We are Very close to the end, this one and the next one will be the Final. So please enjoy it while it's still going ha-ha. Happy Reading.

Chapter 11 – I love You

Everyone waited In the main Hall, After the whole fight at the air kingdom, Chichi had lost a lot of blood and was quickly rushed back to be treated for her wounds. She was unconscious when they brought her back, Krone had been treated for his cuts and bruises and chichi was rushed straight to the medical team. Goku panicked when she lost consciousness, he was terrified she was gonna die! That couldn't happen! Not now! Not ever! He needed her! He loved her! It had been 2 days since then and the doctors had said nothing about her condition, they said it was touch and go. What did that mean!? As he was thinking, he was approached by Bulma who handed him a drink. And sat with him.

'You okay?' she asked

'2 days! Why hasn't anyone said anything! I need to see her' Goku said, Bulma had never seen him this afraid before. She had seen him angry, vengeful, sad and happy, most days that's all he was. But now she was seeing him in a different manner, he was scared. It was like he had jumped out of his own body and not returned, at least till he knew chichi was gonna be okay.

'Goku….'

'I can't do this Bulma! I can't lose her Bulma…. I can't…I just…..'

'I've never seen you like this before, she must be so important to you'

'I know I have never felt like this about anyone before, I have never known anyone like her before. I mean she's…she's…..'

'You love her' Bulma smiled softly as he sighed and nodded

'You know, ever since my grandpa died, I haven't felt like I needed anyone in my life to make me feel happy, when you came along and found me and we became friends, sure I was happy! But with Chichi its like she filled this hole that I haven't filled since he died. She's not just someone I want, she's someone I need!' Goku explained, Bulma held his hands gently and nodded

'I get it, you've always been so independent Goku, sure a little dumb most days but the more I see you be with her, its like she makes you into a whole different person, so grown up. she'd be lucky to have you'

'But Bulma, I had that chance! I could have asked her to marry me at the tournament and I forgot about her! She said so herself, I'm not bound to her, I owe her nothing! She let me go.'

'Yeah…. But do YOU want to let her go?'

'I…. I know I've not wanted to leave her since we got here'

'So much that you failed to let me know the plane was fixed' she grinned, he looked at her and gasped

'You knew!?'

'Goku I went down there myself to check up on it and the engineer told me he let you know About the plane being fixed, I went to confront you but I saw you with Chichi and you looked so happy, so I thought 'hey what's the rush?' Staying in a castle getting pampered for a few days didn't sound so bad, and I knew you were in love with her'

'Sorry Bulma'

'Its okay, knowing how you feel for her, it was worth it' she smiled as Goku looked to his friend and softly smiled. As he did, the nurses came out of the room and the Ox king turned up too.

'How is she?' He asked

'The arrows missed her missed her heart and other internal organs, she needs plenty of rest for now, so no training for a while.' She answered

'But is she, um will she be all right?' Bulma asked

'give her some time and she'll be back to her old self' The nurse said

'Well...can we see her?' The Ox King asked

'Follow me' He said as we went into the room, my heart sank at the sight. There she was so pale and asleep, she had lost some blood and she looked weak. Hopefully with enough rest she'd be okay.

'I'll give you all a moment' The Nurse said and left the room. The Ox King went to her and kneeled in front of the bed to kiss her forehead

'She's strong, she'll get through this. She's been a tough little cookie even when she was a baby, nothing could make her flinch' he chuckled

'She takes after her father I guess' Bulma smiled

'No, she's stronger. I know she's gonna be okay. We just need to give her time, I must go tell the council about her health. I'll see if I can find that nurse again, make sure she will give Chichi anything she needs when she wakes' the King stated and left the room. Goku hadn't said a word, all he did was stare at her, he wanted her to open her eyes and look at him. This waiting was torture.

'Goku….? Bulma whispered

'I can't believe I almost lost her'

'Goku you gotta tell her you love her'

'When?'

'When the time is right, for now, maybe its best to let her recover for now' Bulma said, Goku sighed and nodded. He looked at her sleeping and gently tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and softly smiled

'Get well soon Chi' he whispered and kissed her forehead. Bulma gave him a hug as they headed back to their rooms.

…..

The next Morning, Chichi stirred in her sleep and groaned, she felt pain shooting in her sides. Then she remembered what happened, the fire, Zephyr, jumping into the water and then nothing, what happened? She sat up in her bed slowly and hissed in pain from her wounds. The maids noticed her wake and rejoiced.

'Your highness! You're awake! How wonderful, I must go inform the King!' she cheered and raced out the room, chichi looked around and sighed. She hoped the mission was a success by the end, and everyone got out okay. On her bedside table, she saw an apple sitting there, she softly smiled, she guessed on who that could have been. Her bedroom door burst open and her father ran to her bedside and clasped her hands in his.

'My Chichi! You're awake! I am so happy! I was so worried about you!'

'Papa, I'm fine, but I don't understand what happened. How did I get here? I remember the tower was on fire, then I jumped off into the moat below and swam, but it got fuzzy after that' she said

'You were shot by Zephyr's guard. 2 arrows pierced through you and you passed out. If it not been for Goku we would have lost you' he answered, chichi softly gasped. Goku… saved her life? she softly smiled and felt so much appreciation and other feelings too. She would like to see him now but she guessed it wasn't the time.

'What about the people we got out! And Krone! Is he okay?' she asked as the door opened and Krone walked in walking on a cane and a couple of stiches on his face

'Your majesty, your highness' he bowed his head

'Krone, your okay!' chichi smiled

'As are you, Your highness, I wanted to come personally to say… thank you! You saved my life as well as my children's. I was so scared for them, I thought I'd never see them again, and to be reunited with my wife and baby too, all of us are together again, and I have you and Goku to thank for that' he bowed respectfully.

'I couldn't let you get hurt Krone, you may be my adviser but you are my friend also. I'm just glad you and everyone got out okay'

'Well we did, all thanks to you and your friends. And Goku was very brave to save you'

'Goku….' She smiled as The King nodded

'If it were up to me I would have Zephyr put to death here, but it isn't up to me'

'Why? What happened?' she asked

'The king put Zephyr on trial and he facing imprisonment and he's been dethroned. His younger sister will be next in line for the throne.' He explained as chichi sighed in relief

'At least that's a relief. He deserves to rot for all I care'

'I know, but despite his actions, I don't think the king and queen could put their own son to death.'

'No I guess not.' She sighed

'Now you get some rest, I'll come check on you a little later. I love you sweetheart' he smiled kissing her forehead as he and Krone left her to it. Chichi leaned back in bed and thought of Goku, when she saw him next she'd have to thank him. For now it was best to have rest.

A few days had past, And chichi was slowly recovering, she still felt sore and wasn't strong enough to move around yet but she was alive, that's that mattered to everyone right now. Today She was assisted by her maids to change into clean clothes, as her maid helped her tie her dress from the back, there was a knock on the door. Her maid went to answer it.

'Yes?' she called and was greeted by Goku

'Hi, umm…. I was just wondering, is Chichi awake, can I see her?'

'Her highness isn't expecting….'

'Its okay Cara, he can come in' Chichi called out as Cara let Goku in, she helped chichi back to the bed as she left the two fighters to it.

'Hey' she smiled softly

'Hey' he blushed, he was holding a bouquet of flowers and placed them on her bedside

'They're from Bulma and Launch, they wanted to let you know they were thinking about you' he said and sat on her bedside

'I appreciate it, Did everyone get out of the castle okay?'

'Everyone was safe, thanks to you'

'Thanks to us, I wouldn't have gotten away with that if it weren't for you and the others Goku.' She smiled 'And I also wanted to say…. Thank you, for saving my life'

'I had to. I couldn't bare the thought of you getting hurt'

'well…thanks' she smiled and noticed his look of anxiety and fear 'Hey are you okay?' she asked

'I was….. so scared Chichi, the last time I felt that scared was when I sensed Krillin in danger and he ended up dead. I thought you were gonna die'

'But I didn't, you saved me. And I'm so grateful. You're a really good friend Goku' she smiled as Goku smiled softly, but also that his heart sank, friend? Was that all they could ever be? Friends?

'I'm just glad you're okay and safe' Gou said

'Well you can't get rid of me that easily, don't worry I'll be back training before you know it' she winked as he smiled, he admired her commitment to her training, and he was excited to be training with her again, Goku leaned in to give her a tight embrace as she did the same, Goku liked how warm she felt to him, the way her skin was so soft and how her hair slid down her back, she was so beautiful to him. All these thoughts flooding his mind. Why was it so hard to just tell her?

After Goku left Chichi's room, he went back to his room and was greeted by the others.

'How was she Goku?' Bulma asked

'She's okay, in a few days she'll be up again' he answered and jumped on his bed and lay down. Yamcha and Krillen noticed his behaviour and sat next to him

'Buddy…. You okay?' Krillen asked

'I… I just….. I don't know…!'

'You thinking about Chichi?'

'Yes! Ever since I saw her again, she's been the only thing on my mind! Seriously I think she's put some kind of spell on me!'

'Oh Goku, you're just in love with her' Bulma smiled

'But I don't think she feels the same'

'Did you ask her?' Puar asked

'Well i…..i almost told her how I felt the night of the rescue, but I think she isn't interested anymore, she says she releases me from the promise I made'

'Just because she released you from a promise, it doesn't mean she doesn't feel the same way about you Goku' Launch smiled

'But how do I know if she doesn't tell me?' Goku asked frustrated

'Well maybe its difficult for her…..'

'Why?'

'Well Goku, last time she admitted her feelings, you did completely embarrass her and you forgot about her' Yamcha said as Goku frowned

'And I regret that' Goku sighed

'Then you need to tell her, don't stop until she can see it for herself, let her see how much she means to you' Bulma smiled

'You don't want to lose her Goku, and I have a feeling she doesn't want to lose you too.' Krillen said as Goku nodded. He was gonna get her to see it. But for now he wanted her well rested and healed.

….

Days had passed and Goku and Chichi were practicing their sparring together. Goku swings his leg out towards Chichi, making grunts and huff noises as he does but The recovering princess dodges each swing and strikes Goku's exposed limbs. As Goku thrusts his fist out, Chichi grabs his arm, twists it behind his back, and then kicks him across the ground, Goku huffed to himself in the process. Goku gets back up and swings towards her again but she dodges moving to the left and kicks him in the ankles making him fall down as she kicks him up and spin kicks another into his ribcage and sends him flying into a nearby boulder. Goku couldn't believe how far she had come, she was still recovering and she was still strong! Nothing could bring her down and it made him happy! Goku lit up an energy blast and launched it at her as she ducked in front it watching the blast sore across the sea, as she was distracted, Goku flew at her and put her in a full nelson as she was trapped! Chichi had to think fast, she swung her head back knocking him in the face as he fell wobbles around falls backs into Chichi, who flips him and slams him backwards into the ground, ending up on her back too. She quickly recovers, goes for the mount and starts punching him. Goku immediately tries to block her punches by putting his arms over his face and starts chuckling.

'Looks like your training has improved Chichi'

'Glad you think so but flattery won't get you anywhere' she grinned. Chichi kicks Goku forward, before grabbing his leg, pulling him back and punching him to the ground so hard that the aura around him flies off him as he bounces back towards the ground! He caught his breath and looked at her, still holding her fighting stance and was staring him down. He was so impressed with her progress.

'How bout we take a break chi, the sun is setting' he said as they looked over the hill and saw the sun going down in the distance, it was gonna be beautiful evening. Chichi looked back at him and softly smiled.

'It has been a long day, and my dad said not to push myself so much, my wounds aren't fully recovered yet.' she sighed as they walked towards her gardens as Goku followed her, neither of them talked for a few minutes, only simply admired the view of the flowers growing.

'The flowers are coming in great this season wouldn't you agree?' she asked

'Yeah. And I'm just glad you're here to enjoy them' he answered

'Oh Goku that's so sweet of you, but seriously don't worry about me, it takes more than a few arrows to bring me down'

'That's not the point Chichi, you have no idea what that did to me, to see you trapped in those flames, fall off that tower and get hurt. Please! Don't ever scare me like the again'

'Scare you? I was…'

'Yes! You scared me! No! you terrified me! Because I couldn't bare the thought of you not being here Chichi! I need you here! With me!'

'But I'm right here!'

'Not like that! Me at your side! Always! Because I can't stand not being near you ever again!'

'Goku I don't understand…'

'What's not to understand? Chichi I have been lying about the plane being fixed so I can be here with you, I thought I would make a new friend but I found something more! I found someone who makes me feel things I didn't even know I could feel. And all I had to do was look at you and get to know you, To know I adore everything about you, I like how you protect your people from jerks like Zephyr, I like how when you fight, you've got this look of passion and ruthlessness, I like how when you laugh you do this little snort at the end of each laugh' he laughed as she did at that last comment 'I like how you are one of the strongest, bravest, kindest and most incredible people I have ever met. And I have met some very interesting people on my journeys, but looking back at it all, none of them compare to you, the cute little girl wearing a pink helmet with an axe that made me feel things I never thought possible. Chichi I stayed because I wanted to know you, but I got more from that, I felt drawn to you, and the more I knew you the more I liked and well now its not even like…..Its More…!' his declaration made Chichi's heart race at what felt like a 100 miles an hour. But she sighed and frowned a little

'You don't know what you're saying...'

'What are you talking about?'

'I know you feel guilty about the whole thing at the tournament but I told you I'm over it! You owe me nothing'

'I know but now I want to be with you, can you honestly say you don't feel the same way?' he asked as she looked at him, she stammered and was lost for words.

'M…Maybe….. Maybe I do, but….'

'But what?'

'You hurt me that day. I know It wasn't intentional but you did. I know I looked angry, I was angry. But I was hurt more. I let some stupid kid's promise affect me so badly that I blindly fell in love with you, you're a good man and you didn't understand what you were doing as a kid. And I accepted that.'

'I know, but you said you wanted love in your life, that the only reason you would want anyone is if you loved them. Well I'm telling you! And…. I think I've felt it for a very long time'

'You forgot me remember?'

'And I will always regret that but let me make it up to you'

'How? By trying to hold onto a promise that I released you from?'

'I don't want releasing from you, I know what I want and I promise that you are there at every future decision I make.'

'You can't promise that. Something will come along and you'll want to go off and do what you do best. I understand that you may have feelings…..'

'They're not just feelings chi, I know how I feel and what I want.'

'How can you? You didn't even understand what any of it meant when I told you'

'But you've done more than just say what it meant, you showed me what it meant, what it feels and now I know' Goku said as chichi softly started crying

'Goku, just go back to your life of adventure, you can accomplish so much without me in your way, I know you can do incredible things, you don't need me there to tell you how to live your life, you can do what you want'

'But…..'

'Whatever I thought about us, it was just a dream, a beautiful dream but nonetheless a dream' she cried as he softly frowned

'No…' he whispered as she couldn't' bare to look at him, it hurt to much, she was scared of being hurt again, but he couldn't blame her, he just needed her to let him show her how much she meant to him, he knelt in front of her as she kept her eyes to the floor.

Goku: I have dreamed that your arms are lovely

I have dreamed what a joy, you'll be

I have dreamed every word, you whisper

Goku hugged Chichi, telling her that she is close to him even when they could be a thousand miles apart, he got her to her feet and swayed her a little.

Goku: When you're close, close to me

Chichi gently moved out of his grasp and turned her back to him, feeling fear and anxiety of the matter, did he really know what he was saying or was this just to make her feel better?

Goku: How you look in the glow of evening

I have dreamed and enjoyed the view

In these dreams, I've loved you so

That by now I think, I know

What it's like to be loved by you

Chichi looked up from her hands and listened to his words, did he really say…..love? is that what he said, the way he expressed it, it wasn't fake, it was real. She slowly began to smile and turned to look at him, she could see in his eyes, the way he was looking at her, he couldn't hide it, he was in love with her, she could see! He knew what he felt!

Goku: I will love being loved by you

Goku went to reach her face as Chichi ran up the little garden moon bridge and looked down at the glistening river, shining thanks to the beautiful night sky, she looked down at Goku and he could see in her eyes, she was in love with him.

Chichi: Alone and awake, I've looked at the stars

The same that smile on you

And time and again, I've thought all the things

That you were thinking too

Goku followed her up onto the bridge as he held her close in his embrace, feeling all the emotions hit at once as did she. They could see in each other the life they wanted and can have, and it brought more joy to both of them.

Chichi: I have dreamed that your arms are lovely

I have dreamed what a joy, you'll be

In the dream sequence, Goku and Chichi thought about the wedding where they could get married in a holy matrimony. Chichi walking down the aisle with Bulma and Launch there holding her train as the orphan children threw flowers over the aisle as Goku stood there with Krillen, Yamcha, Tien and Chioutzu at his side. Goku running to her as they said their vows. In the crowd, The ox king and master Roshi were watching the wedding alongside Krone and his family, everyone gathered to celebrate this day. Finally, happily married and flying off into the night Sky on Goku's Nimbus cloud, Sharing their kisses as husband and wife.

Chichi: I have dreamed every word, you whisper

When you're close, close to me

After the wedding, Goku and chichi pictured their new home, rebuilding a perfect house for them, somewhere peaceful and out of the city, where there was plenty of space to train and spar and raise a family.

Chichi: How you looked in the glow of evening

I have dreamed and enjoyed the view

In the hospital, Chichi gave birth to a baby boy. Goku was so happy that the new baby had the face mixed between himself and his mother, and his tail! It was a shock But they loved him nonetheless. Goku and Chichi thought long and hard and decided to name him Gohan and the married couple was overjoyed.

Goku & Chichi: In these dreams, I loved you so

That by now I think, I know

What it's like to be loved by you

Goku and Chichi pictured all of it, but the one image that stayed in their minds was the two of them, sitting on the nimbus cloud, soaring off into the sky, flying over the ocean and in the distance the sun setting. Goku could picture the way he looked a her, with joy and contempt and Love, Love more than anything, Chichi there in his arms never wanting to leave. Goku leans in and kisses her passionately, finding his true soulmate. It was a beautiful dream, a dream they wished to make come true.

When the dream sequence ended, Goku had twirled chichi around in his arms as they leaned into the other's arms, feeling their love grow the more and more they expressed how they felt, Finally!

Goku & Chichi: I will love being loved by you

Goku smiled at his new love and leaned in to kiss her passionately as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders, his arms around her waist, never wanting to let go. Goku felt all his fears and worries wash away when she was there in his arms, he knew where his home was now. It was wherever she was. And he never wanted to let go. Chichi had been wishing for this moment when she was a small child, but any thought she had back then didn't compare to what she thought now! This moment was perfect, and she knew all she wanted in life was a lifetime with him! This kiss was amazing, a kiss that made them see what they felt for one another, and it was beautiful! She pulled away gently and smiled at him he did, his hand stroking her soft cheek.

'I love You Chichi' He whispered, Words she had dreamed of hearing!

'I love you Too Goku' she replied as Goku pulled her into another passionate kiss.

….

Meanwhile, Bulma, Yamcha and the others gathered in the plane as Roshi said his goodbyes to the ox king.

'Be sure to let me know of the date' The turtle hermit winked

'Of course master'

'You guys ready to go?' Bulma asked

'Aren't we waiting for Goku?' Krillen asked as Bulma softly smiled

'Krillen, I think Goku is gonna stay'

'But…'

'Buddy, he's got someone he can build a life with now. I think it's time we let him make those decisions for himself.' Yamcha smiled as Krillen nodded. They both understood that Goku wasn't gonna be without Chichi now, she meant too much to him. Everyone gathered in the Plane and took off home, leaving Goku behind to begin the rest of his life with the woman he had fallen in love with.

Ahhhh we are close now. The next chapter will be the last, hope you guys enjoyed this story. I'll be back soon. Thanks for all the Support! Xx

Penelope out ;)