Chapter 4
It is here now
Vegeta and Piccolo landed in Goku's yard. Chi Chi came out of the house wiping her hands on her apron.
"Is Goku with you?"
"No. We came to see him." Piccolo replied.
This wasn't out of the ordinary. Goku had a habit of staying away from home for weeks at a time. Sometimes even longer.
"Well, he said he was coming back last night and he didn't."
Her face looked worried. That wasn't like him. He always kept his word.
"Have you seen either of those new people around?" Vegeta asked, emphasizing "new" as if it were a disease.
"Actually, Chantisu was here last night. Goku was going to walk her back or something."
Piccolo and Vegeta exchanged looks. Goku was too strong to be hurt by this female but he could have been ambushed.
"We'll find out where he is Chi Chi." Piccolo assured her flatly.
"Good. And when you do find him, bring him home so I can give him a piece of my mind. Hmph!"
Vegeta and Piccolo took off again in the direction of the campsite.
Gohan was stuffed. He'd eaten his bacon cheeseburger, a chocolate shake, extra large fries plus finished Yamcha's and Krillin's food.
Belch "Sorry Guys!"
"Hey that was pretty impressive."
"Yeah, I'd give it an 8.5 on the Richter scale!"
The trio laughed together. The cute little waitress came back to ask if they wanted anything else. Yamcha winked and said, "Only your phone number."
She made the annoyed "stk" sound that only women can do and rolled her eyes. She walked away before he could reply.
"Real smooth" teased Krillin.
"Shut up. Not like you got her number either."
Gohan watched his friends while they began to argue who actually deserved her number. He thought it was funny.
Can you love me enough to let me go?
Is your jealousy born of fear
Of my not returning to you?
Know this young mind and heart
All things change without your consent
Pain is allowed not felt
I run free as do you
Will you run your feelings or will your feelings run you?
Goku went home alone. He knew Chi Chi would be mad. He'd been out all night with no word home. She didn't care so much about him being gone – it was the not knowing where he was that pissed her off. He landed a moment to pick a few flowers for her. Maybe that'd lower her voice a few decibels.
How was he going to tell her all this? He had no idea but he wasn't one to plan things out anyway. He'd just tell her. He tried to see her through the window. She was standing at the stove, stirring something delicious-smelling. He took a deep breath and walked in.
"Chi Chi?"
She turned around and smiled a smile that was not totally full of joy. In fact it was almost feral. She looked like she was going to relish this fight.
"So, you're safe? I'm glad. Now I can kill you!"
"I'm sorry I didn't come home last night. I-"
She cut him off "Where did you get that ridiculous shirt?!"
"I borrowed it from Chantisu. We went to Kami's Lookout last night."
Chi Chi's brows relaxed a tick. She looked surprised.
"Why?"
"I think you'd better sit down. We have some things to talk about."
He set the flowers down on the table. Chi Chi hadn't noticed them at all.
Vegeta and Piccolo landed far enough from the camp to walk up undetected. They were on full alert, sensing any shift in the energy around them. Piccolo was fairly calm but Vegeta's stomach burned with a bitter rage that is born from having your entire world destroyed because of the one being's selfish desires. He finally had his chance for revenge. He would not let it slip through his fingers. That vermin spawn from this abomination has killed me once, he thought. He felt shame at having not died well, turning emotional at the end. He'd wished Kakarot had never heard those things. He'd beat Kakarot to this fight and destroy the bastard before the village idiot even knew the enemy was ever alive again. He'd never know the difference. This thought of keeping Kakarot in the dark pleased Vegeta greatly. He was too stupid to be of any help in a covert mission like this anyway. Hell, the Namekian was bad enough to have to drag along but he'd proven himself useful in the past.
"Guys, hold up."
Yamcha and Krillin stopped yammering at each other.
"Do you feel that?"
"Yeah. Something's up." Yamcha stood up.
"We'd better go." Krillin reached in his pocket and threw his twenty down on the table.
"Let's do it."
The three warriors stepped outside and took off from the sidewalk simultaneously.
They were following the energy surge in the atmosphere. It was coming from the direction of Jikan's campsite. The trio didn't know it, but they were flying into a trap.
How many times
can I disappoint you and still remain yours.
There's the
box that I have to live in.
But do I?
Are you
mine…Am I yours?
Why do we
belong to each other when we could just be there for each other?
The box is
velvety soft.
But it's still
a box.
She had really wanted to tear into him but found him so uncharacteristically serious that she'd forgotten about it. She sat down slowly into a kitchen chair. Goku pulled a chair over so that theirs knees touched. He felt like he was starving but didn't ask for any of the food that was cooking. He had to get through this with her.
"Chi Chi, remember how I got here, right?"
She nodded.
"Well, there was more planned for me than I remember. My family had arranged a mate for me. I was supposed to have conquered the Earth my eighteenth year. Then I was supposed to go back to Vegeta and be joined with this girl."
Chi Chi started shaking her head. She was very intelligent and was beginning to see where all of this was going.
"She's the one." It wasn't a question.
Goku nodded, his black spikes bobbing.
"So what is this all about?"
He sighed. This is where the rubber hit the road. He just needed to blurt it out.
"Chi Chi, I love you and Gohan very much. Nothing will ever change that."
He took her hand in his hoping she'd understand.
"I saw Kami. He says its no accident that we ran into each other again. I'm not leaving you at all."
Tears welled up in Chi Chi's big black eyes and spilled down her cheeks, the hot streaks staining them.
"But I have to find out what all this means. There is some kind of karmic connection here and I can't pretend that it's not."
Her breath hitched and she managed to get out, "Ok Goku. If you really need to do this…"
He nodded and kissed her. "It won't be that long."
He hugged her and held her for a moment. Then got up and went to get some things.
Vegeta and Piccolo stood waiting. The Saiyan Prince was grateful for the Namekian's silent nature. So many times he'd had to shut up the entire Z force to make sure the approaching armies didn't sense them before landing. He'd often marveled at how such idiotic warriors had survived this long.
Vegeta felt the approach of Gohan, Yamcha and Krillin. He turned his head slightly toward Piccolo. He gave an almost imperceptible nod. That was all the quiet men needed to communicate. Neither of them noticed how much they were alike: aloof, prideful to a fault, serious and fearless.
The younger Z warriors came into sight. When they saw Vegeta and Piccolo they sped up and touched down gracefully in front of them.
"Hey Piccolo-san!"
He nodded, just one side of his mouth curling to smile at his favorite student.
"What's going on? Do you guys feel it coming?" Yamcha asked.
"Of course, Baka. Now shut up so they don't detect us."
Gohan gently yanked on Piccolo's arm. The Namekian bent so that Gohan knew he was listening.
"Is my dad coming?" he whispered.
"I can't answer that Gohan" Piccolo's voice sounded gently in his mind instead of his ears. Gohan nodded. He felt very uneasy. He'd feel better is his dad was there.
Chantisu and Goku arrived at Kami's lookout once again. The sun was beginning to dip on the west side of the planet. They could see the golden orange color flavoring the clouds hovering over the land. It was quite beautiful. Chantisu looked at Goku; his black eyes reflected the bright colors he was watching. She felt so close to him then, sharing this sight and feeling the same awe. He shook his head.
"Whoa. We better get going."
She smiled. He could be so funny sometimes.
Mr. PoPo was standing in front of the palace holding an umbrella.
"Rain, Mr. PoPo?"
The small, round black man chuckled, "No, Goku, but it never hurts to be prepared."
Goku scratched the back of his head. "Uh. Yeah. I guess."
"Is Kami-sama inside, Mr. PoPo?" Chantisu asked.
Mr. PoPo chuckled again. Something was delighting him and it beat the heck out of the both of them as to what it was.
"Yes, yes he is. Go on in."
Inside, they approached Kami as he sat on his dai.
Bowing low they said, "Konichi Wa, Kami-sama."
"Hello. Come and sit with me, my children."
They moved to sit, one on each side.
"So, you decided to try this. I thought you might."
"We wanted to come see you Kami. To ask you something." Goku said.
"You know the Seishin to Toki no Heya is for training, Goku" Kami said sternly. "It's unoccupied now." He continued more softly, "I must admit, I had the same thought. You may enter only if you agree that both of you will train. It's the only way I can allow it."
Goku turned to Chantisu. She looked slightly confused.
"It's a hyperbolic time chamber. We spend one day in there and a whole year passes inside the chamber."
She nodded her head absorbing this information.
"It isn't the most pleasant at times. It can get really hot or really cold."
"I'm used to harsh weather."
"Oh yeah. I almost forgot. The gravity is ten times what it is on Earth. I think that's the hardest to get used to."
She swallowed hard. "Well, it is only for a day."
"It's a year."
Kami took her hand, "Child, do not enter unless you're completely sure you want to. Even though a day passes here, it takes a year to get out."
She sighed. Then she looked at the object of her desire. His face was relaxed. His eyes watched her but he wasn't anticipating any particular answer. She appreciated his unattachment to her decision.
"Let's do it", she said determinedly.
She thought to herself, "This is the last day of our acquaintance."
Kami led them out to the building where the time and space chamber was housed. He stopped in front of the door.
"Are you both sure you want this?"
Goku nodded his head, causing his hair to bob around again.
Chantisu simply answered, "yes".
"I will only open the door a full twenty four hours later. This will conclude your year within the chamber."
He embraced them both in turn. "Train hard and live well this year."
The warriors stood silently in a semi-circle waiting for the enemy. The sky was crystalline blue and cloudless. It didn't look possible that something vile could come from it.
Suddenly the ground began to rumble beneath their feet. Rocks and debris started to float upward. A huge, sudden "crack" zapped, shattering the air.
"What the Hell!?" Vegeta shouted.
All the Z fighters rose as if a cloud, avoiding injury. A huge fissure began opening. A shiny blue hull started to rise from the hole. The crack widened and the ship rose up slowly, the creaking metal scraping against the sharply torn rock. It would seem the enemy had arrived.
As Chantisu opened the door she looked at Goku. He had a crooked but dazzling smile on his face. He reminded her of a little boy who'd just gotten what he wanted for his birthday. She felt a little nervous herself. What if they found out they irked the hell out of each other? Or worse yet, what if he decided he was tired of her company?
She felt his hand on the small of her back, guiding her into the chamber. This gentle gesture, so gossamer light in nature, reassured her that she'd made the right decision. They both began to anticipate the coming days. Truly, they'd know each other soon and what it meant.
End of chapter 4. Next Chapter – we're looking at some serious action with the Z fighters and within the chamber. Rating warning – it will be an R or NC 17.
Constructive criticism and feedback to goku_s_girl@hotmail.com.
I eat flames for breakfast.