Prologue
Freezer was dead the universe had rejoiced. Now things where settling back in to familiar patterns. Everyone went on like nothing had ever happened, exiling the memories of carnage on nameck to the dark silences before dawn. Except for Goku the man who had saved them all. He landed in the middle of the night far away from his home in the middle of a pasture. The sheep scattered as he stepped out in to the scorched earth feeing the heat still radiating from his pod. He raised his hand and fired at the pod adding his own heat and the smell of burning plastic to the ruined field. He watched the insignia melt and blacken. He fired a stronger blast not even a burnt out hull was left. Goku climbed out of the crater he made and left not stopping to look back until he was sure it was out of sight. He inhaled deeply thanking the cold night air for carrying away the burning antiseptic smells that seemed to fallow him like vengeful ghosts. Goku scanned the dark skies waiting for all the fears real and imagined to come true. He sighed when no flaming destruction rained down. He ran home quickly, hating the silence and dreading what might await him. A million different deaths ran through his head each driving him forward. A small smile broke out has he saw the small light Chi-Chi had always left out for him.
Goku entered silently going up the familiar path to their room running his fingers over the walls and knickknacks, the accumulations of a lifetime, trying to convince himself it was real this time. The door to their room was cracked open radiating a reassuring glow. He peeked around the corner. She had fallen asleep reading the book still resting on her chest. Chi-Chi had left the window open despite the chill in the air, as she had always done when he was off training. He shut the window and placed her book on the nightstand. He kissed Chi-Chi on the forehead and she moved in her sleep and flung her arm over his side of the bed with a sleepy grunt. He thought climbing in to the bed and filling that empty embrace. After a long debate Goku decided to let her sleep and walked over to Gohan's room. He looked in lovingly at his son and smiled to see that he had fallen asleep at his desk. That sight made him the happiest. "Stay with your studies. Your mom knows best." He said in a hoarse whisper. Goku lifted his son in to bed. He wandered through the house looking for a place to rest finally he sat down in the kitchen hoping to get some rest before they woke up.
The sun was barely touching the horizon when Chi-Chi's scream echoed through the house. Goku stood up smiling he greeted her in a voice that was ruff from neglect. More than a few kitchen utensils rebounded off the walls and off his body before she realized who the tall dirty man in armor was. Then she attacked him with tears, kisses and the usual demands to never scare her like that again. Gohan ran down the stairs, jumped and wrapped his arms around his father's neck. He demanded to know every part of the fight and how he had gotten back. Goku went silent, the smile dropped from his face. His eyes were full of a smoldering cold combination of fear and hate. He gave his son a vague description. Gohan stopped the next question before it could reach his lips. He had never seen that look in his father's eyes before it was freighting. "I missed you dad." Gohan smiled his gaze not quite meeting Goku's eyes.
"You have grown up."
"Not much, see." He pointed at the notches his mother had cut in the back door to mark his growth. Goku laughed at this and Gohan joined in even if he didn't understand why it was so funny. Their laughter dispelled the tension the unasked question had left. Chi-Chi smiled things were finally going to get back to normal and this time she was going to make sure they would stay that way.
Chi-Chi was wrong. As the months flew by the changes in Goku's behavior became harder and harder to ignore. He was taking long walks alone and seemed to be pushing himself in training more than he ever had before. Chi- Chi began wondering if he hadn't managed to find another super-powered alien with a death wish for earth. It bothered her until she confronted him and asked him what was wrong with him.
He stared at her. "There was noting I could do to save them." And went back to gazing up in to the sky. He kept watch for something that the no one could understand. It was shortly after that he stopped talking altogether. She screamed at him, held him and did every thing she could thing of to make him happy but nothing seemed to work. She gave up and stopped talking as well. The silence seemed to fill the house. Gohan was fallowing his parent's example. Chi-Chi masked herself in normalcy and tried to pretend there wasn't a problem for Gohan's sake. She was able to keep it up until she learned she was pregnant. Sobbing she called Bulma and over the next few hours and through bouts of tears she bared her soul.
During her pregnancy Goku started to come back out of his shell. When Goten was born a few months later there was a huge improvement. Goku, years later, still wasn't completely back to normal but she didn't want him to be. He seemed to be in awe of the most normal things and he never left the house without telling her how much he loved her. When Bulma had discussed the vacation to visit the Namecks Chi-Chi had been leery of telling Goku. He had been standing in the doorway and herd the entire conversation and gave her a surprising yes. Chi-Chi through herself in to preparing for the trip. Goku showed more enthusiasm than either of his sons. The day of the launch arrived and the modified one-man ship stood open and ready. Goten refused to board the ship and screamed protests at the top of his lungs. Soon Trunks had joined him and they both screamed loud enough to split eardrums. They were halted when Vegeta picked his son up by the scruff of his neck and tossed him on board. Goten was shocked in to silence. He fallowed his parents in without another word. Goku and Chi- Chi chose seats in front of the window. They held hands as the last bit of atmosphere burned away and space unfolded before them vast and shining.
Freezer was dead the universe had rejoiced. Now things where settling back in to familiar patterns. Everyone went on like nothing had ever happened, exiling the memories of carnage on nameck to the dark silences before dawn. Except for Goku the man who had saved them all. He landed in the middle of the night far away from his home in the middle of a pasture. The sheep scattered as he stepped out in to the scorched earth feeing the heat still radiating from his pod. He raised his hand and fired at the pod adding his own heat and the smell of burning plastic to the ruined field. He watched the insignia melt and blacken. He fired a stronger blast not even a burnt out hull was left. Goku climbed out of the crater he made and left not stopping to look back until he was sure it was out of sight. He inhaled deeply thanking the cold night air for carrying away the burning antiseptic smells that seemed to fallow him like vengeful ghosts. Goku scanned the dark skies waiting for all the fears real and imagined to come true. He sighed when no flaming destruction rained down. He ran home quickly, hating the silence and dreading what might await him. A million different deaths ran through his head each driving him forward. A small smile broke out has he saw the small light Chi-Chi had always left out for him.
Goku entered silently going up the familiar path to their room running his fingers over the walls and knickknacks, the accumulations of a lifetime, trying to convince himself it was real this time. The door to their room was cracked open radiating a reassuring glow. He peeked around the corner. She had fallen asleep reading the book still resting on her chest. Chi-Chi had left the window open despite the chill in the air, as she had always done when he was off training. He shut the window and placed her book on the nightstand. He kissed Chi-Chi on the forehead and she moved in her sleep and flung her arm over his side of the bed with a sleepy grunt. He thought climbing in to the bed and filling that empty embrace. After a long debate Goku decided to let her sleep and walked over to Gohan's room. He looked in lovingly at his son and smiled to see that he had fallen asleep at his desk. That sight made him the happiest. "Stay with your studies. Your mom knows best." He said in a hoarse whisper. Goku lifted his son in to bed. He wandered through the house looking for a place to rest finally he sat down in the kitchen hoping to get some rest before they woke up.
The sun was barely touching the horizon when Chi-Chi's scream echoed through the house. Goku stood up smiling he greeted her in a voice that was ruff from neglect. More than a few kitchen utensils rebounded off the walls and off his body before she realized who the tall dirty man in armor was. Then she attacked him with tears, kisses and the usual demands to never scare her like that again. Gohan ran down the stairs, jumped and wrapped his arms around his father's neck. He demanded to know every part of the fight and how he had gotten back. Goku went silent, the smile dropped from his face. His eyes were full of a smoldering cold combination of fear and hate. He gave his son a vague description. Gohan stopped the next question before it could reach his lips. He had never seen that look in his father's eyes before it was freighting. "I missed you dad." Gohan smiled his gaze not quite meeting Goku's eyes.
"You have grown up."
"Not much, see." He pointed at the notches his mother had cut in the back door to mark his growth. Goku laughed at this and Gohan joined in even if he didn't understand why it was so funny. Their laughter dispelled the tension the unasked question had left. Chi-Chi smiled things were finally going to get back to normal and this time she was going to make sure they would stay that way.
Chi-Chi was wrong. As the months flew by the changes in Goku's behavior became harder and harder to ignore. He was taking long walks alone and seemed to be pushing himself in training more than he ever had before. Chi- Chi began wondering if he hadn't managed to find another super-powered alien with a death wish for earth. It bothered her until she confronted him and asked him what was wrong with him.
He stared at her. "There was noting I could do to save them." And went back to gazing up in to the sky. He kept watch for something that the no one could understand. It was shortly after that he stopped talking altogether. She screamed at him, held him and did every thing she could thing of to make him happy but nothing seemed to work. She gave up and stopped talking as well. The silence seemed to fill the house. Gohan was fallowing his parent's example. Chi-Chi masked herself in normalcy and tried to pretend there wasn't a problem for Gohan's sake. She was able to keep it up until she learned she was pregnant. Sobbing she called Bulma and over the next few hours and through bouts of tears she bared her soul.
During her pregnancy Goku started to come back out of his shell. When Goten was born a few months later there was a huge improvement. Goku, years later, still wasn't completely back to normal but she didn't want him to be. He seemed to be in awe of the most normal things and he never left the house without telling her how much he loved her. When Bulma had discussed the vacation to visit the Namecks Chi-Chi had been leery of telling Goku. He had been standing in the doorway and herd the entire conversation and gave her a surprising yes. Chi-Chi through herself in to preparing for the trip. Goku showed more enthusiasm than either of his sons. The day of the launch arrived and the modified one-man ship stood open and ready. Goten refused to board the ship and screamed protests at the top of his lungs. Soon Trunks had joined him and they both screamed loud enough to split eardrums. They were halted when Vegeta picked his son up by the scruff of his neck and tossed him on board. Goten was shocked in to silence. He fallowed his parents in without another word. Goku and Chi- Chi chose seats in front of the window. They held hands as the last bit of atmosphere burned away and space unfolded before them vast and shining.