Striking the Heart

Last Moments

Goku stood…emotions running free. His face fell and his heart broke apart. Looking at the door of the room that contained his wife, his heart sank deeper and deeper into the darkness. Opening it he gulped uneasily and entered.

Closing the door behind him he looked across the room to find Chichi in a bed with a huge machine next to her, an oxygen mask over her mouth. Her fragile form turned slightly to look at him and a smile played upon her features.

"Hey honey" she barely whispered. Goku could tell by the way she was speaking, she was in pain. He approached her, suddenly afraid of her appearance. Her face was pale; her frame seemed so fragile and broken. Thousands of what looked like needles and tubes were in her arms and yet, she was smiling.

Taking a chair from the side he pulled it up next to her bed and sat on it. After a brief moment he looked up into her eyes.

Her once beautiful sparkling orbs of mystery were now dark, cold and empty. All he could see in her eyes was fear. He hadn't seen her like this before. This made him afraid.

"The doctor told me that she was a girl" Chichi struggled to say. Goku smiled faintly.

"Yeah…they took her to…intensive care" he replied quietly. She smiled weakly.

"Wow. A baby girl. Just what we wanted. I…wonder…what we should…call her" she said shaking. Goku became worried at her change in Ki. It was slowly decreasing in power.

"Hon…maybe you should…keep your strength up…maybe you should…stop talking for…a little bit" Chichi looked at him with a serious yet loving expression.

"Goku…I know what's going on…and…and I know…I haven't got long…" "But, I just want you to know some things" Goku swallowed hard. He didn't cry that often, but he was beginning to feel that crying feeling in his throat.

"Goku…I just…wanted you to know that…no matter what…I will…always love you…even if you make me mad…I will always love you. You must take…good care of Gohan and Goten…for me…especially Goten ... he won't understand…and he'll be upset…and the baby…take good care of her too" Goku's bottom lip began to quiver.

"I know you'll be okay. You always are okay…that's what makes you amazing…you can take care of yourself and everyone else…your amazing Goku…so…amazing" she winced in pain. Goku was speechless, lost for words.

"When you do…name her…name her something pretty…like an angel…something…pretty…" she trailed off. He took her hand and she squeezed it with the strength she had left.

"I need you to do one thing for me…Goku…" she whispered. "I need you to…pull that…out" she said pointing to the cable on the machine. Goku's eyes never left his wife's.

What was he going to do? He loved her, he cared for her, and she was his everything, his heart, his soul. How could he suddenly put an end to that? How could he end her life and end his heart? His eyes began to water.

"I can't" he silently said. Chichi could see the sadness and pain in his eyes.

"Goku please…"

"No, I can't do it Chi…I can't kill you…" Chichi leaned closer to him and stroked his cheek with her fingertips. Goku shivered form her touch. She was so cold.

"I'm not asking you to do it Goku…I'm telling you to…please…I need this…from you…just this…one thing…" A tear fell from his watering eye and raced down his pale cheek.

"Chi…" he whimpered.

"Its okay…its okay honey...…I'm not afraid…" Silence fell upon them. Goku took his eyes from hers and up to the machine. He saw the cable. He saw the one thing that was keeping his wife alive. He looked back down at her, his eyes begging her not to make him do this. She only nodded her head and smiled. Goku slowly and gravely reached for the cable and grasped it.

This was it. This was the moment where his world would be shattered forever. This was the moment that he would regret. No matter how much he knew she wanted this…he couldn't help but regret it. He swallowed and pulled it from the socket. He took his stare back down to her. She was smiling and it seemed the pain was deceasing.

"I love you honey…I love you…and Gohan…and Goten…and our baby…I love you…all…"

"I…love you…" he replied in a whimper.

"I know…"she finished with a sigh and closed her eyes.

"Chi…" he called. There was no answer. The monitor that watched her heart let out a long beep and when he could feel her no more…he knew it was over.

He couldn't believe it. He couldn't believe that she was dead. He looked at her form for several seconds, taking in her broken body's appearance which only tore his heart even further.

Suddenly, he let it all out. He let the tears break through and run down his face like a rally race. He let his arms scoop up her body and hold her close. His sobs racketed his tired body and he rocked back and forth, trying to comfort himself more than anything. He just sat there, crying, weeping and moaning her name. He mumbled regrets and he whined for her to come back.

But she couldn't…

Seconds turned into minutes…minutes turned into an hour…that's how long it was until Goku left the room. He didn't want to leave her side. He couldn't…he wouldn't…but he had to…

His friends still remained outside the room. They still remained faithful and very anxious. Yamcha, Krillin, Piccolo and Vegeta could feel Chichi's Ki no more…Tien also.

Goku left the room only to come face to face with two new arrivals…Gohan and Goten. Goku looked down at Goten and then at Gohan with puzzled eyes.

"He played up badly…I didn't have the heart to say no" Gohan replied silently. Gohan felt something was wrong. He could no longer feel his mother and it might have been just him, but…was their tear stains down his father's cheeks?

"Goku?" Yamcha questioned, wanting the answer they all wanted. Goku sniffed and looked down at his eight year old son.

"Daddy…is mommy sleeping now?" Goetn asked innocently yet sadly. Goku swallowed and tried his hardest to hold back the tears. He bent down to his knees and pulled Goten into a hug.

"Yes Goten…mommy's sleeping now…"