A/N: Yay! I finally completed a one-shot! I don't know why, but I just really wanted to get this one finished, so it only took me a few days to complete. As you might've guessed from the title, this is based off of 'Let Her Go' by Passenger, an old favourite song of mine. This probably isn't my best piece of work, by the way, and I apologise for any mistakes I might've made. I would also appreciate it if you left a review, but you don't have to. That's all, I hope you enjoy!
Sun. Clear sky. Green leaves and grass. Birds singing. Crystal clear water.
She would've loved it.
Goku sat, by himself, on the ground in front of a lake. He remembered discovering it when he was younger; he wished he could rewind time to that day, so he could show her. He'd never showed her the lake before, now it was too late. No going back now. Goku stared at his reflection in the water. She would've loved it here.
Looking back, there were a lot of things he'd wished he'd done with her before she'd left, before she'd... Goku gulped - he didn't like thinking about it too much, it just made his chest ache. Made his eyes sting. He supposed it was what he deserved, he put her through so much, now it was his turn to hurt. To feel his heart breaking over and over again. To wish he could go back and tell her he loved her, just one more time. He felt guilty, knowing he had made her feel like that on more than one occasion; now he couldn't even apologise for it.
Why?
That was the one question that kept running through his mind ever since the day he lost his beloved. Why did she have to go? Why hadn't he spent more time with her? Why had he wasted all of his time training instead of being by her side? Why did she still love him, after everything he'd done? Why hadn't he told her he loved her more often? Goku wanted to bring her back, he wanted to go somewhere with her. Bring her to the lake. Watch the sun set with her one last time. But now it was too late. Too late...
Why!? Why hadn't he had the sense to see her one last time before she'd... Before she'd died!? Goku felt a lump form in his throat and sadness and guilt weigh down his heart. He'd left her alone for so long... He wasn't even by his mate's side when she passed away; what kind of husband was he? She was probably up in Other World right now, hating him and everything he did or had ever done.
Goku almost found it funny how it'd taken her death to make him realise his errors - to make him realise he'd missed her, that he still missed her. To make him realise just how must he loved her, and how much she'd meant to him. He wished he had realised all of those things sooner, then maybe he wouldn't have the feeling of regret following him everywhere he went like his own shadow."Chi-Chi..."He whispered her name to the sky, his voice thick with grief, almost as if he was calling out for her. But she couldn't answer, she couldn't even hear him.
It felt like only yesterday they had first gotten married, when in reality it was decades ago. They had been young (only 18) and naïve, learning over the years how to love each other. Where had all the time gone? The days seemed to pass so slowly in the beginning, then the years went by in a blur; he supposed time passed quickly when training for a life or death battle, and in Other World you never really noticed as the hours ticked by. He'd never thought about how slow time must've gone for Chi-Chi, all that waiting. All that waiting for him. All the waiting for him and he never even showed up, in the end.
Damnit! Damnit all! Goku gripped the grass beneath him tightly as his fists clenched, anger at the world and at himself burning and boiling within his stomach. Why couldn't he just be with her!? Not even the Dragon Balls could bring her back now, for she had died of natural causes. He could always join her, up in Other World, it wouldn't be hard... But he needed to be there for his sons, for his granddaughter. It's what his wife would've wanted.
Looking at the sun make it's way down and the moon become more visible, Goku supposed he should head back home, maybe find something to eat on the way there, build and fire and cook whatever he'd caught. It would never be as good as her cooking had been, but it was food. He'd tried cooking a few times before and it'd never ended well for him or their kitchen. Goku couldn't help but chuckle at the memory of his wife's horrified face when walking in to see how the cooking was going; he was then banned from cooking in the kitchen ever again.
Goku let out a small sigh, standing up slowly and gazing at the lake one last time before turning around and making his way back home. Back to his empty home. His cold, empty home. No children, no grandchildren, no friends, no wife. He was alone. Only recently had he realised how terrible it felt to be be alone. He still had his sons, but they were adults now, they had their own lives to be living, kids to be raising - the only thing he had had left was Chi-Chi, but eventually she left him, too.
Goku, almost hesitantly, opened the front door to his house. He stood quietly in the door way for a long amount of time, his eyes taking everything in. So many memories had been made here. He stepped inside and closed the door, making his way towards the kitchen. If he stared for long enough, he could almost visualise his wife standing at the counter, making dinner while his sons waited impatiently at the table for food. He missed those days, he really did.
He then sat down at the table.
By himself.