explain that full moons stirred the blood to fight and/or fuck? Sometimes, she could avoid either one by going on a good hunt, but aside from large predators, not much provided that. Further, the fact that she engaged in monthly casual sex just to not kill something was, well, awkward.

"It's none of your concern, Goten-chan," Chi-Chi answered.

"Chai just said it was a saiya-jin thing," Tsuchi retorted.

"When you're older, Tsuchi-chan. Right now, don't worry about it," Chi-Chi insisted.

"It's sex, isn't it?" Goten-kun inferred.

Once again, Papa was choking on his food, Mama was shouting, and Yamucha was laughing. Goten was both trying to defend his knowledge to Oka-san as she thrusted her torso across Chai's plate to better chastise her son, and quiet Tsuchi, on his other side, who demanded he tell her more. Eventually, Chai scooted her chair away from the table to just get out of the way. The girl stood, making eye contact with her father, who was eyeing her unfinished plate. She pointed to the food, then herself, then her eyes, then him. In response Goku placed his hands up at her in surrender.

The young queen then let herself into the kitchen in search of wine. The most alcoholic thing in the fridge was rice wine vinegar and some grapes. In the pantry, just yeast and canned peaches. Chai closed the door with a small thud. The commotion was still going on in the dining room.

"Oh and I bet you learned all of this from Trunks, who learned all of it from Vegeta! You know, your father doesn't turn into a blood- or sex-crazed lunatic every month!"

"Mom, you send us to grandpa's every full moon…"

"You're right 'Ten! And grandpa is the only one not a saiya-jin or married to one!"

Oh boy…

Chai turned to the kitchen table to begin putting away any left out ingredients and wash dishes. Anything to busy herself. She lifted away the cutting board and knives, revealing something brown and leather underneath. Chai pushed aside everything else on top of it then gasped.

How did I forget about this?

The demi cradled the book in her hand and began to flip through the yellowed pages. It was old, not surprising since it came from the archive room, and it's contents were hand-written with hand drawn diagrams. It's authors tried to put a table of contents at the front but the organization looked to have gotten out of hand at some point.

The first several pages were names and descriptions of notable people, including the original Queen Chai. Then myths and stories involving these people, origin tales, and tales of war and love. There were family trees scrawled, marriage agreements, land agreements, agreements between kingdoms, much of which was over 300 years ago.

I can't believe the kingdoms worked together this long.

Further in, she found recipes, more notable figures - including her father -, letters, photographs, more myths, then nothing. A quarter of the pages were blank. Why had she never seen this? So much of her family's history existed in these pages, culture, and even agreements that may have been helpful to her in dealing with the other kingdoms. They could be useful to her now, she figured.

"And Goku-sa! Where have you been all week!?"

Fine question.

The demi held the book at her side, leaning against the doorway between the kitchen and dining room. She watched as Oka-san seemed to have grown several more feet just to lean over the twins and glare at Otou-san. Of course, that was not really the case, but she swore that woman made herself bigger when the need arose.

Papa looked terrified, face stained with sauce as he leaned away from his wife, edging farther every few words. "Training with Vegeta… Hopping around the... universes with... Whis and Beerus… Hanging... out at Capsule Corps…"

"So, in other words, NOT GROWING RADISHES!"

"Chi-Chi, it's off-season!"

"YOU COULD PLANT BROCCOLI!"

"Papa, you farm now?" Chai asked from the corner.

Both parents turned to look at her and the woman prayed her mother would not suddenly unleash on her.

"Yes," Mama sighed. "Your father is finally working - OR HE WAS!" she turned back to him.

Later that night, Chai laid in bed next to her sleeping sister. She'd been staring at the ring Clove would have given her. She'd pulled it from her pocket while getting undressed and decided that she needed to see it.

It was beautiful. A simple band that resembled two rings braided together with a row of three studs every few centimeters. It was practical for a warrior. Simple, meaningful. A tear fell down her face, trickling along her cheek.

I would have taken him over most men.

"Oh, Clove, you didn't deserve to die," she whispered.

"It could be worse," Tsuchi-chan muttered, snuggling up to the elder sister.

Chai clasped the ring in her palm, nearly dropping it. She looked down at the smaller girl, her eyes closed and her breathing slow, tail peeking out from the blanket.

"How so?"

Chai put the ring in its box and reached across Tsuchi's form to set it on the side table.

"You could be dead. I would miss you so much Chai-chan," the girl muttered.

The woman smiled and turned to face her, closing her eyes. "I'd miss you too Tsu-chan."

By afternoon the next day, Chai had come to a few conclusions. The first was that she needed to give Basil a raise. His report had come to her around lunch and it was both depressing and extensive. They had 15,460 people left in total: 2,570 soldiers in various conditions, 12,410 working class in various situations, and 450 orphans and elderly in need of care. That last number was unacceptable.

Because they had less people, however, that also meant they needed less food. And Chai's loss of control the day before cleared a lot of the debris and ash, making more of the land accessible again for farming, and spawning bits of treasure everywhere. Some families suddenly found themselves wealthier and Chai didn't have it in her to correct the situation. On one hand, it would have been wrong given everyone's losses, and on the other, it was simply something she didn't want to put energy towards. Instead, she needed to figure out where the hell she was going to get metal ore.

When Duchess Chamomile reported back to Basil, she readily agreed to help in any way, but they actually didn't have much ore left. It helped to explain what had been going on the last six months, but why neither Yerba or Matei didn't say a damned thing was beyond her. Then again, everything Matei had done was beyond Chai's understanding, and she was still struggling to figure out how long she'd been dealing with him rather than the rightful king. Still, it left Chai without alloys and metal ore and without that, her people could not continue with smithing. Without smithing, her kingdom would quickly become completely penniless.

The Rat Prince had not responded to Basil's inquiries but that also didn't really surprise Chai. She imagined between Princess Rooibos's death and King Matcha's health, that were plenty of riots and revolts. At least, that was the way it had been over there for the past year, part of what spurred the civil war. Hibiscus had his hands full, his father still very ill, and there had been rumor that he would die soon, leaving Hibiscus to rule in a kingdom that currently held little love for him.

The Rooster Kingdom was not much more helpful. Queen Ceylon reported that they did not have much in the way of resources other than silks. She did offer that they could send skilled explorers to help find more ore to be mined, and fine diplomats so that perhaps Chai could meet with one of the kingdoms she did not have the best relations with. Neither of which was what Chai had in mind but she wasn't going to completely disregard the offers either.

The Snake King simply told Basil that although he held love for the Ox Kingdom, he would prefer to stay out of the mess that now existed between the three kingdoms. Whatever. Who needed him?

The next conclusion Chai had come to was that she could not live with her mother after ten years of not living with her. It wasn't quite that she couldn't drink or have lunar company under her mother's roof. Chai would find ways to deal with that , but she forgot how overbearing Oka-san could be.

For a woman who gave up the throne, she had many opinions on how the throne should be run.

"This didn't even happen when the mountain was on fire!"

"I know, Oka-san. Your cousins weren't insane though, were they?"

"Matei was still my cousin! And Yerba… oh Yerba…"

"I suppose the crazy extends differently to different branches."

"What was that?!"

"Nothing, Oka-san,"

Also, why was marriage and children the subject over breakfast? Before coffee, even?!

"Didn't you give up the throne so you could enjoy having a husband and several children?"

"Chai, you're nearly 30! Your beauty will not last forever, nor will your fertility!"

"Actually, if Otou-san and Vegeta are any indicators, my 'beauty' will last a while yet!"

Chi-Chi then suddenly pulled the cast iron skillet she'd been cooking with from the stove top and swung it around, seeming to forget that it was full of eggs.

"Well, aren't you so lucky!?"

After breakfast and before Basil's call, there had finally been a tiny reprieve from the family drama. Yamucha told her dad that a picnic for a few hours should be enough to keep him fed at Chi-Chi's table and so that's where her parents had been for the last hour, freeing up Chai to do what she pleased. Based on the last time the castle had been destroyed, it would likely be months before she could have it rebuilt, and the queen wasn't spending them at Mt. Paozu.

"Oka-san's gonna be mad you left without saying goodbye," Goten-kun pointed out.

Chai made sure the orb was easily accessible in her coveralls as she packed away what stuff she had in an old bookbag. The few clothes she found, her sai, some books that Tsuchi-chan didn't mind her taking, and the archive book.

"I'm just going to Gohan's. They have plenty of space, and I've hardly seen the baby anyways," Chai replied.

"And you don't care that we tell her?" Tsuchi-chan reaffirmed.

"No. I want you to tell her. I don't want Oka-san to worry, but I can't pretend to be a child again."

17 Years Earlier

"I can't believe you let Vegeta go," Chai said from the wall opposite a row of three hospital beds where her brother, father, and Krillin had all laid.

It was the first day since the Saiya-jins had come to wreck the Earth, and so far an easy day in the hospital where the three fighters were healing from their injuries. It was a feat in and of itself. Goku hated hospitals, especially the take-it-easy part.

"I wanted to fight him again," Otou-san reiterated quite matter-of-factly.

"After everything he did to our babies!?" Oka-san exclaimed.

"Chai is fine and Gohan isn't that beat up. Besides, I want someone I can challenge myself against!"

Oka-san then got right into Papa's face, asking him if he remembered the condition Gohan was in, the fact that I couldn't fight and was there anyways, the fact that people died. Next to the girl, Bulma tensed and began sniffling at Yamucha's name before quickly excusing herself to the hallway.

The heiress had been a screaming, crying mess since yesterday. Occasionally, there was mention of a woman named Launch that needed to be reached, but no one knew how to reach her. Chai still couldn't believe her dad spared the person that ordered the killing of three of his friends, including the fact that Piccolo's death held so many extra consequences. Now no one was coming back. Including everyone that Nappa had also wasted while flying around bored, there were over 20,000 people dead, permanently.

Still, her father maintained that he would simply get stronger than Vegeta.

But what if he comes back stronger than you? What if there is someone even stronger out there that we aren't anticipating?

'One chance in a million is better than no chance at all,' her father had said while they were looking for the bodies. Then again, he had said that in reference to the possibility of Dragon Balls on Namek. The possibility of bringing everyone back. Still though, Chai couldn't help but think that comment applied to many things in life, including the possibility that her father wasn't the strongest person in the universe.

She thought of the bodies again and shivered. Chai still couldn't believe how purple their fingers were when the survivors gathered the bodies. Lips and fingers, probably toes tried to force the image from her head but still she remembered the three caskets, how there wasn't one for Chaotzu because there wasn't any Chaotzu to put into a casket. Bulma had explained tonelessly that they were meant to preserve the bodies for potential resurrection. And now that Nappa's ship had accidentally been blown up, there was no way to Namek. Bulma had calculated the trip with her best ship to take over 4,000 years.

"Dad, will you take Chai to Fire Mountain for half the day tomorrow?" Oka-san spoke up suddenly.

"Well, sure Chi-Chi but why?" Ojii-san answered.

"She needs to continue preparation for the throne. There's a few issues you were telling me about and it would be good practice."

"But what about Papa and Gohan? I want to see them!" the girl cried.

"It'll be fine, Chai. We aren't going anywhere," Otou-san told her, cheerfully.

"You are absolutely right, Goku. You aren't!" his wife told him sharply.

Chai sat in a small silver and purple throne next to her grandfather as several members of council presented issues to them. Though she knew it was necessary, it was pretty boring and overwhelming all at once. How come there were so many problems? How come they were either so screwed up or so petty?

Why did the Dragon Kingdom have to pick on the Rooster Kingdom, and what did that have to do with the Ox?

Where was little Violet Hakuma?

How come the Farr boys couldn't keep out of the cabbage fields?

Why couldn't the Snake Kingdom chill out about where PRECISELY their border began and the Ox bordered ended?

I'd rather be at Roshi's. Even if he did oogle me.

At least he didn't make her wear a flouncey gown, though the girl still had to wear a dress of her choosing, and a tiara. She switched which hand was holding up her head on the arm of the throne and felt at her tiara to make sure it was still straight for all of her fidgeting. But seriously, why did so many girls simply dream of being princesses?

Don't they know this sucks?

"Your Majesty, our crop output was worse than last year," Camphor, the Ox King's steward said simply. Next to the man was his son, Basil, who would be Chai's steward once she was queen. He, evidently, sat in on many of these meetings.

"Well that's odd," Ojii-san replied. "Is our rainfall the same as last year? What about soil acidity? It's surely no hotter or cooler than normal."

"Both are within typical ranges, Sir. Bees seemed to have become disinterested, however."

Crops. Pollinators. Wasn't I just reading about this?

"What about butterflies?" Chai spoke up, suddenly.

"Butterflies, Your Highness?"

"They also pollinate. So do hummingbirds."

"Our hummingbird population decreased," Basil then spoke up. Green hair and yellow eyes, he was his father's twin, though the boy's skin was considerably paler.

"Why?"

"Hawks are in their hatching months, M'lady. More mouths to feed."

"So bees and hummingbirds are decreasing. The crops aren't getting pollinated properly." Chai then strummed her fingers on the metal chair, trying to remember what she read. "If we plant more fennel, that'll leave some for us, but it'll also attract pollinators. Also, Holly shrubs. Perhaps, they'll feed and shelter the hummingbirds."

There was the sound of notes being scribbled as the Ox King smiled down at his granddaughter. She returned his grin with one of her own.

"Well, King Gyumao, perhaps your Kingdom will be known for farming soon, rather than warfare," Camphor said, dryly, though there was a warmth in his eyes.

"Perhaps so," Ojii-san chuckled. "I think we are going to call it for now. The princess appears quite tired."

"Of course, Your Majesty," Camphor replied. "We'll review and retire for the day. Enjoy yourself, Princess."

The Ox King and Chai rose from the thrones, the council bowing to them until Ojii-san and Chai bowed in return. The conversation continued behind them as they left towards the chambers. Although Chai did not live there full time, there was still a room for her, complete with paintings she favored and a wardrobe she could tolerate.

"Isn't it early still, Grandpa?" she asked the huge man next to her. Grandpa was a giant in comparison.

"Chai, did you want to learn to fight?" he asked her.

The girl glowed. "Yes! Yes I did!"

"Okay, well, you can't tell your mom, and maybe not your dad or brother. When you're here without Chi-Chi we can go over to Roshi's at some point during your visit. Probably only an hour at a time. How does that sound?"

The little demi just nodded her head rapidly, overjoyed that she and her grandpa were going to conspire to get her trained. Yeah, it would probably be an hour with Roshi every week but that was better than nothing. She'd heard that both of her parents were naturals at fighting, so she should be too, right?

The first thing Chai noticed about training with Roshi was how quickly he said yes. He eagerly put down his dirty magazine and hopped to his feet, staff in hand and circled her a few times, looking her over.

"Yes, yes," he said. "A little slender but I think we can put some muscle on you. Wont look bad when ya grow up, he-he."

"Ummm, Muten-Roshi-sama…" Ojji-san cleared his throat from the side.

"Right! So, Chai, have you ever received any training?"

"No, Muten-sama," she shook her head, looking down.

"No matter. Everyone must start somewhere, right?" He put a friendly hand on the girl's shoulder and smiled warmly.

Chai nodded shyly. Pervert, sure, but she also knew Muten Roshi-sama was one of the best. He did train her father, after all, and her grandpa. Both of them. She trusted him to stick to the task at hand.

"Alrighty then, so first I want to test your speed. I want you to run from one end of the island to the other, and I'll time you."

The girl nodded, walking over to the end closest to her. She could already feel the humidity pressing against her skin. That was the second thing she had noticed. The location made the work she would do here a bit harder on her body. That was fine. It just meant she could maximize her efforts.

Chai eyed the other edge of the sandbank.

"Go!"

She took off as quickly as her legs could carry but when she tried to stop, Chai's toes tipped her towards the ocean with her arms out. Not that they did any good. Water entered her nose and got throughout her hair and gi. It was the one her father used to wear when he was closer to her size.

She lugged herself out of the ocean, dripping wet and shivering from the breeze that passed over her. Roshi was laughing heartily while Ojii-san had his hands at his face, though she could see that his eyes were wide with fear.

"Chai! I can't take you back to Chi-Chi like that!"

"S-s-orry, Gra-a-ndpa…"

"Ho! Ho!" Roshi held his belly. "Not to worry, Gyumao…. She can shower and dry off here after I test her strength. Ha-ha… Oh…"

The old man peered down at his timer, then pulled down his sunglasses for just a moment to get a closer look. "8 seconds… like your Dad did. Granted, he had years of training on him, and his saiya-jin blood. I'm thinking how light you are has something to do with it."

Despite being cold and wet and in fear of her mother's wrath, Chai was quite proud that she had the same beginning speed as her dad. It gave her hope that maybe she'd be a promising fighter.

Roshi went back inside and returned soon after with a tall machine with a round pad that stuck out from the middle.

"This is a punching machine. A bit modern for my taste but it is fairly accurate and I don't have to get too badly hurt trying to estimate my student's abilities, he-he. Go ahead, girl, give it a try."

Chai nodded, before shaking some of the hair from her clothes and hair. She felt a little better, though her tail was going to be frizzy soon. She nodded to herself then stepped in front of the machine. The pad looked hard, like it would hurt. Chai knew no pain-no gain but she still hesitated. What if she didn't do well here? Would Roshi not take her seriously?

"Pretend it's Vegeta," Roshi offered.

Chai giggled at his suggestion then slowly frowned. Yeah, she'd punch him good if she had the chance. And just keep punching him. And punching him. Until he didn't move.

What's wrong with me?

The girl raised her fist, thinking of the man and the terrible screams from her brother and father that she heard from Baba's crystal ball. Only yesterday. Anger filled her chest, adrenaline coursed through her body, and with a loud roar she hit the red pad as hard as she could. A red 164 blinked onto the screen but the girl didn't see it. She had her head bowed down and she was panting from her anger.

"Hmm…" Roshi hummed.

"How-how did I do?"

"Well, I didn't use this method with your dad so I can't really compare, but 164 is stronger than most adult fighters. Then again, you're not entirely human, girl. In the end, I imagine that will serve you well as it did your father."

"So you'll train me?" She asked, raising her head to look at him.

"Son Chai, I was going to train you, regardless. Now go wash the salt water from your hair. Don't want your mother driving over here to kill me," he chuckled.

Chai nodded at him and went inside to take a shower, trying hard not to trail water behind her. She didn't want to start things off by disrespecting her master's home.

She showered quickly, and was toweling off her hair when a shrill voice erupted through the house.

"Well, old man!? Where is he!? Where-where is Tenshinhan!?"

"Now, Launch, I don't know if you know but -" Roshi-sama's voice answered.

"Of-of course I know! I just… I need to see him, alright!? Show me!"

"Launch, I know you're upset but please put the gun down."

Chai quickly dressed in the forest green gown she was wearing earlier and dashed into the living room where her grandpa was pressing himself to one wall while the old timer was being pressed to a wall by an automatic rifle. The person holding the rifle was a tall, pretty blonde with a red bow and camo pants. She was gritting her teeth and staring hard at him, but tears were beading at her eyes.

"Hey!" Chai shouted from the bathroom, hair still dripping down her back.

The woman then turned the gun at her. "And who the hell are you!?"

"L-Launch, that's Son Goku's daughter, Chai. Do you remember Goku?"

The gun was suddenly back in his face. "And where the hell was Goku when Tenshinhan was getting killed, huh!?"

Chai suddenly felt for the woman. Obviously, she cared for the triclops and was upset over his death. As much as she sympathized, however, that was no reason to come barging into a person's house with a gun. Did she even know how to use that thing?

"Come now, Launch. You saw just as I did that he killed the man that killed Tenshinhan," a voice said from the doorway.

A boy about Chai's age walked in behind the crazed blonde. He was lanky with a dark brown crew cut and magenta eyes. He regarded Launch with a coy smile and walked in the door comfortably with his hands in his pockets.

She whipped around quickly, pointing her automatic from Roshi to the boy, who did not hide the fear on his face well but otherwise remained unfettered.

"Convincing the Blue Me to give all that money to an orphanage when I could use it right now!? How the hell am I supposed to drown my sorrows, now, huh?!"

"I can help you plan another heist, Launch, but not if you shoot me," he said, coolly.

"Hands out of your pockets kid!" she jutted it further into his face.

The boy did as told but as he brought out his left hand, he threw some powdery substance into Launch's face.

"Ah-ah-ACHOO!"

Chai's eyes widened as the woman's hair literally turned a deep violet color and her eyes softened. The woman's gaze went down to the gun in her hands and she flushed a deep red.

"Oh, dear. I'm sorry, Clove…"