Maybe Next Lifetime

Well, here is a completely ridiculous piece of semi-fluff that has been floating around in my brain fluids for a while. I know that there is no chance in HFIL that this could ever happen, but just leave those thoughts behind and hop on the Imagination Choo-Choo Train to Fantasy Land with me! No, not the one at Disneyland. Sorry. This is my first fanfic, so bring on the flames! ^_^ I don't mind them much.

Disclaimer things and such: Yes, you all know that I did not make these characters up. They came from the mind of Mr. A. Toriyama, and I ain't making tuppence offa this. So no sue!!

Yamucha was going crazy. As hard as he tried, he just couldn't get her out of his mind.

What am I thinking? he thought. She's already devoted to someone she loves. I shouldn't even bother to try...but I can't help it. The way she looks at me with those glistening dark eyes, I feel like I'm going to die every time she does!

Yamucha stood at the door, hesitating to knock. Okay, he thought to himself. I'm just here on a friendly, how's-it-going-these-days visit. No big deal, I can make it...

He bit down on his lip, and knocked firmly three times at the wooden door. "Coming!" said a light voice from within. Yamucha already felt his knees turning to ramen... Control yourself!! he inwardly screamed. This is your friend's wife, for Kami's sake...

"Yamucha! How good it is to see you again!" Chi-chi said brightly. She opened her arms and warmly embraced him. Yamucha nearly fainted, but reagained his composure and cautiously opened his arms. "Chi-chi san, it's g-good to see you too..." he tried to say as normal as possible. She smelled extremely sweet,almost like exotic fruit , and Yamucha felt his face getting warm and his neck bristling.

"What have you been doing all this time? Training, no doubt! How's Puar?" As Chi-chi talked, Yamucha couldn't help believe this unworldy goddess before his eyes. All this time, even with Bulma, there was a nagging thought in the back of his mind that he made an error in his decision. Damn Gokou. What a lucky son of a gun and he doesn't even know it.

"Well, I've been okay myself. Just keeping busy with this and that..Puar is doing fine...." he trailed off. And longing and waiting and dying to see you he thought to himself.

"Sit down a minute, I'll see if Gokou is even here. Anything to drink?" Chi-chi asked as she exited the front room. Yamucha took a seat on a chair next to the sofa and called, "No thanks, I'm fine!" His eyes closed halfway, as he deeply yet quietly inhaled the sweet scent she had left lingering in the room. It had been so long since he had last seen her, and he hadn't stopped thinking about her ever since. Well, he thought, even if she is as bitchy or even worse than Bulma, I admire a strong woman. One who would love me as I am. And here she is, right in front of me all along. Yamucha sighed deeply and ran his hand through his long, wild mane. Ahh...too bad I'm no monkey boy. Maybe then she would have liked me from the start, he mused. I did confess my love to her first...

Just then Chi-chi entered the room looking rather peeved. "That darn Gokou!" she complained. "I should have known better. Either he's here in the house eating, or there is no chance of finding him. Why, he even took Gohan with him wherever he went! And he wasn't even done with his studies. Those sneaks..."

Yamucha chuckled a bit. Poor Gohan he thought. He'll get the worst of it later. "Well, Gohan probably won't be back for a while, if he knows what's good for him!" he joked. Chi-chi gave him a look. "Hey, I'm just joking...!" Yamucha said nervously as he waved his hands in front of him. Chi-chi frowned a bit and sat down on the sofa near Yamucha. She is beautiful when she's angry. Her eyes get so dark and misty and her cheeks glow. Even her hair stands on end.

Chi-chi noticed that Yamucha was staring at her a bit strangley, as though he were burning holes right through her. She felt a bit embarrassed and blushed. "Well," she started, "How are you and Bulma doing?"

Yamucha noticeably tensed at the mention of her name, and snapped out of his reverie. "Um...well, you know how it is with us. A bit shaky, I guess you could say." He fiddled with his sash nervously. "She accuses me of flirting with other girls all the time, when that's not true at all because they're usually trying to flirt with ME, and she says I don't pay her enough attention anymore, and..." Yamucha suddenly felt silly about his rambling. "...uh...yeah." Ugh, I'm REALLY sure she wants to hear about this, he thought miserably. After what Bulma has most likely been telling her about me, she probably thinks I'm a monster already.

Chi-chi smiled a bit at his embarrassment. "It's okay, Yamucha." she said while she pat his arm gently. "Every couple has their problems."

"Yes," he said, "but ours never seem to end! I'm not really sure what I'm doing wrong...I try to do things to please her, but..." he trailed off.

"Well, Yamucha," Chi-chi sighed, "Maybe you two were not meant to be. There are many others out there that you have never met, since you have been with Bulma for so long. Who knows, your perfect match might be right in front of your face!" Chi-chi shrugged and looked towards the ceiling as she finished her sentence. You don't know how damn right you are, Yamucha thought.

"I'm glad to see that you and Gokou are happy," Yamucha said, somewhat wistfully. "I envy you guys sometimes." Aiya, i didn't mean to say that. She shouldn't know...

"Oh no, we're not a hundred percent perfect you know," Chi-chi chuckled. Her face seemed to darken a bit, and she began to trace the lines of the patterns on the sofa. "It makes me so sad when he leaves me for his training trips or goes off to battle some deadly enemy. I am constantly worried about whether I will ever see him again." She looked down at her lap. "I know I can't do anything about it, but if I had my way, I would chain him up and never let him leave! And it doesn't make it any better that he takes my Gohan with him as well!"

Yamucha watched her as she talked. Gokou, don't you know what you're putting her through? He wanted to hate Gokou for what he was doing to this wonderful woman, but he knew that Gokou himself probably didn't even know how much harm he was causing. I wish I could take care of you, Chi-chi. I would always be there to protect you...

"Chi-chi, I'm so sorry. How could Gokou leave such a..wonderful and caring woman like you alone? How could he let someone like you ever have to feel these things?" The words came pouring out of Yamucha's mouth, and he had no control of them. My gosh, what am I saying?! She's going to think I'm crazy!

Chi-chi looked up, surprised at what she was hearing. Why is he acting so strangley? she thought. Yamucha was now leaning forward, and looking right into her eyes. She looked into his eyes as well, and she had never seen them look so fiery and intense. Why is he looking at me like that? Is this the same deathly-afraid-of-women Yamucha that is looking at me so... passionately? Chi-chi tried to get rid of the thought, telling herself she was just paranoid.

Kami, I want to take you away from all this suffering right now, Chi-chi! I can make you so incredibly happy, I know I can, and I will never leave you and we can grow old and die together.. Yamucha could not stop staring at her. She looked back at him with painfully beautiful wide eyes. Her face glowed with child-like innocence and womanly beauty all at once. Yamucha leaned farther forward and reached for her hands over the arm of the sofa. Chi-chi softly gasped as he took her hands, but she couldn't move from his gaze.

If anyone else would have done this to me, they would have been dead by now, Chi-chi thought. Why am I letting him...?

"Chi-chi.." he paused. "Are you truly happy with your life here?" Yamucha asked as he held on to her hands. "Answer me in all seriousness." Chi-chi looked down at Yamucha's hands holding her own. Why does he ask me this? She thought about this somewhat alarming question as she studied Yamucha's large, rough hands holding her own small and delicate ones. How many battles have these hands been in... she wondered. "Chi-chi, please, answer me..."

"Well...I would have to honestly say....not completely." she answered quietly. "I do love my Gokou and my Gohan so much, but..." she paused. "There is still an empitness inside."

"Chi-chi san, I..." Yamucha hesitated. I can't believe she hasn't clobbered me yet...I must be doing something right... "Chi-chi san, if you really wanted me to...I...can take you away from all this. I can make it so that you will never be lonely again...ever..."

Kami-sama, is this what I think it is! Chi-chi's eyes widened. "Yamucha...why are you telling me this...?"

Yamucha was obviously very nervous. He was never this straightforward with anybody, let alone a woman, in his life. "Because, Chi-chi san...I...am in love with you." There, he thought. I finally said it to her. Kami help me.

Chi-chi was completely shocked. "Yamucha.." was all she managed to say. Yet she couldn't help but think about what he just told her. Oh my gosh, what am I going to do? Here is this poor, lonely man, asking to take me away and keep me happy...forever... Chi-chi's thoughts raced through her mind. A sudden flash went through her, and it seemed to tell her to go with him. What if I did go with him? What if he does make me happier than Gokou? He probably would be much more devoted and I'm sure he would not be gone nearly as much as Gokou is...what if he can make me happy? All I ever wanted was to be happy with a loving, devoted, caring husband. What if Yamucha is the one that was in front of me all along?

Yamucha continued to look at her intensely. Anser me, Chi-chi... he thought. Chi-chi's eyes began to glaze over, and she blinked back the tears. She knew her answer.

"Yamucha.....I would not be able to...do that. I'm sorry..." Chi-chi looked him right in the eyes. She felt terrible as his eyes seemed to lose the fire they had a moment ago, and his grip on her hands relaxed. He looked down at the both of their hands, and then slowly looked up again. He didn't ask why; he only waited for her reason. Which he already knew.

Chi-chi brought her hand up and reached toward his long, dark hair. She gently tucked a few strands of hair behind his ear. As she brought her hand down, she slowly traced one of his scars with her fingertips. Yamucha inhaled deeply as she did so, and exhaled slowly as she drew her hand away from his face.

"You know I can't do such a thing, Yamucha." Chi-chi looked at him with sympathy in her eyes. "As often as I get angry or worried or upset, I still love Gokou. I have since we were young, and I know I always will." Poor dear, Chi-chi thought. But why does he feel this way about me? Does he see me as a mother figure of some sort? she mused.

Yamucha gave a sad smile and released her hands. "I had a hunch you would feel that way," he replied. "But I had to get it out and at least let you know." Rejection was one of the most horrible feelings in the world to him (which may be why he was afraid of girls in the first place), but he felt as though a great weight had been lifted from his soul. Chi-chi smiled at him a little, and he returned it less sadly than before. He then told her,"I doubt if I'll ever find anyone like you in this lifetime, but at least you are in my life." Wow, I am taking this much better than I ever imagined I would, he thought. Maybe I finally am getting over my fear of women... Yamucha rose to his feet, and held out his hand to shake hers.

Chi-chi rose as well. Instead of shaking his hand, she gave him a warm hug. Yamucha was again surprised, thinking she would hate him for putting this burden on her, and returned her hug. "I'm sorry Yamucha. Please don't dwell on this for your the rest of your life..." She knew he probably would, but she didn't know what else to say to console him. They ended their embrace, and Yamucha walked to the front door with Chi-chi following behind him.

As if she read his mind, Chi-chi looked up at Yamucha and said, "I don't hate you Yamucha. You are a dear friend and you will always be welcome in our home." Yamucha looked considerably relieved, and gave a chuckle. "Thank you, Chi-chi san." he answered. She then reached up on her toes and gave him a kindly peck on the cheek before he went on his way.

Yamucha blushed deeply, and almost tripped out the door.When he had walked a bit down the path from the Son residence, he looked over his shoulder and called, "Good-bye, Chi-chi san!"

Chi-chi smiled and leaned against the doorway with folded arms. "Good luck, Yamucha san."

Well, there it is! I hope you kinda liked it. I know, Yamucha and Chi-chi are pretty much OOC, but...what are ya gonna do? I know there's not really a reasonbale explanation provided for Yamucha's feelings, but this story was in my mind screaming to get out. Sorry for not enough in-depth character analysis or anything. It was kinda tough to get it all down thoroughly, but oh well.