Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Ball or any of its characters. This is all for fun.

Part I. Chichi

"He's not coming back..."

I look at Gohan, my eleven year old son who just came from fighting Cell, the monster who terrorized the Earth. He was still in that violet fighting outfit similar to the one that his Namekian best friend Piccolo wore, only Gohan's was tattered and almost half of his body was exposed. Just by looking at my son, I knew that Cell, or whoever this monster was, gave him a hard time.

The battle had come to an end at last and I could finally be at peace, well at least those were my thoughts before my son came home and told me the bad news. In fact, I was thinking of making him and my husband Goku a thanksgiving feast as soon as they return. We will have a small gathering tonight and I will invite everyone else to celebrate Gohan's victory against that vicious monster. I have already planned it, but everything seemed to shut off for me when Gohan came back alone and told me about his father's decision.

He's not coming back.

Goku, my husband, is not coming back.

Goku, the father of my child, the love of my life who promised me that he would find a decent job after the tournament to support us, is not coming back.

So many questions in my mind, yet I couldn't speak. How could I? It hurts too much. Too much that it almost suffocates me. It's almost killing me.

The entire universe was saved. The Earth was saved. The people are saved. My son was saved. I was saved.

But my husband was not.

Sure, he always left the house to either go training or fighting villains who threatened the Earth, and we seldom spent some time together, especially when the mysterious boy who happened to be Bulma's future son came to warn them about these villains they call androids, but at least I know that Goku is alive. He is off somewhere, training or fighting, but he is alive, and I know that he's coming back. I just don't know when exactly, but I knew he'd be back.

This time, however, it's different.

Yeah, he's off to some place, probably training and fighting like always, but he's dead.

And he is not coming back.

Tears come to my eyes as the harsh reality hit me.

My husband is dead, and he's not coming back. I will never see him again as long as I'm still alive. I will never get to hug him, kiss him, hold him, and he will never be there to warm me up during those cold nights anymore.

Gohan explained that Goku had his reason why he decided not to come back. According to my son, Goku thought that the Earth would be safe without him, because it was always him who was the target of the villains who dared to terrorize the Earth. So Goku came up with the realization that if he's not around, then the Earth is safe from these villains and monsters.

Such a noble thought.

But what about me? What about us?

Other people are rejoicing with their families as of this moment because Cell was already defeated. By my husband and my son. It was my husband and my son who put an end to Cell's reign of terror.

So above all, we should really be the ones celebrating right?

But how can we celebrate if Goku isn't here anymore? My husband died. He died so many people could be saved and they could rejoice and live a happy life with their families and loved ones.

How can we celebrate? Is there a reason to celebrate when the victory of overcoming a threat to your lives comes at a very high cost?

My husband had left me for good this time, and I didn't even get to say goodbye. I can't even hold a funeral for him, because I don't have a body or remains to mourn with.

My husband is dead, and we will never be together as long as I'm alive.

No matter what people say, or what explanations they come up with, nothing can erase the pain I'm feeling right now.

The pain of losing the one you love the most.

I couldn't even speak. All I could do is cry and cry while my son tried to comfort me. That's probably the only thing I could do now. Cry and hope that these tears that I shed wash away all the pain that I'm feeling.

But of course, it doesn't work that way.

For that pain will be forever etched in my heart for as long as I live.