Dragon Ball Z: Dynasty – The Season of Dragon Ramen

Written by: Feraligreater328

Overseen by: StevenBodner and SparkerLightning

Chapter 2: The Tatsuenoki Mushroom

In Goku and Chi-Chi's kitchen...

Gohan and 3-year-old little Goten walked into the kitchen to a humorous, if not quite bizarre sight. Goku was grinding stalk after stalk of red wheat into ruby red flower while Chika watched on with wonder sparkling in her eyes. In the background, Chi-Chi stood with her hand pressed over her eyes, her massive, ivory horns gleaming in the morning sun. Goku seemed positively ecstatic as red wheat flour poured from the other end of the table top mill. "I can't believe it~ Dragon Ramen Season again~"

Gohan cocked his head. "Dragon Ramen, Dad?"

Goku nodded. "Uh-huh! It's the best thing I've ever eaten! Delicious ramen is a fortified, mushroom broth with all of the bounty of the mountain and the stream used to top it! It's an incredible dish~!"

Practically skipping, Goku made his way over to the fridge and pulled out several stores of meat that he and the boys had fished and hunted up in the weeks prior: sweet river shrimp, mountain boar cutlets, pteradactly eggs, Paozu serpent cutlets, and loads of fresh vegetables fresh from Raditz' farm.

Then he made his way over to the pantry, grabbing out the oil and a jug of water to make the noodles, a fresh hunk of mountain salt, bulbs of garlic, dried chili peppers, dried seaweed, and fortified oil flavored by dashi broth. As Goku was digging, Gohan walked up to his Mom and smiled. "Hey Mom! Busy morning?"

Chi-Chi brushed her hair out of her face. Ever since Chika had started growing her horns, Chi-Chi had seemed more fragile. Still, she managed to function. But today, Gohan could tell, this was one of those days for his poor, poor mother. He frowned a little, and then wrapped his arms around her. In spite of herself, Chi-Chi smiled.

The poor housewife placed her hand on top of Gohan's head and watched her husband dig through the pantry. Any outside onlooker would assume that she was unhappy with him. That she was looking at him with such misery in her eyes because she was tired of her marriage or she had fallen out of love with that man.

This people didn't know a damn thing.

Chi-Chi loved her husband so much and seeing him this happy, this giddy, brought up those same butterflies in her stomach from when she had first met him. Her Goku had never grown up in the conventional sense: he could be immature, selfish, and lazy just as any little kid could be. But he was a good man and he loved her with all his heart. He never understood romance or love or sensuality, but he still instinctively knew that it made Chi-Chi feel good when he gently grabbed her by the horns and kissed her on the forehead.

Son Goku was perfect and SON Chi-Chi would hear no different from anyone.

No, Chi-Chi's sadness and antipathy didn't stem from her husband's excitement over The Season of Dragon Ramen. It stemmed from the season itself. It stemmed from the memories.

Goku hadn't known that Chi-Chi was a demon when he first met her. Because she had shaved her horns down until the nubs bled, he didn't even know that she was a demon when they got married. Nor when they had consummated that marriage. He hadn't known and she hadn't even tried to tell him.

And that was dishonest. So, when the Season of Dragon Ramen magically came to Mt. Paozu, never having touched the mountain before Chi-Chi had taken residence...

"OH NO!"

Chi-Chi was snapped from her trance by Goku screaming out in abject horror. She quickly collected herself. "G-Goku! What's wrong?!"

Goku emerged from the pantry with a defeated look on his face. He plopped down onto his butt and held up and empty jar with a singular label taped onto it and marked with Chi-Chi's elegant penmanship: TATSUENOKI MUSHROOMS, DRIED.

Goku looked to his wife, devastated. "We're out of Tatsuenoki Mushrooms, Chi-Chi! We can't make the broth for Dragon Ramen without Tatsuenoki Mushrooms!"

Chi-Chi was taken aback. They were out of Tatsuenoki Mushrooms? Of course, they were. She herself had thrown them out that same year that Goku had died, between Raditz landing on the Earth and Vegeta landing on the Earth. But why had she done that?

Chi-Chi mumbled to herself. "Why did I do that...?"

Goku stood up. "What do we do, Chi-Chi?"

Chi-Chi thought hard. Why did she do that? She knew the answer. She felt powerless at that moment so long ago. Her husband was dead. Her son was kidnapped. And she, the eminent daughter of the Princess of Cow Demons, could only sit at home and wait. Chi-Chi felt so powerless at that moment that she didn't feel like a demon at all. Even when she tried to hide that part of herself, she still felt it. But, at that moment, she felt powerless...weak...empty.

A bystander in her own life. Able to do nothing but contemplate what she would do if the two loves of her life never came back. And not liking the dark thoughts that bubbled up when she considered that she was all alone. She didn't like thinking about what she'd do if they never came back.

And so, Chi-Chi had simply thrown them out, expecting this season to never bring that red wheat back into her life again. There was no demonic energy flowing off of her. Nothing to seed into the land. She thought it was gone.

And then Chika was born, and horns sprouted, and Goku had asked her to stop pointlessly hurting herself to hide it all, and-

Goku put a hand on her shoulder. "Chi-Chi, what do we do? I have to have that Dragon Ramen. It's been so long..."

Chi-Chi flinched back. And then, she spoke demurely. "Goku...what does it even matter? So, the wheat is red...so what?"

Goku frowned. "What do you mean?"

Chi-Chi looked him in the eyes, her face feeling heavy. "Why does it matter whether we have Dragon Ramen or not? I'll cook you anything you ask. I can-"

And then Goku spoke and Chi-Chi fell stone silent.

Long ago, before Gohan was born...

Goku smiled, greedily enjoying his bowl of Dragon Ramen. "So, you're a demon?"

Chi-Chi nodded, pressing her hand to the side of her head and lifting her hair, showing Goku the filed down nub where her right horn once was, now surrounded by a tender ring of pink, scabbed skin. Goku frowned. "What happened?"

Chi-Chi looked at her husband and forced a smile. "W-Well...I never really liked those darn things. That's why I always wore that silly helmet when I was little. I'm a big girl now so...I just figured this was the best solution, seeing as I can't wear that helmet anymore..."

Goku finished his bowl, setting it down. The two of them were sitting on the front step of their house, watching the stars. Chi-Chi had no idea that, at this moment, she was already two months pregnant.

To her shock, the red wheat had grown. Goku had brought it to her and it had grown. And, all at once, she knew that it was time to tell him. Time to stress test this joyous union she had found herself in.

Chi-Chi had gone out and gotten all of the ingredients. Scouring Mt. Paozu and even doing a pilgrimage to Dragon Rock for the Tatsuenoki Mushroom. And she had made the Dragon Ramen, a demon tradition that her mother had shown her, with her husband. And he had enjoyed every last bite. And she had finally told him what she was. And now here they were.

Here was Chi-Chi, bracing for impact and already plotting her trip down the mountain.

Because, honestly, how could Goku love a wretched demon? After what King Piccolo had done, after what she had seen done to her mother, how could she expect this pure-hearted young man she had fallen for to think she was anything but a monster.

And then Goku leaned own and kissed her for the first time.

She hadn't kissed him. He kissed her.

Goku pulled back and smiled that wonderful smile of his and he spoke. "That was the best meal I've ever had. I love ya, Chi-Chi~"

And the tears welled in Chi-Chi's eyes...

Back in the present...

...and they poured. "What?"

Goku smiled and repeated himself. "I want us to share that meal again. As a family. Cuz I want my Mom and Raditz and the kids to be able to taste why I love you so much~"

It was so plain. Such a simple thought. And it made Chi-Chi's heart beat like a piston. Her face turned bright red. Goku chuckled and scratched the back of his head. "I...I didn't mean to make ya cry. I just don't wanna miss this chance, ya know?"

Chi-Chi took a deep breath. She wiped her face and her nose and managed to swallow the massive lump in her throat, and then she spoke in the most even voice she could manage. "Th-Then...I guess I'll have to go get more Tatsuenoki Mushrooms, huh?"