THE SON SAGA--HOME FRONT
By Rizu-chan

DISCLAIMER: I don't own any part of "Dragonball" or "Dragonball Z". All characters and names are copyrighted under names that are not Rizu-Chan and I own no one in this story except for Goku...HE'S MINE, I TELL YOU!! MIIIIIIIIIIINE!!! (just...not in the legal sense, heh) So don't sue me. THANK YOU so very much...

SETTING: Goku and Chichi were wed. Yep, they got the wedding dress back, put out the flames around the castle with the magic fan, had the wedding reception, went back to Big Poppa's place, packed up their stuff, and now the lil' lady and her fella are going out into the world to do what all normal 16-year-olds do: build a house, fend for themselves in the wilderness, fight evil rabbits, annihilate sworn enemies, and procreate. There ya have it. I hope you enjoy it. Thank you for reading. Hopefully, you'll have the stamina to reach the end. Onward.

************************************************************

"Well," Gyuu-mao sighed as he looked at the young couple, "good luck, you two. I just know that you'll find a great place to build your home." His voice was shaky and even a little melancholy as he quickly glanced at his daughter--his only child--and her new man.

Goku lifted a heavy bundle containing clothes, bedding, appliances, and of course, pots and pans, onto his back with a slight grunt. "Thank you, Gyuu-mao!" he said cheerily as he clumsily balanced the heavy load on his shoulders. "I know we'll find a pretty good place to build a new house," he assured his father-in-law. "Chichi and I should be finished by nightfall, I think, if we use kintoen."

The giant man smiled sadly at his jolly son-in-law and then turned his gaze over to his little daughter. She stood with her hands folded in front of her and she smiled back at him with a look of sadness and understanding in her eyes. She was scared about leaving her father, yet she was excited and filled with hope. She had always dreamed of being with the love of her life and living happily with him forever, but at the same time, she didn't want to make her father feel like she was abandoning him.

"Tousan..." she breathed.

His smile broadened at her voice and concerned face. She had always worried too much about him. Yes, she really was a good daughter and she would make a fine wife for the young man. He would miss her dearly.

"Chichi," he smiled back, "don't you worry about me. You have a new man to take care of now." He gestured playfully to Goku who returned his teasing with a clueless smile.

Chichi took a step forward and drew in a short breath, stifling the impending tears that she was sure to break into. "Tousan..." she whispered again, "I love you. Thank you for being my father..." Then, not being able to bear looking at her beloved papa in the face any longer, she rushed to him and wrapped her arms around the enormous man, breaking into semi-controlled sobs. Goku's grin faded. Was there something wrong? He was only further confused when the girl's large father smiled in return and hugged her back. A smile? But...she's crying... Goku held out a hand awkwardly and, unsure of what to do from there, put it down again. He stared at the ground in embarrassment.

Gyuu-mao was still locked in an embrace with his daughter when he looked up at the boy and smiled. "Chichi," he whispered so that only the two of them could hear, "go to him. Your old father will be just fine, but I think that now you should worry about your husband."

Chichi looked at her father, then turned around to gaze at her innocent husband who was now drawing little pictures in the dirt with the toe of his boot. She turned back to her father and beamed reassuringly.

Gyuu-mao gently pushed the girl away from him. "Now go find yourselves. Build your home. Build it tall and strong, and raise your children there. You know where to find me if you need me." He winked at her and looked back at the spiky-haired young man who was now so into his doodlings that he was kneeling on the ground, poking around in the dirt with his index finger in order to create more detailed patterns.

"Goku-saa," the large-framed man boomed. The goofy teenager looked up quickly and rose to his feet.

"Yes, Gyuu-ma--I mean...dad?" Goku asked, blushing a bit.

"You're Son Gohan's grandchild. You'll take good care of my daughter, I know it," he placed his fists on his hips and mocked a stern face.

"Oh, sure!" Goku exclaimed, turning his attention to his dark-haired bride. "I'll take good care of Chichi. You have my word." Chichi smiled at her young husband and blushed slightly as she shyly turned her gaze to the ground.

"Be sure you do!" The great Cow King wagged a finger at him. Goku nodded, a determined look crossing his features. Chichi gave her father one last glance and walked to the cheery boy who was already waiting to go. She sighed.

"Are you ready, Goku-saa?"

"Yep!" he replied in his giddy manner as he pulled her close to him. He turned and waved at his father-in-law with his brilliant toothy smile. "Bye, pop!" he called. "Don't you worry about us! Everything is okay!" He made a loop with his index finger and thumb and winked. The big man simply smiled and waved back.

Goku looked to the skies and yelled at the top of his lungs: "KINTOOOOOEEEEEEEENN!!!"

The small yellow cloud descended from the heavens and zoomed through the air, stopping right in front of their feet. Goku hopped onto the puffy little cloud and wrapped his arm around Chichi to protect her from falling off. The little nimbus sure had a lot to carry today...

"BAI BAI!!" they called as they lifted off into the air and sped away.

Gyuu-mao sighed. Just like that, they were gone. Kami only knew what would happen to them from here.

************************************************************

"Chichi, I'm hungry," Goku complained after three hours of searching.

As the day wore on, it was getting hotter and hotter and more and more humid. To Goku, the position of the sun in the sky was a direct indicator of when he was supposed to eat, and when it was directly above him, it meant that it was lunchtime. He turned to Chichi who was seated next to him. She was shielding her eyes and looking out across the terrain. Every place they had considered thus far had either been too rocky or the foundation hadn't been strong enough to support a house. She sighed and leaned back on her hands as the small cloud sputtered away, struggling with the weight of the bundle on Goku's back.

She frowned and looked at him. "You're really hungry, huh?" she asked, a little agitated from the day's unsuccess. Goku nodded his head vigorously, like a child. She slowly exhaled through pursed lips. He watched her intently, awaiting her decision.

She smiled slightly. "Okay, Goku. Stop somewhere and I'll make us lunch."

Goku grinned in triumph and lowered the kintoen to a small clearing in a forest.

************************************************************

Chichi shuffled through the pack and cursed under her breath. They sure did pack a lot... At the time, she had felt that everything they had packed was necessary, but she was beginning to see that they had bitten off a little more than they could chew. She couldn't find her cooking utensils, let alone any of the food that they had crammed into the bulging bundle! Goku watched the girl rant quietly with a blank look on his face.

"A-are you okay, Chichi?" he asked, wondering what she was so angry about.

"I'm fine," she snapped. "It's just that we packed so much crap that I can't find anything..."

Goku blinked and became more confused. "But weren't you the one who told me to put all that stuff in there?" he asked, scratching his head.

She paused in her rummaging and threw him a look. He blinked again. Why was she complaining to him when it was mostly her stuff anyway? Well, it didn't really matter. That look had given him enough reason to keep his mouth shut.

Chichi clenched her fists and growled angrily. "Where the hell are my pots and pans??" she cried.

She began frantically tossing things out of the bag in her frustration. She heaved things behind her, not caring where they landed. Goku's jaw dropped.

"Chichi!" he cried. "Stop doing that--that thing was hard to pack!"

She grabbed another item and was beginning to toss it nonchalantly behind her when it came to life and started singing! She uttered a startled noise and dropped it in shock. Goku watched it clatter to the ground and grinned in wonder as his eyes lit up. Chichi sighed when she realized what it was. It was the singing fish novelty mounted on a cheesy fake-wooden plaque that Yamcha had given them as a wedding present.

Goku burst into laughter and began rolling on the ground in hysterics. Chichi stood there with her arms hanging loosely at her sides and just watched him, somewhat exasperated. He loved that thing. She couldn't figure out why.

"Goku..." she sighed.

Goku continued laughing his head off. She frowned at him. He noticed her glare, stopped laughing...a little...and rolled onto his back to look up at her. "Y-yes?" he asked, wiping away a tear.

She knelt to pick up the hideous thing once it had stopped singing and shook it angrily in his face. "PLEASE tell me why we kept this," she demanded.

Goku's cheerful grin withered into a look of distinct hurt. "Because...Yamcha gave it to us," he said in a small voice.

Chichi sighed. She remembered that day all too well...

************************************************************

They had been sitting around the table of honor at the wedding reception and they had already opened most of the wonderful gifts that people had given to them.

Bulma had given them a few capsules and some silk sheets (O_O), Kuririn had given them a wok, Ten Shin Han and Chao-tsu had given them some towels, Kame Sennin and Oolong gave them a garter belt and a teddie (Chichi had blushed and hidden those gifts under the table when she opened them while Goku just wondered what they were), they received countless little gifts from the palace servants, and Gyuu-mao himself had given them about ยด700,000 to help get them find their feet after the honeymoon...and then, of course, there was Yamcha's gift...the novelty fish thing.

Sure, when Goku had opened it, everyone had had a good laugh and passed it around to listen to the oh-so-clever one-liners that it said when you waved your hand in front of the sensor on the plaque, but when the party had been winding down and Chichi was saying goodbye to the guests, she handed the ridiculous thing to Yamcha with a smile and said, "it's very cute, and thank you for sharing it with us," hoping that he'd get the idea and take it back. But he just held up his hands and said, "noo-oo-oo way. That thing is yours now."

Chichi cocked an eyebrow at him. He most likely found it in his attic and was trying to find some poor sucker to take it off his hands. Unfortunately for Chichi, Goku was the sucker...

************************************************************

Chichi looked down at her stricken husband and shook her head, sighing. She turned back to the bag and began rummaging again. Goku rolled up into a sitting position and pouted. He watched his wife search for what she needed for a moment. A smile slowly crept across his lips. Her lean figure was bent over the knapsack and her ponytail had become slightly loose and frayed from being blown about when they were riding on kintoen. Wispy strands of black hair fell gently around her face as she looked for her cooking utensils, her brow creased in frustration. He thought she was pretty. He knew that he had never known much about physical attractiveness, but there was something very cute about Chichi. He could just sense it. Goku slowly got to his feet and walked towards the woman, his curiosity aroused.

Just then, she brightened and squealed with glee as she lifted a pan out of the knapsack. "I found my cooking utensils! Finally!"

Goku stopped in his tracks, forgetting his inquisitiveness of her. "Does that mean we can eat now?" he asked excitedly.

Chichi crossed her arms and pretended to scold him. "Goku-saa, you know better than that. You have to wash up first!" she said.

His shoulders slumped and he hung his head, thinking he was really being scolded. "I'm sorry," he said in his best apologetic voice.

She walked to him, giggling, and gently poked him with the frying pan. "Aww," she cooed, "I was just playing. Will you go get me some firewood so that I can make a nice, hot meal, though?" she asked.

He smiled at her and nodded. "Oh, sure! I can do that!" he grinned. He took off and started running into the woods. She watched his retreating form with adoration.

"And be careful, Goku-saa!" she called after him. "We're strangers to these woods!"

"Okay!" he called back to her without turning around. Then he disappeared into the dark forest.

She sighed and started pulling various foods out of the bag to prepare them. Little did she know, however, that she was being watched...

************************************************************

The mori kodomo [Japanese translation: "forest children"] had been hiding in the bushes, watching the whole conversation between the young, unsuspecting couple. A small rabbit boy clenched his fists in anger and turned to his companions. "This is just great," he seethed. "We haven't had anyone visit these woods for over sixteen years, and all of a sudden, these creatures show up! We should do something before they really mess things up!"

One of his friends, a little chipmunk boy, bit his lip and kicked a clump of dirt at his feet. He always hated it when Usagi got like this...

"Usagi," he squeaked in an uncertain tone, "I'm sure they're not going to be any real trouble to us. The female said they were only here for a snack. Then they'd be off again." He finished his statement and his eyes slowly traveled back to his partner. The rabbit boy just stared blankly back at him, an angry, disbelieving expression wiped across his features. The little chipmunk gulped and looked back down. Usagi seemed to be in one of his moods.

The other little boy, a fox, whipped his tail back and forth thoughtfully. "I don't like it any more than Usagi does, Narazumono," he told the chipmunk. "He's right. The last time we had visitors, total chaos ensued. Are you telling us that won't happen this time?" The chipmunk rubbed his arm and glared at the fox. His friends always seemed to form some sort of alliance AGAINST him in arguments. He was too probably passive when it came to these annoying gang-ups.

"It may or may not, Iwa," the rabbit boy informed the fox while pacing back and forth. "But lemme make this clear: if they get ANYWHERE near our village or the tree Kami, you come and tell me."

He started walking away, back in the direction of their home. The two other boys' eyes widened at their friend's back as he casually strode away through the brush.

"Usagi--! That's not fair! You want us to stay out here and watch them? That's stupid!" protested the fox as he bared his teeth. "Have a sense of justice, man! Come on!"

Usagi stopped and shrugged at his friend. "Too bad," he reasoned. "I have to go back and look after the elders. You two never help me much anyway, so you won't be missed." The chipmunk and fox exchanged glances, letting one another know that Usagi was definitely on one of his power trips. They couldn't really do anything, though. It was true, he did have to go look after the elders...but he didn't have to leave in such a pompous manner. It kinda gave a guy the feeling that he wasn't appreciated.

************************************************************

Goku grunted as he landed on another tree branch. He looked down at his feet and hands gripping the thick branch and giggled slightly to himself. He hadn't done this since he was a kid, and it was fun! He sure missed playing in the woods like this. He knew he was supposed to be getting wood for Chichi, but for the time being, playing seemed a lot more important. Then he thought of how he'd be scolded once he got back...maybe she wouldn't make him any lunch because she'd be upset with him for making her wait so long! Maybe...maybe he should get to work.

He hopped down out of the tree and landed gracefully on his feet. He shaded his eyes against the noonday sun and looked around. "These trees are all pretty big," he thought aloud. It sure would be hard to carry one of these big trees back to Chichi, but he had to try. His stomach growled and he laid a hand gently on his abdomen.

"Yeah, I know," he consoled it sympathetically. "Don't you worry, though, we'll be eating in no time once I get this tree!" (kind of lame, I know, but doesn't it seem strangely appropriate for Goku to be talking to his tummy like that?) He glanced around once more before deciding on a big, stalky oak sitting in a clearing. He positioned himself in front of it and wrapped his muscular arms around its trunk. Straining slightly, his sinews rippling like bands of steel beneath his skin, he pulled the tree up by its roots. Steadily, he waved the tree about and positioned the massive trunk in between his shoulder blades.

"Whew!" he breathed. "I sure hope this'll be enough." He chuckled lightly to himself as he sped off through the woods again to deliver his prize to his awaiting wife.

************************************************************

Iwa sat down in the dirt with his arms stretched out behind him and his ankles crossed. He stared through the leafy branches of the trees above him and at the little bits of sunlight that managed to poke their way through every so often. He had made poor Narazumono keep watch of the young human girl through the bushes as he sat there and relaxed. There was no reason why they both had to watch her. Pulling up on to his hands, he leaned forward slightly. "Nothing bad's happened, right?" he whispered in his raspy voice.

The little chipmunk was sitting Indian-style with his head resting in cupped paws. He sighed in annoyance. "Noooo, Iwa...nothing bad has happened," he moaned in reply. Sometimes he really considered getting nicer friends that didn't make him watch harmless females for fear of her getting too close to the village. He really didn't see what the threat was. His ears perked up when he heard branches breaking across the way.

"What was that?" Iwa asked, excited.

"How should I know, baka? You tell ME--YOU'RE the one with the 'good hearing'," Narazumono snapped back, rolling his eyes.

Iwa glanced over in the direction of the noise and stood up to get a better look. "I'll bet the girl's mate is back..." he pondered as he peeked through the bushes. Sure enough, there was Goku crashing through the woods like the awkward adolescent that he was, knocking over the occasional tree as he carried back his lumber.

"H-hi, Ch--CHIcHi!" he beamed, gasping for air. She put her hands on her hips and stared at him in disbelief.

"Goku-saa...I don't need that much, but thank you," she said quietly.

"N-oo P-RoBleM!" he replied. He jerked his shoulder so that the tree rolled out from its stable position in the center of his back and rolled off of him. It landed in the clearing with a THUD.

Everything seemed to jump a little, including the mori kodomo who were still watching through the thick bushes.

"So, what now?" he sighed cheerily, catching his breath. He hoped that she'd reply that they were going to have lunch soon.

Chichi walked around the tree, scrutinizing it closely with a finger to her lips. "Y'know, Goku..." she began.

"Yeah?"

"Well, I was thinking while you were away...what's wrong with building the house here in this clearing? I mean, it's obviously the most stable land we've found yet and it seems like it'd be able to support a house. Plus, it's in such a nice, peaceful area," she disclosed her opinion with enthusiasm.

"WHAT??!" shrieked the boys from behind the brush.

Narazumono ran his fingers through his hair frantically. "They're gonna build their house here--??! WHY??"

Iwa stared at the couple with growing animosity and crossed his arms. "That just doesn't work for me," he stated flatly, glaring at the humans. Narazumono looked at him and blinked. What did he mean by that?

Goku laughed and smiled. "If you want to live here, Chichi, that's fine with me," he replied. He then tilted his head down shyly. "But can we eat now? I'm really hungry..."

"Oh, Goku, koibito, I forgot all about that! Yes, I'm so sorry," she said as she brushed past him to get the food prepared.

Iwa was still glaring at the two with fear and hatred burning in his heart. Narazumono watched his friend with a terrified expression on his face. Iwa could be rough-and-tumble, but he wasn't ever this...THREATENING. He actually looked scary.

"Iwa...what do you have planned?" asked the chipmunk in a small voice.

The fox thrashed his tail anxiously as he turned and began padding back to the village. "I'm going to tell Usagi. We'll work things out," he stated bluntly. Narazumono scrambled to catch up. "Wait up--!" he called. Iwa gritted his teeth, not even listening to what his friend was saying. He trudged through the brush, intent on telling Usagi and the other village young-bloods about their precarious situation.

************************************************************

Goku munched on some of the sukiyaki that Chichi had made and looked at his surroundings. Pretty place...he could understand why Chichi had wanted to build their house there. She had been stooped over a large pot over a log fire for the past hour, making more and more food to feed Goku's insatiable appetite. She never imagined one man could eat so much. She walked over to their lunch spot beneath a shady tree and set down three more platters of food.

"Here," she said with a sigh. "That's all I'm going to make for now. Hope it holds you."

Goku grinned at her in reply and started grabbing more food off of some of the platters to stuff into his mouth. She watched him with a mix of disgust and wonder. No matter how many times she saw this, she could just never get used to it...

Goku caught her looking at him. "Wathh wrong, Thithi?" he asked through a mouth full of sashimi. What was she staring at? She did this at every meal. He was beginning to wonder what was wrong with her...

Chichi frowned. "Haven't you any manners, Goku?" she asked in a harsh tone. "Eat like a gentleman in front of a lady!"

Goku blinked twice. "How do I do thah?" he asked, his mouth still full of food.

She sighed impatiently. "Well...at least eat like a normal human being," she reasoned as she sat across from him.

Goku blinked again as Chichi took some food from a platter.

************************************************************

Iwa stormed into the little hut and threw back the door angrily. "USAGI, GET THE YOUNG-BLOODS TOGETHER...we have to talk."

Usagi had been feeding an elder and paused in his actions to look at his enraged friend. Something big had happened, he just knew it. "Okay, Iwa," he said, rising to his feet. "But what's wrong?"

The little fox with yellow eyes glared and began walking away. "Just do it."

Narazumono had been panting lightly behind Iwa the whole time, and as his buddy began heading for the center of their village to make the announcement, he couldn't help but think about how melodramatic Iwa was acting. He sweatdropped and looked at Usagi. "He's--just upset," he said in an unsure tone. After which, he realized how stupid it sounded.

Usagi smacked him behind the head with his paw.

************************************************************

Goku stood up and stretched. "That was really good, Chichi!" he exclaimed happily. "Are you sure there's not more?"

Chichi sighed and looked up at her big, thick-skulled husband. "Yes, Goku-saa. I'm sure." She frowned. "I can't believe you finished off a month's ration in one sitting," she muttered miserably.

Goku just stared at his wife with big, clueless eyes.

He suddenly smiled. "Well, I'm going into the woods to get more lumber for the house. If we want a home soon, we're going to have to get started. You wanna come?"

Chichi shook her head and began gathering dishes. "No, I'll be fine here. I have to clean up." He looked clueless again. What was this "cleaning" that she was always doing? It didn't look fun to him, so why did she seem so anxious to do it all the time? Living with a girl was gonna be weird...

************************************************************

Usagi had his finger pressed firmly against his lip as Iwa divulged the whole story in a frantic, yet compiled voice. The other young bloods had gathered in the middle of the town and listened with wide eyes. A small girl in the back raised her paw.

"Um, how big were they??" she asked, excited.

Iwa frowned. "They're bigger than we are, and they both have warrior builds! Yet the male seems particularly strong...he could pose a real threat."

A murmur of excitement and nervousness rushed over the little group and Iwa once again had to restore order. He had been doing this throughout the whole meeting. He wasn't good with mobs! He was just good at fighting!

"Guys, calm down!" he shouted angrily, getting more and more frustrated with his inability to keep them quiet for two seconds. "We need to, uh...devise a strategy. I guess."

A small squirrel boy pushed through several people and made his way to the front of the crowd. "Oh, there's an idea, Iwa! And just how do you intend to do this, huh? We don't have an army or anything; we're a small village of civilians with lousy defenses!"

An angry growl arose from the group now, as they were all scared of the visitors and resented their bad fortune at the same time. They began shouting questions faster than Iwa could answer them:

"Will they be armed?"

"What do we have to do?"

"Do you have any idea what you're doing, baka yaro?"

Usagi held up his hand and shouted in his rumbling voice. "SILENCE!!" he demanded.

The crowd hushed.

Usagi had been pensively assessing the situation the whole time, and, being the brilliant strategist that he was, he thought he had a plan. A smart little smirk crossed his features...a look that the residents of the little town knew all too well. Usagi's classic "condescending" smirk.

"Ha ha, you guys are so quick to panic. But if you all had half the sense that I have, you'd know what to do by now without freaking out," he said calmly without even a hint of subtlety to shade his egotism.

The other kodomo sweatdropped, grinning fakely. It was best not to argue with the little rabbit's headstrong pride with himself. You'd probably get a mouthful of bloody chicklets for doing so.

"If we ever need guidance, just ask the sacred tree for help." Usagi pointed to a large cedar that sat in the center of the town. The townspeople turned their gaze to the beloved artifact. Despite his narcissism in eventually getting to his point, they knew he was right...the tree always had the best answer.

Usagi walked to it and kneeled before it, pressing his paws together. "O tree Kami," he said in a heavy voice, dripping with respect, "a darkness has befallen the forest. The mori kodomo are unsure of how to rid your woods of the problem, but we would like to help. We are not worthy of your advice, but we would greatly appreciate it if you would be so kind as to tell us. Please, tree Kami...for the good of your forest..." He squeezed his eyes shut in patience and awaited a reply. The other villagers stood behind him, awe-struck and gripped with curiosity as to how their god would answer.

Just then, three knocks came from deep inside the tree. Usagi's eyes shot open and he stood up, grinning. "You think so? That's what we should do?" he asked in an eager tone. A rapid series of knocks came from deep inside the tree again and then stopped in icy silence.

Usagi jumped in happiness and then calmed himself enough to bow solemnly to the tree. "Hai! Hai, tree Kami! You will not be disappointed! Your woods shall be safe again!" he cried. The rabbit boy turned to his neighbors and allies with a positive look upon his face.

"The tree Kami says that we should fight mercilessly and use the implements of the forest to scare the demons away," he revealed.

The other mori kodomo nodded and murmured amongst themselves. If the tree said it, then it must be what they should do...

Narazumono pushed past Iwa, who had been standing next to Usagi the whole time, and asserted himself. Having your best friends in command had its perks, because after all, then an angry mob would listen to you too! "Listen, everyone!" he cried. "Half of you go to the clearing and taunt the female enough to make her want to leave. After all, she seems to determine what the male will do. If we can drive her away, her mate will follow," he reasoned. The crowd murmured again and nodded in reply. "The other half," he continued, "will find the male and drive him back to the clearing so that we can ambush them both at once."

Usagi smacked the little chipmunk behind the head again. "BAKA! You know for a fact that only Iwa and I have the right to give orders around here!" he spat through clenched teeth.

Narazumono rubbed the back of his head and blinked at the rabbit. "But..." he began.

Usagi interrupted him and addressed the crowd once more. "Don't listen to him, he doesn't know what he's talking about. Your orders are...uhhh...find the male and get him to the clearing so that we can ambush him and his mate!"

The crowd cheered and split up into two groups and began in their separate ways. Narazumono turned back to his friend and glared. "That was basically the same thing I told them to do!" he shouted angrily.

"Yeah," Usagi shrugged. "But it sounded better coming from a competent statesman."

Narazumono burned up inside. He advanced on the rabbit and stood in his face as Iwa just chuckled and looked on. "I SWEAR..." the chipmunk growled, "you treat me like this thirteen or fourteen more times, and we're not friends any more."

He then stuck his nose into the air and began walking after one of the groups. Usagi crossed his arms and laughed under his breath as he headed for the other group. Iwa just shook his head and followed.

************************************************************

Goku dropped another huge tree into the pile. There was no way he could carry this back to her all at once... He'd have to go back in shifts, he decided. He looked up at the sky. The clouds were wispy and thin, illuminated ever so slightly by the pink and orange sky. Stars began to poke out of the dim light and they twinkled shyly, warning the world that nightfall was near.

He wiped his brow and looked around his surroundings. "Hmmm..." he thought aloud. There weren't many thick trees around here, he had pretty much cleaned them all out. He put a finger to his lips thoughtfully and glanced back at his pile. It still wasn't enough.

With that, he took off through the woods again to search for larger trees. Just then, he spotted the perfect one! But little did he know that he was headed straight for the mori kodomo's village.

************************************************************

"Is that her?" grunted a wolf cub as he peeked through the bushes at the oblivious Chichi who was now unpacking the rest of the items from the pack and setting up camp.

"Yeah, that's her," Iwa said with a growl. "If we don't attack her in a group, she'll easily defeat us. We have to stick together, agreed?"

The other kodomo nodded and murmured affirmative responses as Usagi looked on. A smirk slowly started creeping across his lips. Iwa glanced at him and did a double take. "What, Usagi?" he asked.

"It's just a pity..." Usagi noted casually with a sigh. "She's a pretty thing. It's a shame we should have to drive her away so quickly."

The girls of the group threw him a dirty look and then turned back to the brush to concentrate on their enemy.

************************************************************

Chichi stretched her back slowly as she waited for her husband to return. She had already put the items in their respective places and set up a tidy little campsite, but she was having trouble setting up the tent. It was, after all, a two-man job.

Just then, there was a rustle in the leaves nearby. Chichi glanced up in curiosity. Nothing was there...so she turned back to the tent and tried to figure out what she was going to do to set it up before Goku returned. She wanted him to come "home" to a nice bed, not ask him to help her with more manual labor.

Suddenly, the bushes rustled again. Chichi frowned in confusion and began to walk in the direction of the noise to put an end to her wonder. Just then, the mori kodomo "warriors" leapt from hiding and attacked her! Chichi screamed out in terror, flailing her arms and legs about wildly, trying to shake off the little animals that had connected themselves to her with tight death grips.

"GOKUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU-SAAAA!!! TASUKE!!!!!" she screamed.

************************************************************

From about a half mile away, Goku was walking back with the large trees balanced delicately on his back. Suddenly, his amazing hearing pricked up and he heard the angst-filled cry of Chichi. She sounded panicked. Goku began running towards the clearing, determination and fear for his wife's life forcing his feet to pound harder into the dirt.

"CHICHI!!! I'm COMING!" he yelled.

From out of a nearby tree, landed the other half of the mori kodomo's defenses. They looked at each other and took off after Goku at full speed. Well, he was running back to the clearing on his own and they didn't have to do anything. If they weren't driving him back to the clearing so that the other group could ambush him, they would at least make it look like they did something...

************************************************************

"SHUT!!!! UP!!!!" Usagi yelled in Chichi's face once the little forest dwellers had successfully pinned her up against a tree. She was shrieking with all her might and it was giving Usagi quite a headache.

"GOKU SAA, HELP ME!!!" she yelled continually. She just wouldn't let up for anything.

Iwa was also getting quite annoyed by the girl. He batted her across the cheek with his paw. "WILL YOU SHUT THE HELL UP ALREADY??" he yelled.

Chichi stopped screaming and stared at the boy in shock. He let out a relieved sigh once she had finally shut her mouth. "That's a girl..." he grinned.

Chichi began to gulp and choke on her tears. "What do you want?" she asked in a fearful voice, a serious contrast to the powerful screams that she had displayed earlier.

Usagi rolled up his sleeve and crossed his arms. "Well, that's easy. We want you and your mate to leave," he stated matter-of-factly.

Chichi glared at him and clenched her teeth in anger. "These are NOT your woods--! Goku and I have as much right to stay here as you do!" she spat.

Usagi chuckled and cocked an eyebrow. "Goku is his name? Odd...well, then, miss. You and 'Goku' must leave our woods. You don't understand how important it is that you do. Our tree said that you must," he reasoned.

Chichi looked very puzzled. "Your 'tree'?? What the HELL is that supposed to mean??" she shouted.

Suddenly, large crashes were heard nearby. "Hey, Usagi," muttered a little panda kodomo, "what's that?"

Usagi shrugged. "How should I know? Whatever it is, it's prob'ly not important anyway."

Just then, Goku came charging through the clearing, screaming at the top of his lungs. He hurled his lumber into the clearing and hopped over it, landing gracefully on the other side, facing the mori kodomo and his restrained wife.

His eyes were ablaze as he scanned the small group of animal people. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO HER?" he demanded in a domineering voice.

The kodomo who aren't named and don't have any real significance other than to hold Chichi down in this fic trembled and let her go. But Usagi and Iwa remained immovable and stared at him in stony silence. Just then, the second group came running into the clearing, and they latched themselves onto Goku with all of their energy. He grunted and tried to shake them off.

"LET GO!" he cried angrily. He rammed into a tree, knocking several off. The others were pretty easy to bat away. However, the "defeated" had also managed to hook onto Chichi again and they were trying desperately to strangle or bite her.

Narazumono, who had just been watching like a coward the whole time, looked over at Goku's wood pile. His eyes grew large with shock. "USAGI! IWA--!" he cried as he pointed frantically at one of the trees in Goku's collection.

The attacking mori kodomo stopped to look at what Narazumono had spotted...

HOLY SHIT!!!! It was their sacred tree!! Apparently, Goku had ripped it up by the roots and brought it back as lumber to build his house with.

Usagi's eyes filled with rage as he spun on his heel and turned his angry glare towards the young man. His blood was slowly brought to a boil in his veins. "YOU...STOLE IT...!!" he sputtered in disbelief. "I...YOU...YOU STOLE OUR ARTIFACT!!!!!" he screamed as he stormed towards Goku. The perplexed man backed away, confused.

"Wh-what?" Goku asked. He didn't quite understand why the rabbit boy was so upset. He rubbed the back of his head and frowned. "Now, I'm sure if you just talk things over with Chichi and me, we can work things out-" he tried to reason.

Usagi clenched his fists and growled ferociously, the saliva frothing fiercely from between his teeth. "NO, WE CAN'T 'TALK THINGS OUT'!!" he shouted. "YOU TOOK THE TREE FROM OUR VILLAGE! And now you and your mate will REALLY pay..." he threatened as he advanced on him in a more intimidating manner. The other kodomo prepared themselves for a vicious attack as well, and all of them closed in on the bewildered couple.

Several jumped up and attempted to bite Goku's legs and arms. Goku dodged them and kicked them out of the way. Several of the cubs lunged at his head and Goku simply ducked, his tactic causing them to bump into each other in mid-air. More kodomo advanced upon Chichi. She got into a defensive posture and challenged her opponents with her fiery eyes. As they lunged at her, she just as easily disposed of them and knocked them off like flies. Suddenly, Iwa, the fighter of the village, stood forward.

"I've had enough of this..." he announced in an impatient voice.

The other kodomo stopped their attacks and all panted lightly as they watched the young, yet quite built, fox cub step up to the couple. He thrashed his tail behind him and got into a fighting stance, eyes locked onto the humans that he had grown to hate in this short amount of time.

"If you want a fight...then fight me..." he said bravely.

Goku sighed, exasperated. "We don't WANT to fight anyone! I still don't know what you're so upset about! Will you just talk to us...? We can work things out!"

Iwa snorted. "We're upset that you two came into our forest like you owned the place and invaded our territory! You even took the sacred tree...the tree that determines the very course of our life as a village! The wisest prophet of our futures! The one we turn to with all of our problems! How dare you have the nerve to say you 'don't know what we're upset about'..."

Goku and Chichi exchanged mystified stares. Suddenly, the tree behind them began to thump wildly. The kodomo all fell to their knees in respect of the tree's activity as Goku and Chichi jolted around and watched in puzzlement.

A branch on the tree began to vibrate crazily as the thumping grew more intense from inside of the thick bark. The group--newlyweds and mori kodomo alike--watched the spectacle in complete reverence. Just then, the bark shattered around a small area of the trunk and wood chips flew through the air. Everyone gasped. Then, an agitated woodpecker emerged from within and looked at the group angrily. It squawked for several moments, as if cursing at the bunch, then spread its wings and took flight into the darkened sky.

Goku and Chichi turned to the kodomo and looked at them with their jaws hanging open slightly in surprise.

The mori kodomo were all, needless to say, completely shocked. The artifact was a only a lie! Everything that they had believed in...everything that they had ever turned to for guidance! It was all a lie! Just a simple woodpecker stuck inside a tree! As a bunch, the mori kodomo began to blubber and sob, their eyes wetted with horrified tears.

Goku sighed, feeling sorry for the little creatures. Though they really didn't deserve to be pitied after attacking him and his wife, he felt an ache in his heart for the poor people--and he couldn't ignore it. The newlywed couple just watched compassionately and kept their respectful silence. The event was indeed, hard-hitting to the small, isolated town, but the one that felt most betrayed was Usagi.

Surprisingly, the once-proud rabbit boy fell to his hands and knees in despair and stared at the tree, as if it had cast a horrible, painful spell on him. No, it couldn't be true! The tree could NOT be a lie! Something that he had had so much faith in over the course of his years...! It couldn't be true! The bunny shuddered and began to weep uncontrollably into his paws. "No...no...no..." he repeated over and over. "No...NO..."

Goku sucked in a breath and walked over to the small rabbit boy. He kneeled beside him and carefully laid a hand on his back. "I'm sorry..." he muttered.

Usagi was disgusted by the human, but felt too depressed to swat the man's hand away. Instead, he just controlled his sniffs and refused to look into the faces of anyone. To be honest, he was more disgusted with himself than with the large man who was attempting to console him. First, for being stupid enough to believe in something that wasn't true; second, for showing his emotions before an audience. Pretty pathetic shit.

For a few moments, the whole field was silent, broken only by the whimpers and cries of a few of the disheartened kodomo. Narazumono, his own eyes filled with sorrowful tears, stepped forward and spoke the words that the other kodomo wanted to say, but couldn't. "Sir..." he began in a respectful tone, "that tree was our guardian. It kept us safe. It alerted us of danger. It would always begin rapping from within if we had a question for it...or if an intruder had entered the village. The tree was all knowing. How would you feel, sir...? HOW would you feel...if everything you used to trust had just been a falsification all along?"

Chichi heard the chipmunk's words with all her heart. Goku sat silently looking into the eyes of the scared creature before him. He didn't have an answer for him, but Kami, how he wanted to respond... He couldn't possibly admit to these people--these innocent people--that he had never had to experience the pain of realizing what he believed in was wrong. Suddenly, Chichi's dark eyes brightened. "Wait just a minute..." she said quietly as she turned away from the group and walked to the bundle she and Goku had packed, which was now resting against a tree.

The mori kodomo and Goku watched in interest as she shuffled through the bag. She pulled out the fish plaque and walked back to everyone. She held it out to Narazumono and smiled. "Here..." she offered.

Goku's eyes looked pained for a moment as his wife handed that funny fish plaque to the chipmunk boy, but Chichi glanced at him and gave him a small wink. He sat staring at her for a moment, a little angry with her for getting rid of his toy. Then, his eyes brightened when he realized what she was doing. He then knew that he had to make a sacrifice in order to make things better for the devastated people.

Narazumono eyed the thing in wonder and gratefully accepted the gift. Chichi watched him as he turned it over in his paws and tried to figure out what it was. She cleared her throat. "It's a clairvoyant as well..." she stated.

The mori kodomo all looked at her with hope sparkling upon their little faces. "REALLY?" they asked in unison.

Goku rose to his feet and grinned his trademark smile. "Sure!" he added cheerfully. "It's uh...it's a guardian too!"

Chichi nodded. "That's right! If someone ever comes into your village, you'll know! It will alert you! I promise! It will keep your people safe!"

The forest dwellers all began to gather around the new item, murmuring in interest. Chichi was very satisfied with her little lie. She placed her hands on her hips proudly. "It will answer your questions too! All you have to do is wave your hand through the air as you pray to it and it will come to life and answer your question for you!"

Usagi wiped his wet eyes and grinned. "R-really...?" he asked in a small voice. He tilted the plaque upwards and waved his hand in the air, unknowingly tripping the sensor. "O, great prophet...will our harvest be well after the winter has come?"

The fish came to life and bent its face forward at the people. The mori kodomo gasped and watched it in wonderment. "Yeah, sure, whatever," it replied. The fish then resumed its former position on the plaque.

The kodomo all laughed and clapped. Usagi was shocked. "IT ACTUALLY TALKS!! That's a helluva lot better than the tree, when all we had to go off of was a series of knocks!"

Chichi smiled. "I knew you'd love it."

The little animal people looked up at her with complete gratitude showing upon their faces. They were so appreciative to her and her gift to them. As a group, each kodomo took a bow to the young pair. Goku and Chichi smiled.

Suddenly, as quickly as the mori kodomo had appeared, they began to disperse and walk back to their village. They no longer had a problem with the people they shared their forest with. It was an honor to be among such generous souls.

Goku and Chichi watched as the little children padded away through the bushes. Some were still talking excitedly about the plaque. Others were walking home in content silence. Chichi grinned to herself. And now--FINALLY--she and Goku finally alone.

She turned to him. "Well, Goku-saa?" she asked in a tired voice.

Goku turned to her and blinked. "Yes...?"

Chichi smiled a bit at him. "That was a big thing you did, giving up the fish plaque like that," She said in a quiet voice.

Goku rubbed the back of his head and blushed. "Well," he giggled, "it's okay, it will serve them better than it will serve us."

Chichi walked into his arms and gave him a big, loving hug. Goku, still being a little new at this, took a while to hug back. But he did finally, and they shared a tight embrace out on the vacant field underneath the stars.

The sky rumbled and Chichi looked up. "Goku-saa," she whispered. "It looks like it will rain. Let's set up the tent and go to bed, okay?"

Goku smiled at her and nodded. "Hai," he agreed.

They both walked over to where Chichi had left the materials lying on the ground and began to set up their temporary residence. It was only a matter of time before their new home was built in the middle of that very clearing, in the forest of the mori kodomo.