Part III: Winter
Goku's glare was so sharp that lasers could have been coming out of his eyes. There was a troubling smudge on the kitchen tiles that the mop could not scrub away, a smudge so stubborn that not even a man with super-human strength using said mop could scrub it away!
"Well, I guess this could be my workout for the day..."
The messy haired hero's biceps went into maximum overdrive and became a blur as he did his best to get the kitchen as clean as possible, just the way Chi-Chi had asked for. As her stomach got bigger, so did her anger. She wasn't the sweet girl who liked to the thing anymore. Instead, she was replaced by a woman who ate, cried, and yelled for no reason.
All because of that teeny tiny human growing inside of her.
Goku furrowed his dark brows while continuing to attack the smudge. If the baby was causing all of this before it even came out, what would it be like once it arrived?
The young husband wiped a tiny bead of sweat away from his forehead while holding the mop in the other hand. The smudge had finally disappeared, but his worries still lingered.
If he knew roasting the broomstick would lead to a bun in the oven, he would have never done it at all!
...Especially since what it was doing to his wife.
Goku looked at all of the wet shiny tiles surrounding him, realizing that he had backed himself into a corner. Not wanting to have to do this all over again, he dropped down cross legged onto the small dry area beneath him. He threw his head back against the wall and sighed loudly.
For the last five months, Goku had been doing his best to do half of the housework instead of none of it at all on behalf of his pregnant wife. He hadn't seen or talked to his friends since that day back in September. He hadn't had a good spar or done any of the stuff he loved to do.
The poor soul closed his eyes tightly while remembering Chi-Chi's latest command.
"Make this floor spotless while I get the groceries since you always get the wrong food!"
How could any food be wrong!?
It just didn't make any sense, none at all! Nothing she said these days made sense! He just did what she asked of him. He always did. He wanted to see her smile again.
Goku still had that same feeling in his stomach and chest and just about every place in his entire body for her, but it was so unclear if she felt the same anymore...
His eyes didn't want to open back up once his body reminded him of how exhausted he was. Yawning loudly while curling up into a ball on a couple of still-dirty tiles, Goku decided to finally give in.
"A few minutes won't hurt..."
"You better get yourself on home, dear. There was a blizzard warning announced on the radio."
Chi-Chi's lips had become so reddened and chapped from the cold weather that she couldn't respond to the elderly store owner before he went back inside to flip the 'open' sign to 'closed'. Her thick pink coat and multiple layers underneath were not strong enough to warm her body against the cold February wind. The groceries she had just purchased would have spoiled from all these hours of waiting if it were summer.
She contemplated going back inside the shop to call the house for the twentieth time, but the old man had already locked the door. She could hear his car revving up from somewhere behind the building.
"How could he have just left me here?"
Not sure if it were her emotions toying with her once again or if she was truly heartbroken, the pregnant young wife used her white glove to wipe away a tear before it could freeze against her pale skin.
Goku was suppose to pick her up on the Flying Nimbus hours ago. They were suppose to be eating dinner next to a warm fire. They were...
They were suppose to being a lot of things.
At least that's how they used to be...
Ever since she had announced and explained her pregnancy to her husband, their marriage changed drastically. He didn't enjoy spending time with her. He stopped wanting to talk as much. His usually cheerful expression had been replaced by one of annoyance.
Did he hate her?
She self consciously placed two almost frozen hands on her growing belly.
Did he hate the baby?
Chi-Chi sniffled from both her despair and the cold while looking up at the sky that was beginning to lose its brightness. Running out of options, she used her toned arms to lift up the groceries and held them against her chest tightly. Her long trek back to the cottage on Mount Paozo had begun the moment her pink boots descended into the snow.
The very, very deep snow.
Chi-Chi took one last look up at the sky, hoping to see her husband but knowing he had most likely forgotten about her. Confirming her belief, she continued her struggle through the snow knowing that much more was soon to come. Had her ear muffs not been so thick, she would have heard the voice the footsteps stalking closely behind her.
"OH CRAP!"
An orange blur had bolted out of a familiar cottage with a look of sheer terror on his face. The ferocious winds had caused the chimes to ring wildly, awakening Goku from his deep sleep. The sun was fading away, signaling that he was very, very, very, very late.
"NIIIIIIIIMBUUUUUUUS!"
The anxious husband hopped onto his faithful cloud, and put all of his trust in it to fly him to Chi-Chi as quickly as possible. What kind of hell was he going to get from her for this?
He slapped himself on the forehead.
"Why am I even thinking like that when there's a chance she turned into a popsicle!?"
Not only would he lose his wife, but his child as well. The family he had just barely began would already be ending. His eyes took on a mixture of determination and self-anger when he shook his head.
There was no chance he'd allow that to happen.
"Faster, Nimbus! We don't have much time!"
The cloud did as it was commanded. Goku's thick black hair whipped his face while the winds caused his eyes to water. Despite the obstacles of Mother Nature, the significant ki of his young wife was sensed at the exact location he promised he'd pick her up at. The husband opened his mouth to shout out his wife's name, but closed it slowly.
And blinked once.
Then twice.
And then a third time.
The corners of his mouth slid upwards as he took in the sight of Chi-Chi looking like a little cute pink bundle with cheeks to match. Her big stomach was covered by the brown paper bags of goodies. The way she sunk into the snow with each step made her appear even smaller than she was.
Goku contemplated swooping in to save her, but shrugged his shoulders. Where was the fun in that? He offered a quick salute to Nimbus before jumping off the yellow cloud. He tried to land as silently as he could into the snow covered ground and followed behind his wife, interested to see if the fighting spirit from her childhood still lingered somewhere inside...
"Knowing him, he probably mopped himself into a corner and fell asleep..."
Nimbus had to have traveled at a speed faster than Chi-Chi could comprehend. The cloud that was their form of transportation got them everywhere so quickly that she had assumed the distance between the market and their home was close.
She'd laugh at the stupidity of her judgment if weren't so depressing.
To top it off, she had no idea where she was. The snow had covered all the trails that headed north to Mount Paozu. The countryside didn't have signs, and any person that would normally be traveling her way were already safe in the comfort of their homes to wait out the snowstorm that was approaching. The sun had become covered by dark gray clouds, letting her know there was only a short amount of time left.
To top it off even more, her baby had become more active than normal. It was kicking her stomach like it had some sort of grudge against her.
"Look, kiddo. I know this isn't the best option, but we would have already frozen to death if we stayed at the store. The last thing I need is to throw up, so please be a little more considerate. Alright?"
The next kick wasn't a kick at all. It was more of a love tap.
Chi-Chi found herself smiling. She couldn't see her belly underneath the grocery bags but looked down anyway. "You understand me, don't you?"
"AAAAAACHOOOOO!"
"EEEEEK!"
The sudden loud sneeze coming from behind her caused her to drop her groceries and whip around. She was expecting to see a large man that matched the sound of that sneeze, but was greeted by vast white emptiness. The teenager scratched the back of her head, wondering if the mountains really could cause an echo that strong. Wondering why in the world would anyone but an abandoned wife trying to find her way home would be out in this weather...
Chi-Chi shook her head at how fast her heart was beating and bent down to put the food that had fallen out back into their rightful bags. The cold was beginning to make her go crazy. An unborn baby couldn't understand what she was saying, could it? There was no sneeze, was there? One of her bags must have blown away in the wind, yes? And that thing making that large shadow was just her imagination, right?
Chi-Chi's eyes widened as she looked at the man behind her, and then narrowed them. Did Goku really think wearing that grocery bag over his head would disguise himself? That gi of his stood out like a neon pumpkin, especially in contrast to the bright white snow!
And where in the world was this young man's jacket!?
"You lookin' for trouble?"
Chi-Chi arched her thin eyebrows. Goku made finger guns and placed them on his hips like the actor in the Western film they watched after doing the thing for the first time. She was still unsure if he really believed she had no clue who he was. Was this whole ordeal some sort of sick, twisted game?
"I'll ask you again, little lady! You lookin' for trouble?"
Chi-Chi slowly rose to her feet and took one step towards Baghead. At least she'd have a good excuse for kicking his ass if it were a game. "Maybe I am. What's it to ya?"
"I don't like big pink rascals causin' trouble in my neck of the woods."
...Big?
Chi-Chi's eye stopped twitching before Goku could comprehend the words he had just spoken. Her fist connected to his jaw, breaking the paper bag. He stumbled back a few feet and shook snow snuck into his navy boots.
"Dang, Cheech! You're still so strong!"
He was chuckling under the ripped bag while she continued to punch his chest tiny fists of fury against his chest. It wasn't until he removed the bag fully that he could see there were tears forming in the corners of her doe eyes. His laughter quickly ended and was replaced by a frown.
"Hey... What's wrong?"
"WHAT'S WRONG!?" She was hysterical. She began kicking snow up so high it had wet his face. "WHAT'S WRONG!? OH, NOTHING! MY HUSBAND HATES ME SO MUCH THAT HE FORGOT ABOUT ME! ALL BECAUSE HE HAD TO STICK HIS SLIT EYED DEMON IN ME!"
"Hate you!? I don't hate you, Chi-Chi! Why would you think that?" Goku caught her by the ankle and reached out to hold onto her back with his other hand so she'd be balanced. "If anything, I thought you hated me! You've been so mean!"
Chi-Chi held in her breath, trying to find the truth within his large eyes. She could see hurt in them that she'd never seen before. "Goku..." She sighed and touched his cheek with her gloved hand. He closed his eyes due to the delight of the warmth against his cold skin. "I love you. I've just been... I don't know... scared, I guess."
"You're scared, too?" His lips were in a pout. He thought that he was alone on this. There wasn't anything in this world he was afraid of, except for losing Chi-Chi as he experienced earlier.
Chi-Chi was turning more red than pink. Her leg was still arched up by her husband's strong hand. She looked down at her stomach and smiled weakly. "Well...yeah. I know it sounds silly, but I'm just afraid I won't be a good mom. I never had a chance to know mine."
It was Goku's turn to touch his wife's face, but he quickly let go when his cold flesh made her flinch. "It was just me and Grandpa Gohan when I was little. I think that maybe if we just treat the baby like your dad treated you and Grandpa treated me, it will be happy. Plus, you cook really good and I can get spots off the kitchen floor. We're good for somethin', right?"
Chi-Chi shook her head in amazement. How had he matured so much since the night of their wedding? He was becoming a man before her very eyes. She was so enchanted by this fact that she hadn't noticed the blizzard had already arrived. "You forgot something."
"What's that?"
"We're strong. Our child will always be protected."
Goku grinned brighter than the snow. He gathered her up in his arms and called for Nimbus. The flew above the blizzard, able to avoid it as they headed home. The entire way there, he held her as close as he possibly could. He made sure one hand rested on her bump to keep it warm. The minute it connected, the baby moved.
Perhaps, trying to touch his father's hand in return.
"Damnit..."
"What happened?"
"I left the groceries..."
The two were snuggled up on the couch, fire blazing on the side and the T.V. flashing in the front. Another Western was on, but this one didn't hold Goku's attention as much as his wife did.
"Eh, we'll go together tomorrow. Can I throw something together for you?"
Chi-Chi blinked. When had he learned to cook? "Uhm...sure honey. Why not?"
The husband leaped off the warm couch and disappeared into the kitchen. Chi-Chi winced at the sound of everything dropping to the ground as he scrounged around like an orange raccoon. Minutes later he came out with a box of cereal and a gallon of milk. She watched in horror as he poured the milk into the box and handed it to her.
"All the sweetness and no dishes!"
Once he had prepared an entire box for himself, he sat down right beside and began gulping down his creation. Chi-Chi shrugged before deciding to join him. Goku took a second to watch her devour the sugary goodness, milk all over her face and corn flake residue on her lips.
He had never seen her looking so beautiful.