It was another peaceful day at the Son household. Goku worked out in the fields while Chi-Chi cooked and cleaned. After Goten and Gohan became men and moved out, the two settled down; with the exception of Goku's constant training and occasional disappearances.

Years passed by, and with no new enemies to fight, some of the Z-fighters became disinterested in martial arts. Others kept up their training, like Vegeta, who would often visit the Son house to spar with Goku. For the most part, the group grew distant with age but they would have the occasional get together, held by Bulma.

At the Brief residence, Vegeta still trained daily, but he found that his routine was lacking. He still yearned for the challenge that only a fellow Saiyan could provide him. As per usual, The Prince of Saiyans took up his armor and left without a word to Bulma.

Vegeta touched down and approached the Son house. He walked through the front door without even so much as a knock. As he opened the portal he bellowed out for Kakarot, but received no verbal response.

Suddenly, Chi-Chi barreled into the room with a large smile on her aged face. As soon as she noticed her unwelcomed guest her smile fell into a large frown, then a scowl.

"Vegeta. What do you want? Let me guess, you want to whisk my Goku away for yet another weeks long training session? Well, you listen here, buster." She took a deep breath before stalking toward him, frying pan in hand. "You just stay away from my dear Goku! I've had enough of his random vanishing, all right? Enough is enough!"

The Saiyan Prince snorted at the older woman before he crossed his arms over his chest and gave her a harsh glare. "Woman, Kakarot is a Saiyan, he needs to train just as much as he needs to eat. Now, where is he? Fetch him so we can go, and pack us a lunch on your way. Your cooking is better than Bulma's."

Once Vegeta's words registered, she immediately swung her cast iron frying pan at him. It didn't take much effort for the Saiyan to grab the piece of metal, bend it, and chuck it off to the side. Once he did then he approached Chi-Chi slowly, his glare grew to a sneer.

"Bitch-" he was quickly cut off by a slap to the face, which didn't faze him.

The Prince returned the favor. He raised his hand up then brought it down, striking the woman with force so strong that it sent her through a wall. Chi-Chi let out a scream, but it was snuffed out as she was knocked out.

Vegeta took a breath, hesitated, then approached the unconscious woman and stared down at her. When he realized she wasn't going to be getting up anytime soon, he huffed and turned on his heel to leave. He opened the door and exited the house without a backward glance. The door slammed and silence fell over the house.

Goku returned not long after Vegeta departed, his stomach rumbled with hunger. He discovered his beloved wife crumbled in a bloodied heap upon the floor and rushed to her side in bewilderment and concern.

The frail woman barely had a pulse by the time he discovered her, and she fell limp in his arms when he lifted her. His eyes filled with tears as he looked Chi-Chi over, but no amount of his light shakes would rouse her.

"Chi-Chi? Oh my poor Chi-Chi… What happened? Who did this to you?"

After yet another round of attempts to wake her, he realized she needed help. Goku placed one hand to his forehead and instantly transported the two of them to Korin's tower.

The white cat man wasn't expecting the Saiyan to pop in randomly, as they had not seen each other in many years. He nearly fell over, but balanced himself with his staff before wiping his brow with his arm in an exasperated manner.

"Goku! Jeez, you nearly scared me half to death, I'm almost on my last life, don't do that to me!"

"Please, Korin, Chi-Chi is hurt and I don't know what happened. Can you help us?" Goku pleaded.

Once he took in the situation, Korin looked concerned and waddled up to the two of them to further examine Chi-Chi's condition. His brows furrowed as he did so, and he frowned deeply before looking up to Goku with a worried and confused expression.

Korin shifted slightly to get a better look at the wounded woman, who he could tell needed immediate medical attention.

"Please, Korin, tell me you have senzu beans! Chi-Chi needs one badly." Goku pleaded with his old friend, his eyes still filled with tears.

Korin looked up at Goku and gave a heavy sigh before he turned his back. "Goku… I can't give Chi-Chi a senzu bean, I'm sor-"

"Why not? Korin, I don't understand. She's dying and needs-needs a bean, please." Goku choked on his words as fear and thoughts of losing his beloved wife filled his mind and flooded his being.

"There aren't any senzu beans left, I stopped growing them years ago. The ones we have are dried and shriveled, Goku. They wouldn't save her, trust me. I suggest you take her to a hospital, that would be best." The cat man shuffled as he turned to look at Goku once more but by the time he had done so, the Saiyan was long gone.

Once at the hospital, Goku rushed up to the front desk and began to frantically beg for help. Nurses and doctors flooded around them as they began to work on the unconscious woman. Chi-Chi was ripped from the Saiyan's arms and whisked away down a hall; they insisted he could not follow.

When he could no longer see his wife, his heart began to pound in his chest, and then the real worrying began. Goku started to pace in the waiting room, tears still ever present in his eyes as he awaited a definitive answer from the hospital staff.

After hours of waiting, Goku decided to call Bulma and ask if she would care to join him. He could no longer take being alone in such a stressful time. When Bulma insisted on contacting the others for him, he allowed her to do so.

It didn't take long for Bulma to show up, along with Trunks, Bra, Vegeta, Krillin, Android 18, Marron, Pan, Gohan, Videl, Goten, Master Roshi, and Piccolo. Goku was shocked to see almost all of his friends gathered in one place again after all this time; it brought a smile to his face.

"Thank you all for coming, really. I haven't heard anything yet, but once I do, you will all be next in line to-to…" Goku clenched his fists and closed his eyes, to hold back his tears; he just couldn't stop thinking the worst about his beloved wife.

When someone caressed him, his eyes shot open in hopes that it was Chi-Chi touching him in such a soothing manner. Alas, it was Bulma, one of his best friends. Without a second thought, he hugged her close and trembled. Goku felt so weak; this was one battle he couldn't punch his way through, and that confused him.

Bulma petted Goku's hair and let him cry on her shoulder until he calmed down. After a while, the doctor cleared his throat behind them. Without a second thought, Goku pulled away and made direct eye contact with the surgeon.

"Where is she? How is she? Please-please tell me she's okay," Goku pleaded, his heart filled with dread.

"Mr. Son, your wife has suffered a lot of brain damage. We've managed to get the swelling down, but for now we have her in a comatose state to ensure she heals properly. We're just not certain yet what the results of the surgery will be." The doctor wore a frown and his eyes were filled with empathy.

"So, she's still alive? You're telling me she is still alive though, right? There is a chance that she could wake up, she could be perfectly fine?" Goku approached the physician with newfound hope filling his chest.

The surgeon cleared his throat once more, shifted where he stood, and averted his eyes. "Well, the chances of her waking are about 50/50, but the damage is severe. There is just no telling what she will be like; she could have neurological issues for the rest of her life. Her memories may be damaged beyond repair. We just can't tell yet, not until she wakes. I truly wish I could give you more… more hope and information, but this is all I can offer. We did all we could, it's truly a miracle she even made it through the surgery." Once again he felt empathy for the husband and bowed his head before taking his leave.

Goku stood frozen in shock before he reached out and grabbed the doctor's shoulder. "Wait! Can I see her? Please!"

"Of course, but we request only two people in the room at once. You'll have to take turns, I'm sorry." Once the doctor was released, he left the group to discuss amongst themselves.

It didn't take long for Goku to decide he would go in by himself first. He just had to be alone with Chi-Chi for a few moments. "I'm sorry gang, I've got to do this solo. I know Gohan, Goten… I know you want to see your mother, but please just give me these first few moments alone, then you two can go in. She-I…"

"Dad, it's all right. Goten and I understand, right?" Gohan looked at his younger brother, who just nodded in turn.

With a small smile on his face, Goku hugged his boys at once, squeezing them to his frame in an almost painful manner. Both reciprocated and the three stood there for a moment before releasing each other.

"I'll be back, I'll try not to take too long, alright?" Goku gave them a reassuring smile before he departed.

Finally, he entered her room and walked to Chi-Chi's side. Once Goku laid his eyes on his wife, he took her hand and sat down. "Oh Chi-Chi… I'm so sorry, I-I don't know what happened. I swear that I can fix this… Please, don't leave me."

The only thing he could hear was the beeping from the monitors and her light breathing. Chi-Chi didn't stir from her coma, and it pained Goku to the core to know that she might never wake up again. The Saiyan warrior pushed his face into his hands and sobbed in a very uncharacteristic manner.

Meanwhile, in the waiting room, Vegeta began to feel ever so slightly guilty. He sighed and looked at Bulma, who had fallen asleep against his side. Suddenly he stood, and she nearly fell over. She gave him a harsh glare with blurry eyes, then rose and stretched her cramped limbs as well.

"What's going on, Vegeta?"

"I… I have to talk to you about something, but not here. Come with me." Vegeta walked away just as quickly as he had spoken.

Bulma feared what her husband had to tell her; she had already suspected, but for him to admit it was a big deal.

"Bulma … Ah… well, today I went to Kakarot's place to spar with him, but when I got there that … woman … attacked me with her damned frying pan. I grabbed it from her after she tried to hit me with it and … my anger got the best of me." Vegeta didn't look at his wife, because he felt honest shame for losing his precious control and for what he had done.

Bulma slapped him across the face as hard as she could, then shook her hand and winced. "Damn you! I'm not the one you should be telling… Goku - Chi-Chi might not make it through this, because you had to lose your damned temper! I can't believe you could be so stupid, Vegeta."

The Saiyan Prince took the slap without protest, then just looked at his wife as if he was defeated. It was a heart-wrenching expression. Bulma couldn't even stand to look him in the eyes for long though; she was far too angry and she felt guilty for hitting him. She never hit him.

"Chi-Chi will make it. I know she will, Vegeta. She's tough." Bulma suddenly burst into tears, and the Saiyan looked almost hurt at the sight.

Vegeta wrapped his arms around her in a gentle manner and pulled her close. "I'm… sorry."

"I know you are, Vegeta, but it still happened. Goku needs to know, even though he's going to be furious with you. We have to tell him when he comes back out. I know you don't want to, but it's the right thing to do."

The Prince shook his head and wiped a tear from Bulma's face before he pulled away. "Tch. Fine. Don't worry about Kakarot. He'll be upset at first, maybe even want to knock me around, but he won't. He's more concerned with his wife than anything else right now."

Suddenly, Vegeta walked away from Bulma; he headed for the waiting room where Goku waited with his two boys and the others. The Prince cleared his throat to get Goku's attention, then motioned to the other Saiyan to follow him. Gohan and Goten looked at their father with confused expressions, but decided not to ask any questions just yet.

After Goku told his sons to visit with their mother, he followed Vegeta back into a desolate hallway. "What's going on, Vegeta?"

"Kakarot … uh, Goku … " The Saiyan Prince cleared his throat and paused for a while. "Look, it's my fault that Chi-Chi is in here."

"What do you mean, Vegeta?" Goku placed one hand behind his head, concern written across his features.

"Well, when I went over to your place earlier, Chi-Chi was bitching about you going out again. She came at me. I didn't think, I just reacted, and -"

Without any warning, Goku lunged at Vegeta, a fierce expression on his face as he screamed. "Damn you, Vegeta! I'll kill you for this!"

The suddenness of the attack caught Vegeta off guard. He didn't expect the normally good-natured Kakarot to assault him, and the force of the impact sent both men through the wall and out into the lobby. Vegeta landed on his back and Goku began to pummel him with all his strength, to the astonishment of the waiting Z-fighters. Bulma came around the corner and screamed out for them to stop. She tried to pull them apart, but to no avail.

"Goku no! Let him go, now. Please Goku, don't do this!" Tears streamed down her cheeks as she begged him over and over to stop.

Just as quickly as the fight began, Goku ended it. Vegeta was left coughing, and spluttering. "D-damn it Kakarot… she attacked me first, I didn't mean to hit her so hard!"

The usually friendly Goku was bright red, and his ki flared around him like a flame. Right then, he truly wanted to kill his friend, but he knew it would be wrong to do so. "If she dies, you die!" He turned to leave, but Bulma blocked his path.

"Goku, please! You have to understand that Chi-Chi instigated this." Her eyes were filled with tears as she tried to calm him.

"Get out of my way, Bulma! You knew about this and didn't tell me, as far as I'm concerned you're just as bad as he is!" Goku glared down at her with blazing fury written across his features.

"N-no, I didn't… Goku." Bulma pulled back in astonishment that he would accuse her of such a thing. "How could you think that of me?"

Goku didn't know what to think, so he simply walked away from the people that had betrayed him. His heart was already breaking, but now he felt empty and lost, too.

Before he got very far, Chi-Chi's doctor came out and approached him with a slight smile. "Son Goku, I have some good news. we're seeing brain activity. Now, we still don't want to wake her up for a little while yet, but in a week or so, we'll reevaluate her. We have high hopes for her, she sure is a fighter!"

Goku's mood lifted with this news and he smiled as he stared down at the surgeon. "Thank you… Without you, she would be dead."