*Tenshi throws up a shield of defense to keep herself from being sucked into a world of cliché' fanfics, (Which is what the Dead Zone consists of, though we never heard about it in the anime!)*
Garlic Junior: Soon, that little pimple of a shield will pop, and you will ooze into the Dead Zone like the puss you are!
A/N: AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! Oh my good gosh! The first time I heard this line.... nevermind, I can't even adequately describe my reaction, it was just kinda..... undefinable, lol.
Anyhow, thank you guys SO MUCH once again for your reviews! Gosh, I have the best reviewers in the whole entire world of fanfiction! THANKS!! Well, to answer last chapter's question of the Football Jersey Goku was wearing....it's actually GREEN!! BWUAHAHA! My sister thought it would be Red. Seems like her little plan to humiliate me has backfired, since almost EVERY ONE OF YOU said Green or Blue!! Which is also a good guess, since it's a lot closer than Red!! *Pulls out the Voodoo Rabbit and twists it's ankle* HA! FEEL THE BURN YOU STUPID GRIZZLY!!! AHHHHHHH!!!! *Composes self* Sorry, that's a bit of a private joke of ours, lol. But you guys had better review nicely, or I'll sic the Voodoo Rabbit on YOU!! *Maniacle laughter*
Anyhowsers, THANKYOUILOVEYOUBUHBYE! Oh yeah, on with Chapter Eight!
¤This chapter is dedicated to Bear, whom I love so very, very much and leaves such nice reviews! Thank you, Bear!¤
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No parent should ever have to bury their child.
He knew the truth behind those old words now. Surely no day would ever be satisfactory when laying your own child to rest, but the day was more dismal and morbid than any in his memory.
He was conscious of the wet, muddy ground beneath his feet, threatening to swallow him into it's subterranean bowels with the slightest of uncoordinated movements. The cold rain that hit his face, though he was sheltered beneath the canopy of the funeral home, bit with the intensity of a rabid animal, as if it were trying to rip the flesh from his own body on impact. He was vaguely aware that he could see his own breath, frosted in the afternoon's freezing air, as it wove in and out of heaven's falling crystalline. The skies were overcast, a collage of gray and onyx, with random jolts of silver light penetrating the sheets of clouds at intervals. The weather was excruciatingly cold, even for a warrior's bearing.
There was Krillin, donned in black attire, lips quivering from the chill in the wind's breath, and sincere remorse in his large, black eyes. He looked rather forlorn, excluding himself from the huddle of grievers to perhaps bear the weight more than they. Krillin had a habit of that. When things came to sorrow, he usually tried intentionally to take the blow full force for the sake of loyalty, rather than relying on others to help him manage the load. Goku was always perceptive of this, and always tried that much harder to reach him in times of distress. Yet he was unable to do so now.
There was Yamcha as well, also dressed in black, with more elaborate trimmings to his suit than to Krillin's, or even Goku's itself. Beads of rain clung to his dark hair, which was longer now than Goku had recalled it being in a long time. He lowered his head throughout most of the service, obviously listening, but turning his visual to the hunter of the forests' floor. His arm was slung supportively around Bulma, who's sapphire locks received a more lavender appearance in the wetness of the rain. She had allowed her hair to grow longer, too. What last time he remembered as ear-length in style was now close to her shoulder, which looked much prettier, considering the style in which she had cut it, in multiple layers, parted down the middle and framing her face exquisitely. She wore an expensive, burgundy color dress, which matched her figure well, but was still acceptable as mourner's wear. Her lips trembled from the word's of the priest, and her eyes watered, but he wasn't sure if she actually cried, since there were so many water beads running down her face anyhow.
Her mournful, yet composed features were the exact opposite of Launch's. Since the news of the baby's death, she had reverted back to her passive, navy-haired personality. Once she was aware of the situation, she had taken the news the hardest out of all of Goku's companions. She was crying hard, yet not uncontrollably. Her long, wavy hair had been let out of it's ever-present red kerchief, and was now pulled back in a silk, black one, that covered the crown of her head, exposing only her bangs. Her dress was not nearly as flashy as Bulma's, but was just as pretty in a quaint sort of way. She leaned on Master Roshi, who for once, had enough respect and decorum to not take advantage of the situation. He was dressed in a dark suit, which was nearly identical to Krillin's, with a hat that resembled a derby which he now held in honor of the service. He wore his best pair of sunglasses, which had thin, black rims and a much younger appeal to them. At his knees was Oolong, who was quite shaken by the entire situation as well. His attire was less formal, with a white dress shirt and black slacks to tie it together. He had his arm around Puarr, who was taking the ordeal as seriously as Launch was.
Outside of this congregation was Mira, the sole hospital staffer to attend. Her hair cascaded down her shoulders in a free appearance, though it had once been curled and primped, it now appeared wet and ragged, but only added to the glamour that her beauty possessed. She was dressed in a knee-length straight black dress, with a wine-colored coat wrapped tightly around her body to shield herself from the storm. Goku had just enough awareness to notice how different she looked, in a real dress with her hair down, and not in the white outfit and sporty ponytail with which she normally adorned herself.
Then there was Gyuu, who was taking the whole thing hard, yet not as hard as his son-in-law had speculated. Goku suspected that there had been a long inner conflict concerning his emotions on the ordeal, and that he had fought back just enough to appear to have restraint..... Though it wasn't much.
Then there was the most unbearable aspect to the whole service besides the burial itself....
Chichi.
Though she had been making progress physically at the hospital, her condition still wouldn't allow her to walk without aid, so she was forced to attend in a wheelchair. What would have usually humiliated her now didn't seem to matter, all she did was cling to Goku's shirt and let the tears fall. And fall they did, until the front of his white dress shirt was soaked from their moisture, and little of it could be credited to the rain, as she shielded it with her body, which was in full contact of his chest and stomach. He held her tightly, it was the only thing he knew for certain to do. It was all making his stomach leap in a terribly sickening way, and as much as he couldn't admit to her, he needed her presence as much as she needed his.
The only thing more disheartening than being aware of her uncontrollable sorrow was the coffin in front of him. And it wasn't just due to the fact that his son's corpse resided there, though that was most of it. It was also because of the casket itself.
He had gone the day before to pick it out, and the entire experience was as emotionally draining as anything he had ever felt before. When he felt his son's spirit pass to another plain -- hopefully a less painful one -- it had hit him hard. But now picking out the casket was downright heartbreaking, because there was no turning back after this point. He was single-handedly choosing the object in which his first and only child would forever find peace, and sleep in soundly for the rest of time. The reality of this horror was reeling when fully appreciated, and despite all of his regrets and remorse, the one thought which emerged from his brain rationally was that he wanted the coffin to be perfect.
He had scoured the place scrutinizingly, each step coming heavier than the last, and every breath more laborious than the preceding. With every passing casket, the weight that pulled in his chest only became greater. With each moment, the service loomed sooner than it had the one before, and it was something he couldn't even think about. His wife was extremely sick back at the hospital, and no doubt she needed him awfully. All of the pressures of the situation hit him full throttle while strolling down those rows of coffins, making the trip there that much harder.
He contemplated once more which casket he was going to choose. For the first time ever, he found himself placing the worth of the product on the value of it. He didn't want any run-of-the-mill coffin, he wanted something exquisite, something elaborate, something beautiful. But no money could buy what he would have set him in, and no hands could have constructed it, either. Even the most wondrous coffin in the world would have tainted his appearance with it's unworthy make, but he knew he'd have to settle for less, even if 'less' could be qualified as the best.
He had looked over a long, sleek casket, made of onyx marble with silver handles and trimmings. Even to Goku's underdeveloped sense of beauty, it seemed angelic. It was lined with the purest white silk he had ever seen, and was as soft to the touch as anything he had ever felt. This was surely the most adequate of resting places for his infant son that anyone had to offer. But to his dismay, the amount of money he had wouldn't even cover the manufacture's expense. Sadly, he had to turn it away for something more affordable.
But yet, there was a short, cream-colored casket with elaborate details etched into the handles and face, with a navy velvet lining inside. Though not as glorious as the previous, it was still a gorgeous piece. He sighed and opened his thin wallet. Nope, not even near the total amount needed.
He was beginning to compromise that which he had not dared to level with yet. The fact that maybe he wasn't going to have the best. It was a hard pill to swallow, but it only grew larger as he sifted through the best of the best, which dwindled to the mediocre, which ended in the regular.... And sadly, it kept spiraling even from there.
Finally, he had exhausted almost every coffin in the place, and much to his dismay, he hadn't even come close to the price range of any of them.
Then came the ugly, jagged, white, pine box. The only thing that he could afford. In those moments how he had wished for the first time ever for wealth. It nearly tore his heart out to hand over the 27 Zeni only to acquire the ugliest casket in the place. It splintered his hands when he touched it, and the knots in the wood were still visible, even after the thin coat of paint had been sloppily applied. How he had wished to buy something capable, something luxurious... Something lined in silk, perhaps, or velvet. Something with trimmings of precious stones or expensive metals. Something with lines of poetry etched into the face, or scriptures of hope carved on the side.... But not this simple box.
"Not this simple box."
***
After the priest's sermon was over, they allowed the guests and family one last time to say good-bye. The coffin lid was opened, and everyone allowed to pass by in a procession before leaving the cemetery. Though this was a very uncommon practice, the funeral directors decided that it might help in this situation, since it had been a specific request by the parents of the infant.
The guests lined up in single-file and passed the open casket. The occupant looked irregularly beautiful, dressed in white with a layer of cushioning around him. For the make of the cheap coffin, he looked cozy. The condition around him was an imitation silk sheet placed by the child's mother, since there was no lining inside the crude box itself. However, it did lighten the cruel appearance a bit, adding a soft glimmer of comfort. In his small arms he held onto a tiny, stuffed rabbit with floppy ears, with an almost tear jerking innocence in it's black button eyes. Beside him was a crucifix which had been placed there by the priest, which looked quite expensive by the craftsmanship. Goku had been thankful it had been placed there, it added an otherworldly peace, and made the casket look not as empty as it would have been without it. Lastly, there was a photograph inserted of his father and mother. The photo was his mother's favorite, showing both of his parents laughing and smiling, with his father holding his mother and swinging her playfully. It had turned out a truly remarkable photo, since the picture was taken at a spontaneous moment in which they both averted their attention to the camera, smiling undeliberately, yet very photogenically.
Soon, it came their time up as everyone else peeled off to the far corners of the cemetery to leave time alone for both parents. Goku held Chichi on his arm as they neared, since she was lacking the ability to do so of her own accord.
He looked so angelic, lying there in his white outfit, nothing to adorn it save the 'Son' family emblem in the middle. His eyes were closed and he appeared to feign sleep. Although he knew his son was dead, Goku had felt that as long as he could keep his physical entity in sight, that he wasn't quite gone. But in a few moments, the lid would shut, and he would be placed in the deep, dark ground. He was sure it would be cold there, and all in the world he wished for was to be able to keep him warm forever. Maybe it wouldn't matter if he was cold or not, but it wasn't something he wanted. Not at all.
He reached down and touched his face gently. It didn't seem possible that he could look like he did. It was as if him and Chichi had split both of their characteristics in two and created him from their own appearance. He looked so much like her, but yet his own features were visible as well. He wished that he could have lived long enough.... Just long enough to walk.... Though they said it wouldn't be probable. Or long enough to hear him say 'Daddy' or 'Mommy'.... Maybe even long enough to just babble a few incoherencies.
He sighed deeply. He knew that if he wished for him to stay long enough for this or that, it would never end. It would always lead to just one more day.
Chichi extricated herself from him, and turned around to see her baby one last time. Her sobbing had diminished, and to Goku's surprise, she talked quite consciously.
"He really does look like you." Her voice emitted a strange emotion, strained with grief, but wistful nonetheless.
Goku nodded, unable to speak momentarily. Finally, his tongue found the formation, "I think it's more you than me."
"He's a really.... A really good mixture, I suppose."
"I... I think so."
"I wish he'd have been able to come home with us..."
Goku fumbled for the words, "I do, too."
"I wish I could unmake it," Her tears ran slickly down her face, "I wish I could have been the one to go, if he could have lived, you know."
"I would've liked to taken it, too, but I just guess it wasn't s'posed to be like that." He wrapped his arm around her supportively, and he felt most of her weight shift against him again as her posture began to weaken.
"Will we.... Ever be able to start over again?" She asked sadly, the tears evident in her grainy voice.
He abandoned his arm holding and hugged her entirely.
"I think so. We've got a house, we've got each other, and...." He hesitated and looked into the tiny, pine box,
"We've got a family."
His words were not intended to emit her emotion, yet she cried into him again all the harder.
"I...I guess we do..." She choked, "I just.... Always thought that it would be a little bigger than this...."
"We can always adopt, 'ya know. Even if we can't have our own, we don't have to not ever have any more." He rubbed his hands up and down her arms soothingly.
"I know.... But he's the one I want..." She sobbed again.
He gulped and laid his chin on her head. "I know.... me too."
***
"Goku Son, I....I need to talk to you.." Mira stated hesitantly as she neared her friend and his wife. The funeral had been over for nearly ten minutes, yet no one had left. His friends were eager to visit with him and Chichi, and try and console them in any way possible.
He looked at her inquisitively.
"Okay." He muttered, and kneeled down to Chichi's level where she sat in her wheelchair. He took her hand and squeezed it, so she would know he was there. She was crying badly again, and had taken another fit.
"I'll be right back, okay? If you need me, I'll just be over there."
Chichi didn't respond, so Goku let go of her and followed Mira underneath a congregation of trees. The cemetery that they had chosen was very, very old, with less than ten graves in the middle of the woods. But it was the closest graveyard that they could find to their house, and they wanted him to be as close as possible. It still wasn't extremely accessible, but it was close enough to get to on foot if you were willing to walk, which he was sure, they both would be when time healed their open wounds.
Once far and separated from the crowd, Mira turned to face Goku, though she didn't look him in the eye. Goku knew that something was wrong when she refused to make eye contact. He knew that he looked terrible, and he felt worse than he looked, but even when he had been so distraught three nights ago when everything came crashing down, she had been able to look directly at him. He wondered now why it was different.
"What is it?" He asked passively, his voice soaked through and through from a combination of depression and anxiety, but his voice was still somewhat curious in nature.
"I... I don't know exactly how I'm supposed to say this, Goku Son..." Her voice trailed off as she stared absorbedly into the ground. He regarded her with a dull interest.
"Say what?"
"I.... I'm sorry I didn't say it before, I just.... I didn't know how, so please don't be angry with me...."
Goku's saddened eyes cocked a confused brow in her direction. "I'm sure I won't be..."
She turned her gaze upward to make contact. The wind was thrashing his unruly mane in every direction, and was causing the collar on his white shirt to nearly fly away. He looked cold and worn, and oh so very sad..... She didn't know how she was going to tell him what she hadn't been able to previous.
"I'm sorry, but the hospital.... Mayo.... He wants to run some more tests...." Her eyes began to water, and Goku's curiosity peaked despite his sorrow.
"Yeah, I know that Chichi needs a 'Fusion' or somethin' like that...."
"It's a blood transfusion, but that's not what I'm talking about."
"Then...... Then what?"
She bit her lip and looked away, but managed to vibrate her tangled vocal chords. "They need to run some tests because of the way things turned out."
She managed to look directly into his eyes, though she wished to look away. "Your child was different, Goku Son, extremely different."
"Yeah..." He said, rather unimpressed, "I.... I know he was, they said he would be."
"That's not what I'm talking about." She quickened, and the look of intensity in her crystal-clear, sapphire eyes was enough to disconcert his mood. "When I was rocking him in the nursery, after we took him off of support, he started to cry. I was so distraught over the whole thing it really didn't disarm me until I thought about it later. You see, newborn babies aren't supposed to be able to cry until they are older. Their bodies are still underdeveloped, and their tear ducts aren't able to produce moisture just yet. I found this interesting and told one of my coworkers, who mentioned it to Mayo. He became extremely interested in the case and asked for a DNA sample. We got one, and he sent it to the lab. Though it usually takes much longer to find out about something like this, the test results came back in this morning...."
"And?" He asked impatiently.
"And your child was definitely not normal. In fact, they found out several things by his genetic makeup that in all senses of anatomical research doesn't make any sense. They said some of it could be credited to the fact that he was afflicted from birth, and premature, even. But under closer observation.... We found out that our first assumptions were wrong."
She stopped for a moment, and Goku's glare urged her to continue. She wanted to, but she honestly didn't know what to say.
"When the DNA results came back in, they found out that your child had some chemical imbalances. He had substances in his body we never even knew existed, none of our specialists had ever seen anything like it. But probably the most startling of discoveries was his chromosome count. We'd thought at first that it was underdeveloped chromosomes that made him different, but with a closer look, we realized that the chromosomes were developed, but in a totally different way than we'd ever seen....." She fumbled with her fingernails, and looked him dead in the eye. "Do you know how many chromosomes a person is supposed to have?"
Goku sat silent, but shook his head slowly.
"Forty-Six. Almost everyone in this world has forty-six chromosomes. But Goku Jr.... He had a chromosome count of what appears to be double that of a normal person."
She looked at him as if he held some amazing secret, but he just returned her glare with the same intensity.
"An' what does that mean?" He asked.
"It means that that is not humanly possible. There's no way a human being could have that many, he would be something entirely different. So it's a scientific mystery as to how that could even be conceivable. Upon further inspection, we had to take some X-rays of him, as you know, when he was first born. We thought that he had some seriously underdeveloped organs, but when we looked twice, they seemed to have been completely formed, just in an entirely different way than we had ever seen. They also discovered he had the capacity to have up to forty teeth if he had managed to live to adulthood. His blood type was different than anything we had ever encountered. There's just no end to the things that we overlooked, it's almost embarrassing that these professionals missed so much and just dismissed it as pregnancy defects.... We're truly baffled as to what all of this means."
"What does it mean?" He slurred slowly, trying to take all of this in entirely.
"Well, to be extremely blunt, it could be that he was just a seriously deformed child with more problems than we have treatments for, or even ever considered. But by some accounts, your child doesn't biologically seem to even...."
She stopped, and looked at her feet for the umpteenth time. Goku pressed on eagerly.
"Seem to what, Mira?"
She looked at him, and her expression shot something through him that he hadn't anticipated.
"Seem to be classified as a human being."
Goku's mouth might have dropped open, except that it went cotton dry. Why it did he wasn't sure.
"That's wrong, there's no way that he couldn't be. I mean, what would he be? Some 'kinda somethin' else?"
"Honestly, we have no idea. That's why they want to run some tests. I think nearly everyone is ready to lay this to rest except for Mayo. This is really enticing him, and he wants to figure out why he was so different."
"But... What kind of tests is he talkin' about?"
"I'm not sure, exactly. But I know he wants blood samples from you. We had assumed that your blood types were unparalleled from what we had heard, but we never had any real formal samples taken. So he wants to see some from you."
Goku looked at her inquisitively. "Does that mean they're 'gonna use a needle?"
She nodded her head.
"I 'dunno, that looks 'kinda...." He trailed off, shifting his focus to the ground, though it was all too obvious that his attention wasn't on syringes. Mira put her hand on his shoulder passively.
"I'm sorry, I really am. I know how badly you don't want this."
He looked up at her with the eyes of a tortured animal, "All we 'wanna do is just go home. Can't he leave us alone now? 'Aint we done everything we were supposed to do?"
Her heart ached from his bluntness, and she wrapped her arms around him in a supportive hug.
"I know, if there's any way that I can stop this, I will." She reverberated sympathetically, rubbing his back like a sister would calm her younger brother. Goku waywardly placed his hands on her back. In an odd way, he felt close to her. Extremely close, near to the kinship he felt for Bulma, but in an entirely different way. Mira was the giving sort, Bulma the taking sort. But the partiality was still there.
"Thanks. You don't know how much you've helped us. I mean, without you, I'd still be thinkin' Mayo was makin' passes on my wife."
Mira smiled sweetly. "Your welcome, Goku."
"Goku? What happened to 'Son'?"
She retracted from his embrace and cocked a disgusted eyebrow. "Come on man, that can get tiring after a while. I don't need to know your last name now, because I know I'll never forget it. I'd say your one in a zillion, but that's not doin' you justice. If anyone could ever forget you for any reason, they'd be as wacked out as Mayo. And I don't think he'll forget you anytime soon, either."
He nodded, but an overwhelming sense of sorrow still clung to his face. He swallowed, as if he wanted to say something, but didn't know how to say it. Mira noted and prodded him first.
"What's wrong?" She asked softly.
"I....I don't know what I'm 'gonna tell her. I mean, I don't think she can handle this anymore. I'd say she's borderin' on another one of them breakdowns. There's no way she'll be able to handle more of these tests." He voiced remorsefully.
Mira lowered her head to the ground. "I wish I could tell you something to make it better, but it's not in my control. We can just hope and pray that there's something defective in their testing, and everything is fine. Because if it's not...."
She trailed off, but Goku didn't have to pry to understand her implication.
***
"Mrs. Son?" The authoritative voice broke her concentration. But what it was that she had been concentrating on was as much a mystery to herself as to the civilians around her.
She looked up with glazed over eyes. She hadn't been the same since the funeral. She wouldn't allow anyone to be close to her in any way or come in any kind of physical contact. She hadn't touched Goku in three days, nor directed any rational implications at him. He was beginning to worry badly, she could tell by the way he looked at her. She knew that she was sending him through hell again, but she couldn't gain the composure to talk to anyone. The only emotion that she showed were the tears that came at nighttime, with no one around, save him, to see them. It made her feel even more awful to know what she was putting him through, and instead of making her sorry for her vulnerability, it only made her cry harder.
"Mrs. Son? We need to talk."
Her eyes, though they were looking, were unfocused. She forced herself to rationalize, since she felt something deep in the pit of her stomach turn inside out. She knew that something important was about to happen, and she wouldn't be able to crawl away from it this time.
"She's listenin', she just don't look like she is." She heard the other voice beside her. It was the one that talked to her through her tears, and comforted her in the darkness of the night. How she had come to appreciate that voice, and moreso the one who produced it.
"Did I ask you?" The deeper voice snapped. She didn't like that, and she forced herself to intervene for the sake of the tenor at her side.
"What?" She asked feebly. Both Goku and Mayo turned to her in distinct surprise, since they hadn't anticipated any kind of reaction, though they had tried.
"Hey, your awake." Goku said, with rather an element of disbelief in his drawl. She hadn't been totally coherent for almost three days.
"I'm glad to see your making progress. Are you rational?" The doctor prodded.
"Yes, I am."
Mayo sighed, which unnerved both husband and wife. There was something that he wanted to say, but even he hesitated, which made the apprehension to run wildly through both minds.
"Your not going to like what I have to tell you, but....." He stopped, and flipped through a few pages on his clipboard, as if looking over something important. Goku knew he was just stalling, since the pages were blank.
"What?" He asked impatiently, resting his arm on the bed. Chichi glanced momentarily as his hand crept to take hers. She didn't want his touch, but she knew he needed it. She allowed him to hold her hand, but not before noticing the plethora of purple, yellow and black markings all over his arm.
"We found out that your infant had some extremely different genetic coding than anything we've encountered at this hospital before. I've never seen anything like it, and so I contacted some specialists from other hospitals, but even they don't know what to make of it. We're having a scientist look over it now, and he says that from what he's seen there's no structure to support the fact that this child is completely human. So we felt obligated to let you know that we're going to....... Have to examine him firsthand to find out just what was wrong with him."
Chichi's eyes widened dramatically, and she gasped out loud. Goku didn't have time to let the shock register before anger -- Anger such as he never felt -- shot through every part of his body. He furrowed his brows menacingly, and tightened the grip on Chichi's hand, his jawline protruded agonizingly.
"You're not...." He hissed.
Mayo felt a familiar fear grip his internals, yet stood his ground firmly.
"We can't allow attachments to get in the way of research. He's dead, and not doing you any good by laying in that joke of a coffin while he could be helping us make scientific breakthroughs."
Goku rose to his feet, kicking the chair he was sitting in to the floor with an unforgiving crash.
"You're NOT digging him up! You're not going to even TOUCH him!!" He gritted ruthlessly.
"Look, we'll do wh-"
"YOU WON'T!!" He screamed, clarified venom leaking from his threat. In that moment Mayo had no doubt that he would kill him had he the chance. In fact, even Chichi had no assurance that he wouldn't.
Mayo was completely disassembled from the quaking that was running through him, so much so that he couldn't even think of anything to say. However, he gathered what was left of his pride, and voiced it in a loud command that rivaled any demands he had ever spoken. He neared the door and grabbed the handle in his hand.
"You don't have that authority, we do." He snapped and stepped outside the half opened door, but not before sneering, "And no one, not even the one responsible for the deformity, is going to tell me what to do."
Goku started for the door, but stopped when he realized that there was nothing he could do for the situation now. He dropped to his knees and held his head in his hands. He didn't cry, he was far too angry, but for once in his life, he felt powerless. Completely powerless. Even amidst the sickness, death and funeral, he still held a fragment of strength. Now it was all gone.
After a few initial seconds, he heard some scurrying. He rose partially to see her gaining a sitting position in the bed. There was a ferocious look in her eyes, even among the tears that stained them. It only took him a moment to notice that she was trying to stand.
"Chichi..."
She said nothing but placed her feet on the floor frantically. She choked on her own breath, and took short, sharp intakes between grunts. It finally occurred to him that she was trying to get up. He forced himself to stand.
"Don't...."
"He's not..." She whispered and struggled to get her arms to push her into standing. Her motions were frenzied, and he knew that she wasn't thinking clearly. She managed to stand shakily, but fumbled with her footwork, staggering into the wall. She ripped the IV's and attachments from her body, sending trails of blood down her arms from where they had been. Goku took the opportunity to restrain her, and he grasped her flailing arms securely.
"Chichi, Chichi...."
"LET ME GO!!" She screamed and thrashed violently, but he held her fast.
"Calm down, please...."
"CALM DOWN?! HOW DO YOU EXPECT ME TO CALM DOWN?! THEY'LL TOUCH HIM OVER MY DEAD BODY!!!!" She retaliated her efforts, trying violently to break his hold on her.
"Chichi...."
"YOUR GOING TO LET THEM, AREN'T YOU? YOUR GOING TO LET THEM DIG HIM UP!! YOUR JUST GOING TO STAND THERE LIKE A DOCILE COWARD AND LET THEM DESECRATE HIM LIKE THAT! MAYBE YOUR FINE WITH THAT, BUT I'M NOT!!"
"CHICHI!!" He screamed, forcing her down on the bed. She thrashed again, but it was all too obvious that all of the strength she could claim at the moment was far from overpowering. After a few moments of resistance, she calmed again, and he could fully appreciate the hurt in her eyes. Then, it was, he wished she would go back to screaming. Her eyes darted back and forth over the sterile floor before meeting his again. They held the disposition of one who was being consumed by a plague.
"I don't want them to take him, Goku...." She whispered hopelessly, her brows caving over her eyes with a torrent of tears to accentuate their sincerity. She laid her head against his chest and cried. Her life was nothing but tears with a few recesses in between them. At least since coming to this hospital.
Goku stood stock-still, allowing her to cry. He still maintained his firm hold on her shoulders, though his grip eased gradually. His arms found their way around her, and he held her like he hadn't in a long time. She kept repeating herself over and over again, reiterating how much she didn't want this to happen.
"Why does this keep happening to us?" She choked.
"It's not goin' to. Not this time. I swear we're not 'gonna let it happen." He stated before pulling away and heading for the doorway.
***
"You mean there's nothin' we can do?!" Goku reeled from the sound of his own words.
Mira looked at the floor and nodded. "I'm sorry. This is an unforgivable sin. But so much has been tarnished and abominated over the centuries in the name of human progress no one cares anymore, even if it stunts the growth of those it effects in it's wake."
Goku's mouth hung open, his eyes were close to liquefying into oblivion or drying out of existence, though he couldn't discern which. He clenched his fist so hard that four individual rivulets of crimson trickled through his closed fingers and splashed against the blindingly white floor. Multiple veins popped up along his arms, almost palpable with the heat that flowed through his bloodstream. And, if looks could kill, the uncharacteristic venom in his eyes would have made an Atomic Bomb seem like the settling dust from a schoolyard brawl.
"Isn't there anything we can do at all?" The desperation emitted around him was as frightening as it was heartbreaking. Mira shook her head.
"Not unless one of you wasn't human to begin with. We've had similar cases with the conjugation between humans and shape shifters, but those were extremely rare cases."
Suddenly, Goku's countenance screeched into reverse, and he nearly grabbed Mira in anxiousness.
"What did you just say?! That ya'llve seen stuff like this before?!"
"Well, no, not exactly, but there have been some things like this before, where the children were a hybrid of two different species. But since you and Chichi are both humans, that's why it's so important that th-"
Mira didn't even get a chance to finish her sentence before Goku was halfway up to Chichi's room.
***
"CHICHI!" Goku hit the door ninety-to-nothing, nearly tearing it off of it's hinges. Chichi straightened in bed, a quizzical look on her face.
"CHICHI!! This is SO important!" He reached her bedside and grabbed her hands desperately, in a ploy to getting her full attention -- which he had, regardless.
"Wha-"
"Was there a reason your maiden name is Mao?!"
Chichi shot Goku a look which could almost imply the ripping of an old wound. She tensed immediately, and her old defensive disposition returned in a heartbeat.
"What do you mean by that?!" She snapped.
"I mean, are you a demon?!" He asked plain as day. Her widening eyes nearly popped out of her head, and a look of.... Fear replaced her anger. She swallowed and shook her head vigorously.
"Of course I'm not! Where would you ever get an idea like that?!"
"Look, I just found out that ther've been cases a lot like ours when shape-shifters and humans had kids, 'cause they weren't the same. And I remembered hearin' somethin' about you and dad when I first met ya'll a long time ago. So I was thinkin' if you were, then maybe it could stop all of this." He rushed breathlessly.
Chichi just stared at him, an indiscernible look on her face.
"So you mean that if I was a demon...." Her eyes went blank, and her voice stalled. "That it could save our son?"
"I'm not sure, but I think so." He nodded to reinforce his statement.
She stared for a long time before nodding her head.
"If it will stop this, then yes, I am."
***
Odd couldn't describe the look in which Mayo's countenance abided as Mira told the story.
"And so Goku Son Junior is the way he is because one of his parents is a demon, just like that weird shape-shifter hybrid that West City Medical ran into a few years ago." She stated, a look of sheer gratification echoed from her being as she saw Mayo's face contort in reasoning.
"I wondered what was wrong with that boy...." Mayo started in, and before Mira could add anything, he continued, "So that's what that whole ordeal was about at the front desk this afternoon."
Mira regarded him. "Ordeal?"
"Oh yeah. Some enormous man was at the desk today, asking to see his son and daughter. He identified himself as Gyuu Mao, The Ox Demon King. We all knew he was a demon, not only for his title, but because of his incredible size, such as very few humans have. He should have said he was Goku's father, then all of this would have made much more sense!"
Mira almost told him that the man was Chichi's father, but her curiosity compelled her to ask.
"What would have made sense?"
"Chichi's husband's genetic makeup is the most irregular thing I've ever seen. All of the child's deformities come from his father's traits, not his mother's. If he had just said that he was a demon from the start, then we wouldn't have had to go through all of this trouble. The genetic coding of demons are so complex and diverse there's no use in delving into it. There are so many research efforts being made in this field that many hospitals have been told to disregard it if such a case arises. Now I'm going to look like a fool for calling it off."
Mira was stunned speechless. Didn't Goku clearly tell her that Chichi was the demon? It would make sense, if her father was a demon as well... But how did Goku fit into all of this? Despite the fact that she was baffled, she thanked her curiosity and Mayo's huge mouth for giving this away. If she had said Chichi was a demon, then everything would have been blown big time. Although she was more puzzled herself, she thanked her lucky stars that she had let her inquisitive nature satisfy itself.
"So your not going to dissect him or anything? Your going to leave him alone?" She asked, far to giddily for his taste.
"I don't see why I should. Besides, that child has a good mother. Poor girl, I do feel bad for her, but I guess she brought it on herself..." He stated more to himself than to Mira.
"Huh? What are you talking about?"
Mayo looked at her strangely. "If you must ask, then I fear you'll never know."
***
The faint lullaby of the machinery sounded menacing to her. Everything did for the time being. To stay awake was misery, waiting in unbearable anticipation for any news at all, but sleeping meant dreams, which were far, far worse.
When she was least expecting it, the door creaked open. She instantly identified Goku as the one to grace the threshold. He wasn't smiling, but the dread was gone from his eyes. He came and sat down on the edge of her bed.
"It's okay..." He said easily, "No one's 'gonna do anythin' to him."
Chichi felt an enormous relief flood over her. If only it were enough to vanquish the grief that still resided there.
"Thank you, Goku." She whispered.
He nodded, yet she could tell even through the darkness that the whole situation had drained him entirely, and only emphasized the fact that his son would never surface again. As unexpectedly as she felt it on her, she began to cry.
"What's wrong?" He asked.
"He's not coming back ever, is he?"
Goku leaned down and kissed her temple softly.
"No. He's not."
"I just.... I kept telling myself that if I could make it home, maybe he'd be there.... But he's not going to be now.... Or ever...."
Goku was astounded by her words, because they were the manifestation of his own thoughts. He wanted to reassure her and tell her it was okay, even though it wasn't. So he said nothing, but let his presence comfort her while he was unable.
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A/N: *skims over chapter* Did that make sense to ya'll? I sure hope so! I think I may have lost a few people with all of the Biological talk. I hate Biology, but found it necessary to add. Oh yeah, and to those of you wondering, Mao loosely means, "Demon", or more specifically, "Demon King." So though it's not REALLY Chichi's maiden name (I don't guess so, but it could be! At least if it is I never heard about it!) I added it for story benefit. And we'll delve much deeper into the whole dilemma next time on Dragonball! Much love!