A/N: IMPORTANT NOTE: Please read this or you'll be in for a rude awakening. First, of all, I'm sorry I haven't updated for so long! You guys must have thought I'd given up on the fic… Well, the good news is that I'm going to post three more chapters today…the bad news is that's all I'm going to post. And no, the story doesn't end there. It's just that something unexpected has come up and I won't be writing this story anymore. Please, don't ask me why and no flames. Sorry about that, but I'll just give you the last three chapters anyway. And I thank all my readers and reviewers! I'm sorry to end it so soon!
Chapter SevenLate that night, when everyone was asleep, Chi-Chi made her bed so that the pillows were arranged in a straight line. Then, she pulled the covers on top of them so it appeared as if someone was there sleeping. She placed her hands on her hips and surveyed her work. Chi-Chi nodded in approval—she wanted to make sure that anyone who came to check up on her at night would think that she was sound asleep in bed… She just hoped that no one would bother to look under the covers.
Chi-Chi shook off the thought. No, that's not a possibility, she told herself. There's no room for that kind of worrying.
After turning off the light, she went over to the window and opened it all the way. She stepped outside onto the narrow ledge and cautiously shut the window, careful not to lose her balance. Then, she jumped from the rooftop ledge and landed expertly on the grass floor below her.
Chi-Chi glanced back at the small pink house one last time, and contemplated her decision. Am I being too rash? She thought uncertainly … No! This is for Goku and my father— this is for the best.
However, her renewed determination was only brief, and once she caught a glimpse of the Nimbus cloud again, she held her breath. There's that fast little puff ball I said I'd never want to ride again. She smiled to herself in amusement. That all seemed like such a long time ago, but she remembered it well: screaming at the top of her lungs when the cloud took off and descended. But I have to do this…even without Goku…
Though apprehensive, she firmly approached the cloud and pulled herself onto its feathery surface.
"Okay, Nimbus, nice and steady," she instructed the cloud anxiously. She gripped its sides tightly, bracing herself for the full speed of its take-off.
The cloud let out a small giddy giggle before taking off at blazing speeds, completely ignoring Chi-Chi's orders.
Chi-Chi couldn't help but scream in terror. In no time, she soon found herself dangling over the edge of the cloud, which still continued to fly at top speed. "Could you slow it down?" she demanded fiercely.
Not surprisingly, Nimbus refused to listen, and Chi-Chi was forced to pull herself up onto the mischievous yellow cloud. "I told you not to go so fast!" she scolded it angrily.
She scowled, but then looked on in the distance sullenly. …Goku, I promise you, this is for the best…she told herself again.
The ride to the island took much longer than Chi-Chi had expected, and every so often, she nearly dozed off. Her eyelids grew heavy as the weight of sleep tried to engulf her. However, before she could allow herself to succumb to it, a white platform came into view on a large island down below.
Chi-Chi snapped awake. "That must be it!" she exclaimed to no one in particular. Wow. No kidding; he did build himself a ring—pretty tacky for such a huge fight, she thought half-heartedly. She turned her attention to the yellow cloud. "Okay, Nimbus, you know the drill," she prompted sternly, "I don't want to have to tell you again."
Yet just like the last time, the naughty cloud refused to obey her orders, and descended like a shooting star. It took all Chi-Chi had in her not to scream again in her efforts to have a quiet entrance.
In no time, the Nimbus cloud reached an abrupt stop at the platform. Chi-Chi quickly got off and glared at it, which made it scurry away in fright. There goes my one-way ticket off this island… She sighed, and then turned to face Cell, who stood perfectly still in the center of the ring with his arms crossed and eyes closed, as if he was asleep. However, Chi-Chi refused to let her guard down.
"Come on, you monster!" she cried furiously, "I know you're not asleep!"
Cell's eyes snapped wide open. An evil grin crossed his face.
At that moment, Chi-Chi instantly regretted her bold words. A part of her screamed: Get out of here! It's too dangerous! You're toast! Cell will kill you! Yet another part of her firmly told her: There's no backing out now. You came this far, and—win or lose—you will get the job done. Just think about all the awful things Cell has done. Do you want him wreak more havoc? No! He has to be stopped!
Cell studied her. "I remember you; you're that girl I nearly killed yesterday," he said, a taunting tone in his cold-heated voice. "Have you forgotten that my tournament is still nine days away?"
Chi-Chi narrowed her eyes. "No, I haven't," she replied bitterly. "In fact, I'm here for revenge…"
Cell seemed amused, "Oh, really? And what makes you think you can actually stop me?" He didn't allow her a chance to reply, "You know, I shouldn't be having any fun until the day of the tournament, but why waste a golden opportunity? I'm bored stiff." He got into a fighting stance. "Come at me."
Chi-Chi braced herself for a full-on attack. A confident grin etched across her face. "As you wish," she remarked, and then charged at him with full speed. "But you're gonna pay for what you did!"
A twisted smile played on Cell's face. "You are truly naïve."
…
The hour was almost midnight, and Goku—now back from the Hyperbolic Chamber—sat restlessly beside a motionless Chi-Chi's bedside, his head buried in his knees in despair. Every few seconds, he would glance up at her as if expecting—or rather, hoping to see her awake.
It had been two longs days since Goku had rescued Chi-Chi from Cell. In the nick of time, he'd finished his training and recognized her dramatically decreasing chi down on Earth as soon as he left the chamber. Using his Instant Transmission technique, he'd managed to save her just before Cell unleashed his finishing blow. And though he had to evade the ring, he had felt no regrets leaving Cell behind… the only thing that mattered to him now was if Chi-Chi was alive, but so far, she hadn't made a sound.
It's all my fault, Goku thought miserably. I shouldn't have left her… I should have been there to protect her…
Suddenly, Krillin came downstairs to check on the two. "Any luck yet?" he asked softly.
Goku glanced up at Krillin, and shook his head sadly. "Nothing," he replied faintly. He turned back towards Chi-Chi. "I can't believe it! I was only gone for a day to train, and this had to happen!" He hesitated, "… I told her I'd be all right…"
Krillin fell silent. "… I'm sorry, Goku," he said after a moment, "We had no idea she'd leave like that. But when we noticed her missing yesterday morning… we knew what she'd gone to do."
"But why, Krillin? Why'd she have to do it?" Goku asked, his once-big and cheery eyes now filled with pain. It was the question that haunted him the last two days.
Krillin shrugged. "Well, I guess… love does these things, you know?"
Goku looked up at his friend for a moment. "Love?" he repeated, bemused. "What's that?"
Krillin froze. Oh, great. How am I going to explain this one? He felt himself stiffen uncomfortably. "Um, let's just say love is when you really care about someone and you don't want anything bad to happen to them. But it's not just that. Love is much deeper than friendships… And when something bad actually does happen to them, you feel terrible inside, because you feel that it was your fault that you let them down." Memorizes of 18 suddenly flooded his mind, and he grimaced at the thought that he himself had let her down by allowing Cell to absorb her…
Goku gazed fondly at Chi-Chi. So that's what it is—love? Is that the feeling Chi-Chi has for me? Is that how I feel? It all started to sink in. No wonder she was so worried about me when I insisted on leaving—she didn't want anything bad to happen to me. And although he knew he heard her protests more than enough times to realize this, it didn't seem to make sense until now. It's because she loves me… The thought dawned over him, and for some reason, he felt a twinge of happiness inside.
"But it's not your fault, Goku," Krillin continued at last, drawing Goku away from his thoughts. "And don't you ever feel that way…" He lowered his voice. "But I have to be honest with you… It's been two days now. I… I don't think she's going to make it—"
Krillin's words struck Goku like a hammer. He felt a rush of anger build up inside him. "Don't even say that, okay? She's alive!" he insisted furiously.
Krillin backed away, stunned. "O-okay, Goku, old buddy," he said timidly, "Don't worry; I'll believe whatever you say!"
Goku sighed, trying to calm himself. "I… I'm sorry, Krillin," he apologized, "But this is really hard for me… I don't know what I'd do… if she…" He couldn't get himself to say it.
Krillin nodded sympathetically. "Well, just get some sleep soon, Goku," he advised, "It's what Chi-Chi would want." He turned to leave. After flipping the light switch, he walked upstairs.
After the door clicked shut, the room was completely silent.
She's alive, Goku told himself for the hundredth time. I just know it… However, with each passing second, he felt less and less sure of himself.
He gazed sadly at Chi-Chi, who still lay motionless in bed. Chi-Chi, please wake up. You have to… I don't know what I'd do without you…
Suddenly, he felt something warm and wet stream down his face. He wiped it away irritably. Tears? He couldn't believe it. When was the last time I cried? None came to his mind.
He took her cold hand in his. Soon enough, his eyes grew heavy as he finally cried himself to sleep.
Chi-Chi blinked her eyes open and gazed around. To her surprise, it was really difficult to move even her head; every turn she made was painful…
Somehow, she was back in Master Roshi's house in a small bed in the living room. Everything was quiet, and the whole room was bright. Chi-Chi glanced out the window and saw sunlight streaming in.
Her brow furrowed in confusion. Why am I back here? Where's Cell? She tried to think back: …The last thing I remember was challenging Cell at night. I charged at him, and the next thing I knew was… pitch black. It dawned over her what had happened, and she stared miserably at the ceiling. And to have thought I could take on Cell… She hesitated. No, I never really thought I could beat him in battle… I guess I just had some impossible hope that maybe I could stop him from hurting any more people—to stop him from hurting Goku—and to avenge what he'd taken from me… But who am I kidding? What was I thinking?
Suddenly, Chi-Chi felt a warm and gentle hand against hers. Ignoring the pain, she turned her head to the side to see who it was, and would have screamed if it weren't for her inability to let it escape from her lungs. For right there leaning from the bedside with his head face-down on the covers sound asleep, was a stranger Chi-Chi had never met before with spiky blond hair.
In fright, she pulled her hand away from the man's grasp. Then, mustering what little strength she had left, she tapped him on the shoulder.
He didn't wake up.
Chi-Chi tried again, but still received the same result.
Loosing her patience, Chi-Chi tried shaking him by the shoulders while yelling as loud as she could, "Hey, wake up!" However, the "yell" wasn't much louder than a husky whisper. She cleared her throat, surprised at how hoarse her voice sounded.
At last, the stranger stirred in his sleep. He lifted his head slowly, and then blinked his eyes. A relieved and joyous smile formed across his face. "Chi-Chi, you're awake!" he exclaimed fondly, "I'm so glad!"
Feeling hostile, Chi-Chi forced herself to sit up straight in bed, even though it sent pain up her every muscle. She backed away from him uncertainly. "H-how do you know my name?" she demanded, "Who are you? I've never seen you before in my entire life!" Suddenly, she felt a sharp pain coming from her arm, and winced in pain. Her other arm flew up to her injured one.
The man looked concerned. He quickly sat down on the bed, and reached out for Chi-Chi's injured arm.
Chi-Chi recoiled. "I don't need your help," she insisted tenaciously.
"What are you talking about? Come on, Chi-Chi," he urged gently, "Don't be so stubborn."
Chi-Chi glanced up at the man, and finally took in his features. Apart from his spiky blond hair, the stranger had sincere teal eyes and the most welcoming and friendly face Chi-Chi had ever seen… Even his orange clothes and voice resembled that of… A new thought suddenly occurred to her. She gazed at him quizzically. "Goku?" she asked hesitantly, yet hopefully. "Goku, is that you?"
The man glanced at her straight in the eyes. "Of course it's me!" he said with a smile. "Who'd you think I was?"
A wave of delight passed through her, "Oh, Goku! It is you!" Tears of joy welled up in her eyes, just like they had when he'd recovered from his injuries with Cell. She felt compelled to embrace him in a hug, but knew better than that right now. "But how? Your hair, your eyes—they're different!"
Goku stared at her blankly for a moment, and then let out a good-natured laugh. "Oh, that's right! How could I forget?" he smiled at his own naiveté. "When I trained in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber three days ago, I managed to remain in this Super Saiyan state. My goal is that perfecting this state will allow me to stay like this without it being so draining…"
Chi-Chi blinked twice in confusion, "Okay, um, yeah sure…" She recalled Bulma telling her about Saiyans, but Super Saiyans? Her mind was just getting used to what a regular Saiyan was!
"Anyway, did you say three days ago?" she blurted all of a sudden, "I was out for that long? Seriously?" She couldn't believe it. The whole thing just seemed like a day ago.
Goku nodded grimly, and then took a hold of Chi-Chi's injured arm. His gentle touch didn't even make her flinch in pain. He ripped a small portion of the blanket's corner and tied it around Chi-Chi's arm. "There, how's that?" he asked her, smiling a little.
Chi-Chi glanced down at the cast. "Thanks," she said, a bit surprised. How could someone like Goku actually know these things? After all, it was just last week that he knew nothing about manners and hygiene…
Goku's cheery face suddenly turned serious. "… Chi-Chi, I have to know, why did you do that? Why did you go to fight Cell?" Even though Krillin had told him the other night, he had to hear Chi-Chi say it for herself.
It took a moment for his words to actually sink in. Chi-Chi looked down at the bed. "I had to… for reasons you couldn't understand," she said forlornly.
"Why? Why wouldn't I understand?" Goku wanted to know. To her surprise, he sounded more concerned than angry to Chi-Chi.
This was the moment. This was the moment when Chi-Chi could finally tell him everything—everything that she had kept inside for so long… She glanced up at him suddenly with tears streaming down her face. "You're a Saiyan, Goku! All you live for is fighting! If you had it your way, you would fight to your death if it meant saving the world!" Her voice cracked. "B-but I… I couldn't stand it, Goku. You went away for so long so many times… I feared you'd never come back." She glanced up at Goku, who looked sympathetic, but didn't say anything.
"Then, you got hurt by Cell, and I feared the worst," Chi-Chi continued, "When you recovered and told me you were to resume your training, I wouldn't have it! I couldn't let you get hurt again, Goku! And I was afraid that Cell would actually kill you this time!" Overwhelmed by sorrow, she soon found herself leaning against Goku, crying into his shirt. She could tell that the moment was still fairly awkward for him, but he still held her close, which comforted her a little.
"So, I had to do it!" Chi-Chi sobbed. "I had to go and at least try to end my miseries by taking Cell out so he wouldn't cause any more destruction… any more pain…" Her voice trailed off. "I'm so sorry, but there was no other way… I-I love you, Goku…" The words seemed to have floated out of her mouth by themselves.
That word again—the word Krillin had just told him about yesterday. …So, Krillin was right, Goku thought. She does love me. The thought made him feel a strange elation, but he couldn't be distracted by that right now. Goku hugged her even more tightly, as if he was afraid of what would happen if he'd let go. "No, it's all my fault, Chi-Chi; I shouldn't have gone out so many times, and on such short notice, too," he apologized sincerely. "So, I'm the one who's sorry. But please… please just don't try to pull that kind of stunt off again. I was really worried."
Chi-Chi felt the full warmth of his embrace, and closed her eyes in contentment. "Don't worry," she reassured him, "I won't."
With Chi-Chi now safe in his arms, Goku felt like staying by her side forever. However, he knew he couldn't—at least, not yet; he still had business to take care of. He released his hold on Chi-Chi, and gently informed her, "Hey, I know how much you hate it when I leave, but I have to… just one last time. When I rescued you from Cell three days ago, I didn't have an opportunity to defeat him. But now I'll get the chance, after I do some more training. I just had to make sure you were all right first."
The thought felt comforting to Chi-Chi, but she still glanced up at him, her face impassive. Goku didn't know whether she resented his decision or permitted it. So, he continued, "I'll be fine, okay? Just trust me."
Chi-Chi recalled the previous week when Goku had said those same words when she was reluctant to ride on the Nimbus cloud: "Just trust me"… Somehow, at that moment, she felt reassured that everything would be all right.
"… I trust you," she replied after a moment.
Goku looked at her, surprised. "You do?" he asked in disbelief.
Chi-Chi nodded, and for once, she felt confident about her answer. "I want you to give it all you've got!" she exclaimed.
"Thanks, Chi-Chi," Goku answered, and then smiled a little. "I'll be back before you know it. And could you please tell the others about this when they wake up? I'm sort of in a hurry."
Chi-Chi nodded again, "Sure, no problem."
Having no reason to dawdle any longer, Goku's mind told him to stand up to leave, but he couldn't get his feet to obey. Something deep inside his head felt the need to do something else before he left. Willing himself, Goku leaned forward and shyly gave Chi-Chi a small kiss on the cheek, just as he had seen Yamcha done with Bulma many times in the past.
He pulled away and smiled sheepishly. "Well, see ya."
With that, he hurried out the door and flew off. Chi-Chi only stared at him in stunned silence as he took off. Feeling the gentle embrace left of the side of her face, she smiled to herself. However, her previous injuries started to set in again, and so, she lied down in bed once more. Pulling the covers up to her shoulders, she closed her eyes in contentment. Go out there and give Cell a piece of mind, Goku. I know you can do it. I'm counting on you…