A/N: Hey it's been a minute, so thanks for all of the support. I try to get stuff out when I can, sometimes, mostly, but it's hard to catch all of the little usage errors. Props to some of my excellent and patient reviewers for being kind with whatever typographical errors there are. That said, anyone who is into beta-reading is more than welcome to get in touch.
Anything But Innocent
(aka Third Time's the Charm)
ChiChi's eyes, to her credit, remain focused and keen in the face of danger. She was so different back then: so energetic, and she was more concerned about saving the castle and her father's land than she was herself.
But she's got time to do one thing: land a perfect right hook into my jaw. It hurt to watch. Bulma also flinches. Young Me goes crashing down, more from surprise than from pain, and Young Bulma calls out ChiChi's name in shock and disapproval.
"Hey, what's that for?" Young me whines, nursing his cheek. I can sense his genuine confusion. To be perfectly honest, I also feel the pain of that punch and I feel my heart skip a beat a little because it is this part of ChiChi that I think I fell in love with. She's got a fiery spirit that anyone can be excited by, and I'm struck with a thousand confusing feelings before ChiChi's booming voice interrupted my emotional train of thought.
"That's for proposing to me and taking it back!" She huffed, as furious as I've ever seen her, and yet, raw- vulnerable. I felt her pain. I begin to stutter another apology, but she waves her hand at me with great annoyance, "I'm going to pretend like this makes us even, because I need your help." She swallows, again, as if waiting for me to accept her proposal.
I blink.
"Father is stuck inside the tower!" She blurts out, voice caught with emotion, "If we don't hurry to find the Banjo Fan, the only thing that can be used to put out the fire, I'll be childless, husbandless, and parentless." She's crying palms against her red cheeks, but her voice isn't shrill. Her eyes are pretty red. She's been crying for days, and the fire just broke out.
I really, really broke her heart.
I look at Bulma, who sees the regret. Before we can discuss the sentiment, Young Me is on the Nimbus, with only ChiChi, and a sort of jealous and neglected Bulma was left to manage the situation on the ground.
"You know, I'm starting to feel really horrible about this whole thing, and I know you are too. Why can't you just admit that this was all a mistake?" My Bulma finally asks, floating alongside the cloud, observing ChiChi on the Nimbus. She's a little unsteady, but she doesn't want to make any physical contact with me. She's embarrassed and hurt. "You're hurting her. You can make this stop."
No. Not yet.
"Talk to her," I urge myself, "Tell her… tell her that she's still really important to you."
"You know… I bet a lot of guys would want to marry you, ChiChi. Not that your Dad's going to die." Young Me says, awkwardly.
Good. That's what I wanted. I can be such an idiot.
ChiChi's face falls, and she looks like she wants to slap me. "Can we please focus on the task at hand?" The question comes out slowly, through grit teeth.
"But. I just meant. Sorry. You're still really important to me, is all, and Bulma says that no one gets married these days anymore anyway and-"
"Bulma!" ChiChi gawked, outraged. "This is about her?"
"Well, no, not exactly, I just meant-"
"You didn't want to marry me because Bulma told you not to?!" We're approaching the mountain.
The story goes on. We're about to be separated. She stays with Baba, and I go to meet with my grandfather and obtain the fan. I was supposed to have obtained his blessing for the marriage, but instead, when he remarked on how beautiful she was, we stood next to each other awkwardly in stony silence.
(Three's a Crowd)
ChiChi's Father hosts a feast in our honor, for saving the day. No one's really feeling up to it, least of all Chi, but we try to make the situation better and I get the feeling that the Ox King thinks that I'm going to just decide to be with ChiChi now that I've saved her kingdom and all.
"What if we find someone else for her?" I ask Bulma.
She scoffs and rolls her eyes, "Sure, how about Vegeta?" she asks as she crosses her arms over her chest.
Before she can give me that playful, knowing glance, I turn to her and blurt out the coldest-sounding, "No," that I've ever heard. She cocks a brow.
"If I didn't know any better, you just want us both."
"No, I just think that... I mean, that's such an awful couple, I just feel like maybe- what about," I think, "how about Yamcha? We could-"
"Are you suggesting that ChiChi couldn't actually find another man on her own, Goku?" Bulma asks, rolling her eyes. "You are so horrible to her. You don't even deserve her. What would she think, if she knew you'd done this to her? To the kids?"
My stomach flips. Here's hoping I never have to find out? Young ChiChi's stone-cold glares are bad enough.
ChiChi, although clearly unimpressed with Bulma and bitter over the insult of the botched proposal, remained civil during the dinner. Her father prattled on merrily about stuff and things, he kept asking if Bulma was my big sister, and he eyed ChiChi wearily.
"No, Sir, Bulma's just my, uh, friend," Young Me replies. Both Bulmas and ChiChi glare at Young Me. It was kind of funny. Young Me does not think it is that funny. He's a little squeamish under the cold gaze of two separate women for distinct reasons. Love is hard. Telling the truth before a crowd of narrowed eyes is hard. Friendships are hard.
"Tell ChiChi that she did a good job today," I direct myself, guilty, earnest. He says so; ChiChi smiles.
"Thanks… you too. And thank you, Bulma, for staying here and taking care of things for me." She says, a little stiffly, but she got it out. ChiChi's back is straight and she's hardly eating. Her face is a little pale.
I know this part of the dinner, except I briefly feel the weight of my own memory from a long time ago resurfacing. The last time I had this dinner, I smiled up at her and I thought she was beautiful. This was the part of the dinner where we announced our wedding the first time around. We married the following day. But this time, there is no happy note for the dinner to end on, and everything feels uncomfortable.
Silence. Even the Ox King has stopped trying to force conversation. I sense that my younger self longs for the adventurous part of the day to repeat. He hates being stuck in that chair.
"You must stay the night." ChiChi says, "We'll have two rooms prepared." Plates are gathered, and Chi's dad took off, presumably hoping we could work this all out amongst ourselves. He's grateful to me and also very annoyed with me. I don't blame him.
We tried to refuse, she insisted.
My Bulma looks at me, "I'm exhausted. I'm going to follow… me."
"We don't have to stay here. We can just let ourselves autoplay and, you know, skip ahead. We can go to when we meet Vegeta, if you want?" It'd be the first time we separated since… since this all happened. I'm a little worried. Time alone equals time to feel guilty.
"What, so we can end up together? What about Gohan, Goku?" Bulma folded her arms over her chest. ChiChi began escorting her younger counterpart down the hall. "Why don't you take a minute, I want to be alone. Not with you, not with Vegeta, not with anyone but myself." She scoffed, shaking her head as if this is really very absurd (it's not), and added, "Even though I don't get to just tell myself what to do."
Young Bulma gave Young Me a lingering glance before leaving. Chi watched us sharply but again said nothing.
Then, I was alone in the hallway. I examined my younger self, who was pretty busy examining the lavish house in which ChiChi grew up.
The low voice of the Dragon appeared from nowhere: "If you want them to be born, they must be conceived."
I turned around, "What?" The Dragon's eyes flash. He looks like smoke wafting just over my shoulder.
"Your son Gohan must be conceived tomorrow night."
"Tomorrow?"
"That is when his soul passes through her. Your son, Gohan, must be conceived tomorrow evening."
What? Why? I roll my eyes, shaking my head, "Is there a specific time we're supposed to have been, uh, done, by?" I say, as sarcastically as I can. The Dragon does not care about my sarcasm.
He's hovering next to me, patient. I sigh. "What if… what if I'm with Bulma tomorrow?" This is all I have, maybe we can… maybe he's still my son, maybe time works in other ways-
The Dragon shook its head, "Gohan is your son with ChiChi."
My heart sinks.
The Dragon hesitated for another moment, and then, "If you do not, at least, conceive the child, they will come for you."
"Who are 'they'?"
"Vegeta and Piccolo. I feel his anger. They are waiting, planning. If your son is not conceived tomorrow evening, he will disappear from your timeline. If he disappears, they will come for you. He will come for you, Piccolo, for Gohan. And he will bring Vegeta, who will come for his wife."
"How can they do that?" I ask, quickening my pace as I trace circles in the carpet that no one else can see.
"They will travel to Namek. You will have some time, but when they arrive I cannot prevent them from journeying into the fresh timeline if it is their wish to be here. I can only prevent them from pulling you out or altering your mindset." The Dragon nods solemnly, waiting for me to respond.
"Why are you helping me? You've never… been like this before." We have used the Dragon for years, sometimes to try to change the fate of the universe. Never before has it supplied information of its own accord.
"You have saved us all, we are indebted to you. We must honor your wishes, and still preserve the saviors of this world. You may have another wife, but the first-born boys Gohan and Trunks must be conceived. Heed this warning, and choose your actions over the next day carefully."
"So… if I want to live in this timeline, I have to… I still have to have sex with ChiChi and get her pregnant with Gohan, and she still has to have sex with Vegeta, and become pregnant with Trunks?"
"It must be so."
"And Goten? And Bura? I can't have children with Bulma? Vegeta can't have another wife to have his children with?"
The Dragon paused.
"Well?"
"The saviors of humanity must be preserved. This is about more than you."
I feel exasperated, even with the help: "What does that even mean?"
The Dragon disappears with a quick flash, like a small pop of light. ChiChi stands at the top of the steps, telling me that they've finally finished preparing my bedroom. Young Me follows her upstairs dutifully, and we pass through a few corridors in silence.
"I didn't say anything, to your uh, girlfriend," she coughed, "just so that you know." ChiChi straightened to look over at me, so young and self-conscious.
"What? No, ChiChi, c'mon, Bulma's not my, uh, girlfriend."
"That's not what she thinks." ChiChi said, turning around with an accusatory eye. I flinch, Young Me flinches. The rage is unmistakable. "How could you! You just go around flexing your muscles and breaking everyone's heart, don't you? You know Bulma seems sort of like a…a spoiled city girl, or something, but she's still a person, you know! Proposing to me, telling her you're her boyfriend! Goku, the nerve!"
I need to deflect.
"Tell her there's a misunderstanding. Tell her you're… tell her you're... "
If I don't sleep with ChiChi tomorrow night, Gohan won't be born.
Young Me is hesitating with his hands up in defeat. He's stuttering something about how Bulma's, yes, a girl, and yes, his friend, but and he's never really had a real girlfriend, "so it's all really a lot confusing for me right now, I really hope you forgive me for… everything!"
She softens. She reaches what's to be my room, opens the door, and stands politely outside. "Well. Make yourself at home. I hope we can… I hope we can be friends again, some day."
"Even though I hurt you so much?" I ask, meaning well.
ChiChi leans against the door and looks at me with a tired face, one that hurts because it looks so much like the one I've come home to so many times. "You… told me years ago that you were going to be my husband. I thought we were betrothed. I mean, I didn't, I wasn't so naive that after a while when you said nothing and you never came back that maybe, but when I saw you at the Budokai, I thought that surely you must remember such a promise? Surely I must have meant… something… to you?"
She's uneasy. She's lacing and unlacing her fingers. She sighs, shoulders drooped in resignation, "Or not…"
Her words drop softly on the floor.
ChiChi's eyes are the color of cocoa. She used to make me and Gohan warm cocoa when it would get snowy in the mountains.
I swallow.
There are choices, strong, hard choices to be made here. She's already making her way to her room. It's like I blinked and she was almost gone.
"Tell her something, say something, now!" I say, waving my hand infront of my younger self.
"ChiChi, wait!" Young Me calls out, frowning and somewhat desperate.
She stops. I take a few steps towards her.
"Ask her… ask her to come be with you tomorrow night."
Young Me pauses, frowning.
"Goku… are you alright?" ChiChi asks, still concerned despite her pain.
Young Me blinks, "Sure, I just thought I-" Stop scratching your head! Listen to me!
"Ask her to be with you tomorrow night! You've got to!"
ChiChi cocks her head to the side, inspecting the confused look on my young counterpart's face. "What's wrong, Goku?"
"I just…" Young Me starts.
I've got to try this again, waving my hands emphatically in front of my face, "Ask her to be with you tomorrow night; we need to ask her to be with us!"
"I just need you…"
"Goku?"
Shock.
"I need you to come be with me." He says, frowning, "To be… with us?"
ChiChi repeats: "Us?"
I pause. He needs to hear this one loud and clear: "Tomorrow night. Tell her to come to your room tomorrow night."
"Maybe you could… come back tomorrow night."
Uncomfortable. Confused. Stunned.
"Goku, I thought… but you're with Bulma, she said?"
"I don't know why Bulma told you that." Young Me says, with honesty.
That was all it took; ChiChi nearly leapt into my arms. "You're… going to take me on a date tomorrow, then, Goku?"
ChiChi was so beautiful and trusting and wholesome in that moment. I could see it on her face, and I could sense that my younger self didn't really understand what was happening.
"Tell her…" Tell her what? "Ask her to come into your room tomorrow night after dinner."
Young Me smiled, almost relaxed, "Why don't you just come back here tomorrow night, after dinner?"
"...To… be with you?"
"Yeah, of course." He says, smiling.
She gets it; he doesn't.
She's chewing her lip.
"I don't know, Goku, I don't… that seems highly... "
"What?"
"...immodest…"
"Why?"
ChiChi turns scarlet. "I… I have to go to bed now. It's very late."
Her voice was almost mechanical, but Young Me seemed glad enough for the reprieve.
(Third Planet)
Young Me's snoring in Chi's guest suite. You know, it's sort of funny that ChiChi referred to Bulma as spoiled because the only difference between their upbringing is location: ChiChi was the wealthy 'princess' of a small village and Bulma was the wealthy daughter of a scientist-turned-businessman.
Both take after their dads, actually: ChiChi was an amazing fighter. She's the one who trained Goten, skillfully, to be a Super Saiya-Jin. She nearly beat me in the ring when I met her again that day at the Budokai, if for no other reason than because of the rush of emotions that she carries along in her heart. She was supposed to be my wife.
Bulma's smart and savvy. Her upper body strength could use some work, and she's sort of slow, but without her we wouldn't be where we are. Especially Vegeta. Without Bulma around to create little gadgets for him to train with, he'd be nowhere.
There's a huge bed, couch, and washroom. There's a small niche with a table by a set of windows, prepared in case of an inevitable midnight snack. Young Me already ate through most of it. Everything is elegantly dressed in an old-world sort of way, whereas Bulma's mansion favored clean lines and modern fashions.
I feel so unsettled, and only barely being able to communicate with myself doesn't help. Look at him there, not even worried, he doesn't even care about what could happen if tomorrow doesn't… go well.
"Why can't I just have Gohan with Bulma?" I run my hands through my hair, shaking my head. I loved ChiChi, but I don't think I can do this. I would be… I would be ruining a lot of lives, and how would that be preserving the 'saviors' or whatever?
I let out of a deep breath, "Or at least… I need her to… I need her to want to sleep with me, without getting married."
A knock at the door.
Oh, no. I didn't mean tonight. It has to be tomorrow night, right? There's a lump in my throat. I asked her to come tomorrow night. Tomorrow night.
She knocks again, this time more quietly. Young Me is roused, and I can nearly feel the metal of the doorknob under his hand, preparing to say something to ChiChi.
It's late, after three. No one should really be out and about at this hour, anyway. I open the door right as she's apparently making another rap, and this time Bulma finds her fist thumping against my chest.
My Bulma stands like a shadow behind her younger doppleganger. "I told her not to come, mine doesn't listen to me like yours does." Her tone is flat, she is so, so disappointed with herself.
Young Bulma's eyes are big and round and she's quick to grab my hands. I twitch. I can feel it. You. Her. "Can I come in?" She's in her night robe and bunny slippers. Her hair is wet and still warm from the shower she must've taken.
"Sure," I say, and she's sitting on the bed in an instant. "Everything okay, Bulma?"
She's playing with her hair, "I, uh, I told ChiChi something when she took me to my room."
My Bulma scoffed and rolled her eyes. She's all dramatic, rubbing her forehead. I'm grinning at both of them, the young and the older, "So, you tried to keep yourself from me?"
"Screw you, Goku." Bulma counters, hands on her hips.
"Looks like I'm about to."
She swallows at my grin and looks back over at herself. The skin on her cheeks is flushed. I move closer to her and she looks away.
We turn our attention to our younger selves. I've just asked Bulma what's that, because I haven't already figured out the thing to which she's going to confess, or what's about to happen.
Young Bulma's a little uncomfortable before she blurts out: "ItoldChiChithatyouandIaredating."
I grin.
Bulma is so, so red. Both of them.
"Why'd you say that?"
Idiot.
"Because I…" Bulma's scratching her arm. She's trying to find the words.
"Because you're a horrible homewrecker, apparently!" My Bulma hissed at herself. She sits next to them on the bed, but they pay her no mind.
I look at myself. I really look at him, and try to sense his confusion and hesitation. ChiChi. Bulma. Girls. Feelings. "Tell her it's okay."
"Aw, I guess it doesn't matter anyway, Bulma." Young Me says, shrugging it off. "It's okay."
"Goku, I told her that because…" Bulma turns again. "I couldn't stand to watch her… bully you into... "
Here we go.
"...marrying her, or something weird like that."
"But why'd you tell her we were dating, then, Bulma?"
She flushes. My Bulma scoffs, again.
"So hard on yourself," I remark.
Combative as ever, she replies: "Don't talk to me until we're back in our own timeline."
I'm a little stung and I can't help but feel better when Young Bulma turns and points her chest at mine and says, delicately, "I thought if she thinks we're together, she'll stop coming onto you so hard."
Honest as ever, Young Me can only think to say, "But she didn't come on to me. And I already told everyone at dinner that you're just my friend."
My Bulma snorts.
I sigh. I've got to take over this operation. I can't… get with Bulma and ChiChi at the same time, but I should still be with ChiChi tomorrow night. But I can't let Bulma think I don't like her back.
I feel like a twenty-year-old, trying to figure this out.
"Yeah… I, uh," Young Bulma's seeking an explanation. "I thought that maybe we could…" Our faces are so close. Our eyes meet. Thump thump thump, that's my heart.
Young Bulma's stopped trying to communicate. She leans forward, and her lips are on mine. Her hands are already dancing along my shoulders, up and down my back.
Your heart, it feels good.
"I wish we could be there right now, so we can feel that," I remark, absently, looking over at my Bulma.
"Impulse kisses are so twenty years ago." Bulma responded curtly, crossing her arms over her chest, until something in catches the corner of her eye and she looks up, shaking her head, "Goku, did you just say you… wish--"
The Eternal Dragon's face appears from a carving of a dragon in one of the painted wooden pillars.
Another pop of light, and there we are, lost in each other's eyes, confused, tangled, in love.
-GB
