(Well, now that ff.net is back up, the fic can continue! Woo hoo! I'm not sure if I mentioned it before, but since I can't get italics to show up, there will be a ' on each side of the sentence when someone is thinking instead of the normal ". Ok? Ok)
"Kakarotto! Are you in there?!" Vegeta waited impatiently as the other Saiyajin answered the door, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. "Vegeta? Do you have any idea what time it is?" The prince looked at the still groggy Saiyajin and then glanced at the sky. "Do you? It's two in the afternoon." Goku blinked in surprise and looked at the clock on the wall. "Oh yeah... What do you want then?" he asked, stepping aside to let the other Saiyajin in. "You're not going to blast me again, are you?" Vegeta asked suspiciously as he remembered what happened last time he said something not to Goku's liking. The other Saiyajin chuckled sheepishly and shook his head. "Sorry about that. I was really... out of it that day." "Hn."
Vegeta walked into the house before folding his arms and looking back at Goku, who was closing the door. "I was talking to Goten today." "Oh yeah? What about?" the Saiyajin asked as he flopped onto the couch. "The murder." Goku frowned slightly and looked at the prince. "You didn't accuse him again, did you? That's not what he needs ri-" "I didn't." Vegeta interrupted. "In fact, I believe he's innocent now. But he did give me an idea of who might have been involved." Goku blinked in surprise, his full attention now on the other Saiyajin. "Who?" Vegeta didn't say anything, but instead stared at him with unblinking eyes. Eventually, Goku caught on. "Oh no... You don't think.... He said I did it?!!" he cried, unsure of whether to be upset, shocked, or angry; maybe a little of all three. "He didn't name you specifically, but he did mention that you were the only other person within the area that he was aware of. A mere human couldn't have used ki like we felt and couldn't have disappeared so quickly after the murder. Even a person with exceptional ki would have trouble escaping so quickly without leaving an energy trail....unless..." "The instant transmission..." Goku finished, running his fingers through his hair in disbelief.
The two Saiyajins sat in silence for several minutes, neither knowing what to say next. "I didn't kill her." Goku finally muttered. Vegeta regarded him carefully before an idea came to him. "Are you willing to prove it?" The other Saiyajin looked at the prince in confusion. "Of course. But how?" "If I recall correctly, you sometimes ride a ridiculous looking cloud called the Nimbus, correct?" Vegeta waited for him to nod before continuing. "And unless Bulma was lying again, you have to be pure of heart to stay on it. So if you're innocent, then you should still be able to ride it. If not, you'll fall through. I doubt you'd still be pure of heart if you murdered someone."
The Saiyajins proceeded outside where Goku called the Nimbus. Within seconds, the fluffy golden cloud was hovering in front of him. "I still can't believe you'd even suspect me, Vegeta." he muttered before hopping up on the Nimbus. Sure enough, he landed securely without a problem. Goku was not the murderer. The prince almost sighed in relief and nodded. "That eliminates two people then. But I was really looking for a reason to kill you, Kakarotto. You've ruined my day." Goku couldn't help but crack a smile as he hopped back off the cloud. So Vegeta had a sense of humor after all.
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"Why do you care?" Goku asked as he ate his dinner unusually slow. Vegeta looked up from his meal as well. "About what?" "Finding out who killed ChiChi." the younger Saiyajin replied. The prince tapped his fork against his chin as he thought. Why did he care? It certainly wasn't because he had cared for that woman... so why? Good question. Maybe it was because he had come so close to actually seeing the murder. Maybe he felt he owed it to the Son's to find out who murdered a member of their family, no matter how much of a banshee she was. Maybe he was turning into a soft sap. Or maybe he was just really bored and wanted to play detective. "I haven't got a clue." he finally answered. "Boredom, I guess." Goku smirked and popped some bread into his mouth. "You're lying." Vegeta blinked in surprise and looked across the table at the smirking Saiyajin, taking several minutes to figure out what he meant. Finally, it dawned on him. "Damn you and your little emotion sensing ability, Kakarotto!" Goku laughed, not having to say anything more. The prince grumbled in annoyance as the real reason became clear. He was going soft.... But he enjoyed playing detective too.
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That night, elsewhere...
Videl slowly opened her eyes as the sound of someone talking reached her ears. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion as she glanced around the dark bedroom. It finally dawned on her that the voice was none other than Gohan's, who was talking in his sleep next to her. She smirked and turned on her side, propping her head up on her arm. She loved it when he talked in his sleep. Sometimes he would mutter about little secrets that she could use to blackmail him with when the time was right. But it soon became apparent that this wasn't going to be one of those conversations.
Videl noticed that Gohan's voice was lower and harsher than usual. And his face was tense as if he were angry about something. Yet he was definitely asleep. She listened closely as he mumbled inaudible words, occasionally picking up one or two things. Videl gasped as the demi-Saiyajin muttered a string of words that she could make out as clear as day. Without another seconds delay, she jumped out of bed, quietly dressed, and dashed out the door.
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Goku was torn from a peaceful sleep when someone began to pound on the door. He had been dreaming about a world made of chocolate and it was all his! The Saiyajin rubbed his eyes and looked out the window to make sure it was still dark outside. Yes, he was sure it wasn't two in the afternoon this time. Goku sluggishly pulled himself out of bed and stumbled through the house toward the door and the person pounding on it. If this was Vegeta, he was really going to kill him. The Saiyajin opened the door and blinked in surprise as his eyes fell upon Videl, who was looking rather flustered. "Goku! Gohan killed her! Gohan killed ChiChi!"
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It took Goku quite some time to calm the almost hysterical woman down to the point he could understand the words coming out of her mouth. He stared at her shaking hands as she drank a cup of tea he had given her to help calm her nerves. "You mean he told you?" he asked. "No... He was talking in his sleep. He does that sometimes, so I was listening for anything juicy..." she explained, resting her head on her hand. "Yeah..." Goku urged, wanting her to continue. "And then he started talking harshly. At first I couldn't understand him, but I caught a few words..." "What'd he say?" the Saiyajin asked, almost jumping out of his seat from anticipation. "He said, mom....hate....kill.... And he just started mumbling after that!"
Goku rubbed his chin and stared down at the table in thought. "I don't know, Videl... That's not really enough to accuse him..." The woman chewed on her nail nervously as she stared across the table at the man. "But he's always telling me how much he hated the way ChiChi treated him when he was a kid. He said that sometimes he just felt like wringing her neck. He seemed so full of hate..." Goku blinked in surprise after hearing the new information. "Really? I knew sometimes he would be upset with her, but I didn't think he felt that strongly about it..." He studied Videl carefully, who seemed as if she were going to go out of her mind at any second. "But if it will make you feel better, I'll talk to him first thing tomorrow morning, ok?" The woman sighed in relief and smiled. "Great, thanks. Um.... Would you mind if I stayed here tonight?"
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Gohan sat at the kitchen table while he waited for Videl to show up. She had called earlier that morning to let him know that she was at his father's house, but why? Why on earth would she possibly go over there so early in the morning? Either way, she had told him that she was bringing Goku over as well when she came back, and that's another thing that confused him. If she was visiting him right now, why would she bring him here? It all seemed a little fishy to him.
Gohan glanced up from the paper he was reading and smiled at Videl and Goku, who were both just walking into the room. It was odd though. His wife seemed very stressed out and his father had a strange look on his face; much too serious for him. Something was definitely up. "Hey guys. Care to fill me in on what this is all about?" he asked, trying to sound as cheerful as possible. Videl smiled nervously and glanced at Goku, who had his normal happy expression on his face again. "Gohan, can I talk to you alone?" he asked, motioning toward the door. The demi-Saiyajin looked between the two and shrugged before getting up. "Sure."
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Gohan landed in an open area behind his father. For some reason, Goku insisted that they get away from any distractions and so had led him away from the main part of the city. Something told him he really wasn't going to like the conversation they were about to have. His father seemed unusually tense, which was completely out of character for him.
"What's going on?" he finally asked, breaking the silence that had lapsed between them since they left the house. Goku thought for a moment, trying to choose his words carefully. He didn't want it to sound like he was outwardly accusing his son of murdering ChiChi. "Uh... I understand that you weren't as... um... happy with your mother as most people thought..." The Saiyajin paused and glanced over at his son to check for any reaction to the statement, but there was none. "And I wanted to know how you really felt about her."
Gohan stayed silent for a moment as he studied his father, who was fidgeting an awful lot. And he seemed to avoid eye contact as much as possible. He knew where this was going. "Are you asking me if... if I had anything to do with mom's murder?" Goku silently scolded himself for forgetting how intelligent Gohan actually was. There wasn't any beating around the bush with him. He had no choice but to be forward about this now. "....Yes, but don't get me wrong. I don't think you did it, but..." "If you don't think I did it then why are you asking me?" Gohan snapped defensively. Goku opened his mouth to say something, but no words came out. He was completely at a loss. This wasn't going the way he wanted it to at all. Why didn't he just call Vegeta to take care of this?
Gohan watched Goku carefully. It was obvious that the Saiyajin seemed to be having a conversation with himself judging from the different expressions passing over his face. Maybe he shouldn't be as angry as he was right now, but honestly! He was being accused of murdering his mother! And it was obvious that Videl had something to do with this peaked interest in his involvement in the crime. But what would give her that idea? She seemed fine the day before...so... he must have been talking in his sleep again! Maybe he said something that sounded like something he didn't mean....
"Did Videl tell you something?" the demi-Saiyajin finally asked, snapping Goku out of his daze. "What makes you think that?" he asked innocently, not wanting to pull Videl into this. Gohan just folded his arms and looked at his father with a knowing expression. Goku chuckled and rubbed the back of his head. 'Why'd ChiChi have to make him so smart? She made solving or own murder extremely difficult.' "Well, she heard you muttering about something in your sleep last night..." "About the murder?" Gohan asked, his voice rising a little. Goku took notice to the change in volume and couldn't help but wonder if it was from the fear of getting caught, or just plain shock. "You said something about hating ChiChi... and wanting to kill her..." The demi-Saiyajin's eyes widened in disbelief. "No, no, no! That doesn't mean I killed her!" "I know, Gohan, but I just wanted to make sure---" "Make sure that I didn't kill her?! How could you even suspect me??!!" Gohan shouted as he balled his hands into fists angrily. "Calm down!" Goku cried as he felt his son's power level steadily increasing. "That's not the only reason you've raised suspicions!" The demi-Saiyajin paused for a moment before the angry expression returned to his face. "So you've thought I was a murderer for awhile now, have you?!"
Goku couldn't help but take a step back when Gohan burst into Super Saiyajin mode. He hadn't thought that his son would be so angry about this. Sure, he didn't think he'd be happy about the questions he was going to ask him, but this was getting a little out of hand. Of course, he hadn't been very happy when he was accused by Vegeta either. "Gohan, you need to calm down. You haven't been the only one to be accused, you know." The demi-Saiyajin blinked in surprise, but that didn't detour his anger at all. "Who else?" he asked simply. "Me and Goten." "By who?" "Vegeta." Goku replied, though he wasn't sure why that would matter. "Vegeta?! Why would he care?! Unless HE'S the murderer and is just trying to focus the blame off himself! Did you ever think of that?!" Goku could still feel his son's energy rising and knew that he'd probably make a break for it at any moment. He didn't like this anymore than Gohan did, but if he was going to get any answers, he'd have to take drastic measures. Without another seconds delay, Goku went Super Saiyajin as well and landed a well placed punch right on the demi-Saiyajin's jaw, knocking him off balance and causing him to fall to the ground. Gohan looked up at his father in surprise and dropped his Super Saiyajin form. "Wha... That really hurt, dad!"
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Goku sighed as he landed outside of his house again. Gohan wasn't the murderer either. Videl was so worked up about what she had heard, that she forgot he'd been with her at the same time of the murder. His son was still a little upset about being accused, and being punched in the jaw, but he understood why they'd suspected him. Goku decided that his son definitely had some sour feelings toward ChiChi, but he still wouldn't have killed her. So then who could it have been? The process of elimination would eventually single out the culprit, but he was beginning to think that maybe everyone was better off not knowing...
"Kakarotto! Are you in there?!" Vegeta waited impatiently as the other Saiyajin answered the door, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. "Vegeta? Do you have any idea what time it is?" The prince looked at the still groggy Saiyajin and then glanced at the sky. "Do you? It's two in the afternoon." Goku blinked in surprise and looked at the clock on the wall. "Oh yeah... What do you want then?" he asked, stepping aside to let the other Saiyajin in. "You're not going to blast me again, are you?" Vegeta asked suspiciously as he remembered what happened last time he said something not to Goku's liking. The other Saiyajin chuckled sheepishly and shook his head. "Sorry about that. I was really... out of it that day." "Hn."
Vegeta walked into the house before folding his arms and looking back at Goku, who was closing the door. "I was talking to Goten today." "Oh yeah? What about?" the Saiyajin asked as he flopped onto the couch. "The murder." Goku frowned slightly and looked at the prince. "You didn't accuse him again, did you? That's not what he needs ri-" "I didn't." Vegeta interrupted. "In fact, I believe he's innocent now. But he did give me an idea of who might have been involved." Goku blinked in surprise, his full attention now on the other Saiyajin. "Who?" Vegeta didn't say anything, but instead stared at him with unblinking eyes. Eventually, Goku caught on. "Oh no... You don't think.... He said I did it?!!" he cried, unsure of whether to be upset, shocked, or angry; maybe a little of all three. "He didn't name you specifically, but he did mention that you were the only other person within the area that he was aware of. A mere human couldn't have used ki like we felt and couldn't have disappeared so quickly after the murder. Even a person with exceptional ki would have trouble escaping so quickly without leaving an energy trail....unless..." "The instant transmission..." Goku finished, running his fingers through his hair in disbelief.
The two Saiyajins sat in silence for several minutes, neither knowing what to say next. "I didn't kill her." Goku finally muttered. Vegeta regarded him carefully before an idea came to him. "Are you willing to prove it?" The other Saiyajin looked at the prince in confusion. "Of course. But how?" "If I recall correctly, you sometimes ride a ridiculous looking cloud called the Nimbus, correct?" Vegeta waited for him to nod before continuing. "And unless Bulma was lying again, you have to be pure of heart to stay on it. So if you're innocent, then you should still be able to ride it. If not, you'll fall through. I doubt you'd still be pure of heart if you murdered someone."
The Saiyajins proceeded outside where Goku called the Nimbus. Within seconds, the fluffy golden cloud was hovering in front of him. "I still can't believe you'd even suspect me, Vegeta." he muttered before hopping up on the Nimbus. Sure enough, he landed securely without a problem. Goku was not the murderer. The prince almost sighed in relief and nodded. "That eliminates two people then. But I was really looking for a reason to kill you, Kakarotto. You've ruined my day." Goku couldn't help but crack a smile as he hopped back off the cloud. So Vegeta had a sense of humor after all.
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"Why do you care?" Goku asked as he ate his dinner unusually slow. Vegeta looked up from his meal as well. "About what?" "Finding out who killed ChiChi." the younger Saiyajin replied. The prince tapped his fork against his chin as he thought. Why did he care? It certainly wasn't because he had cared for that woman... so why? Good question. Maybe it was because he had come so close to actually seeing the murder. Maybe he felt he owed it to the Son's to find out who murdered a member of their family, no matter how much of a banshee she was. Maybe he was turning into a soft sap. Or maybe he was just really bored and wanted to play detective. "I haven't got a clue." he finally answered. "Boredom, I guess." Goku smirked and popped some bread into his mouth. "You're lying." Vegeta blinked in surprise and looked across the table at the smirking Saiyajin, taking several minutes to figure out what he meant. Finally, it dawned on him. "Damn you and your little emotion sensing ability, Kakarotto!" Goku laughed, not having to say anything more. The prince grumbled in annoyance as the real reason became clear. He was going soft.... But he enjoyed playing detective too.
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That night, elsewhere...
Videl slowly opened her eyes as the sound of someone talking reached her ears. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion as she glanced around the dark bedroom. It finally dawned on her that the voice was none other than Gohan's, who was talking in his sleep next to her. She smirked and turned on her side, propping her head up on her arm. She loved it when he talked in his sleep. Sometimes he would mutter about little secrets that she could use to blackmail him with when the time was right. But it soon became apparent that this wasn't going to be one of those conversations.
Videl noticed that Gohan's voice was lower and harsher than usual. And his face was tense as if he were angry about something. Yet he was definitely asleep. She listened closely as he mumbled inaudible words, occasionally picking up one or two things. Videl gasped as the demi-Saiyajin muttered a string of words that she could make out as clear as day. Without another seconds delay, she jumped out of bed, quietly dressed, and dashed out the door.
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Goku was torn from a peaceful sleep when someone began to pound on the door. He had been dreaming about a world made of chocolate and it was all his! The Saiyajin rubbed his eyes and looked out the window to make sure it was still dark outside. Yes, he was sure it wasn't two in the afternoon this time. Goku sluggishly pulled himself out of bed and stumbled through the house toward the door and the person pounding on it. If this was Vegeta, he was really going to kill him. The Saiyajin opened the door and blinked in surprise as his eyes fell upon Videl, who was looking rather flustered. "Goku! Gohan killed her! Gohan killed ChiChi!"
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It took Goku quite some time to calm the almost hysterical woman down to the point he could understand the words coming out of her mouth. He stared at her shaking hands as she drank a cup of tea he had given her to help calm her nerves. "You mean he told you?" he asked. "No... He was talking in his sleep. He does that sometimes, so I was listening for anything juicy..." she explained, resting her head on her hand. "Yeah..." Goku urged, wanting her to continue. "And then he started talking harshly. At first I couldn't understand him, but I caught a few words..." "What'd he say?" the Saiyajin asked, almost jumping out of his seat from anticipation. "He said, mom....hate....kill.... And he just started mumbling after that!"
Goku rubbed his chin and stared down at the table in thought. "I don't know, Videl... That's not really enough to accuse him..." The woman chewed on her nail nervously as she stared across the table at the man. "But he's always telling me how much he hated the way ChiChi treated him when he was a kid. He said that sometimes he just felt like wringing her neck. He seemed so full of hate..." Goku blinked in surprise after hearing the new information. "Really? I knew sometimes he would be upset with her, but I didn't think he felt that strongly about it..." He studied Videl carefully, who seemed as if she were going to go out of her mind at any second. "But if it will make you feel better, I'll talk to him first thing tomorrow morning, ok?" The woman sighed in relief and smiled. "Great, thanks. Um.... Would you mind if I stayed here tonight?"
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Gohan sat at the kitchen table while he waited for Videl to show up. She had called earlier that morning to let him know that she was at his father's house, but why? Why on earth would she possibly go over there so early in the morning? Either way, she had told him that she was bringing Goku over as well when she came back, and that's another thing that confused him. If she was visiting him right now, why would she bring him here? It all seemed a little fishy to him.
Gohan glanced up from the paper he was reading and smiled at Videl and Goku, who were both just walking into the room. It was odd though. His wife seemed very stressed out and his father had a strange look on his face; much too serious for him. Something was definitely up. "Hey guys. Care to fill me in on what this is all about?" he asked, trying to sound as cheerful as possible. Videl smiled nervously and glanced at Goku, who had his normal happy expression on his face again. "Gohan, can I talk to you alone?" he asked, motioning toward the door. The demi-Saiyajin looked between the two and shrugged before getting up. "Sure."
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Gohan landed in an open area behind his father. For some reason, Goku insisted that they get away from any distractions and so had led him away from the main part of the city. Something told him he really wasn't going to like the conversation they were about to have. His father seemed unusually tense, which was completely out of character for him.
"What's going on?" he finally asked, breaking the silence that had lapsed between them since they left the house. Goku thought for a moment, trying to choose his words carefully. He didn't want it to sound like he was outwardly accusing his son of murdering ChiChi. "Uh... I understand that you weren't as... um... happy with your mother as most people thought..." The Saiyajin paused and glanced over at his son to check for any reaction to the statement, but there was none. "And I wanted to know how you really felt about her."
Gohan stayed silent for a moment as he studied his father, who was fidgeting an awful lot. And he seemed to avoid eye contact as much as possible. He knew where this was going. "Are you asking me if... if I had anything to do with mom's murder?" Goku silently scolded himself for forgetting how intelligent Gohan actually was. There wasn't any beating around the bush with him. He had no choice but to be forward about this now. "....Yes, but don't get me wrong. I don't think you did it, but..." "If you don't think I did it then why are you asking me?" Gohan snapped defensively. Goku opened his mouth to say something, but no words came out. He was completely at a loss. This wasn't going the way he wanted it to at all. Why didn't he just call Vegeta to take care of this?
Gohan watched Goku carefully. It was obvious that the Saiyajin seemed to be having a conversation with himself judging from the different expressions passing over his face. Maybe he shouldn't be as angry as he was right now, but honestly! He was being accused of murdering his mother! And it was obvious that Videl had something to do with this peaked interest in his involvement in the crime. But what would give her that idea? She seemed fine the day before...so... he must have been talking in his sleep again! Maybe he said something that sounded like something he didn't mean....
"Did Videl tell you something?" the demi-Saiyajin finally asked, snapping Goku out of his daze. "What makes you think that?" he asked innocently, not wanting to pull Videl into this. Gohan just folded his arms and looked at his father with a knowing expression. Goku chuckled and rubbed the back of his head. 'Why'd ChiChi have to make him so smart? She made solving or own murder extremely difficult.' "Well, she heard you muttering about something in your sleep last night..." "About the murder?" Gohan asked, his voice rising a little. Goku took notice to the change in volume and couldn't help but wonder if it was from the fear of getting caught, or just plain shock. "You said something about hating ChiChi... and wanting to kill her..." The demi-Saiyajin's eyes widened in disbelief. "No, no, no! That doesn't mean I killed her!" "I know, Gohan, but I just wanted to make sure---" "Make sure that I didn't kill her?! How could you even suspect me??!!" Gohan shouted as he balled his hands into fists angrily. "Calm down!" Goku cried as he felt his son's power level steadily increasing. "That's not the only reason you've raised suspicions!" The demi-Saiyajin paused for a moment before the angry expression returned to his face. "So you've thought I was a murderer for awhile now, have you?!"
Goku couldn't help but take a step back when Gohan burst into Super Saiyajin mode. He hadn't thought that his son would be so angry about this. Sure, he didn't think he'd be happy about the questions he was going to ask him, but this was getting a little out of hand. Of course, he hadn't been very happy when he was accused by Vegeta either. "Gohan, you need to calm down. You haven't been the only one to be accused, you know." The demi-Saiyajin blinked in surprise, but that didn't detour his anger at all. "Who else?" he asked simply. "Me and Goten." "By who?" "Vegeta." Goku replied, though he wasn't sure why that would matter. "Vegeta?! Why would he care?! Unless HE'S the murderer and is just trying to focus the blame off himself! Did you ever think of that?!" Goku could still feel his son's energy rising and knew that he'd probably make a break for it at any moment. He didn't like this anymore than Gohan did, but if he was going to get any answers, he'd have to take drastic measures. Without another seconds delay, Goku went Super Saiyajin as well and landed a well placed punch right on the demi-Saiyajin's jaw, knocking him off balance and causing him to fall to the ground. Gohan looked up at his father in surprise and dropped his Super Saiyajin form. "Wha... That really hurt, dad!"
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Goku sighed as he landed outside of his house again. Gohan wasn't the murderer either. Videl was so worked up about what she had heard, that she forgot he'd been with her at the same time of the murder. His son was still a little upset about being accused, and being punched in the jaw, but he understood why they'd suspected him. Goku decided that his son definitely had some sour feelings toward ChiChi, but he still wouldn't have killed her. So then who could it have been? The process of elimination would eventually single out the culprit, but he was beginning to think that maybe everyone was better off not knowing...
