Just One Week
IV.
I was surprised, to say the least. But then again…who wouldn't be? I mean, it's not everyday your best friend comes back from the dead after four years, now is it?! At first, I don't even think I believed it was him. My mind quickly averted to the fact that Goten got a hold of one of my inventions and made himself older…though I don't remember making an invention like that, but who knows. I've made so many, it isn't hard to lose track of them.
But back on the subject at hand…it was actually Goku! Let me emphasize that…GOKU! I could not believe it! I think thirty years from now I'll still have a hard time believing it. Then again, who's to say that that's the weirdest thing that's ever happened to me? When talking about my life, that would be a hard call.
If Goku wasn't so energetic all the time…I'm sure we would have just stood there and stared at each other for a couple of hours…not knowing what to do except say "hi" continuously.
That wouldn't be so bad though…we would just be making up for the lost time we didn't get to say hello to each other, right? Right.
Before Bulma could get another thought out, she was being wrapped up in strong, muscular arms. She blinked a couple of times before she realized Goku was hugging her, still laughing joyously in her ear. She made no attempt to hug him back, though she didn't have a choice one way or the other, since Goku had her arms trapped to her sides.
"Goku?" she couldn't help but ask again.
Of course it's Goku, you dimwit! She scolded herself. You're only wrapped up in his arms here!
Goku pulled back, but still held onto her shoulders to look at her, that innocent smile never failing his face. She watched as his smile turned into a mischievous grin that had her heart pound faster and felt his hands squeeze her shoulders lightly that made her stomach do a happy flip.
Oh yeah, it's him all right!
A smile finally came over her features, making her give an overwhelming squeal. She stepped closer, this time enforcing the hug upon him.
"Goku, is it really you?" She asked, but only gave him a chance to chuckle before she went on, "Aren't you supposed to be dead?" she let go of him slightly, looking up to see a halo over his head, "Well, I see you still are, but what are you doing here? I mean, is it possible?"
Shaking her head stupidly, she stepped away from him to give him his space and hit her palm against her forehead, "Okay, that was a stupid question. If it wasn't possible, you wouldn't be here, right? So…" the smile came back to her face, "How have you been?"
He blinked at her a couple of times before putting his hand behind his head and giving a sheepish look, "Umm, what was that first question again?"
Bulma, in turn, blinked at him. What was the first question? Er—…
"How about you just come in and we can talk?" She said, stepping to the side to open the door more and let him enter.
His grin returned and he nodded as he stepped inside, "Got any food?"
She sighed and rolled her eyes, but couldn't help but smile at the same time. Same old Goku… Closing the door, she followed him into the kitchen, which was the room he seemed to remember, and went to the counter where she last talked to Gohan, "I just made the boys sandwiches, do you want some, too?"
"Yeah, sounds good." He answered, sitting down at the table and looking around to see the changes she did in the last four years.
Bulma nodded and repeated the routine she did just earlier that day. Once again, she got done making thirty-one sandwiches in record time, setting them on the table in front of Goku before she knew it…also taking one for herself, of course. She sat down across from him, watching as he inhaled his food.
"So tell me…" Bulma began, deciding to make conversation, "What are you doing here?"
Goku ate a couple more sandwiches before taking a breather and averted his attention to her, "Well, I was just training when Baba came up to me and asked me if I wanted to go back to Earth for a week to see all my friends again." He ate two more sandwiches.
"Ohhh…" Bulma nodded slowly, taking it all in, "You can only stay for a week?"
"Yeah," Goku shrugged, finishing off his food, "But it's better than nothing, right? So anyway, I agreed immediately, totally psyche-ed about the whole thing. I kept thinking about who I was gonna visit first, what they would think, and what I would do with this week. I'm gonna make it as worth while as I possibly can!"
Bulma gave a skeptical look, "And…who did you visit first?"
"You, of course." Goku answered, leaning back on the chair, "I'll have time to see everyone else later, and I want to save Chi and Gohan for last. They'll probably want me around them most of the time anyway."
At that moment, she felt a million sweat drops invade her body.
You mean he doesn't know!? Oh man, this can't be good…
She bit her bottom lip, "Goku…?"
"Huh?" he asked, sitting upright in his chair again, hearing the sudden nervousness in her voice.
Looking down at her sandwich, she dropped it to the table, completely loosing her appetite. Tons of thoughts whirled through her head. Should she tell him straight out? Or go around it…tell him how it happened, why it happened, and when it happened? Or could she just let him find out for himself? No, she wouldn't…she couldn't…do that to him.
Her eyes shot back up to him, ignoring his confused look.
"We need to talk."
"About?" Goku asked, leaning forward, anxious for her to go on.
Bulma shook her head and nodded her head towards the living room before standing up and walking out of the kitchen, "In here."
He quickly got up and followed her, question marks popping up over his head (not literally). Once he saw that she sat down on one end of the couch, he sat down in the middle, turning to face her and giving her his full attention.
"Now what's with the serious look, Bulma? It can't be that bad, can it?"
Bulma sucked in a deep breath, letting it out slowly, "Yes…yes it can be." She stated plainly, hating what she was about to say.
You have to do this…its better he finds out from you than anyone else…
"Goku, after you died, things went way out of whack. Things weren't going the way they were supposed to and nothing was going back to normal." Bulma figured that was the best way to start it. She didn't know why, she just felt she had to lead up to the "situation", instead of just blurting it out and leaving him clue less on all the rest. Seeing that he was giving her a look that obviously said "go on", she decided to continue.
"Well, let me begin on the day you did die. I was waiting around for someone to come in here and tell me what happened, when finally Vegeta did. Now that I think about it…" she looked down at her hands that were in her lap, "I wish he hadn't." Sucking in a breath, she looked back up at him, determined not to cry, "Four years ago, Vegeta left me."
Goku's eyes got wide as he stared at her in shock, "What? But…what about Trunks?"
Bulma shrugged and tried to smile, "I asked the same thing, but…" she shook her head, "He wouldn't listen to me. He did inform me that you died though and after he left, I called your house to see how Chi-Chi and Gohan were doing, but there wasn't an answer…"
She clenched her fists tightly. She thought she would never have to remember these events long enough to have to tell them in a story. It was such a bad time…
"I'm sorry, Goku, I'm gonna have to put this simply. I went to your home and I saw that…Chi-Chi was going crazy. I tried to settle her down, but it was like her mind was somewhere else. She told me something important…she was…pregnant."
Bulma bit her lip again, taking a pause in her speech to let Goku sink all this information in.
He only blinked, "…pregnant?"
She nodded, "Yeah, I guess she never got the chance to tell you. But she shouldn't have done what she did."
This is it, Bulma…tell him before you lose your nerve…
"She didn't take care of herself. She stopped eating and socializing. She began to isolate herself and hurt her body…along with Gohan and the baby she was pregnant with. Eventually, when it came time to have her baby, the pressure was too much and she…"
Goku finally got the point she was about to make and it was such a shock, it even made him gasp. She watched as his face distorted through all types of emotions: confused, angry, disgusted, depressed…it was endless.
"Goku…" she moved herself closer to him and grabbed his hands into hers, giving them a slight squeeze in order to comfort him, though she knew there wasn't much she could do.
"Chi-Chi…is…" was all he got out before his eyes looked right into hers and she suddenly saw all the sadness in them.
Oh great, look what you've gone and done. He comes back from the dead for a week to enjoy himself and the first thing you have to do is tell him his wife killed herself. Real smart move…
"Goku, I'm so sorry. I tried to do something but…" she began before she was cut off.
He shook his head, "Don't be sorry, Bulma…there was nothing you could've done. Chi-Chi is one of the most stubborn people I know and…if she didn't want someone to get through to her, she made sure they didn't."
Bulma only nodded, "But…why wouldn't you have already known that she was gone? Wouldn't you have seen her in the afterlife or something?"
Goku tried to give a good smirk, "No, don't you remember? She wasn't a fighter, so she wasn't able to keep her body. She went somewhere completely different from where I was."
"Oh, yeah," she blushed, embarrassed that he remembered something that important and she didn't.
"But…" Goku went on, all his questions not answered, "What happened to Gohan? And the baby Chi was pregnant with?"
Bulma smiled a bit, happy they were on a different, more happy, subject, "Oh, they're fine. Right before Chi-Chi passed away, she asked me to take care of them, so I brought them in as my own. They're really sweet, they help around a lot…they remind me of you everyday." Bulma said this, rubbing her thumb across the top of his hand, yet not noticing she was still even holding his hands.
A big smile also came to his face as he laughed happily, "That's great! Gohan should be…what, sixteen now?"
She nodded, "Yep, and your other son, Goten, is four, of course."
"Another son, huh?" he grinned, "What's he look like?"
"You." She said simply, "In and out, he's everything like you, Goku."
He opened his mouth to say something more, but before he could get anything out, they both heard the door open and the laughing of three boys.
"We're home!" Gohan called, stepping in behind the two younger boys, but stopped when he noticed that they were both just standing in the doorway, looking confused. He gave a dumbfounded look before raising his eyes to meet with what Goten and Trunks already spotted.
"Whoa!" was the first thing he got out as he dropped the picnic basket to the floor, his eyes going wide, "Dad?"
Goku's grin returned as he slipped his hands out of Bulma's and stood up. He put his hands on his hips after giving a short wave, "Hey Gohan, how've you been?"
"I…I…" Gohan kept stuttering before finally giving a smile that matched that of his fathers and ran around the kids, getting to him and stopping right in front of him. Because of the years, Gohan was now as tall as Goku, so they could meet eye to eye, "Dad, is it really you? What are you doing here?!"
Bulma laughed and stood up also, "Those are the popular questions for you, Goku, get used to them."
Goku smiled back at her before turning his attention back to Gohan, "Baba offered me a free week back on Earth. So you're stuck with me for a whole week!"
"That's great, Dad, I—," he stopped when he heard a whispered "Mommy?". He looked over to Bulma and saw that Goten and Trunks were right beside her, but looking up at Goku.
"Mommy, who is that?" Goten asked, tugging lightly on her shirt.
She smiled down at him, running her fingers through his messy hair, "That's your Daddy. Do you want to say hello?"
He only shrugged, his big eyes never leaving his dad. Goku's smile grew wider when he saw him.
He really does look like me…
Goku kneeled down in front of Goten, happy that the boy didn't back away from him.
"Hi, I'm Goku. You're Goten?" he asked, noticing that it was like looking into a mirror. Except this mirror would just make the object younger.
Goten nodded, letting go of Bulma's shirt and putting his hands behind his back, a slight blush coming over his face as he got into one of his "shy moments".
"Hey, Mom," Trunks then asked, crossing his arms across his chest, "Is this my dad, too?"
Bulma blinked down at him before looking back at Goku, then back down at Trunks, "Well…he…we…it's like—."
"Hi, Trunks," Goku cut in, walking over to Trunks and put his hand on top of his head, "It's been awhile. I haven't seen you since you were one."
Trunks raised an eyebrow in interest, "You knew me when I was one?"
"Uh-huh! And you sure have grown up," Goku commented, standing straight up again.
"It sure is gonna be great having you around again, Dad," Gohan said, stepping forward.
All eyes turned towards Gohan. Bulma and Goku both knew that Goku coming back would affect him the most, since he's the one that had to watch him die, along with his mother, and live with those memories. Having his dad back, even if just for one week, was a prize all in its own.
Goku smiled again and put a hand on his eldest son's shoulder, "And it's great being back."
Bulma smiled at the scene, also watching as Goten stepped forward and wrapped his small hand into Goku's free hand, smiling that ridiculous smile. Trunks even stood in front of him, looking up at him and smirking.
"We're gonna have a lot of fun, Daddy," Goten said, chuckling a little.
Daddy…already calling him Daddy and they just met. Bulma smirked unconsciously. And they call me Mommy…
Yes…this shall prove to be quite an interesting week…
YAY! Done with this chapter! Sorry it's so much shorter than the others, this is mostly just meant to be a reunion one, sorta like. I hope you liked it anyway…I WAS SO VERY, VERY, VERY HAPPY THAT MY REVIEWS WENT UP!!!! Lol! If you look, I actually posted this story back in August, but didn't feel like updating 'cause I only got 8 reviews on chapter one. I know, I know, I shouldn't complain about that, but…I dunno, guess I was just hoping better for this story, know what I mean? But now!! Now I have four chapters and almost 40 reviews! You have no clue how happy you have made me. ^^ Thank you all so much!