Hello again! So how will our heroes cope from the setback? What will happen to Chi-Chi? Little Gohan? And Gine? Let's find out!
Based on MasakoX's What If series "What if Gine went with Goku to Earth?", but a retcon with some changes of my own on how I think the story would have went down had Goku's mother escaped planet Vegeta with him.
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CHAPTER 35: WORSE THAN DEATH
Kami sat cross-legged in the courtyard of the Lookout. He was just staring down at the floor of square porcelain tiles with his staff draped across his lap. There was almost nothing unusual at the sight, for the Guardian of Earth often mused to himself that half his job was to just sit around while watching over the mortal realm below. However, he had sat in the same spot for the entirety of the last four months. Meditation at it's deepest immersions had its limits on the elderly Namekian at around a week of sitting absolutely still. This was, as Mr. Popo had come to term it, him "brooding". For Kami was as lost in thought as he was in time.
He had been this way since he returned from transporting Kakarot to the Otherworld. Not sixteen hours had passed on that day until he received word that his student had already made it to King Kai's planet. It was an amazing speed record for any mortal to make while traversing the million-mile Snake Way Road, one that even impressed King Yemma himself. Kami was even more pleased from the occasional updates he received from King Kai that Kakarot was making great progress in his training. The voice and presence of the God of the North Galaxy was not what Kami anticipated, with his eccentric sense of humor and all, but it lifted the Guardian's spirits.
What was taking up his thoughts though, was his last conversation with Kakarot before he departed for King Kai. How Kami had reiterated that he could not aid him and his mother in the defense of Earth against the Saiyan invaders, no matter how much he wanted to. Yet somehow the youngest son of Gine, whom he knew wasn't the most intelligent of mortal beings, had the idea to simply ask King Yemma if Guardians could defend their planets from external threats. There was only a loophole in the Divine Law that could allow a Guardian to intervene in such extreme circumstances, but Kami never in a million years would have dared to ask such a question.
The thought made Kami slide down a path of self loathing and regret he hadn't felt since his evil half reigned terror on the Earth below. That entire plight upon the human race and all of Earth's inhabitants was an external threat in the first place. He realized that not only because it was his own doing, but the fact that he was a Namekian, a being not from this planet, meant he had the authority and power to stop Piccolo. All the millions of people that died at the hands of that monster and his minions could have been saved, and the task of defeating Piccolo not left to the sacrifice of Mutaito. All of the suffering that resulted afterwards from the wars, famines, and plagues left in Piccolo's wake, would never have happened either.
Kami meditated and tried to find a reason to rationalize with himself that he didn't know. How could he have known that his intervention would have been permitted by the higher realms if he was of external origins to Earth? It also lead to him asking how the last Guardian and his former master had not seen this obvious escape clause. Or was he simply was as ignorant of the fact that his pupil was an alien as Kami was himself?
But in the end, Kami could not excuse himself out of ignorance for the rules. As Guardian, he ought to know the full extent of his abilities and restrictions, and as any good teacher would tell a student: don't be afraid to ask questions. Yet he didn't, and he failed his task on a scale only his centuries old mind could comprehend.
Sometimes Kami wished he never became the Guardian of the Earth. How could he call himself a deity after this level of incompetence at watching over this world? Even with his greatest contributions in the dragon balls, they still brought great pains to the people below from bringing out the worst in them through their greed. And all those centuries ago, Kami was so desperate to be the next Guardian in the first place that his haste and ambition had lead him to create King Piccolo to become the pure being he was in the first place. His inaction had brought more suffering to the people of Earth than his actions had saved.
If anything, someone like Kakarot or Gine would have been better Guardians than him. At least along with their great strength, they had the moral courage to do the right thing. And this was a conclusion he came to after Gine confronted him about her other son, Raditz. It was a no-win situation to do what Baba had asked him, but it still pinged his conscience that he had to inflict such heartbreaking pain, and felt he deserved the beating he got from her. Now Gine has taken on the role as the leader of Earth's strongest warriors to prepare for the Saiyan invasion. As proud as Kami was as a teacher to see his former student surpass him and take charge, he also felt so useless as having mortals do a job that was ultimately his while he was reduced to being a bystander.
But it didn't have to be this way. For lastly, he turned over in his head Kakarot's idea to take up training again. He was still well versed in every school of martial arts teachings and techniques ever taught on Earth. But it had been over three hundred years since he last fought any battle as himself, his decrepit old body would not stand a chance.
If he was in his prime, however, he would be on par with the humans training with Gine below. And coincidentally, his own creation of the dragon balls would provide just the remedy to that obstacle. Even though it was still two months before they could be used again, he was their creator. He could always make an exception for himself.
Could I? He wondered. Doubts flew through his mind as he contemplated the possibility of wishing for his youth again. Not counting the challenge of convincing Gine to let him fight alongside her against the greater threat of the Saiyans, he would still not be the same warrior he was before he had shed his evil half of Piccolo, for that part of him took most of his strength. Even back in his prime, he would be weaker. Not only that, but fighting in his own body was not the same as fighting with possessing a mortal vessel, for his life wasn't on the line if the shell he barrowed was destroyed or killed. If he died in battle in his own body, he would be gone for good. Then the Eternal Dragon who's soul is tied to Kami's own life force, would go with him. And death would become a permanence once again for those who wished to resurrect with the dragon balls...
Then he thought of the dragon balls themselves. It hadn't really occurred to him just what amazing and reality defying force he had achieved with bringing into existence something that granted the heart's desire. It was the closest that any mortal or Guardian could ever get to having the power of gods at their fingertips with such extraordinary magic. And he created it! With them, he could do wonders of good for the people of Earth that he hadn't thought of before. He still won't interfere directly, but to have the power to give back life or grant invincibility, he could find ways to help combat the Saiyan threat with these orbs as well. As tools made by the Guardian himself, they were at his disposal...
The sound of Mr. Popo's slippers making footfalls behind him stirred Kami out of his thoughts temporarily.
"Is there anything you need, Kami?" He dutifully asked for the umpteenth time that day. Although Kami had barely spoken a word, let alone needing anything from Mr. Popo, his faithful assistant still saw to it to check in on him.
Instead of answering, Kami reached out with his senses to the Earth below. He could feel the billions of people going about their lives, thriving or struggling to survive. Praying for miracles to solve their daily inconveniences or to save those they love from the natural or man-made calamities below. All of them unaware of his presence and of his significance to them, and unaware of the extraterrestrial threat on their way...
He also felt the presence of two of Gine's comrades just below in Korin's tower. Yamcha and Krillin. He sensed among them a great urgency, pleading with Korin for some senzu beans to save their friend's life, and their frantic search for any that might be around the cupola. Tracing their feelings back to the source of their distress through his mind's eye, Kami saw the mishap of Kakarot's mate, Chi-Chi, at the hands of their child and Gine herself. He felt the shock, pain, and horror of the young woman's life force slowly fading away.
A great foreboding took hold of Kami. He sensed that whatever was to happen next, would have dire consequences. Should Kakarot find his wife entering Otherworld among the deceased, or worse, find that she was to live the rest of her natural life with the injuries inflicted upon her would cause him great pain as to be unable to focus on saving the planet, a disastrous prospect. Even with the dragon balls to undo the damage, no man should ever have to see the one they love suffer such a gruesome fate as Chi-Chi is likely to face, being trapped in a shell of her former self, especially if his own mother was the cause of it. And of which, after seeing her uncontrolled spirit destabilize their group and hurt those they are trying to protect, the resolve of the other fighters below to trust Gine as their guide will erode. Soon, they will lose faith in her entirely, then in each other. Unable to put up a united front, the defenders will not be able to save Earth at all. Not without some help, of which he had the power to provide.
He had a chance to make a difference, though it could cost him the Guardianship. But it was better than doing nothing but watching and hating himself. In the end, the Saiyans would destroy him, and his failure to act would be worse than death itself.
Mr. Popo, who stood by silently waiting for his master to acknowledge his query, started walking away when Kami didn't say anything.
Divine Law be damned. Kami thought.
"Wait, Mr. Popo. There is something I need." He called out.
The demigod stopped and hurried his way back to Kami's side, excited that his master had finally needed him again.
"Yes, Kami?"
The Guardian of the Earth uncoiled his legs and stood up again, standing taller and more determined than he ever had before. "I need you to go find the original model of the dragon and bring it out here for me."
Mr. Popo was taken aback by the request and asked, "Uh, the original model? What for?"
Kami looked his assistant in the eye. "I would like to reactivate the dragon balls early. Once I have revived Shenron, I would like you to go down to the Earth below and gather the dragon balls for me. I have a feeling that the Earthlings will need all the help they can get to face this Saiyan threat. And I must do my part as Guardian of this planet to help protect it."
Mr. Popo wondered why his master would break his own rules regarding how the dragon balls should be used only once a year, and least of all why now he was deciding to meddle with the affairs of the Earthlings below. But then again, this was a trying time when Earth itself was threatened, and he didn't dare question his master's wishes. He hoped this would be the first and only time it would happen.
"Right away, Kami. I'll see where I've put it."
"Thank you, Mr. Popo." Said Kami as Mr. Popo bowed and made haste back to the main temple. Kami turned his focus back over the edge of the Lookout to the Earth below.
Gine was right. He must take a more active role in protecting the planet he was charged with as Guardian, rather than relying on the rare gifted souls that came his way. No more cowering away from his responsibility, no more being useless. Time to do some good for once.
Feeling out with his senses again, he could see that Yamcha and Krillin were still desperately searching for any stray senzu bean that may be hiding in some nook or cranny of Korin's tower. But their hope was fading like Chi-Chi's life energy as their frantic search came up fruitless.
Will he want to make himself young again? Or should he help Chi-Chi back to life? Kami was unsure. But he felt that he will come to a decision soon. Gine and her friends will need a miracle to get through this crises, and the Guardian of the Earth will do whatever was necessary to deliver one.
Meanwhile, at Wukong Hospital in West City...
The waiting room was thankfully not too crowded. Gine sat among the row of bland plastic chairs with with Grandpa Gohan beside her while Tien, Chiaotzu, Master Roshi, and Launch sat across from them. All of them were distraught and tired. Bulma was there too, sitting besides Launch and chewing on her own thumbnails anxiously. Raditz was leaning against a wall with his arms crossed, tapping his fingers impatiently and glaring dangerously at any of the other patients in the waiting room that stared at his wild long hair or tail.
Tien frowned worriedly. "It's been a while since Krillin and Yamcha took off for Korin's Tower. What's taking them so long? Every minute that's wasted, Chi-Chi is getting closer to dying!"
"Patience, Tien." Said Master Roshi, though he was hiding his look of worry behind his shades. "There's nothing we can do but wait for them to return. Complaining won't make this go any faster."
"But I hate this! We've been waiting forever!" Launch wailed from her seat. "What if they don't find any of those senzu beans?!"
No one dared to contemplate that outcome, for it was too terrible and heartbreaking to imagine.
"OH KAMI, I HOPE CHI-CHI'S OKAY!" Launch cried.
"Shhh, I know, I know, Launch." Bulma put her arm around her friend as she wept. "But this is all we can do now. The doctors are doing everything they can for Chi-Chi though. She is in good hands." Bulma tried to sooth, but she herself couldn't contain her tears either. The wait was killing them all.
It had been several hours (Gine lost track of how many) since Chi-Chi was admitted to the Emergency Room, and the doctors have not said a word of her condition. Just that she was heading into immediate surgery. When the gang had told Bulma of the accident, she made some quick phone calls and pulled some strings to make sure Chi-Chi had the best doctor in West City on hand to help her. He had flown in with Bulma in her personal Capsule Corp jet car, but have not received word from him since he entered the double doors of the operation wing. All they could do now was wait, and so far they have several trips to the vending machines, but none had the energy to replenish.
They had given the unconscious Little Gohan over to the doctors as well, but was checked out quickly. An examination revealed that the boy had knocked himself out cold, but was not concussed, so Grandpa Gohan held the sleeping boy in his arms to watch over until he came to.
Gine sat in her uncomfortable seat feeling utterly despondent, holding her face in her hands. She was so overwhelmed with grief and shame, but could not cry in front of everyone. She needed to be strong.
Through her mind's eye she felt Chi-Chi's energy signature several yards way, deeper in the bowels of the hospital in a heavily lighted and sealed off operating room. She could sense her daughter-in-law surrounded by doctors poking and cutting her with their tools, hooking her to machines, doing everything they can to save her. Her life force had nearly faded away, dim but still there. Through the walls and doors, Gine could smell the antiseptic scent in the air, of sterilized metal tools, the metallic bloody smell of opened flesh, and the rotten smell of fluids. To her, the scents around her reminded Gine of the medical labs of the old days after their missions. But here, unlike after those missions, she wasn't sure of survival. On planet Vegeta, an injury like Chi-Chi's might be more curable in a rejuvenation tank. But medical science and technology here on Earth was primitive. Here, Chi-Chi's injury was sure to be a death sentence, or worse, being turned into an invalid...
Peaking through her fingers, she eyed Little Gohan sleeping away in Grandpa Gohan's arms. She also caught the eyes of everyone save for Grandpa Gohan glancing at her from time to time, and Gine knew what they were thinking.
This is all my fault. She thought. She provoked Little Gohan, lost control of her emotions, cursed at her own flesh and blood, made him smack her into his mother, and in all likelihood killed or crippled her. She remembered the sickening sound Chi-Chi's body made when she was struck. The sound of something unrecoverable.
Gine will never forgive herself. Little Gohan will never forgive her. Everyone will not forgive her. And...
Kakarot. Gine suddenly realized. Oh gods, how was she going to explain to her son that his wife was dead or crippled by his own mother's hand?! This was all too much, she wanted to scream in despair.
"What I have done?" Was all she let out in a weak whisper.
Grandpa Gohan heard her though, and placed a hand on her shoulder. Gine didn't pull away or lean into him. She didn't know if he was sympathetic to what she felt. He saw what happened, and didn't know if he was furious at her or not.
"You didn't know this would happen." He said in a comforting voice.
Slowly she shook her head in response. "No... you were right." Gine croaked.
"Hm?" Grandpa Gohan asked.
"I let my anger and impatience at my grandson get the better of me. I was too determined to get him to tap into his Saiyan heritage. But... I wasn't prepared for the power he unleashed. And it may have just cost my daughter-in-law's life." Gine felt her eyes moistening. "I'm a terrible teacher and a bad person for saying such horrid things to get a reaction out of him."
"Gine..." Grandpa Gohan soothed. "You are NOT a bad person. Okay? Sure, your methods... left something to be desired. But accidents happen, whether you intended to or not."
Gine wondered how could Gohan be so forgiving after what she did? Beings with such kindheartedness were too pure for this world. But it fully hit home that maybe... maybe... the state of her emotional well being was some cause of concern afterall. He tried to warn her, to help calm her down after everything that happened with Kami. But her Saiyan stubbornness refused to allow it, and her one-track mind of getting everyone ready pushed Little Gohan too far. And now...
The door opened, and out stepped the doctor Bulma brought in, clad in surgical garb. A distinguished, heavy set man with a bristled mustache and glasses, a doctor who had treated patients for decades. As practiced as he was, he looked like he had just run a marathon, and did not look like a bearer of good news.
"Are you all the friends and family of Son Chi-Chi?" He asked the group.
"Yes!" They all anxiously crowded around the doctor waiting for what he had to say.
"Well? H-how is she?" Gine asked desperately.
The doctor cleared his throat and spoke. "She's stabilized... for now."
Gine felt alarm. "What do you mean?"
"Whatever happened to her, it was way too close..."
The doctor went on to explain that when Gine had been thrown right at her, the force of her hardened Saiyan body crashing into Chi-Chi's delicate human form was akin to being hit by a brick wall. The doctors thought as much, as they still couldn't believe it was caused by a martial artist slamming into her.
He spouted out medical jargon like intercranial hemorrhaging, craniocerebral trauma, and craniotomy of the frontal lobe, along with cervical laminectomy around the spinal cord and torn sternocleidomastoid, quadriplegia, and comatose to her as if he were merely lecturing a classroom rather than having a life or death discussion. But soon the words faded out into muted gargle as the gravity of what all that meant sunk into Gine...
Paralyzed from the neck down, brain damaged, and in a coma she may never wake up from. Oh, three fractured ribs and internal bleeding too. Chi-Chi will have to be cared for and looked after for the rest of her life. The doctor even had the gall to say that "she was lucky." Everyone stood in dead silence.
How... how is that even lucky?! To Gine or any Saiyan, this was like being sentenced to hell without dying.
"Oh Kami, CHI-CHI!" Launch cried out. Without looking she threw herself at the nearest person. Raditz just so happened to be next to her so she locked her arms around him as tightly as she could, and wailed uncontrollably. Despite the horrific news of Chi-Chi's state, Raditz stood there surprised and uncomfortable at Launch's embrace.
Gine's knees felt weak. How could she live with this guilt? Or explain to her grandson that his mother was in every shape or form, dead in all but her broken mortal body robbed of dignity as a warrior and as a sentient being?
In some dark corner of Gine's mind, she thought that maybe it would have been better if Chi-Chi died. At least then, they could use the dragon balls... Then at the thought of those words her mind was already racing. To hell with being forced into live such an existence. Would Shenron be able to cure her injuries?
The doors to the main lobby suddenly crashed open with a rush of wind. "HEY GINE!" Two voiced shouted.
Those sounds yanked her out of her dark thoughts and back into reality, her heart jumped at recognizing those voices.
"Yamcha! Krillin! In here!" She shouted back.
The two men rocketed into the waiting room, slamming the door off it's hinges and both looking triumphant.
"We got a senzu bean!" Krillin held up a closed fist, holding the single green shape of miracles.
"It was the last one Korin had just laying around!" Yamcha added.
Like a great wave, all of the gang's despair was washed away in one fell swoop and replaced with hope and joy. Then with sudden urgency.
"Quick! We have no time to lose!" Gine ordered.
Brushing the doctor aside, Gine rushed down the hallways of the hospital towards Chi-Chi's room by focusing on her faint ki signature. The rest of the gang followed closely behind, ignoring the loud protests of the medical staff and shoving aside any security along the way.
When Gine found her room, they all halted in shock when they finally saw Chi-Chi in her bed. Launch nearly fainted when she saw.
Chi-Chi lay motionless in her bed, she was in a neck brace with a tube implanted in her throat, hooked up to a breathing machine by her bedside. Her head was wrapped in thick bandages with some patches of red seeping through where they had to shave parts of her scalp and operate where her skull caved in. Her skin was no longer the pale but lively cream color it was, but deathly white and devoid of blood, as if she was already dead. IV bags with needled lines were stuck throughout her body, and a row of bio-sign monitors with electrodes placed all over her gave any onlooker the only indications that the woman hooked the machines was definitely alive.
"By the gods..." Raditz whispered to himself in horror. He was somehow glad that Kakarot was not here to see this.
"This is a fate worse than death if you ask me." Tien remarked somberly and with great sadness in his voice at seeing his friend like this.
"Sush, all of you." Gine scolded, then turned to Krillin.
"Will this work?" She asked, trying to keep the desperation out of her tone.
Krillin eyed the lone senzu bean in his hand as if it was the most precious thing in the universe. "Only one way to find out."
Everyone stood back as Krillin walked up besides Chi-Chi's bed. He gulped and tried not to show the tears forming in his eyes at seeing her in this state.
"Hey Chi-Chi..." He said with a crack in his voice. "I'm not sure if you can hear me, but, uh... we're all here. And, I got a senzu bean right here for you. Um... I'm not sure if it will work though on injuries like this, but... it's worth a try."
He gave the bean one last look, then sighed. "Well... here goes nothing."
Just then, the doctors and security guards that the group had ran past to reach here finally caught up to them. "Hey! You can't come in here! Step away from the patient!"
The fighters of the group easily kept the doctors from trying to drag them away, and security was no hinderance either. But they all watched and protested as Krillin leaned over Chi-Chi to pry open her mouth and gently place the bean between her front teeth. He then cupped Chi-Chi's jaw to help her chew it and, with plugging up her nose, forcing her reflex to swallow the bean.
Krillin stood back and they all waited. One painful second went by, then two... then three...
Chi-Chi's bio-sign monitors started blaring alarms on their screens. Her body convulsed violently.
"Chi-Chi!" Gine shouted worryingly. The doctors demanded to be let through, shouting that the patient was dying.
They were just about to break through the line when the alarms suddenly seized and Chi-Chi sat upright, her eyes wide in shock. All the doctors present screamed in disbelief at what they were seeing.
Chi-Chi made gagging sounds and desperately clutched both hands around the tube attached to the brace around her neck. In one swift motion, she pulled on the tube and ripped the neck brace off. Chi-Chi breathed in a large gulp of air as if she had been drowning, the hole where the breathing tube was implanted in her throat had closed up. No scar was left to leave any trace that it was there.
"YEAH! IT WORKED!" Krillin cheered, and everyone of the gang broke out into tearful celebration. Even Raditz couldn't help but be awash in relief that a fellow warrior would live to fight another day.
"Oh, Chi-Chi! I'm so glad you're okay!" Launch jumped in joy, running to Chi-Chi's side and hugging her fiercely while the poor girl in the bed was still regaining her wits.
Gine felt as relieved as everyone else, and thought that they really needed to thank Korin sometime. Those beans really were miracle cures. But the fact that there had only been one senzu bean laying around Korin's tower that saved Chi-Chi's life left her feeling very unsettled. They came way too close to losing her.
"W-Where am I?!" Chi-Chi asked in alarm. She had no idea what was going on, finding herself in this bed with everyone crowded around her and choking on a tube.
"You're at the hospital in West City. You were injured, remember?" Krillin said.
Chi-Chi looked confused. "Injured?"
"Yeah..." Gine spoke up, almost guiltily. Chi-Chi eyed her as if nothing bad had happened. "I... well, bumped into you too hard, and you hit your head badly. You cracked your skull and broke your neck. We had to rush you here to the hospital and we almost lost you."
"I hit my head?" Asked Chi-Chi as she felt up the bandages wrapped around her cranium.
With none of the group to block the doctors, they crowded around them too, agape in shock at how a comatose, quadriplegic, and brain damaged patient with no prognosis of recovery was now upright, mobile, and fully articulate.
"H-h-h-h-h-how?! HOW?!" The head doctor stammered, but the group ignored them. Raditz however, snidely answered "Magic, old man. Far better than the barbaric instruments you call medicine." The doctor looked like he was going to explode.
Chi-Chi unwrapped the bandages, revealing a large patch of bare scalp where her hair once was on the side of her head. Any scar that was once there was now long gone. She felt her hand along where her hair was buzzed, and some men of the group started snickering despite themselves.
"What? WHAT IS IT?" She shrieked.
"Umm, here." Yamcha hesitantly picked up a mirror from the side of her bed and handed it to her. It took a few seconds for Chi-Chi to look at herself in it before she blew up.
"WHAT THE HELL?! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY HAIR?! I LOOK RIDICULOUS NOW!"
At least she was back to her normal self. Gine thought before she explained, "We didn't have any senzu beans left, so we had to take you here to the hospital for the doctors to operate. But Yamcha and Krillin found some in the nick of time."
"To say that you're lucky is an understatement!" Said Yamcha. "Korin had only one senzu bean left. If we hadn't looked under the table where we found it, you'd have ended up as a vegetable!" He laughed.
Tien slapped him on the back of the head. "That's not funny, Yamcha!"
"Thank you, Tien." Said Gine before turning back to Chi-Chi. "Do you remember anything?"
Chi-Chi sat and thought for a moment, then frowned at Gine when she did. "Yeah. I remember you screaming at Gohan..." Then she looked worried. "Gohan, is he-"
"He's right here, my dear." Grandpa Gohan came forward and held the boy up. "He's just napping." He placed Little Gohan on Chi-Chi's lap so she could hold him. At least she could relax now, knowing that her son was alright too.
Just then, however, Little Gohan stirred and woke up. Gine stiffened up, unsure what he was going to do.
"Uh..." He looked around as if dazed, then saw he was sitting in his mother's lap. "Oh, hey mommy!"
Chi-Chi smiled at him lovingly, "Hey sweetie!" Then pulled him into a hug, the two of them giggling. Gine was so glad for this happy turn of events and that her grandson didn't have to wake up to see his mother in the state that she was in. But now she felt out of place in the familial moment, and in a way felt she wasn't welcome.
After mother and son parted from their embrace, Little Gohan tiled his head in curiosity. "Uh, mom? What did you do to your hair? It's gone!"
"Oh! Uh, mommy just banged herself up a bit. That's all." Chi-Chi off-handedly remarked, but not without a warry glance at Gine.
"You hit your head?" He asked innocently.
That caught Gine's attention. "Wait, you don't remember, Gohan?"
When she spoke, Gine noticed how Chi-Chi reflexively clutched her son, as if she was trying to protect him from her. This one subtle movement made Gine feel her heart shatter in her chest, for it was clear as day now that her own daughter-in-law no longer trusted Little Gohan around her.
"Uh... no, I just remember..." He thought deeply. "You getting mad at me for some reason and then..."
"It doesn't matter, Gohan." Chi-Chi interrupted. "All that matters now is that we're going home. And there will be no more sparring for a while, right?"
Gine just stood there sadly. Chi-Chi had asked that question as a statement rather than a query, and venomously too. She knew full well why if it involved the last thing she remembered before waking up here. Oh, how did this all go so wrong? How did she screw this up so badly?!
Well, no time like the present to explain herself. She turned to the assembled group of their friends. "Can we have a moment alone, please?"
They all looked at each other quizzically, but agreed without protest. Grandpa Gohan was about to leave with them too when Gine stopped him.
"No, Gohan, I want to speak to you too."
The old man dutifully stayed while everyone filed out, taking the bewildered doctors with them. Roshi was the last one out, looking to Gine knowingly before closing the door. Assured that they had privacy, Gine turned to Chi-Chi and Little Gohan.
"I..." She started, but didn't know how to proceed. Her daughter-in-law eyed her with an expectant glare, while Little Gohan seemed oblivious and his namesake great-grandfather stood by silently.
"I... I'm sorry." Gine let out.
Chi-Chi raised an eyebrow. "Sorry for what?"
Gine sighed. Chi-Chi was going to make this difficult, then again she had every right to be angry. But she wasn't who Gine was talking to.
"I want to apologize to you... Little Gohan."
The boy was confused. "Uh... what do you mean, grandma?"
Gine looked him in the eye. "I got mad at you for no good reason. I'm not sure if you remember, but we were sparring back home at camp. Do you remember?"
"Uh, yeah I do." He nodded.
"And do you remember how you said you didn't want to fight me because it wasn't fun?"
The boy looked down and put his hand on his chin as he tried to remember. Then Little Gohan's eyes lit up, looking sad and frightened as he relived those upsetting moments in his head. "Y-yeah. I remember." He said cautiously.
"Do remember anything after that?" Gine asked.
"What does this have to do with anything?! Don't you owe me an apology too?!" Chi-Chi complained. Grandpa Gohan placed a hand on her shoulder to calm her down.
"She is getting to that, dear. Just let her finish talking first."
Chi-Chi wanted to complain further, but just huffed angrily and looked back to Gine impatiently.
Gine breathed as she asked again. "Well, do remember anything after that, Gohan?"
After a few moments of trying to recall, he shook his head. "No."
That sounded all too familiar to Gine, and confirmed her suspicion. Little Gohan must have also experienced the same mental lapses as she did whenever her rage took over.
But it filled her mind with more questions. Did this "rage boost" pass on to Kakarot or Raditz as well? Or was it dormant in her sons? Did it skip a generation and into Little Gohan? And most of all, just how powerful was it? Whenever she harnessed her rage, it magnified her power by a factor of five at most. But Little Gohan, he had the strength of an ordinary human due to his lack of real training. Yet, he somehow overpowered her. Even if her guard was down, there was no way he could have knocked her off her feet the way he did. His boost must have been far more powerful than hers, by almost ten fold more. But how? Was it his half-human genetics mixed with his Saiyan blood? Or was it just a fluke? Either way, she saw her grandson in a whole new light now. A little boy possessing a hidden potential far more than she could have ever imagined a Saiyan could have...
"I see." Gine said as she mentally reached her conclusion. But that wasn't the main reason for this. Little Gohan still had a right to know what happened.
"Well, after you said that... I got angry. I said some things I shouldn't have said. And... you did something that I thought only I could do."
That got Chi-Chi's attention, briefly forgetting her animosity. She had never heard of her mother-in-law talk of some hidden abilities before, and now her son possessed them too? Little Gohan listened intently.
"You got so mad that you..." Gine tried to find the words. "...you let out an enormous amount of energy that wasn't there, Gohan. You got so strong and angry that you hit me finally. Not only that, you knocked me down faster than I could defend myself."
Little Gohan was awestruck. "I did that?"
Gine nodded. "You did. But when I was knocked off my feet... I crashed into your mother. She was hurt really bad..."
A lump formed in her throat. "She almost died."
Little Gohan gasped in worry, looking at his bedridden mother with horrified eyes.
"Oh no! Is mommy gonna be okay?!" He squealed, then hugged his mother for dear life. "Oh mommy, I'm so sorry!"
Gine felt like her heart was like a lead weight sinking to her stomach. How could she let him even allude to the idea that this was his fault. She had coaxed him into lashing out. She called him, a four year old with no knowledge of what threat was coming, a coward. What kind of grandmother was she?
"It's okay! She's all better now, Gohan. Nothing to worry about. Right, Chi-Chi?"
Chi-Chi scoffed at how Gine could have the audacity to proclaim that she was fine after it was her who nearly condemned her to a life of paralysis. She brushed her hand over where the doctors buzzed her hair. "Well I might have to cut all my hair to grow it back again evenly, but otherwise I'm fine. No thanks to you."
Gine didn't mind that shot at her. She felt she kind of deserved it.
"But, the truth of the matter, Gohan, is... I provoked you. I called you a coward because I was angry..." Grandpa Gohan's words from their talk four months ago, about her haywire emotions and her grudge against Kami, was now coming back to haunt her.
"I was angry... for something that had nothing to do with you." She admitted to them as much as she admitted to herself. The mere utterance that she had a problem from her grudge against Kami released a torrent of feelings within Gine that wasn't prepared for.
"I should've been able to set aside those feelings, but I didn't. I lashed out at you instead, Gohan, and you understandably snapped back at me. The unintended consequence of your hidden power nearly costed your mother's life. But it was my doing that brought it about. There is no excuse is for treating my own grandchild that way. It's my fault that I almost killed your mother. And for that... I'm sorry, Gohan."
She looked down to hide her eyes behind her hair, unable to bare looking at her family.
"I love you all so much..." She felt hot tears running down her cheeks, and held her face in her hands. "I could never forgive myself for hurting you." She wailed.
Gine did not know how long she cried for, but knew she was standing next to Chi-Chi's bed. And before Gine knew it, she felt small arms wrapped around her neck. It broke her out of her crying enough to see Little Gohan had stood up and hugged her.
"Don't cry, grandma." He said soothingly. "It's okay. I know you didn't mean it."
Somehow Little Gohan's attempt to comfort her made Gine cry harder, and clutched him for dear life. How could her four year old grandson forgive her for almost killing his mother? How did she end up with a grandson that was too kind and forgiving for her own good?!
Little Gohan was uncomfortable seeing his grandmother so sad. He thought only kids like him cried, not adults. His own mother seemed scary even when she was sad. But seeing his grandmother so vulnerable was heartbreaking. So he held her hoping to calm her down. He understood what she was talking about, for pushing people until they got angry was something that bullies did to get responses. But his grandmother was not malicious, she had good intentions and just lost control of herself. She was sincere in that she regretted her actions, and like his father and great-grandfather taught him: its always better to forgive people if they truly were sorry for what they did. Still, it was jarring for the four year old boy to learn that even grownups like his parents and grandparents were not infallible. And what of this "hidden power" she was talking about?
"Well..." Chi-Chi said, "My son may be forgiving, but I am not so ready to trust you with sparring with him anytime soon. I warned you that he wasn't ready for training with us, and you almost got me killed."
Gine collected herself and was released from Little Gohan's embrace. She sniffled as she replied, "I know that now, Chi-Chi. I'm sorry I didn't listen to you."
Chi-Chi crossed her arms and gave Gine a steely glare. "Well I'm glad you finally understand. Because from now on, I forbid him from training. And that's final!"
There was a long moment of silence before Gine answered. "I know. And I won't stop you, Chi-Chi. He's your child."
Chi-Chi was surprised that Gine wasn't more upset by her proclamation intended to punish her mother-in-law. But she was glad at least for her son. "Good. Then Little Gohan should be able to get back to his studies full time!"
Grandpa Gohan raised an eyebrow. "You're okay with this, Gine?"
Gine nodded with a sad smile. "I am. I shouldn't be jeopardizing you two like this."
"But... what about the Saiyans?" Little Gohan asked.
Gine placed a hand on his shoulder. "We can handle them, Gohan. I wanted to be sure that you could fight too in case we couldn't. But... I have no right to force you to fight. You have your whole life ahead of you, sweetie. I don't want to expose you to the ugly side of combat."
While Gine meant what she was saying, a part of her wished that he still could. Not just for having an extra fighter to face the Prince, but she had glimpsed an awesome power within her grandson that no one suspected. Even for a moment, Little Gohan showed a rage boost that was so powerful that she suspected if given dedicated training, her grandson could rival her own and his father's strength combined if he ever harnessed his rage. But she also never wanted her grandson to experience the kinds of things that would fuel that rage. Perhaps it could be triggered by something less extreme than the traumatic memories Gine drew from to fuel her power, but now they might never know.
Little Gohan too felt somewhat disappointed that he was no longer allowed to spar. While the experience of fighting his grandmother seriously had left a bad impression, a new curiosity was seeded in his mind about the hidden power they said he had. Just what was that power he had? Where did it come from? He wanted to learn more about it. But he also knew better than to disobey his mother.
"And you won't. No one will force my little boy to fight to the death like some soldier." Chi-Chi declared, turning to Little Gohan. "You hear me, son? This is a perfect example of why violence is never the answer! You're gonna grow up to become a brilliant scientist someday that will bring peace to the world and not turn into some brute. Never!"
Little Gohan nodded sheepishly while Gine gave Chi-Chi an annoyed look. There were a lot of things in what she said which were utterly disagreeable, like the sometime-necessity of violence and how she is just controlling Little Gohan's life. But Gine did not want to drive the wedge between her and her daughter-in-law further with more arguing. Also, she was right that they couldn't force Little Gohan to fight with them. But it was still too harsh to permanently bar Little Gohan from his Saiyan birthright to fighting. But for now, there was nothing she could do. Maybe except for one thing.
"We might still need you, Chi-Chi." Said Gine. "Myself, Kakarot, and Raditz might be able to hold these Saiyans off, but they are the most vile and battle-hardened warriors in the galaxy. We might need every hand we could get to face them. You yourself were doing extremely well. You are free to join us still, but... Gohan can stay home during training this time. Where he can still study full time like you wish." That was harder to say than Gine thought it would.
Chi-Chi initially held her defiant look, but softened. At least Gine won there. For Chi-Chi was well aware of how far she had come as a fighter again. She wasn't going to give that up again so soon. Even after a close call like this, it will only be a minor setback in their training schedule.
"Alright. But not without some more senzu beans just in case!" Chi-Chi held out a finger.
Gine nodded. "Deal. When Korin grows the next batch that is."
That elicited no laugh from her, but at least Chi-Chi was back on track again.
The door to the recovery room swung open and Yamcha poked his head in.
"Hey! Sorry to interrupt, but there's a mob of reporters and doctors outside that wanna know how Chi-Chi got the miracle cure."
They all looked at each other in annoyance.
"We should probably get out of here." Said Grandpa Gohan.
"Good idea." Gine agreed.
They helped Chi-Chi unhook from the bio-sign monitors and collected her clothes. Chi-Chi got up and changed back into her normal attire while they looked away. Gine looked out the window they would all fly out of to escape prying eyes. Outside was the skyscrapers of West City and the great expanse of wilderness beyond.
Gine's gaze turned distant and determined.
After what has happened, she realized what she had to do. She could not lead them all into battle against the Saiyans the way she was. She needed to do what Grandpa Gohan had asked her to consider long before, and should have done so in the first place. She needed time to herself to address her problems. And it will be something she would have to do alone...
She turned to her grandson. "Say, Gohan. Would you like some ice cream on the way home?"
His face lit up in excitement. "Oh wow! Really?!"
Gine smiled. "Sure. After an exhausting day, I think a little treat is in order."
She turned back to Chi-Chi who was now fully dressed and ready to fly out. "If it's okay with your mom." Gine finished.
Little Gohan wheeled around. "Can we, mom? Huh?!"
Chi-Chi didn't know what Gine had in mind with this little detour for the way back home, but she guessed that after everything her son has been through and how her mother-in-law apologized, she supposed she could allow this.
"Alright. We can grab some on the way home." Chi-Chi conceded.
"Yay!" Little Gohan jumped up laughing.
Gine giggled at seeing the happy and smiling grandson she loved. Oh how Little Gohan reminded her so much of how Kakarot was as a boy... albeit more mature that is.
But as they flew out the window with Grandpa Gohan riding the Nimbus, Gine's smile turned sad. For she had a feeling that this was going to be the last little outing they would have together before the Saiyans arrived.
As promised, Gine, Chi-Chi, and Grandpa Gohan stopped somewhere for ice cream for Little Gohan. He enjoyed it on the way home, and Gine got to laugh at seeing her grandson trying to down a tower of melting scopes with every possible flavor mixed, almost spilling all over him and earning Chi-Chi's ire about spoiling his dinner later that evening.
Before dusk, everyone had made it back to camp on Mount Paozu. There was no time left to continue the last part of the day's training, nor did anyone feel like it after today's events. So they all scattered to their dwellings after being explained the situation and said their good nights and congratulations to Chi-Chi for her swift recovery.
Little Gohan and Chi-Chi were the last to turn in, and Gine made her solemn promise that things were going to be different come next morning, being vague as to how. Chi-Chi retorted that it was for certain, and that Gohan will not leave their dwelling unless it was school related. While Gine (and Little Gohan) wanted to protest this, Gine just nodded and said good night to them.
With everyone off to sleep, Gine quietly returned to their hut. And then told Gohan that she was leaving...
"I need time for myself to cleanse my anger towards Kami." Said Gine as they sat at the table. "I cannot lead our friends if I can't think straight, putting them and all of Earth in jeopardy like I did with Chi-Chi. So I will take all the time I need to settle some things before I can take charge again."
"Are you sure you want to go alone?" Grandpa Gohan asked as he sat across from her.
Gine nodded. "I have to. It's my problem that I have to deal with. Everyone else here needs to keep training to prepare."
She glanced outside uncertainly. "I just hope that they will understand why I need to do this and not think that I'm abandoning them."
"Don't worry, I will see to it. But they will understand, my dear." Grandpa Gohan assured. "We all need our own respites. And if there's one thing about our group of friends that's true, it's that they know a good heart when they see one in someone like you. I mean, Kakarot had to get it from somewhere, right?"
She looked to him with a smile. "Thanks."
He then asked, "How long will you be gone for?"
Gine shrugged. "I don't know. As long as it takes to clear my head, I guess. But hopefully I can do that before the Saiyans arrive. If not, then... well, I guess that's what I get for letting my emotions dooming us all." She finished morbidly.
"Hmm." He said thoughtfully.
Grandpa Gohan supported her decision, but was worried about her going solo. He wondered how she would face the anger towards Kami. Would she go to confront him again or to do so peacefully through meditation and intense self-training and discipline? He was uncertain. And the time needed was risky too. One shouldn't rush their quest for spiritual cleansing and refocusing, but the lives of everyone on the planet was at stake. Gine may not be ready when they come, or if she returned at the last moment, cutting it close.
But he had to trust her.
Grandpa Gohan placed his hand on Gine's. "I'm proud that you are taking the steps needed to help find your inner peace again, my dear. But there's no need to admit you did wrong in any way. Afterall, we are all imperfect beings. But you have a good heart trying to make order of all the chaos that the cosmos throws at us. I know that you will always do the right thing. I believe in you."
Gine felt warm gratitude fill her heart at his his words of encouragement and his humility. "Thank you." She said softly.
She had put them all through so much, and threw all the help he offered to her emotional well-being back in his face, yet he was always here to guide her when she needed him. She wondered how she could have gotten this far in life without him, and how someone as kind as him could exist. He truly was the closest thing to a father that she ever had.
They got up, and embraced each other.
"Tell Roshi that he's in charge until I get back, and tell Raditz to behave himself." Gine remarked as they parted.
Grandpa Gohan chuckled. "I will. You take care, Gine."
"You too." Gine said sadly, then went out the door.
Grandpa Gohan watched as Gine flew off into the night sky without looking back. A moment later, her form disappeared among the dots of stars dotting the dome of the heavens above, flying over the horizon and into her self-imposed exile...
A/N: There we, looks like Gine needs to take a break for herself. And what will Kami do? Find out next time!
Also, thank you MasumeX23 for asking how the rest of our characters are progressing during this arc. Although I don't believe in power levels (as they were meant to be a joke in the show), here they are so far.
Gine:
5 (suppressed/resting)
630 (sparring with Chi-Chi and Little Gohan)
2,300 (sparring with Raditz)
15,000 (full power)
75,000 (maximum rage boost which is only a one time use and good for a few seconds)
Raditz:
1,500 (arrival on Earth)
2,300 (four months of training)
Tien:
740 (four months of training)
Yamcha:
630 (four months of training)
Krillin:
635 (four months of training)
Chi-Chi:
130 (before training)
624 (four months of training)
Chiaotzu:
250 (four months of training)
Little Gohan:
1 (normal)
1,500 (enraged)
Kami:
220
Kakarot:
16,000 (full power upon entering Otherworld)
(after Otherworld? Will reveal later ;))