Happy Thanksgiving, everybody! I'll update in a few days, but I've got some cooking to crack down on!
Goku knew that he had gotten himself into an unforeseen conflict as soon as he realized that he didn't know where North City was. He had taken off quickly in excitement with a lousy word of thanks to his friends, already rehearsing an apology to Chi-Chi within a few minutes of flying. But he realized that, after flying in the direction he believed to be north for nearly half an hour, he was lost.
He finally decided that he needed King Kai's help.
Allowing the signal to resume between Other World and himself, he called out, "Hello! King Kai, I could really use your help!" There was silence before he continued, "King Kai? Come on, I need you!"
There was no reply but a rush of wind, over which a faint voice muttered snarkily, "Oh, so now you need my help? I don't know if I want to help you, Goku, after you hung up on me."
"Sorry, King Kai!" Goku apologized, unwilling to pick a fight with his old mentor. "I just... I just..." With no real explanation to give for having ignored his master earlier that day, he asked, "Will you tell me how to get to North City?"
King Kai was taken aback by this request. "North City, eh?" he repeated warily, wondering what business the Saiyan had there. "I'm not sure if I can tell you, Goku."
"It's for a good cause!" Goku tried telling the Kai, but that answer wasn't deemed acceptable by his standards.
"Sorry, Goku, I have to make sure you're not getting into trouble. Supreme Kai would have my head on a platter if something happened to you."
"King Kai!" Goku pleaded, his voice urgent. This was important, but he didn't want the Kai to know of his true intentions. He might resort to telling Piccolo of his plans, and that was the last person he needed to ruin his plans of visiting Chi-Chi. "I need to talk to somebody there. Please help me."
King Kai mused over the situation for a brief moment before saying, "Well, I suppose I can tell you... if you tell me what you think of my newest joke." Goku jumped at the offer, surprised by his old master's generosity. He waited, knowing exactly how to react to the joke. If he laughed, he was sure that King Kai would tell him the exact directions. He hovered at a standstill in the air as the Kai continued with brevity, "So a horse walks into a bar, and the bar tender says, 'Why the long face?'"
Goku hovered there, not comprehending the joke. Why would a horse walk into a bar? Why would a bar tender talk to him? But he then remembered his plan and doubled over, bellowing with laughter. Despite the late reaction, King Kai was pleased as he asked, "So you liked my joke?" Goku simply nodded, forgetting that the Kai couldn't see him. But so pleased was his old mentor that he said, "Calm down, Goku. I know I'm funny, but even I'm not that funny!" Goku abruptly stopped, though the blue Kai was suspicious of nothing, glad that somebody other than the grouchy cricket was eager to listen. "I'll tell you what to do now, since you found my joke to be so funny."
And so Goku's mind showed, for an instant, its ability to scheme.
Chi-Chi scrubbed furiously at the pan. She was in the midst of a large galley kitchen, stationed in front of a sink. She scoffed at the dishwasher and didn't trust any of the maids with her fine china. No, there was only one way for her favorite bowls to be washed, and that was at her own hand.
It was truly her dream kitchen: the walls were a warm yellow, the cabinets made of a dark oak with simple trim adorning them. Dozens of choices had been thrown at her for the countertop, including expensive stone of unimaginable prices, but she eventually stuck with the butcher block. The more she thought about it, the more she realized that she had chosen elements in this kitchen to remind her of home back on Mount Paozu. This one, however, was far larger to accommodate her cooking habits.
Her favorite aspect of the kitchen was not the wooden stove or oversized refrigerator; instead, it was the large window above the sink that opened up into the wilderness. Because it was located at the south end of the house, it displayed a spectacular view of tall mountains looming in the distance. The clouds lining the mountains at evening inspired her to cook greater dishes than she had ever tried, now that she could afford all of the necessary materials. Life had been given to her after surviving through poverty for so long.
The window was open, allowing a cool breeze to invade the house. This air conditioning that she had recently learned about was a waste of money when nature provided its own cold air. She could never understand how Bulma afforded to pay for the whole Capsule Corporation building to be insulated in such a way; if she owned a company of that size, she would simply tell all employees to open up their windows and allow the world to provide their comforts. When Bulma visited during the summer, she often complained about the heat. In Chi-Chi's mind, city life had made a weak woman of a strong soul. Chi-Chi had never gotten used to odd conveniences that most women her age enjoyed, and she didn't want to. She truly enjoyed living life at its best, and that was at its simplest.
As the sun began setting in the west, one of the maids entered through a swinging door. She was one of Chi-Chi's favorites because of the cheery tone she always used, a gentle expression on her face. She said sweetly, "Mr. Kahn would like to say good-night to you before heading up to bed."
Chi-Chi smiled in return and turned away from the sink as another one of the maids aided an old man into the kitchen, holding the door open for him. The man was old and dressed in a suit of grey tweed. He had a slightly hunched back, relying on his elaborately-carved wooden cane to guide him. Straightened up, he came to be about Chi-Chi's height, but the bend in his back put him a half foot shorter. He had fine, white hair on his head, and his cheeks were delicate, yet still firm. He looked up at his wife and told her in a surprisingly strong voice, "Good-night, darling. The doctor told me I have to get to bed early for my medication to work."
She glanced at the clock, revealing that it was barely seven o'clock. She sighed, looked down at her husband and saying, "I'll be up there in an hour or so. I'm exhausted after cleaning so many dishes. There are only a few more, and then I'll be there." With those final words, she kissed him tenderly on the forehead and sent him up the stairs with one of the maids.
She resumed washing the dishes. The kitchen was still a mess because they had served an elaborate meal filled with several courses of foods she couldn't pronounce the names of, which she found in odd cookbooks with recipes from around the world. She enjoyed taking the cleaning into her own hands and stretched happily, her back groaning from the work ahead of her. If she had a specialty she could take away from her past life, it was cleaning up after large meals.
Using King Kai's directions, Goku reached North City easily and within a few hours after slowing down his speed to give himself time to think of what to say. According to the Kai, he had been traveling West before, but that was easily corrected. He allowed himself to travel in a roundabout way, creating more time between then and the confrontation.
Goku wasn't surprised by what he saw; he believed that all cities looked the same. All of them were made of metal and were relatively unclean. They each had tens of thousands of cars clogging the streets, making it quite difficult for any ordinary pedestrian to get around. But thanks to his ability of flight, it made navigation around towns far easier.
Without having to soar through the city, he found the series of mountains to the south. He understood why Chi-Chi would want to live in a place with such beautiful topography, restoring a bit of his faith in her. As he hovered from mountain to mountain, he realized that it was a convenient place to live; it was a balance between urban and rural lives. He huffed, upset now that he had constantly set his foot down whenever the idea of city life was approached. If he had given in to that one request, perhaps she wouldn't have run off with some other man.
Remembering Yajirobe's comment, he picked out the largest house in this more suburban setting and aimed his path towards it. The fearless Goku only had the courage to approach one of the houses, so he hoped the first one was the right one.