Disclaimer: Dragon Ball belongs to Akira Toriyama only. ¡Alaben al maestro!
Tenderness
» In our loved-one's eyes lay all the answers «
"Hey, Chi-Chi."
Without stopping to condiment the beef she was preparing with one hand, and neither stopping the circular movements the other one performed while mixing the vegetables in the soup, Chi-Chi turned her face― over her shoulder, she glanced at her husband, sitting at the kitchen table and obediently waiting for lunch.
The decades of shared life (and even the ones that they had spent separate by death), made it easy for her to notice the frowned, thoughtful expression in the usually cheerful features of the warrior's face, and she felt worried right away. Goku cupped his chin in one palm.
"What is it, Goku?"
"I was just thinking…" Goku wasn't looking at her, but the floor at his feet. "Gohan and Videl got married and they have Pan now, right? Just like us, but with him and Goten instead." The woman nodded, feeling curious about the words. "And also Bulma and Vegeta have been living together for a long while now even when they're not, since Trunks was a newborn, and now they have Bra too."
"Yeah, that's true… Why are you mentioning it now, Goku?"
"I was just asking myself… Why did you and I marry if it's not a necessary thing to do if you want to have kids and a home? I mean: when we were kids, you told me that we should get marry, and in that sense both Videl and Gohan are different."
"Why were you so anxious about getting married with me back then, Chi-Chi?" He asks then.
Chi-Chi can feel the way her heart stops, shrinks and then how it is brutally tear off from her chest― everything happening altogether and at the same time. She sees herself in the need of increase her grip in both spoons so they don't fall to the floor with a devastated clank.
Staring into the black and pure, childlike and forever-sweet eyes of her husband she knows that he hasn't asked this with a bad intention, much less pretending to hurt her, but the nature of the question it's just way too much… hurtful.
It feels plainly hurtful when it comes from no one else but him.
It is because it almost sounds like he regrets...
"Well…" Telling herself that she has to reflect serenity, Chi-Chi turns around completely, facing Goku while she dries her hands in the white apron she's wearing, even though they are not wet. "It is true that is not necessary… not completely at less, for you to marry so you can have a family and a home. You're right about that, my love." She smiles at him while saying this― her smile grows fond then, feeling touched and as in love as she felt during that first date they shared by the sparkling lake, when Goku nods like a little boy to let her know that he's paying attention. "But I was taught that, when you wish to spend the rest of your life with someone, you just have to marry with them."
"Oh…"
The question comes out of her like a gust of wind: natural and leaving only cold behind it.
"Do you regret, Goku? Of having married with me?"
Mount Paozu it's an authentic paradise on Earth, filled of everlasting symphonies produced by wild animals and streams that every-passing minute, reminds them that they are surrounded by the most intact type of nature, instead of the noise of the nearest City― the entirety of the Son's home falls into a gloomy and grayish silence under the heaviness of that question.
A silence that breaks itself, lighting in a million colors, in front of the warmness of Son Goku's smile.
"Of course not, being married with you is almost as fun as fighting! And you're even better than Frieza or Hit, Chi-Chi, because you always give me deliciously-made food."
He sounds so carefree, that she doesn't have any doubts at all― her eyes fill with warm tears as she looks at him, and Goku only stares back, as if he knew. They were made for each other in the core of their shared peculiarity.
And she feels so happy with this life. And she loves him so dearly much.
She lets herself be, blindly guided by the affection that is born in the center of her heart, of her soul, of each in every single thing in her that belonged only to that man called Son Goku: she bends over him, and caressing his face, she plants a kiss in his cheek with a devout tenderness. The little laugh that blooms from him, so merely charming that manages to fill her even more with love, it's the definitive proof of that truth― following Goku to that Tournament was the best decision that she ever made.
"Thank you, honey."
(***)
Author's note: Hello! This is a translation from an Spanish work of mine called Amor, one that I wrote as a gift for a very dear, very GOOD author friend that also writes stuffs for the Dragon Ball fandom, from the Latin-side of this site as well (and she's actually better than me at this, just so you know. ... Don't tell her I told you that, though). There's not so much to say about this piece; it's a very simple thing, that, on the other hand I enjoyed writing a lot. I can't do more than hope it resulted in a pleasant reading experience for all of you too. :'') Heh, because really: write such a lovely and happy scene for Son and Chi-Chi it's almost a comfort for the soul, I must say.
THANK YOU SO MUCH for your time, and please have a good day!