Author's note: This is my first fanfic ever, and I had to dedicate it to my favorite DBZ couple, Goku and Chi-Chi! The story is set around the Cell Games, and is a G/CC falling-in-love story. Of course, that means that Gohan doesn't make any appearances in the story, although I know he was a major part in the saga. But please don't let it get to you! On a further note, Goku and Chi-Chi may be a little OOC, esp. Goku—but not too much. Anyway, enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Dragonball Z. Some of the scenes throughout this fic, though, are adapted from the original show. Also, a few of the earlier chapters contain ideas from another G/CC fanfic: "A Simple Wish" by Gogirl, but more notice on that later.

Warnings: This fic contains sad moments, depression, and romance—but nothing intense. Extra-sensitive readers may want to have some tissues at hand.

Chapter One

With her arms laden with shopping bags, Chi-Chi glanced back and forth, looking out onto the busy streets of West City with caution. Just one step forward could cause a car to come careening down at her at high speeds. She didn't want to take the risk. Yet despite her efforts, she couldn't manage to make her feet move.

"Looks like you're not from around here," an unfamiliar voice said from behind her.

Chi-Chi spun around in shock, wondering whom the voice belonged to. To her surprise, it was a comely young man about her age with spiky black hair that partially covered his forehead. He had on a martial arts gi composed of a custom orange outfit with a indigo shirt underneath. What she couldn't help noticing was his face—it was so friendly and welcoming. However, Chi-Chi couldn't help but feel hostile. After all, this was a stranger she was dealing with.

"What do you want?" she snapped, and then took notice of her shopping bags. She glared at the stranger. "Hey, Mister, if it's the clothes you want, you're not going to get them!"

The man held up his hands in surrender, appearing bemused. "Whoa! Wait a sec, ma'am! I didn't mean that! I mean, what would I want with clothes? I have my own!"

At this moment, he seemed completely innocent to her, but Chi-Chi refused to let her guard down; what if it was all a hoax? Bracing herself for an attack, she demanded, "Then what is it you want?"

The man scratched the back of his head. "Well, I just wanted to know if you wanted some help crossing the street. You seemed to have trouble, but you know, it's really not that hard—"

Chi-Chi glared at him. "Do you honestly think I need help crossing the street?" I barked fiercely. "Who do you think I am?"

By now, everyone nearby stared at them. Who could blame them? It's not every day you see two strangers argue about something as dumb as crossing the street. Chi-Chi tried her best to ignore their presence.

"Um, I don't know," the stranger replied, "I don't think we've met before…"

She swung her arms out in anger. "Hmm, I wonder why!" she retorted sarcastically. Chi-Chi then crossed her arms and noticed that the weight they held was seemingly lighter…

She glanced from side to side, and then in the man's direction. "What did you do to my bag?" she exclaimed accusingly, but then realized he wasn't there. "Huh?"

Chi-Chi scowled. How could he just go off with my bag without my noticing? That's when she noticed the deafening sound of car horns behind her. And—scanning down the line of cars—she noticed her shopping bag across someone's front window. In a desperate attempt to get the bag off, the car had its windshield wipers on and was driving around like crazy.

"Oh my goodness! Look over there!"

"Someone's going to get killed! Do something!"

A huge lump caught in Chi-Chi's throat. Oh, no! It's all my fault! Thanks to my recklessness, my bag fell from my grasp and will now cause even more chaos among the streets!

Suddenly, that same stranger swooped down from out of nowhere, snatched the bag from the front of the car, and came flying in Chi-Chi's direction.

A scream escaped from her lungs as she charged from the sidewalk as fast as she could. So, the stranger's actually some weird superhuman guy, and now he's coming after me! After witnessing what'd he'd somehow just pulled off, there's no way I want to be anywhere within one mile from him!

Without paying any attention, Chi-Chi had accidentally run out onto the streets, and the next thing she knew, another car was blasting its horn at her and speeding towards her at blazing speeds. She let out another terrified scream.

Suddenly, a strong pair of arms grabbed her by the arms just as the car screeched to a stop below her. Her muscles felt stiff after the near-fatal incident.

The car's driver—a man in his forties—flung his door open and turned to face Chi-Chi. "Just what were you trying to do?" he demanded hotly, "Were you trying to get—" His furious face instantly altered into utter shock, "F-floating! T-that man's f-floating!"

A murmur lifted from the crowd of civilians, and that's when Chi-Chi had finally realized who had rescued her. Turning her head, she saw the face of the stranger, and burst into a fit of screams.

Chi-Chi tried struggling out of his grasp, but his arms held too good a grip on her. "L-let me…go…you freak!" she demanded.

The ground grew farther and farther away as the stranger flew higher into the sky. She couldn't believe her eyes—he was really flying! It was no joke!

"Freak?" the man repeated incredulously. "Is that the kind of thank you I get for saving your life?"

Chi-Chi couldn't believe her ears. "Saving my life? Are you kidding? You've got it all wrong! Thanks to you, I almost died!"

"Hey, that's not my fault!" he protested, "I never asked you to run into the street! Why did you run off like that in the first place? Was someone chasing you?"

Chi-Chi sighed. Could this guy be any denser? "Look, Mister, it was you who came speeding towards me!" she clarified impatiently. "You were the one who scared me out of my wits!"

The stranger looked puzzled. "Me? But—what did I do?"

"Never mind!" Chi-Chi huffed. "Just tell me this: where are you taking me?"

That's when she noticed the man was descending. In no time, they were in a forest clearing with a small hut nearby. Setting her down gently, he replied, "Oh, I just needed to get us away from the city. You know how people are when they see others fly and stuff. I don't know why, but they think it's weird."

Huh, I wonder if that statement was directed towards me, she thought.

He then held out his arm, which carried a shopping bag. Chi-Chi just stared at it stupidly, wondering what he was doing.

"Well, aren't you going to take it?" the man asked after a moment.

It was then that she realized he was trying to give her bag back. "Oh, right, thanks," she stuttered quickly, taking the bag from him.

There was a moment of awkward silence before Chi-Chi decided to cut the ice. "Um, thanks, I guess, for you know, um…" For some reason, she couldn't get herself to say it.

He shrugged, seeming to have read her mind. "No problem. It was nothing."

Chi-Chi looked around uncomfortably. "So, is this where you live?" She took in the area, which were basically just trees as far as the eye could see. Not a speck of civilization was visible. Only a dirt path led to a tiny hut.

The stranger inhaled deeply, taking in the fresh air. "Yep," he replied, "It sure is a nice place, huh?"

Chi-Chi couldn't keep her eyes off the little hut. How could anyone live there? It must have only one room! "Do you live here all by yourself?" she wanted to know.

The man nodded. "Ever since my Grandpa Gohan died, it's just me in this big forest," he said, "But like I like it, really I do." He glanced around the clearing fondly. "Because I have this huge secluded area all to myself, and it's really quiet too."

Chi-Chi hiked the shopping bags onto her shoulders. "I guess I better get going then," she decided.

"No, that's not what I meant!" he protested, suddenly realizing what he'd just said. "You can stay if you want!"

Chi-Chi shook her head, "Nah. I have to get home. My dad would worry if I were out too long. After all, I am his only daughter…"

The man held out his hand. "Want a lift home?" he offered her, a welcoming smile across his cheerful face.

Chi-Chi stared at him uncertainly, and then turned on her heels. "No thanks, I can get to Fire Mountain myself," she fumed, "And I can cross the street myself, too."

He stared at her retreating back in confusion. "Okay," he said bemusedly, "But Fire Mountain is really far from here. It'd take hours on foot."

"Then so be it!" Chi-Chi declared. There's no way that I'm just going to let this strange man fly me home! What would my dad think? He'd freak if he saw me with some stranger…Then again, maybe he wouldn't mind so much if the stranger was a really kind and gentle guy…

The man cupped his hands over his mouth and called out, "Hey, might you by any chance have a name?"

Chi-Chi paused for a moment, and then turned her head to face him. "It's Chi-Chi," she informed him.

The stranger smiled. "Well, Chi-Chi, I'm Goku," he hollered, "And I hope you have a safe journey home! Don't get run over by any cars!"

Chi-Chi glared at him. "You've some nerve to say that to me, Goku!" she exclaimed, "Humph!" Then, turning on her heels again, she hurried down the path toward Fire Mountain, trying to get as far from Goku as possible.

Goku scratched his head in bewilderment, dumbfounded. "What's the matter with her? Gee, I don't think I'll ever understand girls," he muttered to himself.

Four hours later, it was sunset, and Chi-Chi made the final climb up her mountain home. Panting, she placed her foot into a crevice in the rock mountain, and pulled herself onto the top. All this for a day out shopping in the city? Maybe I should have just accepted Goku's offer…

But what she saw at the top of the mountain made chills run up and down her spine. She dropped her bags in shock. The whole castle was now a huge pile of debris. Smoke billowed from the wreckage, fresh from attack. Something—or someone—had destroyed her home, and possibly…

Chi-Chi froze in fear. Dad!

Instantly, she ran toward the fallen fortress and looked behind every stone pillar, every broken wall, in search of her father. Finally, when she passed by what remained of a stone staircase, her blood went cold. Crushed beneath a fallen pillar was her father.

"No…" Chi-Chi shook her head in horror as she approached the Ox-King hesitantly. She knelt down beside him, but all traces of life were drained from his now-pale face.

"Dad?" she asked him softly, tears flooding her eyes.

No answer.

She shook his shoulders, trying in vain to bring the life back into him. "Please, Dad, you've got to wake up! I need you…" Her voice broke off. "You can't leave me…"

Chi-Chi turned her head away and shut her eyes tightly as the tears streamed down her face, not wanting to look upon her dead father. She just couldn't believe it; she'd been gone for less than a day and everything she held dear to her was gone: her home…her father…He'd always looked out for her. He'd always taken care of her. Well sure, she might have thought he'd been too worried and overprotective of her sometimes, but now that she thought about it, he did for good reason…

Chi-Chi glanced up toward the darkening sky. How could this happen? Who did this?

That's when she noticed a strange figure hovering in the air above. Chi-Chi narrowed her eyes, trying to find out who the person was. With its downward wings and pointed head, the figure was no doubt a locust-like creature.

Chi-Chi gritted her teeth in anger. "Cell," she said aloud bitterly.

First, you destroy my home and then you kill my poor, innocent father. What did he ever do to you? He'd never hurt a fly! Cell, I swear, you will pay for this, you dirty murderer!

By nightfall, Goku had a fire burning and was roasting a skinned wolf on top of it. The aroma of the cooking dead animal filled the piney forest air.

Goku inhaled the scent, "Ahh! It's almost ready!" he said to himself, smiling widely. "Just a few more minutes and dinner is served."

After fives minutes, Goku gobbled up the wolf in a flash. Raising an open palm out to the kindling flames, he shot out a small ki blast of wind, which instantly extinguished the fire. As he trekked back into the house and went off to bed, he couldn't help but wonder about Chi-Chi.

All I did was try to be nice to her, and she got all huffy. Was it something I did? Hmm... Let's see now…That's funny—all I can think of was saving her life, but that's a good thing. He sat up straight in his bed and glanced out the window in concern. I hope she's all right.

Later that night, there was a harsh pound on the door. Startled, Goku bolted up from bed and glanced around. "Who's there?" he demanded, ready to fight whoever was challenging him. He then noticed that the sound was coming from the door.

Cautiously, he approached the door, turned the knob, and found…Chi-Chi!

Goku's tense expression softened at once. "Chi-Chi! What are you doing here? And in the middle of the night, too!" he asked in confusion. "I thought you were mad at me!"

Yet once he got a good look at her, he realized she'd been crying. Now concerned, he asked her, "Is something wrong?"

Chi-Chi shoved past him and entered the hut. "Everything's wrong!" she sobbed, her head hanging in sorrow. "My home's destroyed and my dad's dead!" She choked on her words. "I don't have anywhere to live!"

Goku shut the door and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry, Chi-Chi," he said softly, "But if there's any way I could help, just let me know…"

After a brief moment, Chi-Chi turned around to face him, her eyes imploring. "Could I please stay with you? I have no where else to go."

Goku shrugged. "Sure," he replied simply. "But I'll have you know that—"

Suddenly, Chi-Chi flung her arms around him in a hug. "Oh, thank you!" she cried happily, feeling a rush of gratitude towards him.

To her surprise, Goku instantly pulled away. "Um, could you please not do that?" he asked uncertainly, "It's really uncomfortable."

Chi-Chi glanced at him with an arched eyebrow, slightly hurt. "You've never been hugged before?"

Goku shook his head, still a good distance from her. "Anyway, I don't have an extra bed, so I hope you don't mind sleeping on the floor."

Chi-Chi shrugged. Who cares about sleeping on the floor when your other alternative is sleeping on castle debris?

Goku's eyes suddenly lit up. "Oh, I know! I'll let you sleep on the bed! I don't mind sleeping on the floor," he offered.

At first, Chi-Chi was taken aback by the generous offer, but she knew she couldn't let him do that. She shook her head, "No…but thanks. I couldn't impose…"

Goku waved his hand dismissively. "No really. It's okay. I don't mind," he insisted.

"I said no, and that's final!" Chi-Chi snapped, and then soon regretted her words, which she didn't intend to sound so cruel.

She glanced at Goku, who had backed even further away now in shock.

"I mean, you've all ready offered me shelter, and that's enough," Chi-Chi reasoned quickly in a calmer tone, trying to atone for her harsh words.

Goku took a few apprehensive steps back toward his bed. "Um, sure," he said anxiously. "If you want to sleep on the floor, be my guest!" And with that, he jumped into bed and pulled up the covers.

Chi-Chi scowled at him. How rude! But then couldn't help but feel that she was to blame. But I shouldn't have snapped at him—he was just trying to be nice to me.

She lied down on the wooden floor, slightly curled up on her side. If only I still had a home to live in…then I wouldn't have to sleep on the floor. I'd have my soft, comfy bed instead. If only…if only Cell hadn't destroyed everything…that cold-blooded monster! He will pay for what he did!

Suddenly, Chi-Chi couldn't help but hear the sound of calm, even breathing coming from Goku's bed. Wow. He's sleeping all ready? It hasn't even been five minutes! She shook her head, but couldn't help smiling in amusement. I wonder what tomorrow will bring…

The autumn night had been a cold one, and a strong breeze blew in from the open window. Once Goku had heard the rattling upon the door and the roar of the wind, he couldn't help but get up and gently shut the window.

Stupid wind, he thought.

As he turned to face Chi-Chi on the floor, slightly curled and shivering, he couldn't help but feel bad for her. Maybe I shouldn't have given up my argument so easily, but she didn't have to yell at me! I was only trying to help! For some reason, this felt all too familiar to him. Yeah, just like when she got mad at me for saving her life. He laughed quietly at his own words, because now they seemed silly.

Glancing down at her again, Goku silently walked back to his bed. Taking the covers off, he knelt down and gently placed them over Chi-Chi.

Her shivering ceased instantly, and she turned over in her sleep.

Goku smiled. At least now she won't be so cold.

He went back to his bed content. After all, he could manage to sleep well in any situation. The cold didn't bother him, and he was glad he could offer Chi-Chi something that would help her.

A/N: No, there is no real connection b/t Goku and Chi-Chi…yet; he's just being nice. I'm sorry if the beginning is a little slow, but I had to make them meet up in some way, and I just thought that this way was pretty funny.

Btw, the part about how Goku feels uncomfortable about hugs/physical contact with a female, and his description of his forest home was not wholly my idea. It was adapted from Gogirl's "A Simple Wish" fanfic.

Please R&R. I would greatly appreciate your reviews.