"Goku.." Chi-Chi hoarsely whispered, her face slick with sweat as her hand shakily reached out, prodding her prone husband next to her. "Goku, please..." She repeated, struggling to turn towards him, to wake him up. Her heart beat was fluttering again, her breath escaping her, not unlike all the other times as her health steadily decreased over the years, but tonight was different.
He stirred beneath her touch, and she could feel his muscles draw tight with tension. She felt weary, so very old and very tired, as Goku sat up and looked over at her, his face burdened with a heavy sadness. To this day, as she lay dying, ravaged by her ripe 101 years of age, Goku didn't look a day over 50. If anything, with age, he looked even more mature and wise. His hair was still dark, eyes still bright, skin still young, but there was something different about him. Much different from the man he was decades prior, fresh off of fighting Beerus; he seemed so much more strong, so much more wise, but maybe, Chi-Chi mused to herself, she was just biased.
He didn't say anything at first, just stared at her with a weighty gaze that spoke more to her than words ever could. She wondered mildly to herself if he had the same premonition she was feeling, the deep weight in her heart and in her mind that told her tonight would not be the same.
"I'm sorry, Goku," She spoke finally, her words so softly spoken, even if her voice was much more rough and coarse than it had been before, that she briefly wondered if Goku had even heard her. "It's almost time."
"Do..." Goku's voice was even softer, yet choked with emotion to such a degree that her heart seized in pain, "do you have to go so soon...?" He reached out, brushing a strand of her silver hair away from her weathered face, "can't you hold out...just a bit longer?"
His gaze shifted away briefly, but she didn't miss the grief twisting his face. Gently, she reached out and clutched his hand, her wrinkled fingers smoothing across his palm comfortingly.
"I'm...sorry, Goku," Chi-Chi repeated, her voice twisted with grief and unwept tears. "I'm not as strong as you," She broke off, laughing midst the hot tears streaming down her wrinkled cheeks, "I'm only human."
The old Saiyan breathed deeply, turning his head away. When he looked back at her, his eyes were gleaming with tears, and his smile shook across his lips.
"We had a good run, didn't we?" He whispered, clutching her hand tightly, "All the friends we made, all the good times we had...I'm going to miss them."
Chi-Chi sucked in a breath, choked with tears as she wept weakly, "We had a good life...I'm glad...I'm glad I got to spend it with you."
Goku squeezed her hand again, leaning over her as he kissed her, brushing his thumb along her cheek and the tears that spilled there. Pulling away, he gazed down at her, his eyes warm and loving.
"Do you...want to say goodbye?" His voice was low and heavy, swollen with both sorrow and affection, "To the kids?"
Chi-Chi felt her face warm, felt the kiss on her lips, and felt her heart slowly beating in her chest. Would she make it that long? Would she lay here for hours, surrounded by her family, waiting for the end? Or would it come swiftly, snatching her up in an instant?
She gazed out the window, at the moon hanging ominously in the dreary, dark sky. Coughing gently, she lay a hand to her throat and eased back into the bed.
"Yes...I would like that." Chi-Chi breathed, growing weaker by the second. "I would like that very much."
Goku sat, watching the silver light cast across his wife, watching as the tears dried on her face and watching as a peace seemed to descend over her. His heart ached, splitting painfully in his chest; she looked so small, so fragile amidst the pile of blankets and quilts that sprawled across their shared bed.
He stood, crossed the room, leaning with one hand against the door way, and looked back. Chi-Chi's rheumy eyes met his across the way, and a soft smile lit up her face.
She opened her mouth, and Goku froze, sensing the intense importance of the moment. There was so much to say, Chi-Chi mused, that she didn't know what words would be good enough to ease her husband's crestfallen heart. Tiredly, she supposed, that there was none. She just had the feelings in her heart, unspoken, all the memories and times spent that she would never find words for. All the love, the happiness, the affection...despite all the bad times, the horrors, the pains...even if Goku wasn't the perfect husband, and even if Chi-Chi herself wasn't the perfect wife. It all felt so complicated, laying on her deathbed; how interwoven their lives had become, like the stitching in a piece of cloth.
Goku waited expectantly, and the air was tense, awaiting her words. With a deep exhale, she settled on something simple.
"I love you, Goku."