A/N: Thanks again for the reviews… After this chapter there's only one more to go and then the epilogue… Sorry that it took a bit longer, but I've moved into my very first own apartment during the last few days and just didn't have so much time to write… However, the apartment is great and I somehow can't wait for the term at university to start next week, even though I'm a bit scared of it at the same time…
Well, seeing as you don't seem to have any questions, I believe we can jump directly to the chapter! Have fun!
Chapter 45: A warm Welcome
A young soldier of the royal navy was running through the long hallways of the general's mansion after his superior had sent him there with the parting words to hurry. He cursed the gods for having to do this, as sweat was running down his face and back, drenching the blue uniform he was forced to wear during his duty. Why did this have to happen during his shift? Why couldn't it have happened two hours earlier, when he had still been at home with no worry in the world?
Life wasn't fair, the soldier decided, as he skidded around another corner and saw the door to the general's office at the other end of the corridor. At least, as soon as he had delivered the message from his superior, he would be out of here. A frown appeared on his face. At least he hoped so.
Finally, he had arrived at the end of the corridor and threw the door open, disregarding any tact he had been taught when confronting men of the general's station. "General Kaiou!" he panted, coming to a halt in front of his desk. "There's… there's…."
General Kaiou looked up startled from the paperwork on his desk and stared at the disheveled young man in front of him. Something serious must have happened. "Calm down, soldier," he said, as he got up from his chair. "What's going on?"
The young soldier tried to calm his rapidly beating heart, wiping the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand. First after he had taken several deep breathes, he managed to blurt out, "P-Pirates!"
The carriage was ready and at the fort in record time. General Kaiou couldn't believe this. Pirates! The last open attack had been so many years ago, because of their incredible defenses at the fort. Ever since they had sunk the last pirate ship directly in the harbor, before it had even had time to attack them, no other had dared to attack them head-on like this.
Kaiou was completely out of breath, when he arrived on the outer wall of the fort, followed by the young man, who had given him this message. Taking some seconds to catch his breath, he walked up to the lieutenant on duty and stopped next to him. "Where is it?"
"Over there," the man informed him and handed him a spyglass. "It's getting closer with each passing minute and my guess is that it will reach the harbor within the next thirty minutes."
Kaiou frowned thoughtfully, as he watched the dark ship sailing towards them through the spyglass. There was no doubt about the fact that this ship was captained by pirates, but not just by any pirates. The name of the ship said it all – Ouji. The feared pirate Vegeta was back.
This must mean that Goku's mission had failed, the general realized distraught. There was no other ship to be seen at the horizon, no Kintoun following this ship. There was simply no sign of his best sailor and Kaiou was sure that Goku would do everything in his power to keep Vegeta from reaching the Western Capitol. All of this only led to one conclusion – something must have happened to Son Goku and his crew, meaning they were either dead or imprisoned, though Kaiou doubted that either Vegeta or Frieza would let them live.
This was terrible.
"Sir?" the young lieutenant asked. "What should we do now?"
The frown on his face was replaced by a deep scowl, as he contemplated what to do next. He would never get answers about what had happened, if they just sank this ship. And answers were something he desperately needed. If there was any chance that Son Goku was still alive, he needed to take it. Moreover he needed to find out if Frieza or Vegeta had really succeeded in getting all seven spheres, because then he needed to prepare for the worst.
If one of them got the Treasure of Power, there was no other way but to wage war against them, hopefully with as many allies as he could get. Emissaries would be needed to be sent out to the surrounding islands and countries. Maybe, just maybe, if they all worked together, they might be able to put an end to the reign of terror that would await them.
"Prepare to attack," Kaiou said at length, lowering the spyglass for a short moment. "Gather your men and get the cannons and other weapons ready, but wait until they attack first. I want prisoners and no dead. If sinking the ship can be avoided, try to avoid it by all means. Send also some of your men to the docks to welcome the pirates. Oh, and Lord Briefs should be informed of this immediately."
"Aye sir," the lieutenant saluted and immediately started to shout out orders at his men. The young soldier, who had already been the messenger to go to the general, had been chosen to give the message of the threat to Lord Briefs.
Everyone on the fort hurried over the walls and got into position, waiting for the Ouji to come nearer. Kaiou hadn't moved from his spot, watching the ship coming nearer with growing apprehension. Something was wrong. There was not a soul to be seen on deck and he couldn't see the helmsman because of the large sails. No bloodthirsty pirates on deck, waiting eagerly to go on land and do what they do best – pillage and plunder. There were no cannons visible at the sides of the ship to attack them.
"What the hell are those pirates planning?" Kaiou asked himself, as he moved slightly to follow the course of the ship. They had almost reached the bay and in another twenty minutes they would be directly in the harbor.
If they were truly planning to attack the town, they would have to start preparing now. The cannons had to be brought in position and at least some members of the crew had to be on deck. Kaiou felt a lump in his throat. He couldn't understand what was happening. Why weren't those pirates doing anything?
The tension at the fort was almost unbearable. The soldiers around him, both young and old, were clearly getting a bit scared. They all had heard rumors of Vegeta and his crew and none of those rumors were at the least a bit comforting. However, as the older soldiers were waiting patiently for something to happen, Kaiou noticed that the young ones around him were slowly getting fidgety. This was quite understandable, as this was the first real threat that they had to face.
Suddenly an ear-deafening Boom! was to be heard all over the fort. Kaiou's head whirled around startled, as a cannonball shot from the fort and crashed into the water, about twenty yards in front of the Ouji. The young soldier responsible for this was as white as chalk in the face, still holding the smoldering torch in his hand, with which he had accidentally lit the fuse of the cannon, when his fear had gotten the upper hand.
"You!" Kaiou roared at him. "Get away from the cannon and get inside! Someone else take his place!"
The young soldier only nodded and Kaiou could see that he was at least a bit happy to get away from the looming danger, even though he would be punished severely for his actions later. With a heavy sigh, Kaiou turned his attention back to the Ouji.
However, when he now looked through the spyglass, he could see some movement on deck of the ship. A young man with shoulder length blond hair was walking to the bow and looking at the town. He wasn't tall, as far as Kaiou could tell, and appeared to be rather weak. But looks could deceive. It would never do any good to underestimate your opponent, especially not in a situation like this.
The general waited for incredibly long two minutes for something to happen, but the blond pirate only exchanged some words with someone standing in the door, to which the view was blocked. "They won't attack us here," he mumbled eventually. Lowering the spyglass, even though he was now risking to miss something that was happening on the ship, he yelled, "More men to the docks!" The lieutenant repeated his words and ordered some of the men to stay at the fort, while the rest of them hurried down the stone stairs and mounted their horses to head to the docks.
Kaiou himself was on his way down to his coach. He wanted to be present, when the pirates arrived.
The wait was agonizing long, even though it was just a few minutes, until the ship came in range to the rifles of the soldiers. The soldiers were standing or kneeing at the docks, with General Kaiou and the lieutenant standing between them, ready to strike. The Ouji was sailing directly up to them, slower now that it was in the harbor, but still as determined as before.
However, there were still no cannons to be seen, even though there were now some more people on deck, but since he had left the spyglass at the fort, Kaiou couldn't recognize any of them. Still, the absence of weapons stroke him as odd.
The Ouji drew closer and closer, but as soon as it was close enough to be able to recognize anyone on deck, there was again no one to be seen. Kaiou slowly raised his hand, the signal for the soldiers to get prepared to attack, as the towering ship came to a stop directly in front of them. The general tried to swallow the lump in his throat and just wanted to tell some of the soldiers to board the ship, as something truly unexpected happened.
General Kaiou couldn't believe his eyes, as a small man jumped over the rail at the bow and caught a hawser that was thrown to him to tie it around the bollard. "K-Krillin?" he spluttered surprised. The small sailor and best friend of Goku was the last person he had expected to see, especially on the Ouji.
"General," the sailor quickly acknowledged him with a grin, as he walked past the bewildered soldiers to the other end of the ship. "Hey, Yamcha! Toss me the other one!" Surely enough, the other well-known sailor of Son Goku's crew appeared at the stern of the ship and let another thick rope fall into Krillin's hands. "Thanks!"
This had to be a dream, Kaiou decided quickly, gently lowering his hands and rubbing his eyes. "General?" the young lieutenant asked to get his attention. "What are your orders?"
Once again opening his eyes, he saw that the two men were so there, so clearing his throat, the general replied, "Lower your weapons. Those men are no pirates." A small grin tugged as his lips. No, those men were no pirates. His eyes wandered to the rail in the middle of the ship, where Yamcha was now lowering a plank to the docks. It only took mere seconds, until he saw Tenshinhan and Chao-Zu, but Goku was still nowhere to be seen. His heart dropped a bit, already fearing the worst, but the crew was in such a good mood. If Son Goku were truly dead, they wouldn't act like this.
Suddenly he caught the sight of some wildly sticking up black hair, but again, it wasn't Goku, though this man bore a remarkable resemblance to the young sailor, even though he appeared to be older than Goku.
Damn it! Where was he?
However, no matter how much he was looking forward to seeing Son Goku again, he also feared their encounter, only remembering too well his harsh words from a few months ago, when they had last talked to each other. They hadn't exactly parted on best terms. He wondered, if the sailor, his best man, still wanted to quit or if he had changed his decision. Or more importantly, if there was a way to save their friendship.
"General Kaiou," he heard a voice behind him that pulled him out of his thoughts. He turned around and saw Lord Briefs now standing in front of him with more soldiers. "What is the meaning of this? One of your men informed me of a pirate attack. But I—"
"Daddy?"
Both men looked up to the ship and both of them couldn't believe their eyes. There on deck, with her hands gripping the rail, Bulma was standing with a huge smile on her face. "Bulma?" Lord Briefs asked, not really trusting his eyes and ears.
"Daddy!" Bulma ran over the plank on land and, ignoring all etiquette she had ever learned, threw her arms around her father, burying her face in his expensive shirt. She felt tears streaming down her face, but she didn't care. She was back. She was finally home.
Kaiou watched the reunion fondly. He was happy that Lady Bulma was back and obviously unharmed. His gaze wandered back to the ship and his eyes widened, when he saw the young boy, who walked down the plank next, followed by his mother. Was this really Gohan? The last time he had seen him had been, when the Kintoun had departed from this harbor to follow the Saiyajins. He had changed a lot since then. First of all, he had grown over the last few months and then something in his demeanor had changed. But he couldn't tell what.
"General," Lady ChiChi said smiling and curtsied in front of him. "It's good to see you again."
"It's a pleasure to see you again," Kaiou replied with a smile. "You, too, young Gohan. I'm glad that you both are alright. But may I ask, where is Son Goku?"
"I'm here." Kaiou looked up and saw Son Goku descending the plank, followed by the older man who looked so much like him. The young sailor wasn't smiling, as he looked at him. Apparently Goku's anger at him hadn't diminished over the course of the last months. "General, may I introduce you to my father, Bardock?"
"Y-your f-father?" the general stuttered, taken completely by surprise by this revelation. But now that he knew it, the resemblance was truly uncanny and he had been a fool to not having seen it at once. If this man had been younger, he and Goku could have been mistaken for twins. The man's face was slightly haggard, but it was lit up by a kind smile. "I'm sorry, I forgot my manners. It's a pleasure to meet you."
"The pleasure is mine," Bardock replied and held out his hand. Finally the Saiyajin was meeting the man who had had such great influence on his son, but who had at the same time hurt him by keeping his heritage from him. Bardock didn't know, if he should share his son's anger at this man, after all, Goku was the man that he was now partly because of the General. He would need to get to know him a bit better, to make his own judgment. "I've heard so much of you and I wanted to thank you for helping to raise my son. He has become a great man under your tutelage."
Kaiou was slightly flustered, as he shook the other man's hand, but Goku quickly interrupted them. "I don't believe that this is the right time for this. Piccolo, Tenshinhan, bring him down!"
Not for the first time that day General Kaiou was taken completely and utterly by surprise. His eyes widened comically, as he watched how the Namek and the young man led none other than the feared pirate Vegeta down the plank. The pirate's hands were bound in front of him, but otherwise he was walking with them without putting up a struggle. The Saiyajin's face was schooled into a mask of indifference, as his eyes wandered over the assembled soldiers and in the end rested on him. Kaiou noticed that Lady Bulma had left her father's embrace and now looked at the Saiyajin with worry in her eyes.
The General shook his head ever so lightly. It seemed as if Son Goku owed him a long explanation.
"General, I herewith leave the pirate Vegeta to your custody and ask that he will be put on trial for his crimes," Goku said calmly, as his friends stopped next to him with their prisoner. Somehow, even after having accepted what he was, he still couldn't find it in him to forgive General Kaiou for having kept his true heritage from him. "However, there are still some things I have to talk to you and Lord Briefs about, regarding both my mission and Vegeta."
"Very well! Soldiers, take this men into custody and bring him to the fort! I will announce a date for the trial tomorrow morning."
"Excuse me, General", the young lieutenant suddenly spoke up, his voice sounding spiteful. "Why don't we just hang him without a trial? We all know what terrible things this pirate has done. I honestly don't believe that a trial is necessary."
Kaiou appeared to be thoughtful for a moment, obviously contemplating the words of the lieutenant, until he turned questioningly to his best man. He was sure that Goku wouldn't ask something like this of him, if he didn't have his reasons. "Son Goku?"
"The trial will be necessary," the sailor simply stated, giving both the lieutenant and General Kaiou a hard look.
Nodding, Kaiou said, "Alright. There will be a trial. Soldiers, haul him off to the fort! But," he continued, now turning his full attention to Goku, while some soldiers were walking up to Tenshinhan and Piccolo to relieve them of their burden and lead the pirate away. Out of the corners of his eyes, he again noticed in alarm and confusion, how Lady Bulma was following the pirate's each and every move with obvious worry in her eyes. "You and I, Goku, we need to talk."
"Alright," Goku agreed. "But first may I ask you to organize an escort for ChiChi and Gohan to her father's house? I'm sure he will be happy to see them again. Also a messenger needs to be sent to Muten Roshi. Krillin will bring a guest, when he returns."
Kaiou followed Goku's eyes and finally saw that another person was now walking down the plank – it was the same blond man he had seen earlier through the spyglass, only that it wasn't a man, as he had previously thought, but a woman in men's clothes.
"Her name is Juuhachigou and she helped us fight against Frieza's soldiers. I invited her to live at the turtle hermit's house until she is ready to settle down in the Western Capitol. I'm sure Muten Roshi won't mind."
The General, following Goku's trail of thoughts, allowed a sly grin to appear on his face, as he looked again at the young woman. "You're right. He certainly won't mind." Goku was about to return the grin, but turned it quickly to a frown. Noticing this, Kaiou now cleared his throat and said, "Well then, let's return to my mansion. There we can talk about what has happened. I trust your crew will be able to finish this without you?"
"I'm sure they'll manage," Goku answered simply. "Krillin! You're in charge!"
"Aye, Capt'n!" Krillin yelled grinning with a mock salute.
Quickly an escort for ChiChi was organized and the same young soldier, who had been the messenger all day long, was sent off to Muten Roshi's to inform him of the return of Goku and his crew and of his guest.
When General Kaiou walked off to his carriage, Goku quickly said goodbye to ChiChi and Gohan, promising to come by this night and then motioned for his father to follow him. At the general's questioning look, Goku only said, "There will be things that he can explain better than I. Either he comes with us or I'm going to stay here." Pushing down the anger caused by his best man's ultimatum, Kaiou eventually gave in and allowed Bardock to come as well.
"Goku!" Bulma suddenly called after him and ran up to the carriage, just as he wanted to get in. She threw a concerned look over her shoulder, to where the soldiers had disappeared with Vegeta, nervously wringing with her hands.
The sailor understood her before she even spoke and gave her a comforting smile, as he said, "Don't worry, Bulma. I'm going to do everything that I can. I promise. Just go home now and spend some time with your parents. I'll see you later, alright?" Nodding, Bulma stepped back and allowed Goku to climb into the carriage, where he sat down next to his father. After having offered him a small wave with her hand, she retreated to where her father was standing and waiting for her to return home with him.
The General heaved a heavy sigh, as the carriage took off towards his mansion. This day surely promised to become interesting.
And interesting it certainly was, Kaiou thought when Goku was finished with his story several hours later. He slumped back in his chair, needing some quiet moments to absorb everything he had just heard. No, he quickly decided. Interesting wasn't a strong enough word to describe the happenings of the past few months.
Incredible was more like it.
Legends proved to be true. Invincible enemies proved to be vulnerable. Little boys became warriors. Presumed dead men were alive. Dead people were brought back to life by magic. Saiyajins haven't always been evil. Pirates became allies. And noble ladies fell in love with pirates.
Somehow, this was wrong. But, according to Goku and Bardock, all of this was true. And it was giving him a headache.
"Is this the reason, why you're insisting on a trial?" Kaiou finally asked. "Because you believe that Vegeta can be a good man?"
"Because I know that he can be a good man," Goku simply contradicted. "Bulma knows it and I trust her judgment. General, you haven't been there, you haven't seen what I have seen. Please, allow me to speak on his behalf at the trial."
General Kaiou regarded the sailor thoughtfully. He once used to trust Goku's instincts, but this, this was precarious. No matter what he said, Vegeta was still a pirate and an extremely dangerous one at that. Everybody feared him. Even Goku himself had wanted to kill him only a few months ago. Still, although Goku just told him about his mission, with Bardock's help to explain some more about the Saiyajins and Frieza's terrible influence on them, he couldn't understand his reasons.
But maybe Goku was just right – he had to have been there to understand him. He trusted Goku enough to know that the sailor wouldn't have such a drastic change of heart without really good reasons. Also, hadn't the sailor again and again proven to him that people could change? Actually all members of his crew had violated the law at one or more points during their lives and see what had become of them… Honorable and loyal hard working men.
"Kakarotto is right," Bardock finally decided to throw in. He could understand the general's reluctance, but just as his son had already said – he hadn't been there. "The Prince can change and he already has changed, with Bulma's help. She has shown him something no one has ever shown him before – love, compassion… You may not forget that he has grown up under Frieza's reign of terror. He only knew hate, despair and vengeance. His father betrayed him, so he didn't know trust. But he's learning, I can see that. Doesn't everybody deserve a second chance?"
"Alright," Kaiou finally conceded with yet another heavy sigh. "You may speak on his behalf. Even though I'm not sure if it's of any use. The judges know what he has done and I doubt that what you're going to tell them will change anything. I fear for both you and Lady Bulma that Vegeta's life is forfeited. The only way that the judges might listen to you would be if you told them about your victory over—"
"No," Goku cut him off, shaking his head vehemently. "What I told you about my battle against Frieza or more importantly, everything of what you've just heard won't leave this room. The power of the Dragonballs must be kept a secret. No one may know about this or history will repeat itself. And I don't want the credit and I don't want the fame for defeating Frieza. The only thing I want to do now is to live a normal life with ChiChi and Gohan. Promise me that you won't tell anyone about this or about Gohan's battle against Cell. I don't care if this Satan claims that he has beaten them, I only care about my family."
"If this is your wish…"
"Yes it is…" the sailor answered firmly.
With a nod Kaiou whispered, "And so it shall be. But if you excuse me now, I wish to be alone for a while. You have told me many things, Son Goku, and I need to think about them. I will inform you of the date of the trial tomorrow. If you wish to stay here, your old room is ready for you, as well as a room for your father. Of course, I understand, if you want to see ChiChi, after all, if I understood you correctly, she's going to be your wife."
"I don't know about my father, but I will most likely stay at Gyuu Mao's house, if ChiChi's father allows it, of course."
Bardock only smiled at his son, before he turned to the general and replied, "I appreciate your hospitality and if it isn't too much of a bother, I'd be glad to stay here for the time being. No matter how hard it is to admit, but I'm still not back to my old form and I could do with some rest."
"Of course," Kaiou said. "Someone will show you to your room. Maybe, if you're rested, we could dine together tonight?"
"That would be nice. Kakarotto, I hope you don't mind going to the Lord's palace alone."
"Not at all, father. I'm going to see you tomorrow. General," Goku said with a short formal bow, before he left General Kaiou's office. However, before he closed the door behind him, he once again turned to his father. "Oh, father, before I forget… Tomorrow you're going to meet another one of my best friends… You're going to like her, I'm sure of it."
Goku smiled as the characteristic smell of straw and horses reached his nose. It truly was good to be home, he thought fondly, as he stopped in front of one particular stall. "Hey old girl," he called grinning. "How are ya doing?"
A low snort reached his ears, as one white ear turned towards him, but otherwise his loyal mare didn't react. Instead she only turned her back to him and ignored him completely, happily chewing on some hay.
"Oh, come on," Goku said with a slight pout. "It hasn't even been that long. I'm sorry that I didn't say goodbye, but it was urgent, really. I had no other choice!" Still, no reaction from the horse. Goku sighed a bit and looked around, obviously looking for something. His eyes lit up, when he saw the carrots lying in a bucket. He bent down to take one of the carrots and held it into the stall. "Chikyuu, hey… I promise, I'm not going to leave again any time soon. Maybe even never. You see, I don't want to go to sea anymore. I'm going to start a new life here in the Western Capitol. Believe me," he added with a grin, "you're gonna get so much of me that soon you'll wish that I'd be gone again."
The grin of his face widened, as the mare finally raised her head and turned to look at him, as if he had appeased her with his words. Or maybe it was just the scent of the carrot that had gotten her attention. Goku didn't know, but actually he'd like to believe that Chikyuu understood every word he said. Eventually she turned around and trotted up to him, carefully sniffing at the carrot before devouring it eagerly.
Laughing, Goku clapped her on the neck. "I knew you couldn't stay angry at me. Come on, what do you think? Are you ready for a ride to Lord Brief's palace?"
Another snort, this time a lot more optimistic than before, and Chikyuu began to push him with her soft nostrils, urging him to hurry. Goku only shook his head, as he got to retrieve his saddle and got his mare ready for the trip.
"I thought so," he said, while he was strapping the cinch around her stomach. "Whatever, I wanted to ask you to be on your best behavior tomorrow, because I want to introduce you to my father. Yes, my father," he repeated, as he thought that Chikyuu had thrown him a disbelieving look. "I'm sure you'll like him."
Only a few minutes later, Goku led his trusted mare out of the stables and mounted the horse. Softly digging his heels into her stomach and with a loud click of his tongue, he was finally again able to experience the freedom of racing along the paths and streets that led to the Lord's palace.
The ride to the palace didn't take long and soon Son Goku was sitting in a comfortable armchair in the parlor, together with Lord Briefs, who was thoughtfully nursing his cup of tea. The butler had just left the room and since then, a heavy silence had weighed on them until the Lord suddenly put his steaming cup on the small wooden table in front of him and spoke.
"I never got the possibility to thank you at the docks," he said with a light smile under his thick grey mustache. "I thank you, Son Goku, for bringing my daughter back, unharmed, if I may add. My wife and I, we can't express how happy we are that Bulma is home."
"I promised that I would bring her back," Goku replied, returning the smile, though slightly forced. Apparently Bulma hadn't told her parents about her death, which was somewhat understandable. Now he was glad that he had made the General promise that whatever he had told them would be kept a secret. Hearing that your beloved and only daughter had died must be devastating, even though she had been brought back. "And you know that I tend to keep my promises."
"I know you do," Lord Briefs replied, still smiling. "But you can't blame a father for being worried. I know that Bulma is an independent young woman and stronger than one might assume. She told me that she fought alongside you and your men at Frieza's palace and that she killed in defense. This is a remarkable feat for a woman, especially for a woman of her station, but still, this strength and her stubborn streak is that which worries me the most. I always feared that it might cause her to act irresponsible and irrational, and I have been right. Tell me, Son Goku," he now said, as he looked at the sailor with a complete serious expression on his face. "Is my daughter telling the truth? Did this pirate really fight at your side and help you getting off that island?"
Goku sighed, as he replied truthfully, "Vegeta fought against Frieza, yes, and he led us to his ship so that we could leave the island. The whole time after the fight, he caused us no trouble."
"Do you know what might be the reason for his behavior?"
The sailor looked at the Lord, startled by this question. He knew the reason, at least he steadfastly believed to know the reason, but he didn't know if he should really tell him. Did Bulma already tell him about her feelings for the pirate? Goku wished he knew, but in the end, he had no other choice but to speak the truth. "I think… No, I know that Vegeta does have feelings for your daughter. He… cares for her at the least. If not more, even though he doesn't openly show it. He helped us because of her. He changed because of her. Bulma helped him to become a better man."
Lord Briefs rested his head against the backrest with a heavy sigh on his lips. "So it is true. I didn't want to believe Bulma, as she claimed that she and this pirate were lovers. She told me that she fell in love with this man and that he reciprocated her feelings. She asked me that he'd be spared—"
"And so do I," Goku gently cut him off. "I know that this must come as a shock to you, but I've seen Bulma and Vegeta interact with each other. There definitely is something between them and I daresay that it might even be love. As I already told you before, Vegeta has changed for the better. I already told General Kaiou this and I'm going to tell you that Vegeta can be a good man, if he gets a second chance. And I promised Bulma that I'm going to do everything to help him get this second chance and you know that I—"
"Tend to keep your promises, I know…" he replied wearily and lowered his gaze. "But you know as well as I do that my influence on the judges is minimal. I can only override their decisions, if it is of great importance."
"Isn't the happiness of your daughter of great importance?"
The Lord raised his head and met Goku's determined gaze with tired eyes, before he looked away and once again a heavy silence fell upon them.
"Take good care of her," Goku said to the stable lad who had taken Chikyuu from him at the country house of Gyuu Mao, the Ox-King, who had gotten this name because of his large herd of cattle. The young boy nodded at him with a bright smile and Goku then walked across the front yard up to the door.
He knocked twice and soon after it was opened by one of the maids. Her face broke into a smile, as she opened the door wider and beckoned him inside. "Good afternoon, Mr. Son. The master and his daughter are already expecting you. Please follow me."
Goku offered her a nod with his head and a smile as greeting, before he followed her through the long hallways of the smaller mansion into the parlor, where Gyuu Mao and ChiChi were sitting and talking. Both looked up, when the maid announced his arrival and ChiChi immediately ran up to him and into his arms.
"How was your day?" she asked smiling, as she took his hand. Goku tensed a bit at this open display of affection in front of her father, because it wasn't even official that they were planning on getting married. At least not as far as he knew. There was still one obstacle in front of him – her father's permission. "Did you talk to the General and Lord Briefs?"
Nodding, Goku replied, "I did. I even talked to Bulma briefly. She understood that I wished to come here, so we didn't talk long. Gyuu Mao, it's good to see you again," he finally greeted the large man who had in the meantime risen from his chair.
"It's good to see you again, son. I heard you've done great things during your mission," the Ox-King said in his booming voice. "ChiChi told me everything! Defeating the Beast! That's truly a great accomplishment! You freed the world from the most terrible tyrant that has ever existed."
"Thank you," the sailor said. "But I wish that my defeat over Frieza will be kept a secret. I really don't want the fame. All I want right now, after the last few months, is normality."
"Of course, of course… My lips are sealed. But now I believe you wanted to ask me something?"
"Wha--?" Goku looked at ChiChi, who had now let go of his hand and walked up to her father with a mischievous grin on her face. "I'm sorry. I beg your pardon?"
The same grin was also on Gyuu Mao's face, as he said, "Well, if I understood correctly, you are the father of my grandson. And I thought that you maybe wanted to make it official, especially knowing what ChiChi wants."
Goku blushed a deep red, when he realized that ChiChi had already informed her father of their wedding plans. He threw her a quick glance, but she still grinned and only nodded encouragingly at him.
Clearing his throat, he bowed deeply in front of him to show his respect, before he stood straight again and said, "I love your daughter, Gyuu Mao. We've both been through hard times but this only strengthened the bond between us. I also wish to finally be Gohan's father, because I also love him with all my heart. I ask you for ChiChi's hand in marriage."
"And you shall have it," Gyuu Mao said, as he firmly grabbed Goku's right hand with both hands and shook it. Leaning down, he also whispered in his ear, "All the years I've secretly hoped that you and ChiChi would marry. I mean, her first husband, may he rest in peace, was a good man, but he simply wasn't you." Straightening his back, he let go of Goku's hands and gently shoved ChiChi up to him. "Now, what are you waiting for? Why aren't you kissing already? I'll go into the gardens and look for Gohan. He will have to get ready for our small celebration tonight!"
When her father was out of the room, ChiChi looked at Goku, still with the playful glint in her eyes. "Now, what are you waiting for? Kiss me already!"
"As you wish," Goku whispered, as he lowered his head to capture his now officially betrothed's lips.