GoChi Week, Day 1 - Fairytales

A/N: Based on the movie Stardust. Kind of. Idk. Also posted on ao3 and tumblr, my username for both is the same as it is here.

Stardust

Chi-Chi's mission was simple. Go and find the fallen star, bring it back to her kingdom, and deliver it to Gero. In return, he would release her father and remove his army from her kingdom. Simple and straight to the point.

Unfortunately, simple was not synonymous with easy. For one, she had only a month to complete the task, which was problematic since it took her half that time to reach where the star had crashed. Another issue was the fact that Chi-Chi highly doubted Gero would keep his word, as few kingdoms have ever survived once his army's invaded. If it weren't for the fact that she had barely survived her fight with his top assassins, twins who referred to themselves as numbers, of all things, she would've outright refused to do anything for him. As it was, she had little choice. At least by going out and fetching the star she gave her kingdom a chance with some much needed time.

The largest issue with her mission, however, was the star itself. Chi-Chi had been unsure what to expect when she finally reached the crater – a burnt chunk of rock, like any other meteor? Perhaps a large crystal? Or would it still be a ball of light, burning brightly even while on the ground? Whatever it was, it had to be something pretty valuable for Gero to desire it so much.

What she discovered was an empty crater. No diamond, no light, not even a bit of rock. In an instant, her heart sank with her to the ground and she cried over the charred landscape. She failed, though it was through no fault of her own, and any hope she had of saving her father and kingdom was lost.

But then a strange man dropped out from the trees behind her and rudely proclaimed, "Could you keep it down? I'm trying to sleep!"

Chi-Chi's sadness was quickly replaced with anger. How dare he interrupt her during her time of mourning! When she quite loudly reprimanded him for his insensitivity, he at least had the courtesy to look abashed. "Who in their right mind sleeps in the middle of the day, anyway?"

Irritation flashed in his eyes, and if Chi-Chi didn't know better, she could've sworn she saw those dark irises turn green. "Well, I do! My kind sort of thrive in the dark," he explained before his expression melted into that of concern. "Why are you in mourning?"

He seemed so…sincere. It was strange, how he had been so rude one instant and then so caring the next. Seeing no harm in it, she explained her woes. "If I cannot return in two weeks, my father will be killed and my kingdom will burn. I have to bring back the star, I have to save my people."

The man's face instantly steeled, his brow furrowed, his jaw clenched tight, his whole being just exuding determination. "Ok. I'll go with you."

Chi-Chi took a step back, reeling at his words. What on earth was this man thinking? What could he possibly do to help her take back her home and not hinder her? "Why?"

And with his answer, her mission became all the more complicated.

"Because I'm the star!"

Chi-Chi, of course, didn't believe him at first. Her mocking laughter was however cut short when the man began to glow, a golden aura flaring around him. The ground beneath them began to tremble as electricity sparked off his body, which made her take so many steps back she almost fell into the crater. Even his hair started to change, the black melting away to reveal a brilliant gold.

Needless to say, she had little trouble believing his claim after his display.

And so there they were only a few hours later, trekking back towards Fire Mountain. Chi-Chi had yet to speak a word to the man, the star, outside of thanking him right before they began walking back the way she came. She knew that she was now the rude one, almost completely ignoring him outside of the occasional glance to ensure he was still following her. She couldn't help it, though, for she was completely unnerved by him. While she was no stranger to the supernatural (her father was the child of a demon and a human, after all; the supernatural was in her very blood), never before had she encountered anything as powerful as him.

For he was undoubtedly powerful. No one could survive a fall like he had if they were weak. And his transformation earlier had shaken her to her bones, his aura almost overwhelming her. The demon blood within her was practically boiled by his light, something she had rarely ever experienced and certainly not at that magnitude. Was that why Gero wanted him? He had to have known the star's true form. Was he going to make the star do his bidding, or would he drain his power away?

The very thought made her feel ill. This star was sentient; he could very clearly feel the same way she and everyone else could. Passing him off just to have his freedom stripped away… It may have been her kingdom's only hope, but still the guilt gnawed at her.

"Uhm, Miss?" Chi-Chi stopped and spun around, surprised to hear his voice. When she had made no effort for conversation, he had seemed content to simply follow along in silence. He gave her a somewhat sheepish smile once he had her attention. "I know you're in a hurry to get back home, but do you think we can stop and set up camp for the night?"

She let out a huff of air through her nose, crossed her arms, and began to chew on her bottom lip as she mulled over his request. It wasn't unreasonable, as it was late in the evening and the sun would be setting soon. When she had been traveling on her own she would continue walking well into the night, but the star…

My kind sort of thrive in the dark.

He must've been exhausted. And considering the fact that they were going to just hand him over to Gero and his army, it was only fair to comply with his request.

"Ok," she answered with a sigh. "We'll stop for the night."

It didn't take them long to settle down, as all that really needed to be done was build a fire and grab something to eat. Chi-Chi could've easily done both on her own, as she had done for the last two weeks, but the star had insisted on hunting something for the two of them. He walked off and shortly returned with the corpse of a large boar, his whole frame practically glowing (or was he actually glowing? It was so subtle that it was hard for her to tell). She helped him prepare and cook the meat, and once they started eating it was all gone almost instantly.

Chi-Chi only grabbed a small portion of the meat, and it was enough food to tide her over for the night. The star had devoured the rest with such amazing speed and voracity that she almost didn't finish what she had, disgusted as she was by the display. Once he had finished, he sat back with a content sigh and there was no denying the faint glow that surrounded him – he seemed to take on a golden tint, and the air buzzed around him enough that she could almost feel strands of her hair beginning to rise up.

"That was really good, uh," he glanced towards her, his smile faltering slightly. He then shrugged and moved to lie down in front of the fire. "You sure you got enough?"

"I've plenty, thank you," was her response as she continued to eye him, still disturbed by his eating habits. She had almost figured that, since he was something as mighty as a star, he would eat with the grace and elegance of a royal or some other high class. It seemed he was full of surprises. "And….thank you."

"You said that twice."

She rolled her eyes. "Yes, but the second one isn't for the compliment." He lifted his head to look at her, his head tilted to the side as one eyebrow popped up with curiosity. He almost looked like a puppy, which only served to amaze her more. "I mean, thank you for returning home with me. For helping me."

The star gave her a small, soft smile that seemed to warm her to her very core. "It's no problem, really! You need help, and it'd be pretty bad of me to not lend a hand."

"Still. Thank you."

They sat in a comfortable silence for a few moments while Chi-Chi finished her dinner. Once she had, the star sat up and turned to face her.

"Do you have a name?" he asked so seriously that she almost laughed; because of course she had a name! Everyone does. Her expression must've conveyed her thoughts, for he sighed and shook his head before rephrasing his question. "What should I call you?"

She smiled slightly, although deep down she felt a twinge of shame that she had forgotten her basic manners and never introduced herself. "Chi-Chi. And you?"

The star grinned at her, heat radiating off his form in that golden glow yet again. Her demon blood once more shrieked and begged to get away, but she found that she couldn't take her eyes off him.

"My name's Goku!"