A/N: Alright guys, after this, everything's about to get FREAKY. I might have to deviate into another story but I'd prefer to just keep it in this one. I'm sick of starting new stories. Prepare for the ultimate plot twist. Mwahahaha! And I'm REALLY sorry but I'm really freaking tired right now so no review responses. ): I will tomorrow afternoon, though! And hopefully I'll write a new chapter.
Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Ball Z or anything affiliated with it.
-MalRev
Cherished
9: Coming To Terms
We hid from the world for the next few weeks.
It was a bit cowardly, but Goku and I wanted to pretend we didn't have to face the wrath of our friends and family because we had accidentally fallen deeply in love. My father moved back in to the house and we moved ourselves to the familiar old Kai planet until Gohan and Pan arrived on Earth. It was our peaceful oasis in times of great turbulence. We briefly connected with Bulma to tell her what was happening and she was surprisingly okay with it.
Goku was the happiest I had seen him since the day we met. We would spar in the mornings when it was still cool and forage for food during the afternoons. There was plenty of it to keep both Goku and I satiated—he even helped me cook sometimes. Neither of us was alone for very long. I tried to do what he wanted and in return, he did what I wanted. We swam in the evenings and made love every night before going to sleep. It was our personal paradise.
I knew part of the reason I had fallen so hard for Goku could be attributed to the mark, but I liked to think it had simply amplified existing feelings. We were both deliriously happy; I had never felt so free and loved in my entire life. Goku was the embodiment of freedom and we were mates. I would never be trapped in monotony again. Pan might forgive me and perhaps Gohan could, too.
The King Kai sent us a message one day telling us that both Gohan and Pan were safely on Earth. The prior was a little worse for wear but Pan was perfectly fine. She had enjoyed visiting the aliens who inhabited the old Kai planet Goku redirected her to. It brought back my guilt. Neither of them knew what Goku and I had decided. That was only something Bulma and Vegeta were privy to.
My last night of peace with Goku was tense. He was just as nervous as I was. We sat by the edge of the lake with our feet dangling in the water and his hand enveloping mine. The moon glowed overhead, making the water look like rippling glass. I turned to look at him and immediately wished I hadn't. His brow was furrowed tightly and his eyes were closed as he thought of our duties to the people we loved on Earth. I turned on my side and curled against Goku's side.
"I still can't believe we're doing this," I said.
"Me neither." Goku began stroking my hair was his huge hands. "But I wouldn't want it any other way. Pan is getting old enough to understand these things and Gohan knew it deep down. "
"I'm leaving him for his father. That's not good karma."
"No, but it sure is interesting and kind of ironic. The Supreme Kai even altered your future so we could be together. It must be important to the fate of the world or whatever. Though I'm sure Chi-Chi won't feel that way. Only Bulma is on our side."
I raised an eyebrow. "That's because everyone else is losing in the end. Chi-Chi lost her husband a while ago thanks to me, Gohan loses his father and his wife, Goten loses his father, Pan loses her parents and Vegeta is just always obstinate. Only you and I will come out of this in one piece."
"Unless Gohan tries to kill me, which is very possible."
"You can easily overpower him." I stretched my neck to kiss Goku on the cheek and felt a painful twang in my heart. Gohan. I would always care about him. We had been through so much together but I just didn't feel the same way I used to be about him. I still cared for him. That would never change. We had grown so far apart over the years that our relationship was beyond saving.
Goku already knew what I was thinking about. He kissed the crown of my skull and easily lifted me off the ground bridal style, yawning tremendously in the process. "I think it's time for bed. We're gonna have a long day tomorrow."
We flew back to our small house and Goku placed me in bed before walking to the kitchen for a midnight snack. I turned on my side and stared at the wall, praying that my family might not hate me as much as I predicted they would. The worst part about it was that Goku and I were related—not by blood, but marriage. Pan's grandfather would become her stepfather. If she were younger she wouldn't understand and breaking the news to her would be easier.
I lifted my hand from under the sheets to marvel at how young I had become. It was as if I was 20 years old all over again. Mating had the same effect upon Bulma to a lesser degree. Of course, Vegeta hadn't bitten her nearly as many times as Goku bit me. The Saiyan ritual bestowed those involved with lengthened youth; even Vegeta didn't know its full limits. I thought about Goku and me possibly having children and felt my cheeks burn at the prospect. It would be an insult to Pan, Gohan, and Goten.
The scent of a strong tea pulled me from my reverie and I sat up to see Goku entering the room with a mug in one hand. He offered it to me and I gratefully accepted it, taking a sip just as he sat with a careful finesse in front of me. We were both sitting cross-legged like we were having a sleepover. I smirked as I drank more tea, thinking of Goku wearing a bright pink t-shirt and shredding pillows with his bare hands.
"What's wrong?" he asked, cocking his head like a curious child. "You look upset."
"Oh, I'm not upset. I was admiring my new youth." I showed him one of my smooth hands and placed my tea on the nightstand. "Though I'm not immortal like you. Someday, we won't be together."
"Next year I'll wish for you to be. Shenron lets me wish for pretty much anything as long as it isn't completely ludicrous. We can travel the entire universe together, meeting all sorts of new cultures and battling all sorts of enemies and keeping everyone safe. That's the life I want."
I smiled and took his hand in mine to play with his huge fingers. "I can't believe fate brought us together like this. I never would have imagined it when I first met Gohan. But I guess I tried not to think of it because I knew it was wrong. You were married to Chi-Chi and you two seemed happy. It's kind of an unspoken rule that you don't interfere."
"There's nothing wrong with that. It just means Mr. Satan raised you properly." Goku gently slid the wedding band off my ring finger and leaned past me to put it on the nightstand. There was a light patch of skin where it had rested for so many years.
The two of us talked for a bit longer before finally retiring to bed. Goku curled up behind me and locked one arm firmly around my waist so our bodies were pressed together. He was asleep within a few minutes and his grip loosened, but I was stuck once again staring at the wall. No matter what I did, I felt sick. I was either betraying Gohan or betraying Goku. They both meant a great deal to me and I had to choose one of them in the end.
I closed my eyes and listened to the sound of Goku's heart beating slowly in his chest. He had never been very emotionally available to anyone, especially Chi-Chi, but something made him want to try with me. It was difficult for him and he still braved his foreign feelings to communicate with me. It was the ultimate sacrifice, worth more to me than the countless times he had saved our skins before. He cried in front of me without a moment's hesitation. He trusted me.
Gohan had never trusted me so deeply and completely. There was always a piece he held back, maybe because Goku had abandoned him for part of his childhood. I knew I couldn't blame him for it but it still hurt to know my own husband couldn't be totally open with me. We had fun together for a long time until Pan was born and we had to start acting like adults. Our relationship disintegrated after that.
The man sleeping beside me was truly what I had been searching for my entire life. It was unfortunate how everything had panned out. I closed my eyes and began to drift off to sleep, wishing that I could have had the chance to have a normal relationship with Goku.
