This chapter is for all who have looked failure in the eye and kept fighting the good fight.
Chapter 45
Divine Moments of Truth
Thursday, June 26 11:00pm
It had been an extremely stressful day. Too many people had died. To many more would still die from wounds or lack of treatment. Billions if not trillions of dollars worth of buildings and infrastructure had been lost.
With Ima Gossip's reporting and the almost complete media cover-up of what Roshi had had Dende do in the hospital, the people of Earth were taking their pain out on anyone who they knew was an alien, and of course with the "alien lovers" at the Capsule Corp.
Because of this the launch of the Phoenix was delayed until well after dark. Now in the dark of night the smoke and smog that still clogged the air could help to hide the launch. The silvery cloaking skin Bulma had borrowed from the aliens she had run into on the way to Namek also helped. But no launch could ever be taken for granted to be safe.
Several members of the family gathered to wish the crew away. Finally the ship's engines came to life and it lifted away.
Son Yoshi watched as the ship hopefully destined to save an entire race arc away from him. Thankfully no leaks had happened. No one knew who or what was on that ship. Therefore there was no fanfare, no riots, no boycotts and no problems. Yet at the same time Yoshi felt hollow.
"Well, they are away." Teddy said with a sigh of relief. "Now the hard work starts and it looks like we will have plenty to do."
P.J. snorted, "What, you mean cleaning up the mess Goshu's brat caused?
"You're lucky Roshi is on that ship and not listening to you gripe or he would probably break your nose too." Yoshi said with just a bit of a scolding tone.
Teddy harrumphed, "Gotan is lucky Roshi didn't kill him. I wasn't there, but I would say he deserved what he got."
P.J. shook his head. "That doesn't change the fact that he left us a major mess to clean up. Between what he and that friend of his said in front of Ima Gossip, and him being filmed moving tones of debris around as though it weighed nothing, the people want to know what is going on. I hate to say it but Ima is very good and she has us in a tight spot, because while we were worried about saving lives she just wanted publicity."
Teddy shook her head sadly. "I know. But we can't change what is done. If we had the Dragonballs we could make them forget. That would be the best, but I think we need to prepare for the worst."
"Prepare for the worst? What could possibly be worse then having a Changeling stop by for a visit?" P.J. said sarcastically.
"Well, we could just do nothing. There is a possibility that if we do not come clean about anything that Ima might figure out a few things and be able to blow things way out of proportion."
"Fine, we can hold a press conference, but you will handle it. I don't want to be anywhere near Ima's stench." P.J. said as he turned to leave.
Yoshi put his hand on Teddy's shoulder. "It will be ok. I will help. Just tell me what to do."
Teddy looked over at him. "You should have been on that ship headed for Saiya, not worrying about helping me salvage what little trust the people of Earth still have in our family."
Yoshi flinched as phantom pains traveled up his missing arm. "I know, but like you said, we can't change what has happened. I am lucky to be alive. I am more then happy to do what I can to help remind the people of Earth that they as well should be glad to be alive. We now worry about repairing the damage and moving on. Yesterday we almost lost the chance to rebuild. We should be thankful to be given the chance to keep living."
* * *
Friday June 27, 8 am.
Things were not much better in space. They had docked with Snow's ship, as the plan at the moment required them to use it to try to some what sneak back onto Saiya. As Snow's ship was much slower than the Phoenix, Goshu and Nail took her ship and headed straight for the Firbald Wormhole. Meanwhile it was decided everyone else needed to train more on the Gravity deck of the Phoenix so everyone else stayed on the Phoenix as it headed for Namek to pick up several Namekian Healers. The Phoenix would then catch up to Snow's ship at the wormhole.
While that part of the plan was simple enough the actual rescue mission to Saiya was anything but simple and it was leading to some very heated arguments between Roshi and Ichigo.
"For the last time NO!" Ichigo yelled as she kicked Roshi into the wall of the gravity chamber. The barrier fields crackled with ardent blue energy as they fought against the strain of Roshi's sudden impact.
"Why are you being so fricking stubborn?"
"I am not being stubborn. I am just telling you that there is no way anyone is going to get on one of those stupid Capsule ships. We are not cowards!"
Roshi bounced back and launched an uppercut into Ichigo's stomach. She doubled over before she drove her knee into Roshi's side. "Gah, no one is calling you a coward. I just don't see why you are so opposed to having us try to save lives!"
Ichigo swept Roshi's feet out from under him and kicked him into the barrier field again. "I am not. If you would stop being so thick headed and listen to what I am saying I am trying to tell you that your plan WILL NOT WORK!"
"What do you mean it won't work? You have a better plan to get your people off the planet in case this Blizzard or whatever his name is decided to blow it up?"
"That is not going to happen so I refuse to worry about it." Ichigo grunted as she blocked a kick and was forced to take a step backwards.
"Oh now that is mature." Roshi replied sarcastically. "You do realize that in every known battle with a Changeling they have tried to blow up the planet as the last resort. I hate to throw reality at you but it might happen."
"That has got to be the stupidest thing I have ever heard you say! You sound like you are already giving up!" Ichigo screamed as she arced down from above to boot him in the head.
Roshi stumbled back a few steps before he regained his footing and balance. "You're the one who keeps telling everyone how pointless this whole trip is. Or was Kit lying?"
* * *
Up in the observation deck where she and Slip were watching the fight, Kit sighed. "Considering the way those two have been going at each other for the past two hours, should I be worried about the fact Roshi is brining me into the fight?"
Slip just grunted as she brought up yet another energy allocation matrix on her holographic screen.
Slip was very closely watching just how much of the ship's energy was being diverted to maintain not only the intense gravity level found within the large Gravity Deck of the ship, but also to maintain the structural integrity force-fields that kept the two fighters from ripping the ship apart.
"Hmm, that should do it." She said to herself as she entered one last command into the program she had been running. She then looked up and glanced over at Kit. "You were saying something?"
Kit just rolled her eyes and turned back to look through the thick window that overlooked the Gravity deck. The Gravity Deck was highly interesting even without Roshi and Ichigo fighting in it. But with the fight it was hard to look away from. Slip said that the two of them were fighting in just over 500 times Earth's gravity right now. From the way they both moved so fluidly in the moments she could see them Kit found that hard to believe. It was also quite hot in there. Roshi was only wearing a mesh shirt and shorts. Ichigo had started in a full gi, but had now stripped down to only a bra and shorts.
Kit wasn't overly certain she liked that. While she wasn't the greatest judge of human or in this case Saiyan beauty, Ichigo was sculpted in such a way most human girls would probably kill for. 'No wonder Roshi has been acting absent minded since she showed up. Good thing he said she was a bitch.' Kit thought as she looked away from the fight to glance at a schematic of the ship Slip pulled up on her screen.
The Phoenix was a marvel of technology. When traveling in space it was just under a kilometer long. The massive drive section never left orbit and had been docked to an orbital space station since the last time the ship had been used, which happened to be when it had been used was a couple of hundred years ago when it had been the flagship of the rescue operation that saved Kit's people.
The drive section was four hundred meter's across and nearly five hundred meters long. What had surprised Kit the most about it was that it wasn't built around the engines, but rather a massive 300 meter wide Gravity deck.
According to Slip, the Phoenix was originally built as a cruse ship so that Bulma in her retirement could get away from the Earth. The only way she could get Vegeta to go with was to build a ship where he could keep training.
Bulma being brilliant as always had built the ship to be modular so that she could swap the front section out to do various different jobs. The rescue and medical ship part had been taken out of dry dock specifically for the trip to Saiya. Likewise, the drive section had been quickly refurbished.
Slip was now droning on about how the force fields were actually absorbing some of the ki Roshi and Ichigo were making and adding it to the energy matrix powering the slipstream drive.
"Slip! I don't really care. I know you are having a field day playing with the stuff Bulma built but it really shouldn't be anything new to you." Kit said in an attempt to get the cyan haired girl to listen.
Slip perked up. "Actually a lot of this is new to me. I mean, I've never gotten to play with a M-AM reactor before. It is rather interesting. The crystalline matrix of the gravimetric fields is also fascinating. A lot of this tech isn't used any longer, as there really has been no reason to use them. Like the Isoliner slipstream drive or the self-repairing liquipolimer alloys. I just can't get enough of this ship!"
Kit blinked. "Um, could you repeat that in something that resembles the level of technical know how of say... me?"
Slip laughed and rolled her eyes. "Ok I have never touched most of the tech in this ship because like the Antimatter reactor, it is too volatile, or like the force-fields in the gravity room are too specific to be useful in other tasks. The antimatter stream is really interesting. Here let me show you the reactor specks. It isn't really a true Matter annihilation reaction see cause it forms a quantum eddy here and that sucks the particles into a..."
A rather cold shiver went down Kit's spine as her fur decided to stand on end. "Um excuse me but just how volatile is it and just what have you done while tinkering?"
Slip stopped rambling and laughed. "Actually not that volatile on this ship because of the redundant safety protocols. It is just that long ago my family decided that antimatter was too dangerous to store on a planet. So the Capsule Corp. has only built a few reactors. Look, as I was saying..."
"Right, right." Kit said absentmindedly as she turned back to watch Roshi and Ichigo. Roshi had always said there was nothing more tenacious than Slip when she finds new "toys" to play with. Slip was a verifiable plethora of information, but she was way too much of an info geek for Kit to handle.
* * *
"She knew the risks!" Ichigo yelled back at Roshi for what had to be the hundredth time before she blocked a high kick that would have taken off her left ear.
"And yet you didn't help me stop her from coming!" Roshi screamed back before he caught one of Ichigo's fists and hammer threw her into the far wall. Ichigo bounced off the force field and landed on her hands and knees before she launched herself back at him.
"It was her choice to make. She made it. So why are you mad at me?" Ichigo yelled before she swept her foot in an arc past Roshi's face. Roshi reached out to grab at the foot and missed the crescent ki blast entirely.
The blast exploded and knocked him back several meters. When the smoke cleared it was easy to see blood flowing from his nose.
"Sha, rather slow on the uptake for a Super Saiyan." Ichigo teased.
Roshi wiped the blood from his face and shook his head. "That was good. You've never done anything like that before."
Ichigo smiled. "Yes I have. Just not against you."
Roshi reached up to wipe more blood from his face. Only half way there, he turned his hand and launched a fairly large blast at Ichigo.
It slammed into her, hitting her in the center of the chest and knocked her back into the force fields. She finally pried it off of her and threw it at Roshi. He simply backhanded it away from him. The yellow ball of ki slammed into the barrier directly in front of the observation deck and then rebounded into the ceiling before it exploded.
"Bit slow and unguarded for a seasoned warrior wouldn't you say?" Roshi teased back.
Ichigo just nodded. "Yes, embarrassingly so as well. Were I home right now my father would probably be having a conniption after seeing that." She said sounding meek and defeated.
"ROSHI!!! ARE YOU TRYING TO BLOW THE DAMN SHIP UP?!?!?!" Slip's voice suddenly screamed over the speakers. "That blast almost knocked out the barrier fields. Do I have to tell you what would happen if those fields had failed!?!?!"
Roshi looked up at the observation deck to see Slip glaring at him and Kit staring wide-eyed into the gravity deck. "Oh, ah, hi Kit. The force fields block my senses some. I didn't realize you were watching." Roshi suddenly jerked his elbow up and slammed it into Ichigo's chin as she dove at him. He turned to wink at her. "But it doesn't stop me from sensing your attacks."
"Jerk," Ichigo muttered under her breath as Kit started talking over the speakers.
"Yeah, I can't see much but I've been watching. Roshi I'm sorry you are mad at me for being here but it isn't her fault. If you want to talk about it, talk to me."
"Kit, I'm not mad. I am just... you shouldn't have come."
Ichigo tried to sweep Roshi's legs out from under him. "Hey, we are still training here!" Roshi back flipped over her leg and when she grabbed him to knock him over he reversed the hold and head butted her in the forehead.
"And I'm talking here." He said back as Ichigo fell on her rear and winced as she rubbed her head.
"Roshi, you can't protect everyone. I need this don't you see!" Kit replied back.
"No, I can see you think you do but you are trying to absolve guilt that you shouldn't actually have. It isn't your fault you are alive."
"I know that! I just need this."
"Why?"
"Because I need to. Once when we were younger you told me that you hated it when people made a big deal over whom you were. You said it drove you nuts cause you had not earned any of the respect or jealousy that people automatically gave you. You said you hated it when people cared more about the fact that you were a Son than they cared that you were Roshi. I ran and hid that day and I have regretted it ever since. I know I can't blame myself but at the same time I need to prove that I have something to give back."
"I know where you are coming from." Ichigo spoke up suddenly. "I too have much to prove. Not only to myself but also to my people. My people have a saying. Without danger, or risk, or pain, or trial, there is no battle. Without that battle one can never find their true identity." Ichigo turned and glared at Roshi.
"Of all the contradictory things I have ever heard! How can you take her side and at the same time deny your own people the chance to save their lives?"
Ichigo glared daggers. "I am not denying them anything. If you would open your wax filled ears and listen to me I have been trying to tell you that even if you did distribute your stupid rescue ships no one would use them. Saiyans are not cowards. We will fight and if we lose then we will die but we are not going to run away."
"Why? What's the point? You just talked about finding yourself in battle. I bet you see all kinds of glory in this fight don't you. Glory, and valor and a chance to redeem all those supposed slights to your precious pride and honor."
"How dare you!?! Life without honor is not worth living. A warrior with no pride has no soul! And yes there will be glory in the up coming fight but anyone who seeks glory will only find infamy. Honor demands we fight so we will fight."
"Obviously your father saw something different. You already said the only reason you are still alive is because he sent you away. You already said you expect your father to be dead. You could order your people off the planet. You could save their lives like your father did for you."
Ichigo balled her fists and clenched her eyes closed. Several tears squeezed their way out from between her eyelids. They slowly rolled down her reddened face. "Never. I would never shame them like that."
Roshi threw up his arms in disgust and turned around shaking his head. "Slip, turn the ship around. We're going home."
"What?!?" Ichigo screamed. Her right hand snapped open and a ball of blue crackling ki formed in it.
Roshi turned and glared at her. "Oh so you're mad now? Go a head and throw the ki blast. It won't do you any good." Roshi said as he spread his arms out at his sides and went Super Saiyan.
The entire ship shook and alarms started to blare.
"ROSHI THE SHIP CAN'T HANDLE THIS MUCH STRAIN AFTER ALL THE FIGHTING YOU'VE ALREADY DONE!!! STOP THIS NOW!!!" Slip screamed over the speakers.
"I said to turn the ship around Slip." Roshi replied icily cold.
"You bastard. You arrogant stupid petty jerk!" Ichigo yelled.
"Petty? I'm not the one being petty here Ichigo. As I recalled you never once really even asked for our help. I finally figured out why. You couldn't bear having to humble yourself to the level of actually asking for help. Better to die alone then live with the shame of having to be helped."
Roshi continued, "Open your eyes! I got to know you over the past several months. You are brilliant. You adapt quickly and learn from your mistakes. You are capable of so very much, but you confine your life to this little tiny box. You refuse to look beyond the walls you have constructed. I agree with you that honor is important, but it has to serve a purpose. Honor for the sake of honor alone is pointless. What good is an honorable death if no one gains from it? Your father obviously saw more in you than you can even see. Is the shame of not being dead already that horrible to you? Do you want to die that much? If all you want is to go home to die, I don't need to be there to watch."
Ichigo just stood there glaring at him. She did not breath or twitch or move in any way. Anger in its purest form bled from her eyes and her mind and she had no words to express it.
Roshi exhaled and his hair returned to normal as he powered down out of Super Saiyan. "On the other hand, if you really truly want to do what your father sent you to do. If you want to save your people than I want to help you. What good is your pride or your honor or your glory or valor or any of those things if all it gains you is death? At least if you let us try to save some of your people there is hope for the future. Please tell me you learned something from your time on Earth. There is so much more to life then what is inside your box. Please, look beyond the next horizon for once and then tell me what you see. Don't throw your and your people's lives away just for the sake of honor or glory or pride." Roshi turned and headed for the door. "When you have made up your mind, find me. Until then I don't want to talk to you."
Ichigo stood there for several minutes just staring at the door before she looked up to see Slip and Kit still looking out of the Observation deck at her.
"Have you turned the ship around yet?" She asked sounding defeated.
Slip shook her head no, "No, Roshi is just mad. We made our choice at the family meeting. I chose to risk death so that your people could live. Until I know otherwise I'm not changing my mind." Slip said before disappearing from Ichigo's view.
After Kit disappeared as well Ichigo fell to her knees and banged her fist into the floor. "They just do not understand. They do not understand and I do not know how to make myself clear."
* * *
Ichigo practically stalked back into her room. Covered in sweat and blood, she wanted nothing more than to bathe and then curl up in a corner.
"Gaaaah!" Ichigo yelled as she slammed her fist into a slate gray titanium bulkhead. The impact left a perfect fist print indentation complete with skin and knuckle markings.
Two gentle knocks sounded on the door followed by the door chime. Ichigo turned and glared at the door. The ki of the person standing outside her door was not familiar so it could only be Kit. 'Why is she here?' Ichigo thought. "What do you want?"
"Can I come in?" Kit asked from the other side of the door.
Ichigo shivered in the cold air of her room and grabbed a sweatshirt before reaching over to hit the button to let Kit in.
The door whooshed open and Kit walked into the room. The moment she got into it her nose curled up and she looked like she was about to sneeze.
Ichigo paused with the sweatshirt above her head. "What? Why are you making that face?"
Kit blinked a few times and then wiped her eyes. "Nothing, I always forget how... strongly Roshi smells after he's done working out. I didn't think and I wasn't expecting it. That's all."
Ichigo finished putting the shirt on and glared at Kit. "If you only came in here to insult me, the door is behind you. I do not need anymore, Roshi has insulted me well enough lately."
Kit cleared her throat, "no, I didn't mean to insult you at all." She said before she caught sight of the fist print in the bulkhead. "I ah, just came to thank you."
Ichigo walked past the stand where she had set her Royal Armor and sat down on one of the couches. "For what? I do not recall doing anything except for to make Roshi pissed at you."
"Well actually, in a way, for that." Kit said as she walked past the armor. "Isn't this a bit tight to fit you?"
"It stretches."
"Oh, well then... anyway I just wanted to thank you for sticking up for me. Roshi can be really thick headed at times."
Ichigo absent-mindedly reached up and rubbed her forehead. "You can say that again. I cannot get through to him. Especially for the past few days, I cannot stand the way he has been acting lately. I cannot seem to talk to him without getting into a petty argument."
Ichigo exhaled and then frowned looking around the room as though she seemed to be looking for something. She then turned to look at Kit again. "Are you not cold? My room is freezing, I do not understand how Roshi and his family can be so smart as to build that training room and still not be able to set a thermostat."
Kit smiled and walked over to the other chair. "No, actually I am quite comfortable. Cold doesn't bother me nearly so much as heat and humidity. I hate it when my... I'm rambling and I shouldn't be. I just wanted to thank you for standing up for me. Roshi is so used to being the hero that he doesn't realize that other people would want to take risks too."
Ichigo rolled her eyes and bit her lip.
"What? What did I say?" Kit asked apprehensively.
"I did not believe in heroes." Ichigo said almost absentmindedly.
"What do you mean you didn't believe in heroes? I would think that in a warrior society like what Roshi has storta explained you come from that heroism would be highly regarded."
"Please sit down, if we are going to have a longer talk I want you seated."
"Ok." Kit said as she promptly sat down and rather curled into one of the chairs.
Ichigo half closed her eyes and then arched an eyebrow. "Your tail is rather ridged is it not?"
"Um, I would guess. I have never really thought about that aspect of my tail that much before. I mean, I grew up around Humans so the fact that I have fur or the fact that I have a tail was always what got noticed and therefore was more important."
"Hmm, and guessing from the stuff that wench Ima Gossip was saying being different is not highly accepted?"
Kit sighed. "Some people are stupid and unwilling to accept anything that differs from themselves. Others are better. I would not say that growing up for the most part on Earth has been easy, but I wouldn't say it was bad either. Now stop avoiding my question. Why don't you believe in heroes?"
"Because heroes are not possible on my world." Ichigo said quietly.
"Not possible? But heroism and valiancy and honor go hand in hand don't they?"
Ichigo looked up. "No they do not. You are forgetting about duty."
Kit sat silent for a moment and then replied. "What about the phrase above and beyond the call of duty? There has to be some sort of hero epic tale or something on your world."
Ichigo started laughing. "Of course there are. That is practically all there is for what you would call a folk tale or fable type story. I just said I did not believe in heroes. I am not entirely sure I do now."
Kit didn't know if she should keep prying or not, but she continued. "Um, what do you mean?"
Ichigo pondered for a moment. "I cannot even explain it to myself. How can I explain it to you?" She got up and walked over and opened the case Roshi had given her to put her mother's pendant in. "My mother was the closest thing to a hero I have ever known and she died when I was five. She was not a true hero, just a little girl's fantasy hero."
"So why don't you believe in heroes now?"
"I don't know. Probably because it hurts too much when your heroes fail." Ichigo said as she slowly turned the pendant in her hands letting the gems catch the light.
Kit was silent for a few minutes while Ichigo polished the gems and settings on the pendant. "That is a lovely pendant. I take it that it was your mother's?"
Ichigo tilted her head back and stared at the ceiling for a moment before she turned to look at Kit again. "Yes, it has been in my family for generations."
"Hmm, well Roshi said something about you freaking out over not being able to find it so..."
"Roshi does not understand how valuable this is to me." Ichigo said interrupting Kit before she put the pendant back into the box. "Roshi understands tradition, but he has no concept of pride or symbolism."
Kit could not help but laugh. "You wanna bet? Don't ever get into a competition with him unless you want to see the nasty side of his pride. He doesn't lose gracefully."
Ichigo absentmindedly chewed on her lip for a moment, "I have noticed. But being competitive is not the same as having pride. Roshi practically has anti-pride. He is almost embarrassed in his family's abilities. He is more afraid of his strength then anything else. He hides who he really is by nature so that not even that human female⦠what was her name?"
"Mariah, and she's his girlfriend." Kit prompted tersely.
"Oh, right. Human courtship rituals are really odd. What is the purpose of calling her a name like that? Titles should symbolize something, yet there is obviously little between them since he isn't even honest with her."
Kit felt her hair bristling at Ichigo's nearly derogatory comments towards her friends. Yet there was some truth to her words. 'Why hadn't Roshi been willing to trust Mariah?'
"I just do not understand. He has no pride in who he is. Yet at the same time is so willing to stand up for his beliefs and fight for causes that should not be his own. He is just, oh I cannot find the words but I can never seem to get a grasp on him. He is like no one I have ever met before."
"So he's a bit odd, Roshi has always been unique."
Ichigo turned and glared at Kit. "This is not funny. I do not know how to relate to him. Part of me wants to rip his head of and spit down his throat and the other part, well the rest of me is just confused. I owe him for saving my life. Yet at the same time I cannot forgive him for the slights to my honor he has committed."
"Hmm, sounds like you are in a pickle."
"In a pickle?" Ichigo asked bewildered.
"Oh, sorry, it is a phrase it means you are in a bind or a difficult situation. Tell you what. I know Roshi pretty well. You tell me what your problem as exactly as you can and I can tell you how to wrap him around your finger and make him squirm."
Ichigo smirked. "Interesting word imagery there. I will try, but first, why are you helping me? Why are you even bothering to talk to me?
"Well, I bothered to talk to you because I wanted to thank you. I'm still talking to you because you seem to need someone to talk to."
"Roshi says I have closed myself into a box. Well I am not totally enclosed in my box. On Saiya I would never be even as open as I have been. It is seen as shameful to talk about one's own problems." Ichigo looked out the window at the streaking swirling starscape outside the ship, "but right now I have nothing else to lose by talking."
Kit was about to say something when the door chimed twice. Ichigo looked up and then glanced at Kit. "It is Roshi." She said and then louder, "What do you want?"
The door swooshed open and Roshi walked in. "To talk."
"What did I tell you the last time you walked in on me uninvited? Get out!" Ichigo yelled from where she stood near her bed.
"Oh please, I could sense Kit in here. It is not like I walked in on you nude again!"
Kit did a double take, "ROSHI!"
"That is not the point you pervert! Now get out! I do not wish to speak with you right now."
Roshi threw up his arms, a rather common occurrence around Ichigo as of late, and turned around. "Fine, fine, be that way. I came in here to apologize and try to patch things up, but I guess you are too damn inflexible to work with me." He shouted as he walked out.
"Jerk!" Ichigo shouted at the door.
"Bitch!" Roshi shouted back from in the hall.
Kit rather huddled in the chair she had been sitting in and held her ears. "Owwww, I think my ears are bleeding."
Ichigo paused and then walked over to Kit. She pulled Kit's hands off of her head. "Well it does not look like you are bleeding, but it is hard to tell with your hair in the way."
"Kit scowled. "Well they are ringing. I hate it when Roshi starts shouting. He always forgets how loud he is."
"Just how good are your ears?"
"Does it matter? Slip ran some tests once. But I never really cared to ask her what she found out. I just know that my senses are better than Roshi's. If you ask me it is a pain. Humans have this nasty habit of bathing in perfumes and talking way too loud."
Ichigo frowned. "It is a pity your race is so frail. I would expect you would make an impressive warrior with such acute senses."
Kit burst out laughing. "Roshi tried to teach me to sense ki once. He gave up. He said he thinks I rely too much on my other senses and that blocks me from sensing ki. I guess without that ability I would basically be rather useless in a fight."
"I would not say that, but if you cannot even feel your own ki then you probably cannot be trained."
"Now tell me, Roshi saw you nude? This is a story I have to hear. If for no other reason than to use it to make him blush and feel guilty for the rest of his life."
Ichigo's face flushed. "I do not want to talk about it. Besides, the nudity thing is not as important as the invasion of privacy. You have to understand at home people would lose their heads barging into my private chambers. I also find it extremely rude that Roshi is so concerned with his own privacy but does not respect mine."
Kit scrunched her nose, "I don't know if it is intended disrespect even though it is quite disrespectful"
"You cannot have it both ways."
"Right, so are we going to avoid discussing what you need help with as far as Roshi is concerned or are we just going to talk about why he is annoying? Because everyone is annoying at times." Kit probed.
Ichigo bit her lip and glared at the door. "Is he always such an ass?"
Kit paused and shook her head. "Actually no. Roshi does get mad from time to time but I have never seen him verbally attack anyone like that before. Well other than Ima Gossip, and she really deserved every bit of what he said to her. I don't really know all what is going on here but you definitely have him riled up over something."
"Good." Ichigo said smugly before flopping onto her bed and grabbing a can of nuts that was sitting beside it. "It is nice to know I'm bothering him as much as he is bothering me. Every time I see him I just want to beat that damn look off his face. You know that stupid lopsided smile thing he almost has permanently stuck to his face."
Kit knew exactly the look she was talking about. 'Wow, I was worried about nothing. Slip said they should be married, they argue like a couple, and I was worried there was something going on. But I was completely wrong. There isn't anything going on. They hate each other. I can almost feel the venom.'
"You hate him don't you?" Kit asked bluntly.
Ichigo swallowed a mouth full of nuts. "No, hate is such a strong word. I loathe the way he acts at times. But I owe him too much to hate him. I just wish I could see eye to eye with him. There was something we had while training... he was different. Now he is so... I would almost say bitter, but he was acting like that even before the fight with Snow. I do not know what it is. He has changed." Ichigo sucked on her bottom lip for a moment and then looked up. "Oh, I should offer you some of these. Roshi calls them cashews. They are quite good."
Kit shook her head, "No, I can't eat those. They cause me all kinds of problems, so I am glad you like them. However, if you have any chocolate stashed in here."
Ichigo rolled over and reached under the bed, "here."
Kit took the chocolate bar from her and gave her a really odd look.
"What? You keep giving me the strangest looks what is wrong now?"
"Are you sick? Roshi is one of the most giving people I know but he almost never shares his food."
"Ugh, I am fine. I do not normally share either but Roshi or Slip or someone found a way to pack several tons of chocolate, and nuts, and other snack like foods into my room. Even I cannot eat that much garbage and not get sick."
"Oh, well thanks." Kit said realizing that Ichigo was doing an excellent job at changing the subject or avoiding the conversation. "Anyway you definitely have Roshi very annoyed or flustered or something. Like I said he doesn't lose his temper very often. This might be the second time I have actually ever seen him mad. In all actuality I think talking to me is a waste of your time. You need to talk to him if you have any chance at understanding him."
Ichigo grimaced. "I know. I have known that from the start, but I also know it will lead to another fight and if I cannot get through to him and he makes Slip turn the ship around then everything I have lived for will be lost and I do not know how to convince him that his plan will not work."
Kit smiled, which caused Ichigo to frown, "Ok, first thing you need to realize is that turning the ship around is an idle threat. He won't do that. Because he knows that without this ship then there is absolutely no chance for any of your people. He knows that there is more of a chance your way than if he just gave up so he isn't going to give up. Besides, Roshi can't say no to a fight. I think that might be why he fights so much with you. There is a challenge in it."
"Humph, That might make some sense. But why would he start arguing with me now?"
"I don't know, perhaps because he is under a lot of stress. Slip said she thinks the two of you are fighting over who is more responsible for us even being here. I know you are the one who needed the help but Roshi claims the responsibility because he was the one who chose to help you when the much simpler thing would have been to... well just kill you when you first showed up."
"You need not remind me." Ichigo held up her hand and stopped Kit from replying. "And before you say it, I know I was wrong before I could be wrong again and I know that Roshi's plan if it would work would be the easiest way to save lives, but it will not work. He doesn't understand what he is asking of me."
"Why not? I don't understand why your people even with that love of battle would rather die than escape and live."
"Because pride demands it! You do not understand how important pride and honor and duty are for my people. Pride is everything. Never backing down. Never giving up, never needing help. Pride is everything! What Roshi is asking is like asking me to ask my people to stop being Saiyan! I cannot do that! What I fear more than everything is that even if I were to order them to turn tail and run they may not listen!"
Ichigo jumped up and paced. "My father shamed me when he sent me away. Then to compound that, I lost my tail and I have been away for so long now. I never really was accepted even before this happened. Now they might not accept me back even if we do beat Blizzard."
Ichigo slammed her fist into the wall again leaving an even bigger dent. "And if I showed up and even suggested something as cowardly and shameful as running away from a battle... They would kill me before they went after Blizzard!"
Kit blinked. "I take it back. You are not in a pickle. You're stuck between an irresistible force and an unstoppable object."
Ichigo stood up. "Whatever, it does not matter. I need to think. I think best when I am training so I am leaving."
Ichigo walked past Kit without even a thank you as she led her out into the hall. Kit stepped into the hallway and stopped. She was surprised at how much warmer it was than Ichigo's room had been. Ichigo didn't even look back. Kit took a deep breath and leaned against the bulkhead watching Ichigo walk away.
* * *
Ichigo walked into the large Gravity room and saw Roshi sitting in the air cross-legged floating about a meter off the ground on the far side. His eyes were closed and it was easily apparent that he was meditating.
'He just had to be in here.' Ichigo thought to herself disappointedly before she turned around to leave.
"Ichigo you don't have to go." Roshi said to her retreating back.
"Yes I do, because if I stay all that will happen is a fight, and I need to relax before I even try to talk to you." She said under her breath to herself as she continued out the door without replying to him.
"Ichigo, please come back. I really need to talk to you." Roshi called after her.
Ichigo looked through the window into the large pool area that was next to the gravity room. Max was soaking in a hot tub by the pool and waving at her.
Against her better judgment she walked into the room to see what Max wanted.
"Hey there, I heard you and Roshi really got into it this morning."
"You could say that."
"So what's up now? You look upset over something. Do you wanna talk about it?"
'What is with you people and talking about everything? Talking does not solve problems.' Ichigo thought to herself. "Not really. Right now I think I just want to relax and try to warm up."
Max waved her hand over the large hot tub. "Then join me. I will try not to pester you too badly. Oh, there are extra suits and stuff over in the locker room."
Ichigo thought about it for a moment or two and then sensed Roshi leaving the Gravity Room. Since she was fairly certain he wouldn't follow her into the small women's locker room she quickly darted into it.
She waited in there about five minutes for Roshi to leave and then came out and stepped into the hot tub. "Oh that feels good."
Max nodded. "Doesn't it just."
Ichigo did not answer as she casually unbraided her hair and let it fan out and about in the water. "Yes it does." She finally answered.
"So... ah, I hope you don't think I'm prying but what's up between you and Roshi?"
Ichigo glared at her. 'so much for relaxing.' She shrugged. "Look, I am trying to avoid Roshi at the moment. Could you please not talk about him?"
Max frowned. "Even as large as this ship is, you can't hide from him forever."
Ichigo grimaced. "I am not hiding. I just do not want to think about the ass for a while."
"Oh is that why you were in the locker room for over five minutes just to slip into that bikini. And here I thought you were trying to find the most fashionable suit in there."
The irony of what she said was not lost on Ichigo. "I suggest you drop the sarcasm before we get to Saiya. My people do not use it nearly as much as you people from Earth."
"At least you got my point." Max smiled mischievously. "So tell me, why did Roshi just ask me to cook my best recipes if there isn't something going on?"
"You expect me to understand what the jerk is thinking? I have no clue!"
"Right." Max replied smirking.
Just then Slip came in. "Oh, there room for a third? Whatcha ladies talking about?"
'I'm in hell.' Ichigo grimaced but was silent. 'No other explanation needed.'
* * *
Meanwhile Roshi ran into Kit in the halls of the ship near his cabin. "Hello." He said tersely as he walked by.
"My, someone is in a bad mood." Kit replied.
"Gee, you think?" Roshi said as he turned around to look at Kit. "I hate to be petty, but I've busted my rear for her and the bitch won't even talk to me." Roshi threw up his arms again, "Right now she's hiding in the women's locker room down by the pool.
Kit bent sideways a bit to look around Roshi at his rear. "Hmmm, doesn't look broken yet. Maybe you need to try harder."
"Kit this isn't funny. If she won't work with me than this entire mission is doomed. I didn't come out here just to throw my life away but that seems to be what she is bound and determined to do." Roshi said back angrily.
Kit rolled her eyes. "Hey Roshi, why don't you use that lauded brain of yours and think. She is just as flustered by this as you are, but the two of you need to work things out because right now you are right. I didn't come along to die either but right now I am frightened."
"How am I supposed to talk to her when she won't listen to me?"
Kit hopped forward and grabbed Roshi by the ears. "Maybe you need to listen to her first."
Roshi cocked an eyebrow at her. "You're lucky that doesn't hurt." He said as he took a step back forcing Kit to follow or lose her balance. "I know, why don't I tickle you."
Kit who was enormously ticklish jumped back at the mere mention of the potential torture and shrieked. "No! How about you stop avoiding the problem!"
Roshi cocked his head to the side and scratched his head. "Ok, I know you like being the counselor, but I would have thought you would be glad Ichigo and I are not getting along. You seemed worried I was spending too much time with her."
Kit frowned. "Ok you have me on that. That was actually one of the reasons I wanted to come along, but I don't think I need to worry about this now. She hates you; well she at least really hates the way you have been acting. But to get to the point, I can't live my entire life vicariously. If you don't work things out with her than this is going to be a very short trip to hell."
Roshi nodded slowly. "I know, but I don't know if I can. She doesn't seem to want to work things out."
"Just give her time."
"I don't know if I can afford to. Right now time is the stalker and we are falling behind."
Kit smiled. "Ichigo said she doesn't believe in heroes Roshi. Mariah, myself, and probably anyone else you have ever helped knows you have the heart of a champion. Perhaps now when time runs short you'll find the measure of yourself and we will all find a hero."
Roshi didn't know how to respond, and Kit didn't let him as she disappeared into her cabin directly after her statement.
* * *
"So what are you two girls talking about? Slip asked as she gingerly and very carefully stepped into the hot tub. Slip was wearing an amazingly skimpy string bikini and Ichigo almost laughed at how she seemed to be afraid she would fall out of it.
"Boys" Max said with a laugh. Max was only 25 and was one of the youngest members of the older generation, but it seemed to phase Slip for a moment that she was acting so girly.
Outside Tee and Boxers walked past leaving the Gravity room. Tee did a double take and then kept walking.
"Speaking of the boys, Ichigo, what do you think of those two?" Max prompted.
Ichigo looked up in time to catch the two before they disappeared down the hallway. "What do you mean? What do I think? I think they are both able fighters if a bit under-disciplined. If they had half the integrity and focus Roshi has they would be fearsome together, but they do not so most of their talent is wasted."
Max laughed. "That is an astute judgment of their abilities. But I was talking about what you thought of them as guys. Do you think they're hot?"
"What does that have to do with anything?" Ichigo asked bewildered.
"Max you are not going to get anywhere, her culture is totally different than ours." Slip interjected. "From what I gather fighting ability is worth more than brains, personality, or looks on Saiya."
Ichigo's mouth fell open as what they were talking about suddenly dawned on her. "Oh you are talking about what I think about them as far as potential mates!"
Slip laughed. "Duh!"
Ichigo's mouth clicked shut. "I cannot believe you are asking things like that about family members. It is so... so uncouth!"
Max laughed, "Oh please it is not like we are talking about sex. Just boys. Since they are basically the only ones you have seen on Earth that is a place to talk. Or do you have some sexy stud waiting for you on Saiya?"
Slip held up a hand in an attempt to stop Max, but it was too late. Ichigo's eyes got a far away look in them and her face paled. "There is no one waiting for me anywhere."
* * *
Roshi was walking back toward the pool when Tee and Boxers ran past him. "Roshi come with us! This is going to be great!"
"Hey! What's up? Hey guys!" Roshi yelled after them as they disappeared down the hall.
* * *
Max blanched, "Oh I didn't mean to..."
"Just leave her alone Max." Slip interrupted. "They arrange marriages on Saiya. The guy she was supposed to marry is dead."
"Do not talk about me or him like we need to be pitied!"
Slip held up her hands. "Sorry I didn't mean to make you mad. It is just a really different system than what we are used to. I mean say you fell in love with some guy but were arranged to marry someone else, what would happen?"
Ichigo shrugged. "I read all those journals Gohan, and Pan and Videl and all those people left in that house. They talked about love like it was some great mythical force that made the world go round or something. I have never loved anyone but my parents and perhaps my aunt. Love only causes pain when they die or leave or you cannot help them. I do not understand why everyone on Earth thinks it is so important."
"Oh that is the saddest thing I have heard in a long time." Max said as she leaned over to place a hand on Ichigo's shoulder.
Ichigo shrugged it off. "Why is it so sad? From what I have heard Slip's parents are not in love with each other. And from what she said during our time in the Room of Spirit and Time she thinks all men are filthy sexist pigs. How can you place so much importance on something that you don not even see in your own lives?"
Slip's mouth fell open. "Well I never! You talk about us being uncouth! How dare you say things like that about my parents?!?"
"She's only telling the truth Slip." Max replied to shush her before she turned back to Ichigo. "So if you don't want or don't look for love, what qualities do you look for in a guy?"
Ichigo was interrupted when the door to the pool suddenly opened and a cleaning droid came into the room. It slowly worked its way around them and backed into a recharging slot in the wall.
"That's odd. The druids aren't sposta be on right now." Slip said as she stood up to look at it.
Max grabbed her and pulled her back into the hot tub. "Oh relax. It came from the Gravity Room. It was probably just cleaning up a mess the guys left."
Slip sat back down and frowned. "Yeah, I bet you are right. There aren't any recharging things in there so if it was almost out of power it would go to the closest one."
* * *
Up in the droid control room Tee let out a sigh of relief. "Damn that was close!"
Boxers gave him a high five. "Ok we have the camera working. Now let's get some sound and operation peeping tom will be under way!"
Roshi slapped his forehead. "And they call me a perv!"
"oh, oh, oh! Looky here!" Tee said as Ichigo leaned back against the side of the hot tub and stretched her back. Tee zoomed in on her chest and abs. "Oh, sweetness! You just stretch yourself out all nice now!"
Roshi socked him in the side of the head. "Stop that! It is one thing to spy on them but a totally different one to treat her like a peace of meat or something!"
Boxers started laughing. "Oh the man gets all defensive. What's wrong? You think you're the only one that should get to ogle her all day long? I mean you can't say you don't enjoy the show while you're training with her."
Roshi blushed. "Yeah, she's good looking but that isn't everything you know."
"Yeah we know, everything would be the combination of her eyes, her ass and her chest." Tee teased.
"TEE I can't believe you said that! And you're even dating!! How would you feel if some one were to talk about Aiako like that?"
Tee just laughed. "Dude, Aiako is a swimsuit model. All I ever hear are guys talking about her like that. But even she ain't as fine as Ichigo." He said as he zoomed in on the side of her face. "Besides, unless you aren't telling us something you ain't dating Ichigo."
Roshi did his best impersonation of a fish for several moments before he even attempted to say anything. "Well up until yesterday I thought I was dating Mariah, but now I'm not so sure. Could we please not talk about Ichigo?"
Boxers made one last change to the program he was playing with, "sounds on now!"
"So you said you've never scoped out a guy? Oh come on don't tell me you've never seen a guy and though aah, bet he'd be fun in bed?" Max asked.
Tee turned to Roshi with a smug face and said. "Right and you thought the girls were just talking about flowers or something? Please don't act like we're the ones with sick minds."
"That is disgusting. But since you obviously will not leave me alone until I talk about it, yes I do on occasion size up males cause they would make good mates, but your infatuation with sex just for the point of sex is borderline vulgar!" Ichigo replied aghast.
Max laughed. "Right so just for the heck of it Roshi, Tee, or Boxers which one would be the best ah... mate?"
Roshi got very pale. "I can't believe she asked that!"
"I'm not going to answer that! I don't even want to think about that!"
"Wow, you used contractions!" Slip replied suddenly. "You shouldn't get so worked up Ichigo."
"Who is getting worked up? I just do not understand why she is being so invasive!"
"And now Ichigo gets defensive." Roshi replied up in the control room.
Max laughed easily. "Oh come on, tis just harmless fun and all. There has to be one of them that you'd do."
"Gah, No thank you! What is your big thing with sex?"
Tee looked up at Roshi. "Ah poor boy. Not going to get any."
Roshi smacked him in the back of the head. "I never said I wanted any in the first place!"
"Right, cause obviously Roshi is gay." Boxer replied with a snort.
"I don't know what your big problem is. I mean Aiako aside, that is one field that I would definitely not mind playing ball on." Tee quipped.
"I'd rather go chisel plowing, but to each their own." Boxers added.
"I'm not listening to this!" Roshi said before he started to hum to himself.
Down in the hot tub the conversation didn't stop either, "cause she's twenty five and she's never been laid." Slip said laughing.
"I have so!" Max said back slashing water all over Slip.
"Ohh really? Who was he and was he any good?" Slip replied back.
Roshi reached over Boxers and hit the mute button. "We are NOT going to listen in on Max talk about her sex life. There are things I really, really don't want to know."
Tee pushed Roshi's hand away and un-muted it. "Dude just don't think of her as our cousin. I mean come on this is better than stealing a girl's diary. Think about the stuff we can learn today!"
Boxer's chimed in. "Yeah think about poor Tee. The boy's been dating a swimsuit model for over a year and if he's telling the truth he still hasn't gotten past first base!"
Roshi laughed. "Now that is pathetic."
"Hey, just cause you grabbed a chunk of grade A real-estate the first time you really dealt with Ichigo doesn't mean all of us are as fast as you!"
They missed something while it was muted so all they caught was. "...good while it lasted. So how bout you there Slip. Why so do you hate guys so much?"
Roshi muted it again. "Ok, anyone need to hear Slip bitch about how Kevin only wanted to fondle her?"
Tee un-muted it. "Heck yeah we might learn something new!"
"...he was nice at first but then all he wanted to do was play with my boobs. I can't stand how guys only like me for my money or my looks. And just what is it with their fascination with breasts?"
"I couldn't tell you, but the ministrations of a man's touch isn't always bad Slip. It can be down right enjoyable."
"Let me guess same guy or a different one?"
"I'll tell ya later..."
"Ahh damn, just when it was getting good!" Tee whined.
"... So, Ichigo, how about you? You ever been touched by a guy?"
Roshi muted it.
"DUDE STOP THAT!" Both Tee and Boxer's yelled. It took the both of them to get Roshi's finger off the button so they could un-mute it.
"... even suggest such a thing! I am a princess and I am not married and that is just indecent! I aught to..."
Roshi muted it again.
"ROSHI!"
"... ever grabbed your rear or your chest? What guys afraid of you or something?" Max pried.
Boxers broke the button so Roshi couldn't mute it again.
"Gah! You just will not give it a rest will you? And YES, I have been grabbed all over the place, primarily buy Roshi, and YES males on Saiya are afraid of me. If any of them would have done even a fraction of the things Roshi has done they would have probably been castrated and sent to some work camp someplace!"
Roshi suddenly got very pale.
"Wow, and here I thought Roshi was too much of a mamma's boy to try anything like that. So what did he do? Common juicy details wanted."
"Why do you care?"
"Cause we can use this to mock him for the rest of his life. So give ups the details what did he do?" Slip asked.
"Well to start with he grabbed and ripped off my tail and that is a hell of a lot more intimate of a thing to grab than just about anything else. And if you think I forgot about what you did to it you are quite mistaken." Ichigo said glaring at Slip.
"Wow, she's bitter. I wonder why the tail would be considered intimate though?" Tee pondered.
"I said I was sorry now what else has my nasty cousin Roshi been up to?" Slip said with a very mischievous grin.
"Well he likes to walk in on people when they are nude. But you already knew that." Ichigo said back.
"WHAT?! Max said and was echoed by Tee and Boxers in the control room.
"Roshi walked in on me in the Room of Spirit and Time when I was changing my clothes. It was an accident but it was really embarrassing. I think the two of us got him back for it though."
"So that's why they were working together! I never could figure that out!" Tee exclaimed.
"Wow, so innocent acting Roshi is a naughty boy. What else has he done?" Max asked.
"Yeah, you said he's grabbed you all over. There something going on between you two?" Slip asked.
"Is there?" Tee repeated.
"NO!" Both Roshi and Ichigo said at the same time.
"Look like what Slip said, with the exception of ripping off my tail nothing Roshi has done was on purpose. In our first fight he ended up grabbing my chest and almost ripping my bra off. I was furious at the time and almost took his head off when he stopped to apologize for it in the middle of our fight."
"What, he stopped fighting to tell you he was sorry for grabbing your chest?" Max said stunned.
"Dude, that was really stupid." Boxers teased, talk about forgetting your focus!"
"Yes, now that I think about it he has always been like that. In all actuality he has treated me with more respect than just about anyone except my father." Ichigo mused.
"Ah, so that's the game plan. Trick her with respect? I see what you're doing!" Boxers teased.
"Ohhh, you like that don't you? So did you like it when he grabbed you?" Slip teased.
"No! It hurt!"
"And what if he did it again?"
"What do you mean if he did it again? In a fight? I would probably kick him in the groin. But Roshi would never do that on purpose anyway. Tee seems to gawk at me funny, he might. If he tried it I'd probably rip his balls off. But this entire conversation is pointless so could we please talk about something else?"
"Hmmm, yep, needed to be reminded of that. You can have her." Tee said quickly.
"Oh look the sexy vixen is joining them. This could get interesting." Tee said as he panned the camera over to where Kit was walking up to the hot tub.
"Sexy vixen?" Roshi asked. "Dude, you have seriously got to get some help. She would never ever go for someone like you. You don't have enough hair."
"So what are you all talking about?" Kit asked as she walked up to the side of the tub.
"Guys." Max said quickly. "Come on in and join us!"
"Yes do." Tee said.
Roshi glared at Tee. "You realize that she's like a sister to me. I will take offense to sexist comments."
"Oh like you took offense to this?" Tee said as he zoomed in on Ichigo's chest. "Damn those are firm, that isn't even an underwire!"
Roshi grabbed Tee under his left armpit and tossed him out of his chair. He then de-zoomed the camera.
Tee got up and brushed himself off. "Like I said, you are so defensive!"
"I am not! It is just really rude to treat any girl like that. I am half tempted to go down there and tell them what you are doing."
"Oh you are such a spoil sport!" Boxer's cried.
Down below at the pool the girls had managed to talk Kit into at least changing into a suit and sitting in a lounge chair near the hot tub.
"Well I doubt there will be a suit in there that fits me, but I will look." Kit said as she walked off camera.
"Everyone gather round." Slip said as she started whispering to the two other girls.
"Tee see if you can boost the gain on the microphone." Boxers said quickly. "We're missing good stuff if she's whispering."
"Oh you two are pathetic," Roshi commented.
"... so we can't talk about Roshi while Kit is in here. Cause then she'll just go off on how wonderful Mariah is and Mariah is so wrong for Roshi." Slip whispered to the other two.
"Hey, boost the volume! What was that?" Roshi said suddenly as he was instantly poised directly above the speakers.
"Whatever you say, I never wanted to talk about the jerk in the first place." Ichigo replied. "But I have to ask since you people claim dating or whatever you call your courtship customs, is for the purpose of finding the right person, how do you know Mariah is not right for him?"
"cauh," Slip coughed. "You can answer that yourself Ichigo. You've met her, what's your opinion?"
"Well she is timid and weak and just from what little I have seen and heard she needs Roshi's emotional support, which if you ask me is truly odd to see a male with an obvious sensitive side it is so... un-masculine and if I had not seen him fight I would have thought he was not fit to be a warrior but he is and well she would try to kill his warrior's spirit. A warrior like Roshi needs danger and she would try to keep him from it."
"Who the hell does she think she is? She doesn't know a damn thing about Mariah!"
"Whoa there boy. You realize how rarely you swear? That just sounds wrong coming outta your mouth! Boxers said as he jumped up to keep Roshi from smashing the control board.
"I wouldn't know if she is right or not, but I know someone that would be a lot better for him." Max said.
"I kinda hope you are not thinking the same person that I am thinking because if you are thinking who I am thinking than that might make life very interesting." Slip said back.
"Who are they talking about. Give me a name! Don't just talk about me and not give me a name!" Roshi pleaded to the screen.
"Dude, I think they are talking about Ichigo and they don't want to die so they aren't about to tell her to her face." Boxers said.
"Ichigo? Oh no! No way in heck! Awe ah! NO!"
"SO WHAT HAVE I MISSED?" Kit said as she came out.
"Ahh turn the gain down! Turn the gain down!" Tee cried as the speakers squealed.
"Oh found a suit that fits." Slip said sounding surprised.
"Yeah, I had to cut a whole in the bottoms for my tail, but it fits. So, what did I miss?"
"Oh nothing much," Slip relied. "We were just talking about all wanting a nice chunk of hunka hunka man-meat."
"Oh is that all?" Kit said as she stretched out on a towel.
"You zoom in on her and I will break your hand." Roshi said as Tee moved his had to and then away from the camera controls.
"Hmmm, ok then I will just have to do this!" Tee said as he quickly grabbed the controls and zoomed in on Ichigo again.
"Grow up Tee!" Roshi said as he once again de-zoomed the camera.
"So, Kit you got hunk scoped out?" Slip asked.
"Ka! No. I'm the only Vulpine in my age group that lives in Satan City. Makes it rather hard to find a hunk when there are none. But what about you Slip? You could have the pick of any guy you wanted. Why don't you have a hunk of man meat as you so call them?"
"Well actually, I'm thinking I'm going to go steal one from Saiya. All the stories always tell how loyal Goku and Vegeta were. I think a nice studly man that doesn't worship my name or money or only look at my boobs would be a great idea."
Ichigo burst out laughing.
"What's so funny?" Slip demanded.
"No Saiyan warrior would be caught dead in the bed of such a prissy girl like you!" She laughed.
"Prissy girl? I'm a good deal stronger than you were when you got to Earth. Maybe I'll just have to beat him up and take him home all cave woman like."
Now Kit and Max were laughing. "You know, that doesn't sound like that bad of an idea. I could cook him something really nice and steal his heart, er I mean stomach!" Max suddenly jumped up. "Speaking of which if I'm going to cook the stuff Roshi asked for I need to get moving.
Max quickly readjusted her black bikini top and then headed our of camera shot.
"Hmm, you know if she wasn't our cousin." Tee said jokingly.
"Oh that is just sick!" Roshi said. "Look if you two want to be pervs and keep spying on the girls than be my guest but I have stuff to do.
* * *
Noon,
Roshi walked into the galley of the ship to find Max just starting to work on dinner. "Ah Max what's up I'm hungry." Roshi said as he walked past and stole several carrots.
"Roshi stop that! I need those for the egg roles!" Max shouted as she slapped his hand with a spatula she had been using to mix some ingredients together with.
"Youch! Hey do I smell Chlorine? Don't tell me you were soaking in that hot tub all morning?"
Max smirked at him. "Actually I was. And Ichigo is very interesting to talk to by the way."
"Ok I am being baited. Why am I being bated? Why should I care what you talked about?" Roshi forced himself to say. 'Yeah I know just what you talked about. Who would have guessed you were such a gossip?'
"Cause it is fun. So tell me, why was Ichigo in such a huff this morning?"
Roshi tried to play innocent. "What didn't you talk about it in the hot tub?"
"No we didn't we talked about getting ourselves some man meat as Slip calls it. Ichigo has some interesting ideas about you."
Roshi blushed and barely caught himself before he started arguing with her. "Like what?"
Max grabbed one of the largest chef's knives and held it up. "Why don't you tell me? Or weren't you in on the bugged cleaning droid?"
Roshi felt the blood not only leave his face, but also do it at record setting speed.
"Oh look, you were part of that! You must have really enjoyed that conversation. I hope I made it juicy enough for you."
"Ya... You... You knew?!?"
"Max smiled really, really big. Midway her smile turned to a smirk. "Caught you. I guessed. Thanks for confirming it."
Roshi just gapped at the air like a fish on land.
"Oh relax. See you are still in High School so you know little or nothing about panty raids or bugging the showers, or all the other fun pranks I helped pull when I was in college. Next time you boys try using the cleaning droids though, try to remember that these are the same model as what was in my restaurant. There is a light that blinks when they are actually recharging."
Roshi smacked himself in the forehead. "It was Tee and Boxers. I just happened to get roped in!"
"Right, right, mamma's boy."
"Hey, I resemble that comment!"
Max started laughing, look Roshi, I know you are under a lot of stress and all but both you and Ichigo need to relax. She is the princess and you are the Super Saiyan that is supposed to save the world. But you need to remember to just be a guy and let her just be a girl for a bit."
Roshi held his hands up. "I'm dating Mariah! I really don't like what you seem to be suggesting and I don't want to hear it again!"
Max frowned. "Roshi, this has nothing to do with love or dating or anything like that. What I was trying to say is that every boy needs to be a hero and every girl needs a hero. Right now she doesn't need you or me or anything else. She needs a hero to show her the way home."
"You sound like Kit."
Max shrugged. "Kit's a smart girl."
"No go find Ichigo and listen to her. I heard the jist of what was said while the two of you were fighting in the Gravity Room today. I think both of you need to just listen to each other and stop only hearing what you want to hear."
"You know, you are pretty smart for a simple cook." Roshi said before he dodged the carrot she tossed at him.
"Any cook worth their salt shaker knows that presentation and performance is just as important as flavor. You would be amazed at how many people come to me with their problems. I wouldn't be able to give them just the right stuff to make their day better if I wasn't a good psychologist too you know."
"Right."
* * *
Kit, Slip, and Ichigo were just leaving the Pool when Roshi got down there. All three were draped in towels. "Ah Ichigo we need to talk."
Ichigo turned around and walked back into the pool area. 'Damn it, just when I was finally relaxing and not thinking about him.'
Roshi pushed past Slip and Kit and followed her. "Look I don't like forcing people to do things they don't want to do but if you go hide in the locker room again I will follow you in there this time."
Roshi could feel Kit and Slip leaving the scene. Neither one of them wanted to be anywhere near the explosion they expected.
Ichigo turned around and looked at Roshi. She closed the towel tighter around herself. "No, you don't need to say anything. I need to talk. I just realized something. I realized that I trust you. You have always treated me with respect, more respect than I even have for myself at times. You are so far outside and beyond anyone I have ever met before and you have earned my respect and my trust."
Ichigo looked off into the pool for a moment. "Which is why the way you have been acting the past few days is so very aggravating. I cannot seem to be able to make you understand why your plan will not work."
Roshi glanced at the droid sitting over in the recharging socket. "I'm sorry. Look, go change into something more comfortable. We can continue this someplace more private."
"Thank you for understanding. I will talk to you after we eat. I understand you requested something especially filling?"
Roshi blushed. "Ah, yeah I did."
"Ok, well then I will talk to you later." Ichigo walked past him and then paused at the door. "Roshi, could you possibly look into raising the temperature in my cabin? I never did believe in coincidences and to have both Pan's old house and my cabin be practically freezing makes me wonder."
"Uh, yeah, I'll look at it."
* * *
2:00 pm.
"I cannot believe you made me fall for that eating prank again." Ichigo said as she led Roshi onto the observation deck.
"Well you are the one who made it into a competition." Roshi replied.
Ichigo sat down in one of the overstuffed couches that looked out the great domed bay window to the starscape beyond. The blue and red and purple tendrils of energy created by the slipstream drive played across the stars and made the view both eerie and soothing.
"You still should have beaten me."
Roshi laughed. "Not when you were bound and determined to win."
Ichigo was silent.
"Ichigo, I need to apologize. I've been a royal ass these last few days."
Ichigo turned and cocked an eyebrow at him. "Careful there, I do not recognize your claim to the throne. You have to be Royal to be a Royal Ass."
"Ok, fine then, I've been a very large jerk. That work for you?"
Ichigo smiled. "Why yes it does. At least you are starting to know your place."
"Right, can we keep the mutual teasing and mocking to a minimum? I would really rather keep this civil than have a fiasco like this morning."
Ichigo looked admonished. "I know, I am sorry."
Roshi walked around and looked at the stars for a bit. "You know I think today is the first time you genuinely thanked me for anything, and I know it is the first time you have apologized."
Ichigo scowled. "Yeah, well do not get too used to it."
Roshi smiled. "Nice to know you are still you, and not a shape shifting pig or something."
"What?" Ichigo asked confused.
"Never mind, it is a very, very long story."
"Roshi, I have never been one for idle talk, so let me get down to the reason we need to talk. Your plan will not work."
"Ok, but before we talk about that I need to say something I have been meaning to say for two days. Ichigo, I don't know how you knew, but you knew I needed help when I was fighting Snow. I had read all the stories and thought I knew, but I wasn't ready to be a Super Saiyan. I don't even really remember what you did, but I know you brought me back from the edge of the abyss. I owe you my life, everyone owes you their lives, and I thank you for doing whatever it was you did to do that."
Ichigo shook her head. "No, please do not thank me for that. I was just doing what I had to do. You are the one who deserves to be thanked."
Roshi rolled his eyes. "Well one of us deserves credit for keeping us alive and if you won't accept it than I am just going to have to write a nice epitaph for Piccolo because I wasn't doing anything but what I had to do either."
Ichigo held up a finger to stop Roshi. "Hold that thought for a moment." She got up and went to the back of the room were a large water cooler stood. After getting two cups of water she walked back to him. I saw this thing in a movie; I believe it was called a toast. It was to a fallen soldier. I think if I understand right this would be a time for one of those toasts.
Roshi just looked at her through half lidded eyes. "That is so unfair."
"What?"
"You have soaked up human culture like a sponge but I know hardly anything about your culture. Which I think is why we have been having this continuing argument."
Ichigo sucked on her lip. "So I was right?"
"Yes, now give me that!" Roshi said as he took the offered cup.
"To Piccolo, may he be in a better place." Roshi toasted.
"To Piccolo."
Roshi turned and looked at Ichigo. "You know, Kit warned me about this. She said that you liked to avoid the topic. So shall we get down to business? Why won't my plan work? Why won't the surviving Saiyans want to get on the ships and go to where it is safe?"
"Pride." Ichigo said, "pure and simply pride will keep them. My father ordered me away when I knew that Blizzard was coming. While he sent me on a mission of hope and it was a huge responsibility at the same time it was shameful because I was in effect running from battle. What was even more shameful was that I had to seek help."
Roshi scratched his chin. "Why is asking for help so shameful? There is a saying. No man is an island. What it means is that no one can do everything alone. Children need parents, friends need each other, and we all need to work together to become stronger."
Ichigo shook her head. "No, you are still thinking like a human! A Saiyan never asks for help. Asking for help is a sign of weakness. My people live for combat. We live for the battle but there is nothing gained by beating on an easy foe. You called the trial I took when I was twelve barbaric, and children do die every year, but only the best survive. To run from a challenge is shameful. It goes against everything we are."
Roshi closed his eyes and rubbed his temples. "So what you are saying is that every time I beat you in a battle you were beaten and there was some shame in it, but every time I saved you in a battle that was really shameful because it signified you were not capable yourself?"
Ichigo got a far away look in her eyes and for a moment Roshi was certain she was embarrassed. "Yes, you are right. While what you did was correct and dutiful it shamed me every time. Poor warriors live with that shame while those that are like you are honored."
'No wonder she hates me.' Roshi thought, 'and no wonder she doesn't believe in heroes. In order to have a hero they have to save you from something.'
Roshi looked at the ground. "Ok there was quite a bit written about this because of Vegeta, but um... why have you never mentioned your tail?"
"Do you actively seek to insult me or are you just bad with words?" Ichigo snarled. "You want the whole story? Ok fine! While you have sufficiently proven that a tail is not needed for one to be a Super Saiyan, it is needed to become an Ouzaru. In the days before the civil war and before Saiya lost her moon, any warrior that lost their tail in battle was summarily executed. No questions were asked. No reprieves given."
"That's horrible!"
"No that is life! Even to those who believed in it, Super Saiyan was mostly a myth. Ouzaru is real. Since most of the real battles took place under a full moon, a warrior without a tail was useless. They were better off dead." Tears streaked her face, as she turned away from him too ashamed to let him look at her.
"Ichigo, I didn't know. I am so sorry... I..." Roshi trailed off at a loss for words.
"Well now you do. You have to see. Pride is not about the victory or the glory or the honor or any of that. It is for the battle itself. It is the ability to say I am able. I am capable. I am honorable. I am valiant. I am something! Without that pride we are nothing."
Ichigo brought her knees up and hugged her chest. "You probably figured out from everything Banana said that my society is very patriarchal. The last time a Princess took the throne was 1,242 years ago now. Even if I showed up now with you a Super Saiyan at my side the shame from running from the battle and the shame of not having a tail might keep many of them from being willing to follow me. And that is just following me into battle with Blizzard. If there is anyone like Banana still alive he will be in charge and the people will follow him not me."
"If I were to even hint at something as shameful as running from battle. None of them will follow me. I would not if I were in their place."
"Ichigo!"
"No, do not, please do not say anything. You wanted to know if I planned to die or wanted to die? Well now you know. In the eyes of many I still hope to save I already am dead. I plan on saving my people. I plan on killing Blizzard and any other blight infected Changeling on Saiya. Whether I live through it or even eventually take the thrown isn't important. Just that my people live."
Roshi got up and walked around her so he could look into her eyes, but Ichigo turned away. "Just go away. I need to think. I need some time by myself."
* * *
Roshi found Slip in engineering. "Did we get that transmitter hooked up on Snow's ship?"
"Yeah why?" Slip said without even looking up.
"I need to call my dad. I think this trip just became one way."
* * *
READ THIS!!!!! PLEASE REVIEW THIS CHAPTER!
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Finally... and this is important... I have 46 mostly done.
If you want to see soon please go read AND review Josav's fic.
"fanfiction . net/ read . php? storyid=1328230" - same thing here... or you could go to my favorite authors, Josav is listed.
Anyway It took me forever to get her to come back and if no one reviews her fic I will be very unhappy. If you don't like it tell her.. please be honest. But please review. Your Reviews are the only thanks we author's get for our work.
Thank you for your patience. Special thanks to all those who helped me make this chapter and take it from my mind to the text on the screen. You know who you are.
The Smooster.
