The Wedding

Part I – Planning

Goku has been home for two whole days and I still haven't managed to find his clothes! What kind of wife am I!?

My breath hitched in my nose and I sneezed as I breathed in the stale, dry air of our very dusty attic. I continued shoving boxes and crates full of old stuff out of my way as I looked for the trunk I put his clothes in. I remembered what I put his clothes in. I just didn't remember where I put it.

"Chichi?"

I sneezed again.

His rich, warm laugh reached my ears. "Bless you! What are you doing up here? Need any help?"

"No. I'm fine. Thanks, Goku."

I hoped he wouldn't ask that question again. I wasn't sure how I'd answer. 'Oh, just looking for your clothes that I packed away – and lost – because you've been dead for seven years' just wouldn't cut it.

I tried to turn toward his head poking up out of the trapdoor, but my foot caught on a box and, before I could respond, I landed hard on my butt. I was spread-eagled and somewhat painfully stuck between two large, dusty boxes and clouds of disturbed dust swirled through the air around me, which weren't helping my sinus problems.

Goku hovered over me in his usual orange gi with his silly, boyish grin on his face. He grabbed my arm, gently pulled me free and put me back on my feet.

"So, what are you looking for?"

Dang it.

I supposed I should tell him the truth. I sighed. "Well, I'm looking for your clothes. I packed them away but I really don't know where I put them after all these years."

"Oh! Why didn't ya say so? Let me help!"

I realized my shame over misplacing his clothes – and any ensuing awkwardness of the situation – went right over his head. Typical Goku.

I gave him a small smile as I walked passed him. "I don't think the trunk I put them in is up here. I've been all through this stuff."

I paused at the trapdoor and looked down to the floor of the hallway. The ladder I had used was gone. I was prepared to just drop down, but Goku pulled me against him and carefully lowered both of us down onto the hallway floor below us.

I patted his chest as he released me then crossed my arms and mumbled, "Where in the world did I put that trunk?"

I walked down the hall. I was about to take a break and just sit for a few minutes when I suddenly remembered exactly where I put it.

I rubbed my face. "It's in Grandpa Gohan's cabin. I put it there so I wouldn't have to deal with all the dust in the attic."

He grabbed my hand and started to pull me through the house. "Then let's go!"

I giggled. There was that boyish enthusiasm I loved so much.

Once outside in the amazingly cool late morning air that cooled the bits of sweat beading on my forehead and arms, we walked the short walk to the cabin.

I opened the door to the small cabin where Goku spent most of his life and the same cabin we stayed in as newly weds as our house was built.

When I stepped inside, the first thing I saw was that brown trunk.

I pointed. "There it is! It's on the bottom of that stack of boxes."

"No problem!"

Goku picked up the stack of four boxes above it all in one go like he picked up a feather.

I pulled the trunk outside of the tiny cabin while Goku put the boxes back down. I positioned myself to pick it up then felt a large hand on my back.

"Let me get that, Chichi."

He stepped around me and grabbed the trunk, lifting it easily and brought it into our house and up to our bedroom.

I pointed in front of the dresser. "Just set it there. Thank you."

I knelt down, undid the clasps, and lifted the lid, revealing clothes I haven't looked at in about six years. Clothes I sobbed and sobbed over as I washed and folded them for what I thought was the very last time. I hoped… no I knew I'd have a reason to unpack them someday. I ran my hands over the different fabrics of pants and shirts on the first layer.

I heard a rustle of clothes and glanced up to see Goku kneeling on the other end of the trunk and giving me a tender smile. I gave him the same tender, loving smile, as I felt tears gather at the corners of my eyes.

I silently dropped my gaze to the clothes in the trunk and pulled out the first stack and put it in his half of the dresser and he did the same. With both of us working, we reached the last outfit at the bottom of the trunk in no time at all.

At the bottom of the trunk, carefully folded was the white tuxedo he wore when we got married. I pulled it out slowly and gently, allowing the slightly yellowed and creased fabric to unfold in my hands and held it up.

Goku reached over and grabbed a sleeve. "Oh, wow! Haven't seen this in a really long time!" He grimaced. "Will I wear that when we get married again?"

I looked at it carefully. It was still in overall good shape and I was sure I could make it white again, but that wasn't the problem.

"Not this one, no. You've grown a lot taller than you were in the years we've been married. It's way too small on you now. We'll have to buy you a new one. Don't tell me you want to get married in that orange thing you're always wearing."

He looked deflated. He really did want to get to married in his gi!

I raised an eyebrow somewhat threateningly. "Nope. You're wearing a tuxedo and that's final."

He pouted and whined childishly. "But Chichi, suits make me itch and I can't move in them."

I sighed deeply. I supposed I should get him one that was more comfortable to wear because I knew I'd never hear the end of it if I didn't.

"Tell you what: I have some money saved up. I will buy you a tuxedo that both looks good and feels good. Happy?"

He beamed that boyish, ear-to-ear grin that always made my knees go weak and nodded. Good thing I was already on the ground because my heart was fluttering in my chest.

I made a mental note to add tuxedo shopping for three very whiny saiyans to the to-do list. My dress was sealed away in very good packing within a year or two after we got married so it wouldn't be yellowed and I was positive it would still fit. All I had to do was find the box it was in. That meant another trip up to our attic. It was yet another thing to put on the to do list aside from the usual household stuff.

I got up to head downstairs. "Go hang your old tuxedo up in the closet and put the empty trunk back in the cabin, please. I'm going to get started on lunch."

That conversation we had his first night back and his tears showed me a side of Goku that I knew was in there, but one that he didn't let out often. Sometimes, it seemed like that other side of him didn't exist at all. As rare as it was for Goku to emotionally open up to me, his tears were rarer still. Sometimes – after those rare moments – I thought I had just imagined them. Then something else world-shaking would happen and he'd show that side again.

It never ceased to amaze me just how much he's managed to hold onto his wide-eyed innocence, his endearing – at least most of the time – cluelessness, his boyish enthusiasm for the simplest things in life. He had seen so much in his life, even as a little kid. He all too often had a front row seat to witnessing innocent lives being destroyed by great evil. Yet, he was still an all around unassuming, and very much not cynical man.

Listening to his whining about the tuxedo – along with his incredibly sweet willingness to help me look for his clothes and put them away – was much more the typical Goku I was used to dealing with on a daily basis.

The Next Day

After breakfast, we went out as a family for the first time since Goku came back to us. I thought after being gone for seven years, maybe he'd enjoy a family outing. I thought wrong. After hours of whining from all three of my boys and stopping them from sneaking off several times, we returned home with three new, white tuxedos and three very relieved saiyans. I was very glad when that was over, too.

The next task was to find my gown. It would be absolutely unthinkable for our vows to be renewed in anything but my mother's gown – the same gown I wore to our first wedding. It was somewhere in this house or possibly Grandpa Gohan's cabin. Of that, I was sure.

A couple of hours after we returned home, I found myself checking through the boxes in Grandpa Gohan's cabin first, hoping my dress was in one of them.

No such luck, so I gave up and shut the door.

Attic it was then. I walked back into our house, and stopped below the trapdoor into the attic and sighed, dreading going back up there. The small ladder I used yesterday was propped against the wall. I set it up below the door, climbed up it, and pushed the door open and immediately sneezed.

Let's just get this over with. It better be up here or I'm going to be real angry, was my grumpy thought as I pulled myself up into the attic.

I pulled out a small flashlight I tucked into the sash of my dress and started checking

boxes, the dust swirling in the bright beam of my flashlight. I found baby clothes, old toys, and all kinds of stuff that brought back loads of memories of peaceful times before psychotic, power-hungry bad guys threatened Earth, back before Goku learned what he was.

After opening what felt like box number fifteen or so, my eyes finally gazed at the smaller white box within with big, bold letters written over the top that read:

WEDDING GOWN

I lifted the white box out and carefully carried it through the short maze of boxes back to the trapdoor. Not even my sneezes as I made the short walk back to the trapdoor could wipe the grin off my face.

A wildly spiky-haired head came into view below me. "Goku? Could you set this down for me?"

He looked up. "Sure, honey."

I carefully lowered the box down into his outstretched arms. He set it down and moved the ladder. He lifted his arms back up for me and I dropped down into them.

He looked down at the box then back at me with a hopeful look. "Ohhh, your gown? Can I see it on you?"

I shook my head and poked his chest playfully. "Nope. It's bad luck for the groom to see his bride in her gown before the wedding."

He pouted in his almost irresistible puppy-dog face. "But… I've already seen it on you! I saw it on you when we first got married."

I held my ground. "Touché but not happening, Goku. You'll see it on our wedding day when my hair will be done and everything."

I kissed away his pout and then he pressed his forehead to mine.

"Can't wait."

He tilted his head and leaned toward me, his eyes half lidded then fully closed and gave me a soft, sweet kiss.

"Mommy? Daddy? Whachya doin'?"

Goku stiffened and immediately put me down with a very cute blush on his cheeks. I rolled my eyes slightly at him before I turned to my littlest boy. Goku's discomfort with public displays of affection – specifically any sort of kiss – also included a general discomfort with anyone seeing us. There have been rare moments when he put that aside, knowing it could be our last kiss for quite a long time, but he much preferred to save it for when we were alone.

"W-We… were just… um…"

I decided to spare Goku. "Hi, Goten. Daddy was just helping me down out of the attic."

Goten gazed up at me with his wide, innocent eyes colored with a vague look of confusion, one eyebrow slightly raised and his head cocked to one side. He looked exactly like Goku and the look on his face was absolutely precious.

"Oh. Okay, Mommy."

He trotted off and I stifled a small giggle as I walked into our bedroom to find the box already on the bed and Goku watching me from his seat on the foot of the bed, clearly intrigued.

I pointed to the door. "Shoo. You can't see it yet, remember?"

He sighed and hung is head. "Oh, alright."

I pulled him up by his arms and pushed him out and I shut the door behind him.

"Okay, now to try on my dress just to make sure."

I broke the seal on the box and opened it. There it was, in all of its pure white glory, looking exactly like it did the day I wore it nineteen years ago. I gently and slowly lifted it free of the box and stood up, the length of the dress tumbling to the floor.

I had to stifle a small squeal of excitement that slipped out of my lips. I absolutely could not wait to try it on!

I glanced at the door, biting my lip and, deciding it was safe, looked at my dress with a huge smile plastered on my face. I carefully put it on the bed and undressed.

I undid the clasps in the back and pulled it on, as the multiple layers of satin and delicate lace slid down my body and to the floor. I walked to my full-length mirror, the small train extending a few feet behind me.

I gasped when I saw myself. A rush of excitement surged through me, as I suddenly couldn't wait to see the look on Goku's face. He really didn't know what to make of it when I showed it to him at my Father's palace, but when he first saw it on me, his jaw dropped even though he had no idea what beauty was at that point and hadn't really looked at girls before.

A lot changed and has happened in our nineteen years together. It took far longer than either of us would really like to admit, but we learned to cherish each other when he was home and I learned to love him in spite of his extended absences. After nineteen years of history – of hard times and good times – I really couldn't wait to wear that gorgeous gown again and walk down the aisle to him once more. I also couldn't wait to see the look on his face.

After admiring myself another minute, I carefully shimmied out of it and placed it on the bed. As I dressed myself, I wondered where the safest place to keep it would be. Something was telling me keeping it in the house was a very bad idea. Picturing myself opening the closet door to see my dress covered in small, sticky handprints brought a shudder out of me.

I figured it was time to give Bulma a call. I thought maybe I could keep it at her place for safe keeping until the big day – which we had yet to set a date for.

My mind made up, I grabbed the phone off the receiver on our nightstand and pressed the speed-dial button for Bulma.

After two rings, she answered. After arranging a pick-up time for the dress and spending a minute squealing and giggling like teenage girls, we hung up.

All I had to do was get the boys out of the house for the next couple hours, or at least until Bulma had my gown safely in hand. She was due to arrive an hour after our phone conversation.

I cracked open the bedroom door and peeked. No sign of anyone, but I heard the sweet sound of three people laughing from the kitchen.

I slipped out of the bedroom and made sure to shut the door behind me and walked down to the kitchen.

Gohan and Goten were both telling Goku all of their funniest stories that happened while Goku was gone, all three laughing hard at different moments during the stories, Goten in his daddy's lap. I stood quietly and listened as none of them seemed to notice me. The scene was so sweet, I argued with myself whether I wanted to break it up or not.

I wanted the dress out of the house, so I made my presence known. "Hi!"

A chorus of "Hi, Mom" and "Hi, Chichi" greeted me.

"How about fish tonight? There's still two hours before dinnertime. That should be enough time to catch and cook a couple of big ones."

Another chorus of, "Yay! Fish!" was their reply.

Goten was the first to dash out of the kitchen, laughing. "Race you both!"

Goku laughed, already hot on his trail. "You're on, kiddo!"

Gohan followed shortly behind, laughing as well. "Hey! Wait for me!"

Within seconds, the front door was opened and slammed shut – I couldn't count the amount of times we've had to have that thing replaced – and their playful shouts and laughter grew fainter by the second as they raced to the small river that ran a quarter mile from our house.

I smiled to myself as I watched them dash outside together. It was so perfect. Goku was back for good and already – barely three days later – there was a strong bond between him and his littlest boy. I knew Goten would bond with his daddy quickly. Things between Goku and Gohan seemed fine, too – maybe even better than fine. Maybe even great!

I wiped a tear out of my eye. Life really couldn't get any better.

Just less than an hour passed. The doorbell rang and I opened the door. "Hey, Bulma! Come on in!"

"Thanks, Chichi. So, let's see it!"

I led her upstairs, into my bedroom and squealed, "Here it is!"

She gasped and sighed. "Oh, it's lovely, Chichi! Goku's jaw is totally going to drop when he sees this on you this time around! While I'm here, I'd like to offer you my property for your wedding and reception. I'll buy your catering, too. I know of an excellent company and they're used to feeding Vegeta and Trunks! Those saiyans and their appetites."

I clapped my hands together. "Oh, Bulma! I'll talk to Goku, but I'm sure he'd love that. Thank you so much!"

We chatted a few minutes longer about planning the details and I glanced at the clock.

Not a few minutes! Nearly a half hour went by! My heart nearly stopped. "The boys could be back any minute!"

We giggled our way downstairs and to the front door, my dress safely in her hands. I poked my head outside first then stepped aside.

"Okay, they're no where to be seen yet. Go. Quick! Thank you so much, Bulma!"

"No problem, Chichi!" She jogged to her air car and waved. She took care to position the dress so it wouldn't wrinkle any further and with a blast of air, and the roar of her engine she was off. I blew out a sigh of relief.

No sooner had I done that then three specks in the air became visible and quickly grew closer.

That was close, I thought to myself as all three of my boys landed right in front of me – kicking up copious amounts of mud, some landing on me – and each proudly displaying their massive catches.

I was very glad I thought to get my dress out of the house.

Goten hovered with his huge fish closer to me, filling my nose with stinky raw fish, nearly making me gag. "I caught it all by myself, Mommy!"

"Wow! It's three times your size, Goten! Great job, my little fisherman!"

Goku laughed. "That's what I said."

The beast of a fish really was three times his size and was actually a little bigger than Goku's and Gohan's catches. I wasn't going to say anything.

Goten beamed proudly and I ruffled his hair as the other two deposited their fish on the grass and set up three open fires complete with spits.

Goku, Gohan, and Goten each rotated their fish as Goku watched them and gave pointers along the way. Cooking meat over an open fire was something Goku had always been very good at. The skill was something learned and mastered from his years of living alone. When we all sat down to eat, the fish was cooked to perfection.

After dinner and cleaning up, Gohan went to his room to work on his homework and Goten went outside to play, which left Goku and me alone in the kitchen.

He sat next to me. "What're you doing, Chi?"

I showed him the list I made for the wedding and his eyes bugged out of his head. "Working on the wedding plans. We're keeping it small and simple, but there's still a lot to do. The only things I can check off this list are the tuxedos for you and the boys and my dress. Who should we get to perform the ceremony?"

Goku gave me his usual adorably clueless expression. "I have no idea."

About three seconds after he said that, his face brightened and I could just see the light bulb go off in his head.

"Wait! I know! What about Dende? There's no one more qualified."

I giggled. "That's a great idea! Pay him a visit tomorrow and ask. Bulma offered her property as our venue. What do you think?"

"Sounds great to me!"

"Yay! I thought you'd say yes. I'll let her know."

We also decided on a date as I went down the list and got the flowers and everything else set up. By the end of the list, I was exhausted but elated. Everything was done. All I had to do the next day was order and send off invitations to our small group of very close friends and family. The big day was set for a month away and we went to bed unable to wipe the smiles off our tired faces.

What could go wrong?

Part II: The Wedding

I cracked open my eyes to the warm sunlight filtering into our room, unwilling to get up right then as I had just gotten home and in bed only a couple of hours ago from putting the final touches on the little getaway spot I spent all month preparing for us. I looked down at the beautiful woman using my arm as a pillow. The beautiful woman I was about to promise to be with forever. I stroked the smooth, soft skin of her cheek.

Her eyes fluttered open and she yawned.

I kissed her forehead. "Morning, Babe."

Her eyes crinkled in a sleepy smile. "Good morning, Honey."

I grinned. "Today's the day!"

She gasped. Her eyes snapped opened wide. She leaped out of bed, and wasted no time in dressing herself as fast as she possibly could.

"Oh my gosh! There's so much to do! What time is it?"

I lazily rolled out of bed in much less of a hurry than she was, walked over to her, and wrapped my arms around her. "Calm down, Chichi! We'll be fine. It's a little before seven and our wedding isn't until two. There's plenty of time."

I sensed the nervous energy coursing through her body and held her a little closer until she calmed down. She always was a worrier.

We exchanged a quick kiss and broke apart to get the show on the road.

When I agreed to marry her when we were twelve-year-olds, I truly thought marriage meant some kind of food. Six years passed and I was busy traveling the planet training, collecting dragon balls and sometimes fighting in huge battles.

I had almost forgotten about her by the time she tracked me down at – and signed up to fight in – the Twenty-third World Martial Arts Tournament when we were eighteen. She was very, very unhappy with me for that.

There was just… a little something about her tenaciousness, her go-getter attitude, and even her fiery temper. She could even fight! And very well at that, easily dropping one opponent after the next. I found myself inexplicably drawn to this clingy, loud, and very strong yet small creature and I couldn't figure out why for the life of me.

When our match came, she yelled at me again for forgetting about her and immediately launched her attack – while I still didn't have the fuzziest clue who she was. She certainly kept me on my toes. I had to move quickly to dodge her strong blows.

After a minute or two of that, we called a truce and she made a deal with me: If I could knock her out of the ring, she'd tell me her name so I did that. I actually managed to both knock her out of the ring and knock her out briefly. When she woke up, her temper flare had sizzled out and she was nothing but impressed and finally, she told me her name.

The truth was, I didn't actually forget Chichi. I just didn't recognize that strong woman in front of me as the same scared little girl I met six years ago. She almost started crying for a moment there in the middle of the fighting ring when she thought I really had forgotten her. Seeing that expression on that face… did something to me. I really didn't like seeing her cry.

I had seen Bulma cry a lot in our adventures together. I had seen other girls cry a lot when I was older, too. I felt bad for them, but none of them ever had the same effect on me as the first time I saw Chichi cry. I would do anything to wipe those tears off that face.

In that moment, some part of me knew I needed the strange, weepy girl in front of me in my life so I asked her to marry me. Her eyes lit up and her face shined like the sun. Seeing her like that made my heart do weird stuff, stuff that I didn't have the words to describe back then. That smile… it was one I hoped I'd see a lot more of and I did.

I had no idea what I was really getting myself into when we finally did get married at eighteen just a few short days later. I had no idea that it would be the biggest adventure of my life.

I had a lot to learn.

I didn't know what love was. I didn't have the slightest clue. I had heard the word before in my travels around the world, but I didn't have any idea what it meant. She patiently showed me what love was. With her help, I fell hard for her in our first months together and I loved her more every day from then on out.

As I watched her scurry around the room getting dressed in one of her usual dresses and doing her hair from my seat on the foot of our bed, she sometimes sent me sweet, shy smiles, the kind of smiles I saw a lot of our first years together. The kind of smiles that even back then made my heart flip-flop.

My stomach growled, the loud noise echoing around the room.

She giggled. "I bought a lot of stuff that's fast and easy to make. I'll get started. For goodness' sake, don't put on your tuxedo yet, okay?" She gasped. "Oh, no! I hope the boys aren't wearing theirs yet. Especially not Goten."

She dashed out of the room before I had the chance to tell her it was only seven in the morning and the boys probably weren't even awake yet, much less getting dressed.

I chuckled to myself at that as I put on my usual orange gi just out of habit and made my way downstairs. As I passed the boys' room, I peeked in and sure enough, they were both still sound asleep.

The delicious smells of breakfast wafted throughout our house and my nose led me straight to our kitchen. A few dishes were on the table already: tamagoyaki, okayu, miso soup, and a very large tanuki udon bowl. Her back to me, it looked like she was also finishing up fish from last night's catch. It all smelled so good. If I pinched off just a little morsel of tamagoyaki, I doubted she would have noticed. I reached my hand out.

"Don't even think about it, Son Goku."

I winced and pulled my hand back. She never even so much as glanced my way. I never did figure out just how the heck she did that. It really creeped me out when we were newlyweds, but I got used to it quickly enough, even though I added it to the growing list of things I'd never fully understand about her.

The strange power only seemed to strengthen when Gohan was born. She didn't even have to be in the same room as he was to know what he was getting into and when. Must have been a woman thing.

After a few minutes, she brought a platter to the table piled high with steaming fish fillets. "Breakfast is ready. Would you wake the boys, please?"

"Sure."

I walked to their room and knocked on the door. "Gohan? Goten? Breakfast is ready."

I heard a thump quickly followed by an 'Ow!' in the voice of my youngest and smiled to myself. I must have startled him out of bed. I stifled a small laugh.

The door opened and out walked my two bleary eyed, yawning boys. Gohan was the first out, followed shortly by my little mini-me, dragging his teddy bear and favorite blanket. They shuffled to the kitchen, yawning the whole way as I followed behind them. I couldn't help but smile.

I missed them. So much.

Just a minute later, we were all seated and Chichi gave us the okay to dig in. We wasted no time and food went flying as it always did when two – then three – hungry saiyans sat down to eat.

Chichi caught my eye with an eyebrow raised then looked pointedly back and forth between the three of us.

What was that look for? I was confused. I cocked my head and looked at her.

She just shook her head with an exasperated look on her face. When we were newlyweds, it occurred to me I didn't think I'd ever fully understand her, no matter how many years we were married.

The minute the boys and I had eaten our fill, the doorbell rang.

Chichi stood up. "That must be Bulma. Will you let her in please, Goten? Gohan, Goku, you two help me with the dishes."

We all did as were told as Chichi chatted with Bulma while she cleaned. A little while later the kitchen was spotless just how Chichi liked it.

"Ready to go, Chichi?"

"Yes!"

With that, they walked out the door. I realized the next time I saw her, she would be walking down the aisle. My heart fluttered as butterflies danced in my stomach at the thought. My stomach was having some trouble digesting and kept growling uncomfortably. I wasn't sure why I was nervous all of a sudden.

Bulma had planned to pick Chichi up in the morning and help her get ready. The boys and I were supposed to arrive a little later, already dressed. I walked upstairs to our bedroom and straight to my side of the closet where my new white tuxedo hung in a bag next to the one I married her in the first time, that one slightly yellowed with age.

I pulled out the new one, dressed and pulled on the nice shoes Chichi had told me to wear. I fumbled with the bowtie as I walked out of the room, mumbling to myself. As Chichi promised, the whole getup was comfortable. If only I could get that tie to look how it was supposed to look because I knew Chichi would be mad if I didn't.

Gohan and Goten sat in the living room as I walked in, watching TV and ready to go.

I continued to fumble with my bowtie, but all I managed to do was tangle my fingers in the thing. She made it look so easy when she tied it on me at the store.

Gohan laughed lightly as he walked up to me. "Here, Dad. Let me help."

He helped me untangle my fingers from the thing and tied it easily and expertly and fixed my collar.

I clapped a hand on his shoulder. "Thanks, Gohan."

"No problem, Dad. Say, you look a little pale. Are you alright?"

I rubbed the back of my neck. "Heh. Yeah, I'm fine. Just got the butterflies."

Gohan just gave me a reassuring smile and took his seat on the couch. We were waiting on a phone call for the green light to come over. Chichi had said I was to bring the boys by Instant Transmission to lessen the risk of messing up our tuxedos.

I paced around the house, a little too wired to sit. What I needed was to train since that always soothed my nerves, but Chichi made us promise not to spar while we were waiting in our tuxedos. We were not allowed to even go outside at all. If I had known how miserable just sitting around waiting would be, I might not have dressed so soon after breakfast.

After what seemed like an eternity, the phone rang. Gohan answered since he was closest.

"Son Residence."

"Yes."

"Okay, thanks! See you in a second."

He hung up the phone and stood up. I looked at him hopefully.

"That was Bulma. She said to go straight to her. Let's go, Dad!"

I grinned. "Finally!"

Gohan grabbed my shoulder on one side as Goten grabbed my pant leg on my other side. I touched my pointer finger and middle finger to my forehead, concentrated on Bulma's ki and we were off. Between one heartbeat and the next, we dematerialized at home and rematerialized right next to Bulma and she nearly fell over. I steadied her at her elbows.

"Thanks, Goku. I've forgotten how freaky that is. Now back to business. It's going to start in thirty minutes." She crouched to Goten's eyelevel. "Hey, kiddo. You know what your job is right?"

"Yeah, I'm supposed to bring Mommy and Daddy the rings."

She ruffled his hair. "Yes. I'll give you the rings a few minutes before it starts, okay?"

"'K!"

She stood up and immediately wagged a finger in my face, frowning deeply. "I know you, Goku. Stay away from that catering table."

I snapped to attention. "Yes, Ma'am."

She raised her eyebrow at me suspiciously.

"I wont touch the food. Scout's honor."

"You better not."

With that, she walked away to check on everything else and left me to my own devices and Goten left to find Trunks.

I glanced around when I noticed Gohan was gone but spotted him chatting with Hercule and Videl on the other side of the field. As I looked around, I noticed all the chairs full of our closest friends and the aisle in the middle and all the flowers and decorations. My heart gave another nervous little flutter.

Krillin and his family waved me over from their seats. "Hey, Buddy! How are you doing?"

I walked over to them. "I'm fine."

"You sure? You seem a little pale."

I gave him my most convincing smile. "Yeah! I'm great!"

He looked at me like he didn't quite buy it. "You know you can talk to me if you need to."

"I'm fine, but thanks anyway, Krillin."

He dropped it and I was thankful.

Instead, we chatted about what we've been up to the last seven years. I told him about my training in Other World and he told me the story of how he got Eighteen to fall in love with him – until we were interrupted by a very flustered and frantic Bulma.

I felt my eyebrows pull down as I tensed. "Bulma? What's wrong?"

She talked way too fast and I grabbed her gently by her shoulders. "Bulma! I can't understand a word you're saying! Slow down!"

When she was slightly calmer, she tried again, attempting to keep her voice down: "It's terrible! The boys lost the rings, Goku! I just gave Goten the rings not five minutes ago and told him not to leave the courtyard. I can't find him or Trunks! It's going to start in just a few minutes!"

My eyebrows found my hairline as my eyes widened. "I'll find them!"

I'd better, because I was sure Chichi would kill me.

I extended my senses to locate my youngest son and touched two fingers to my forehead, when I sensed another very distantly familiar energy.

I rematerialized somewhere deep inside the Capsule Corp mansion to see Goten and Trunks in a standoff with a very short, pointy eared fellow with light blue skin sitting in a large robot battle suit and a dark haired woman of average height and a human-like dog.

The fellow in the robot suit had two built in rocket launchers, one high caliber machine gun, and some kind of very sleek large gun I didn't recognize all trained on Goten and ready to fire.

I prepared to dart in and grab Goten and Trunks out of harm's way, but didn't want to move just yet as I continued to watch the situation. None of them seemed to notice me. Besides, I knew there would be plenty of time. Speed wasn't an issue at all. I could easily snatch a bullet out of the air and so could Goten and Trunks.

The three of these weirdly familiar folks watched Goten nervously. Goten stared back with his brow slightly furrowed and his body tensed but not in a fighting stance. Trunks was and looked very much ready to attack.

Goten finally did shift into his fighting stance, his stance much like Chichi's. "Give me back Mommy's and Daddy's rings!"

I glanced at the three. Confusion flashed across their faces and they all looked at each other, whispering too faintly for me to hear.

I watched them quietly as they eyed Goten up and down. The blue skinned fellow spoke first. "Y-you mean… you're not Goku?"

I crossed my arms. Huh. Odd. They knew my name. I knew them from somewhere but try as I might, I really couldn't place them. The feeling was beginning to get a little annoying, like a fly buzzing in my face.

Goten shook his head, but held his stance. "No. He's my Daddy!"

I saw the blue skinned fellow's trigger finger twitch on that weird gun I didn't recognize and chose that moment to dart in and place myself between my Goten, Trunks, and these weirdos. Bullets and rockets couldn't do much to saiyans or even half saiyans but I placed myself in front of my youngest boy and his best friend just to be safe.

All three of their faces immediately paled and they screamed. The tiny blue guy pulled the trigger in his panic. I noticed a strange shimmer in the air as I felt a blast of intense heat then a pinpoint of light appeared and quickly expanded. It shot out as a beam of energy – which might have actually hurt us had I not jumped out of the way as quickly as I did.

I landed safely to the side and set the boys down and turned back to the short blue guy. I charged a tiny blast of my own to destroy the gun as I – with a jolt – remembered just who those weird guys were.

Of course!

I definitely knew them. It was none other than Emperor Pilaf along with his cronies Mai and Shu. The three clumsy people always trying to steal the Dragon Balls from Bulma and me back when we were kids.

Emperor Pilaf dropped his guard in his shock and I seized that second to destroy the gun in his hands. "G-G-Goku!? "

I chuckled, remembering the good times and fun adventures of my childhood and gave him a bright smile. "Yep. It's me! It's been a while hasn't it, Emperor Pilaf?"

Emperor Pilaf took a step back in his ungainly robot suit. "Oh… my… it really is him. RETREAT!"

They screamed again and tripped all over themselves in their desperation to get away.

I Instant Transmissioned myself in front of them before they had moved more than a few feet and stuck my hand out, palm up still with a pleasant look on my face. "Um… Aren't you forgetting something?"

They froze and shook so badly I almost felt bad for them. They looked close to wetting their pants. The cockpit of the robot suit hissed open and two tiny gold circles were thrown out of it then it hissed shut again.

I plucked our rings safely out of the air and let Emperor Pilaf and his cronies go on their merry way. Mai and Shu ran off ahead, Emperor Pilaf in his clumsy robot suit close behind them. After they had turned a corner, I heard glass shattering immediately followed by the quickly fading clanging footsteps of the robot suit.

They were outside and gone and that was that.

I opened my hand to check on our rings. Still in perfect condition – not one ding or scratch on them and Chichi's small diamond still in place – and I was very relieved. Chichi would have had my head if they got damaged.

The rings safely in hand, I leveled my gaze at Goten who avoided my eyes and fidgeted with his tuxedo. I knelt down, eye level with him and put my free hand on his shoulder.

I saw Trunks shuffle his feet out of the corner of my eye. "Um. Mr. Goku, I'll just go and… run those weird guys off our property real quick."

I waved Trunks off.

Goten looked close to tears. "I'm sorry, Daddy! It was all my fault! I set the rings on the little pillow thing down for just a minute after Bulma told me not to because I had to go to the bathroom! When I got out, those weird guys had them!"

He looked like he learned his lesson.

After listening to his story, I ruffled his hair. "Hey, it's okay, buddy. You understand what you did wrong, right?"

He wiped his eyes. "Yes, Daddy."

I brushed a little dirt form his tuxedo. "That's my boy. Now let's get back out there. One last thing before we go, don't tell your mom about this. She'd go ballistic."

What Chichi didn't know wouldn't hurt her.

He giggled and held on to me as I set up for Instant Transmission back out to the courtyard.

I set him down, the rings on the little pillow safely in his hands, as our friends and family were ushered into their seats. Dende walked onto the platform.

The rings taken care of, my heart gave another nervous little flutter. I tugged at my collar.

I wasn't sure why I had the butterflies, why my heart beat slightly erratically. I was marrying the love of my life when I knew full well what marriage actually meant – not to mention what love was – unlike the first time around when I had to learn those things on the fly.

I was happy – very happy, but still… anxious. The only problem was, I had no idea why I was nervous.

Dende faced the small audience and caught my eye. He twitched his head slightly, motioning for me to join him on the stage.

I walked up the aisle and he gestured where I should stand with a small twitch of one hand – while his other held a thin, leather-bound book – and I followed his instruction.

I noted the beads of sweat running down the sides of his face. I remembered he did kind of freak out when I asked him to perform our ceremony. Dende told me he had never done anything like that before but that he'd be happy to learn. I could have sworn I heard him yell in a panic for Mr. Popo as I flew away from the Lookout that day.

The band began playing a slow, pretty melody and I watched Goten in his still clean white tuxedo walked up the aisle to stand near the platform. He was followed by little Marron in a big, pink, poufy dress, scattering rose petals up the aisle.

The band ended the first song and struck up a new, distantly familiar song. My heart sped up a little bit, as a bead of sweat ran down the side of my face. Our friends and family rose in their seats when the song started, and turned to face the other end of the aisle.

They uttered a collective gasp.

I followed their gaze.

My heart shuddered to a stop. I felt my jaw go slack and my eyes went wide. My mind went completely blank as my eyes drank in every last detail. She had a big, beautiful smile on her face, her eyes bright. Her hair was half up, half down and tumbling down her shoulders with flowers woven through. The subtle curls in her hair swayed gently with each step she took, the light breeze occasionally whipping them in her face.

Her dress was the same one she wore the first time with one change – no doubt Bulma's idea. Where I remembered big poufy sleeves before, there were none. The top of the dress was left the same. Delicate lace with small pearls woven through it was gathered in a simple and elegant pattern down the middle of her dress and flaring at her hips to combine with the long skirt, hugging her waist perfectly, the train dragging along behind her.

When she showed me the dress when we went to announce our engagement to her father as eighteen-year-olds, I didn't see what the big deal was. I thought she would look fine in whatever she wanted to wear. I didn't pay much attention to how girls looked back then. Heck, I didn't pay much attention to girls at all.

That was before I saw the dress on her. While her father escorted her down the aisle, I forgot to breathe and I realized in that moment what true beauty was.

The love of my life and mother of my two amazing boys stepped up onto the platform right in front of me. I couldn't peel my eyes off of her if I tried. She didn't seem able to look away from me, either. I felt a corner of my mouth tug up almost by its own accord into a small, lopsided smile as her father brought our hands together.

My world began to spin and I swayed on the spot slightly as I started to wonder what in the world was wrong with me. Chichi's smile faded slowly and concern flashed in her eyes as she watched me.

My lungs started to burn.

Oh.

I needed air.

Oops.

I sucked in a big breath and was immediately steady again. Chichi just shook her head and raised an eyebrow, but her smile came back full force, her cheeks tinged pink.

I remembered that happened the first time I saw that dress on her.

I saw Dende raise his hands out of the corner of my eye. "Please, take your seats."

When our small audience was seated, Dende continued: "Welcome, ladies and gentlemen. We are gathered here today to witness the renewal of vows of this couple before me. Goku and Chichi, when you first joined hands and hearts in marriage nineteen years ago, you promised to love, honor, and cherish one another regardless of what may come to pass. Life has certainly brought you great joy and very difficult challenges over the years, yet you stood strong in your love for each other.

"As you stand before me here today, and reflect back on your life together, do you now wish to reaffirm the vows you took nineteen years ago?"

We glanced at him and responded at the same time with: "We do!"

"Goku, will you continue to have Chichi as your wife and continue to live in this happy and loving marriage?"

My eyes on hers, I replied with: "I will."

"Do you reaffirm your love for her, and will you love, honor, and cherish her in sickness and in health, for richer or poorer, for better or worse, and forsaking all others, be faithful to her?"

I gave her hands a gentle squeeze. "I do."

"Chichi, will you continue to have Goku as your husband and live in this happy and loving marriage?"

She stared into my eyes, hers sparkling. "I will."

"Do you reaffirm your love for him, and will you love, honor, and cherish him in sickness and in health, for richer or poorer, for better or worse, and forsaking all others, be faithful to him?"

She squeezed my hands, and her eyes never left mine. "I do."

"On your wedding day, you exchanged rings as a symbol of your undying love for each other. To remind you of that commitment made on your wedding day, you will now renew your pledge to each other. Goten, step onto the stage please and present your parents with the rings."

I looked Goten and he did as Dende asked him and I was somewhat relieved to see the rings safe and secure on the little pillow in our son's small hands. He held the pillow with our rings out to us. Nothing too grand, just simple gold bands, one large simple band for me, the other with a small diamond and they were just right for us.

"Goku."

I looked at Dende.

"Please place her ring on Chichi's finger with the words: With this ring, I renew my pledge of love and commitment."

I reached over and carefully plucked Chichi's small diamond ring off the pillow and threw Goten a wink then looked back at her.

She quirked an eyebrow at me and her eyes narrowed just a little bit.

Uh oh.

She was onto us. I gave her a small, uncomfortable sort of smile and did my best to avoid reflexively reaching up to rub the back of my neck.

She rolled her eyes a little at me, and threw me a look. With that quick look, I knew she wasn't easily going to forget to ask. She really didn't need to know what happened. I hoped the rest of our ceremony would make her forget.

I carefully slid her ring onto the delicate ring finger of her left hand – hoping to high Heaven I wouldn't drop the tiny thing – as I repeated the words Dende told me.

When I looked at her face, she had relaxed back into that small, tender smile and her eyes started sparkling again. Maybe I was home free after all.

"Chichi, please place his ring on Goku's finger with the words: With this ring, I renew my pledge of love and commitment."

She looked down at Goten in his white tuxedo and plucked my ring off of the pillow. With more self-confidence than I showed, she deftly slid it onto my left ring finger and lovingly gripped my hands in hers as she repeated the words Dende gave her.

We couldn't take our eyes off each other if we tried. My heart flip-flopped again.

"Marriage is a commitment to learning to care for one another in mutually fulfilling ways. It is a life-long relationship always in the making. A strong marriage understands and forgives mistakes made. It survives insurmountable challenges. It encourages and nurtures new life, new experiences, and new ways of expressing a love that is deeper than life. From this day forth, may your worries be few, your joys be many, and may your love grow more abundant with each passing day."

There was a short pause as Chichi and I continued to stare into each other's eyes, and then Dende continued: "Goku and Chichi, today you have renewed the promises and vows you made to each other on your wedding day. You have symbolized the renewal of the marriage union by the joining of hands, the taking of vows, and the exchange of rings. It is with pleasure that I conclude the ceremony of renewing the vows of marriage that joined you and forever binds you as husband and wife. Goku, you may kiss your bride."

My heart jumped into my throat and beat double time as I felt the blood drain from my face. It didn't just drain from my face. It must have left my brain, too as I felt a little lightheaded all of a sudden. My shirt collar suddenly felt way too tight and a bead of sweat ran down my temple.

Kiss her.

In front of everyone.

That was why I was nervous earlier. I had almost forgotten about that part. The last time we kissed in front of a group was our first wedding day. Kissing her was great, but not in front of so many people!

Chichi decided to start by pulling us very close together and stroking my cheek.

Well, I can't leave her hanging, I thought to myself as I took a deep breath and leaned down…

Then our lips met and suddenly all that existed was she. All that mattered was she. All I needed was she. My nerves melted away as I lost track of time and momentarily forgot where we were. Her kisses tended to do that to me.

In some corner of my clouded mind, I was vaguely aware of the sound of a few throats clearing.

She broke our kiss but didn't pull away completely, her cheeks slightly flushed. I felt my cheeks burning and I refused to look at the audience.

I felt a small hand on my back and glanced at its owner, as he did the same to Chichi and with a light pressure, urged us to face the slightly snickering small crowd.

As we turned – myself somewhat hesitantly – they all erupted into applause and cheers and rose to their feet.

I was relieved it was over. And very, very happy. A particular word Dende used toward the end – and the emphasis he put on it – bounced around in my head.

Forever.

'Til death do we part' was completely absent from our vows. We took our vows and made them eternal. We promised each other forever no matter what happened.

I looked down at the beautiful woman next to me and saw she wore the most brilliant smile I had almost ever seen her wear – more brilliant even than the smile she wore on our first wedding day. The smile was so intense, it made her whole face shine with the radiance of the sun. She was absolutely stunning.

She took a step in front and looked back at me as she waited for me to catch the hint. It was time for the reception.

A massively loud rumble sounded and our small audience fell completely silent. No body looked even a little bit nervous or confused about the sudden noise. They all knew exactly what it was.

After a few moments of dead silence, they laughed hysterically. I rubbed the back of my neck with an embarrassed, "Heh-Heh…"

Chichi tugged at my hand again chortling with the crowd. "Come on, Goku."

Since I wasn't nervous anymore, I suddenly realized just how long it had been since breakfast.

Food. I needed food. I almost passed out from oxygen deprivation earlier. I was sure I was going to pass out from hunger if I didn't eat something right then.

Chichi led me to the reception area set up on the other side of Capsule Corp's courtyard as our group of friends and family followed.

As one, the servers lifted and removed the large silver-plated dish covers with a flourish, revealing the mouthwatering content within.

There were piles and piles of various meats prepared in various ways on different dishes – including sushi rolls and sashimi – and massive noodle soup bowls, and huge piles of various kinds of dumplings and fried rice filled with various mixtures of meat and spices. There were also piles of fresh fruits and vegetables, including a huge pile of apples from the tree near our house – Chichi's idea.

Since we were the ones getting married, we were told to dish ourselves up first. The servers didn't bat an eye at the twenty plates I took. Bulma had mentioned to me she used the company many times before for her other parties. Vegeta had an appetite that rivaled mine. Since they were apparently used to feeding him, I wasn't much different.

There was enough food prepared to feed an army, but with two very hungry full blooded saiyans and three half-bloods plus several humans, there wasn't much left over.

After we were stuffed to the gills and chatting, the band started playing more music and the tables and chairs were quickly cleared to make space for a large dance floor. Chichi taught me a few steps when we were newlyweds, but it had been so long since I last used them, I didn't think I'd remember what to do.

We found ourselves in the center of the dance floor, all eyes on us. The band, having moved to the reception area, struck up a soft, beautiful melody and two singers, a man and a woman, stepped up to a microphone.

Chichi placed my right hand on her waist, the other held out to the side in hers, while her other hand settled on my shoulder.

She leaned in close and whispered, "Don't worry, Honey. Just relax."

I nodded, but gulped.

We started moving, revolving slowly on the floor, my eyes never leaving her gracefully moving feet covered in simple white slippers out of fear of stepping on her toes. I did my best to mimic her steps and keep in time with the music and, slowly, the steps she had taught me many years ago came back.

As my confidence grew, I lifted my gaze to her face and she smiled encouragingly.

After a minute or two, others joined us. I blew out a relieved breath since that meant all eyes were no longer on us.

When the song ended, I decided to dip her and she squealed and giggled. She looked very impressed and I was very pleased with myself. I didn't step on her toes once!

We danced through several songs with a fast beat, a few more slow love songs, and slowly, the music faded as the sun slipped below the horizon, signaling the end of the party.

Chichi yawned and shivered slightly.

I pulled my coat off and slipped it around her shoulders. "Ready to go, Babe?"

She nodded tiredly.

She pulled away from me and walked up to the microphone as our friends and family said their goodbyes. "Thank you all so much for coming and being a part of this perfect day! Having you all here meant a lot to us both. Travel safely as you head home tonight. We'll see you all again soon."

They clapped and she and the other women exchanged a few hugs as she found her way back at me.

She froze. "Oops! I almost forgot!"

She waved her small bunch of flowers and the women gathered in front of her with eager smiles. She turned her back to them and tossed the flowers over her head.

I watched as they sailed through the air and landed neatly in…

Videl's hands – who just happened to be directly behind Chichi.

I glanced at a very pale-faced Gohan and laughed lightly. I looked back at Chichi. She seemed very proud of herself and walked back to me with a very self-satisfied smile on her pretty face.

She leaned against me and yawned again. "Let's go, Goku."

I slipped an arm around her shoulders and called for Nimbus.

A few seconds later, the little yellow cloud zoomed into view. I scooped her up, jumped onto Nimbus and off we went, flying into the cool, clear night air, the light of the full moon guiding our flight.

"You know where to go, right Nimbus?"

It dipped up and down a couple of times in response.

It knew exactly where to go to find the surprise I had spent all month setting up for her.

I cradled her on my lap, and in the quiet night, heard and felt her breath deepen. I held her close as we flew on, careful not to jostle her.

The temperature began dropping as our destination loomed in front of us: A large, snow-covered mountain range hundreds of miles from our home in the tropics.

She shivered in her sleep. I powered up, hoping the bright golden light I put off didn't wake her. She nuzzled into the heat emanating from me and sighed, still sound asleep. I held her close.

Nimbus began to gradually drop lower and lower over the trees and I knew exactly where we were. Any second, the clearing with our little cabin I built with the small hot spring next to it would come into view.

There it was. Nimbus smoothly came to a stop low to the ground right in front of the picture perfect scene of the warmly lit cabin.

I stroked the cheek of the beautiful woman wrapped up in my coat and sound asleep on my lap. "Chichi. Wake up, Honey. We're here."

She stirred and her beautiful eyes fluttered open. "Hmm? Oh. Home already? I guess I fell asleep."

I chuckled. "You did, but no. We're not home. Look around."

She yawned, sat up and gasped at the sight.

The snow on the ground and the roof of our little cabin sparkled in the bright, silvery light of the full moon filtering through the evergreen trees. A storm had just blown through the night before. The sky was clear, the full moon almost directly above us and a scattering of stars were visible. It truly was a sight to behold. I just hoped she thought so, too.

"Do you… like it?"

She turned back to me, her eyes full of awe and shining. "Oh, Goku! It's perfect!"

She threw her arms around my neck, I wrapped mine around her, and I hovered us to the front door of our cabin, twisted the nob, and pushed it open.

Inviting warmth washed over our faces and I was very glad I had thought to wake up early the morning of our wedding and get a fire going in the stove without her ever noticing.

I dropped out of Super Saiyan as I set her down and turned to close the door. When I looked back at her, she was admiring the whole cabin. The wood stove burned in one corner, the small table and two chairs on one side and a bed for two on the other. She even took notice of the soft carpet I put in.

She pulled off my jacket and draped it over the back of a chair. "Goku… did you build this?"

I nodded, happy she was so impressed. "Yep!"

Her eyes sparkled. "It's amazing, Honey! When?"

"Well, remember over the last month whenever I told you I was off to spar with Vegeta? I came here instead and made this – " I made a sweeping gesture " – for you."

"It's absolutely stunning, Goku! I love it!" Her face fell. "But we can't stay more than a night or two here. We can't leave the boys unattended!"

I grinned and felt very proud of myself. "I already thought of that. I asked Bulma if they could stay over at her place for a week or so. She was fine with that!"

She stepped very close, leaned into my chest and sighed very happily. "Well done, Goku. This is perfect. I love you."

I knew she'd be impressed.

I quickly kicked off my shoes and wrapped my arms around her. "I love you too, Chichi. Forever."

Before we knew it, we were kissing and very deeply and it quickly became something more.

I had no idea anything special was supposed to happen the night of our first wedding. I had no idea why Chichi kept sending me furtive glances during our reception, her cheeks red. That had confused the daylights out of me.

When we were newlyweds, I wasn't apparently truly in love with her. Yet. I married her partly because I was keeping a promise I made to her when I was very young, but that wasn't the only reason. It also just… felt right. Some part of me wanted her in my life for reasons I couldn't really explain at the time.

That part of me grew and I grew to love her with my whole heart. She taught me what it meant to love. I had no idea what love was, but she showed me so very patiently and before long, I felt as strongly about her as she did about me.

I remember the very day that happened. I couldn't stop thinking about her at all one day some weeks into our marriage. Any thought of her would bring with it a rush of giddiness and make my heart pound in a weirdly pleasant way.

Thoughts of her would also make me feel as light as a feather – there were times I actually did lift off the ground when I thought about her. Those were among my first experiences with flight.

If I were out of the house exercising, I would get this urge to just be near her and I acted on it. I needed her company. I would follow her around the rest of the day, helping out with her chores around the house.

Just before we went up to bed that night, she had asked me why I was behaving like I was with her and I did my best to describe the bizarre and unnerving and strangely pleasant sensations in me as she listened quietly. When we were done talking, she said she was sure it was love.

I was in love!

Neither of us could wipe our grins off our faces the rest of that evening if we tried.

That night, we kissed goodnight like we did every night since our first night as a married couple and we hadn't yet gone beyond that. Only, that kiss was… different. All the kisses we had together up to that point were quick, but not that one. That one was special.

My body was doing weird stuff and that giddiness would hit full force and my head started spinning. My body's strange reactions to her lips on mine were confusing as all get out but I liked them. A lot. It was then I discovered kissing was only the beginning of something amazing.

For our second wedding, I knew exactly what to do and what it meant. I loved her and I was about to show her just how much. For what seemed like the hundredth time since I was granted a second chance at life just a month before, I wondered why I had ever chosen to stay dead.