Goku flew on Nimbus to Usagi's school. He didn't what he was going to do with her. He didn't know what Chi-Chi was going to do. If he was angry with her he didn't want to imagine what Chi-Chi would do. In a way he was glad that Chi-Chi had been out shopping with Bulma when Mrs. Willings had called.
~*~*~
Usagi watched Mrs. Willings fill out a few forms and then looked out the window behind her. She could see Minako sitting in the office. 'I guess Michiru, and Haruka already got their punishments.' She turned back around and looked around the office a little bit. It had certificates of Mrs. Willings diplomas on the wall to the left of her. 'What a mess I've gotten myself into. I didn't even get my Dragon Ball back yet. I wonder what my punishment will be.' Usagi shifted herself to get more comfortable in the chair. When she did, however, she hurt herself. Haruka had really done a number on her. What would she tell her mother? She would go ballistic when she saw her. She would go ballistic when she heard about what SHE had done.
A knock at the door interrupted Usagi's thoughts. Mrs. Willings looked up from what she was doing. "That must be your father Usagi."
"Great." She once again and looked at the window behind her. Yep, sure enough, it was her father. 'My time has finally come.' She thought to herself. She wanted to cry. Her heart began to beat faster with anticipation.
Mrs. Willings walked to her door and greeted Goku, "Good afternoon sir, it's nice to meet you."
Goku smiled. "It's nice to meet you too." The two adults shook hands. Mrs. Willings walked back to her desk. Goku saw his daughter sitting in a chair in front of the Principle's desk and frowned. She looked really beat up. He clothes were ripped and her hair was a mess.
She could feel it. Usagi could actually feel it. She felt her father's eyes on her. She let herself slide down the chair. She was ashamed of herself. Her father was ashamed her of her too. She knew he was. He just had to be after what she just pulled.
Goku sat in the chair next to his daughter and looked at her. She held her head low and had wrapped her tail around a leg of the chair. He could see the blood on her face. And a bruise was forming on her right eye.
Usagi was afraid to look at her father. She was afraid of what he would see in her eyes. Tears. Tears were what he would see in her eyes. . Not tears of sadness, no, not those kinds of tears. He would have seen the tears of a girl who just let her father down.
Mrs. Willings rustled some papers on her desk and cleared her throat. "Now Mr. Son we have a severe problem on our hands." Goku looked away from his daughter and focused all of his attention on Mrs. Willings. "It seems that your daughter has decided to pick a fight with two girls in 5th grade. It is highly unusual that the younger child starts the fight." Usagi wiped her tears from her face.
Goku didn't know what to think. This had just kind of come at him so fast. He still couldn't get over the fact that it was Usagi who had done the dirty deed and not one of his boys. " I understand. What are you going to do about it." Goku took a quick look back at his daughter. She wouldn't look at him. She hadn't picked her head up since he arrived. She was suffering. He knew he shouldn't feel sorry for her but her did. He had to be firm with her though. He couldn't cave in.
"I have decided to suspend her for two weeks."
"Two weeks? Isn't that a little much? She's only in kindergarten."
"I'm sorry, but if we bend the rules for her, then we have to bend the rules for everyone else. The same punishment will be dealt out to the other three who were involved."
"I understand." Goku looked back at Usagi.
Usagi finally looked at her father who was starring straight at her. She saw the anger in his eyes. The anger of a disappointed father. It made her feel even worse. Her heart felt like it was falling from a 100-story building. He had never looked at her like that before.
Goku stood up. He didn't want to talk to his daughter at that moment. He needed time to let everything sink in. He signaled for her to follow.
She stood up very slowly. It still hurt to move. Every muscle in her body ached. Her heart the most.
Goku turned around. "Thank you Mrs. Willings. I'm sorry this had to take place." He looked back down at Usagi, who looked like she was in a lot of pain.
She looked up at him and their eyes once again met. He quickly looked away. 'Does he hate me now?!'
Usagi followed her father out the door and saw Minako sitting in the same chair. She was swinging her feet.
"Miss Aino." It was Minako's turn now. Minako stood up and proceeded to the principle's office where her parents would be called and notified of her actions. She walked passed Usagi and her father. The two girls locked eyes together. They watched each other sympathetically as they passed one another.
~*~*~
Goku called for Nimbus.
Usagi looked up at her father. He hadn't looked at her since they were in the principle's office. The more he thought about the situation, the angrier he got.
Nimbus arrived. Goku lifted his daughter on the yellow cloud and climbed on behind her. 'Maybe school isn't the place for her.' He thought to himself.
For once Usagi was actually afraid of her father. She had never had any need to be before. She had occasionally been afraid of her mother but that was to be expected. Even her own father, the strongest man in the galaxy, had been afraid of her. Then it hit her. If her father was this angry what would her mother think? Usagi's heart ached deep within her chest.
Usagi stopped thinking for a moment and noticed that they were not going home. 'Where are we going? What are you thinking about daddy? Please, I need you to talk to me.'
Goku knew exactly where they were going. They were going to the place that he and Usagi always went when they wanted to spend to time with each other. No one but them knew about it. Every summer Goku would take Usagi camping there for 2 weeks. He knew that it would be safe to talk there. There would be no intrusion of Chi-Chi-Chi.
Nimbus landed. Usagi looked around. 'What are we doing here?'
Goku jumped off Nimbus and grabbed his daughter off. He didn't want her to hurt herself anymore than she already was. 'I still can't believe it. There has to be a reason.' He didn't know exactly how to handle a situation like this. It had never come up before.
Usagi looked at her father. He seemed to be fighting and internal conflict. 'Why did her bring me her? Wait a minute. He's not planning on leaving me here is he? Does he really hate me that much?' She replayed the fight in her head. The reasons, they had been good reasons. She thought about her Dragon Ball. Everything pilled up in her head. There was no room left. It was all too overwhelming. She began to cry.
When Goku saw this, he immediately picked his daughter up and sat her down by a tree and knelt down by her. "Usagi, we really need to talk." He felt really bad for her. He pulled something out of his pocket and handed it to his wounded daughter. He told himself over and over again that he wouldn't do this, but looking at her, he had to. She needed it. She had been through enough stress for the day. He didn't want to add to it.
Usagi looked at the Senzu bean that Goku held out to her. She looked at her father who was smiling down at her. She took the bean and ate it. She could feel her energy returning to her muscles. Her body no longer hurt. He didn't hate her after all. She was overjoyed. She threw herself into her father's arms and hugged him as hard as she could. "I'm so glad you don't hate me daddy." She cried harder. Now they were tears of happiness. She wrapped her tail around his waste.
Goku hugged his daughter but was somewhat confused. He watched as she cried into his chest. "What do you mean Usagi? I have never, nor will I ever hate you."
Usagi pulled away from Goku's chest. Tears streamed down her face. Why had he acted so cold to her a few moments ago? "You don't."
Goku stroked Usagi's hair as she rested her head against his chest once again. "Of course not. I love you." The two Saiyans sat against the tree in the shade. It was a hot and sunshine filled day. The waterfall could be heard behind them. "Usagi, I know something is bothering you. Please, talk to me. I can't help you unless you tell me."
Usagi didn't know if she had the willpower to tell him. She was embarrassed. She closed her eyes and saw the fight. She saw herself being held up against the wall from another perspective. Haruka swung at Usagi. She squeezed her eyes shut even harder. She decided that there was no escaping it. She needed to tell him. He would have made her anyways. "The whole story?"
Goku nodded. "The WHOLE story."
Usagi got comfortable in her father's lap. This could take a while. "Well you see, yesterday before school, I didn't know where to go. I asked a group of older girls. They seemed nice. They called me stupid for not knowing where to go. Then one of the girls, whose name was Haruka, saw my tail. She laughed and her friend Michiru laughed too. Then Haruka tried to grab my tail. I jumped out of the way but Michiru grabbed me from behind, which allowed Haruka to grab my tail. It hurt daddy." She grabbed her father's orange GI and looked him closer in the eyes. "It REALLY hurt. She was about to kick me when my teacher Miss Haruna stopped her. Then at lunch," Usagi's eyes were watering now, "A boy walked up to me and Minako and called us freaks. Now the whole school knows me as 'Monkey Girl." Usagi was at a full fledge cry now.
'Tears of pain' Goku thought to himself as his daughter spilled her feelings to him. 'So that's what I was sensing from her. She had been wrongfully picked on. She had been so excited at school and it just slapped her in the face with no mercy.' Goku felt like crying himself. "Usagi, it's ok. Don't listen to what they say."
Usagi tried to wipe her tears away but no matter what she did they just kept coming. "No, it's not ok daddy. I am a freak."
Goku wanted to comfort his daughter with words of wisdom but he couldn't think of much to say. "Usagi, I'm disappointed in you. I would have expected better from you. Come on, you can't be giving in to their jokes with out a fight."
"Fighting is how I got here. I got myself beat up. I'm just a freak who can't defend herself."
Goku lifted his daughter's face with his finger so he could look into her eyes. "You know, if you believe that, it will be true."
What was he trying to say? Usagi didn't understand. "But I am."
Goku put his finger to Usagi's mouth to silence her. "Don't say that. You can do anything."
Usagi smiled. She knew what he was trying to do and she appreciated it. "I'm still a freak. Look at this stupid tail." She pointed to her tail. She wished it wasn't there. That thing had gotten her into more trouble then she could handle.
"Just because you have a tail doesn't make you a freak. It makes you special." Goku poked his daughter's nose. "Now, would you like to tell me why you started a fight with Haruka and Michiru today?" Goku knew that they were the ones she fought with. What other 5th graders could there have been to fight?
Usagi was reluctant to tell him. She didn't want him to get mad at her for loosing her Dragon Ball that he had given to her. She was going to have to tell him though. That's one of the main reasons why the fight started. "Well, ok. Here it goes. Today, after you left I started walking to class to meet up with Minako. Haruka and Michiru saw me and grabbed my bag. I tried to get it back but they were too tall and too fast for me. Haruka ate my lunch and Michiru……" Usagi paused for a long time. She didn't want to say what happened next.
Goku could see that his daughter was struggling inside. She didn't want to tell him something. "Yes, go on sweetie."
Usagi half smiled. She knew he was just trying to help. "Well they stole the Dragon Ball you gave me."
"WHAT?!" Goku now knew why she had been so hesitant to tell him what happened. Not only had his daughter gotten into a fight but now he had to think of some way to get the dragon ball back. If they knew of it's hidden powers then he would have to fight and leave Usagi.
She knew this was going to happen. Usagi knew that her father would get upset when she told him. She had hoped he wasn't too mad at her. She lowered her head so she didn't have to look him in the eyes. "I'm sorry daddy."
Goku knew he had blown it. He should have better than to burst out like that. He just made things worse. His face softened as he looked down at Usagi. "It's ok. I'm not mad at you. It wasn't your fault." Goku began to play with his daughter's long blonde hair. It was a mess after the fight. It looked like it hadn't been brushed in days.
"At lunch they came to the kindergarten wing. They said that the office sent them there to welcome us kids. They didn't make me and Minako feel very welcome. The called me "Monkey Girl" and called Minako the "Monkey's assistant". Then Haruka pulled out my Dragon Ball and started tossing it in the air. I tried to get it back by Haruka was fast. She started to make fun of my tail again and said that either you or mommy were monkeys and that you cross-bread, whatever that means. Then I jumped on her and hit her. I wasn't strong enough. She threw me off her and kicked me and pushed Minako aside. My vision went black. I think she slammed me against the wall. I'm not sure. I still couldn't see"
Goku cringed when he heard what Haruka had done to his daughter. How could someone that age pick on a 5-year old? It stumped him. Goku couldn't believe it. He was angry. He didn't want his daughter to be made fun of anymore. He didn't want her to suffer. "Usagi, thank you for telling me what happened." He tensed up. "Usagi, it's getting late. I think we should go home."
Usagi looked at her father as he stood up. Why had he suddenly changed moods? "Are you going to tell mommy?" Usagi knew that she would be in major trouble if he did. She had hoped that he wouldn't.
"Not exactly." Goku had a plan to keep Chi-Chi from knowing. He knew that she would just put more stress on their daughter if he did.
"Huh? What do you mean daddy?"
"I'm going to tell her you were in the fight but you didn't start it. I'm also going to tell her that they suspended you because of the fact that you were still involved. Just like Minako." Goku hoped that it would work.
Usagi hugged her father. "You're the best daddy. I love you." She squeezed him as hard as she could.
Goku looked down at Usagi and smiled. "I love you too Usagi."
~*~*~
When the Saiyan Duo returned home there had been no trace of Chi-Chi being home. Goku scratched his head. "You know, that's really odd. Your mother should be home by now." Goku walked into the kitchen to see if there was any meal in the fridge to eat. Nothing. No sign of food left by Chi-Chi. Goku scratched his head. "What are we supposed to eat?"
Usagi walked into the kitchen in a new set of cloths. (Picture her in kind of what Gohan wore when he was 4 minus the hat. I'm going to change it a little though. The shirt stops at her waste and a skirt starts right after it and goes halfway down her thigh. The main part of her shirt is green and the sleeves are yellow. The skirt is also green.) Her hair had been left hanging down. She never really did her hair right and she wasn't going anywhere anyways. "Daddy I'm hungry, when is mommy going to come home."
The front door busted wide open and Chi-Chi stood behind it with a hand full of bags. "I could use a little help Goku." Chi-Chi nearly dropped the bags she was carrying.
Goku rushed by to her and grabbed half of the bags. "I sure hope you brought home dinner because we're hungry." Goku carried the bags over to the counter and started looking through them for something to eat.
Chi-Chi set her bags by Goku's bundle and slapped his hand away from the newly bought food. "Get out of my kitchen if you want me to make dinner Goku." Goku was always crowding her when she brought home food. He always had to be the first to snoop.
"Fine." Goku waved for Usagi to follow him into another room. He didn't want Usagi to tell her mother anything about the day. That was for him to do after dinner.
Usagi left the kitchen with her father. "Daddy, why does mommy always kick you out of the kitchen?"
Goku looked at his wide-eyed little girl. She was always so full of questions. "Because mommy is always on PMS."
Usagi starred at her father. "What's PMS?"
Goku laughed to himself. "Nothing."
Usagi shrugged her shoulders and left. She went to her room and closed the door behind her. She walked to her window and sat down in a chair. The sun was going down. The sky was orange and red. She loved the sunset. It was so peaceful. Usagi felt very tired all of a sudden and yawned. She rested her head on her arms, which rested on the window seal and sighed. "What a day." Usagi really hoped that her father would keep his word and get her out of the mess she created. The house started to fill the aroma of what her mother was cooking. It smelled so good. Usagi had just realized that she hadn't eaten since breakfast.
~*~*~
"DINNER!" Chi-Chi yelled when dinner was ready to be eaten. More like gorged with Goku's appetite. She was glad that Usagi hadn't inherited that trait from Goku. Although she was a Saiyan she never really acted like it.
Goku raced into the kitchen and sat down. "Sure smells good Chi-Chi. I can't wait to eat it." Goku had been starving. Chi-Chi kept him out of the kitchen so he couldn't even get a snack.
"Well you will have to wait for Usagi to come down out of her room." They waited for her but she never came. It had been 4 minutes since Chi-Chi called for Usagi. It wasn't like her to just not come down for dinner. "I wonder what's taking her so long."
Goku stood up. "I'll get her."
"No. I'll get her." Chi-Chi headed for the doorway of the kitchen and turned around. "If you touch that food before we get back, Goku, you will never eat any of my cooking again." She really did know how to put Goku in his place.
~*~*~
Chi-Chi knocked on her daughter's door. There was no answer so she knocked again. Again, no answer. She slowly and quietly opened the door and revealed her daughter. She had fallen asleep watching the sunset. 'She's so precious.' Chi-Chi thought to herself. She hated to disturb her but Usagi needed to eat. She shook her daughter's shoulder. "Usagi, Usagi wake up. It's dinner time."
Usagi jumped out of her seat. "Who's there?" She looked up to see that it was only her mother and smiled. "Hi mommy."
"Hi sweet heart. It's time for dinner." Chi-Chi began to leave the room.
"Great! I'm hungry!" Usagi ran out of her room and down to the kitchen. She had totally forgotten about the fight and how she and her father would soon have to tell her about it.
~*~*~
Goku was stuffing his face as usual. "Yum, Chi-Chi this is delicious."
"Thank you Goku." Chi-Chi looked at her daughter who had barely eaten a thing. Usagi wasn't up to it. She had started thinking about the fight again and lost her appetite. "Usagi, aren't you going to eat?" Usagi didn't here her mother's words. She had been in a daze. "Usagi?"
"Huh? Oh, sorry mommy, what did you say?" Usagi started to pick at the rice on her plate.
"Aren't you going to eat honey?"
Goku watched his daughter. He knew what was wrong and it was only a matter of time before Chi-Chi also knew. "Leave her alone Chi-Chi-Chi."
"Goku, stay out of this." Chi-Chi turned back to Usagi. "You need to eat. What's wrong Usagi? Did something happen at school today?"
Usagi's heart started to race inside her. This wasn't supposed to happen. She wasn't supposed to find out until after dinner. She didn't know what to say. She looked at her father for answers. "I..uh…"
"We have something to tell you Chi-Chi." Usagi looked at her father with relief. He saved her. Just like he had promised. She smiled.
Chi-Chi looked at Goku. "Goku, why do I have a feeling that this is going to be bad news?"
"Just wait until after dinner dear."
Chi-Chi frowned. "NO! TELL ME NOW!"
Usagi cringed. 'Daddy just tell her. You're making her mad. Please."
Goku cowered away from his wife. "Well you see, a couple of 5th graders felt that it was their duty to pick on our Usagi here. They called her Monkey Girl and stole her dragon ball." He was still very angry about that fact. He hadn't yet come up with a plan to retrieve it. He WOULD get it back for his daughter though. "They started to beat her and her friend Minako up and all four of them got suspended for two weeks." Goku hoped that she would buy that. He looked at Usagi who seemed pleased with his performance.
Chi-Chi looked at her daughter. She jumped up and wrapped her arms around her. "Oh my baby, are you alright? Did they hurt you much? It's alright, mommy won't let them touch you anymore." Chi-Chi was choking Usagi. She was squeezing too hard. Now she knew what Gohan was talking about when he told her how over protective she is. "Now who are these girls that hurt my baby?" She turned to Goku. "I want to talk to their parents."
'Shit, I wasn't expecting this.' He had to protect Usagi. He had promised her that he wouldn't let her find out the truth. He couldn't break his promise. "I have already taken care of it."
Chi-Chi couldn't believe it. Goku had done something responsible for once in his life. "Are you sure?"
"I'm sure, why would I lie?"
Chi-Chi couldn't argue with that. She looked back down at her daughter. "Why don't you go back up to bed darling. You have had a long day."
Usagi complied with her mother's wishes.
~*~*~
The night was stormy and Usagi had been asleep for 4 hours. It was 10:00. All she had dreamt about was the fight. More like Haruka beating the stuffing out of her. There was Usagi in the middle of the playground. All of the eyes starring at her. Rooting for her to loose. Haruka raised her fist and pulled it back. She laughed and hit her in the face.
Usagi opened her eyes. She shot up and sat alone in the dark. "It was only a dream Usagi. It was only a dream." She looked outside. It was raining heavily. It was a perfect picture of the past two days. Her life started out sunny like the day and turned to one big storm like this night.
She held her head in her hands. "I wish I was strong like daddy. Then they wouldn't pick on me." She thought for a moment. "That's it." A flash of lightning struck right outside her window. "AAAAAAHHHHH!" Usagi ran out of her room and into her parent's. Chi-Chi and Goku had been awaken by the sound of their daughter's scream. Usagi jumped in between her parents. She burrowed herself deep in the covers and made sure every part of her was covered.
Goku and Chi-Chi looked at the lump between them and laughed. Chi-Chi turned on a lamp and Goku pulled the covers off of Usagi, who was curled up beneath them. "Usagi, can we help you?"
Usagi looked up at her parents who were peering down at them. She smiled and sat up. "I'm scared."
Chi-Chi put her arms around her daughter and pulled the blankets back up to their wastes'. "It's alright. It's just lightning."
Usagi had never seen lightning before. There weren't many storms where they lived. "Can I sleep with you guys?"
Chi-Chi looked at Goku for approval. He nodded yes. "Yes, you can sleep in here with us."
The three snuggled together. Usagi remembered what she wanted to talk to them about and sat up again. "Mommy, Daddy, I was thinking, can I learn how to fight?"
(Ok, that's if for this chapter. Please tell me what you think. ^_^)
~*~*~
Usagi watched Mrs. Willings fill out a few forms and then looked out the window behind her. She could see Minako sitting in the office. 'I guess Michiru, and Haruka already got their punishments.' She turned back around and looked around the office a little bit. It had certificates of Mrs. Willings diplomas on the wall to the left of her. 'What a mess I've gotten myself into. I didn't even get my Dragon Ball back yet. I wonder what my punishment will be.' Usagi shifted herself to get more comfortable in the chair. When she did, however, she hurt herself. Haruka had really done a number on her. What would she tell her mother? She would go ballistic when she saw her. She would go ballistic when she heard about what SHE had done.
A knock at the door interrupted Usagi's thoughts. Mrs. Willings looked up from what she was doing. "That must be your father Usagi."
"Great." She once again and looked at the window behind her. Yep, sure enough, it was her father. 'My time has finally come.' She thought to herself. She wanted to cry. Her heart began to beat faster with anticipation.
Mrs. Willings walked to her door and greeted Goku, "Good afternoon sir, it's nice to meet you."
Goku smiled. "It's nice to meet you too." The two adults shook hands. Mrs. Willings walked back to her desk. Goku saw his daughter sitting in a chair in front of the Principle's desk and frowned. She looked really beat up. He clothes were ripped and her hair was a mess.
She could feel it. Usagi could actually feel it. She felt her father's eyes on her. She let herself slide down the chair. She was ashamed of herself. Her father was ashamed her of her too. She knew he was. He just had to be after what she just pulled.
Goku sat in the chair next to his daughter and looked at her. She held her head low and had wrapped her tail around a leg of the chair. He could see the blood on her face. And a bruise was forming on her right eye.
Usagi was afraid to look at her father. She was afraid of what he would see in her eyes. Tears. Tears were what he would see in her eyes. . Not tears of sadness, no, not those kinds of tears. He would have seen the tears of a girl who just let her father down.
Mrs. Willings rustled some papers on her desk and cleared her throat. "Now Mr. Son we have a severe problem on our hands." Goku looked away from his daughter and focused all of his attention on Mrs. Willings. "It seems that your daughter has decided to pick a fight with two girls in 5th grade. It is highly unusual that the younger child starts the fight." Usagi wiped her tears from her face.
Goku didn't know what to think. This had just kind of come at him so fast. He still couldn't get over the fact that it was Usagi who had done the dirty deed and not one of his boys. " I understand. What are you going to do about it." Goku took a quick look back at his daughter. She wouldn't look at him. She hadn't picked her head up since he arrived. She was suffering. He knew he shouldn't feel sorry for her but her did. He had to be firm with her though. He couldn't cave in.
"I have decided to suspend her for two weeks."
"Two weeks? Isn't that a little much? She's only in kindergarten."
"I'm sorry, but if we bend the rules for her, then we have to bend the rules for everyone else. The same punishment will be dealt out to the other three who were involved."
"I understand." Goku looked back at Usagi.
Usagi finally looked at her father who was starring straight at her. She saw the anger in his eyes. The anger of a disappointed father. It made her feel even worse. Her heart felt like it was falling from a 100-story building. He had never looked at her like that before.
Goku stood up. He didn't want to talk to his daughter at that moment. He needed time to let everything sink in. He signaled for her to follow.
She stood up very slowly. It still hurt to move. Every muscle in her body ached. Her heart the most.
Goku turned around. "Thank you Mrs. Willings. I'm sorry this had to take place." He looked back down at Usagi, who looked like she was in a lot of pain.
She looked up at him and their eyes once again met. He quickly looked away. 'Does he hate me now?!'
Usagi followed her father out the door and saw Minako sitting in the same chair. She was swinging her feet.
"Miss Aino." It was Minako's turn now. Minako stood up and proceeded to the principle's office where her parents would be called and notified of her actions. She walked passed Usagi and her father. The two girls locked eyes together. They watched each other sympathetically as they passed one another.
~*~*~
Goku called for Nimbus.
Usagi looked up at her father. He hadn't looked at her since they were in the principle's office. The more he thought about the situation, the angrier he got.
Nimbus arrived. Goku lifted his daughter on the yellow cloud and climbed on behind her. 'Maybe school isn't the place for her.' He thought to himself.
For once Usagi was actually afraid of her father. She had never had any need to be before. She had occasionally been afraid of her mother but that was to be expected. Even her own father, the strongest man in the galaxy, had been afraid of her. Then it hit her. If her father was this angry what would her mother think? Usagi's heart ached deep within her chest.
Usagi stopped thinking for a moment and noticed that they were not going home. 'Where are we going? What are you thinking about daddy? Please, I need you to talk to me.'
Goku knew exactly where they were going. They were going to the place that he and Usagi always went when they wanted to spend to time with each other. No one but them knew about it. Every summer Goku would take Usagi camping there for 2 weeks. He knew that it would be safe to talk there. There would be no intrusion of Chi-Chi-Chi.
Nimbus landed. Usagi looked around. 'What are we doing here?'
Goku jumped off Nimbus and grabbed his daughter off. He didn't want her to hurt herself anymore than she already was. 'I still can't believe it. There has to be a reason.' He didn't know exactly how to handle a situation like this. It had never come up before.
Usagi looked at her father. He seemed to be fighting and internal conflict. 'Why did her bring me her? Wait a minute. He's not planning on leaving me here is he? Does he really hate me that much?' She replayed the fight in her head. The reasons, they had been good reasons. She thought about her Dragon Ball. Everything pilled up in her head. There was no room left. It was all too overwhelming. She began to cry.
When Goku saw this, he immediately picked his daughter up and sat her down by a tree and knelt down by her. "Usagi, we really need to talk." He felt really bad for her. He pulled something out of his pocket and handed it to his wounded daughter. He told himself over and over again that he wouldn't do this, but looking at her, he had to. She needed it. She had been through enough stress for the day. He didn't want to add to it.
Usagi looked at the Senzu bean that Goku held out to her. She looked at her father who was smiling down at her. She took the bean and ate it. She could feel her energy returning to her muscles. Her body no longer hurt. He didn't hate her after all. She was overjoyed. She threw herself into her father's arms and hugged him as hard as she could. "I'm so glad you don't hate me daddy." She cried harder. Now they were tears of happiness. She wrapped her tail around his waste.
Goku hugged his daughter but was somewhat confused. He watched as she cried into his chest. "What do you mean Usagi? I have never, nor will I ever hate you."
Usagi pulled away from Goku's chest. Tears streamed down her face. Why had he acted so cold to her a few moments ago? "You don't."
Goku stroked Usagi's hair as she rested her head against his chest once again. "Of course not. I love you." The two Saiyans sat against the tree in the shade. It was a hot and sunshine filled day. The waterfall could be heard behind them. "Usagi, I know something is bothering you. Please, talk to me. I can't help you unless you tell me."
Usagi didn't know if she had the willpower to tell him. She was embarrassed. She closed her eyes and saw the fight. She saw herself being held up against the wall from another perspective. Haruka swung at Usagi. She squeezed her eyes shut even harder. She decided that there was no escaping it. She needed to tell him. He would have made her anyways. "The whole story?"
Goku nodded. "The WHOLE story."
Usagi got comfortable in her father's lap. This could take a while. "Well you see, yesterday before school, I didn't know where to go. I asked a group of older girls. They seemed nice. They called me stupid for not knowing where to go. Then one of the girls, whose name was Haruka, saw my tail. She laughed and her friend Michiru laughed too. Then Haruka tried to grab my tail. I jumped out of the way but Michiru grabbed me from behind, which allowed Haruka to grab my tail. It hurt daddy." She grabbed her father's orange GI and looked him closer in the eyes. "It REALLY hurt. She was about to kick me when my teacher Miss Haruna stopped her. Then at lunch," Usagi's eyes were watering now, "A boy walked up to me and Minako and called us freaks. Now the whole school knows me as 'Monkey Girl." Usagi was at a full fledge cry now.
'Tears of pain' Goku thought to himself as his daughter spilled her feelings to him. 'So that's what I was sensing from her. She had been wrongfully picked on. She had been so excited at school and it just slapped her in the face with no mercy.' Goku felt like crying himself. "Usagi, it's ok. Don't listen to what they say."
Usagi tried to wipe her tears away but no matter what she did they just kept coming. "No, it's not ok daddy. I am a freak."
Goku wanted to comfort his daughter with words of wisdom but he couldn't think of much to say. "Usagi, I'm disappointed in you. I would have expected better from you. Come on, you can't be giving in to their jokes with out a fight."
"Fighting is how I got here. I got myself beat up. I'm just a freak who can't defend herself."
Goku lifted his daughter's face with his finger so he could look into her eyes. "You know, if you believe that, it will be true."
What was he trying to say? Usagi didn't understand. "But I am."
Goku put his finger to Usagi's mouth to silence her. "Don't say that. You can do anything."
Usagi smiled. She knew what he was trying to do and she appreciated it. "I'm still a freak. Look at this stupid tail." She pointed to her tail. She wished it wasn't there. That thing had gotten her into more trouble then she could handle.
"Just because you have a tail doesn't make you a freak. It makes you special." Goku poked his daughter's nose. "Now, would you like to tell me why you started a fight with Haruka and Michiru today?" Goku knew that they were the ones she fought with. What other 5th graders could there have been to fight?
Usagi was reluctant to tell him. She didn't want him to get mad at her for loosing her Dragon Ball that he had given to her. She was going to have to tell him though. That's one of the main reasons why the fight started. "Well, ok. Here it goes. Today, after you left I started walking to class to meet up with Minako. Haruka and Michiru saw me and grabbed my bag. I tried to get it back but they were too tall and too fast for me. Haruka ate my lunch and Michiru……" Usagi paused for a long time. She didn't want to say what happened next.
Goku could see that his daughter was struggling inside. She didn't want to tell him something. "Yes, go on sweetie."
Usagi half smiled. She knew he was just trying to help. "Well they stole the Dragon Ball you gave me."
"WHAT?!" Goku now knew why she had been so hesitant to tell him what happened. Not only had his daughter gotten into a fight but now he had to think of some way to get the dragon ball back. If they knew of it's hidden powers then he would have to fight and leave Usagi.
She knew this was going to happen. Usagi knew that her father would get upset when she told him. She had hoped he wasn't too mad at her. She lowered her head so she didn't have to look him in the eyes. "I'm sorry daddy."
Goku knew he had blown it. He should have better than to burst out like that. He just made things worse. His face softened as he looked down at Usagi. "It's ok. I'm not mad at you. It wasn't your fault." Goku began to play with his daughter's long blonde hair. It was a mess after the fight. It looked like it hadn't been brushed in days.
"At lunch they came to the kindergarten wing. They said that the office sent them there to welcome us kids. They didn't make me and Minako feel very welcome. The called me "Monkey Girl" and called Minako the "Monkey's assistant". Then Haruka pulled out my Dragon Ball and started tossing it in the air. I tried to get it back by Haruka was fast. She started to make fun of my tail again and said that either you or mommy were monkeys and that you cross-bread, whatever that means. Then I jumped on her and hit her. I wasn't strong enough. She threw me off her and kicked me and pushed Minako aside. My vision went black. I think she slammed me against the wall. I'm not sure. I still couldn't see"
Goku cringed when he heard what Haruka had done to his daughter. How could someone that age pick on a 5-year old? It stumped him. Goku couldn't believe it. He was angry. He didn't want his daughter to be made fun of anymore. He didn't want her to suffer. "Usagi, thank you for telling me what happened." He tensed up. "Usagi, it's getting late. I think we should go home."
Usagi looked at her father as he stood up. Why had he suddenly changed moods? "Are you going to tell mommy?" Usagi knew that she would be in major trouble if he did. She had hoped that he wouldn't.
"Not exactly." Goku had a plan to keep Chi-Chi from knowing. He knew that she would just put more stress on their daughter if he did.
"Huh? What do you mean daddy?"
"I'm going to tell her you were in the fight but you didn't start it. I'm also going to tell her that they suspended you because of the fact that you were still involved. Just like Minako." Goku hoped that it would work.
Usagi hugged her father. "You're the best daddy. I love you." She squeezed him as hard as she could.
Goku looked down at Usagi and smiled. "I love you too Usagi."
~*~*~
When the Saiyan Duo returned home there had been no trace of Chi-Chi being home. Goku scratched his head. "You know, that's really odd. Your mother should be home by now." Goku walked into the kitchen to see if there was any meal in the fridge to eat. Nothing. No sign of food left by Chi-Chi. Goku scratched his head. "What are we supposed to eat?"
Usagi walked into the kitchen in a new set of cloths. (Picture her in kind of what Gohan wore when he was 4 minus the hat. I'm going to change it a little though. The shirt stops at her waste and a skirt starts right after it and goes halfway down her thigh. The main part of her shirt is green and the sleeves are yellow. The skirt is also green.) Her hair had been left hanging down. She never really did her hair right and she wasn't going anywhere anyways. "Daddy I'm hungry, when is mommy going to come home."
The front door busted wide open and Chi-Chi stood behind it with a hand full of bags. "I could use a little help Goku." Chi-Chi nearly dropped the bags she was carrying.
Goku rushed by to her and grabbed half of the bags. "I sure hope you brought home dinner because we're hungry." Goku carried the bags over to the counter and started looking through them for something to eat.
Chi-Chi set her bags by Goku's bundle and slapped his hand away from the newly bought food. "Get out of my kitchen if you want me to make dinner Goku." Goku was always crowding her when she brought home food. He always had to be the first to snoop.
"Fine." Goku waved for Usagi to follow him into another room. He didn't want Usagi to tell her mother anything about the day. That was for him to do after dinner.
Usagi left the kitchen with her father. "Daddy, why does mommy always kick you out of the kitchen?"
Goku looked at his wide-eyed little girl. She was always so full of questions. "Because mommy is always on PMS."
Usagi starred at her father. "What's PMS?"
Goku laughed to himself. "Nothing."
Usagi shrugged her shoulders and left. She went to her room and closed the door behind her. She walked to her window and sat down in a chair. The sun was going down. The sky was orange and red. She loved the sunset. It was so peaceful. Usagi felt very tired all of a sudden and yawned. She rested her head on her arms, which rested on the window seal and sighed. "What a day." Usagi really hoped that her father would keep his word and get her out of the mess she created. The house started to fill the aroma of what her mother was cooking. It smelled so good. Usagi had just realized that she hadn't eaten since breakfast.
~*~*~
"DINNER!" Chi-Chi yelled when dinner was ready to be eaten. More like gorged with Goku's appetite. She was glad that Usagi hadn't inherited that trait from Goku. Although she was a Saiyan she never really acted like it.
Goku raced into the kitchen and sat down. "Sure smells good Chi-Chi. I can't wait to eat it." Goku had been starving. Chi-Chi kept him out of the kitchen so he couldn't even get a snack.
"Well you will have to wait for Usagi to come down out of her room." They waited for her but she never came. It had been 4 minutes since Chi-Chi called for Usagi. It wasn't like her to just not come down for dinner. "I wonder what's taking her so long."
Goku stood up. "I'll get her."
"No. I'll get her." Chi-Chi headed for the doorway of the kitchen and turned around. "If you touch that food before we get back, Goku, you will never eat any of my cooking again." She really did know how to put Goku in his place.
~*~*~
Chi-Chi knocked on her daughter's door. There was no answer so she knocked again. Again, no answer. She slowly and quietly opened the door and revealed her daughter. She had fallen asleep watching the sunset. 'She's so precious.' Chi-Chi thought to herself. She hated to disturb her but Usagi needed to eat. She shook her daughter's shoulder. "Usagi, Usagi wake up. It's dinner time."
Usagi jumped out of her seat. "Who's there?" She looked up to see that it was only her mother and smiled. "Hi mommy."
"Hi sweet heart. It's time for dinner." Chi-Chi began to leave the room.
"Great! I'm hungry!" Usagi ran out of her room and down to the kitchen. She had totally forgotten about the fight and how she and her father would soon have to tell her about it.
~*~*~
Goku was stuffing his face as usual. "Yum, Chi-Chi this is delicious."
"Thank you Goku." Chi-Chi looked at her daughter who had barely eaten a thing. Usagi wasn't up to it. She had started thinking about the fight again and lost her appetite. "Usagi, aren't you going to eat?" Usagi didn't here her mother's words. She had been in a daze. "Usagi?"
"Huh? Oh, sorry mommy, what did you say?" Usagi started to pick at the rice on her plate.
"Aren't you going to eat honey?"
Goku watched his daughter. He knew what was wrong and it was only a matter of time before Chi-Chi also knew. "Leave her alone Chi-Chi-Chi."
"Goku, stay out of this." Chi-Chi turned back to Usagi. "You need to eat. What's wrong Usagi? Did something happen at school today?"
Usagi's heart started to race inside her. This wasn't supposed to happen. She wasn't supposed to find out until after dinner. She didn't know what to say. She looked at her father for answers. "I..uh…"
"We have something to tell you Chi-Chi." Usagi looked at her father with relief. He saved her. Just like he had promised. She smiled.
Chi-Chi looked at Goku. "Goku, why do I have a feeling that this is going to be bad news?"
"Just wait until after dinner dear."
Chi-Chi frowned. "NO! TELL ME NOW!"
Usagi cringed. 'Daddy just tell her. You're making her mad. Please."
Goku cowered away from his wife. "Well you see, a couple of 5th graders felt that it was their duty to pick on our Usagi here. They called her Monkey Girl and stole her dragon ball." He was still very angry about that fact. He hadn't yet come up with a plan to retrieve it. He WOULD get it back for his daughter though. "They started to beat her and her friend Minako up and all four of them got suspended for two weeks." Goku hoped that she would buy that. He looked at Usagi who seemed pleased with his performance.
Chi-Chi looked at her daughter. She jumped up and wrapped her arms around her. "Oh my baby, are you alright? Did they hurt you much? It's alright, mommy won't let them touch you anymore." Chi-Chi was choking Usagi. She was squeezing too hard. Now she knew what Gohan was talking about when he told her how over protective she is. "Now who are these girls that hurt my baby?" She turned to Goku. "I want to talk to their parents."
'Shit, I wasn't expecting this.' He had to protect Usagi. He had promised her that he wouldn't let her find out the truth. He couldn't break his promise. "I have already taken care of it."
Chi-Chi couldn't believe it. Goku had done something responsible for once in his life. "Are you sure?"
"I'm sure, why would I lie?"
Chi-Chi couldn't argue with that. She looked back down at her daughter. "Why don't you go back up to bed darling. You have had a long day."
Usagi complied with her mother's wishes.
~*~*~
The night was stormy and Usagi had been asleep for 4 hours. It was 10:00. All she had dreamt about was the fight. More like Haruka beating the stuffing out of her. There was Usagi in the middle of the playground. All of the eyes starring at her. Rooting for her to loose. Haruka raised her fist and pulled it back. She laughed and hit her in the face.
Usagi opened her eyes. She shot up and sat alone in the dark. "It was only a dream Usagi. It was only a dream." She looked outside. It was raining heavily. It was a perfect picture of the past two days. Her life started out sunny like the day and turned to one big storm like this night.
She held her head in her hands. "I wish I was strong like daddy. Then they wouldn't pick on me." She thought for a moment. "That's it." A flash of lightning struck right outside her window. "AAAAAAHHHHH!" Usagi ran out of her room and into her parent's. Chi-Chi and Goku had been awaken by the sound of their daughter's scream. Usagi jumped in between her parents. She burrowed herself deep in the covers and made sure every part of her was covered.
Goku and Chi-Chi looked at the lump between them and laughed. Chi-Chi turned on a lamp and Goku pulled the covers off of Usagi, who was curled up beneath them. "Usagi, can we help you?"
Usagi looked up at her parents who were peering down at them. She smiled and sat up. "I'm scared."
Chi-Chi put her arms around her daughter and pulled the blankets back up to their wastes'. "It's alright. It's just lightning."
Usagi had never seen lightning before. There weren't many storms where they lived. "Can I sleep with you guys?"
Chi-Chi looked at Goku for approval. He nodded yes. "Yes, you can sleep in here with us."
The three snuggled together. Usagi remembered what she wanted to talk to them about and sat up again. "Mommy, Daddy, I was thinking, can I learn how to fight?"
(Ok, that's if for this chapter. Please tell me what you think. ^_^)