Trials of the Heart: Reloaded
By: GirlDBZFan
Author's Note: I started this story years ago under a different author name and never finished it, lol. I feel so bad about that so I've decided to polish it up to improve the story and reload it. And yes, it is finished! Chapters will be posted frequently.
Summary: Goku, no longer able to stand the bickering and complaining from Chichi, distances himself from her and unexpectedly finds solace in the arms of someone else. Now he is caught between this woman who showers him with adoration and passion and honoring the commitment to his marriage with a wife who seems impossible to please. Chichi also has a lot of soul searching to do and Goku has some tough decisions to make.
Chapter One: Sticks and Stones….
It was a warm summer morning as the cool breeze carried the sweet tunes of birds chirping their cheerful melody. The cloudless sky was painted a brilliant blue as the sun's warm rays stretched down to touch the earth's dewy hillside where the Son home rested. The beauty of the morning gave the deceitful impression that all was right with the world when in fact it was not. At least not to those who knew of the an droids impending appearance. None the less, they had to press on and find some sort of joy in the peaceful times they had left. Who knows what the future held three years from now.
Chichi was in the kitchen slaving over a hot stove; preparing a feast of a breakfast for her two sleeping Saiyans. Sizzling sausages and crispy strips of bacon were accompanied by fluffy pancakes and hot cheesy omelets. As she began to fill the glasses with orange juice, she called her family to the table.
"Goku! Gohan! Breakfast!" Her call was met with silence. She filled the final glass and sat it down. Wiping her hands on her apron she made her way to the bottom of the stairs and made her announcement again.
"Come on you guys! Breakfast is ready!" This time she managed to hear a slight muffled noise and then silence yet again. Frustrated beyond the short patience she had, she stormed up the stairs in a huff.
"Honestly, all the trouble I go through cooking enough food to feed an army just to feed those two and they don't even have the courtesy to come when I call them", she complained to herself. Storming into the first door she came across, which was her son's room. She made her way to the foot of the bed and yanked the covers off his sleeping form while yelling "Get up now young man!"
Poor Gohan jumped up, almost leaping out of his bed. "Gahh! Mom what's wrong?! What's happening?!", he screamed. Still disoriented from being ripped out of his sleep.
"Your breakfast that I slaved over since before sun up is getting cold, that's what's wrong!", she bellowed.
"Sorry mom. I didn't hear you I was so tired. Me and dad got back really late last night from training and we were exhausted," he replied nervously. He knew his mother didn't approve of him training, so he was reluctant to confess why he was sleeping in.
"Yes, I noticed the late hour you two tip toed back in," she said with venom. Remembering the feel of the bed shifting as Goku carefully climbed in next to her, thinking she was asleep. And the heavy sigh he gave realizing she was not, as she read him the riot act without even turning over to look at him.
"Training! Training! Training! Everything is always about training! Did you even get that math assignment done in between your training?!" She spat the word out bitterly.
"Umm…no", he said in a small voice. His eyes were cast down as he rubbed the back of his neck. Suddenly taking interest in his crumpled blanket that now lay on the wooden floor.
"What do you mean No?! You know the deal Gohan. I only agreed to let you train if you continued your studies along with it!"
"I know mom and I promise Ill do it today like dad said I could…," he quickly slapped his hand over his mouth. He didn't mean to let part slip out. His mom and dad fought often about how much he should study, and he didn't want to cause another argument between them.
"So, your father let you skip out on finishing your school work, huh?" she sated more than she asked.
"That's right he did," Goku said, leaning against the doorway of his son's bedroom. He had been standing there since Chichi ripped the covers off Gohan, but she had been to furious to notice him.
"We had a deal Goku. We talked about this last night, remember?" she said.
"Yes sweetheart, I remember," he said in a slightly irritated tone as he shut his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. He wanted to forget last night's 'talk'. "And as I stated last night," emphasizing the words to show his distain. This did not go unnoticed by Chichi. "I was teaching Gohan a new technique and we lost track of time and…."
"No!" she yelled. Cutting him off mid-sentence. Goku pressed his lips together into a grim line and took a deep breath to calm his rising temper. Whether she noticed or just didn't care, Chichi continued with her rant. "Gohan is supposed to study ALONG with training. Not just once in a blue moon when ever you feel like letting him!" she screamed.
"That's not my intention Chichi and you know it!" he exclaimed, beginning to lose his own temper now. "I agree that Gohan should study but his training is more important right now! We must prepare for the androids or there will be no point in Gohan studying ever again because the world will be destroyed! Gone! Why can't you see that Chichi?! Its common sense!" Goku yelled, frustrated with his wife over her obsession with their son studying nonstop.
Chichi was somewhat taken aback by his outburst. Sure, they have their fair share of arguments but he never spoke so harshly towards her. Tears began to form in her eyes as she stared at Goku in anger and disbelief. Even Gohan raised his eyebrows in shock. His dad usually let his mom go on her tirade passively. Almost afraid to challenge her in fear of her becoming more angry but lately he had been quick to retort whenever she had something to gripe about. There was something different about how his parents were interacting lately and it left him feeling uneasy.
Gohan nervously looked back and forth between his parents. A twinge of guilt ran through him. He hated when his parents fought, especially about him. It made him feel like it was his fault they were angry at each other so he often tried to be the peacemaker; attempting to make things right between them again.
"Mom, I'm sorry. It won't happen again. I promise," he tried to reassure her but his promise fell on deaf ears as his mother closed her eyes and took a deep breath; angrily wiping away the tears as she attempted to hide her hurt feelings after her husband's verbal lashing. Goku sighed, seeing the look on his wife's face.
"Look…I'm sorry I yelled like that Chichi. It's just that I need you to understand how important it is for me and Gohan to train right now," he said as he approached her. He placed his forefinger under her chin and gently lifted her face so that she would look at him. "I'm only trying to protect our future together. Can't you understand that?," he asked softly while wrapping his free arm around her waist, drawing her into him.
She let out a sigh, not wanting to argue anymore. "I guess."
"Good," he said enthusiastically. Easily flipping back to his normal 'happy-go-luck' self. He planted a kiss on her forehead. "Mmmm…breakfast sure smells good! I'm starving!," he exclaimed. Happy to finally put the issue to rest, his nose was now able to detect the scrumptious cuisine waiting to be devoured a mere few feet away from him.
"Yeah, me too!," Gohan exclaimed. Thankful the tension in the air had been lifted.
"Well, what are we waiting for?!," Goku said as he stepped over to his son and playfully put an arm around his neck and ruffled his hair. Gohan laughed gleefully as he attempted to escape his father's iron grip. Chichi, despite still being somewhat pissed off, smiled as she watched the interaction between them.
"Ok you two, enough. Get downstairs before the food is like ice and all my hard work is ruined," she gently chastised while pushing them towards the door. Not needing to be told twice, the two Saiyans ran down the stairs and had already fixed their plates by the time she entered the kitchen.
She sat down across from Goku and put food on her plate as her son excitedly chattered to his father about what techniques he wanted to master today as they inhaled copious amounts of food. There were somethings Chichi had been wanting to discuss with Goku lately but been unable to, given their hectic training schedule, so now seemed like the perfect time.
"Goku, I spoke to my father yesterday," she began as she took a sip of her juice.
Goku looked at her and stopped mid chew. Already knowing what she was going to say, he sighed heavily as he put his fork down and grabbed for his glass. Swallowing his food he replied, "Oh yeah?", and waited for the words he didn't want to hear as he took a long swig of his drink.
"Yes, and Daddy says the Guard position in his kingdom is still available. You can start anytime," she said In a manner that left no room for argument but Goku managed to make room.
"Chichi we talked about this. I don't want to work for your father. Don't get me wrong, I love your dad but I can take care of my family without his help."
Chichi practically choked on the eggs in her mouth. "Really? Are you serious?!," she asked in disbelief.
"What's that suppose to mean?," Goku asked indignantly. "I take care of this family just fine. We have a roof over our head, food on the table and clothes on our backs. We don't want for anything," he said as he picked up his fork again.
Chichi stared at him with a look of unbelief. "How can you say that? The prize money you win from tournaments barely keeps us afloat! Not to mention it was Daddy's money that paid for this house when we first got married and his monthly allowance fills in the gaps your prize money leaves us with every month!"
"And I paid him back every dime for the house loan! Not to mention the jobs I do for him for that allowance! Besides, tournament money has sustained us quite well. It's suited you well all this time."
"Well, it's lousy now!," she exclaimed. "In the first years of our marriage, we were just getting our feet under us and we had no kids, so the tournament money was fine but it's 12 years and one child later Goku! We're barely getting by with 3 mouths to feed. Two of which are Saiyans! Besides, we should be progressing forward not staying still! How else can we afford to have another…," she let her words die off. Not wanting to bring that up while tensions were high between them. "Look, the pay is good and the hours are reasonable. I don't see why you wont even consider it!"
"Have another what?," Goku asked. "What else could we possible need?" Suddenly Goku slapped his hand to his face. "Please don't tell me you've been talking to Bulma again," he complained. He swore every time she had a conversation with Bulma she would hang up upset about what ever new luxury Bulma had bragged about and she would go on and on about it for days. Comparing the newest thing she bought to their modest living conditions.
"This has nothing to do with Bulma and everything to do with you needing to do more for your family! How about getting a car so we don't have to walk 3 miles, both ways, to town everyday just to get food! Or having enough money to buy more clothes instead of making most of them. I'm tired of living like a pioneer Goku! We need to prepare for our future as well, you know the one you want to protect so bad?!"
Goku peeks out at her through the fingers still positioned on his face. He drops his hand and sighs as he looks down at his plate. "Chichi please, can't we just have a nice breakfast? We just had one argument, let's not have another."
"I want to talk about it now because of the long hours you spend away training. By the time you get home and I want to have a conversation, you're too tired! So when exactly are we supposed to talk about this!?"
"How about not in front of our son?!" he said in a short tense manner looking her straight in the eye, unblinking, so she knew he wasn't kidding around. She returned the glare then dropped her gaze to her plate. They resumed eating in a suffocating silence with Gohan occasionally stealing glances at his parents. Only the sounds of silverware scraping against porcelain is heard as they finished their meal.
Once Gohan's final plate was empty Chichi smiled at him and said, "Gohan sweetie, why don't you go play outside while your dad and I talk." Gohan looked at his dad, who had closed his eyes in frustration. Goku opened them to look at his son and ruffled his hair. "Go on and do what your mom says Gohan." Gohan just nodded his head and went out the door silently.
"Piccolo is going to be here any minute. Are we really doing this right now?," he asked in frustration. He was so sick of fighting.
"Yes Goku, now! It's time to grow up and stop this obsession with training non-stop. There's more to life and we're missing it!"
"Missing what Chichi?! Why is our life suddenly not good enough for you?!"
"I need more from you Goku!"
"What the hell do you want from me?!," he exclaimed.
"Have you not been listening?! I need you to do better for your family and start pulling your weight around here instead of just freeloading like some karate bum!"
"Excuse me?!," he questioned. Completely insulted. "I do pull my weight around here! And how dare you call me a freeloader and a bum, I'm your husband damn it!," he retorted as he glared at her from across the table.
"Husband? Ha! That's a laugh. You can barely support your own family! If it wasn't for the monthly allowance daddy gives us we wouldn't be able to eat everyday! Honestly, what kind of husband depends on another man to take care of his own family?!"
Her words stung. They stung Goku so deep he could feel tears stinging at the back of his eyes but he refused to let them form. The last thing he needed right now was to look weak in front of his wife. Unfortunately Chichi wasn't done with him yet.
"A husband has a job, you know a j-o-b! Like the one my father keeps offering you but you refuse to take! A husband goes to work in the morning and comes home at night to support his family and understands the importance of education. Even educating himself so that he can be a good example for his children! Not run off ever chance he gets to fight!"
"You know damn well why I fight! Fighting is apart of my Saiyan DNA but its also what has kept you and the rest of this planet alive, or did you forget that?! Its more than a thrill and that's for damn sure more than any j-o-b can do! And I know the importance of education so don't act like I'm some brainless barbarian."
"You could have fooled me the way you quit your own adult classes a few years ago when you promised me you would graduate so you could get a job! But I wasn't surprised considering how you don't care if your own son can read or write!"
"That's not fair. What was the reason I couldn't finish those classes Chichi, huh? Answer me!," he yelled when she didn't respond.
"Because you grew bored with it just like you do with everything that has some actual importance," she said matter-of-factly in a bored tone to add insult to her words.
Goku couldn't believe the lies coming out of her mouth. It was like she was saying things just to hurt him. "You know that's a lie," he said in a low tone. Eyes narrowed. "Radditz came to earth and kidnapped our son and I died protecting him. Or did you forget that too?"
"That was a long time ago. What have you done lately?!," she asked heatedly.
"Oh I don't know let's see….first , after I was KILLED by Piccolo, I was sent to King Kai's planet to train for Nappa and Vegeta's arrival. Second, after barely defeating Vegeta in that battle, I had to recoporate in the hospital for weeks. Next I had to leave for planet Namek to wish my friends back to life that had been killed in same said battle. And while there had to duke it out with Frieza for THE FATE OF THE UNIVERSE! Finally after barely escaping Namek's explosion, I crash land on Yardrat only to get stuck there for AN ENTIRE YEAR waiting for my ship to be fixed so I could come back home to you. To our family. That's what I've done lately," he concluded in emotional exhaustion.
-OUTSIDE-
Gohan wandered down the hill that lead to the river near their home. He took a seat on the embankment and began skipping rocks. He hated this. His parents seem to fight more than ever. And Dad arguing back like that was just weird and somewhat disturbing. His dad was always so laid back but lately he seemed on edge around his mom.
Piccolo landed softly in the grass next to him.
"Hey Piccolo," Gohan said with much less ethusiasm than normal.
"Where's your dad?," Piccolo asked as he scanned for Goku's Ki, locating it in his house. He also noticed it was fluctuating wildly. "What's going on?," Piccolo asked.
"Mom and dad are fighting….again."
"About training?"
"About everything." Gohan said with a sigh. Eyes cast down. Shoulders tense. He was stressed and it showed. Piccolo let out a sigh. This was the last thing that he needed to deal with today.
"Come on kid, let's get out of here. We've got training to do and you're not going to get any stronger skipping rocks," Piccolo commanded as he began to walk into a clearing. Gohan jumped up and followed.
"What about dad?," he inquired.
"What about him?," Piccolo snorted. "He knows where to find us."
Gohan seemed to hesitate as he looked up to the house. Piccolo followed his gaze. His sensitive ears picking up on a few choice words between the two. He was genuinely surprised to hear Goku actually raising his voice to his wife. 'About time he stood up for himself', Piccolo thought. Looking back down to Gohan, he puts a reassuring hand on his shoulder. Gohan looks up at him, gives a small smile and nods his head. They take off for the horizon. The angry sounds of his parent's contention fading behind them.
.
-THE DINING ROOM-
"I remember all of that quite well. Considering you dragged our only child into most of it! And ever sense you got home its been the same way its always been since we've been married. Eat, train, sleep REPEAT! There's more to be done around here like cleaning the house, chopping firewood, mowing the grass, washing dishes, laundr-"
"You want to me help out more? Fine!," He cut her off mid sentence, completely pissed off now, and stood from the table.
He began to gather up the breakfast dishes roughly, chipping some in the process and starts aggressively walking them into the kitchen and letting them unceremoniously fall into the sink, half of them shattering. He goes back to the dining room and grabs some more yelling, "Look honey, I'm helping out!" and repeats this until he's "cleared" the whole table. All while chichi is screaming at him.
"Stop it Goku! Now you've gone to far!," she yells while grabbing some of the dishes from him as he walks by. "I'm just helping out like you asked! Now you don't want my help?! Make up your mind Chichi!," he exclaims as he crosses his arms, standing in the dining room doorway near the kitchen. Chichi slams the few dishes she recused down on the table and pivots quickly to face Goku. Rage burning in her eyes. She opens her mouth to speak but Goku cuts her off again.
"Now since you've since you've given me your definition of what a husband is. Let me give you my definition of what a wife is," he said as he closed the distance between them. Chichi eyes grew into narrow slits as she waited.
"A wife is someone who appreciates what lengths her husband is willing to go to in order to save her and their son's life," he began in a dangerously low tone. "A wife is a woman who doesn't constantly complain about everything under the sun from morning till night," his voice grew louder. Chichi crossed her arms as he continued. "A wife doesn't put her husband down because of the things he cant do but loves him because of the things he can!," his voice cracked with emotion as he began to get off what had been on his chest for sometime now. "A wife doesn't deny her husband in bed night after night because she's having a temper tantrum for not getting her way and wants to punish him! I haven't even been home three full weeks after dying and the type of wife I get to come home to is one whose constant complaining and bitching is going to drive her husband and son away permanently!"
*SLAP*
A resounding crack of skin hitting skin echoed through the home. Chichi slapped Goku with all of her strength. Breathing heavily, her hand still poised in the air as Goku face was now looking to left side of the room.
"How dare you talk to me that way," she said just above a whisper.
Goku closed his eyes and took a calming breath. Face still looking to the side that Chichi's hand had forced it to. He straightened up and just looked at her. Hurt and anger burned in his eyes as he looked at her silently. He then turned and headed into the living room, making his way to the front door. He had to get out of there before he did something he'd regret.
"Where do you think you're going Goku? I'm not done!," Chichi yelled as she rushed to follow him to the living room.
"I am," he said without sparing her a glimpse. He opened the door and slammed it behind him so hard the windows bowed and shook violently as the pictures on the walls crashed to the floor.
Chichi jumped, clutching her chest at the sudden noise. Her anger dissipated into sadness as she slowly sank down to the couch and cried.
Goku walked a few feet away from the house and rested his hands on his hips. Looking up at the sky he replayed the argument in his mind and the slap that ensued. Still feeling the sting on his cheek. It was the biggest fight they ever had. He couldn't believe the things she said to him. How she made him feel like he wasn't good enough for her. Nothing he ever did or had ever done was good enough for her. Swallowing the lump in his throat he began levitating in the air. Wanting desperately to put distance between him and the horrible things that had just transpired. Trying to shake the thoughts from his mind he focused on locating two familiar ki signatures. Locking onto them, he took off at top speed to where his son and Piccolo were waiting.
Hope you enjoyed!