Chapter 34 The chapter with no title

Chapter 34 Unity? What Unity?

Friday June 20th 3:30pm

Roshi woke at the Sanctuary with the wrinkled old face of Dende looking down at him.

"Kami? What..." He started to say as he sat up.

"Nothing to worry about, you were just knocked out." Dende replied calmly before turning to walk away.

Roshi shuddered as he remembered the jolt of pain that had passed through him when Ichigo had kicked him. Not feeling any pain but also not thinking about the fact that Dende had just healed him, Roshi reached down and laid his hand on his crotch.

"Ewwwwww, Roshi, that's gross. I never took you for one of those sick bastards that plays with himself in public." Slip said as she walked up and dropped three overstuffed duffle bags on the tile floor of the Sanctuary.

Roshi whipped his hand away as his face lit up like a crimson bulb. "I wasn't playing with myself. I was just making sure everything was still there." Roshi finished blushing even more.

Slip gave him a really odd look and raised an eyebrow. "Still there?"

"Yeah, um well you see, Ichigo kicked me."

Tee and Boxers both of whom had been standing on the outskirts of the conversation both winced. Slip on the other hand, almost fell down laughing.

"Awwww poor boy. Let me cry for you." She said while curling her bottom lip over and pretending to pout.

"Ouch man that had to have hurt." Boxers said to Roshi before turning to Slip and glaring at her. "It isn't funny."

"Yes it is. It is almost poetic justice. Roshi is the only one here at the moment who really cares whether that bitch is alive or not, and she treats him like dirt. Oh, and since he didn't feel sorry for the fact she blew up my lab, why should I feel sorry for him. I mean, EVERYTHING is all there right?" She said while looking at Roshi much in the manner as a vulture would look at a dieing cow.

Roshi blushed and created a new shade of red. "HUH? Oh ah YES!!"

All four of them laughed for a bit. "Dude, you should really wear a cup or something. I mean the girl aims for them and all." Tee said while laughing.

Roshi scrunched up his face and shook his head. "No thank you, those things are about as comfortable as... as... well they just suck."

Boxers cocked an eyebrow and looked at Roshi oddly, "You know, If I were in your shoes I would put up with a bit of discomfort, but then we all know you are a masochist and like pain."

Slip rolled her eyes and made a few whimpering noises. "Poor Roshi." She snickered. "As if you have the right to complain about uncomfortable clothing. Do you have any idea what it feels like to wear say the wrong bra for too long?"

"Get ready boys, Slip is about to go into another one of those... Life is so hard on girls speeches." Roshi deadpanned as he started to walk away. "Oh we have to look like this and dress like this and then we have to put up with that time of the you know what, and guys only want us for our looks, or our money and woe is me woe is me."

"Stop making fun of me! Life isn't fair, you guys have it so easy!" Slip yelled before turning and stomping away.

The three boys laughed for a bit, but Slip eventually came back to where they were standing.

"By the way, where is the super bitch anyway?" Slip said when she came back. "Shouldn't she be here? I mean, isn't the entire point of all this so that you guys can train more?"

"I don't know," Roshi said as he walked over to look over the side of the Sanctuary. "I would guess that she has left by now."

"Left?" Boxers questioned.

"Well the only reason she knocked me out was because she knew I wouldn't let her go if I was conscious, so I would guess she's long gone by now." Roshi said as he relaxed and tried to sense Ichigo's presence.

"Cool." Tee said from where he was standing.

Roshi looked over at him. "Cool? Please don't tell my you just sounded happy about her attempt to castrate me and leaving for no good reason." Roshi said in a none too kind voice. "Because if you did I might just have to make you regret it."

"Sorry man, call me selfish, but I had a big date with Aiako planned and I really would like to still go out with her tonight."

"Psha, big deal, you only like her for her looks and she only likes you for you money, you're better of letting Roshi beat the snot out of you." Slip said as she shook her head and went back to where she had put down her bags.

"That isn't true! Aiako is a sweet wonderful girl and just because your miss bitter loner geek doesn't mean you need to get mad about the fact that I have a social life!" Tee yelled back at her. He then turned to the guys. "She is such a prude. Just because she swore off dating because of how her parents act doesn't make me feel sorry for her."

Roshi shook his head. "I don't really know. There are times when her dad seems more interested in how much something will cost then he is about Teddy and Slip. I can't blame her for her low opinion of the male sex. I mean, the tabloids don't help, and being voted the world's sexiest teen twice makes her less then a person to a lot of guys."

Boxers rolled his eyes and grimaced. "Roshi are you blind? Do you see what she is wearing? If she did date she would be a man-eater. She flaunts herself and LIKES being the center of attention. I think she's just jealous because she is the type of girl who wouldn't give the right kind of guy for her a chance and is too clueless to realize why she is so unhappy."

'At least they aren't talking about my social life. I don't even know if I have one right now. I wouldn't blame Mariah if she never wanted to talk to me again.' Roshi thought as he looked over at Slip who was sitting on one of her duffle bags. "Slip brings a lot of it down on herself, but she doesn't deserve all of it."

Tee was glaring daggers into Slip's back. "Yeah well that doesn't excuse what she said about Aiako."

Roshi shook his head. "No, it doesn't. But I wouldn't worry about it, things will sort themselves out," Roshi paused as he felt his father and Ichigo approaching the Sanctuary, "they always do."

--

Ichigo slowed down and fell further behind Goshu. She could feel that Roshi and his cousins were waiting at what seemed to be Goshu's destination.

'I don't want to face Roshi right now.' Ichigo thought as her sense of honor chafed her deeply. 'I had the right reasons, or at least I thought I did, when I did what I did but I don't want to face Roshi right now.'

While Ichigo was beginning to grasp just how different the people who lived on Earth were from her people, Roshi was a conundrum to her. He was a riddle to which she never quite seemed to have the right answer.

She could feel him waiting for her. This filled her with a sense of dread. Ichigo knew the feeling of dread quite well. However, the reason she was dreading getting to the Sanctuary was rather new to her. She knew that Roshi would forgive her and move on. The fact that he not only could but had and would again do that filled her with dread. It made her feel as though she owed him. Ichigo couldn't stand the thought of owing anyone for anything. Plus, she didn't really know how long he would continue to forgive and move on.

"Roshi's father said he trusts me. While that video could have been created or edited, I doubt it was. Those were Roshi's words. Why do I inspire such trust? And how long will it last?" She whispered to herself.

"It will last as long as you allow it to last. Oh, and you have not inspired trust, Roshi is just naturally trusting. But be warned, you have to return that trust or you will find that even Roshi's trust won't last forever." Goshu said from a few meters away from her startling her and eliciting a small noise from her.

"YAHH, DON'T DO THAT!" Ichigo screamed as she looked at Goshu like he was a ghost. "What are you doing listening to me anyway?"

Goshu chuckled and gave her the same dopey grin Roshi always seemed to have, "You slowed down, I just wanted to see what was wrong."

"Nothing that I can't handle myself." Ichigo retorted.

Goshu shook his head sadly. "You don't like relying on anyone but yourself do you? I think I understand now, you don't trust others easily and therefore the notion that Roshi would trust you when you know you have done nothing to deserve his trust is an enigma to you."

Ichigo shivered under Goshu's piercing stare. It held no malice, or anger, or contempt, nor did it hold compassion or benevolence, it just was. For the second time in an hour Ichigo felt like her very soul was under examination.

"What makes you think you know me so well? Just because you seemed to be in charge of your extended family and are Roshi's father doesn't mean you know me." She replied.

Goshu shook his head slowly. "I don't know you. I can infer from what I have heard and from your actions more then you could ever guess however."

"Well don't. You don't know me and I don't like how you think you can judge me so easily."

Goshu cocked an eyebrow at her and smirked. "Like you so easily judged all of us?"

Ichigo felt her face flush with anger as she glared at the man in front of her. 'How dare he mock me? I don't need to take this.' Ichigo clenched her fists, "how dare you mock me. You don't know anything about me and while I have made some mistakes they in no way make you my superior."

"Yes they do. Your title means nothing here, Ichigo. The courtesies that you have received would have been given to any Saiyan. You are the first we have ever met since Vegeta settled here so for that we are as a group slightly more willing to humor you."

"How dare..." Ichigo started to say when Goshu cut her off with a glare and an up held hand.

"I am not finished hear me out please. As a warrior you have fighting abilities that demand respect and for those things I do respect you. However, as a person you have a long way to go. As the saying goes, the ball is in your hands. What you do now will more likely then not determine the success of our training." Goshu glanced up towards were the Sanctuary was. "Roshi has done far more then even I would have done for someone in your situation. You wonder how he trusts you? I can't answer for him, but I can say that he tends to bring the best out in people. I hope for your sake there is more to you then the façade of anger and mistrust that you seem to extrude like sweat."

Ichigo literally didn't know what to say. Had Goshu said such things to her just a few days earlier she realized that she would have tried to kill him for it. But now, now she wasn't nearly so reactive, and he actually made her think.

'Why am I so important? Roshi is stronger, I have no idea how strong his father is but just his presence is commanding. If my title is not important, why am I important? From what I have been told, Roshi's ancestors could have taken on planets full of Changelings and not been so much as scratched.' Ichigo pondered for a moment longer and then looked up at Goshu. "Why do you claim that I will determine the success of this training you want us to do now?"

Goshu gave her an odd look. "Don't move." He said as he floated closer to her.

Ichigo quickly floated back away from him.

"I said don't move." Goshu repeated as he once again floated closer to her.

Once again Ichigo floated away.

Goshu cocked an eye at her and shook his head. "So, what are you afraid of?"

"I'm not afraid of anything!" Ichigo yelled at him as she flew within arms reach of him.

Goshu just looked her in the eyes and then turned away. Looking over his back he replied, "Yes you are. You are afraid to trust. Even more so than that, however, is that you are afraid to hope. You are right, I don't know you. I don't know why you are who and what you are. But I can tell you that you don't like trusting anyone but yourself. Because of your position on Saiya that was probably a good thing, but here it will get people hurt or worse. It already has and it will again if you don't change."

"What are you saying? Change what?" Ichigo demanded.

"When the Changeling arrives we will have to fight it. None of us is strong enough alone to beat it. We will have to work as a well tuned unit, totally trusting and dependant on each other if we are to succeed. If you can't even trust me enough to not move when I float near, how can I trust you to block an errant ki blast?" Goshu once again looked up towards the Sanctuary.

"Roshi knows nothing but trust. He really does see almost everyone as having the same motives and ideas as he holds for himself. Tee and Boxers function much like twins they are never apart. Nail and Piccolo are brothers and have the memories of the Piccolo who fought with and against Goku. Yoshi and myself were the last students of the greatest master and teacher of Martial arts ever born on Earth. I don't know who else will be part of our little group, but each of us will have our part in the whole." He finished.

Ichigo glared at him. "So what, you are telling me I don't fit in? If you are so sure I don't fit in with your little group why did you try to stop me from leaving? Why even include me? I still don't understand why you think it is important that I am part of your group. I am not part of your group, I am and always will be myself. I am Princess of the Saiyan race and it is because of me that the Changeling is even coming here! You all talk in riddles!"

"Like I said, you are afraid to hope. I really don't know why I tried to stop you. As you said you will always be who you are. If that title is all you are then go, you can't help us here. I am sorry to have wasted your time."

"Can't you say anything in a coherent way? Must everything be some vague commentary? What does hope have to do with any of this?! I have hope or I wouldn't be here!" Ichigo yelled at him.

"No you don't and that is the problem. You are here because of who you are and your own sense of duty. Admit it, if it wasn't for the fact that you lead a Changeling here you would be long gone." Goshu said as he started heading towards the Sanctuary.

Ichigo hurried to catch up. "Of course I would be gone. There is nothing for me here. You aren't Super Saiyans and I know better then to think that any of you would bother risking your lives if you didn't have this planet to protect!"

"Wrong answer. Yes, the fact that if we don't succeed we will all die is definitely a good reason to train, but Roshi was training you and Tee and Boxers even before he knew that there was a Changeling coming. Why do you think he did that?" Goshu said over his shoulder.

"I don't know! You are his father! You tell me. Since obviously everything revolves around him. Why you stoop to abide by his decisions is beyond me and contrary to everything I know!"

Goshu stopped again and gave Ichigo another one of those probing stares. "Oh make no mistake I am not following Roshi. Not as far as the Changeling is concerned at least. When he chose to give you that senzu rather then finish you off he chose the path all of us would take but that was in a way destiny and no one can go against that."

"You didn't answer my question." Ichigo pointed out.

"You have not answered any of mine either." Goshu replied.

Ichigo rolled her eyes and forced herself to calm down. "Now I know why Roshi talks to much. Do you actually have a point to all of this or are you just going to keep making elaborate word puzzles that leave me more confused then I was to begin with?"

"Oh, you want the point? The point of all of this is so that I could see how you would react to certain things. The point of this was to see just what you actually thought. The point of this was that for some unknown reason you don't have hope. You have an overriding sense of duty and honor, which drives you to succeed, but you have no hope. Because you can't dare yourself to hope you also are afraid to trust any of us. You use the defense that I don't know you to deflect my inquiries, but then are unwilling to open up and really say why I am wrong."

Ichigo's eyes narrowed, but she did not speak.

"You are important and whether you like it or not you are part of the group because your presence is the cause of our fight. But more then that you are also a symbol of some of the things we have lost over the years. If you fight with us we are suddenly fighting for more then just ourselves or the Earth but also for everything you represent."

"And here I thought you said that my title wasn't important."

"It isn't. You however represent a cause. It is a cause that we can put some hope into even if you do not."

Ichigo didn't speak.

"The point of this is that if you cannot bring yourself to trust us then you exclude yourself from our group. That exclusion will weaken the bonds of hope and will lead to us second guessing our actions. It will cause a moments hesitation on the battlefield. It will cause a second glance to make sure you or someone else is there. Without that trust and without that hope in not only our cause but your cause the only hope for us to win is in the Super Saiyan.

Ichigo chewed on her bottom lip and thought in silence for a few minutes. "Why don't you want one of us to go Super Saiyan?"

"In the fight with Frieza, Goku did everything he could and lost. Frieza came back from what should have been a fatal attack, an attack, which was Goku's last chance and could not be repeated. Gohan, Goku's son kept a detailed journal and he said that in that moment he saw fear in his father's eyes for the first time. Frieza had beaten Goku's spirit. He lost it only for a few moments, but that was all that really mattered. If he had just killed them there, Frieza would probably still be in control of most of the planets left in this region of space. Frieza gloated however and Piccolo almost sacrificed himself to save Goku. Seeing Piccolo down, Frieza mockingly killed Krillen, who was Goku's best friend. He then threatened Gohan."

Goshu shook his head slowly, "No one really knows what trigger's the transformation. Usually it is associated with a great sense of loss or a great pain. Goku found it because a friend died and his son was threatened. Vegeta found it because he finally was overcome with his own failures and the pain caused him to transform. Gohan made it because he needed to, and because he as well felt he had failed in the past. If becoming a Super Saiyan was easy we would all be Super Saiyans. I for one would rather not experience the types of pain that normally cause it."

"So you are afraid." Ichigo stated with contempt.

Goshu smirked and shook his head. "Anyone who isn't is a fool. Yes I am afraid. Not really for myself, but for Roshi, and Tee, and Boxers, and in no small amount for you as well."

"Why would you care one way or another about me? Everyone here seems to care, but why? Why am I so important? And besides that why are you afraid for Roshi? From everything I have heard or learned about him, he is practically perfect and infallible. One would think people would be worshiping him in the streets."

"Roshi is far from infallible. He has lead up to this point in time a very soft life. He could do almost anything he wanted and get away with it. Nothing he ever truly desired was denied him. He has never gone up against failure and had to back down."

Goshu took a deep breath and looked back at Ichigo. "I know that if worse comes to worse the best chance we have for one of us to become a Super Saiyan is probably either Roshi or myself, and knowing what it took for Goku to find the key, I fear for Roshi if he is put into the same situation. Once innocence is lost, it can never be found again."

"Most people on Saiya would call you a sentimental fool. Fear is a weakness, to talk about it so freely would invite ridicule and even listening to you bothers me. I think however you did help me in one aspect of my enigma. By my people's standards Roshi shouldn't exist. He is too soft and such softness is a weakness and he would not have been allowed to remain so innocent. Yet at the same time, only one as... soft," Ichigo tried to keep the disgust at the words she was speaking out of her voice, "as Roshi would have let me live after out first meeting. I know he is not weak, yet all my training and experience tells me that he should be."

"And?" Goshu inquired.

"And what?" Ichigo said back.

"And what have you learned from all this?"

"Ichigo rolled her eyes. "I learned to never get into a conversation with you. You ask too many questions and then you turn my questions back at me. Until you tell a few things I am not going to answer another question."

Goshu smirked, "Fair enough, what do you want to know now?"

"I want to know why you said you fear for ME since I don't want or need anyone to waste there energy spending a worthless emotion on me. I also want to know why you didn't count me as a possible Super Saiyan even though I am fairly certain I am stronger then you are." Ichigo demanded.

"And here I thought you wanted to know something hard. I fear for you because you have lost your sense of hope. Something happened to you during your life, which hurt you greatly. I can see you tensing up just listening to my talk and because you tense you put up walls and close yourself off from the rest of us. You were hurt and now you can't or won't trust others for fear that you will be hurt again. It is because your life has been so harsh and you are so accustomed to it that I doubt you will find the impetus to reach the level of Super Saiyan. You said it yourself, emotions are seen as weaknesses, since you neither rule nor use or even accept those emotions you will always be one step short of your goal. That is why I said you need to change, and why I fear for you."

Ichigo shivered and tasted bile in her mouth. She literally felt several barriers that she hadn't even realized were there start to fall. While Goshu wasn't totally right, he was close enough to the point and blunt enough that his words hit harder then the strongest of punches.

Ichigo hugged herself and tried to control her breathing. After about a minute she realized that Goshu had left. Sensing him nearing the location where she could feel Roshi and his cousins, she flew to catch up.

--

Tee, Boxers, and Slip were busy arguing over which was worse, men or women. Roshi felt bad for the guys as even working together Slip seemed to be winning the argument. There was just something really powerful about a mad and determined person of the female gender. The fact that Slip was a genius and the two boys had always been slackers didn't help them any either.

Meanwhile, Roshi was looking over the side of the Sanctuary wondering what was taking his father and Ichigo so long. They seemed to be just hanging in the air not doing anything. 'I wish Dende were out here, if he was here I would actually be able to see what was going on, but the nifty see anything on the planet thing only seems to work when he is around.'

Roshi was just about to jump off and fly to them to see what was going on when his father started flying towards the Sanctuary again.

Goshu landed near Roshi and looked over the group. He cocked an eye and turned to look at Roshi. "Slip actually came?"

"What you mean that wasn't your idea? Why is she here then?" Roshi replied back, "She can't fight and she will only get in the way."

"Actually, it was Teddy's idea, she wanted Slip out of her hair for a bit so she wouldn't feel guilty over all the stuff that has happened lately. Teddy also thought that it wouldn't be right for Ichigo to have to train for a year in a room with only men around. She said that having Slip around would help ease some of the stress."

"Teddy is trying to kill us. Ichigo hates Slip. If anything she will make things worse!"

Goshu smiled and looked around. "Relax Roshi, a lot can happen in the year of training and look at it this way, since Ichigo and Slip will be bunking together Slip may learn how not to be so obnoxious."

Roshi sweat dropped and quickly made sure Slip was still arguing with Tee and Boxers and therefore oblivious to his conversation with his father. "Um we can hope. She will ether learn that or Ichigo will kill her."

"Hey, they say adversity is the best teacher. I doubt Slip will learn much but we can hope." Goshu said with a laugh.

A sudden thought hit Roshi. "I don't think I want to see what would happen if those two actually saw something eye to eye. I think it would cause me a lot of problems in fact."

Goshu actually burst out laughing, which caused the other three to stop arguing and start walking over. "Oh my, you might be wise in that opinion. Remind me to tell you about the one time Teddy and Maxine and Raven pulled a prank on PJ and I." Goshu said as he lead Roshi over to where Slip had dropped all her bags. "Anyway everyone listen up. I need to go get some supplies. Everyone wait here, we will all be going into the Room of Spirit and Time for our training. I suggest you all just sit down and relax for a while, it will be the last few moments of peace you will have for a very long time." Goshu said before he took off and flew away.

"Oh great now we just sit here and do nothing for a few more hours. I could have been spending time with Aiako." Tee muttered.

"Oh you stupid little baby. Whaaa whaaa whaaa I don't get to spend time with my girl." Slip spat back mocking Tee. "You think I want to be here? I'm not a fighter! I'm a scientist. I am an engineer. But my mom thought it would be good for me. So just shut up about missing your stupid date!"

Ichigo landed silently and watched the group apprehensively for a few moments. She was chewing on her lip, deep in thought as she slowly walked closer to them.

Since she seemed to be walking towards him, Roshi blocked out what his cousins were saying and walked a few steps towards Ichigo as he crossed his arms over his chest. 'let's see if she apologizes.'

She glanced up and then quickly away. It was the first time he had ever really seen her act in a fashion that show she was ashamed about anything.

"I'm waiting." Roshi said calmly.

Ichigo looked up at him with a puzzled expression on her face. "Oh, for what?" She asked.

Roshi rolled his eyes and turned around. Calling over his back he spoke, "never mind, if you don't know, telling you won't mean anything." He said with contempt as he walked back to Tee, Slip, and Boxers.

"Oh so just because you won't allow yourself to date you think I shouldn't either? Jealousy isn't a good trait for you Slip." Tee shot back.

"Jealousy! I can get a date anytime I want to. I mean look at me! What guy wouldn't want to date me? I'm not jealous. If you want to waste your time thinking about some stupid girl then feel free. Idiot!"

"I wouldn't want to date you." Roshi said as he entered the group. "Now can you guys just drop the subject. What is more important; worrying about a missed date or saving the planet so you can go on more dates later? I mean, I'm missing a date with Mariah too, but you don't see me complaining."

"What is a date?" Ichigo asked from the side looking rather perturbed that she was not being included in the little group of cousins.

"What? You don't know what a date is?" Slip gasped before laughing, "Well I guess we can't expect everything from a social reject."

Ichigo's face flushed with anger. "I am not a reject. Now what is a date? Why would it be something that is worth saving a planet for?"

For once Slip didn't have a comeback.

"A date is how two people normally a guy and a girl get to know each other in the attempt to fall in love and get married." Boxers said as he reached over to jab Roshi and Tee in their sides. "Right lover boys?"

Roshi blushed cardinal red for a few moments and sweat dropped. "Well, eventually yeah that tends to be the point."

"So it is like an odd form of courtship then?" Ichigo asked.

"Well yeah, if it gets that far it is, otherwise the two break up and go their own ways, which is exactly what Aiako might do if I keep having to ignore her." Tee said quickly while glaring at Slip.

"That is a stupid custom." Ichigo said while scrunching her eyebrows in thought.

"Stupid? What do you mean what is so stupid about it?" Slip demanded.

Ichigo looked at her like she was an idiot, "you tell me, you seem to be against this dating idea anyway. But why waste the time when the relationship is not destined to be actual courtship?"

"Ah, so you know she, or he is right. I mean how else are you going to fall in love?" Tee said back.

Ichigo rolled her eyes. "Love is the result of courtship. Not a prerequisite. It really isn't even necessary." She said looking down and away.

"Not necessary? The result? What? So if your people don't date and you don't even think love is necessary how do you know who to marry?" Boxers asked exasperatedly.

Ichigo looked away. "I don't want to talk about this. You obviously wouldn't understand."

"Probably something barbaric like arranged marriages to a cousin or other relative to keep the Royal line pure." Slip sneered. "Just how inbred are you?"

Before any of them could blink, Ichigo had Slip hoisted into the air by her throat gagging her. "For someone totally lacking in morality you use the word barbaric far too much. What you suggest is vulgar in an extreme!" Ichigo spat up at Slip before she threw her down at her feet and started walking away.

Slip cleared her throat. "Wow must have hit too close to home. Must be tough trying to arrange marriage to a brutal wench like yourself. I feel sorry for the poor idiot that got forced into marrying you. Hell if I had been arranged to marry someone like you I think I would find a way to kill myself."

Ichigo stopped walking and stood very still for a few moments. When she turned back, Roshi could see a small trickle of blood on her lip where she had bitten herself and a few tears welling in her eyes. "His name was Suikan and he is dead. He was murdered in my place when I was twelve." Ichigo turned around to walk away and almost tripped over one of Slip's bags. She punted the bag and it blew apart spreading clothing all over the surface of the Sanctuary and into the winds of the Earth.

Roshi turned to glare at Slip. "Thanks a hell of a lot. Do you always have to have the last little glib comment?"

Slip's face was white and her mouth was formed into an almost perfect O. "I didn't mean to. I didn't think she would react like that."

A black lace bra blew past Roshi and he caught it almost as an afterthought. "Well think harder next time. And you might want to pick up your all your underwear before they all blow away." He said as he handed the bra back to her.

Slip had been staring at Ichigo's back as she leaned against one of the many columns near Dende's Palace and had not even notice what he gave her. Looking down she immediately started blushing crimson. "Ahh, my stuff!" She yelled as she started frantically trying to gather up her wardrobe.

--

'Why did I tell them about Suikan? Now all they will want to know more and what do I tell them? Roshi's father seems to think I am too closed off, but I don't see what is wrong with that. Why can't I just be who I am. Why am I always expected to be someone different? I can't be a simple warrior cause I am a leader. I'm not the leader the people want because I am not a prince. Then I had to act like the Rebels who don't even exist anymore and now they expect me to act like one of them and be all soft and cuddly or something. I don't even know who I am anymore I have spent so much of my life pretending to be someone else.'

Ichigo felt Roshi walking towards her. 'I don't want to talk to him, but I doubt anything I say will keep him away for long. He is persistent if nothing else. Why did I have to react to what that stupid bitch was saying?'

"I'm sorry." Roshi said quietly as he kneeled next to where she sat.

Ichigo glared at him with bloodshot eyes. "What for? What are you sorry for? You didn't do anything wrong. You never do anything wrong!"

"Whoa, whoa there what on Earth gave you that idea? I do all kinds of things wrong. And I am sorry that you were in a way forced to admit what you admitted to Slip."

"It isn't your fault. You don't have the right to feel sorry. Apology not accepted. Now leave me alone."

"No"

Ichigo felt herself cringe. "I remind you that I kick. Leave me alone."

Roshi laughed, but changed the way he was kneeling instantly. "I remind you that I hit very hard, and now that you warned me you won't get to take me by surprise so you either get up and stop feeling sorry for yourself or I might just have to hurt you."

"Do it, it will only make me stronger. Besides, you couldn't hurt a fly." She said back. 'Why can't I stay mad at him? WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY?'

"Look Ichigo, you don't have to like us. Heaven knows you probably want to kill Slip every time you look at her. But you do have to work with us if you want to train. So, please, get up and come back to were the rest of us are sitting."

'I'm not going anyplace near that bitch.' Ichigo turned to look at Roshi. "No. You are just going to have to make me."

"I think that was a challenge. You know I don't react to challenges well."

"To bad. I'm not going over by Slip."

"Hey, progress you said her name rather then calling her a bitch or something." Roshi said in an overly cheerful tone of voice.

"Don't care. I'm not moving. Touch me and your balls die."

"And now we move to venom. Fine, you want to talk about Saiya then? I'm all ears." Roshi said as he walked around to sit down across from her.

Ichigo hugged herself. 'I hate him I hate him I hate him. I'm not going to tell him anything and he knows it so he gives me an either or option and tries to get me to choose the easiest of those options. Well it won't work. I can ignore him forever.'

After a few minutes of no one talking Roshi finally got up. "Fine, I'll just bring Slip over here."

"Oh no you don't" Ichigo said as she jumped up and grabbed him by the arm pulling on him to get him to stop.

Roshi walked to the center of the Sanctuary and then stopped. There, was that so hard? Now you are up and not moping nearly so much and you can stop feeling sorry for yourself."

'Your father said it best, you haven't ever lost so how can you know what I have gone through? You can't and I am not about to tell you.' Ichigo thought as she glared daggers at Roshi.

"Not going to talk then? Well fine, we can just stand here all day long. I don't mind." Roshi said while giving Ichigo that same lopsided smile he always had.

'I so hate that smile.'

--

Boxers, Tee, and Slip watched as Roshi and Ichigo glared at each other silently. They hadn't moved in over half an hour.

"Psst, Tee, go get it for me." Slip whispered into Tee's ear.

Tee looked at her like she had just grown scales and grown several new heads. "Are you insane? I'm not touching that! I wouldn't want to touch it even if she wasn't standing on it!"

"Boxers I'll give you..."

Boxers cut her off. "Slip you don't have anything I want and you definitely don't have enough to get me to do that."

"But it is my favorite one! It fits so well and I need it back." Slip begged.

Tee held up his hands. "Ewww, too much information. And if you want it back go get it yourself." He said before shoving Slip forward so that she practically fell at Ichigo's feet.

Ichigo glared down at her. "What do you want?"

Slip sweat dropped and turned white as a ghost. "Um I... ah... need that and um you are... um... standing on it." She said while pointing at Ichigo's feet.

Ichigo looked down and then quickly bent to pick up the object she had been standing on.

Roshi almost laughed at the look on her face as she examined the lacy blue padded wonder bra.

After squeezing the one of the padded cups once and looking at Slip, Ichigo burst into laughter.

"What the hell is so funny?" Slip demanded.

"So this is how you make yourself look so ridiculously and excessively, unnatural."

Slip gasped. "What?! Let me tell you.. you.. you... Butch girl! These are totally natural!" She said while pointing to her chest.

"They look stupid and excessive." Ichigo replied before snapping one of the flimsy straps on the bra. "And this thing is worthless."

"Gah! You broke my best Bra you bitch! And they aren't excessive I'm only a C cup I am the epitome of feminine beauty!"

"Human standards for beauty are skewed terribly, and besides beauty is for liftskirts and whores. No one else cares."

Roshi had to bite his tongue to keep himself from laughing out loud. Slip was practically foaming at the mouth. It was one of the most hilarious things he had ever seen in his life.

"LIFTSKIRT! LIFTSKIRT! Why I never! How dare you call me that you butch flat chested tomboy! Just because you wouldn't know how to attract a man if you were the last woman alive doesn't mean you have to resort to jealous name calling!"

Roshi slapped his hands over his mouth to keep himself from laughing but that didn't stop the tears from flowing down over his hands. 'I don't know what Slip is talking about. Sure Ichigo isn't ample but she isn't flat either she has more then Mar... I didn't just think that I didn't just think that I didn't just think that I didn't just think that. Mauled by a bear, heart ripped out. Testicles shattered. STOP THINKING ABOUT ICHIGO YOU MORON!!'

"Who's jealous? As that one television show I watched last week said; better to have what I do then be droopy like you."

"WHAT! YOU FLAT CHESTED FREAK! I AM NOT DROOPY I AM AS PERKY AS THEY COME!! ARE YOU BLIND?!"

"Wait ten years." Ichigo said smugly before giving Slip back the shredded remains of her bra and walking away.

Slip descended into incoherent stuttering as Roshi, Tee, and Boxers all burst out laughing.

'Dende, I hope this isn't an omen. I don't think I could take a year of this.' Roshi thought as his father, Dende, Piccolo, Nail, and Yoshi all landed on the edge of the Sanctuary.

"Well you guys ready for some intensive training? Doesn't matter if you are or not, it is time to train. Follow me." Goshu said as he headed for the ROSAT.

--