Risk
Chapter 20
Chi-chi eyed the pregnancy test in irritation. Lately, the female warrior had been feeling a little under the weather and had to take more time off from her training with her husband, son and Piccolo. She was sure Goku allowed Kakarrot to take over six weeks ago and passionately made love to her that night. It was almost though he knew when to do it so Goten would be born before the android threat.
Now standing in the bathroom looming over the pregnancy kit, Chi-chi stood there eyeing the strip that would confirm the answer to her question. A part of her wished that that she was not pregnant as of yet. She did not had the chance to make more room for her second son or had the training she needed if she were to fight the androids. If she were to get pregnant, she would assume that Goku would keep her from joining in with the training she desperately needed in order to keep her family safe.
'Please say I'm not pregnant, please say I'm not pregnant…' Chi-chi mentally pleaded to the strip of paper she clutched in her hand like a lifeline. A mark appeared and for a moment, she sighed in relief before a second mark had showed up on the paper moments later. 'Great… I'm pregnant…'
Goku returned home with Gohan after a tiring and successful training session. When he came in, he noticed Chi-chi sitting there with the strip of paper in hand; angry eyes fixed on her husband alone. Gohan was clueless when it came to these things and was not yet taught the birds and the bees.
Knowing that another argument with his parents was about to start by the angered look in his mother's dark eyes, Gohan decided to take this as a cue to join Piccolo outside for a bit. Last thing he wanted was to be involved in this situation when he knew he had no say in this matter. That left the Earth-raised Saiya-jin alone inside with his wife; a wife who's eyes seemed to carry blame against him for something he knew he did.
"What is that?" Goku questioned in a clueless voice.
'A little paper? I think she's…' Kakarrot started to say.
"You made me pregnant on purpose…" Chi-chi growled, interrupting Kakarrot's explanation to the clueless warrior. In a flawless transition between personalities, Goku's eyes flickered. He was growing more used to having Kakarrot take control now when needed and almost seemed to welcome it to avoid conflicts with his wife.
At least co-existing was becoming easier with his split personality. The Earth-raised Saiya-jin had been barely able to get along with nearly two years ago and assumed that he would have done a horrible thing had he not learned otherwise.
"Would you rather he did not exist?" Kakarrot questioned in a challenging voice. There was a possibility if he had not impregnated her, the future would surely suffer from the loss of one warrior who fights in order to protect what's left of their world.
"No…" Chi-chi sighed in defeat; thinking if she did not have this child, Goten would cease to exist in the future and Trunks would be all alone. She knew Kakarrot had a very valid point to bring up. "How are we supposed to get the house ready for a second child?"
"I'll do what I can to expand on this place." Kakarrot reassured the pregnant warrior and housewife.
"What about Gohan? What should we tell him?" Chi-chi moved closer to her husband and he pulled her into his strong and comforting arms.
"The truth," Kakarrot admitted.
"Right, I'm sure he'll be thrilled knowing he's going to have a baby brother in nine months when he's used to being an only child…" Chi-chi said lamely. She had grown up an only child and never had the chance to have a brother or sister in her life. She was almost afraid that Gohan would be against the idea.
"I'm going to be a WHAT?!" Gohan exclaimed at the idea of having a sibling.
"You're going to be a big brother," Chi-chi told the young child.
"I always wanted a brother or sister…" Gohan grinned happily; relief seemed to overwhelm the female warrior quickly.
"See, even Gohan thinks it's a good idea," Goku admitted. He was carrying Kakarrot's words rather well despite having to change it from: 'Even our son believes this will be a great opportunity to be a big brother to Goten.'
"It'll be a great opportunity just like your father says," Chi-chi faked a smile for her son's sake. She wasn't really happy because that would mean less time for her to prepare for the android's arrival.
"We should get your little brother's room ready," Goku told his son. "We should gather some materials so we can expand this place!"
"Yeah! Let's go daddy!" Gohan grabbed his father's hand.
"Whoa! Slow down!" Goku joked as they ran out the door laughing joyously about the good news. When they were out of sight, Chi-chi let the mask fall and cried alone at the table. She was worried about the world she would be bringing Goten in if her husband were to die either to the heart virus or the androids.
Weeks passed since Chi-chi announced that she was pregnant with a second child. Goku and Gohan spent the time finding materials to create the new room and Piccolo assisted in anyway he could. Splitting their time between training and gathering materials took most of their time, but after each night, there were signs of it slowly evolving into a new bedroom.
While they used the time to get stronger, Chi-chi eyed her stomach as it slowly began to show signs of her pregnancy. It made her wonder how she managed to carry Gohan those nine months before he became the young man she had grown to love deeply. She thought back to how life was and how she did not need to worry about the androids or her husband falling ill any time.
'Goten, I promise that you won't grow up like my oldest one…' Chi-chi vowed to the boy inside of her. She was set on getting him to study and not to involve him in any fighting. 'Or the one who lives your life in the future…'
Goku nailed another board to the wall to ensure that it was sturdy. Piccolo noticed Goku was deep in thought trying to make sure the walls were up. A brief movement of the lips meant he was talking to Kakarrot; something which Gohan did not catch thankfully.
"Hey Piccolo? Dad's been acting weird lately," Gohan admitted. He had caught signs of his father acting odd and had not wanted to voice it until recently.
"There's nothing wrong with your father!" Piccolo lamely blurted out. Gohan stared at the Namekian warrior almost though he was trying to hide something.
"Are you sure?" Gohan asked.
"He's fine kid, he's just thinking about your brother or sister's arrival," Piccolo lied. He hated hiding the truth from the boy, but then again, it would at least ensure the boy something was on his mind.
"Oh, okay. I guess that's why mom's been acting funny too," Gohan smiled, accepting the blunt lie rather easily.
"You're going to have to be more careful around Gohan," Piccolo said outside of the house later that evening. It was long after Gohan had long since went to sleep for the night.
"Careful? About what?" Goku asked quizzically.
"About your problem." Piccolo put it rather bluntly. He did not wish to risk Gohan overhearing about the split-personality that Goku had. Kakarrot stirred slightly from within the Earth-raised Saiya-jin almost though he were nodding in agreement to Piccolo's words.
"Oh. I'll work on it a bit more." Goku promised; knowing that it was just a minor slip due to him getting so used to working with his darker persona at times when he needed the assistance.
"You better. I think your wife's going to need you in the days to come, so don't you dare leave her alone." Piccolo warned.
"I won't." Goku grinned.
Time passed. Chi-chi had started having weird cravings that Goku and Gohan had to satisfy his wife. From pigskins dipped in tomato sauce to rye bread with ranch dressing, that caused Goku to shop more and more by himself in order to have Kakarrot choose the right things she asked for.
On one of these shopping trips however, Gohan had to go due to a bigger amount of food to take home. It was while Goku was in the store that he noticed his father's eyes seem rather different. The boy was a bit surprised by this.
"Dad? Are you feeling alright?" Gohan asked.
"I'm fine," Kakarrot answered the boy. Gohan backed away and cried in fear before Kakarrot noticed the slip and had started a string of curses to himself for being so careless around his son. "Gohan! Calm down this instant!"
"Y-you're not my daddy!" Gohan ran out of the store before Kakarrot had a chance to explain himself.
'Great, he knows…' Goku's voice echoed in Kakarrot's head.
'We better catch him before he does something reckless…' Kakarrot teleported after the boy. Gohan was surprised when Kakarrot appeared and attempted to fly off again when Kakarrot grabbed him. "Gohan, stop and look at me. I'm still your father…"
"No you're not! You're not my father!" Gohan cried. The misunderstood Saiya-jin warrior held onto Gohan no matter how much he struggled.
"I am your father so calm down this instant!" Kakarrot commanded in a rather demanding and somewhat irritated voice. It took a few more minutes, but eventually, Gohan stilled in Kakarrot's grasp; his eyes staring at his father in bewilderment. "That's better. Now hold on a second okay?" Gohan noticed the serious eyes fade to calmer ones that Gohan was familiar with.
"D-daddy? What's going on?" Gohan asked.
"Sorry Gohan, I'm so used to having Kakarrot take control when I need him to," Goku apologized.
"Kakarrot?" Gohan repeated in question. He knew Vegeta said this name often, but he never thought his father would say this name or even utter a syllable of it outside of Vegeta or another Saiya-jin's range of hearing.
"Yeah, it's a long story…" Goku sighed; knowing he could no longer hide the truth from his son. "You know that mommy and daddy were out in space for a long time right?"
"P-Porunga said you didn't want to come home," Gohan added while nodding to confirm this statement.
"Well back then, I was struggling to become a Super Saiya-jin again when I thought Kakarrot wanted nothing more than to hurt people and make them suffer like Frieza did," Goku admitted to his ten year old boy. "Turns out he's a part of me that's good and wanted to help me defeat him so you would be safe with mommy."
"R-really?" Gohan's eyes lit up. Goku nodded his head.
"He's not really a bad person. He's a split-personality that tends to know more than I do to be honest." Goku grinned softly.
"Does that mean he's a different person living in you like Piccolo?"
"Not really. Kakarrot's technically me and we're doing what we can co-exist with one another without driving each other crazy."
'Nice try.' Kakarrot bluntly muttered; however, Goku ignored it for the moment.
"Oh." Gohan wiped away the tears on his face. "Does this mean I have two daddies now?"
"No, you still have one, just a daddy who's dealing with a different and unpredictable personality." Goku smiled softly before rubbing his hand through Gohan's unruly hair.
'Unpredictable is right. An unpredictable personality that's going to take control of you if you don't shut up and go back to our love this instant!' Kakarrot mentally yelled in Goku's mind in impatience.
'Hold on!' Goku mentally chided Kakarrot before looking down at Gohan again. "We should go back to the store and get your mommy some food before she asks for something else."
"Okay daddy!" Gohan smiled back and they flew off to the store to finish their shopping.
Leaves fell from the trees and Chi-chi sat on the porch rubbing her swollen stomach. It wouldn't be long now until Goten's birth. She wondered if she should fight within six months when she almost assumed that her baby boy might grow up without a mother in his life. She suddenly felt a stabbing pain and cried out before doubling over. Her eyes clenched shut as she fought the agonizing pain that twisted within her gut.
'Goku! Help!' Chi-chi sent a telepathic cry.
Miles away, Gohan, Piccolo and Goku were fighting in the heavens against one another when Goku suddenly heard his wife's mental plea. He was nearly swatted in the face by Gohan's hand and had to teleport off to the side.
"What's wrong?" Piccolo noticed a serious look on Goku's face.
"Chi-chi's calling," Goku spoke in a deeper tone. It was rare he would speak in a deeper tone unless he was irritated or angry. It was almost though Kakarrot was saying these words and not the Earth-raised Saiya-jin Gohan's familiar with. "Gohan, we need to get home."
"Okay," Gohan grabbed onto his father's left hand. Piccolo grabbed the Saiya-jin's shoulder before the three figures vanished from the sky.
What felt like an eternity since she uttered the mental cry, Chi-chi heard rushed footsteps and arms lifting her from the cold ground she had been resting on. She noticed Kakarrot's concerned gaze on her; however, held a more serious tone compared to how frantic Goku would be if he were in control. Had it not been for the water breaking, no one would know what was wrong with the female warrior at that moment.
"Is mommy going to be okay?" Gohan asked before handing his father a blanket. He wrapped his wife in it and knew she would need it for their flight.
"She's gone into labor. I'll need to take her to the hospital right away," Kakarrot levitated off the ground before summoning his chi around them both. He flew as fast as he could towards the hospital. 'Don't let her deliver our son while I'm flying…'
Chi-chi's eyes weakly opened as she winced from the contraction she felt. Had Kakarrot had more time, he would have put her in the car and flew it to the hospital. Instead, the warrior was flying through the heavens carrying her in his arms. She winced again before burying her face into his chest.
'Land… I… I don't think we'll make it to the hospital before I give birth…' Chi-chi mentally pleaded to the warrior.
'As you wish,' Kakarrot landed in a clearing and removed his upper shirt before making it into a makeshift pillow. He removed his lower shirt and set it down on top of her chest. He moved the blanket so it wouldn't get too dirty. When another contraction raked through her body, she grabbed Kakarrot's tail accidentally and paralyzed the Saiya-jin warrior with ease. "L-let go…! You…. you have m-my tail!"
"S-sorry…" Chi-chi released it; remembering how much it had paralyzed Goku when she grabbed it once while climbing on Kinto-un. Kakarrot made a mental note not to let the strongest woman on Earth have his tail; especially when she's due to give birth to his off-spring. It would be sore for the next few days after the hard squeeze he felt.
Roughly a half hour later, the newest member of the Son family came screaming into the world; his little auburn tail lashing wildly behind him. After tying off the umbilical cord, Kakarrot walked to a nearby brook and washed the baby in the sparkling water. After that motion, he dried the tiny baby boy off slightly and wrapping him in the blue shirt. Chi-chi laid there spent from the delivery and took her newborn child into her arms when Kakarrot offered. He gently wrapped her in the blanket to ensure that she remain warm.
"Welcome to the world Son Goten," Chi-chi kissed the crying infant's forehead. The baby's eyes opened and he reached out gingerly to her hands. She let the boy hold her finger and felt how strong his grip was. "You're a strong little one aren't you?"
"He'll be an excellent warrior…" Chi-chi looked up at Kakarrot in a rather cold and protective way. The last thing she ever wanted was for another one of her children to become a warrior and make her worry about his safety. She hated the idea that Gohan had been abducted, went into space with Goku's friends and nearly lost his own life on Namek.
"Oh no. I want nothing of this fighting to go to him." The Saiya-jin warrior wasn't expecting this and knew an argument was about to erupt.
"So you'll deny him of his birthright?" Kakarrot questioned in an angered tone.
"If it will help him better for his own future." Chi-chi countered. "I hate the idea that I nearly lost you again on Namek and want what's best for our family."
"I know, but I think he should decide when he gets older what he wants to do."
"Fine, but he'll see it my way that this fighting's not always going to get him what he wants."
"And has it not gotten you want you wanted?" Kakarrot asked in a cryptic voice to attempt to remind her how she managed to get him in the first place.
"I don't know what you're…" Suddenly, Chi-chi cried out in pain.
"Dammit! We better get you to a hospital fast!"
The warrior transformed into a Super Saiya-jin and lifted the woman into his arms before flying there at a frantic pace. The baby that had been resting in Chi-chi's arms cried in fear that his mother might not make it if Kakarrot did not hurry.
'If she dies then I swear the androids will have one less fighter to worry about in six damn months!' Kakarrot's energy flared wildly while the female that he treasured clung to both himself and the infant wailing softly in her arms.
To Be Continued…