The aching exertion of running all the way to her rural home from town couldn't stop Chi-Chi. She was too excited when her father's temple came into view. With the skirt of her elegant floral kimono clenched in one fist and her pointy-toed shoes swinging in the other, Chi-Chi carried herself home with her bare feet and hem of her dress kicking up mud from the dirt path leading to the doorstep of the timberwork-framed archway of the temple.

"I did it," she panted, waving her red shoes in the air. "I'm going to be the best bride to my new husband!"

By the time she met the burly man startled from his reading at the temple's doorstep, Chi-Chi's lungs were burning and her shiny black locks of hair were clinging to her temples, having sprung loose from her previously pristine bun. Expecting a warm welcome, she stepped upon the threshold of her father's armory with a smile on her flushed face.

"Pa," she laughed, "I impressed the matchmaker!"

When her father only frowned and rolled the parchment gripped in his fingers, Chi-Chi took a moment to prop her hands on her thighs and catch her breath. But when she looked up at the less than exuberant face still looking back at her, she crossed her arms with a stubborn frown. "You could at least be a little excited!"

"I'm sure you'll be a wonderful bride, Chi-Chi."

Chi-Chi's eyes widened as she processed the solemn, unenthused encouragement, which was so unlike her father. When Chi-Chi noticed the way her father was clutching and glancing at the rolled document in his hand, she reached for his broad shoulder and tried to meet his evasive gaze. There was a pitter-pat of footsteps on the wood planks behind Chi-Chi before she shook her father's shoulder.

"What is it," she asked. "What's happened?"

With a glance towards their company in the doorway, her father crossed his arms and sighed. "The Red Ribbon Army has attacked China. This is Emperor Furry's conscription order stating a man from each household is needed for the emperor's army."

Chi-Chi gasped, along with the freeloading pig she knew was standing behind her. They both knew her father was the only man in her household. But he was older now. He'd been through war and permanently injured. Fighting in another war would kill him.

With a furious shake of her head, Chi-Chi squeezed her father's shoulder. "No!"

"Chi-Chi..." her father attempted to embrace her, but Chi-Chi pushed him away.

"No! You can't go to war!" Chi-Chi's eyes burned as she shook her head. "Pa, you'll die!"

Her father frowned and clenched his fists by his sides. "You know I have to fight. Chi-Chi, there's no one else who can go for Mt. Frypan!"

Chi-Chi clutched her hands together near her chest and frowned. "It shouldn't be you!"

Though Chi-Chi held a stubborn front, she knew her argument was pointless. Their home had to be defended. It would be not only illegal, but dishonorable of them not to send someone. But how could she allow her father to go with the certainty of his death?

"Uh...Ox King..." Oolong's quivering voice temporarily broke the heavy atmosphere that had filled the armory. Chi-Chi glanced over her shoulder as Oolong approached, twiddling his thumbs. "You could always find someone else to send, couldn't you?"

"Why?" Chi-Chi narrowed her eyes. "Are you volunteering?"

"No, Chi-Chi." Her father shook his head. "The world army would no sooner take a shapeshifting pig for a soldier than they'd take a woman."

As Oolong breathed a visible sigh of relief, Chi-Chi glared, disgusted by his cowardice. Her father's life was at risk, and all that selfish pig could think about was himself.

"I'm sure you'll make a beautiful bride, Chi-Chi." Her father's eyes creased as he smiled. "Just like your mother."

When he extended his hand to sweetly caress Chi-Chi's cheek, she grasped his thick fingers in both her hands and met his gaze with tears spilling onto her cheeks. Through the watery haze of her vision, she could see Oolong rubbing his arm and frowning back at them.

"Come on, Ox King." Oolong forced a smile and nodded out the open doorway. "If you have to go, let me get you a drink to celebrate your last night at Mt. Frypan."

As they shuffled out the arched doorway, leaving Chi-Chi behind, she scowled at their backs. Then she collapsed to her knees, carelessly ruining the threaded silk of her kimono on the dirtied floor as she let her tears spill down her cheeks.

While crying in solitude, Chi-Chi caught a hint of white against the browns and grays of the gnarled wood planks on the armory floor. She spread her fingers apart for a better look at the white, wrinkled roll of paper by her knees. Chi-Chi sniffled and wiped away the tears lingering behind her eyes with her cascading sleeve before reaching for and un-crumpling the dropped paper. It was the proclamation from the emperor, with all the specifics on where and when to report the next day.

After scanning the details, Chi-Chi's eyes darted to her father's sword among his collection of armor prominently displayed on a long altar against the wall. Then she set her lips in a hard line of determination. She stood firmly to her feet and tucked the order into the sash around her waist before heading towards the shining, hand-welded sets of armor, which fortunately weren't all sized for her father. The emperor required a man from Mt. Frypan to defend China in his army. Chi-Chi would give him that. She saw this as the only way to save her father now. Even if it meant sacrificing the perfect life she had envisioned, she would go in her father's place.

In the wavering, armor-clad reflection in the black puddle at her feet, Chi-Chi observed her new appearance of shortened locks pulled back in a bun, which she hoped would detract from her feminine features. Cutting her shiny, long hair to her shoulders had been almost as rough as sneaking away from her home, but it wasn't the hardest part of preparing to execute this terrible plan. As the horse by her side whinnied and stomped his hoof, splashing Chi-Chi's boots with mud from the dark path beneath the canopy of thick trees overhead, Chi-Chi petted the horse's shoulder to console him.

Someone had to be consoled.

With a wistful glance over her shoulder, beneath the hood of trees where she could no longer see her home, Chi-Chi reminded herself that her father was safe. Leaving him to worry about her, as she knew he would, was the hardest part. Her father wouldn't be happy when he woke. But he was safe at home. Knowing that, Chi-Chi could face whatever happened from here.

When a blur of pink, bobbing from behind the thick of the trees caught her eye, Chi-Chi blinked at a familiar face before whirling her back on her unexpected company. "Oolong! What are you doing out here?"

"Me?" Oolong's frustrated huffing grew louder as he walked the inclined path. "Where do you think you're going?"

Chi-Chi shook her head and returned to her previous task of loading supplies into the pack on her horse's side, being careful to conceal her face from Oolong. She could feel her cheeks heating with the thoughts of being caught in her ruse so early on. She had to fool an entire army into thinking she was a man, and here she could hardly face Oolong like this. Taking a swig from her canteen, Chi-Chi stubbornly avoided Oolong's gaze as she heard a twig snap just behind her and her horse.

"You're lucky I woke up when you were leaving." Oolong yawned. "Time to go home."

Chi-Chi pressed her lips together and slammed her canteen into the satchel hanging from the saddle. "No."

Oolong snorted. "I know what you're trying to do here. But do you honestly think you're going to convince them to allow a woman into the army?"

"No, Oolong." Chi-Chi whirled on Oolong, raising her chin and pressing her shoulders back in the broadest stance she could assume. "I'm going to pass myself off as a man."

"You've got to be kidding me." With wide eyes, Oolong snickered as Chi-Chi turned back to her horse with a scowl. "How can you think that you would possibly pass for a man? I mean, you've got some real nice…"

When Oolong trailed off, Chi-Chi snapped her gaze from the buckle she'd just fastened to catch Oolong's palms cupped obscenely in the air. When she growled and bared her teeth, he snapped his hands behind his back and chuckled nervously.

Chi-Chi sighed, before smiling down at Oolong. "Maybe you're right. I can't pull this off alone, Oolong. And with your shape-shifting, you should be able to remain unseen."

"Hey. I came here to talk you out of this crazy idea." Oolong grimaced and then growled. "No way! Uh-uh. If you want to go to war, Chi-Chi, you're on your own."

"Oolong."

Oolong haughtily closed his eyes and turned his back on Chi-Chi.

Chi-Chi rolled her eyes. "Fine. Go home so you can be the one to tell my father I reported to the army in his place. Oh. But wait." Chi-Chi smiled when Oolong slowly turned to face her. "If I get caught impersonating a soldier, I'll be killed for treason. If my pa comes to take me home, I'll be killed for treason. Pretty much, if no one's around to teach me to act manly so I can pull this off, I'll-"

"All right! Ugh…" Oolong grumbled, rubbing the back of his head. "I'll…help you."

As Oolong's ears sagged wearily, Chi-Chi smiled and clenched her fists with a determined glare. "My best chance now, Oolong, is to survive the war. Then I can go home to my father."

"Don't get ahead of yourself." Oolong shook his head and propped an elbow on the horse's sturdy hind leg. "First, you have to survive training. If you can get through that and by some miracle survive the war, then we can go home."

Chi-Chi pressed her lips together and fixed her gaze on the path ahead. "I won't fail."

As Chi-Chi climbed into the saddle with a grunt, Oolong groaned behind her. "How did I get roped into this?"

"Get on the horse!" Chi-Chi seized the reins and set her jaw. "Or you can walk to camp."

The whimper and abrupt movement in the saddle at Chi-Chi's back indicated they were ready to head off. She shifted in the saddle, lifting the reins and lashing on the horse's neck as Oolong's hands, to her displeasure, gripped beneath the armor at her waist. She would keep his mind busy along the way so he wouldn't get any ideas with those hands. Chi-Chi needed thorough instruction on walking and talking convincingly as a man before arriving in camp. If she failed to deliver, she and Oolong would be facing a death sentence once someone discovered the truth.

It was daybreak when they arrived. There was a distinct silhouette past the dark tents and treetops of mountainous peaks against the soft gray horizon, which faded to darkness as Chi-Chi's eyes traveled skyward. When she brought the horse to a stop, Oolong snorted at the jolt. Chi-Chi took a deep breath and gnawed her bottom lip as she studied the quiet camp. The red flag wagging in the wind with the crest of the emperor told her she was in the right location. Now she needed to convince the men sleeping in those tents that she belonged here with her father's conscription in her possession.

"Chi-Chi…"

"Oolong," Chi-Chi whispered over her shoulder, "now would be a good time for you to transform. It won't look right, me coming into camp with company."

"No." Oolong cleared his throat. "Are you sure you remember everything I told you?"

"Look people in the eyes, talk like this," Chi-Chi rehearsed the deep voice she'd been practicing, "stand with my feet wide and don't-"

"Don't sway your hips, bat your lashes, or anything else that'll tip off any idiots dumb enough to fall for this ruse."

Chi-Chi swallowed hard. "Right."

"I'm going to transform into a cricket. You can keep me tucked in your armor until we get to your tent."

"My tent?" Chi-Chi felt her heart leap as her eyes darted around the camp to spy a stretching man emerging from the lifting tent flap. "I…I guess I just go down there."

"Yeah." Oolong chuckled. "That's a start. Here."

Chi-Chi flinched at the sudden puff of air that hit her before a cricket jumped over her shoulder, landing on the shoulder strap of her armor. When Oolong wiggled between her breast and her chest plate, Chi-Chi gave him a warning glare.

"I'm not going to do anything," the cricket sassed as he burrowed in deeper. "I'm too scared to even think about your breasts right now."

Judging by the convincing grimace on Oolong's tiny face and his sagging antennae, Chi-Chi believed him. She couldn't deny that she was a little scared herself. Reaching beneath the loose flap of the satchel behind her, Chi-Chi felt for the rolled document which would be her passage into camp. She smiled when she felt the soft curve of the paper, and then curled her fingers around it, grasping it tightly before turning and pressing it to her chest. This was it.

She rode her horse out from beneath the cover of trees, into the clearing full of tents, towards the tent with additional flags protruding from its entrance – the general's tent. With her eyes focused ahead and her father's conscription clenched in her fist, Chi-Chi tried to avoid the curious gazes of half-dressed men emerging from other tents, now that sunlight was permeating the camp.

"New guy."

Chi-Chi furrowed her brows and continued on, ignoring the voice coming from the tent she was passing.

"Hey, new guy!" When Chi-Chi flicked her gaze in that direction, she was surprised to see a short bald man staring directly at her. "Yeah, you!"

"M-me? I-I just got here."

As Chi-Chi fervently shook her head and continued towards the general, she cringed. She could feel Oolong trying to pinch her through the fabric of her tunic as he chirped, "what was that? Oh, we're goners! You're never going to pull this off."

"Shut up, Oolong!"

Grimacing, Chi-Chi threw another glance over her shoulder. The bald soldier was raising his brows oddly at her, and for good reason. Her voice had sounded far too feminine. Being taken by surprise, she'd forgotten to mask her voice. She was not off to a good start at all. But as she approached the entrance to the general's tent, Chi-Chi forced herself to focus. She would do better now.

When she hesitantly reached for the flap, a wiry old hand threw it open for her. "Conscription notice?"

Raising her brows, Chi-Chi peered into the tent to follow the wrinkled hand to an old man focused on a pile of papers at the desk set in front of him. His long reach extended over the makeshift table and papers while Chi-Chi ducked inside, presenting her conscription notice to his eager grasp.

"Thank you."

"I-I," Chi-Chi cleared her throat, forcing her voice to deepen, "I come from the Ox family, in Mt. Frypan."

The old man finally lifted his gaze from his papers, to reveal to Chi-Chi his missing teeth and bushy white mustache and beard. "I wasn't aware that the Ox King had a son."

"H-he doesn't." When the old man narrowed his eyes suspiciously at her, Chi-Chi fervently shook her head. "I mean, he doesn't talk about me."

The old man's chin lowered. "Well, that's good. I was concerned about him coming out here himself. That old man isn't what he used to be. When this thing's over, my boy, you tell your old man Master Roshi wishes him well."

"Master Roshi?" Chi-Chi blinked. "You're the turtle hermit?"

"Well," Master Roshi chuckled and pointedly looked past Chi-Chi, into the now-bustling camp, "hermit isn't exactly accurate now, is it?"

"Master Roshi."

As a young man appeared by Master Roshi's side from the shadows, Chi-Chi gasped. She didn't realize she wasn't alone with her father's old master in the tent. She hadn't even seen the soldier standing behind him. Given the young man's confident, powerful gait and pristine armor adorning his body, he was most likely an experienced soldier. He had a presence about him, aside from his physically impressive appearance. The man was tall with a boyish grin adorning his handsome face, and wild hair springing loose from his top knot. Chi-Chi felt her breath catch as her eyes caught his.

With his eyes still locked on hers, the soldier pressed a finger to his chin and leaned forward. "You know this boy?"

Chi-Chi's mouth fell open. Then her brows lowered into a glare. She'd never been so insulted. Here she was enraptured by this handsome young man, who was probably better marriage material than the matchmaker could've ever introduced her to, and all he could do was stare at her and call her a boy!

Chi-Chi huffed. "What are you? Some sort of idiot?"

"Chi-Chi!" The sharp, tiny whisper from her chest made Chi-Chi's eyes go wide as she recalled in an instant where she was and who she was supposed to be.

"No." He smiled, unperturbed by her insult. "I'm your captain. Captain Son Goku."

"C-c-captain," Chi-Chi yelped.

Master Roshi tapped his feather quill on the table. "And you are?"

Chi-Chi shook her head as she realized she didn't have a name. "I-I was looking for…the general."

"This training camp was left to me and the emperor's advisor here," Son Goku said proudly. "The general will make his rounds after you're trained."

Chi-Chi eyes bulged as she fixed her gaze on the nonchalant captain. "You're going to be training us?"

"Yup."

"And your name is?" Master Roshi pressed with a raised brow.

Chi-Chi's breath hitched as her eyes darted around, hoping a name would suddenly come to her. When the captain raised a brow curiously and the old man's brows knit together with impatience, Chi-Chi licked her lips, determining to give them some name, any name that came to mind.

"Milk."

"Milk?"

Chi-Chi cringed, but nodded at Master Roshi. "Ox…Milk."

The old man's brows furrowed before he looked up from his desk, seeking the captain's gaze. When Captain Son Goku only cocked his head and turned away, Master Roshi looked back to Chi-Chi, lifting his white quill with a sigh.

"Milk," Chi-Chi said again, with conviction.

Master Roshi pressed his quill to paper, scribbling, "Ox…Milk. Well," he frowned as he looked Chi-Chi up and down, "Captain Son has his work cut out for him. You must be the scrawniest soldier in camp."

"Here," the captain turned with an armful of carved bokkens and thrust them into Chi-Chi's arms, "we're gonna need these today. Bring them out to the field. The men'll know what to do with 'em."

Chi-Chi caught her balance, narrowly evading toppling over with the heavy load, though she could already feel sweat beading at her temples from carrying those heavy sword-like weapons. As she steadied herself, her gaze remained fixed on her captain's captivating smile. He looked excited to begin their training. Knowing she was training under him, Chi-Chi was slightly excited about it, too.

"Are you okay, Milk?"

Chi-Chi gasped when she realized she'd been staring at the captain, who was blinking back at her. After she forced a smile and turned to the exit, she grimaced at the disapproving glower on the cricket's face peering from beneath her armor.

"I hope so," Captain Son added, "because you're going to need all the energy you can get with this training. I won't go easy on you."

Though Chi-Chi knew she needed to quell her reaction to him, to act as a boy facing war and not a silly girl fawning over the first handsome soldier she sees, she could feel her knees trembling at the captain's promise as she left that tent. Though as she stepped outside and squinted into the bright sunlight, she realized it could be the weight of her heavy load making her knees quake. Either way, she knew she was going to be exhausted by the end of this first day at camp. She just didn't know whether it would be due more to the psychologically draining task of assuming Milk's identity or the physical strain of the training she was in for. Either way, she was already looking forward to retreating to her tent by the time this first day of training was over.

Chi-Chi's breathing was labored as she cast a sideways glance down the line of men practicing their kata in formation, just as she was doing. She could feel a bead of sweat trickling down her spine beneath her gi before she raised her straight wooden jo overhead. She held the pose, narrowing her eyes in concentration as she waited for the captain's command.

As her muscles started to burn from holding her arms over her head in the static block, Chi-Chi bared her teeth at the captain making his way down the line, observing everyone's form. He was taking his time, the jerk. Over the first few days of training, Chi-Chi had learned that Captain Son Goku, while still impressively attractive and even more skilled than she imagined him to be, was a battle-obsessed idiot. His focus was solely on the training. Chi-Chi knew she had to give up any ideas of catching his attention as a woman, but she craved his notice as an excellent martial artist. Having trained before with her father, she was not new to these weapons and kata with which so many men struggled. 'Scrawny' or not, as Master Roshi liked to remind her, she was tougher than half the men in that camp. And yet, Captain Son gave more recognition to Krillin's accomplishments than Chi-Chi's. Chi-Chi appreciated Krillin, who was the same short bald man she'd met on her way into camp, and a kind, good person. She appreciated him, because currently, he was also 'Milk's' only friend.

Chi-Chi wasn't very well-liked in camp.

The men who weren't picking up the techniques as quickly were threatened by Milk's skills, while the men who routinely bathed together in the lake just outside camp were put off by Chi-Chi's unexplained need for privacy. Maybe demanding tidiness from some of the disgusting slobs and berating others for not pulling their weight in group training exercises didn't help Milk's cause, but Chi-Chi couldn't live in the disgusting conditions men tended to favor. And she didn't plan on being killed in battle because some grown men would rather act like babies than toughen up and fight. She hoped she wouldn't die in battle. However, facing battle was inevitable.

When the captain finally reached her end of the line, observing her arms and fingers clenched around her jo while failing to notice the irritated look on her face, Chi-Chi retracted her weapon and thumped the end of the staff firmly on the ground beside her. That got his attention.

Lifting his gaze from the erect jo by Chi-Chi's side, Son Goku finally looked Chi-Chi in the eyes. She held firm, glaring right back at the affronted expression on his face, which quickly turned challenging.

"I didn't give that command yet, Milk."

"I know." Chi-Chi inclined her chin. "But seeing that my form was perfect, as always, and I've been holding it for much longer than the others down at that end of the line, I saw no reason to hold it any longer."

The captain clenched his chiseled jawline. "Your reason is that your captain hasn't commanded it. More important than your skill in China's army, Milk, is your obedience. If you don't follow my orders, you can get someone killed."

As Chi-Chi narrowed her eyes, Goku lifted a hand and stepped back, waving for Chi-Chi to follow him.

"Wh-" Chi-Chi blinked at the curious looks she was getting from the others, "what?"

"C'mon, Milk." The captain's tension washed away as a sly smile crossed his face. "You always have perfect form, right? Let's see how you match up against me."

"Against you?"

Krillin smiled and pressed a hand into Chi-Chi's back, urging her forward. "Go on, Milk. Show Goku what you've got!"

Chi-Chi stumbled forward, throwing a glare over her shoulder at Krillin's smiling face. She couldn't believe her friend was so casually addressing the captain while she was being challenged in front of the whole camp. Goku's failure to notice her had gone far enough.

Raising her jo in a striking position, Chi-Chi narrowed her eyes at Goku. "Fine. Just remember, you asked for this."

Goku's smile fell into a frown for only a moment before his eyes went wide at Chi-Chi lunging forward. With his hands empty, he was able to narrowly sidestep and deflect the jo aimed for his chest, pressing it away with an open palm. Chi-Chi skidded to a stop and whirled on him, sweeping the jo at his feet to trip up the captain. But he was in the air faster than she expected. He came down on top of the jo, having timed his jump perfectly to pin Chi-Chi's weapon to the ground. She wasn't going to give up easily, though.

After taking a moment to gasp at his impressive move, Chi-Chi abandoned the weapon and attacked her captain with an uppercut. But he caught her fist in his hand and before Chi-Chi knew it, a hand was pressing under her chin, forcing her gaze to the sky. She went over as gracefully as possible, but there was no regaining her balance from there. Before she'd even hit the dirt, her captain's laughter rang through her ears.

Chi-Chi lifted her head from the dirt to see an open palm thrust in her face, the very same palm which had put her there. She bared her teeth at it, and then its smiling owner, who seemed all-too-pleased with himself for taking down a woman. Chi-Chi huffed before grabbing the hand. She had to keep reminding herself that she wasn't a woman, not here.

"That was amazing, Milk."

As her feet planted on the ground again, Chi-Chi looked up at the captain's face to see him wearing a genuine smile. "Really?"

She hadn't won. She'd been so assured of her ability until seeing Goku's effortless way of handling her attacks, which left Chi-Chi feeling less confident. But now, her captain was apparently impressed. The same captain whose attention she'd been working so hard to gain.

"Yeah. If there's anyone in this camp I'd want by my side in battle," he smiled as his eyes glanced past Chi-Chi, "it'd probably be Krillin. But you'd be next."

Chi-Chi's shoulders drooped. "Oh. Thanks."

"You're welcome." He insulted her further by giving an impersonal pat on the back. "I like what I'm seein'."

Bending down to pick up her abandoned jo, as the crowd began to disperse at the captain's order of quitting time, Chi-Chi grumbled to herself over her disappointment. That stupid captain had no idea how far her strengths could go. He probably didn't even know who Ox King was, even after all the time he spent talking with Master Roshi in his private tent.

"Milk. Hey, Milk."

Chi-Chi blinked. Oh, right. Her name. "Yeah, Krillin?"

When she looked over her shoulder, the sympathetic smile on Krillin's face made the animosity drain from her demeanor. Krillin probably saw more of her true emotions than she thought were evident. Chi-Chi hoped too many of her feelings towards her captain weren't evident. That would be awkward.

"Where'd you learn those moves? I don't think we've covered anything like that yet."

"Oh, that," Chi-Chi chuckled, fumbling with her hands and fighting the impulse to press a hand to her cheek in feminine gesture. "Uh. My father taught me some things."

"Oh, really?" Krillin laughed and nodded towards the tents before proceeding that way with Chi-Chi trailing by his side. "You're full of surprises, huh?"

Chi-Chi chuckled again as heat rushed to her face. "N-no, I'm not that surprising, really."

"Sure you're not." Krillin cocked his head, smirking at Chi-Chi when he reached his tent. "Well, I'm gonna wash up and head to lunch. You coming?"

Chi-Chi's eyes went wide. "To wash up? With you?"

"Yeah." Krillin was already disrobing, pulling his shirt over his head.

Chi-Chi bit her lip and tried to hide the flush that always wanted to overcome her when looking at bare chests and other parts of men she was unfortunately becoming accustomed to seeing. "N-no. I…I think I'll eat first."

Krillin wrinkled his nose and deliberately sniffed in Chi-Chi's vicinity. "Suit yourself, Milk. I'll see you later."

Chi-Chi scowled at Krillin's bare back as he ducked into his tent. She hadn't realized just how difficult it would be, living with men as one of them. Men were pigs. Speaking of pigs. She sneered as she made her way towards her tent, only a couple down from Krillin's. She knew Oolong would give her the third degree again when she returned, as he'd been doing the past few days. There was always something she was doing that was too feminine for Oolong's liking. Or actually, his liking it was exactly the problem.

Clearing her throat to announce her presence, Chi-Chi lifted the flap of her tent and ducked inside. "I'm back."

"Hey," Oolong glanced over his shoulder from where he sat on a stool with a steaming bowl smelling of cinnamon propped in his hand and his back turned to Chi-Chi. "How was training today?"

Chi-Chi drew in a long breath, recalling the day of training, her hard work, and her captain's reaction to her efforts, or lack thereof. It was still just as difficult as the first day, practicing while keeping her eyes off of Goku. When he moved and demonstrated the techniques, Chi-Chi found him mesmerizing. Though he was strict as a leader, he made his approval of their improvements evident whenever he smiled. But that smile, gorgeous and exhilarating as it was, was meant for all of them. His men. Not Chi-Chi.

"Oh, no," Oolong groaned.

"Oolong."

"Chi-Chi," Oolong placed his bowl on the table and hopped down from his short stool, narrowing his eyes, "will you forget about the captain? He's not some cute beefcake you get to go home with! This isn't a fairytale, kid. This is war!"

"I know that!"

Oolong crossed his arms, though his gaze flickered with worry as Chi-Chi tried to reel in her heated reaction. "So…what's the problem?"

"He…he…" Chi-Chi tossed her jo on her narrow bed before pacing the tent, "I don't know, Oolong. The captain can't even once acknowledge me for the warrior I am? I can't be recognized for that at least?"

Oolong's brows furrowed with a more pensive look than Chi-Chi expected. "Is that really what you're upset about? I thought the only reason you wanted to come here was to keep your dad alive?"

"It was." Chi-Chi stopped pacing and nodded fervently. "And my father's alive. It worked. I'm happy about that. But now that I'm here, I want-"

"Something for yourself," Oolong guessed.

Chi-Chi nodded.

With a sigh, Oolong massaged his brow. "Look, Chi-Chi. You're pulling this off so far. If you want my advice, you should lay low. But since I know you don't, all I can tell you is be careful about the captain. The more visible you make yourself to Captain Son, the more likely you are to get caught. And do you really think he's going to want to be involved with someone who's a fraud in his army?"

"No." Chi-Chi frowned. "There might be consequences for him, if things go wrong."

"You're damn right." Oolong crossed his arms again and scowled. "They'll probably accuse him of treason too for not alerting someone of your presence in his camp."

"But that's not right!"

"Doesn't matter. He's an idiot for not picking up on it."

"I don't want anything to happen to Goku."

"Goku?" Oolong raised a brow, before meeting Chi-Chi's gaze with a disapproving glower. "You need to keep your feelings for this captain under wraps, Chi-Chi. Do you hear me? Because there'll be consequences for me too, you know!"

"I know," Chi-Chi sighed.

"And I sure as hell want to make it back to Mt. Frypan without being a skinned pig."

Chi-Chi crossed her arms, rubbing her hands up and down her sleeves as she stared wistfully at the tan flap of her tent fluttering against the light breeze from outside. "I'll be careful. I won't get close to anyone here. I just have to be prepared to fight."

"Right. Get close to no one. Not even that friend of yours."

Chi-Chi's gaze remained fixed on the flowing movements of tan canvas. "Krillin won't do anything. I think even if he knew I was a woman-"

"What are you doing?" Chi-Chi's eyes bulged as Oolong lunged at her, nearly tackling her to the ground. "Don't say that word, not even in here! Are you crazy?"

Chi-Chi shoved Oolong off of her. "Oolong!"

Oolong's wide eyes didn't calm in the slightest as he backed off. "I may have come along to save your ass, but remember that's why I'm here. Not to risk mine; to save yours. I can't go home to Ox King with bad news, Chi-Chi."

"You're right." Chi-Chi raised her chin, though thinking of her father made her frown. She couldn't possibly leave him alone in this world. "I don't care about Captain Son Goku. I don't care about Krillin. I just care about making Milk into the best soldier he can be, so we can go home to my father when this is all over."

"Good," Oolong sighed, though the look in his eyes struck Chi-Chi as suspicious.

Chi-Chi had to avoid his gaze as she knelt to gather her things for eating. In spite of using so much conviction when she said those things to Oolong, Chi-Chi couldn't deny that she had trouble believing her own words. There was something about Goku of which she couldn't let go, and it wasn't just his handsome face and tall, muscular build. It was the way he treated his men. The way he pushed them, yet expected the best of them all, never berating, always praising. He made Chi-Chi feel good to be around him, and judging by the attitudes of all the other men, he had earned their loyalty. Chi-Chi knew if she survived this war, she was never going to meet a man like Goku again. She was never going to be the blushing bride she pictured.

"Hey, Milk."

Chi-Chi lifted her head from her rice, deliberating over the identity of the voice behind her. She half-suspected Krillin, but it didn't sound like his voice, and he had to be still bathing. The voice she heard sounded just as familiar, but Chi-Chi was convinced she was mistaken. He wouldn't be talking to her.

When the bench bowed to accommodate more weight and Chi-Chi cast a sideways glance to the movement beside her, she almost spit out her rice. The captain was practically in her face, sitting right beside her with a wide smile on his face. "Hi. Sorry to interrupt your lunch. I just finished mine myself."

Gulping down the remains of her food, Chi-Chi kept her eyes fixed on Goku's. "It's…no problem. Can I help you with something, Captain Son?"

"Yeah, um." Goku rubbed the back of his neck, suddenly looking more like a little boy than the confident captain Chi-Chi was used to on the training grounds. "Do you think you could help some of the men with their jo work?"

"Me?"

"Yeah, Milk!" Goku smiled. "You were great out there! You really know what you're doing. Some guys could use more help from a guy like you."

Chi-Chi's hesitant smile fell. "A guy like me, huh?"

Goku blinked. "Did I say something wrong? I was hopin' you'd like to do it."

"Oh." Chi-Chi closed her eyes and shook off the disappointing reminder of her predicament. "Yes. I'm flattered. I'll help any way I can, for China."

Goku smiled. "Good. You'll start tomorrow. The army should be calling us to the front soon."

The sparkle that lit Goku's eyes didn't go unnoticed, but Chi-Chi frowned as her feelings contradicted his. "They will?"

"I think." Goku furrowed his brows before narrowing them seriously at Chi-Chi. "The Red Ribbon Army's already attacked the camp just to the north of us. We need to be ready, and these men aren't ready yet."

"No," Chi-Chi agreed. "They aren't."

She couldn't help thinking of Krillin and all the other men who she still barely knew, who were going to be rushed into a war they weren't ready to fight. She had to remind herself that her father could be the one facing this instead. She had to remind herself that she was doing this for her father. She was doing this for her homeland. And maybe, just a small part of her, was doing this for Goku. She wanted to make her captain proud, and not just because he was a handsome, promising prospect for a husband. As a soldier in China's army, she legitimately wanted to make her captain proud. Master Roshi and her father would be impressed by how far she'd come so quickly. She would train her hardest from now on, pushing Goku and all desires of marriage from her mind as she focused on the bigger, more immediate picture. She had to fight the Red Ribbon Army with her fellow soldiers and defend her land. No one was taking her home from her as long as she could stand to defend it.

Violent shaking of her bed jolted Chi-Chi from sleep. She opened her eyes to see her tent rattling overhead, the soft daylight of morning shining through the tearing seams as the sound of an ear-shattering blast bolted her upright. She swung her legs over the side to see Oolong in a panic, removing his hands from the bed to turn to the floor where his canvas sack was open and half-packed.

Chi-Chi had no time to blink away the sleep in her eyes as she searched her surroundings, now processing the screams and yells occurring just past the thin veil of canvas cutting her off from the chaos outside.

"Chi-Chi, we need to move!" Oolong closed his sack and tossed it to Chi-Chi, who caught the heavy load with a perturbed frown on her face.

"Oolong, what's going on?"

"But maybe we shouldn't move." Oolong darted to one side, then the other with an indecisive grimace on his face. "Ohhh, we're gonna die! We're under attack! What do you think is going on?"

Chi-Chi raised a brow and slipped her feet into the boots by her side. "The Red Ribbon Army? They're here?"

A man's scream from the other side of her tent alerted Chi-Chi just in time to back away before two bodies came hurtling through the flimsy wall, tearing the canvas and landing on her bed in a mess of flailing limbs. When Chi-Chi saw red seeping over her bedsheets and half the limbs in that tangled mess stopped moving, Chi-Chi gasped.

Oolong screamed and backed away. "Let's get out of here!"

"No." Chi-Chi narrowed her eyes at the intruder standing over his victim in her tent, who wore the red scarf of his arm signed with the Red Ribbon Army's 'RR'. "He needs to get out of here!"

Chi-Chi could hear Oolong's whimpering grow quieter as she dived towards the Red Ribbon soldier reaching for the gun slung over his back. He didn't get a chance to use it as Chi-Chi lifted her leg and thrust it into his sternum, knocking him over with the powerful kick to which he'd left himself completely open. He fell out of the tent, into the dirt outside which was already splattered with blood and littered with scuffed footprints.

When another soldier from Chi-Chi's camp attacked the fallen soldier, Chi-Chi hurried to fasten her hair and cover herself with the flaps of her gi, realizing her appearance was exposed to the outside. With a glance over her shoulder, she confirmed that Oolong ran like the coward she knew him to be.

"Milk!"

Chi-Chi tensed and turned to the soldier running towards her. "Krillin!"

"The captain ordered us to evacuate the camp, Milk! We need to go!"

As Krillin tugged on her wrist, Chi-Chi planted her feet in the ground. "Where's the captain?"

Something in her gut told her he wasn't leaving. With how long he'd spent expressing his excitement about this war, it wasn't like him to run from a fight, now that it had unexpectedly landed in their laps. Krillin's grimace and evasive gaze only strengthened Chi-Chi's suspicions.

"He's not planning to stay here and fight, is he?"

Krillin fervently shook his head and tugged again. "Just until we all get out safely. He's going to hold them off!"

"He can't do that by himself!" Chi-Chi freed her wrist from Krillin's grasp and set her eyes on a jo lying in the dirt just feet away. "He's going to get himself killed, the idiot."

"Milk," Krillin grunted in dismay, "what are you doing?"

Chi-Chi retrieved the jo and propped it in her hand, before casting Krillin a telling gaze.

"Milk! We have orders! We need to go!"

Krillin dove to the side when a Red Ribbon soldier swung a sword at his head with a narrow miss. Chi-Chi's eyes bulged as she watched her friend engage in the shuffle, but she was impressed. Krillin was holding his own. He'd clearly improved over their week in camp. They all had. Which was why Chi-Chi couldn't leave her captain behind to fight them by himself. She wouldn't forgive herself if she ran away like a coward and something happened to him.

Krillin's distraction was Chi-Chi's perfect opportunity to slip away, through the mess of chaos, past a tent with plumes of odorous smoke dancing from its flaps and grappling soldiers struggling for their lives. There was one soldier in particular she was seeking, and when her eyes finally lit on him, she froze in her place.

He was fighting two Red Ribbon soldiers, seemingly with ease as he executed his moves majestically. He was even more impressive in a real battle. This was perhaps why he wanted this fight to happen so badly. There was no denying that Goku was in his element on the battlefield. With a sidelong glance, Chi-Chi noticed Master Roshi scrambling through camp, retrieving items and evading the attacks of enemy soldiers as he made his way in the direction in which most soldiers from their camp were retreating. Chi-Chi wished they'd had more warning that the enemy was upon them, but now that it was too late for that, she only wanted to take Goku safely from there with her.

Fixing her gaze back on Goku, Chi-Chi noted he'd already dispensed with the two soldiers, but yet another one was on him again. Chi-Chi wanted to move in and assist him, though she hesitated, knowing he wouldn't appreciate that. She didn't have a second to reconsider when a growl sounded behind her and Chi-Chi's instincts drew her to spin around with her jo in hand. She swung the weapon forward, knocking her surprise-attacker in the temple. Having momentarily stunned him, she took a moment to glance over her shoulder and spy Goku being approached from behind by yet another enemy, who looked massive in size and of whom Goku seemed unaware.

Chi-Chi yelped at the sound of movement so close to her, before turning just in time to block the attacking sword strike from her enemy's jian. Her wooden jo wasn't holding up too well to the blade of the jian, but she had to do something to fend off her attacker. Chi-Chi pivoted to the side, drawing her weapon and her enemies' up in the air before allowing her jo to come down on top of the jian. With the jian pinned and the side of her body pressed flush against her enemy's, Chi-Chi swept her foot forward and back, knocking the tall man to the ground with a resounding thud. She was quick to retrieve the fallen jian and thrust it into her enemy's neck, though she wasted no time watching him die.

Instead, she ran immediately for Goku. Her lungs burned as she pushed herself to run faster than she ever had. She didn't have far to go, but as Goku was taking down his most recent opponent, his new opponent looked like he was ready with a kill strike. The large man had a curved dao lifted overhead while Goku had his back open and vulnerable to the weapon. Chi-Chi grit her teeth, pumping her fists by her sides as she noted more movement just past the hill behind Goku, where an archer stood poised with a gong in hand and arrow aimed right for her captain.

"Goku!"

Goku responded by whirling on his armed attacker, ducking low and punching the massive man in the gut with such strength that his enemy fell to his knees. Chi-Chi was almost relieved to see his quick, effective response, but it wasn't going to save him from the other attack coming his way. The archer in the distance held his arrow taut.

"Goku, no!"

Chi-Chi dove into Goku, feeling splitting pain pierce her ribcage and back as she knocked him to the ground. After hitting the ground hard and feeling debilitated by the searing pain, she watched through pain-hazed vision as Goku turned to grapple with the fallen soldier. The last thing she saw was Goku's fist pulling back over the large man before something hit her head from behind her, submerging her into darkness.

There was a coppery taste in her mouth. When she opened her eyes, she had to squint through the bright sunlight permeating from the tent flap, which opened and closed with a swish as Chi-Chi let out a grunt. She tried to sit up, but between the firm hand pressing her shoulder and the stabbing pain in her side, she fell back into the mattress. Her eyes fell first on the closest, impassively frowning face of Master Roshi, before she was surprised to see Oolong standing just behind him, beside her feet at the end of the bed. But when shadows slid over her gaze again and her attention was drawn to the door of the tent, she turned that way to see Goku standing with his arms crossed. They were all staring at her. It was quiet now. Too quiet.

"The Red Ribbon Army, they-"

"A scout found our camp overnight, Chi-Chi," Master Roshi said. "They used the advantage to attack before daybreak. They took out half our camp."

Chi-Chi gasped. Half their camp. She hoped Krillin was okay. She was glad to see Goku was all right, but-

"Wait." Chi-Chi narrowed her eyes at the disapproving frown crossing Master Roshi's face. "You just called me-"

"Chi-Chi?" Master Roshi nodded. "That is your name, isn't it, young lady?"

Chi-Chi propped herself on her elbows, looking towards the foot of the bed. "Oolong!"

"I'm sorry, Chi-Chi. There was nothing I could do. You were," Oolong vaguely waved toward her, "injured."

With a stunned gasp, Chi-Chi turned her eyes down at herself, her gaze panning the contours of her legs beneath the sheets before landing on the place where the sheet ended and her bare collarbone was exposed. There was a bandage peeking out from behind the sheet, and as Chi-Chi moved to let the sheet slide down to expose more of her chest, she inhaled sharply at a realization. Her gaze snapped to Goku, who shifted uncomfortably where he stood.

"Captain Son, I-"

"Impersonating a soldier is a crime punishable by death, young lady!"

Chi-Chi's gaze shot to Master Roshi. "I know. I didn't mean-"

"Your name isn't Milk?" Goku stepped forward, lowering his brows. "You were a woman the whole time. I have to admit, you had all of us fooled."

Chi-Chi narrowed her eyes. "Not so difficult in your case."

Goku shrugged. "Well, I guess I deserve that. I'm supposed to know everything there is to know about my men."

"Don't be down on yourself, Goku," Master Roshi said. "What Ox King's daughter did here is treacherous! It wasn't right."

"I was supposed to let my father die instead?" Chi-Chi glared at the advisor before turning her gaze on Goku. "Captain Son, I'm sorry for the loss of your men. I know you worked hard to train us all. I'm just glad we're safe now."

Chi-Chi watched Goku's Adam's apple bob before his eyes burned into hers. "It isn't over yet. This is far from over."

"What?"

"The Red Ribbon Army is on the move," Master Roshi explained. "We have to cut them off at the mountain path before they make their way to the emperor."

Chi-Chi took a shuddering breath before nodding. "Okay."

She was ready to throw her legs over the side of the bed, in spite of her pain, but Master Roshi's hand pressed against her chest, sliding up to her shoulder when a blush washed over his gaunt cheeks. When Chi-Chi looked at Goku, he turned his gaze from her, sighing towards the ground.

"You're staying here," Master Roshi said.

"The men are already on the move, Chi-Chi." When Goku looked at Chi-Chi, his gaze felt so much different when addressing her by her real name.

But it was also different because for the first time, there was betrayal in his eyes. His trust, which she'd worked so hard to gain, seemed to be lost. She couldn't blame him. He was in pain already, suffering with the loss of the men for whose lives he claimed responsibility. For him to discover that one of his most trusted soldiers was a woman who'd been lying to him all along, that had to be painful. Chi-Chi felt ashamed.

With a blink, Goku broke their stare and turned away. "I'm leaving now."

"Wait!"

Goku hesitated at Chi-Chi's outcry, but without turning to face her, threw open the tent flap to step out of her sight, and potentially out of her life. Chi-Chi's breath staggered as she flicked her gaze to Master Roshi, who sat with a solemn scowl.

"Master Roshi, you have to let me help!"

Master Roshi's eyes slowly lifted to meet hers. "What good will you do now, girl? You're injured. You can't fight like that. Besides, Goku can handle it."

Chi-Chi sat straight up and drew a fist into her chest. "He's going to get himself killed!"

The old man's eyes widened. "Haven't you seen Goku fight?"

"I don't care how skilled he is, Old man. He's still one man. The entire Red Ribbon Army is out there!"

"Chi-Chi," Oolong's voice piqued from the foot of the bed, "maybe you should listen to-"

"No!"

"You're going to have to listen." Master Roshi narrowed his eyes and stood at full height to look down on Chi-Chi seated in bed. "You're charged with treason, young lady. You will stay here until we can send you back to your father."

Chi-Chi drew in a long, hard breath. Injured as she might be, she had to be useful somehow. She still had no idea how Krillin had fared in that fight, or what happened to any of the other men after she was knocked out. Turning home to face her father's disappointment and await her punishment was not a viable option when she could do more to help Goku and the rest of her camp's survivors who were still out there.

"And what about Krillin?" Chi-Chi narrowed her brows at Master Roshi. "What about all the other men in camp whose lives are still at risk out there? I should just go home and forget about them?"

As Oolong raised a finger in the air and directed it towards the outside, Master Roshi shot him a silencing glare, and then turned his stern gaze on Chi-Chi. "Yes."

Oolong sealed his lips, lowering his head as Master Roshi turned away. Chi-Chi scowled into her lap, seething as she listened to Master Roshi's footsteps exiting the tent. She felt abandoned, useless, alone, but more importantly, guilty.

"Chi-Chi," Oolong whispered, "I know you want to help but-"

"You think I should go home."

"Yeah." Oolong nodded. "You should spend time with your father now."

Now, meaning before she would face execution. Chi-Chi hated that law. Women should've been allowed to enlist. If they had been, she never would've had to lie to Goku. She could've told him her true feelings, before it was too late. Now it seemed it was too late.

"Milk!"

Chi-Chi snapped her gaze to the tent flap where a bald head peeked through. She blinked when the unexpected face of her friend and comrade turned to face her.

"I mean, Chi-Chi," Krillin chuckled.

"Krillin?"

Krillin swiftly moved across the tent to stand at Chi-Chi's bedside and wrap an arm under her shoulders. "I gave Master Roshi something to distract him. You should be able to get away now."

"Krillin, what are you doing here? I thought-"

"He's supposed to be here to help Master Roshi," Oolong said, rising to his feet with a peevish frown.

Krillin angled a glare at Oolong. "I'm sorry. Do you want me to help charge Chi-Chi with treason?"

"N-no! I-"

"Then shut up. Chi-Chi." Krillin met Chi-Chi's eyes firmly, but when she met his gaze with a look of wonder, his gaze notably softened. "Umm…we need to go. Can you walk?"

"Uh, I think so."

With Krillin supporting her weight, Chi-Chi stepped off the bed and tried to straighten, but the wound in her chest seethed with a shock of pain that made her double over.

"Chi-Chi!"

"I'm all right, I'm all right."

Waving off Krillin's concern, Chi-Chi forced herself upright again, this time bearing through the pain and taking a step forward. She was glad she had Krillin there to support her, because from time to time as she walked, the pain would strike in a way that was debilitating, nearly knocking her to the ground. She wasn't going to get far like this.

"Krillin, my horse?"

"Oolong!"

"Right." Oolong nodded to Krillin and ran out of the tent while Chi-Chi continued making her way to the flap.

If she could mount her horse, she would ride it all the way to the mountains to meet Goku and the others at the trail. Chi-Chi didn't know if that was what Krillin intended, or he was merely rescuing her from her current fate without realizing she'd be heading into danger again, but there was no way she was turning back now, being given this opportunity.

The air outside her tent felt thick. As a wave of wind caressed her face, Chi-Chi absorbed her surroundings as if she was seeing them for the last time. The stench of battle lingered, smelling like blood, sweat and death. Yet Chi-Chi felt invigorated, being outside that tent once again. As her horse came running towards her with Oolong on its back, Chi-Chi was already forming a plan in her mind. She would need one, if she wanted to help Goku in her condition. Maybe Goku wouldn't want her help. Maybe after everyone came out of this alive, he wouldn't want anything to do with her. Chi-Chi knew that was more likely than not.

Reaching for her horse, Chi-Chi prepared for the inevitable pain that would come with her climb. "Krillin, we-"

"Careful, Chi-Chi," Krillin hissed as he lifted her onto the horse.

Cringing as she used her strength to pull up and adjust in the saddle, Chi-Chi stubbornly continued, "we need to head them off at the path. If we can get ahead of the Red Ribbon Army-"

"Y-you want to go there?"

Chi-Chi met Krillin's gaze, her jaw set with determination. "We're going, Krillin. I am not going home yet."

When they reached the top of the mountain, through a rough and painful journey along the inconspicuous route between forest trees growing up the mountainside, Chi-Chi felt her heart begin to race. It had been quiet around them, up until now. But as a clearing came into sight and they nearly emerged from the thick of the trees, Chi-Chi could hear rumbling murmurs of voices and horse's hooves traversing mountainous rocky ground. It was the sound of a troop on the move. Moving towards her vulnerable comrades. Her captain.

"That must be them," Krillin whispered, stopping just short of the break in the trees.

Chi-Chi nodded, glancing over her shoulder at Oolong riding behind her. "Do you want to stay here, Oolong?"

"Can I?" Oolong raised his brows, his eyes lighting with relief.

"We don't need you," Krillin said, refocusing his gaze on the indecipherable movement now shuffling over the mountaintop horizon. "But uh…Chi-Chi?"

"What, Krillin?"

"What are we gonna do exactly?"

Chi-Chi drew a deep breath and let it out in a huff with her eyes fixed on the enemy drawing closer. "Whatever we can, Krillin. When the Red Ribbon Army attacks our troop, we can take them by surprise from here."

Before Krillin had a chance to question her, she raised her brows intently towards the other troop now drawing in from the south. They were still far off and their noises barely discernable, but Chi-Chi knew it as soon as they were there, because she was expecting them. There was no doubt in her mind that Goku was going to lead his men up that way. Going headfirst into battle was exactly his style.

When she turned again to keep her eye on the enemy, the twist to her abdomen caused a sharp pain to shoot through her side. Chi-Chi hissed through her teeth and pressed a hand to the wound to relieve it. She could feel Krillin's and Oolong's eyes on her, but she wasn't going to address their concern. She needed to focus. People were about to die, and she was going to do anything she could to prevent as many deaths as possible on China's side.

As the light-reflecting glare of weapons came into focus, along with hundreds of confidence-filled men adorning the RR scarf on their brawny arms, Chi-Chi felt her heart leap. She knew, in her condition, jumping into this battle was as likely a death sentence as heading home to accept punishment for her crime. Regardless of her status as a woman, one who was meant to stay home and marry while the men dealt with these matters and risked their lives at war, Chi-Chi was now a soldier at heart. After the training she'd been through and spending time with the men in camp as one of their own, she couldn't turn her back on her country. She wouldn't turn her back on Goku, even if she could. She'd set out to do this for her father, but now she was doing it for other reasons.

"Oolong," Chi-Chi outstretched her palm to the pig on the saddle behind her, "what weapon do we have to cause the largest blast?"

"The largest blast?"

As Oolong shuffled through the clinking arms loaded in the horse's side saddle, Krillin frowned at Chi-Chi. "What are you planning to do? A large blast could kill our guys."

"Not if it's done right, Krillin." Chi-Chi pressed a level hand to her forehead and narrowed her eyes at the cliff just barely overhanging the path the Red Ribbon soldiers were traveling.

"I've got this." Oolong pressed something cold and hard into Chi-Chi's back, making her cry out in pain. "Sorry. Here."

When Chi-Chi turned, she could see why Oolong couldn't help hitting her with the thing. He held a cannon in his stubby arms, just barely. Gritting her teeth, Chi-Chi took it from him and turned to face the parting of the trees. Just past their cover, the enemy was moving closer.

"A cannon," Krillin yelped. "Are you sure you know what you're doing?"

Ignoring Krillin's worrisome tone, Chi-Chi narrowed her eyes again at the protruding cliff. If she hit it just right, she could distract the army with the blow, drop a good amount of rubble on the men underneath it, and give Goku and his men the advantage without causing them any harm. Goku's troop, moving in closer now, was significantly smaller than the RRA troop. There were maybe forty men left. Chi-Chi felt her heart wrench. She didn't realize so many had been killed in that ambush. Now, she felt less guilt about what she'd done. Those men needed her.

"Oolong," Chi-Chi squinted one eye shut, focusing her gaze as she aimed the cannon, "you might want to cover your ears."

The troops moving towards one another were already beginning their carnage. Across the gap between them, arrows launched from both directions, eliciting cries of pain and fury from both sides. Chi-Chi tried to ignore their noise and her own pain from propping the heavy loaded cannon over her shoulder. As she adjusted the cannon in her hands to aim for the edge of the cliff, her injury was pulled and stretched, tearing the healing skin. Chi-Chi gnawed her bottom lip and held her position while a drip of sweat rolled down her temple. This was it. If she missed, this could be for naught, or even worse, she could kill them all.

"Shoot, Chi-Chi," Krillin coaxed, "shoot it now!"

When the cannon blasted, the deafening noise was replaced by a high-pitched ring. Chi-Chi's vision blurred as she watched the dispatched weapon sailing towards the cliff. Just after it disappeared from her sight, a visible explosion blasted off the cliffs, though Chi-Chi couldn't hear anything but the ringing in her ears. She shook her head and dropped the cannon to the ground, disturbed by the silence. To her relief, when the cannon hit the ground, the thump of its weight hitting the earth was the first thing to break the seemingly impenetrable silence.

The back end of the Red Ribbon Army was being buried in rubble by boulders and rock careening to the ground. A cloud of dust dwarfed the rest of them, stalling the movement of the opposing troop, who eyed the explosion and its after-effects with gasps of concern and awe. Breathing heavily, Chi-Chi turned wide eyes on Krillin. She didn't know if this plan was going to work. The one thing she did know, was that a bloody battle was about to begin, and Goku was going to be involved. If his men didn't succeed in stopping the advancing Red Ribbon Army, those soldiers were going to kill Emperor Furry, which would lead to the downfall of China.

The war zone was a scary place. The battle hadn't lasted long at all. As Chi-Chi rode on horseback, trotting through the smoky and floating debris still left from the violent clash of fists and weapons, the sounds she'd heard and sights she'd witnessed played through her mind. When her eyes landed on the first body -a man stabbed through the middle, lying face down in the dirt- she could practically hear his final cry in her mind. She slid off her horse, cradling her injured ribcage as she lightly kicked the man's foot to look for a response. His foot rolled under the pressure of hers, then lolled back into place.

Chi-Chi moved on.

It was one dead body after another. Some survivors were found, and when they were Chinamen, Chi-Chi helped them to Krillin, who was tending to the wounded with Oolong's assistance. But when they were RRA, it was Chi-Chi's gruesome responsibility to finish them as quickly as possible before moving on to the next one. As time wore on, Chi-Chi became overwhelmed by a sickening feeling in the pit of her stomach. It wasn't just the cruelty of her task or the graphic sights of dead men breaking apart her composure. It was her deepest worry that truly overwhelmed her.

Because for every dead body, she worried it was Goku's face she would see. The further she went without seeing him, the more certain she was that he was injured or dying. Maybe already dead.

"Ch-Chi."

The faint murmur of her name from the distance caused Chi-Chi to tense right where she stood.

"Chi-Chi."

She whirled towards the voice, hurtling over bodies she hadn't even checked yet. It was him. It had to be him. Her eyes scanned the fallen rubble and bodies scattered beneath the layer of floating debris, but she was unable to find his familiar face until another pass resulted in movement catching her eye.

Chi-Chi pivoted in that direction, the pain in her side suddenly forgotten as she called, "Goku!"

But as the thick vapor of dust dissipated before her eyes, it wasn't Goku's shadow coming towards her. Chi-Chi would recognize his silhouette. This person was shorter and wider, and as he neared, Chi-Chi could see the narrowness in his eyes indicating he meant her harm. As he moved, Chi-Chi flinched at the instinct to grab for a weapon, but her worn nerves made her drop the one thing that could've saved her life.

As the man's burly arms raised over his head, holding something that shimmered through the thick veil of dust, Chi-Chi clenched her fists and raised them while her rebellious knees trembled and threatened to give way.

"Chi-Chi! Get down!"

With a gasp, Chi-Chi gave in to the instinct to let her knees give. When her knees hit the dirt, her attacker's blade sliced through the air less than an inch from her head. She drew in a sharp breath and held it as her attacker was jolted by the attack of an incoming jian. Chi-Chi's eyes bulged at the bloody sight of the jian protruding from her attacker's abdomen right in front of her face. A boot swept beside Chi-Chi's face to plant against the attacker's abdomen before the sword was yanked from his belly, leaving him to topple over and wheeze his last breath.

Chi-Chi snapped her gaze to the side to see Goku standing there, bloody and dirty, eyeing the dying enemy. "Goku!"

"Chi-Chi," Goku panted, before setting his gaze on her, "you okay?"

"Y-yeah. You?"

Goku gave a curt nod, before turning his gaze to take in their surroundings. "I think that's all of them."

"It's over?"

Goku shrugged. "This battle, yes. I don't know about the rest."

"Guys! Guys!"

Chi-Chi blinked, before turning towards the excited voice calling from the distance. "Krillin?"

Krillin raised his weapon. "Are you both okay?"

"Yeah, Krillin." Goku waved him off. "We're fine."

Guys," he laughed, running towards them, "Oolong received word carried down from the emperor. We've pushed the invaders out. China is saved!"

"Great, Krillin," Goku cheered.

With a quivering breath, Chi-Chi heaved a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness."

"I'm going to finish with these guys and get them loaded on the wagon." Krillin threw a thumb over his shoulder. "I'll see you both back at camp?"

Chi-Chi's eyes darted to Goku before she frowned at Krillin. "Umm…"

"Oh." Krillin frowned. "Right."

Chi-Chi couldn't go back there, and she knew it. Now that the threat was gone, she was back to her original problem of facing treason and the betrayal of her fahter's and her comrades' trust. She didn't know what to do now. Except for one thing.

"Krillin," she sighed, "I'm sorry I misled you. You've been a very good friend."

A twitch of a smile formed at Krillin's lip. "Hey, no problem. I'd fight by your side again anytime."

Chi-Chi beamed, feeling a wash of relief as Krillin turned away with a friendly nod. If he could forgive her for lying to him, maybe Goku could, too. But with Goku, the treachery was deeper. Because she felt so much more for him, and she was fairly certain he knew that by now.

"Goku-"

"Thank you for your help here, Chi-Chi," Goku interrupted. "A lot of men would've died here if it weren't for you."

"There's no need to thank me. I did what I felt was right."

Goku nodded slowly. "I'm going to tell the emperor what you did here today. You're a hero to China. He'll pardon you for sure, so you can go home to Mt. Frypan to be with your father."

Chi-Chi blinked. "Really? You'd do that?"

Goku smiled. "Of course."

Chi-Chi climbed to her feet, appreciating the hand Goku offered her as she struggled again with her injury. This was a good sign. He was showing her forgiveness and mercy. Maybe he wasn't a lost cause to her. But when she looked up to his face, she saw a guarded expression in his eyes. For someone usually so warm and jovial, Goku appeared cold to her. Chi-Chi pressed her lips together and held her tongue from the things she was about to say. She couldn't pour her heart out, knowing he wasn't willing to open himself up to her. Though the war was won, Chi-Chi couldn't help feeling the greater loss that now faced her.

"Well," Goku rubbed the back of his head and averted his gaze, "we should catch up with Krillin. I'm sure after we all get out of these mountains, the emperor will have a great celebration planned in our honor."

Chi-Chi smiled sadly. "We'll have to look our best."

Goku patted Chi-Chi's shoulder as he brushed past her. "And I don't know about you, but I could go for somethin' to eat before then. I'm famished!"

Steadying herself from Goku's jarring and not-so-gentle touch, Chi-Chi frowned at his back as he passed. She felt like a fool for thinking Goku would ever see her as anything but one of his soldiers after the way they met. She had to face the fact that she'd ruined her chances of ever being a bride in Captain Son Goku's eyes.

The loud cheers and celebratory music outside Emperor Furry's castle was all background noise to Chi-Chi's busy thoughts. As she stood at attention, dressed in one of her finest gowns, she couldn't help casting fleeting glances to the man beside her. To her other side stood Krillin, whose transfixed gaze Chi-Chi could feel and occasionally see when she glanced at him from the corner of her eye. But it was Goku who held most of her attention. Not even the imperial emperor, standing in front of them and addressing the crowd of hundreds of people gathered behind them, could take her attention from the handsome soldier dressed in his finest uniform, seemingly ignoring her presence.

When Chi-Chi drew out a long sigh, Goku's eyes darted to her, if only for a moment. She peered at him as the emperor's voice projected past them, and though Goku's gaze was once again set straight ahead, she noticed a subtle flush of crimson highlighting his cheeks. But judging by the frown on his face, he was most likely unhappy with her. She had hoped, given the few days they spent apart and regrouped themselves before this meeting with the emperor, that maybe things would change. Maybe Goku only needed more time to process what they'd been through and what Chi-Chi's true motivations were. But once again, she was feeling like a fool for having hope.

The emperor smiled as his advisors came towards him, one of those being Master Roshi, who issued Chi-Chi a fond and apologetic smile as he lowered the golden platter in his hands towards Emperor Furry's hands. When Chi-Chi caught his gaze, Master Roshi winked, telling Chi-Chi subtly that all was right between them again. Apparently, he approved of the emperor's pardon as much as Goku did. But like Goku, he also probably didn't approve of Chi-Chi's decision to enlist in China's army in the first place. They probably all thought that though she did excellent work on the battlefield and no one was going to deny her their appreciation, it would've been better for all of them if she remained at home and allowed her father to enlist as he was meant to. Chi-Chi knew, in that regard, she made the right decision, regardless of what anyone else thought. Her father was alive today because of her.

Emperor Furry collected the ribbon-strung medals from Master Roshi and the other advisors' platters and hung the gold discs engraved with China's symbols of peace and prosperity for Chi-Chi and the others to see. Chi-Chi gaped at the beautiful medals, symbols of appreciation rarely bestowed on anyone in China. She couldn't believe she was accepting this honor.

"China thanks you all," Emperor Furry smiled as he raised the first medal towards Krillin, "for your service in defeating the Red Ribbon Army and defending China."

Krillin bowed his head, allowing the short emperor to slide the red ribbon over his bald scalp and let the heavy medal fall against his proudly puffed chest. Chi-Chi smiled at her beaming friend whose tears seeped from the corners of his eyes. He deserved to be that proud. Without him, Chi-Chi knew she wouldn't be alive. She would've been charged with treason and prevented from helping all the others. Krillin was a true hero.

When the emperor stepped in front of her, Chi-Chi blinked at the red ribbon swaying in front of her face. Her ears began to ring as the emperor spoke. She didn't even know what he was saying. All she could think about was the overwhelming emotion of being directly recognized by the emperor himself, with a crowd of hundreds watching, Krillin watching from her side, and the man she now knew she loved and didn't want to live without, who didn't return the feeling, watching from beside her.

She exhaled a shaky breath as the ribbon slipped over her ears and the weight of the medal pressed against the silk of her kimono. As she gave the emperor an appreciative smile, Chi-Chi swallowed down the lump in her throat before bowing her head to him. She was tempted to clutch the medal in her hand, something she would always value. She only wished this special moment wasn't tempered by her unrequited feelings for the man now being recognized beside her with more pomp and circumstance as the captain who led the men into the battle that saved China.

As soon as Goku raised his head from his bow, cheers rang out from the crowd which made Chi-Chi's heart leap. She turned to smile at the crowd, clasping her hands to her chest and grazing them against the cool metal of her badge of honor as the cheers grew louder. She could feel her heart pounding from the exhilaration of the celebration, of knowing China was safe and peaceful once again, of knowing the emperor was safe, of knowing she'd narrowly escaped the death she was certain was coming to her when she began this endeavor of saving her father's life. Now, she was more than pleased with what she'd done for her father, though the scar left on her heart was going to be difficult to bear.

Flitting her gaze to Goku and quickly casting it away again, Chi-Chi chastised herself for not being more forward. If he wasn't going to see her as a woman and the wonderful bride she could be for him, she should've had no reason to act demure and restrain herself. She might as well go all out. So, with a deep breath and huff of courage, she set her jaw and turned to Goku before pressing up on her toes.

"Goku," when he turned his gaze from the crowd to her face, Chi-Chi smiled and pressed her lips against his cheek, "congratulations."

When she landed on her heels again, Goku's lips had parted in awe and his eyes remained fixed on her, while Krillin cheered his amusement and shock at Chi-Chi's action. Numbly, Goku pressed a hand to his cheek, which had felt so smooth and warm under Chi-Chi's lips only seconds ago. She smiled, but quickly tore her gaze from him, knowing not to expect much. Maybe now at least he would know he was missing out on something. He would know that Chi-Chi wasn't just a good fighter and friend. He would know that Chi-Chi was a woman. A woman who wanted to marry soon and be the best bride she could be.

"C-congratulations to you, too, Chi-Chi."

Goku's hand fell from his cheek before his arms folded across his chest and he began to fidget, looking uncharacteristically uncomfortable. Chi-Chi almost thought he was going to say something more to her, but when he never spoke, Chi-Chi narrowed her eyes at him.

"Goku," she grunted, "I know I deceived you and I told you I'm sorry."

"I know. I'm not mad about that."

"I think you are," Chi-Chi wagged a finger at him. "Either that or you're uncomfortable with it. I'm the same Milk you trained with, only I'm Chi-Chi. I'm a woman…" Chi-Chi's demeanor softened with her voice, "and I have feelings for you that go deeper than Milk's ever could have."

Goku angled a gaze a Chi-Chi, furrowing his brows. "What kind of feelings?"

Chi-Chi felt shocked. Goku was playing dumb to her feelings. After all they'd been through together, he dared to act as if he was completely unaware, even after she'd opened her heart to him. If he was so resistant to her, then now she truly knew she had no chance. She would go home, bearing this injury to her heart and trying to put the pieces together with the good things in her life, like the celebration over China and the medal she now bore which could make her father proud to call her his daughter.

"Goodbye, Goku." Chi-Chi turned to Krillin and gave her friend a hug. "Goodbye, Krillin. I'm going home to Mt. Frypan."

When he released the hug, Krillin wore a frown of concern. "Chi-Chi, so soon? I thought-"

When Krillin cocked his head towards Goku, Chi-Chi grunted and glared at her friend. There would be no more discussion of what Krillin might have just witnessed, no more talking about feelings with Son Goku, no more celebrating being a warrior who defended China. Now, Chi-Chi just wanted to go home.

The sight of cherry blossoms lining the muddy trail she'd blazed over in bare feet not too long ago brought a wide smile to Chi-Chi's face. She glanced at the blue, cloud-covered sky, heaving a breath of appreciation for finally making her way home to Mt. Frypan as a daughter of whom her father could be proud. Chi-Chi rubbed between her fingers the warm metal that thumped against her chest as her horse clopped over stones and into the pits of puddles along the path. Her father's temple sat before her, just as she left it. Though this time, there was no one standing in the doorway to greet her.

Chi-Chi pressed her lips together with her gaze fixed on that archway where her father usually waited when he expected to see her. Doubt flickered through her mind as she considered the fact that maybe he was angry. She still hadn't confronted him since he undoubtedly discovered her betrayal of taking his things and running away from home. Her father was usually a very forgiving man, but now she worried that even with the medal and being the savior of China, she had disappointed him.

Her fears immediately dissipated when that door flew open. As the door slammed against the woodwork of the temple with a bang, Chi-Chi beamed at her father's smiling face. She could hear his laughter booming across the field and down the path as he called her name, "Chi-Chi!"

"Pa!" Chi-Chi lashed the reins, commanding her horse to run the rest of the way there.

When she arrived at the entryway, she dismounted her horse gracefully. "Pa, I'm home!"

"Chi-Chi!" Her father scooped her into his massive arms, uttering something between a cry and a laugh as he gently squeezed her. "Chi-Chi, I thought I'd never see you again."

"I'm sorry, Pa," Chi-Chi said. Her mood had quickly turned somber, but when her father's brown eyes lit on hers, she couldn't help smiling again. The smells of stew from inside made her home feel all the more welcoming.

"Don't ever scare me like that again, Chi-Chi." Though her father's tone was stern, his smile and the light in his eyes showed that he was much happier to see her than he was angry.

"I won't, Pa. Look." She held up the medal, watching the sunlight dance across it as it moved. "Emperor Furry honored me and the other men who fought the Red Ribbon Army."

With a gasp, her father touched his fingertips to the medal. "That is an honor, Chi-Chi. You should wear it proudly."

Smiling, Chi-Chi reached for the ribbon around her neck and shrugged out of it. "Actually, I thought we could hang it here in the armory. It can be a symbol of pride for the Ox family to pass down for generations here at Mt. Frypan."

Humming pensively, her father took the medal in his palm and met Chi-Chi's gaze with a small smile. "At first when you ran away, Chi-Chi, I thought you had run off to get married. You'd been so excited about the matchmaker that day."

Chi-Chi's eyes bulged before she let out a curt laugh. "What?"

"When the armor was gone, then I worried. Then I couldn't find the conscription notice, and Oolong wasn't around to tell me where you were and-"

"Pa," Chi-Chi gulped, "I couldn't let you go. I don't know what I'd do without you alive."

As she felt the weight of how true her words were, Chi-Chi lowered her gaze to the ground. She felt as if she'd lost someone else she couldn't live without after leaving the emperor's castle. Now, her father was all she had. She couldn't even think of the matchmaker or seeking a new husband.

"Chi-Chi," her father's voice wavered, causing Chi-Chi to look up from the ground and furrow her brows.

"Pa?"

"Who's that? A friend of yours?" Turning his gaze back to Chi-Chi, her father cocked a brow. "He looks like a captain or a general."

Chi-Chi's brows creased further as she turned to glance over her shoulder to the path behind her. A horse and rider strode across the path, looking directly at her and her father. As Chi-Chi's eyes panned over his tailored uniform, his shining medal and his handsome face, a strangled cry escaped her throat.

"You do know him," her father said. "Were you expecting him?"

"N-no."

"Oh, well-"

When her father cut off with a sharp grunt, Chi-Chi shot him a look. His jaw slowly fell open, working at forming words until he finally smiled down at Chi-Chi.

"Honey," his lip pulled into a slight smirk, "I'm going to get some tea ready for our guest. It's not too often we have soldiers here at Mt. Frypan. You'll invite him in when you're ready, won't you?"

"Uh, Pa-"

Chi-Chi knit her brows, confused by this change in ceremony from how they'd usually receive guests. But her father was already waving away her concern and turning to the entry of the temple. When Chi-Chi turned again, it was to the sound of a horse huffing and grunting nearby. She panned her gaze upward to find Son Goku smiling down at her from his horse. She took a deep breath and scoffed. She wasn't going to get her hopes up just because he followed her home.

"What are you doing here?"

"Uh," Goku startled at Chi-Chi's tone, rubbing the back of his head, "ah…"

"You congratulated me already," Chi-Chi prompted, crossing her arms. "I heard you."

"Yeah," Goku eased off his horse, frowning as he approached Chi-Chi. "That's not why I'm here."

Chi-Chi raised a brow. "It's not?"

She frowned as Goku drew nearer. She couldn't imagine any other reason he had for finding her home and coming to see her. They'd just seen each other, and Chi-Chi thought they'd made it clear that they were finished associating with each other.

"You're a really good fighter, Chi-Chi."

Chi-Chi heaved a sigh. "That's why you're here?"

"Uh, well," Goku gulped, "I didn't even ask you anything yet."

"Well out with it already," Chi-Chi spat. "What do you want with me?"

Goku's eyes bulged as he recoiled from Chi-Chi's demanding tone. "Woah. Are all women this scary?"

Chi-Chi narrowed her eyes. "Just me."

To her surprise, a smile spread across Goku's face. "You know, I never thought I'd meet a woman who was interested in fighting."

When Goku's eyes remained attentively fixed on her face, Chi-Chi could feel the heat rushing to her cheeks. "Well, I guess that's just me, too."

"Yeah?" Goku grinned. "Good thing I met you."

Chi-Chi pressed her lips together and smiled, trying to quell the giddy sensation welling up inside her. It definitely seemed like Goku was flirting with her, but she wondered if he even knew what he was saying. That was undoubtedly a compliment, but Chi-Chi couldn't help thinking Goku meant it as something more. That seemed especially true when combined with the fact that he'd gone out of his way to track her to her home.

"Do you…" Chi-Chi rubbed her hands together, still feeling the heat that refused to leave her face, "want to stay for dinner?"

"Dinner?"

"Yes. My father's an excellent cook. I could smell his best recipe wafting in the doorway earlier."

"Yeah!"

"Then you can tell me your proposal over dinner." Chi-Chi turned, before whirling back on Goku with her hands raised apologetically. "I mean-"

Goku laughed. "Actually, Chi-Chi, that's why I came here. After you left, Krillin explained what you were trying to tell me."

"He did?"

"Yeah. I didn't understand what you meant at first, with all the excitement and the emperor standing there and all."

"You…didn't? And now?"

"Well, just like you said. I came here to accept your proposal."

Chi-Chi furrowed her brows. "Meaning…?"

She still wasn't prepared to get her hopes up. Everything was pointing at this meaning exactly what she wanted it to be, but Goku could've been solely proposing a job to her. Maybe he wanted her to help him train from now on. She couldn't get too excited, until Goku laughed.

"What? I thought you'd be excited?" Goku cocked his head. "That is what you want, isn't it? To get married?"

"Hey, Chi-Chi," her father bellowed from inside the temple, "what's taking you so long? You and your guest should get in here before it gets cold!"

Chi-Chi turned her stunned smile on her father just emerging from the doorway. "Pa! Goku proposed!"

Her father's eyes bulged. "Well! Come in, young man. We have a lot to talk about!"

As her father waved over his shoulder with a toothy grin plastered on his face, Chi-Chi smiled at Goku. He looked excited, and not just for dinner. When he smiled towards her home and took her hand into his, Chi-Chi knew she was in for a marriage far better than any the matchmaker could've chosen for her.

She was going to be even better as a bride than she was as a soldier.