"Kuririn," Roshi said. He cleared the last dregs of sleep from his throat, vacating his futon. "Kuririn, wake up. It's time for training."

The boy rolled up slowly and scrubbed at his eyes. He blinked, still bleary-eyed.

"Muten Roshi-sama, it's only 4:30."

"Don't dawdle," Roshi said, doing up his uniform. "Get dressed. I'll wake Goku."

Roshi grumbled to himself as he ascended the stairs to the second floor. As a matter of course, the lady had taken the only proper bed in the house; and if it weren't for Lunch's volatile nature, Roshi would've jumped at the chance to join her! Alas, he'd have to make do with his imagination.

A thought occurred to him as he reached the bedroom door; surely, Lunch would still be asleep at such an hour. Perhaps he could do a little more than just imagine.

Roshi stifled an eager giggle. Slow and silent, he cracked open the door and peeked into the room. The bedsheets draped nicely over Lunch's still-slumbering figure.

'Heh-hee~!'

He stepped over Mirin to get a closer look and noticed two things:

One, Goku had occupied the far side of the bed near the window, rather than his brother's futon on the floor. Roshi didn't quite get as far as feeling any internalized amusement at the boy's budding interest, though, because…

Two, the sleeping woman between him and his pupil had blonde hair, not blue.

Roshi backpedaled carefully; how could he go about waking up only Goku?

He bumped into Mirin's foot.

"Aha."


Sweet Rice Wine


"Mirin."

I woke up to Roshi's hushed tones and the old man nudging me awake at the crack of dawn.

"Wake up your brother," Roshi said, moving out the door with unusual speed. "Have him get dressed and come outside."

I stared after him a good bit after he'd gone. The old master's words sounded like gibberish to me in that unique way things did to someone who'd just woken up.

'Summajawha?'

Once I'd parsed out what he wanted, I sat up and felt around Goku's spot on the futon.

Said spot did not contain a Goku.

The sound of his heavy breathing clued me in; some way or another, he'd ended up in bed with Lunch.

"Kiddo," I murmured, sidling up beside the bed and reaching over Lunch. "'S morning. C'mon, up."

With a little insistent nudging and tugging at his A-shirt, he roused.

"Mornin', Mirin!" He said in his usual lively manner, despite just waking up. He blinked. "Huh? How come you're over there?"

I huffed out an exasperated sigh.

"You tell me, you dork," I said, reaching out both hands for him. "Let's go, outta"

"Shaddap," Lunch grumbled, pushing herself slowly upright. "Too fucking early."

'Oh.'

Suddenly, Roshi's reasoning for asking me to wake up my brother became clear. Instead of blue, soft and doe-eyed, I found myself greeted with an unimpressed, green-eyed scowl. Lunch glared at me and turned to my brother.

"Hiya." Goku said, noticeably dimmer than he'd been for me.

Lunch balked, snapping the covers back; she stepped out of bed, her glower never straying from Goku.

"You–! You really are fearless, huh?! Crawlin' into my bed!"

She snatched a pistol from under her pillow.

"Lunch, wait, he's eleven!"

Click.

"And he's got an infant's libido, lookit his face!"

That, at least, got her to glance in my direction for a second. She looked back at Goku, frowning. I could only imagine he looked confused.

Well, given the way he'd pressed his hand at my back, ready to push me out of the way, maybe not.

Whatever Lunch saw, it kept her from shooting for another minute.

"He probably got up to pee in the night and wandered into the bed by mistake," I said. There wasn't any other explanation I could think of off the top of my head. "Right, kiddo?"

"I guess I did," Goku said. "Sorry."

Lunch lowered her gun with a grunt, rubbing the side of her head with the barrel.

"Whatever," she said. "Don't do it again."

"Huh." Goku said in a curious tone that had me looking back at him. He'd focused on Lunch with his head cocked.

"What?" She snapped.

My little brother grinned.

"You're pretty nice, ain't'cha?"

"!"

Stunned silence reigned the room for a beat or two. Lunch's expression must've about matched mine; some nonverbal expression of 'How'd you reach that conclusion?'

Maybe he was comparing her to Bulma, who'd not only shot him–several times–but also struck him in the head for far more trivial offenses. He could've been basing it on some instinct unique to him; or, it could've been an entirely baseless assertion. Whatever the case, such an earnest evaluation had similar effects on Lunch as on most people.

Namely, mystification, and possibly a bit of embarrassment.

"Believe what you want, Fearless." She grumbled, if in marginally softer tones than usual.

Goku giggled.

"Hey, aniki," he said. "What's up so early in the morning?"

"Right," I said, shaking my head. "Roshi came in, said it's time to start training. Get dressed and head outside."

"Ossu!"

In the matter of a minute, he'd thrown on his pants and dashed out and down the stairs.

". . . I didn't think to ask," I said, looking at Lunch. "Are you okay with us sleeping in here? On the futon, obviously."

"So long as it's not the old man, I don't care." She said, shoving her pistol away.

"Okay," I nodded. After a moment, I added. "For the record, if the old man tries anything beyond looking, you're free to shoot at him."

Bullets wouldn't kill him, after all, and perverted behavior should be discouraged; particularly with impressionable young men in the house.

She scoffed, pulling the sheets back and laying down again.

"Gee, thanks for giving your permission, Twig."

At some point, she'd have to learn our actual names. She glared at the window and rolled over with her eyes shut.

"Fuck. Too early."

"I'm gonna see the boys off," I said quietly at the door. Silence answered me. "…Right."


Sweet Rice Wine


Roshi, staff in hand, regarded his students. Both were bright-eyed and standing more or less at attention, despite the early hour. A solid first step.

Nearer the porch, Mirin stood, watching his brother and Kuririn.

"Now," Roshi said, hands behind his back. "We will begin your training as pupils of my Eternal Kame School of Martial Arts, in earnest. However," he said, straightening his back. "First, I will say just a few words about the martial arts."

"Yes!"

"Ossu!"

"The mastery of martial arts is not for winning fights, nor to have girls fawn and swoon over you."

Roshi eyed Kuririn, who nodded. As he suspected, the boy must've sought him out with a deeper motive than women. Time would tell if his drive would bear him out.

"In pursuing martial arts, you will become healthier, both in mind and body; in doing so, you will be able to enjoy your days more thoroughly, and live your lives to the fullest."

Roshi paused, mostly for effect. He lifted his hand and made a fist.

"However, should you encounter a foe who uses their strength to threaten you or other innocents,"

Pow!

"You are to knock them down!"

Roshi turned back to the boys.

"Do you understand thus far?"

"Yes, Muten Roshi-sama!"

"Not one bit." Goku said flatly.

". . . Huh?"

Roshi and Kuririn both stared at Son the younger. Roshi didn't think he'd said anything particularly difficult to follow.

"Uh," Mirin said, raising a tentative hand. "If I may paraphrase?"

"Hm," Roshi nodded. Gohan's older grandson had proven a bit sharper of wit. "I'll allow it."

"Okay," Mirin said, pacing forward and crouching in front of his brother. "Listen, Goku. Never use your martial arts to bully anyone; don't let anyone bully you or people weaker than you, either. Make sure you train hard every day and have a fun life. Got it?"

"Oh!" Goku exclaimed, grinning. "That's easy! I get it!"

Kuririn lifted a disbelieving eyebrow.

"You must be some kind of dumb." He muttered.

"Yes," Roshi said, nodding to acknowledge Mirin. "Thank you."

The elder Son stepped aside once again, flicking Goku's hair as he went.

"Well, enough of that–shall we begin training?"

"Yes!" Came twin, enthusiastic replies.

"Remember, though," Roshi said, turning his back to them. "If you can't keep up, it makes no difference to me if you drop out."

"Right!"

"Very good," he said, glancing back. "First, we'll begin with some light running. Follow me!"


Sweet Rice Wine


"Heh."

Kuririn couldn't help smirking as he kept pace in Roshi's wake, jogging steadily downhill.

'And I heard that Muten Roshi-sama's training was difficult. This isn't so bad.'

They all three came around to a small building with Milk painted on the side. A cow man stood stacking crates of fresh milk just outside a garage door.

"Hup! Hold there," Roshi said, calling for a stop with staff raised. He strode up to the milkman. "Good morning. I'm the Kame Sen'nin; we spoke on the phone yesterday."

"Ah, yes! Thank you so much for doing this, it's a load off my hooves."

Kuririn blinked, wondering what relevance milk had to early morning training. He glanced at Goku; unsurprisingly, he didn't look any more informed.

"Here's the route," Milkman-san said, showing Roshi a map. "I've marked the stops like so."

"Hm. I understand," Roshi said. He turned back to them. "All right, boys. Each of you grab a crate," he said, indicating the milk with his staff. "We're delivering milk!"

"Huh?!"

Hunting for rocks in the jungle had been unusual; Kuririn didn't know what to call training through milk delivery.

"This is training?" Goku asked, sounding equally befuddled.

"Of course," Roshi said. "It makes for excellent exercise."

"Wait," Milkman-san interrupted. "You're going on foot?" He gestured to the helicopter parked nearby. "These have to be delivered by breakfast, you see…"

"Not to worry," Roshi said, all confidence. "I'll see to it they complete the task. Step to it, boys!"

"Right!"

Kuririn took the top crate of milk bottles, leaving the second for Goku.

"Okay," Roshi said, nodding at them and consulting the map. "Two kilometers to the first house–we'll skip our way there!"

Kuririn came dangerously close to dropping his cargo.

"Two ki–?!"

"Let's go!"

Before Kuririn could even properly express his incredulity, Roshi had taken off. With nothing else for it, Kuririn fell into line, keeping his grip on the milk firm as they hopped and skipped along the path.

"Skip, skip, tra-la-la! Skip, skip, tra-la-la!"

Apparently Roshi also wanted them to sing as they went. Kuririn made his best effort; keeping his form steady to avoid spilling as they rounded bends and skipped uphill.

"Skip, skip, tra-la-la!"

"Skip… skip, tra-la…la!"

Had milk always been this heavy?

Finally, finally, they reached the first house. Kuririn trailed to the house's fence just behind Goku, reaching for the milk box. He glanced at his crate, huffing to catch his breath; they still had five jars apiece.

"You've collected the empties?" Roshi asked, confirming for himself. "Good. Now, for the next kilometer to the second house, we'll run zig-zag along this path."

Kuririn balked; another long stretch of road lay out before them, lined on both sides with trees.

"Like so!"

Roshi once again set the pace, running around one tree on the right and crossing the road to circle the closest adjacent tree on the left.

"Zig-zag, zig-zag!"

Goku followed the old master's example, mimicking his every word from just a few trees behind.

"Hah… hah…"

Kuririn didn't have the energy to sing along anymore. He glanced up as he came round for another trip across the path.

"Ah!"

Only to realize he'd fallen significantly behind already.

". . ."

He peeked left. He peeked right.

No one watching him.

He smirked.

"Ahem."

He set down the road at a comfortable trot.

"Zig-zag, zig-zag!"

He grinned; running normally wasn't nearly as tiring as skipping, and besides, the shortest route only made sense, right?

"It makes no difference to me if you drop out." Roshi said again, jogging in place waiting for him.

Kuririn startled, shame-faced.

"I apologize!" He cried, whipping around to retrace his steps. "I won't do it again!"

By the time he'd made up for what he'd skipped, Goku had already delivered his milk. Kuririn huffed and puffed his way through to the second house.

"You're lagging, Kuririn," Roshi said, unsympathetic. "If you're too slow, the milk will sour."

"Yes… sir."

Kuririn struggled to stay upright, gasping for air.

"Then, the next stop is just up these stairs," Roshi said, pointing with his staff. He hummed thoughtfully. "Well, I suppose you don't have to run here."

Kuririn heaved a dry sigh of relief, immensely grateful for a chance to catch his breath.

"!"

He realized his interpretation was sorely mistaken when he looked up; not at a staircase, but a veritable mountain.

"ARGH!"

Kuririn slowly ascended after Goku and Roshi. He wanted to go back in time by an hour and punch himself in the face.

'Muten Roshi-sama doesn't mess around!'


Sweet Rice Wine


Goku tried his hardest to keep up with Roshi–he'd been trying his hardest all morning–but the Old-timer hadn't even broken a sweat!

"Oho," Roshi chuckled. The old man sat on a rock by the stairs, waiting for him. "Even Goku's worn out now, huh?"

"Old-timer," Goku said, arms heavy and aching. "Can't I do this faster with Kinto'un?"

"Certainly, it would be faster," Roshi agreed. "But that wouldn't be training."

Goku's shoulders slumped.

"Guess not…"

The old man took a puff off a pipe and blew a ring of smoke.

"Ah," he said, looking out at the island. "This takes me back. Son Gohan and Ox-King did this too, many years gone now."

"Grandpa did?!"

Goku perked up, excited at the idea that he was sharing something with his departed Grandpa. He looked down at his crate; it wasn't quite the same as the feeling he got from Gohan's four-star ball, but he still felt closer to him.

"Old-timer," Goku said. "I'm gonna go on ahead!"


Sweet Rice Wine


"Well now," Abbot-san, a local monk who kept the temple atop the mountain, said. "This is a nostalgic sight."

Goku and Kuririn glanced around. Goku perked up and waved.

"Hiya!"

Thwack.

"Ow!"

Roshi pulled back his staff from the boy's head.

"It's not 'Hiya', it's 'Good morning.'"

Goku rubbed his head, nodding at Abbot.

"Good morning."

"Muten Roshi-sama, you're lively as ever," Abbot said, chuckling. "How are your new students coming along?"

"Well, they've only just started, you understand. Still," Roshi said, stroking his beard. "I wager they show potential."

Kuririn and Goku grinned at each other, excited by the praise.

"If they stick to it," Roshi continued. "I think they'll be fit to enter the tournament in ten months."

Abbot's eyebrows shot up.

"Really? The Tenkaichi Budokai?"

Kuririn goggled.

"TENKAICHI BUDOKAI?!"

Goku, as usual, looked none the wiser.

"Huh? What's that?"

Kuririn rounded on Goku faster than he'd done just about anything else that morning.

"You haven't heard?!"

Goku shook his head.

"It's the ultimate competition! Martial arts masters from all over the world gather to decide who is Tenkaichi, the Strongest Under the Heavens!"

"Whoa~!"

"It's only hosted once every five years in Metro South! With hundreds of masters aiming to participate, even the preliminaries are intense!"

Goku grinned, practically starry-eyed.

"I'd sure like to enter!"

Kuririn turned a hopeful, incredulous gaze on Roshi.

"We will really be able to participate?"

"Provided you don't neglect your training," Roshi said. "I will register both of you to enter."

"Yahoo!"

The boys cheered; Roshi suspected that, if they hadn't just climbed a mountain, they'd have broken into dance.

"However," he said, cautioning them. "Your aim is not to become Tenkaichi. Life's not that easy. Just focus on making it through the preliminaries to enter the tournament proper; your training will be all the more fruitful with a concrete goal."

"Yes, sir!"

"Gotcha!"

Abbot chuckled again.

"Good luck, boys."

"Thank you!"


Sweet Rice Wine


And so, they resumed their milk delivery route.

"Maintain your balance here," Roshi said, holding his arms out and crossing an insanely long log on his toes. "The drop here is nothing to sneeze at!"

Kuririn made the mistake of looking down; he was almost immediately struck with vertigo. There weren't any handholds, ropes or railings, and he couldn't see the bottom of the gorge. Not even Goku would survive the fall.

"Keep going, Kuririn!" Goku urged from behind him.

'Tenkaichi, Tenkaichi!'

.

.

.

"Keep up the pace!" Roshi called back from up ahead. "If you're too slow, the sand will drag you down and trap you!"

Goku panted in the dry heat of the desert, each step an effort on its own.

"All kinds a' strong guys will be there, I bet…"

Further back, Kuririn trudged along, lagging, though never stopping.

"Tenkaichi, Tenkaichi…"

.

.

.

"Don't lose focus!" Roshi shouted over the current. "Miss a step and you'll be swept right over the waterfall!"

Goku's head briefly dunked under the water's surface. He pushed himself back out, spitting water out his mouth and nose.

Kuririn pressed on, teeth clenched.

"I'm not about to die before I enter–!"

'Tenkaichi, Tenkaichi!'

.

.

.

"ROAR!"

"Faster, boys!" Roshi yelled, scurrying ahead of them. "Run as quick as you can or you'll get eaten!"

Goku and Kuririn pumped their legs as hard as they could, narrowly outrunning the prehistoric, carnivorous fangs nipping at their heels.

"WAAAAH!"


Sweet Rice Wine


I'd just finished an inventory of the pantry and fridge when I heard the boys returning to the house. Contrary to the first couple hours of their day, Roshi's couch had tempted me after I saw them off, and I hadn't accomplished much else.

"Gleh… hueh…"

"Haah… fueh…"

Goku and Kuririn's desperate panting reached me even at the kitchen entrance.

"We're finally finished." Goku gasped, spread eagle on the ground.

"I'm spent!" Kuririn declared breathlessly.

Both boys' tongues were hanging out, and their throats sounded painfully dry.

"Hm?" Roshi hummed, cupping a hand to his ear. "What's finished?"

A wry smile snuck onto my face at the old man's teasing.

'Definitely enjoying himself a little bit.'

"Today's training." Goku replied honestly.

"Ha!" Roshi let out a short, harsh laugh. "That was just early morning training! Now get up, you still have morning training!"

"He~h?"

Goku and Kuririn sluggishly sat up, gawping at the old master and shocked at the idea that they weren't done.

"On your feet, boys," I said, walking outside. I crouched in front of them with my hands on my knees. "You're not giving up on the Tenkaichi already, are you?"

Goku pushed himself onto his feet.

"Hi, aniki."

Kuririn followed up after Goku, if reluctantly.

"Huh?" He asked, staring at me. "Yo–how do you know about that?"

"I just know things," I said. I glanced at Roshi; the old man regarded me in turn. Thankfully, he seemed nearer to curious than suspicious. He must've encountered even stranger things in his lifetime. "Do what Roshi says and we'll all have breakfast, all right?"

"Ossu!" Goku answered, bolstered a bit by the promise of a meal.

"Uh, okay." Kuririn nodded, still looking at me oddly.

I inclined my head at Roshi before heading back to the porch.

"Hrm."

"Muten Roshi-sama?"

"Right," he said. "Now then, your morning training shall be," he pointed out yonder with the head of his staff. "Helping to plow this field."

The three of them set off and out of hearing range. Around the same time, light footfalls came from the staircase.

'Blue or blonde?'

Lunch smiled at me as she came down into the living room.

"Good morning, Mirin-san!"

"Morning, Lunch," I answered, stepping back inside briefly to talk. "The boys are training. I need to run out and grab some rice."

"Huh?" Lunch tapped a finger against her cheek. "Don't we still have some?"

". . ."

I gave her a flat stare for almost half a minute.

"Lunch," I said. "Have you ever seen young boys eat after a full day of muscle building?"

"Um," she said, actually thinking about it. "I don't think I have."

An adequate simile was slow in coming to me.

"They're like locusts," I said finally. "Trust me. We need more rice."


Sweet Rice Wine


"Milk delivery and field work," Kuririn muttered, picking up a hoe. "We never did anything like this at Orinji Temple."

"Hold it there," Roshi said, stopping them both. "This isn't just exercise for your legs and arms; you have to dig with your hands."

"You want us to plow with our bare hands?!" Kuririn squawked.

"How else will you toughen them up? Hurry now, or we'll miss out on breakfast!"

Somehow, stakes felt even more dire than they had the previous evening. Without a word spoken between them, Goku and Kuririn took to digging alternate rows; anything to get done and eat a little bit sooner.

"Agh," Kuririn flinched. "My fingernails are coming off!"

"Kuririn," Roshi barked. "No one called for a break!"

"Y-yes sir!"

The fields stretched on for ages; just one row seemed to take an eternity. Neither Kuririn or Goku could slow their pace, either, or they risked throwing the other off. Another fingernail came off; his clothes stained brown, and grit filled his shoes.

At long last, long after the sun had finished its flirtation with the horizon…

"Old-timer," Goku said, almost whining. "We finished."

Kuririn could only stare at his hands, mortified by the state of them.

"You took your time, huh?" Roshi said, standing up. "Breakfast will be late, you know. You'll have to pick up the pace tomorrow, when the fields get much bigger!"

Kuririn could barely hear the old master over the sound of his stomach.

"I'm starving…" Goku murmured.

Kuririn could only agree as they trudged home; he couldn't remember ever feeling so famished.

"Welcome home, boys!" Lunch called out through the window. "Breakfast is ready!"

"FOOD!"

Mirin handed out moist towels for them to wipe their faces and hang around their necks after they washed their hands. Somehow, sitting down to eat felt more satisfying than he remembered.

"Itadakimasu!"

And the food definitely tasted better than any meal he'd had before.

Shakka.

Blind to all else but the food, Kuririn seasoned his fish a bit more enthusiastically than he would have otherwise.

"Wait, Kuririn, don't–!" Roshi warned.

ACHOO!

Only after Lunch sneezed and changed did he realize his mistake. He slid halfway off his chair, ready to bolt.

"Hah?"

Goku must've gone deaf, because he kept right on stuffing his face. Lunch glared around the table and settled on Mirin, who looked just as unruffled as his brother.

"Breakfast," he said simply, taking another mouthful of rice. He reached out his free hand toward the spread. "Nice of you to join us. You want fruit, fish or meat?"

"My hands work just fine, Twig." Lunch said, snatching an orange from the bowl.

Mirin, unbothered, opted to take a cutlet from the center for himself.

Lunch dumped a whole fish onto her plate, puncturing the orange peel with her thumb. She noticed Kuririn and Roshi watching her.

"Baldies got something to say?" She asked, nose wrinkling.

Kuririn shook his head furiously and snapped his gaze back to his plate. He peeked at Mirin, a little awed.

'Is this what it feels like to have a reliable senpai?'

His stomach growled in protest. He dismissed the thought and went back to his rice.


Sweet Rice Wine


Kuririn sat on a log bench beside Goku, who looked between the books in his hands with obvious bemusement.

"From now until lunch is study time," Roshi said, taking a seat in a lawn chair beside a blackboard he'd pinned to a tree. He thumped his chest. "Being a complete martial artist requires not just a strong body," he tapped his head. "But a sound mind."

Goku groaned.

"Aw, man, I hate this stuff."

Kuririn smirked sideways at his Kame classmate.

"Here, at least, I know I've got you beat."

"Now then," Roshi said, opening his own copy of their text. "Goku, try reading from page 12."

Reluctant, Goku nonetheless turned to the relevant page.

"Um… 'Teehee, stop that,' Margaret said. 'Mama will be home soon.' Bob didn't listen, tracing his hands down…"

Kuririn deadpanned at the 'text' Roshi had assigned them. He privately wondered, not for the first time, at the old master's hobbies.


Sweet Rice Wine


Goku stared up at the tree leaves hanging over his head. Roshi had set up three hammocks adjacent to each other after lunch and told them to lie down with a pillow.

"From here on till 1:30, it's siesta time," Roshi said. "Move well, eat well, play well, rest well–that's the way of the Eternal Kame School."

"Hey," Goku said, turning his head. "Old-timer?"

"Yes, Goku?"

"Are there gonna be a lot of really strong guys at the Tenkaichi?"

"Of course," Roshi said. "Fighters from every land will be there, all aiming to be declared Tenkaichi; they'll have worked with that as their life's goal."

"Sounds awesome…" Kuririn murmured.

"Even while we're laying here," Goku said, looking back up at the tree branches. "They're out there doing intense training, huh."

He felt a little restless when he thought about that. Even so, the gentle breeze and soft sway of his hammock made his eyelids heavier and heavier.

"Perhaps," Roshi said. "But you'll find that everyone, even the strongest warriors, need their shuteye."


Sweet Rice Wine


The boys looked all around the site, obviously curious.

"Your next segment of training will be to help out with construction," Roshi said, drawing their attention back to him. "Aside from muscle building and working up a sweat, you can also earn some part-time wages."

The boys blinked at him. Roshi remembered Son Gohan and Ox-King reacting much the same, back in the day. Unorthodox it might've been, but none could argue its genuine authenticity. Practical, hands-on work was some of the toughest in the world to do every day, after all. Hence, his regimen.

"You sure these kids can handle it?" The boss of the site asked. "This job ain't easy."

"Uh, foreman," Roshi said, leaning in to trade words quietly. "If you want my advice, even paying these boys the wages of five men would be a bargain."

The foreman scoffed at the idea.

"Don't kid around with me! Even pay for one man is too much!"

Roshi chuckled good-naturedly.

"Now, now," he said. "Just watch them work a while, shall we? Hop to it, boys!"

"Um," Kuririn said, glancing at his hands. "Do we have to do this barehanded, too?"

"Hm? Ah." Roshi nodded, acknowledging his point. Overwork would be detrimental. "Very well, you may use tools."

"Ossu!"

As he suspected, the boys promptly set about tearing through the job site; each moved wheelbarrows of dirt piled taller than them, shoveled out holes faster than others could mark them and busted up rocks with speeds that rivaled a jackhammer.

Roshi smirked at the foreman, goggling at Goku as the boy outran a steamroller on foot, pulling his own roller.

"I'll show them," Kuririn growled, working feverishly with a pickaxe. "I'll show them all!"

Clang! Clang! Clangclangclang–!

Snap.

Thunk.

Roshi and the foreman flinched; Kuririn's tool had snapped, and the head of the pickaxe sunk into the ground inches from their feet.

"Yeek! Okay, okay, five–no, six men's wages for them both!"

Roshi regarded Kuririn thoughtfully as the boy replaced his tool. He clearly had a grudge against somebody; he wouldn't step in just yet, but he'd keep an eye on him.


Sweet Rice Wine


"Since you've worked up a sweat," Roshi said, having led the boys to a lake. "Next, you'll be going for a swim."

"We're not done?" Kuririn asked incredulously.

"Done? Ha! We've barely started!"

Goku frowned.

"Old-timer," he said. "Stead a' this, when're you gonna teach us martial arts?"

Roshi puffed up his chest indignantly.

Hawk… Ptooi!

"You presumptuous greenhorn," he scolded. "You expect me to teach you martial arts when you're so lacking in physical strength?!"

Both Goku and Kuririn stood a little straighter at his sudden, sharp tone.

Roshi tapped his staff against a boulder twice his height and several times his own weight.

"Look," he said. "When you can move a boulder like this, I'll teach you martial arts!"

Kuririn balked, pointing.

"Muten Roshi-sama, I mean no disrespect, but that's impossible!"

"Is that so?"

Roshi set down his staff and planted his feet. With a grunt, the ground beneath the boulder shifted and the great rock moved.

Roshi huffed a couple times, rounding back on his students.

"You see now? If you stick to your training, even you will be able to do this!"

Kuririn, gawking, snapped back to attention.

"Yes sir!"

"Hm?" Roshi blinked, looking around for Goku.

"Hrngh!"

The boy had taken up position in front of a matching boulder, grunting and heaving with all his might.

Roshi frowned.

"Weren't you listening? Without training, it's impossible for you to"

"HNNNGH!

"!"

Despite all things good in the world, like logic and reason, Goku succeeded in not only moving the boulder, but moving it even further than Roshi had.

"I did it, Old-timer!"

". . ."

Kuririn, much like Roshi, could only stare in silence.

"A~h, haha!" Roshi laughed, sheepish. "Man, I must be getting old; of course, anyone could move a measly boulder that size! My bad, my bad!"

Roshi whipped his head around a moment and ran off. He indicated a massive boulder, at least ten meters high, and a minimum of eight times the size of the first.

"Now, see," he said. "This is what I meant. Once you can move this, your strength training will be complete."

Goku, undeterred, stepped up and made his best effort. Not even Son Gohan's grandson could measure up to the task, though.

"Haah… You're right, I can't budge it."

"Of course not. You haven't trained nearly enough."

"Old-timer, can you move it?"

"Heh." Roshi flashed a V for victory. "Natch."

"Whoa~! Show us, show us!"

"Please, Muten Roshi-sama!"

"Hm…"

Roshi considered the boulder again. If he put out his maximum strength, it would certainly be doable. It'd been ages since his last proper exercise, though; on the off–far off–chance that he didn't meet the expectations he'd set…

"Now, now," he said, rounding on the boys again. "This is no time to get distracted! You've still got training, training!"


Sweet Rice Wine


Kuririn stripped down to the nude with Goku.

"All right," Roshi said, pointing his staff into the near distance. "You see that island over there? You must swim to the other side and come back; ten laps!"

Kuririn breathed a quiet sigh of relief.

'Finally, something manageable.'

"Begin!"

Kuririn and Goku leapt from the shore and dove into the lake; immediately, the grime he'd built up from the construction site began peeling away in the cool water.

"Ha," Kuririn laughed, feeling tension leak out of his body after a high-strung day. "After everything else, this is pretty laid back."

"Yeah," Goku agreed. "The water's really refreshing."

"Take care, though," Roshi called after them. "For whatever reason, sharks live in this lake!"

Kuririn and Goku stopped, turning around to stare back at the old master.

"Huh?"

Surely, he didn't just say what Kuririn thought he said.

He traded a blank, baffled look with Goku.

Kroosh.

A monstrous shark split the lake's surface, rows of teeth looming over them.

"AAAAH!"

Goku sped off; Kuririn paddled for all he was worth, narrowly circling around the monster back toward Roshi.

"Hey!" The hermit barked. "You can't come back here! You have to touch the other side first!"

"You can't be serious!"


Sweet Rice Wine


Goku stared down at his waist. After air-drying from the lake, Roshi had taken two lengths of rope; he tied one end of both to a tree in a small clearing, and the other end of one to him and one to Kuririn.

"For this next part, you'll be honing your reflexes."

"Old-timer," Goku said. "What's the rope for?"

"You are to evade your opponent's attacks while working within the length of that rope. Understand? Now," Roshi said, tip-toing toward the tree. "Slow~ly…"

"What opponent?" Goku asked.

Roshi raised his staff, and in a blur, swatted at something in the tree.

Thwack!

He ran away in a flash, diving behind some bushes at the edge of the clearing. He poked his head out.

"Move quickly, or you'll get stung!"

"Huh?"

Goku looked back at the tree, which was suddenly making an angry sound.

BZZZZ.

A horde of furious insects swarmed out of their nest in the tree.

"Bees!"

Goku ran away from the tree, only to almost stumble when the rope went taut; he fought against it, but nothing gave, and he only got stung.

"Help!" Kuririn yelped.

He ran around the tree, Kuririn circling the opposite direction and flailing his hands. He tried jumping, weaving, anything he could think of, but his body wouldn't move the way he wanted; all his muscles were worn out.

"Yeow!"


Sweet Rice Wine


"That will do for today."

Roshi sized up his pupils; despite their obvious reluctance at times, they'd held out.

Consistency, strength building and reflexes; such were the foundation of mastering martial arts.

"Ow." Goku winced, trying not to touch where he'd gotten stung.

"Um," Kuririn said, voice lisping slightly. The boy had taken an unfortune bee sting to the lip. "Are we going to do this same grueling training every day?"

"Grueling?" Roshi halfway chuckled. "You were working with training wheels on today."

He turned around and crouched down, gathering up the surprise he'd prepared for the boys.

"Starting tomorrow, and for the months we have until the Tenkaichi, you'll do everything you did today," he said, holding up smaller models of his signature purple shell. "While carrying these 20 kilo turtle shells on your backs!"

He smiled.

"You see now, why they call me the Kame Sen'nin?"

Splat.

Thud.

The boys outright collapsed on the ground. Roshi looked forward to the results in a few months' time.