This story was written for GoChi Week 2022

Day 3 - High mountains and flowing waters

His vision was blurred and he felt slightly nauseous. It took a few seconds before his eyes could adapt to the brightness of the environment and he could see where he was. The place was open, the sky was blue with a few clouds, and the sun was shining high above. He was sitting on a lawn, and on the sides, there were large rocks and dark mountains, some plants, and bushes between some rocks and others.

The last thing he remembered was that he was on Lord Beerus' planet where Whis was showing him and explaining about an artifact the angel had recovered. It was a sort of carved stone medallion with the figure of an owl whose eyes were two yellow crystals. Curious, he gazed intently at the object, and suddenly those crystals began to glow and everything went out.

He knew nothing more about what had happened, and when he woke up, he was there. In that unknown, yet strangely familiar place.

He decided to get up and walk around to try to locate himself. He knew that he was nowhere on Lord Beerus' little planet. He was on Earth. When and how he had returned, he still didn't know.

He tried to concentrate to find any familiar KI, being the first to investigate, as usual, his wife, which he soon identified. However, Goku tilted his head to the side when he felt it. Her KI was close, but it was different. It was much lower than usual, almost imperceptible. It wasn't weak or diminishing, it was steady, but it wasn't normal. He also looked for the KI of his sons, but couldn't find them. He then realized that there was something very wrong going on. Immediately, the warrior took two fingers to his forehead and teleported to where Chichi's KI was.

In the next second, Goku materialized in another place: a wood. He was surrounded by huge trees laden with leaves, some rocks with moss, and further ahead a lake with a waterfall, it was beautiful with several rocks where the water was flowing majestically in every direction. On the shore of that lake, there was also a child. It had its back to him and was crouching down, but he could see a part of the long black hair dancing as the breeze beat against it.

He looked around and saw no sign of Chichi, there was no other person there besides him and that child and her KI signature were there. He then approached the child and said:

"Hello!"

At the same second the child turned to him, and upon seeing him, put itself in a fighting stance which Goku recognized immediately, as well as the big black eyes that stared at him with ferocity. This made him freeze completely.

"Who are you? What do you want here?"

"Chi-Chichi?"

Goku jumped back and pointed his finger at her, terrified. That child was his wife. But how?

The girl undid her pose for a moment and curiously asked: "How'd ya know my name?"

Goku was stunned. Had his wife become a child? But what had happened to his sons? And with his friends? And she didn't remember him? Why?

He took a moment to re-identify his son's KI and couldn't locate it, and among his friends' KIs, the only one he could locate was Master Roshi's, but like Chichi's, it was very different from the last time he had seen him.

"Don't you know who I am?" he asked, and she shook her head no.

Goku frowned and looked again at the place in question, then he remembered. It was a wood that was near the Fry-Pan mountain and Chichi had taken him there a few times, mostly during the early years of their marriage. He remembered that Chichi had told him that she used to play there a lot when she was a child, and that she even had an imaginary friend that kept her company, but whom she didn't remember anymore.

Little by little his mind started remembering and processing some of the information that Whis had been talking about the artifact before he appeared at that place: the artifact possessed a magical property capable of time travel.

He didn't understand how it happened, but he understood that he had traveled back in time. It was different from when he had traveled back in time to face Black in that time machine Bulma had invented, but he knew that somehow the artifact had sent him back in time to a time when his wife was still a child.

Chichi looked at him with curiosity and strangeness. She was very small and wore the same costume he had first seen her in: blue bikini armor with a green cape, pink boots, gloves, and helmet.

"Dontcha worry, I'm a friend!" he smiled at her, but Chichi remained defensive.

"How'd ya know my name?"

"Cause I know that you're the Princess of Fire Mountain!" he answered simply.

Even if he didn't know exactly how it had happened, Goku knew enough not to interfere with the timeline. He knew that any relatively relevant action could totally change the course of history and create a new timeline. Therefore, it wouldn't be wise to reveal to that little girl that she was talking to her future husband. It could jeopardize their future, and like that they might never get married and their children might never be born.

The best he could do at that moment was to keep a low profile and wait for Whis to fix the situation, as he knew the angel would. He'd just have to be careful not to pass on any important information to Chichi and everything would be fine.

"But ya don't have to worry, I'm good. I won't hurt you! I promise!"

"If you do anything I'll cut you with my blade!" she sounded angry and fearless and Goku chuckled.

"I bet you will!"

Chichi stared at him suspiciously.

"What's your name?"

"Go..." he started to say, but then he realized that he couldn't reveal his name. Chichi must not know him yet, and revealing it might compromise the timeline, so he said the first thing that came to his mind: "…Son!"

"Goson? What a weird name..." she commented and Goku decided to not correct her, it was better to leave it at that. "You're weird."

Goku laughed.

"Ya really think so?"

"Yeah." replied the princess. "Your hair's weird. I've never seen someone with hair like that."

"Yeah, that hair's super weird." Goku agreed with a smile. "What are ya doing here, little princess? Where's the king?"

"Daddy's talking to some men in the castle, he said it's grown-up business. He lets me go out to play here in the woods."

"And what are ya playing?"

"Princess!"

"But aren't you already a princess?"

"I am... but I'm playing that one day I'll meet a very handsome Prince Charming. Are you a Prince Charming?"

Goku laughed.

"No, I'm a warrior, just like your father."

Chichi shrugged.

"You don't really look like a Prince Charming. You don't even have a horse."

"True, but I can do this!" he levitated a few centimeters, leaving the girl open-mouthed.

"How did ya do that?"

"It's magic!"

"Can you teach me?"

"I'm sorry, but a magician doesn't reveal his tricks!" he replied, remembering the time Goten had told him that when he had taken a coin from behind his ear. How his son had done it was still a mystery to the sayan.

"What else can you do?"

"Huh... let's see..." Goku formed a KI ball in his hand and Chichi's eyes widened in amazement.

"What is it?"

"Magic!"

She giggled. That guy was kind of funny.

"How old are you, Chichi?"

"I'm six."

"Six..." Goku muttered.

That meant that he was also six years old at that period of time. And that also meant that his grandpa must still be alive.

He smiled at the thought of talking to him again, alerting him of what will happen. But soon his shoulders slumped as he remembered that this would only create an alternate timeline, that he wouldn't have his grandpa in his timeline, and that it could still cause a dysfunction in the entire course of history. It was risky. He couldn't risk losing more, he had already lost his grandfather, and he couldn't lose his wife and sons.

But that wouldn't stop him from at least seeing him, one last time, if only from afar. Maybe he could do this in the dead of night if he was still around.

Soon his stomach made a loud noise, indicating that he was hungry.

"Do you happen to have anything to eat?"

Chichi shook her head.

"There's food in the castle."

"Ah... but I think it's better if we don't disturb your father with his adult matters, right? I'll find something to eat right here!"

Then Chichi heard a call from his father and said: "I have to go Mr. Gosol! Bye!"

She waved and ran off into the woods. Goku just waved back, still intrigued to see the little version of his wife.

It had been seven days since Goku had gone back in time and so far, no sign of Whis. He was considering various ways to get in touch with the angel without it being able to severely interfere with the course of the timeline.

On his first night although, he had taken the opportunity to see his grandfather one last time from afar, hiding so that the old man or his child version could find him, and as much as he couldn't interact with them, it was enough to warm his heart and ease some of the longings he felt for his grandfather.

For the rest of his time, he stayed in the woods where he camped out in the open the first night, near the lake where he had found kid Chichi and where he was catching some fish to feed himself. But Chichi started going to the woods every day, and since then she began to take a basket of food with her, which grew bigger every day since the man's appetite was enormous. She also took a blanket, a pillow, some stuffed animals to keep him company when she wasn't around, some toys, and some clean clothes that she stole from her father – that got huge on Goku, so he didn't wear them and kept his dirty gi.

The two of them spent their afternoons by the lake, to the sound of the flowing water, playing, eating, talking – whatever one could talk to a six-year-old child – and Goku showing her some more 'magic tricks' that left her extremely impressed and amazed.

Goku treated her as he had treated his children, it seemed like he was talking to a daughter of his and not a child version of his wife. This made him think how cool it would be to have a little girl, a mini Chichi. They already had a mini Goku, so why not have a mini Chichi too?

Chichi enjoyed the company of the strange fellow, he was fun and funny, and little by little she began to find him handsome too, even with that weird hair. It was like a child having her first crush on their teacher or babysitter. She then suddenly asked, while combing the doll's hair she was holding: "Mr. Gosol, are you married?"

"Hun?" he looked at her, curious at her sudden question, and answered, "Yes, I'm married."

Chichi's shoulders slumped at the same instant, disappointed.

"Is that so?"

"Yes, it is."

"What's her name?"

"Her name?" Goku thought for a moment. How to say that his wife's name was the same as the child's name? That could lead to confusion. He'd have to think of a different name, but which one? He then remembered something that might be useful and said: "Her name's Anonymous!"

"What an ugly name!" she replied, sulking, and Goku laughed.

Chichi wasn't happy to hear that the man was already engaged, even if he was not a Prince Charming, when she grew up, they could get married.

"Is she pretty?"

"Is she pretty?" Goku repeated the question before looking up at the sky and complementing it with a silly smile and chuckled answering: "She's the most beautiful woman in the whole world. She's also a princess, you know!"

"Humph..." grumbled the girl, annoyed. "But you're not even Prince Charming..."

"I'm not, it's true, but she still wanted to marry me anyway and, we're very happy together. We even have two children."

Chichi looked at the jovial smile of the man in front of her and felt a surge of jealousy. Annoyed she started to gather her things making the sayan arch an eyebrow, wondering at the reaction. It was still early and her father hadn't even called her yet.

"Are you leaving already?"

"Yes!" she replied harshly and walked towards the woods' exit.

Goku couldn't help but laugh as he noticed that she looked just like her adult version when he got jealous.

After that conversation, Chichi had not shown up in the woods the next day, and Goku understood that she must still be upset to learn that he was married to a princess named Anonymous. Little could the little girl imagine that the said princess was herself, but as an adult, obviously.

However, before he could say goodbye to the child version of his wife, he returned to his normal time period. One fine morning, Goku opened his eyes and realized that he was back on Lord Beerus' planet, next to Whis who still held the time apparatus in his hands.

He explained what had happened and said that, in their plan, Goku had only been gone seven minutes and not seven days, but that Whis had already corrected the flaw and that this shouldn't happen again. The angel took the opportunity to analyze whether there was any temporal change with the warrior's return to time but verified that everything remained the same.

Goku then asked to go back to his home, for he was missing his wife and wanted to see her, and soon the sayan was in front of his house on Mount Paozu. He opened the door and immediately smelled the delicious aroma of homemade food, his Chichi's food.

She was on her back, now as an adult, facing the kitchen counter and he came up behind her, hugging her lovingly and making Chichi startle slightly.

"Goku! You're back!" she turned to him and hugged him before kissing him.

Goku smiled.

"Yes! I missed you..."

Chichi chuckled disbelievingly and said: "Yeah, sure, I bet you came back because you got hungry, that's what!" he laughed and Chichi turned to face the front again, going back to chopping vegetables. "Soon lunch will be ready!"

Goku still remained glued to her, holding her by the waist as he rested his chin on Chichi's shoulder, inhaling her delicious perfume. He knew that Chichi didn't remember that week with adult Goku (his version of the future), because she always believed that whatever had happened was a work of her imagination, that he was the imaginary friend she had mentioned, but that she didn't really remember either, after all, she was very young.

One day he would tell her what happened, but at that moment, he just preferred to say: "Chichi... What do you think about having a girl?"

The princess stopped the movement and blinked a few times before turning to him again, looking at him with confusion.

"Why's that all of a sudden, honey?"

Goku shrugged and only said: "I think it would be nice if we had a little girl, a little princess Chichi running around the house."

Chichi giggled and wrapped her arms around his neck, saying: "That sounds like a great idea. I always wanted to have lots of children anyway!"

Goku smiled and captured his beloved wife's lips in a passionate kiss.

His eternal princess!

The End.

Note: Slightly based on the movie and series: "The Time Traveler's Wife".