I Married a Great Man (If not a Good One)
"Okay, he's asleep." Goku whispered.
"How do you know?" Chi Chi inquired
"His energy is low and it has a very peaceful element to it. People only have an energy signature like that when they're sleeping."
Chi Chi grabbed a blanket as she and Goku headed outside. They rested on the blanket and started to stargaze, a shared passion of the two. They hadn't had much chance to do it recently, but they used to all the time when they were first married and before Raditz came to the planet.
It was a warm enough night where Chi Chi wouldn't be uncomfortable...Saiyans were a little more immune to extreme temperatures as the two learned early in their marriage.
"I'm so glad we live here so we can see everything. If we lived closer to West City, there's no way we'd have this great view of the cosmos." Chi Chi stated somewhat absent mindedly.
Goku didn't respond. He was too busy searching for something to hear Chi Chi.
"Are you looking for something Goku?"
"Yea, I'm trying to see if light from the old Namek is still visible."
"What do you mean 'old' Namek?"
"The Namekians now live peacefully on their new planet that they wished for with their dragonballs while they stayed here on Earth. But the original Namek was blown to bits by Frieza. I know we haven't talked about that too much, but it's why everyone was asking me how I escaped."
Chi Chi had a vague idea of what happened. She knew Goku defeated a galactic overlord freeing the Namekians and many others in the galaxy. However, she never really asked him about the details. She often avoided those conversations with him because she decided she would be the one person he could speak with while not having to relive his frightening details from battle.
What Chi Chi didn't remember is that Goku could read minds like Piccolo.
"It's okay Chi. If you want to ask about it, go ahead. I'm a lot more at ease talking to you about it than everyone else. As ridiculous as it might sound, I feel safer when I'm near you. Even though my opponents obviously eclipse you in strength, you've always been somewhat of a pillar for me to lean on. You make me stronger."
Chi Chi was surprised that one, Goku read her mind, and two that he was speaking so eloquently. He didn't sound like a man who was raised in the woods and had no formal education besides what Launch taught him while he trained under Master Roshi. Perhaps his inter-galactic travels had made him a little more sophisticated. Or maybe he was just maturing as a man. They did get married very young after all.
"Goku, I guess I don't want to make you give me a blow by blow. I know that would be very hard for you, though I know you would do it if I asked."
"Well, I won't argue with you then."
"I assume you felt some fear at various points?"
"Yes, when I first arrived on Namek, Gohan was almost dead. Had I shown up minutes later he would have been. Then when I was recovering after a complicated scuffle with Frieza's second in command, I could sense the level of danger he and Krillin were in. I even felt scared for Vegeta when I realized he was on his deathbed. I suppose the biggest shocker was when Vegeta started crying right before he died. He talked about how Frieza had ruled him his entire life, and how I was the only one with the ability to stop him from hurting others. When I first met Vegeta, I thought he was the most ruthless being in the universe. But Frieza completely put him to shame."
Chi Chi hugged Goku a little tighter. The thought of him having to face someone who made Vegeta seem like a puppy scared her now, even though this was in the past.
"Frieza was obviously very powerful. Eventually, he had me on the ropes. After he almost drowned me, I thought of everyone I care about, especially you and Gohan. That gave me enough juice to launch a twenty times Kaioken attack on Frieza; but even that had a negligible effect on him. That was really when I was most afraid. I thought I was done for. And at that point there was no one left in the universe who could've stood in Frieza's way. As much as it's probably not right to say this, Frieza killing Krillin right in front of me was probably the best thing that could have happened. That's what drove my rage to a level that allowed me to become a Super Saiyan. Once that happened, I knew I had Frieza beat."
"But then he tried blowing up the planet, right?"
"Right. Once he knew he couldn't defeat me, he went for the nuclear option. Even then, I was still confident that I could beat him and escape in time. Unfortunately, I was a little over confident. That's why I cut it so close escaping. There was a point in trying to get off the planet where I thought I was out of options. I had pretty much given up. Seeing one of the Ginyu Forces' ships reawakened my will to keep going."
"Oh Goku. You must have been so scared." Chi Chi posited with a clearly sympathetic tone while now in a full body embrace with Goku.
"Yea, I was." Goku had never admitted this to anyone else, including Gohan.
"But thinking of you gave me the strength to keep moving. I couldn't have made it through that entire fiasco without thinking that I might not see you again if I didn't."
Chi Chi rubbed her cheek against Goku's chest. She didn't have any more words. Of everything that happened since they were kids, it was this talk that made her fully understand why she was so in love with him in the first place. Her Goku was truly a great man. She married a great man, who used his unique abilities to right injustices in their world and those beyond. No wonder her father was so enthusiastic about her tying the knot with him. He may not yet be a good man who gets a job and makes some money for his family, or is able to act normally in public. But there was no questioning he was a great man. And from what she observed of him tonight, perhaps it was only a matter of time before he was also a good man.
"Hey Chi. Why don't we check out the stars. That was our original goal anyway."
"Of course, Goku." Chi Chi agreed with a tear filled voice.