The rest of the day passed quickly for each student. After finishing her argument with Vegeta, Bulma had snatched 18's hand and pulled her to their next class, leaving a stunned group of friends behind her.

"Great" ChiChi mumbled.

"What?" Goku asked, shutting his locker door.

"I have class with Vegeta next." She sighed.

Goku glanced over at his friend whose scowl, believe it or not, had actually deepened. Apparently, whatever he had been talking to Bulma about had left him even angrier.

"Good luck babe."

"Thanks" ChiChi had mumbled in reply.

Before long the last bell of the day had sounded and students crowded the corridors as the hastily left the building. 18 waited next to Bulma as she emptied the contents of her locker into her school bag.

"I'm kind of a nerd." She said with a small blush as she placed yet another textbook into her bag. 18 just shrugged her shoulders. The two females exited the building and approached a familiar group of people waiting on the front lawn.

"So 18, do you have any plans for the rest of the day?" Bulma asked.

"Uh, actually I should probably head home. My brother will worry if I'm late." She replied as she gave a quick wave to the group and departed.

"Weird girl. Nice, but weird." Bulma said as they watched 18's retreating figure. "So, what is everyone else doing?"

"Goku and I have training with Master Roshi." Krillin said, "And Vegeta and Yamcha already left."

"What about you ChiChi?" Bulma asked the pretty raven-haired girl.

"My dad is in town, so I can't do anything. Sorry."

Bulma felt more sorry for her friend then herself. Everyone knew that the Ox King was hard on his daughter. More so then they could probably imagine.

"Well, I guess I'll just head on home and see you guys tomorrow." Bulma said with a wave goodbye. The remaining trio also started walking away towards their destinations.

ChiChi sighed as she saw her home approaching. Goku and Krillin had separated from her direction a few blocks back. Her dad was going to be home, and she knew that as long as he was in town, her life was going to be a living hell. She knew her father loved her, but he went about expressing his love the wrong ways. Opening the door, she braced herself.

"ChiChi!"

"Yes, I'm home."

"Good. Now go and get changed. I have some training for you to complete."

ChiChi obeyed and as she reached her room, she mentally prepared herself for what was to come. Training with the Ox King wasn't like training with Master Roshi. Yes, there were martial arts involved, but most of her father's training was mental. She recalled being 7 years old and her father dropping her off in the middle of the wilderness alone for days. It was so that she would develop survival instincts, he had told her. As she got older, his training became even more intense. She had no idea what was going to be in store for her today.

"So ChiChi's dad is back huh?" Krillin asked as he held the punching bag for Goku.

"Yeah."

"Aren't you worried?"

"Yes and no. I mean yeah I'm worried about what he is going to say or do to her this time, but I also know that ChiChi can handle anything he throws at her. She isn't afraid of anything." Goku replied as he continued punching the bag.

"I don't know if that is such a good thing man. I mean, look at what it has done to her so far. What if she can't handle it? I'm afraid to think of what it could do to her." Krillin said as he let go of the bag.

"I understand what you're saying Krillin but I know ChiChi. She knows how to protect herself. She'll be ok." Goku said as he silently prayed, "please let her be alright."

"Don't you dare show pain!" Ox King yelled.

Today's training involved beating his daughter with a bamboo stick and instructing her to show not one ounce of pain. He struck her across the back again.

"You will never show pain. Pain is a weakness. A weakness your enemy can use against you."

ChiChi tried with all her might to stand stone faced as the stick struck her back again. The pain was terrible, and her body felt on fire from the numerous strikes. Blood had begun to seep into her gi, but she refused to cry out. She had been trained to never show fear, pain, or to give up.

"Weakness means death. It's why your mother died. Weakness." Ox King shouted.

Ah, the reason behind it all. Her mother had been murdered when she was a young girl and her father had been devastated. Since then he had begun training her, so that she would never experience the same fate. It was out of love, that she suffered.

That night ChiChi couldn't sleep. Her wounds hurt too much to lay down much less fall asleep. She stood at her window gazing out at the stars. She thought about her mother, smiling and laughing. She remembered the blood as she found her mother's body on the floor. That was never going to happen to her. Her father wouldn't allow it, she wouldn't allow it. She would do all the training her father requested, no matter how painful, because she wouldn't end up like her. "Never."

Across the town another person was gazing out at the stars. Her blonde hair lifting silently in the wind. She could her the laughter from the room downstairs where her brother and his so-called friends were gathered. They had been laughing and drinking since she had returned from school. She hated them, all of them. It was because of them that she had to transfer schools. It was because of them that she had no friends, because the one she did have they had killed. 17 and his friends, a gang they called Red Ribbon, had destroyed her life. She thought back to Bulma and her friends. She knew she had to avoid them, had to stay away or else watch them be destroyed as well by 17.

"I will never be like him." she whispered to the heavens, "Never."

A/N: Please let me know what you think so far of this story. It's going to get pretty dark soon, but there will be some comic relief as well. I have lots of ideas with where I want to go with this so any comment/suggestions would be really appreciated!!