So, as an apology for not updating last week and because I´m super appreciative of all the follows this fic is getting, here´s another chapter for you all.

We´re finally making some progress this chapter, for all that it might feel a little slow moving. This chapter is set over about 6 months though I've not made it clear in the text itself (let me know if you want me to make it clearer - in my draft versions I have "dates" included), and is set a couple of months after the last chapter.

Chapter 6

GOKU

Whis had told them almost a week ago that they'd be going home tomorrow.

Goku had known for a week now that his training was coming to an end.

And for the first time in his life he'd felt uncomfortable about going home.

He should be happy to be going home - he would have missed so much while he was gone: Goten had been growing like a sapling, taller every day; and Pan, too. His granddaughter had started talking just before he'd left and he was excited to see her again; he wanted to know how Gohan's new research was going - he didn't understand any of it but Gohan had been thrilled to receive the position and he enjoyed seeing the eager, excited look on his son's face when he spoke about his work.

He even wanted to see Bulma, Trunks and Bulla again. He cared about Trunks as much as he did either of his sons and tiny little Bulla was adorable.

But he didn't want to leave.

And somehow after all the months of being away from her, Chichi - who should have been well and truly on the list of people he'd missed - was the person he was least eager to see.

He wasn't ready - wasn't sure he'd ever be ready - to give up his training. He lived and breathed martial arts and didn't even know who he was without it.

Even that thought seemed far too deep and uneasy for him, but it was true.

He wasn't ready to go home, knowing that Chichi intended for him to give up every aspect of his training and fighting. He'd even considered not going back just yet. King Kai would always let him train on his planet, after all. But could he do that? Goku could well imagine Chichi's fury if Vegeta went back but he didn't, and that wasn't something even he was brave enough to face.

CAULIFLA

Caulifla fell to the ground with a moan of pain and pure, sheer exhaustion.

She was sprawled on the ground, too tired to even open her eyes, and every breath felt like a monumental effort. She was vaguely aware of something sharp - probably a rock - digging into her back, but she couldn't even find the energy to so much as seriously think about moving off the damn thing, let alone to force her muscles into motion.

This was the result of just a single day on Champa's planet and Caulifla didn't know how she was possibly going to get through the same tomorrow. She would - she had to. She just didn't know how.

It had been months since the tournament. Those months had been spent training. Training and training and training. She'd trained with Kale, with Cabba, with her brother and by herself. Vados had insisted that neither she nor Kale were ready for the training they would receive on Champa's planet, despite Caulifla's insistence to the contrary. And right now Caulifla was finally coming to realise the sheer naïveté of her arguments.

Yes, she and Kale had done well at the tournament; if you considered that neither of them had ever had any formal training and hadn't even known about super-saiyan or other universes until just a matter of hours before the tournament. And yes, Kefla had been able to give that Son Goku a challenge, though Caulifla was beginning to question just how large a challenge. But even after all the months of training and all the growth in that time, Vados had said that today they would start working towards the level of training that Son Goku and his training partner Vegeta had begun with.

Towards…

By the Gods, she'd underestimated just how big a challenge they were facing.

It was beyond daunting.

Her only consolation was that Cabba had apparently fared no better, despite having had far more time to prepare.

She didn't even know where he was right now. Somewhere nearby, but that was the extent of the energy she had left to devote to that thought. Kale was closer, if the sound of her heaving breathing was anything to go by.

In a few minutes, she told herself, she'd get up. She'd find the energy somehow and she'd get up, and she'd get Kale up somehow too. She'd find the energy to eat and shower and get back to the room she'd been given. And then, tomorrow, she'd do it all again.

She would.

Somehow.

VIDEL

Videl arrived back home to the now familiar sight of her daughter laughingly flying around the garden. Gamboling through the air and haphazardly bumping into everything from her toys, the trees and even the house.

Pan still wasn't walking and Videl had to admit that she was a little worried about that, but when she could fly, what would possibly make a toddler spontaneously begin walking?

Videl shut the gate behind her and took a look around the garden for Piccolo, knowing that he was never far from Pan. But instead of the namekian she'd expected, she found her eyes landing on her father-in-law instead.

Goku was laying on the grass, head pillowed on his crossed arms as he grinned up at Pan in unbridled delight.

One moment she was watching the two of them, the next her daughter was barrelling into her with a squeal of delight. Videl hadn't had time to brace herself in the slightest, but before she could even begin to fall, Goku had appeared behind her, his hands on her shoulders to steady her.

Freeing one of her hands of the shopping bags weighing her down, Videl wrapped an arm around her daughter and gave Goku a grateful smile over shoulder.

"You're here again?" Videl asked him, not bothering to resist as he took the remaining bags from her and retrieved the one from the floor.

"Yeah!"

"Are you looking for Gohan?" She asked.

"Hm?" Goku hummed as he happily caught his granddaughter when she rose back up into the air, the shopping bags hanging around his elbows as if they weighed nothing. "No."

"Are you looking for food, then?" Videl teased. Goku wasn't the most verbose person by far, but she enjoyed his company. Besides, she was used to Piccolo!

"Ah, no…" Goku grinned, perhaps a bit bashfully. "I just came to see Pan."

Videl smiled. She'd heard the stories of how Gohan had loved spending time with his father when he was young and it was clear just how much Goku loved spending time with both Pan and Goten. From what she'd heard, Goku hadn't made a very good father, but he was a good man who would go to any lengths to help his friends or family and clearly delighted in childish antics. He'd play with Pan for hours at a time. He just wasn't very reliable for the day to day things.

He drove Chichi up the wall, she knew, but Videl liked him. And strange as it was, she got along better with him when Gohan wasn't around. Gohan and his father were just so completely different that, for all that they loved each other, they had a strange, slightly uncomfortable dynamic. n one hand Gohan idolised his father, on the other he was endlessly frustrated that his father refused to grow up. Videl had her own theories about that particular topic based on what she'd heard over the years, but that didn't change how things were right now.

"How are things?" Videl asked as he followed her through the front door and into the kitchen. "Are your crops doing alright?"

"Yeah," he nodded. "I planted a new lot a couple'a weeks ago and they're doing okay."

Videl watched him as he set the shopping bags down on the kitchen counter, then worked his shoulder as if it was annoying him. "And, uh, still no training?" She ventured, voice both sympathetic and concerned. She was still confused by Chichi's latest edict.

He stilled for a moment, his face going serious. "Chichi-" he cut off, maybe searching for the right words, "Chichi's pretty determined that I she doesn't want me to fight anymore…"

"Goku…" She sighed softly. She'd long ago dropped the honorific off his name, at least in private - he clearly didn't care about it anyway - and she'd learned that he preferred frankness to tiptoeing around a subject. Goku wasn't one for subtlety. "She can't ask you to give that up, that's just not fair. But Goku -" she cut off. Just how could she say this best? "Goku, you need to be around more. You're gone for months at a time and that's not fair either."

He turned to look at her then, his face set in that serious frown that she saw so rarely. "I know. I'm trying."

She watched him for a long moment and found her heart aching for this man who was so far outside of anything that could be considered normal but who was expected to live up to those expectations anyway. And somehow, to his wife, the person who should appreciate him the most, it was the things that made him so truly exceptional that were his biggest failings.

Deciding she didn't know what to do to help, and that it wasn't her marriage to be meddling in anyway, she plastered a smile to her face and said "You know, my dad bought Pan even more toys over the weekend. She's been so excited to show you her new favourites. Why don't you go have a look with her and I'll dig us out something to eat."

He grinned at her suggestion and turned excitedly to Pan where she was sat on his shoulder, clearly not put off by the sudden change in conversation.

Videl let their excited chatter fade into the background as they moved away and she started putting away the shopping. She knew she had a soft spot for her father-in-law: he was the reason she and Gohan, or any of them for that matter, were even still alive to have this life. Without him this world - this universe - would have been destroyed who knew how many years ago. She knew being married to him was hard on Chichi, but couldn't the older woman see just how special, how unique, he was and appreciate him for who he was?

Anybody could have a nine to five job or be educated or wear smart clothes, she thought as she pulled out two tubs of ice cream and grabbed a pair of spoons, but not everyone could save the world.

And certainly not save the world and then just live a simple, humble life without any expectations of anyone. She knew that all too well.

But there was no point in dwelling on it, so instead she settled on the sofa, content to watch the oldest and youngest members of her extraordinary family excitedly dig through the mountain of toys that had become the focal point of her living room and knowing it would only be a matter of minutes until they noticed the ice cream.

This wasn't the life she'd imagined for herself.

No, this was far, far better.

CHICHI

"No Goku san! I told you last time! It's time you were done with all this. You're a grandfather now and it's time you started acting like it and less like a hooligan!"

"Chichi, I've been trying! I've spent lots of time here recently and I haven't trained since I got back. The crops are all harvested…

"Can't I go? Just for a little while?"

She gave him a flat look. "How much more clear do I need to be? No."

Why couldn't he understand this? Could he really not see the example he was setting for Pan? It was too late for Goten: that boy was already used to his father being gone all the time and her only hope for getting him into university and a stable job was his attachment to Trunks.

"Vegeta-"

"I don't care what Vegeta's doing!"

The kitchen fell into a tense silence.

This was the third time in a week that Goku had asked and the third time she had given him an unequivocal no.

They'd been married for over twenty-seven years, though she doubted her husband was aware of that, and he'd spent almost all of that time training. Never mind the nine years he'd been dead and the year he'd taken to come back from Namek. Or the time spent training with King Kai or Whis - even she'd lost count of that though she knew it must be coming close to years.

"Chichi…" his voice was softer this time, more serious perhaps, for all that it had lost its insistence. "I really want to go…"

"You 'really want to', do you? Well what about what I want? What your family wants?" Chichi countered.

"What do you mean?" Oh, this man made her angry sometimes! Could he really not think about anyone else?

"What do you think I mean, Goku san?" She wasn't going to give him the answer, not this time.

"Well," he started, looking like a deer caught in the headlights, "me and Piccolo harvested all the crops, and I took 'em all to the market..." He trailed off and she waited for him to continue. Was that all he thought this was about? When he didn't go on she quirked an eyebrow.

"I, er... I've been to see Pan every week..." He fell silent once more.

"Chichi, I really want to go train." Of course he circled back around to that eventually. He always did. And every time it made her see red.

"You agreed last time that that would be the last time!"

"You, er... You didn't give me much choice." Came his mumbled response.

Was that what he thought? Fine. He could have a choice if that was what he wanted!

"You want a choice, Son Goku?" She barely kept her voice controlled but he seemed not to notice as he simply nodded. "Are you sure? You really want me to give you a choice?" She didn't raise her voice. Not this time.

He waited quietly, his face finally serious.

"Fine. Here it is: your training or this family." Kami, how she hated those words, but they'd been bouncing around in her head for far too long for her not to voice them.

Goku stayed silent, arms loose at his sides but his face in a soft frown.

He understood.

It was time for him to choose his family and stop all this nonsense.

"Are you serious?" From anyone else it would have been an outraged or disbelieving challenge, but not from him. Not now. It was just a question.

He was testing her resolve and she wasn't going to give in, so instead of answering him she stayed silent, refusing to look away, even as the seconds dragged on.

Did her heart always beat this loud?

She couldn't believe it was taking him this long to answer. It wasn't a hard question. All he had to do was give up his ridiculous hobby!

The seconds became minutes and still neither of them looked away. Chichi felt like she was about to choke on the words building in her throat but held them in, determined to let him come to his own answer. He wasn't so stupid, nor so resistant to the idea of working, that he'd leave the security and love of his family and his life here just to continue his training.

Admittedly, it seemed she'd underestimated just how much that training meant to him, judging by how long this was taking him, but he'd be okay. He'd find a more respectable interest – perhaps she could get him reading?

"Okay," he finally said, face serious and determined. She barely held in a sigh as a small smile spread on her face. "You're right, Chichi." Now wasn't the time to say anything – that would come later, so for now she settled on turning back to the counter, trying to remember just what she'd been about to do before all this started.

"I'm really sorry, but I'm going to have to go."

Chichi spun back around, feeling the horror of those words sinking in. What was he saying? He couldn't be serious!

But there he was, his face as serious as she had ever seen it, no hint of hesitation anywhere to be seen.

Chichi felt herself gaping and quickly pulled herself back under control. Of course he wasn't going to leave, he was just calling her bluff.

"What are you talking about?"

He didn't even flinch and she felt the ground falling away from under her.

"I'm sorry Chichi. I've tried giving it all up. I've tried doing what you're asking me. But I can't."

"Goku san!"

And then he was raising his fingers to his head in that damn pose and...

And he was gone.

A/N: And there you have it, he's made a decision. Where's he going to go first? What's going to be his reaction? What'll happen next? Fell free to guess! If you get it right and I can find the time I might even write you a little something!

Also, Guest who keeps leaving me epically long anonymous reviews, stop it! I need to know who you are because I reckon we could chat for hours XD At least leave me a user name! I'm begging you!