Chapter 2

"Thank you so much, Bulma," Chi Chi said as she leaned over and gave Bulma a one-armed hug, her other one being weighted down with luggage. "We'll be back in a couple days."

Bulma forced the smile into place, still melancholy from word of Goku's suffering and her own inherent solitude. "We'll be fine," she reassured. "Trunks is ecstatic to spend the extra time with Goten." And I don't mind being out from under the suffocating oppression of 'His Highness', personally, she silently added.

"Well, I'm staying for a while," the Ox King said as he bent down and kissed his daughter on the cheek and wrapped her in a huge hug. Just then, Piccolo walked up with Goten perched on his shoulder like a bird, Gohan and Trunks in tow. The little boy hopped down into Chi Chi's arms.

"Bye mom!" His tiny arms wrapped around her neck. Gohan was quick to bestow the same affections to their mother.

"Have a great time on your honeymoon," the teenager said in an almost forced cheerfulness that Bulma prayed no one else had caught.

Suddenly, the Ox King surprised them all and threw his humungous arms around Piccolo in a gut-squeezing bear hug, lifting the namek three feet in the air. Bulma had to stifle a laugh as Piccolo instantly turned rigor mortis at the unwelcome embrace; wide, stunned eyes, gaping mouth, rigid frame…

"Thank you for making my daughter smile, Piccolo!" the Ox King blurted out, a hint of undignified emotion in his voice as he buried his huge face in Piccolo's shoulder. "A father couldn't ask for a better son-in-law!"

It's taking everything he has not to clobber the old man and break free, Bulma thought in a barely contained amusement. Suddenly a flash blinded their eyes. Chi Chi gasped. Bulma blinked.

Gohan laughed outright, the offending camera in his hands.

"You didn't…" Chi Chi began, when Piccolo gasped through his clenched teeth, his face contorting in fury. He tried to wriggle free.

"GO-" wriggle wriggle. "GOOOO - HAN!"

"Run, boy," Bulma prodded. "Run!"

Gohan immediately powered up and flew several feet in the air, an ear-splitting grin on his face.

"Sorry Piccolo! I couldn't resist!" He called down merrily, and this time, Bulma noticed his cheer wasn't forced. She smiled. Whatever takes his mind off of his father…

Chi Chi coaxed the Ox King into releasing the namek, but only with her firm grip on her new husband's forearm. "Forget about it, Piccolo. Let's go."

He pursed his lips and looked back and forth between the hovering teenager and the woman on his arm, until the latter won out and the tension in his face dissipated. He took a deep breath and exhaled heavily. "You know there's no way you could possibly restrain me if I really wanted to wipe that smile off of Gohan's face, right?"

In answer, she grinned and leaned against him, sliding her hand up his chest. Bulma noticed the maroon flush that instantly sprang to Piccolo's cheeks.

"Oh just go already, you two!" Bulma cried out.

A bare hint of a smile tweaked the namek's eyes, and he took Chi Chi's suitcase in one hand and bracketed her against him with the other. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and with a last-minute wave, they launched into the air.

Bulma watched until they disappeared over the trees, and then caught Gohan's eye. "I want a copy of that picture as soon as it's developed."

He landed next to her, still immensely pleased with the cunning shot. "I'll go into town right now," he said. "Don't want to take any chances of him coming back and breaking the camera."

Something in the way the boy said it gave Bulma the impression that it wouldn't have been the first time.

.

That afternoon, Bulma found herself out on the back porch in an effort to escape the disgusting inhalation sounds of three half-saiyans and an Ox King as they heartily consumed sixteen pizzas.

Her phone rang. She twisted and unlatched the cell from her belt, holding it up to her ear. "Hello?"

"Bulma?"

It took her a second to recognize the heavy, strained voice as Krillin's. She peeked behind her to make sure the boys were all still inside, and cupped her hand over the mouthpiece, whispering as she spoke.

"Krillin? What's wrong?" she asked. "Is Goku okay?"

Krillin unloaded, with more than a little emotion in his voice. "He's…he's not taking any of this well at all," he said wearily. "He's been a wreck. Cries at night, barely eats, stares off into space most the day like he can't hear me," then his voice got real quiet. "Just now he was talking about going back to the next dimension…"

Her breath caught in her throat. Suicide?

"I…" his voice broke, and Bulma knew that the short bald man who loved the Saiyan more than a brother had lost his composure. "I don't know how to help him!" he hissed, apparently not trusting his vocal cords to make it through the last bit.

Bulma swallowed the lump in her throat, and blinked away the sting in her eyes. "I'm coming. Just stay with him, Krillin. I'll leave right now."

"Bulma?"

"Yeah…"

"Don't let Gohan-"

"I won't," she reassured. Goku wasn't the only one who didn't want his son to see him like this. It would kill the boy. "I'll be there shortly."

"Okay."

She hung up and dropped her head between her knees, hands clasped behind her neck. She needed to take a few seconds to collect herself and come up with an alibi for her abrupt departure before she faced Gohan.

But unfortunately, she didn't have the chance.

"Bulma?" came the teenager's voice behind her. She jumped.

"Gohan? Oh, hi. I, uh…"

"Have they found dad yet?" he asked, his eyes heavy, and brows drawn tight in worry. His expression was nearly enough to yank her right out of her lie.

"N-no, Gohan." She stood up shakily and placed a firm hand on his shoulder. "He'll turn up, kid. Don't worry."

Gohan bit his bottom lip and Bulma noticed the moisture in his eyes before he quickly blinked it away.

Gohan, forgive me! "I…I need to go and take care of some things at home," she lied through her teeth. "Do you think you and your grandpa can handle the little squirts?"

He was looking at her intensely, as if he'd caught on. She did her best to smile, and he finally sighed and looked at his feet. "Yeah."

Bulma grabbed her purse from the porch table. "You have my number if you need me, okay Gohan?"

He nodded.

After a quick squeeze of his hand, she turned and rigidly walked to her tiltrotor, as it took every bit of restraint she had to keep from running.

.

Goku weakly wiped his forearm across his mouth. He'd just managed to consume a bowl of rice, and already felt a tad more energy from the effort. Now if he could just keep it down…

Don't think about Chi Chi, he coaxed himself. Don't think about her… He felt Krillin's hand on his back.

"How about going for a swim, eh buddy?" Krillin asked. It was a bad attempt at sounding cheerful, and Goku imagined he would have appreciated the effort had he been able to bring himself to care. He thought about the cold temperature of the water, and the hassle of being wet.

"I don't know…"

"It'll be a good distraction," Krllin responded unconvincingly. "Wait here, and I'll go get the suits."

Goku reluctantly looked out at the rolling waves that lapped at the sand of Roshi's island. Suddenly a flashback washed over him like a brainwash.

"Goku?" Chi Chi screamed as she came running out, nearly tripping over her skirt. "GOKU!" She flung her arms around his neck, and wept tears of joy against his chest. "You're okay…"

He had finally licked that virus, and her earnest smile and relief at his well being sent a familiar warmth that started in his chest and worked its way clear down to his toes. It was just another moment when he realized how much he loved his wife.

Embracing her back, he spun her up in the air and caught her in his arms, laughing heartily. Then he locked her in his stare, and sighed. If only he didn't have to go off and fight that Cell…

The memory faded away, but not without leaving behind a great surge of emotion in its wake. Goku winced at the pain of it. He loved her. In all the chaos, she'd been his one constant, never changing, always there… Then, without warning, another recollection redirected his attention with soul-piercing detail.
It felt good to hold her after all this time. His Chi Chi. And somehow she had gone from just pretty to drop-dead-gorgeous in the years he was away, which made him completely oblivious to her unease - until her eyes widened dramatically.

"What's wrong?" he asked her, still stunned stupid by how attractive she was.

"You," she said, looking at him bewildered. "You don't belong here."

"What?"

"Piccolo does."

Several confusing seconds passed as he scrutinized her shadowed face for enlightenment. It didn't come, but he sensed enough in her stance and expression to suddenly be filled with dread.

"What…what do you mean?"

"You abandoned us, Goku," she said solemnly.

The words hit him like a ki blast, and the sudden intake of breath chilled his teeth.

No. It wasn't the words. It was the look in her face when she said them; without the scorn or anger of the woman he once knew. It was an unfamiliar expression of diluted bitterness, as though he were nothing more than a glitch in her past.

"Chi Chi, I didn't want to…leave," he replied, not noticing or caring that his response sounded more like a plea than a protest.

She quirked a brow at him. "Oh no?"

"I left to save the-"

"to save the earth," she finished for him and smiled sadly. "Of course you did. That sounds much better than taking a leave of absence from life to pursue the adventures in the afterlife."

Goku could only gawk at her, unsure how to respond. He had meant well - he had! "It…it seemed like the right thing to do," he stammered helplessly, feeling the last bit of excitement for coming home transform to panic.

"You know," she said, "you didn't even bother to say goodbye."

He winced. It was true. He'd been afraid to tell her, so he left it up to Gohan. In hindsight, he realized now how cowardly that had been. "I'm sorry, Chi Chi. I didn't mean-"

"You abandoned us," she said again, with a finality that twisted Goku's gut. It became horribly clear that she was more than serious, and that this was something he couldn't smile his way out of like he always had. He could still hear Goten crying in the background at Piccolo's departure, and Gohan's soothing voice trying to quiet the little guy. A small part of him was grateful that neither of them were listening to this conversation. Perhaps he could somehow make it right before they caught on to what was happening.

"I came back for you," he whispered intensely, and for the first time since he was a child, Goku felt his eyes sting with tears. In a desperate, heartfelt gesture, he dropped to his knees and threw his arms around Chi Chi's waist, burying his face in her suit jacket. "I came back to stay," he pled. "I missed you…!"

He felt her hesitant hand in his hair, and her voice was strained. "It's too late, Goku. Don't make this harder than it already is."

"I'll make it up to you," he rambled on. "I'll get a job, Chi Chi. I'll do all the dishes. I'll…I'll even stop fighting. Just don't push me away!" he hissed and looked up to her face.

She painstakingly shook her head. "Look behind me, Goku."

He forced himself to break away from her face long enough to take in the beautiful two-story house.

"Look at that little four-year old boy over there who is crying because he thinks the only father he ever knew has been replaced by a stranger," her voice choked, and her eyes watered.

Goku looked at the little replica of himself as the child rubbed away his tears with grubby little fists. He swallowed the lump in his throat as he recalled how anxious he had been to hold his second son, and play with him. His eyes lifted to the stripling boy who had nearly grown to a man in the time that he'd been away. A boy who once had all the faith in the world in his father-a boy he had missed more than anyone.

To lose his wife was to lose his sons, and the thought ripped holes in his soul. He gripped at her. "Chi Chi, don't do this…"

"I owe the joy in my life to someone else," she said in a forced firmness. "And he not only deserves my devotion," she narrowed her stare, and the next words came out in a whisper. "He has it."

Then it hit him. "Piccolo…?"

She pursed her lips and nodded once. He let go of her and rocked back on his heels. She started to walk away, leaving him with an acute, unprecedented sensation that his entire world had been shattered. He reached a frenzied hand out to her. "Where are you going?" The words came out in a strangled cry.

She turned and faced him once more. "To go get the man who has been the provider of my family and the father to my children," she said sullenly. "And bring him back home."

This couldn't be happening! "CHI CHI!" She looked over her shoulder at him then with more pity in her face than compassion.

"I don't love you anymore, Goku," she said quietly. "I'm sorry."

He was ruthlessly yanked out of reliving that cataclysmic moment by a familiar queasiness. It was the same nausea that had plagued his body since Chi Chi had dismissed him from her life. Goku stumbled to his knees, and clutched at his stomach. No, he thought miserably. Not again!

He retched his guts out in the sand, feeling the warm, salty tears slide down his cheeks. It was a horrible sensation, only made worse by the fact that he was forced to watch how much his hands trembled in the process. He had no strength left to fight the despair. If he could only talk Krillin into sending him back…

Suddenly, he felt the soothing sensation of nails combing through his scalp. He involuntarily shuddered as the delicate fingers worked through his hair and then eased their way down his neck and lightly ran back and forth across his shoulder blades. In the corner of his eye he saw a pair of feminine legs kneeling in the sand next to him. He reluctantly lifted his head to look into a worried face he knew all too well. It belonged to the second person he had met on this planet, and her visage was no less pretty than it had been all those years ago…

He released a quivering breath.

"Bulma…"