I was wrong, so very wrong. It took longer for me to complete this chapter than it did for any other I've worked on. If you're wondering why, it's because I just got a new job that took over a month to train for. That, on top of school, limited the amount of time and energy I could devote to actually writing. So I would like to apologize and thank everyone who's been waiting for this update. You all rock.
With that out of the way, enjoy!
Chapter: 4
The Capsule Corp building was easily recognizable by everyone who lived in West City. It's size and logo being some of the few things that gave it away. However, in recent years, the addition of a spherical ship sitting on its yard had confused people at first especially since it never seemed to go anywhere, unaware that its purpose wasn't for travel, but training instead.
And two full-blooded Saiyans were taking full advantage of gravity chamber at this very moment.
"So, yours grew back around the same time, huh?" Goku asked as he threw a punch at his sparring partner.
"About a week ago, so yes." Vegeta responded, blocking the hit while responding with a kick.
"Huh," The Earth-raised Saiyan back-flipped away to dodge and dashed back to reengage the man. "Any idea why?"
"I would be lying if I said I did, but at the very least a guess could be made. The purpose of a Saiyan tail was to allow us to grow stronger with the use of a full moon, transforming into a Great Ape to grow ten times stronger."
"Right. What does that have to do with anything?"
Vegeta huffed, spun around, and nailed Goku in the chest with a spin kick that sent the other Saiyan into the wall. "Let me finish Kakarot. At some point, we simply grew strong enough where our bodies decided a tail wasn't needed anymore, or some magic was used if I'm remembering your situation correctly. However, when that Android used that machine to weaken us, we were in a state of powerlessness unlike any beforehand."
The Prince crossed his arms to block another strike from his opponent and stepped back to avoid the follow-up to the assault. "If I had to guess, we ended up weakening so much that our bodies decided to regrow our tails to make up for the loss in power."
"Really?" Goku questioned as he side-stepped a drop kick and retaliated with an elbow to Vegeta's side. "I'm not sure that makes any sense."
"Alright then, what's your brilliant explanation for how we regrew our tails?"
Vegeta had him there, and all the earth-raised Saiyan could do was shrug as the two resumed their training.
Elsewhere, within a rather plain looking house, a certain Android sat with another Android while the husband to one of those Android's played with his daughter outside.
"Never really took you for the camping type, especially since all you wore was that lab coat the first time we met."
21, wearing a plain T-shirt with a pair of jeans to match, chuckled at 18's statement, a cup of coffee held in both hands. "Yeah, well, they insisted I come along to join them. Chichi wasn't going to take no for an answer now that I think about it, but it ended up being a lot of fun. You and Krillin should take your daughter out on a trip some time, especially since you have a brother who's a park ranger."
The blond android blew away a strand of hair that really wasn't out of place, refusing to maintain eye contact with her friend when she said her next said words. "As much as I love my brother, camping isn't something I want to get my family into, and there's the fact he's watching an area we wouldn't be allowed to stay in…"
"You wouldn't?" 21 asked, surprised at that. "Is it some kind of preservation area?"
"Not actually sure myself." 18 admitted while taking a sip of her drink. "He just told me a while back that no one else but the staff and their families are allowed at the area he's watching. Supposedly it will eventually just be his family watching the entire island, not really surprising since there isn't a single poacher who could get away if 17 is after them."
"Makes me want to see it even more." The curly-haired android drank from her own cup and decided to shift the conversation. "Anyway, how's Krillin adjusting to working as a police officer?"
18 actually smirked at the question. "Quite well, so much so that it makes me think he could have become an actor if he put his mind too it."
"Really?" 21 questioned, eyebrows raised in surprise.
"Yeah. He has to pretend to be like a regular human who is incapable of flight, unable to blow away mountains with pure energy, and weak enough where punching an entire building wouldn't reduce it to rubble. I know suppressing energy isn't anything knew, but I don't think anyone is as skilled at it as Krillin. And admittedly, his awkward personality makes it easier for him to blend in with people."
"Why'd he do it anyway?" the other android continued with her questions, realizing she didn't actually know the reason behind the decision.
At that though, the blond lost a little bit of the happiness in her eyes. "He said it was so he could finally provide for us on his own instead of living off of Bulma's and Roshi's generosity, and while I'm sure that's true, I think it's because he wants to give up martial arts."
21 spat out her drink at that, and unfortunately, 18 was on the receiving end of that impromptu shower. Hand now raised over her mouth with a horrified look to match, the brunette stammered out an apology as her friend slowly wiped away the liquid from her face.
"I'll be sure not to give you any kind of drink next time we decide to talk." With that, the woman stood up and made her way over towards the kitchen to grab herself a towel and wipe away the coffee. "Although, that was pretty much what my reaction was when Krillin told me what he was going to do."
"Okay then, but why do you think he's doing this to give up martial arts?" the hybrid tried to get back on track despite the fact her cheeks were dusted pink from embarrassment.
18 sighed as she placed the towel down, refusing to meet 21's eyes. "I think it's something he's been thinking about for years now, but the short story is that he doesn't think he's relevant anymore."
The only response the blond received from that was a slight narrowing of blue eyes, confusion evident in the gaze.
"Excluding Tien and Yamcha, he's the weakest one in the group and has been for a very long time. He told me the last opponent he was able to face off on his own was something called a Saibamen?"
21 shrugged, vaguely remembering the word appearing in the databanks, but it was listed underneath as low-priority information.
"After that," 18 continued once it became apparent neither of them really knew what that was, "he basically became a punching bag for anyone and everyone they faced off against. Only able to distract them at best. He was fine with that, told me it was something to be proud of in-fact, but after Cell gained his Perfect form, it finally clicked that facing off against these kind of opponents wasn't going to do any good."
"And I can only imagine how much that idea was reinforced when the likes of Majin Buu and myself came along." 21 realized with a downcast look.
"I never trained a day in my life, and I'm several times stronger then my husband." 18 allowed the moment to stretch on to give her friend time to process that fact. "There was someone out there capable of making beings who could render a lifetime of work meaningless. Facts like that made Krillin question what he was doing with his life."
And I'm one of those beings.
It was almost heartbreaking to realize that the two of them might have contributed to Krillin, and maybe even some of the other humans in the group, that their time had passed as valid defenders. By no means were any of them weak, it was just that everyone else was that much stronger. Even Piccolo seemed to struggle to keep up with the likes of the Saiyans or Saiyan hybrids, and he had been one of the greatest threats on the planet at one point.
"Have you talked to him about it?"
18 shook her head. "How am I supposed to bring something like that up? Besides, what will I do if he tries to pretend everything's alright, force the answer out of him? I love the man dearly, but that doesn't mean I'll stand around pretending there isn't some merit to these thoughts."
"That's fair… I guess." 21 relented, knowing it wasn't her place to handle something like that. The conversation lulled for a bit as the two women struggled to think of something to change the subject properly, and thankfully, 18 came up with just the thing.
"You know, you never did explain why you decided to stay at Goku's place. Could've gone anywhere you wanted, stayed with whoever you wanted, and you pick the one person who lives out in the wilderness. Why?"
"Because…" the woman trailed off as she found herself struggling to remember the exact reason for doing so and ended up thinking of two different answers. She decided to use both of them. "He lived somewhere quiet. After everything, my head wouldn't stop thinking up things that scared me to no end, and I just needed to stay somewhere that was far removed from just about everything to help clear my mind."
"So, pretty much a vacation." 18 summarized, gesturing for her to continue.
"Pretty much, but more than that, he's someone I can trust to realize when something's off." 21 saw the slight confusion on her friend's face and decided to elaborate. "Despite the fact we literally killed my evil half, I'm still worried the hunger is going to come back without me realizing it, and I think Goku would notice it before anyone else could."
"…oh…" because what else could the blond android say to that? 21 was simultaneously taking a vacation and a psych evaluation at the same time. "Goku doesn't know about that second part, does he?"
21 shook her head in response.
18 set her now empty cup down with a frown and suddenly let out a snort. "I really need to work on my small talk, I just ended up changing one gloomy topic to another."
"Yeah…" 21 agreed, smiling as the mood became far less solemn with such a simple sentence.
"Got any ideas?" 18 asked, looking for some advice.
The brown-haired woman raised a brow at the question. "You're asking me for small talk advice? I think you'd have better luck asking Chichi, she's an expert on things like this."
The Android groaned as she lowered her head into her hands. "Great…"
Well this is an… odd sight. 21 raised an eyebrow as she floated down onto the grassy backyard of Hercule's house. Although, house wasn't the right word to describe the building before her, belonging to the World's champion and savior, even though that last title was a semi-lie. But huge mansion aside, it was the fact Gohan was lying prone on the ground with Piccolo, who's embarrassment was showing by the twitch of his brow, holding onto the young man's tail, tugging on it with a good amount of force.
"Uh… what's going on here?" the Android asked as she approached the duo, watching as Gohan's body seemed to tense up, even more than it already was that is, while the green man himself merely turned to look at her with the perpetual scowl never leaving his face.
"We're trying to get rid of this tail." Piccolo answered quickly, giving a light grunt as he applied even more force into his efforts. "Unfortunately, it's proving to be much harder to do than when he was a kid."
"You're telling me!" Gohan attempted to yell, his voice slightly muffled as it was partially pressed into the ground when the Namekian planted a boot on his back to aid in the tail removal process. "He's been trying this for thirty minutes!"
A low growl emitted from Piccolo as he tightened his grip, getting a pained groan in response.
"I would appreciate it if you didn't hurt my fiancée." Another voice scolded, turning out to be Videl as she walked out onto the yard with a look fierce enough to make even Piccolo turn away and loosen his hold just enough to get a relieved sigh from the half-Saiyan. "Thank you."
"Why not just cut it off?" 21 suggested, her face conveying just how stupid she thought this idea was.
"Because I thought this would be quicker!" The Namekian explained, another tug on the tail proved just how wrong he had been. "Not to mention the fact I wouldn't be able to cut it all the way off, and I doubt Gohan would be fine with walking around with a stump of a tail."
"If we could avoid that, that would be great." Gohan drawled as his mentor, who had finally given up trying to remove the pesky extra appendage, stepped back and crossed his arms. The young man stood up while letting out another groan, the entirety of his body sore from the endeavor despite not actually doing anything.
Videl let out a chuckle as she approached the man she loves, placing both of her hands on either side of his face. "You know you don't have to get rid of it if you don't to."
"I know," Gohan reached up and covered his fiancée's hands with his own, giving the woman a tender smile that made 21 look away with a slight blush, "but I want to."
The Android was desperately trying not to make a noise at how touching this scene was.
Piccolo was the one who decided to interrupt the moment by letting out a cough that startled the happy couple away from each other. "Regardless on if you want to get rid of it or not, neither of us can do that by brute force without risking tearing out your entire spine in the process."
The half-Saiyan paled at the thought, and Videl was suddenly holding his hand with a vice-like grip.
"So, we'll have to find someway to cut it off cleanly like 21 suggested, but I'm not sure how to do that just yet."
"We could ask Bulma." 21 contributed, catching every one's attention. "It shouldn't be too difficult for her to modify a small laser to do something as simple as cut off a tail, plus, it should cauterize the wound and prevent it from growing back again."
Piccolo looked the most doubtful out of all of them. "It can't be as simple as that."
He had been wrong, oh so very wrong.
"Oh yeah, shouldn't be too difficult for me to do."
The Namekian let out a quiet grunt when the Android who suggested the idea gave him a teasing smirk, responding by turning around to look at nothing in particular.
Gohan gave the blue-haired scientist a look of both relief and gratitude. "Thanks Bulma, this means a lot to me."
"Ah don't worry about it," she waved off his gratitude with a smile, "it's the least I can do to help you out. But you'll have to give me a day or two to get the equipment ready." The woman turned around to begin typing away on her computer, possibly looking up what she would need for the procedure. "I'll give you a call once its complete."
Bulma then glanced over at Vegeta, the Prince was casually leaning against the wall off in the distance with a frown, not like that was anything new, talking with Goku about something. "Hey Vegeta, want to get your tail removed too?"
"Like hell I do!" He shouted, amazing a few of the people in the room with how quick his full attention went from one person to another.
"Don't you yell at me! It was an honest question!"
Most of the occupants in the room collectively rolled their eyes at the familiar scene before them, with Trunks letting out a small groan as he covered his face with both hands.
"Well, if that's everything, then we should probably head home." Gohan suddenly said, his tone conveying the trepidation just about everyone was feeling right now.
"You do have that paper to work on…" Videl added, grabbing hold of the young man's hand before the two of them left using the fastest walk 21 had ever seen.
Piccolo merely let out one more grunt as he left the area as well.
The Android would have prepared to leave as well, but a slight nudge from Goku brought her attention to him, where she saw the Saiyan with two fingers placed on his forehead, giving her a look she recognized as an invitation. Nodding in silent agreement, the woman placed her arm on his, and the scene changed from a yelling couple to the peaceful view of the Son family household.
"Well that became far more dramatic than I was expecting." 21 let out a breath as the tension left her body. "Is that normal for them?"
Goku surprised her by actually nodding. "Oh yeah, but they usually make-out and get over it pretty quickly."
The Android let out a cough to hide the fact she was about to laugh and gave the Saiyan an amused look. "I think you mean make-up, Goku."
He scratched his head at that. "Oh yeah…"
It was in the middle of the night on the same day that 21 found herself waking up for no particular reason that she could think of. Rubbing her eyes and groggily looking towards the digital alarm clock on her nightstand, the woman groaned and buried her head when she saw it was only one in the morning.
Might as well get something to drink, she reasoned, wishing to quench the dryness in her mouth before trying to slip back into dreamworld. Slipping off the covers and standing up while letting out a big yawn, 21 left her room and began dragging her feet towards the kitchen.
Attempting to rub the sleep out of eyes, the android found herself squinting when a bright light from around the corner suddenly registered in her brain. Strange, 21 thought as her brain slowly came to life with the additional stimulus, I don't remember anyone leaving a light on when we went to bed.
Her question was answered immediately when she saw Chichi sitting at the kitchen table with a stack of papers around her and an empty cup just within reach. The mother was tired, it was easy to see with the way her eyes were drooping, but she continued to look over the piece of paper in-front of her with great focus.
"Chichi?" 21 quietly asked, trying to get her attention without startling the woman.
It must have worked since she immediately looked up and gave her an exhausted smile. "Hey. What are you doing up so late?"
"Getting a glass of water," the Android explained, stepping around the table to do as such, turning back with clear confusion on her face as she glanced over towards all the papers. "What about you?"
"What aren't I doing," Chichi groaned, allowing her head to fall onto her arms. "Looking over Goten's books so I can help him study next week, making lists for all the supplies we're going to need the next time we head to the market, looking over the various bills-"
"Bills?" 21 asked, frowning at the way the housewife immediately tensed up. "I… didn't think you had any."
Chichi didn't respond right away. The Android was about to ask her what was going on, but the woman responded before that happened by sliding over some of the papers. 21 picked them up with some trepidation and began looking over the numbers with ever-raising eyebrows until she finally lowered the paper and expressed her shock with a single word.
"How?" How could they be this high? How could there be this many. How could you afford it?
Chichi heard all those unasked questions and let out a hollow chuckle in response. "It's the price I pay for marrying a Saiyan." She didn't sound bitter, which 21 took as a good sign, but her tone did hold hints of resignation. "And for raising two kids without either parent having a steady job."
"No kidding." 21 said as she looked over the information with a shake of her head. "I'm sorry if I sound pushy, but how have you been able to afford all of this?"
"I'm a Princess." The woman shrugged, and that did answer the question, but she continued. "The amount of money I have access to is nothing to laugh at, but I didn't want to live off of my father's wealth to pay for my own children."
"I wouldn't either, but it's not like you're in a favorable situation… and I'm not helping either." She realized with a deep frown, only for her eyes to go wide when she saw the look Chichi gave her.
"Don't do that to yourself, I wouldn't have allowed you to stay here with us if money was all I cared about." The woman reached out and took back the paper 21 had been holding, placing it on top of another stack while reaching out to open a text book. She paused when the Android took a seat across from her and took the school book for herself. "What are you doing?"
21 smiled. "Helping. If you won't let me feel bad about this, then the least I can do is help you out so not everything is on your shoulders to bear. What page does his lesson start at?"
Chichi visibly sagged with relief at the offer. "There's a bookmark on the top. That chapter and the next one are what he needs to review tomorrow." Then, whispered so quietly that the Android almost thought she imagined it, Chichi expressed her gratitude in just a few words.
"Thank you."
"Your welcome." And then the book was open, and the two spent the next hour in comfortable silence before the Android forced her friend to get some sleep, claiming everything else could wait until she was well rested. The housewife reluctantly agreed, disappearing into her shared room with a yawn while leaving 21 alone to clean up the small mess.
She didn't mind doing so, and the following weeks were spent adjusting to the new system the two women agreed to try out, making little changes along the way until a certain problem was pointed out by 21 during one of their nightly sessions.
"Goten doesn't enjoy studying." The Android muttered, her head in her hands as Chichi looked up from her work with sympathy shining through tired eyes. It had been a problem when the housewife tried to teach the youngest son and it seemed to be plaguing her houseguest as well.
"Yes, it seems like he takes after his father in more than just looks." Chichi agreed, reaching over to nudge the cup of coffee closer towards 21, silently encouraging her that she needed the extra energy. "I'll probably change his hairstyle this year when I switch out his clothes…"
The brown liquid needed more sugar in it to be good in 21's opinion, but the bitter taste did help jolt her into a more awake state. It did cause her to miss the last bit of the Princess's sentence. "Right… about that…"
It was the way Chichi's eyes zeroed in on her, with far too much intensity for a regular human to have, that made the Android inwardly shudder as she powered on to finish her thought.
"I think we need to use Goku as incentive to get Goten to study more." When the intensity from the gaze faded to allow a bit of confusion in, 21 took that as a sign to continue. "He's part Saiyan, and as much as you don't want to admit it, he wants to train and fight alongside and against his father. So, maybe, we could allow Goten to do that after every study session?"
21 finished off with little more than a squeak as Chichi's gaze regained its intensity and somehow grew several levels in the process. The Android finally, finally, realized exactly why the men in the house tried their absolute best to avoid incurring the woman's wrath in anyway, shape, or form. Between having to be on the receiving end of that look or face off against her evil half without anyone assisting her like last time… well, 21 was more than willing to go another round against that monster.
But before 21 could head out to start gathering the dragon balls to do just that, Chichi bowed her head and visibly deflated. "As much as I hate to admit it, I know you're right."
A blink, then two, followed by a mouth opening as if to say something only to close immediately was all the former scientist could do as the woman before her actually agreed with the idea. No wait. All Chichi said was that she was right. "So…?" The question 21 was really asking was clear to hear. Even so, the housewife delayed the answer in favor of leaning her head all the way back on the chair so she was looking up towards the ceiling.
"You know how I feel about stuff like this…" Chichi started with a sigh that conveyed exhaustion that could only come from talking about the same thing over and over again. "I didn't want my kids to live a life where they would get into dangerous situations like their father did or worse, but despite my best efforts, they always ended up right in the middle of the fight."
"Gohan was kidnapped by his uncle, then kidnapped by his father's worst enemy and forced to train for an entire year, faced off against opponents and witnessed horrors no kid should ever have to go through. Once all that was over with, he decides to go to space to bring his comrades back to life, ends up facing against a galactic tyrant in the process, and only survives because his father discovers a power that was supposed to be from the stuff of legends. All that before he was even a teenager and he still managed to complete all his school work and find a wonderful woman to settle down with."
"He is quite the overachiever." 21 added, liking where this train of thought was going.
Chichi hummed in agreement while drumming her fingers along the table, her eyes partly scrunched up in thought. Finally, she nodded. "Fine – however…" she held up a hand, "we need to set some rules to make sure this doesn't get out of hand."
Frankly, 21 was just happy she agreed, and nodded with a big grin that made the other woman chuckle lightly.
"Alright," Chichi continued once her laughter was under complete control, "first thing's first, he can't train every day, I'm not going to let it become an obsession like it did for Goku. Second, you need to keep an eye on them when it's happening. Finally, and this one is the most important to me, if Goten says he's done then he's done. Ok?"
Those were fairly simple terms when all things were considered, and 21 would have to be a fool not to accept them. "Yeah!" the woman realized how loud her voice was and continued much more subdued. "Yeah, that's fine."
"Good, you can tell them about it tomorrow if you want." It was like she had swallowed a bitter pill after saying those words – understandable considering the subject of their conversation.
"Don't worry, I know this will work out for the better." 21 reassured, looking just as determined as Goku did when he was about to go into battle, so much so that Chichi actually saw a transparent image of her husband appear beside the Android with the exact same look for a brief moment, but that faded away as soon as she blinked, leaving her puzzled as to what just happened.
"Right, well, I think we should call it a night, there's a lot of new stuff to deal with tomorrow."
21 glanced over at the clock and briefly wondered how time had flew by so fast, before closing Goten's school book to help the other woman clean up the area. She did so with that smile still present on her face, excited to see what Goku's and Goten's reactions would be to the recent development.
Less than a week. That was how long it took for the results to start speaking for themselves. 21 felt unusually smug about it, but she wasn't going to say anything since the reason why Chichi never tried something like this was far from being unreasonable. However, the woman had always looked at things from a completely human perspective, never understanding that fighting was basically in her children's DNA thanks to Goku.
It was only because of her half of the genetics that the two of them were able to even focus on things that didn't include punching anything that looked strong.
Gohan pretty much contained the best aspects of both races with the human half tempering his Saiyan battle lust while the Saiyan bits strengthened his body far more than that of a regular humans. 21 suspected that perfect blend was the reason he had far more potential than the likes of Goku and Vegeta, and she was secretly glad the young man was starting to find a balance between his scholarly endeavors and training.
Maybe Goten didn't have that same potential, but that didn't mean he couldn't achieve greatness on his own, he already proved that in the camping spar when he not only performed a move from his fusion but ascended into Super Saiyan 2 as well.
Speaking of spars, the Android refocused on the battle overhead just in time to see the youngest of the Son family crash into the rocky ground a fair distance away from her, having no time to even ponder if he was alright before the signature blue beam the entire household shared erupted from the crater, surging towards Goku, his hair spiked upwards with a familiar golden glow, who fired off his own Kamehameha to counter.
21 held a hand over her eyes to block out the light that came from the two beams clashing. I hate to think it, but this is probably the most time they've ever spent together since the trip. The thought did make her frown slightly, her long hair blowing back wildly as the beam struggle ended with a large explosion.
Much like how Chichi had forced them to go on a camping trip – that everyone would have gone on regardless if the Princess had given them a choice or not – to help her sons bond with their father, 21 had suggested this idea not only so Goten would be more motivated in his studies, but to give a way to spend quality time with a man who doesn't know much else besides fighting. He had a lot of knowledge on the outdoors, more so than anyone else 21 suspected, but Goten probably wouldn't need something like that if he moved into the city like his older brother.
It was working too, and she couldn't help but think that was the happiest and saddest part about all of this.
Goten, clad in golden energy, flew out of the crater and crashed into Goku with a headbutt so powerful even 21 winced in sympathy even as the older man hunched over with spit flying out of his mouth. The young hybrid then unleashed a barrage of punches, finishing the assault with a straight punch to Goku's cheek, sending him flying away.
The two of them continued to clash over and over with neither seeming to have the upper hand, but the Android could tell the father was holding back against his son, and he didn't seem to care about that one bit if the focused grin on his face was any indicator. They eventually ascended into the Super Saiyan 2 form, and despite knowing she should tell them to take it easy and power down into the regular form, 21 also knew it would be better to let them continue without interruption.
You've all done so much for me, another clash between the two created winds so powerful that the woman had to hold some of the wavy locks back so they didn't blow into her face, a look of admiration directed solely to Goku as she continued her train of thought, and all I've done is take from you without providing anything in return.
21 clenched her free hand as she brought it up over her heart. So, if you won't let me repay you with money, then let me repay you by brining you all closer together. When I had nothing left you invited me into your family without a second thought, I can't just stand-by and watch all of you struggle to find someway to connect with one another.
Goku appeared behind his son using the Instant Transmission, bashing Goten away with a strong arm that moved so fast it actually broke the sound barrier in the process. His eyes turned ever-so-slightly so he was giving the Android a sideways glance, and the way his lips quirked upward in an appreciative smile, making 21 think he knew what she was trying to do for them, made the woman's heart soar with joy. The smile faded back into that confident smirk she was familiar with just as the man raised his arms in time to block a powerful kick from his son.
Moments like these made her realize just how much she cared about them: seeing the stress lines fade from Chichi's face over the past couple weeks, holding back a laugh at the way Goten flew up into the sky when she brought up how he would get to train with his father if he studied hard enough, the way Gohan and Videl welcomed her with open arms whenever she visited them with Chichi, and especially when she and Goku would lean on each other's backs after an especially tough spar and laugh at how great it felt to fight someone for fun.
She sucked in a deep breath and called out towards the two of them, it was almost dinner time, and they had been fighting for over an hour at this point. Chichi wouldn't be happy if they were late, and they wouldn't be happy if a meal was missed. The two men, panting from exhaustion, powered down and floated back to her, their grins so wide and contagious 21 found herself joining them as she walked over towards the duo, and she almost stopped when something amazing occurred.
Goku, in a display of fatherly love that she hadn't seen from him before, affectionately ruffled Goten's hair before moving that hand onto the younger son's shoulder, giving it a slight squeeze while looking down with a look that was positively bursting with pride.
Instead of smiling or laughing like he normally would have, Goten actually looked back up with slight shock that morphed into an expression of joy so pure 21 had to bring a hand up to cover her mouth to hold back the happy cry she would have let out while moisture gathered in the corner of her eyes. She managed to get herself under control by the time they turned back to her, partially because she had turned away so her back was facing them, and then gestured for the two males to place their hands on her shoulder or arm while raising two fingers to her forehead.
When they did so, 21 smiled, not because of the contact, but because they were already talking and praising one another like never before. Helping them was worth it. This moment proved that beyond a shadow of a doubt.
The Android slowly breathed out, and the three of them vanished from the area.
I would like to once again thank everyone who's reviewed, favorited, followed, or even viewed this story. I can't promise I'll be faster with the uploads, but I can promise that it will come eventually. Even if it takes years, which I hope it doesn't, I will finish this story.
In the mean time, have a wonderful day!
