One Thousand and One
Disclaimer – I do not own Dragon Ball in any way shape or form. All rights go to Akira Toriyama and associates. I make no money from this.
Chapter Three
It was evident that Chi-Chi's new husband still had much to adjust to the domestic life. His last two decades had been either living in the small makeshift temple with his grandfather, and then alone with a dragon ball, or gallivanting over the countryside with Bulma and company. It was no surprise to see, then, Goku's restlessness remaining in the one place for any long period of time, especially their house.
He loved to be outside – outside where the land went so far he couldn't even see it anymore. Chi-Chi didn't mind it, not that much. Marriage was all about compromise, wasn't it? So what Goku wasn't as domesticated as she had hoped he'd be – for half of his life he'd possessed a completely controllable tail and turned into a great monster when he'd looked at the moon. He wasn't exactly you're average man, and Chi-Chi could handle that.
The second day they'd lived at their house, she and Goku had taken nimbus for a fly mainly because Goku had looked so overwhelmed at everything that came with living with a 'girl'. When they'd lived at Master's it seemed they'd survived on the bare minimums, especially when Launch wasn't there. Minimums like protein bars, whole chickens, rice and whatever Goku pulled out of the ocean and roasted on a spit by the beach.
Speaking of spits, it had not taken her husband long to set himself up one and christen it the very same night with a giant boar, of which he'd most impressively devoured single-handedly.
On the afternoon when they'd arrived home from nimbus, they'd made love again on the rug on the floor of their lounge room. It had been sweet and passionate and it seemed that once Goku had a little practise, he was quite the skilled lover – albeit a little quick off the mark.
That night they'd gone to bed together in their fully furnished room exhausted but utterly contented.
The following morning, the third day of their marriage, saw Chi-Chi out in the garden at around 9am, following making her husband a monstrous breakfast. Standing beside Chi-Chi was said husband, his hands stretched and behind his head as he watched, with bored eyes, his wife survey the land in front of them.
"What do you think we should plant?" she asked Goku. "Beans? Radishes? Pumpkins?"
Goku shrugged. "Whatever, Chi-Chi. I don't mind as long as I can eat it."
"Well, you can't eat it all," she reminded poignantly. "We have to sell some at the markets and try to make some money. We can't live of Daddy's money you know." Chi-Chi surveyed the land again, bending down to pick at the soil. "Maybe we should plant some radishes. Although pumpkins sell well at market. I could make a pumpkin patch by the house to fertilise the soil for some fruit trees…"
While his wife was deep in thought, Goku sighed and looked to the sky. It was blue and cloudless; the perfect conditions for a fly across the country. His wife was still pottering around in the ground, muttering to herself and trying to decide what to plant. Frankly, he didn't mind what got planted there as long as he could eat it…
"I think that settles it," Chi-Chi finally announced, dusting off her apron and looking to the sun. "It's still early. We should head into the village, don't you think, Goku? The sooner we order the seeds the sooner we can start planning. I wonder if there's any rain forecast for the next few days…" she hummed to herself again and looking around and Goku went back to being bored.
"All right," she clapped her hands and looked to Goku. "Why don't we go to the village around near Fire Mountain? I know it's a little while away but it'd be nice to visit everyone for a little while and we need to get some more groceries…"
Goku nodded and said, "Yeah, sure, why not," before he looked to the skies and called, "Come to me, flying Nimbus!"
There was a delayed moment before a buzzing-putting sound hit their ears and the little yellow cloud popped into view, zipping along the skyline before stopping at its master's knee caps. Goku quickly climbed on and Chi-Chi settled herself into his lap, enjoying the feeling of her husband's warm chest against her back.
It did not take them long to land in the village around Fire Mountain, Nimbus putting right up to Ox King's doorstep and dropping them off. Chi-Chi's father greeted the two with warm arms, exclaiming,
"I did not think you would be back so soon!" he joked. "How is married life, daughter and son?"
"Fantastic, father," Chi-Chi beamed, looking to Goku. "I love him more with every day that passes."
Goku, a loss for what to say to that, simply shrugged a little and smiled.
"Do you want to come inside?" he asked.
Chi-Chi shook her head. "No, we're here to get some groceries. I'm going to start a garden by the house and want to get some supplies."
"Do you like the house?" her father asked.
Chi-Chi nodded. "We love it. Goku loves being so close to his grandfather."
Goku nodded. "Thank you very much, Ox King."
Ox King laughed. "You're both welcome – how can you be married without a place of your own, it was unbelievable. I'm glad it's going well for you both."
Chi-Chi smiled and grabbed her basket. "I'm going into the market, then. Are you coming, Goku?"
Never one to pass up a trip to the market, on account of market meant food, Goku tagged along saying goodbye to the old Ox King.
For a while they walked in silence among the moderately populated streets of the village. Goku walked with his hands in his pockets of his gi beside his young wife as she hummed a tune of contentment.
"You'll have to dig up those fields this afternoon."
Goku looked to Chi-Chi. "What about tomorrow? Krillin can help."
Chi-Chi thought about this for a moment. It would be good for her husband to have some company and Krillin could stay for lunch.
"All right," she agreed.
"We'll get it done in half the time."
"I'll have to cook extra lunch," she hummed. "You and Krillin each so much, it's like a competition."
"I always eat more," her husband pointed out.
That she could agree with.
The marketplace was packed and Chi-Chi tried to navigated while keeping her husband in tow. The problem about bringing Goku to places like this was that he got easily distracted. Despite the times he visited West City or went to a World Martial Arts tournament, he wasn't used to the crowds that were attracted to marketplaces. They were all in a rush, trying to get where they wanted to go and get the best deals. People came at him every which way and too many stalls offered him free samples.
Finally getting to a horticulturalist stand, Chi-Chi conversed with the shop seller before buying a few packets of vegetables and some saplings ready to plant by the house – pumpkins and potatoes and a few broccoli sprigs that would grow and feed them.
She went to find her husband after shopping and buying what she deemed to get them through the next few days – meats and vegetables, seeds and saplings, when Chi-Chi was distracted by high-pitched chanting across the marketplace near a small park.
'Peel a banana upside down,
See if you can touch the ground!"
Chi-Chi smiled, remembering the skip-rope rhyme as she approached the children skipping on the dirt near the marketplace. They were perhaps in their second year of school and the one in the middle successfully touched the ground and continued skipping the rope, the plastic spinning faster now.
"Hey lady!" on of the girls in the line called to her. "You're Miss Chi-Chi?"
The rope-holders and the skippers looked at her, and the skipper messed up making the rope hit her on the back of the thigh.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to distract you."
The skipper, failing, moved to the back of the line and the next girl went in the rope.
"I used to sing the same song when I was your age," Chi-Chi smiled.
"You skipped rope?" one of the girls smiled.
"Everyone skipped rope," Chi-Chi replied.
The girl at the start of the line pushed her forward. "When Eri messes up, you go in next, Miss Chi-Chi."
Chi-Chi stumbled forward and laughed. "No, no, I can't. My husband's waiting for me. Have fun, though, girls."
The girls nodded and went back to their skip rope as Chi-Chi left. The woman was set on finding her husband in the crowd of people. Wearing a bright jumpsuit and hair that stuck up to the high heavens, one would think Goku would be easy to spot in a crowd. One would be wrong.
Eventually, she found her husband by the fountain, sitting on the edge and watching, with great interest, a puppet show happening in the square. Many children were sitting in perfect rows to watch the two puppet's antics. Silently, Chi-Chi slid by her husband.
"Are you ready to go home?" he asked. "I can call Nimbus."
Chi-Chi shook her head. While her husband wasn't complaining about being hungry, she decided to savour the day with him.
"No, we can watch the end of the show."
"Oh great, it's really good," he smiled and looked back to the show, watching in rapt attention as one puppet hit another over the head with a great hammer.
Chi-Chi smiled and sat next to her husband on the edge of the fountain. Around her, children laughed and she was suddenly looking into the large, shining eyes of an infant, looking at her across his mother's back. The baby was not even six months old and sucking on his fist, with a spike of brown hair and beautiful eyes.
Chi-Chi felt her breath get caught in her throat as the baby looked at her. It didn't avert it's gaze, even when it's mother began to pat it gently on the throat. It looked like a little boy, but it was dressed entirely in white so it was hard to tell.
Who dresses a baby in white on a day like this? Chi-Chi thought sourly, imagining the stains.
Still, the infant continues to started at her. When at last, she made a funny fast and the baby broke out into a smile and a hiccup-like laugh, Chi-Chi's mind and heart was set.
She wanted one.
A baby.
Thank you to all those people who reviewed the last chapter. I am seriously overwhelmed on the response this story has evoked from the CC-G fandom, I didn't know there were that many lovers of the couple! It's fantastic!
I really hoped you enjoyed this chapter and sorry for the long wait. I do try to update twice a month, but it doesn't always happen.
Please take the time to review, my friends and see you soon!
~ Arlia'Devi
