Chapter 21

Anger, Pain, and Warm Fuzzy Feelings

Monday, June 16 2:00 p.m.

Tee slowly got back up from getting kicked in the gut.  He slowly brushed his light bluish lavender hair away from his eyes and then finally decided to speak his mind.  "Not that I want to sound overly much like Slip, but could you explain why exactly Boxer's and I need to be here now that you are back?  And secondly, are you sure it is the wisest thing in the world to be training her?"  He asked while pointing at Ichigo.  "It is not as if she is planning on staying here and joining the home team as it were.  She came here and attacked us.  Sure I can accept that that was a simple misunderstanding.  But we are not who she was looking for, why don't we just send her home and be done with this stupid nonsense?"

Ichigo couldn't believe anyone would act as if she were some pest or worse, tourist who could be sent packing.  This entire planet was one unpleasant surprise after another.  But to make matters worse, he actually was blatantly disrespectful and had said that her entire mission was 'Stupid nonsense' right in front of her face!

"What do you mean by stupid nonsense!?!?!"  She shouted at him.  "My mission may have been a failure, but it was the most important thing I have ever done!"

"Your life must have been rather dull then.  Look, no disrespect intended, but I really don't see the point in all of this.  If Buu hadn't left you would have been turned into chocolate or something and we would have never had to deal with you in the first place."  Tee said as he turned to leave the room.

"Kinomi could you show Tee what a Ki Punch feels like for me?"  Roshi said from where he was standing.

Ichigo was so peeved at what Tee had been saying that it took her several moments to realize that Roshi had been talking to her.

"Huh... oh!  Gladly."  She said as she launched herself at Tee.  She decided that a nice blow to the face might knock some sense into him.

Tee had reacted the moment Roshi had told her to attack him, and was flying away from her as fast as he could move.  It didn't help.

"KI PUNCH!!!"  BAAMMMMM!!!!  She socked him in the side of the face and the blow whipped his head around.  The force of the blow caused him to spin in the air as he fell and he landed flat on his back.  A quick check showed that his eyes were rolled up into his head.

"I didn't mean to knock him out." Ichigo said simply as she stood over Tee looking back at Roshi.

"Yes you did, or you wouldn't have use that attack in that manner.  Hitting him in the face was a stunning blow and you knew it."  Roshi said back to her.

"I did n..." Ichigo started habitually arguing.  She was not used to anyone contradicting her.  "...well he deserved it!"  She said in her defense.

Roshi held his hands up in a defensive posture.  "Hey, I'm not disputing that or I wouldn't have told you to use that attack."

"Well You!" She said argumentatively before she realized what he had said.  "You, You, you're not mad at me then?" 

As soon as she said it, Ichigo was mentally kicking herself.  'What do I care if he is mad at me?  It is not like I am a little girl and he is my first master.'

'While I have to respect him for his abilities, he will never be my equal.  I cannot allow myself to forget who he is and what his ancestors did.  He is a tool, nothing more.  Tools are used, they are then discarded.  It matters not at all what he thinks as long as he teaches me what he can teach me before I have to go home and finish my mission.'  She thought to herself.

"I would have rather had you bruise his arm then knock him out, but I should have known better when I told you to hit him."  Roshi said back.

"WHAT THE HECK IS THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?!?!?"  Ichigo shouted at him.

"Your temper is like the ocean's waves.  Rising and falling in never ending cycles."  Roshi said back in an infuriating know it all manner.

"THAT IS IT!  I HAVE HAD ENOUGH OF YOUR PETTY I AM BETTER THEN YOU DISRESPECT!"  Ichigo screamed at him as she launched herself into the air preparing the most powerful Ki Punch that she could deliver.

"Gravity 250 times earth normal" Roshi said calmly.

"AHHH!"  Ichigo gasped as she fell out of the air and slammed into the ground face first.  She felt a tooth break off as she hit the ground.  Blood welled out of her mouth and onto the floor.  Her entire body hurt.  She could hardly breathe, let alone move.   

Roshi, however, was perfectly fine standing in the alcove of the control tower.  He watched Ichigo struggle to get up for about a minute before he decided that he had sufficiently bruised her pride.  Looking over to Boxers who had retrieved Tee and gone to the alcove while Roshi had been distracting Ichigo earlier, Roshi asked, "Do you think she might calm down a bit now, or should I just let her squirm for a while longer?"

Boxers looked at her then down at Tee who was just starting to come to again.  "Man, you are one mean teacher."  He managed to say.

"Hey just be glad I slipped you that note telling you what I had planned."  Roshi said.  He had given Boxers the note while everyone was blind after his Taiyoken.

"You didn't say anything about letting her knock Tee out!"  Boxers shot back.

"Yeah, well I'm not perfect."  Roshi commented.  He held his hand up to stop any further discussion.

"I am sorry I had to do that to you Kinomi.  But you gave me no choice.  You need to learn to control your anger or you will never be able to learn what I have to teach you.  I know next to nothing about you, but you try to put on airs like you are something special and somehow deserving of our respect.  Well here on Earth, respect is earned.  You have yet to earn it.  From this point on, we are at the very least equals.  You can agree to these terms, or you can go home now having gained nothing but a severely wounded ego and damaged pride."  He called out to her as he lowered the gravity manually back down to normal.

"Pztt" Ichigo spit out a mouthful of blood as she got up.  "That was low, dishonorable, and crude."

"I know.  And being the honorable people that we are, we would never stoop to doing anything dishonorable now would we?"  Roshi said back.

"You're the one who started it with your stupid Tri-form.  That attack wasn't fair."  She spat back while feeling her face and checking her teeth.

"Honor is not about fairness.  In fact, what is honorable is seldom fair.  Our fight last night broke down to dishonorable actions because in desperation and need.  There is a higher duty then honor of oneself or one's opponent.  Both of us know this.  If you want to complain about things that are beyond your control go find a Kiao to bitch to.  Now, are you going to agree to be more civil and respectful of us, or should Slip get a ship ready for you to go home in?"  Roshi said calmly.

Ichigo just glared at him.

"Go ahead and glare.  You may not like me, and I really don't know what to think of you.  You're arrogant, impulsive, full of yourself, and overly self centered.  You act as though your needs are more important then the needs of everyone else in the universe.  You are everything my family histories say people hated about Vegeta and then some.  I really don't care who you are on your home planet.  You have nothing on me.  If you want to dispute that, I can kick your butt from here all the way back to wherever the planet Saiya is.  Now, the question you need to ask yourself is whether your pride is more important then your mission.  I don't need to like you to be able to teach you what I know.  And I certainly won't miss you once you are gone, but as long as you are here we might as well attempt to get along and teach each other what we know.  That way both of us benefit, and you can go home having learned something rather then just having to return totally empty handed."  Roshi said sternly.

* * *

Tee was bewilderedly watching Roshi.  "Aowww, how hard did she hit me?  One moment Roshi was being all nice and all and now it looks like he is trying to get her to kill him.  I thought Roshi was trying to make friends with her, what on Earth is he doing now?"

"You tell me."  Boxers said back.  "I just know I never want to be hit by one of those attacks.  You're getting one heck of a bruise there."  He said as he pointed at Tee's cheek.

"Great, just great, and I have a date this weekend!"  Tee whined.

"Anyone ever tell you that you sound like a girl when you whine about your dates?"  Boxers shot back.

"No!"  Tee looked at Boxers like he had just grown another head.  "I don't whine!  What do you mean I sound like a girl?"

Boxers put his hands up by his face and started acting as girlish as he could.  "Ohhh noo!!! I have a date on Friday.  Oh my if I have a bruise it will just be the end of it all.  Oh I will never EVER be able to live it down.  I can't possibly go out in public with this HUGE purple bruise on my face."  He said in an exaggerated feminine voice while blinking at Tee.

"Why you should talk!  Remember that time when you were too afraid to ask Rieko out?  You made me ask her for you."  Tee said.

"Oh great defense!  She ended up going out with you cause she thought you were cute when you asked her out for me!"  Boxers shot back.

The bickering between the two of them soon broke down to new levels of stupidity and they quickly forgot about Roshi and Ichigo.

* * *

Meanwhile...

Ichigo saw red.  Actually she wasn't seeing much of anything.  She was furious.  He was a tool.  He was not her equal.  He had no right to be dictating to her or ordering her around.  The impudent bastard even had to lord over her like he was something great and wonderful.

"I will not be dictated to!"  She screamed at him.

"Ah yes the famous pride of a Saiyan.  Feed your pride.  Feed it all you want.  It won't get you anywhere."  Roshi said calmly.

"Shut Up! You stupid jerk."  Ichigo screamed as she once again jumped into the air to fly at Roshi.

Roshi almost casually jumped back into the alcove disrupting the fight between Tee and Boxers.  "Gravity 300 times normal."  He said calmly.

"SHIIITT" SMACK!  Once again Ichigo did a spectacular faceplant.

"You don't learn very fast do you?"  Roshi said from the alcove.

"Aiiieeeee aahhhhhhhh haaaa," was all Ichigo could manage to say.

"You going to calm down and be nice?  Or should I bump it to 350?"  Roshi asked.

"Um Roshi, I don't think she is still conscious anymore.  Boxers said as he looked out at her lying like she was dead.

"Yeah, you're right, her ki just dropped away.  Gravity normal."  He called out.

The three guys slowly walked to where Ichigo had unceremoniously fallen to the floor.

"Um, can I ask you what in the hell you are thinking?  Have you lost your mind?  She was hard enough to work with to begin with.  What are you hoping to gain by doing this?"  Boxers was frantic.  He had missed part of what had been said while he was fighting with Tee, but he was somewhat sure that whatever the heck Roshi was planning it couldn't possibly make his life any easier.

"She needs to realize that the world does not revolve around her.  Until I can break at least part of her pride and ego, she will be impossible to train."  He said back.

"Hey you two, I hate to interrupt, but Roshi you never answered my question.  Just why are you even trying to train her?  And why do you want us to stick around?"  Tee demanded.

"Tee, do you ever worry about anything other then your own simple pleasures?  Is that date you have on Friday really the most important thing you have to do this week?"  Roshi said back.

"Man, I'm sixteen!  What else is there for me to worry about?  I mean, look around!  All of us want for nothing when it comes to stuff that can be bought.  What do you expect me to worry about?  And before you go off on our glorious family history, let me remind you that we have had like 500 years of peace.  She is the worse thing that has ever happened to the Earth since Goku took the dragonballs away, and I doubt that is going to change anytime soon."

"You really are dense.  You just said that your life is a verifiable goal-less waste.  You don't see a problem with that?"  Roshi shot back.

"I think Tee is just afraid of dying."  Boxers interjected.

"What!"  Tee gasped.  "I am not afraid of anything!"

"Then what do you have against doing a little training?  Never heard of no pain no gain?"  Boxers said back.

"I don't have anything against a little training.  It keeps my physic up nicely.  But I still see no point in all this.  It is not like Buu won't be back.  Heck, if your father or Piccolo or Nail had been here, you wouldn't have even had to fight."  Tee said back.

"That is the entire point.  Buu, my dad, Piccolo, and Nail were gone.  So I had to step up.  Who is to say that at some later date I might not be here and you guys will need to step up?  I say we have nothing to loose and everything to gain by learning what we can from her and each other while on the pretense of training her."  Roshi said.

"I agree." Boxers chimed in.

Both of them turned to look at Tee. (picture a big sweatdrop forming on his face.)

"Okay okay, you win.  I'll train heck, should anything ever happen to attack Earth, I even promise to be right there helping you to fight whoever they are."  Tee finally replied.

"Good then it is agreed on."  Roshi said.  "Hey, would one of you two go some ice water, or maybe some smelling salts.  We need to wake her up.

"Ah, I'll go." Boxers said as he ran for the door.

* * *

A few minutes later, Boxers got back with several liters of cold water, and some smelling salts.  "Which do you want first?"  He asked Roshi.

"Ah lets try the smelling salts.  I have a feeling she will be more receptive to them then she would if she woke up wet and cold."  He replied.

"Yeah.  But wait!"  He said grabbing Roshi's arm as he started to open the bottle.  "What are you going to do when she wakes up?  It is not like she is likely to be real happy."  Boxers asked.

"Yeah, heck if I were her, I would be likely to try to kill you right about now."  Tee chimed in.

Roshi laughed.  "Ha, well, ah that is why you two are here.  To help me hold her down when she freaks and tries to kill us.  Oh, and giving her a Senzu to grow back her teeth may help her to calm down."  He said while pointing at her mangled mouth.

"Ewww no kidding, looks like she almost bit her bottom lip right off."  Tee said.

"That isn't all, look, she's bleeding out of her ears.  Looks like you gave her one hell of a concussion.

"Hmmm, that might not be good.  Giving her brain damage probably won't help her learn this stuff any faster, and she is already way too impatient."

"You can say that again!"  Tee laughed.

"Be ready," Roshi said as he placed the bottle of smelling salts under her nose.

* * *

Ichigo woke gagging on her own blood.  She tried to swallow most of it and spit the rest along with several tooth fragments out all over Roshi who was kneeling over her with a little bottle of the most retched smelling stuff she had ever smelled in her life.

"How are you feeling Kinomi?"  Roshi asked as he set the bottle down.

"Blah yugh.  Kinoni?"  Ichigo said bewilderedly before realizing where she was.  "Whash haffened to nee?"  She managed to say threw her mangled mouth.

"Here swallow this."  Roshi said as he pushed a little green thing into her mouth.

She spit it right back out.  'What is going on?  Where am I?' She thought franticly to herself.  She vaguely remembered being mad, but not at who or why.  She remembered that she had been training. 

"Roasi?  Huat are yoo dooing here?"  She said as she sat up.

"She can't remember! She can't remember you telling her hmmmmght..." Tee started to say before Boxers clamped a hand over his mouth.

"Huuh??"  She asked looking at Roshi bewildered.

"Never mind the idiot.  Here this is a Senzu.  It is what I healed you with last night.  Eat it, it will fix your teeth."  Roshi said comfortingly.

Ichigo was confused.  Her memory over the last few days was hazy.  She remembered passing out after getting the beating of her life.  She remembered Roshi and his house.  She felt she could trust him, but knew not why.  After a careful deliberation and having to swallow several more mouthfuls of blood she decided to trust him.  She took the bean and ate it.

Almost instantly she felt her lips, tongue and nose mend.  Running her tongue over her teeth she found that they were all there.  She couldn't believe it.  She put her hands up to her face and felt her nose and face and teeth.

"How is this possible?  Those types of injures would have taken several hours in a regeneration tank and I would have still had scars to show for my injures.  That thing healed me instantly."  She said in wonderment.

"Yeah, I guess I can say that they are magical.  I couldn't tell you how they work, they just do.  So how are you feeling now?"  Roshi asked.

"Well, I feel great.  We were training right?  I don't really remember.  How did I end up getting knocked out?"  She asked while getting to her feet.

"Ah," Roshi stalled trying to think of something to say.  "Ah, what is the last thing you remember?"

Ichigo paused and thought for a little bit.  Roshi almost started laughing at the way her eyebrows bunched up when she was deep in thought.  "I don't really remember.  I think I was mad about something and I was flying at you to attack.  But I don't remember why I was mad.  Or how I ended up being knocked out."  She admitted.

'Why am I being so honest?  A Saiyan never admits weakness.  Never ever ever!  I'm not even this open with my father.'  She thought to herself. 'I need to get myself back under control.'

The change in her mental resolve was physical.  Her entire body set changed right along with her tone of voice and determination.  "Look, it doesn't matter.  Don't tell me, I don't want to know.  Now are you going to teach me how you can sense people's power-levels or are we just going stand here all day?"

* * *

'Damn I was hoping her sudden change in personality would stick around longer.  I really need to figure out more about her.  I don't even know her military rank.  Heck I don't even know how old she really is.  She seems rather young to be on a mission of the importance that she claims her mission is.  Which tells me that she is someone important, possibly even one of the Royal family.  Which would explain the attitude.  But, as long as she at least treats me with a little respect, I can tolerate her arrogance.' Roshi thought to himself for a moment.

"Well! Are you just going to stare off into space or are you going to say something?"  She demanded.

"Ok, Kinomi, just a second, let me think for a moment."  Roshi said back.

'What have I gotten myself into?'  "Ok, what kind of meditation do you do on Saiya?"  Roshi asked.

"What do you mean meditation?  Do you mean chanting and staring off into space like a religious zealot?  That is a total waste of time."  Ichigo answered.

"Kinomi, what am I going to do with you?"  Roshi said more to space then anyone in the room.  'Why does she always grimace when I say her name?  Oh well, not important. Back to work.'  "Actually, I used to agree with you.  My father spent hours on end just sitting staring off into space.  It was like he had zoned out and tuned into some alternate reality.  But lately, I have come to realize that meditation is if anything even more important then the physical toning one can do in a gravity room such as this one."

"Aww do we have to meditate?  I always fall asleep."  Tee complained over to the side.

Boxers socked him in the gut.

Roshi glared at Tee as if to telepathically project the thought 'YOU ARE NOT HELPING YOU IDIOT' across the room.  "Yes," he said forcefully.  "If you want to learn what I have to teach.  But maybe this is too advanced and difficult for some of you."  He said smirking at Tee.

"Hey! I can do anything that I put my mind to so don't go acting like I'm some dumb idiot just cause of my carefree attitude!"  Tee exclaimed.

"Would you just shut up or do I have to beat you!  I need to learn this stuff!"  Ichigo yelled at back at Tee.

Tee put his hands up, "shutting up!  Shutting up!"

'She certainly has a way with Tee.  I we will be able to tease him for ages after she goes back to Saiya' Roshi thought with a smile.

"Ok then let's get started."  Roshi commanded.  "Now, what you need to do is first I think we should work on the simple stuff, just lowering your ki.  Now to do this, I need each of you to spread out near the walls someplace in this room.  Then I want you to sit down and clear your mind.  Think about your heartrate, or a pleasant memory.  But don't fall into a daydream.  Once your pulse has slowed and you have calmed open your focus out.  Listen and hear without thought.  Don't think or ponder just absorb the information coming to you.  Feel the air move around you." Roshi stopped to take a breath and look at his three students.

"When you do this you should be able to start sensing the energy coming from me.  I will try to keep my ki rather high.  Now, like my father did for me, I will do for you.  If you loose your concentration and raise your ki, I will shoot you with a ki blast.  If you can get out of the way good for you, if not, you will be sore for a while.  If you don't learn, you may be sore for a long while."  He finished with a warning.

Boxers looked thoughtful for a few moments.  "So your saying that no mater how bad you beat us up while we are doing this, you won't be giving us a Senzu?"

"Ah right, we only have three left this season.  Korin said he will have more for us in a few weeks but right now all we have are these three, so I would like to save them for emergencies."  Roshi said.

"Hey what makes her so special that you gave her one just for having a bloody lip?"  Tee asked.

"Tee, do you have any idea how long it takes one of Bulma's old regeneration tanks to grow back teeth?  It would have taken several days.  It was easier this way.  Besides, I am not going to hit you with anything real strong so don't worry so much.  I am beginning to thing you really are afraid of pain."  Roshi taunted.

"Hey!"  Tee yelled, "that was a cheep shot!"

"Yes it was, now get over there and get meditating."  Roshi commanded.

"Fine I will!"  Tee shot back sullenly before turning and walking to the wall.

* * *

Ichigo was not the happiest person in the world.  She didn't quite know what to make of Roshi.  Or for that matter what to make of Slip or Boxers.  Tee she figured was a born idiot and could be ignored as such.  He showed no talent for either brains or fighting.  Boxers seemed to be rash and jumpy, but he at least thought things out.  Slip was... well, Slip was a scientist.  But Roshi, Roshi was a conundrum.

'I don't get him.  I know I was furious at him before I got knocked out.  I just don't remember why.  He rips off my tail' She shuddered involuntarily, 'he belittles me, he overpowers me.  But in all that he does he seems to be the most respectful of the group even while purposely being disrespectful.  He alone seems to understand my responsibility and he alone seems to want to help me.  But WHY?  What does he have to gain?  He must have some nefarious reason for helping me.  No one would just teach someone, who has every reason to kill them, new attacks.  It just doesn't make any sense.  I have every reason to want him dead.  I really don't like his attitude or personality and the only reason I don't try to kill him is that I know he is stronger then I am.  Which is another thing, where and how did he get that strength from?  This meditating is to me a waste of time, but so much of what I have seen here is unexplainable and new.  Is he really teaching me anything at all? I know I wouldn't be if I were him.  Maybe this is just a trick to get me to lower my guard so he can attack me.  Should I really trust him?'  She thought to herself in silence.

Several minutes pass and Ichigo is still thinking about her problems and has yet to even try to meditate.

"Kinomi?"  Roshi said from right behind her causing her to jump several feet into the air in shock.

"AHH!  DON'T DO THAT!!!"  She yelled while trying to catch her breath.

"You two keep trying to keep your ki down," Roshi said to Tee and Boxers who had jumped up when Ichigo screamed.

"Now, what is your problem?  You were so deep into thought that you didn't even hear me coming over here."

"I was thinking.  And I am used to having my scouter beep and tell me people are sneaking up on me!" She said in her defense.

"Speaking of which, take it off, it messes up your hearing with that thing covering your ear."

Ichigo thought for a moment and then took it off and placed it on the ground a few feet from where she had been sitting. "That ok?"  She demanded.

"Sure, now I just want to know why you were not trying to meditate.  You can't learn anything unless you do what I say."  Roshi commented.

"Ah, I know, it is just that..."

"You don't trust me."  Roshi said cutting her off.

'Damn him for being so smart.  If he proves to be telepathic I'll just have one more reason to kill him.'

Roshi started to chuckle.

"What?! What are you laughing at?!?!"  Ichigo said in surprise.

"Oh, nothing, just well, ah, your face.  You scrunch up your eyebrows funny when you think."

"AH I..." She gasped.  "How dare you laugh at me?"

"Look, sorry, now could you please try to trust me and at least try to meditate?  Look at it this way, if I wanted to kill you, why did I give you two Senzu beans?  You can trust me.  The only thing you have to loose bye doing what I say is that stupid scouter."  He said pointing at her scouter.

'He has a point.  Why does he have to be right?  Jerk.'  "Fine, just leave me alone so I can calm down and do this stupid meditation."  She shot back.

Roshi shrugged and then turned around and walked away.

'AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH I AM SOOOOO GOING TO KICK HIS ASS!!!!!  DROP him down a peg or two on the I'm sooo very full of my abilities scale.  JERK!!!!'

Ichigo took several deep breaths to try to calm down.  'So Jerk wants us to focus on a happy memory.  Ok I can do that.  I'll just think about what his face looked like when I kicked him in the groin last night.'

Ichigo was happy to realize that she had a very very clear recollection of that moment.  Not much right after or from earlier when she had been knocked out, but she had perfect recollection of THAT moment.  The problem was remembering that fight made her antsier rather then helping her to calm down.

"ARRRRRGGGHHHHHH!!!!" She yelled out in frustration.  'This is NEVER going to work!'

* * *

Meanwhile elsewhere in the room, Tee had fallen asleep just like he said he would.  Roshi didn't catch on until Tee slouched over and flopped onto his side.

"Ssnnzzzzuughhh," Tee peacefully snored away.

'I should drop kick him so he lands on Kinomi' Roshi thought to himself.  'No, on second thought, having Kinomi kill him won't make my day any easier.  Kami what did I do to deserve this?'  He thought while looking up at the ceiling.

'First I save the planet from a rampaging girl who really isn't all that bad and probably didn't want to kill anyone but me anyway.  Then I get grounded for my efforts.  Mom will never understand.  Then I have Slip complaining:  "Do you have any IDEA how much This will COST to fix!!!!??"  she had said.  WHY OH WHY can't I have a NORMAL boring life like everyone else on the planet???' (AN:  Anyone get why this is so very cynical of Roshi?)

"Tee wake up and concentrate."  He said while shaking Tee awake.  "I said not to daydream.  Focus and you won't fall asleep."

"Yawn, Huh?  I fell asleep?  Sorry man.  I'll keep trying."  Tee said drowsily.

'Right, you'll fall right back to sleep the moment I leave.'  "Sure, ok but first I have a task for you."

"Huh?  Ah Okay.  What do you want me to do?"

"Not get hit by my Energy Dan."  Roshi said as he jumped up and away from Tee.  "YAAAAHHHHHH" He yelled out starting to rapid fire a bunch of very small ki blasts.

"AHHHHHHH" The look on Tee's face was priceless.  He jumped right up and slammed his head into the ceiling.

THUD!!  "OUCH!"

"Good!  They all missed you!"  Roshi called out knowing full well that he had not actually been aiming at Tee.  "Next time I won't wake you up first."  He said as he turned around to walk away.

'That might help him focus a bit.' He thought as he walked past Boxers.  'Hmmm, Boxers may actually be getting it.  His ki rose slightly while I was picking on Tee, but not much.'  He caught Ichigo glance at him.  'I just wish Kinomi would be easier to get through to.  She is not going to stay patient and easy to work with very long.'

* * *

Ichigo had just started to get calmed down and focused when she heard  Roshi attack Tee.

'I wonder what the moron did wrong?' She pondered that for a moment before sighing, 'not like it really matters.  I doubt I will get anything out off all this nonsense anyway.' 

Even with her negative mindset however, her conscience and pride were telling her that a Saiyan never gives up on any task and that it was too early to judge the effectiveness of the meditation.

Slowly but surely Ichigo started to draw her thoughts together and focus on meditating.

'AAAAARRRGGGGGHHHHHHHH THIS ISN'T WORKING'

Ichigo continued to fume.

* * *

Meanwhile, on Kiao-shin's planet.

Ok, that is enough fun for today Buu."  Goku said cheerfully.

"Ahh, Buu like fighting you, you strong.  Please more fight?"

"Nah, not right now, I have some stuff I need to do ok?"  Goku said back.

"Ok, Buu go get food.  You come with?"

"No, not right now, maybe in a bit" Goku said as he waved Buu off.

"You not hurt are you?  You not acting normal."  Buu stated.

"Oh, no I am fine, I just have some stuff I need to do, that is all I promise!"  Goku said back even thought he was extremely tempted to go eat.

"Ok, I guess you okay.  Me go get food." Buu said as he turned and flew away.

Goku flew up to his spot.  It was his favorite spot on all of Kiaoshin, because from here he could see very easily everything that was happening on Earth.  Goku enjoyed his newfound life with they Kiaos, but he did miss his days on Earth.

He watched Roshi trying to train Ichigo and the two boys for a while.

'Hmmm, Roshi is a smart kid.  He really reminds me of Gohan only just as focused on his training as the books.  I always wondered how strong Gohan would have been had he never stopped training.  Kiaoshin claims that his mystic form was as strong as he could go, but I am willing to bet he could have gone even stronger had he tried.'

"Sigh," 'I miss Chichi and Gohan and Goten.  Maybe I should go visit them in heaven.'

Goku brushed his thoughts aside and focused in on what was happening on Earth.  'How is she ever going to figure it out if she doesn't calm down?'  He thought to himself. 

Goku suddenly got an idea.  "I Know!" he said with a big smile.

* * *

Ichigo was getting flustered.  She just could not force herself to relax and meditate.  Every time she got close to doing what Roshi had told them to do, her mind stated telling her how pointless all this was.

'I'm never going to get this.  I might as well give up on this stupid sensing idea and just try to learn his attacks.  That one where he blinds people is pretty good, and then there is that Kamehameha thing.'

"HEY ICHIGO" A voice called out to her in her mind interrupting her thoughts.

'What?'  She casually looked around the room.  'Who said that?'

"I did.  It is I, Goku.  Remember you talked to me in your dream."

'...'

"Come on, you don't remember?"

'.......I have to be hallucinating...'

"Hey, that hurts.  You are fine and you know it.  Now you need some help, so I am going to talk you through these meditations.  Ok first you need to..." Goku started to explain more in depth what she needed to do to focus and actually start meditating.

"Ok, now focus on your ki.  Center it in the middle of your body, right at your stomach."

Ichigo did what he said.  She could feel her ki moving into a nice small little ball right above her stomach.

"It should feel warm.  Now, take a very deep breath and very very slowly exhale.  Let your energy flow out as you exhale to the tips of your fingers and toes.  You should get a nice warm fuzzy feeling."

Ichigo almost broke her concentration.  To have a person who she had been told was the greatest Saiyan warrior ever just tell her to expect a Warm Fuzzy Feeling?  'What kind of warrior talks about warm fuzzy feelings?'

"Me, that kind, now trust me, if you do it right you will get a warm fuzzy feeling that tingles all through your body."  Goku spoke to her mind.

Something in the back of her mind was nagging at her that having some strange guy reading her mind and talking to her was not a good thing.  But, she decided that since she couldn't do anything about it, she might as well accept it and do what he said.

Ichigo relaxed and slowly exhaled.  As she exhaled she really did feel her ki tingle throughout her arms and legs.  It felt really really weird to say the least.

"Good, now clear your mind.  Stop questioning, stop thinking.  FEEL and react without thought."

'Huh?'

"I told you to stop questioning me.  Just follow my instructions.  Empty your mind.  Open your senses.  Let your ki flow freely to where it is needed.  Open your mind to everything your senses detect."

Goku continued to talk to Ichigo for several more minutes.  Then he left her to her meditation and went to catch up with Buu for some food.

* * *

Roshi slowly walked around the room.  It had been several hours since he had had them start meditating.

'I have to admit it, I am surprised.  Once she calmed down and focused she dropped her ki like a rock and it has not gone up since.  Heck I could only hold my ki down for four hours earlier this summer, and I don't think I kept it nearly as stable.'

Roshi stopped his thoughts long enough to send another small ki shot at Tee.  It was only powerful enough to be felt as a tap, but it sent all the message it needed to.  Tee's ki spiked for a moment, and then dropped back down.

'Tee is doing about as well as expected, but at least Boxers seems to be getting it.  I only had to send a few ki shots at him.'

Roshi looked at his watch.  'Hmmm 5:30, time to let them eat, I have to get home or my mom will kill me.'

"Okay guys.  You did very well for the first time, but it is time to eat.  I'll have to head home in a bit, but I want you to all know I am proud of how you did today.  One we have eaten, you are free to do whatever you want.  But I would suggest doing some more meditation.  Oh, and Kinomi," He said as he turned to look right at Ichigo, "I don't want you to wear that Scouter anymore.  Here, take this ear mic communicator."  He said as he gave her a little silver microphone and earpiece. "It won't interrupt your sense of hearing quite so much, and will still let me talk to you.  You are free to stay at the guest house, but I want to know were you are going if you leave Capsule Corp."

"Why?  You afraid I might run away and start killing people?"  She tersely said back.

"No, but I do what to be able to know were you are at just in case."  He replied with a chuckle.

Ichigo glared at him.  "Whatever."

"Oh, and no one is to use the Gravity room tonight. If you don't rest you won't get maximum benefit from the training we are doing.  Is that Clear?"  He finished with a tone of authority.

"No problem" Tee said right away.

"Sure."  Boxers chimed in.

"I guess," Ichigo finally said.

"Ok, good.  Well I have to get moving, see you guys tomorrow.  Kinomi the food is probably better here, but if you want to come back with me now you may."

"I think I need some time alone.  I will come back later this evening."  Ichigo said back.

"Ok, later!"  Roshi said as he ran out the door.

* * *

This chapter is dedicated to Jimbo.  Thanks for being the first to tell me about the html thing.  Thank you to all the people who emailed me with your suggestions.

Anyway, I realize that we are now into the section of the fic where most of my previous reviews had come from.  A lot of you have already reviewed the original versions of these chapters.  Those of you who have not, however, I would still love to hear your opinions of the revisions.  Especially on chapters like 20 that actually changed.

(this chapter only had about a paragraph added and then a few lines changed.)

Anyway, Thanks for all your patience and support during these revisions. 

The Smooster