Chapter 4


Held by her son, high up in the air, leaving buildings and trees behind her as soon as they reach them, Chi-Chi only has one subject of thought running in her mind. It's just as well that Goten is the one with the task of flying and getting them home safely (that requires concentration), because she doesn't know how she would make it home safely if she had to do the flying herself. Not when her concentration is on a single subject; Goku. Her Goku.

From top to bottom, from head to toe, and from side to side, she knows her Goku. She thoroughly knows her husband, and what she knows, is that he's a man that thinks, especially about himself and his family. That being the case, she's certain to the core, that he wouldn't just have fused with Black for any which reason. The Goku that confessed how he'd never forgive Black for killing Goten and her, would never do something as fusing with the man responsible for the death of his family, lightly.

Of course, in the chaos of it all, she and Goku didn't get private time to really discuss this Black or Zamasu issue, but she knows her husband, and so, doesn't necessarily need time alone with him, to conclude what he would and wouldn't do.

As his wife, whatever else she doesn't know, or hasn't been made aware of, all she knows, is that Goku wouldn't have fused with Black for the sheer thrill of it. One of the first reasons that come to her mind, is how particular her husband is. To him, having strength that is not his alone, is the same as surrendering at the beginning of a battle. The way that she knows her husband, she's sure, that there must be more to the story than she knows so far. And until she finds out the truth, she has to take care of him, in the way that she best knows how to. Or at least, for the immediate now, take care of that Saiyan trench of a stomach of his. And fast too.

'Goten, please fly faster,' she tells her son.

'Okay,' her son answers, just then picking up his speed towards their home.

As they fly the long route to their home, on the very far side of the country, very secluded from immediate civilization, Chi-Chi takes her thoughts back to her husband and this new development that she was just shocked with a few minutes back.

It can't be right that Goku actively chose to fuse with that bad god. It simply can't be right. For anyone that knows Goku the way that she knows him, they'd be quick to think that Goku has always been a perfectionist when it had anything to do with his body. To Goku, his body is a sacred temple of sorts.

As much as he loves to train, if he thought that he'd done enough of it, even in two minutes as opposed to days on end, he wouldn't push his body further than that. He did that, because that would be the very same body that he would have to rely on, when the real battles began. Also, that same body would be the one, that he would have to deliver to her, when at the end of the day, all was said and done. But that, no one else but her would know, since it's private.

There are also two interconnected things that would repulse Goku away from willingly fusing. First of all, this Black character, being the first ever after Frieza that Goku has sworn to make pay, the only other villain that has angered him that deeply, there isn't a chance of forgiveness. And secondly, this Black did the unthinkable and stole Goku's body. That last reason is probably the most-

'Mom?' Goten's unsure voice cuts her thoughts off.

Immediately, she gives him her auditory attention, because the tone of his voice, makes her realise and regret in equal portions, that she didn't once think of what Goten might feel about all of this. He may just be a child, but he is a clever child at that, and he has much more interest in Goku than most people do.

'Yes?'

'Is something wrong with Dad?' he asks like the confused little one that he is at the moment.

Because she can't give him a straight honest answer that will worry him, she chooses to turn the tables, and ask him if he thinks that there's something wrong with Goku. It gives her a chance to reframe things for her son.

'Do you think there's something wrong with your father?'

'I don't know,' Goten answers, a little too timidly for the personality that he usually displays. 'He didn't want me to hug him. Is he angry with me?'

By all the good gods, her little Goten naturally thinks that Goku's unusually cold behaviour some time back, has everything to do with something that he might've done wrong. The mind of a child is too much of a blessing, she muses, feeling greatly relieved that she doesn't have to have an unpleasant and worrisome conversation with her youngest son about his father in the air.

'No,' she answers in an assuring tone, silently wishing that she could look at him in the eyes to deliver this truth. 'He's not angry with you. He's angry with that bad Black man.'

'Is that true?' he asks for certainty.

'I promise you, Goten, your father is not angry with you.'

'Really?' Goten continues to insist.

She understands him and his need for assurance, since Goku has never shunned contact from Goten before, not even when he was hurt. Unlike Trunks, who knows not to attack his father with hugs and softly happy greetings, Goten has all the freedom in the world to do all of that with Goku. Which is why now, having been rejected by the man he considers the world's best father, he needs more than just words from her, that Goku isn't angry with him.

'Yes, really,' she maintains. 'Now, stop all this talking and get us home safely. It's not safe to talk and fly.'

Even she doesn't believe in her own words about talking and flying, but being the mother in this relationship, she has the privilege of making the falsest of things sound believable to her little son. More so now, that he's not exactly at his normal peak of himself, thanks to this Goku issue. Thankfully, though, Goten doesn't argue with her, rather, he increases his speed to get them home just as she said.


26Chapters


She would've thought that it would take a short while for Goku to catch up with them, that she'd have at least a few minutes to prepare her pots before he arrived. That's what she'd been expecting, but no sooner than she and Goten touch the ground with their feet, just two steps away from their front door, does a grunt sound behind them.

Whether he is aiming to announce his presence, she can't say with certainty. What she can attest with clarity for, (because she has a feeling in her heart) is that whatever he thinks that he's doing, he shouldn't make the mistake of thinking that he'll get away with it. He, Goku at least, already knows the house rules, so he shouldn't even try…

As Goten is innocently unaware of what is in the air, he's the first of the two of them to look behind them, and only then does she follow his lead to look at her husband. Well, the modified version of her husband.

'Dad,' Goten quietly gets out of his mouth, moving closer to her, as if to protect himself from Goku, should Goku say something harsh to him.

Since she is watching his face clearly, taking vivid notes of how too different this 'Zamaku' character is from her sweet Goku, she sees how he doesn't even acknowledge Goten's spoken word. Much less Goten himself. If she didn't know better than she knows, she would've scolded him for that. Fusion or not, that's not way to treat his son! For now, as she's unable to scold him, she briefly scowls at him, to which he glowers back.

'Goten, sweety,' she starts, but her eyes remain fixed on Goku, 'do you want to sleepover at Trunks' tonight?'

'Hmm,' he quietly hums.

'Okay,' she faces him, 'you can sleepover tonight, but only if you promise to do what Bulma says. I don't want to hear her complaining about you, all right?'

She would rather not have Goten sleepover, not when he's been with Trunks all day, but more than that, she doesn't want Goten around for when she starts interrogating Goku. Until she gets to the bottom of this, she doesn't want Goten getting the wrong idea.

'I'll be good,' he sweetly promises, melting her heart at just how easily he seems to have gotten back to his usual self.

'And finish all of your food,' she reminds him. 'Don't forget to brush your teeth before you go to bed either.'

'I won't, Mom.'

Sadly sighing, because it's still a struggle to spend a night away from her son at his age, she says, 'Then you can go.'

As though suddenly shot out of a canon, Goten takes off right into the sky at the go ahead given. The poor boy, she follows him with her eyes, he must really feel that his father is not happy with him, to fly away just like that. He wouldn't have taken off just like that otherwise.

'That was rude,' she sternly tells Goku, turning her back to open the door for them. 'You shouldn't have ignored him like that. You hurt him.'

With her back turned, she starts to dig inside her pocket for the house keys, when suddenly her front makes rough contact with the door before it's even open. She's about to wonder what in the world happened, what she did that caused her feet to miscalculate and lead her smack into the door, when she registers the pressing of a firm hand on her lower back.

'Just open the door,' he growls threateningly.

The growl that comes out of his mouth, is quite unfamiliar to her, that she would've started to worry if the same hand that suddenly pushed her into the door, isn't now releasing its pressure, to a more gentle touch. Actually, delicate is the word that she would use, because when Goku touches her, he always does it delicately. Ever since the incident from the time when he came from space, he made extra sure, to tone himself down when he made contact with her.

For a second, she's nearly confused as to how the hand that roughly pushed her, and the hand now resting on her back this gently, is one and the same. Only for a second, because her mind quickly puts together several conversations about fusions that she had with Goku after the Buu incident, and that near confusion of hers, disappears.

'If you're going to be rude to me,' she warns, standing her ground, 'I'm not going to feed you.'

Instantly, the hand on her back leaves her, and she nearly smiles. Nearly. Had this been the raw, unfused Goku, he would've jumped back and started apologising to her already, but with this Zamasu or Black person inside of him, together with him, the reactions are only slightly the same.

'Good,' she says evenly and then moves to open the door.

After she carefully steps inside the house, she holds the door open for him to enter. At first, Goku only looks at her with a hard expression as if he's trying to measure her up and disobey her at the same time, but when she tactfully narrows her eyes at him, he reluctantly takes steps into the house.

'Straight for the shower, and don't even think about arguing with me. I swear…' she wags an irritated finger at him.

He looks ready to strangle her with his stare, she observes, but does she care? Right now, she hotly thinks, she doesn't care, because this defiant aura that he's wearing, is starting to dance under her skin! He will either do what she says or he won't eat. It's that simple.

'Goku…' she says through clenched teeth.

Just one move, she just needs one move from him and he will have to go out and fend for himself in the forest, because she sure isn't going to allow him into her kitchen.

'You're weak,' he answers her, sounding as irritated as she feels. 'I could crush you with my finger.'

'Do it,' she dares him.

The thing isn't that he's bluffing, or that she doesn't believe that he has the intent in his eyes, it's more that his body, remains Goku's body. Two very different hearts and souls may be merged into one body, but ultimately, that body belongs to one heart, and it's been trained professionally to know when to hold back, and when to go all out when the circumstances call for it. In short, the intent to show her his power is there, but the body simply won't obey his immediate intents. If that were the case, he wouldn't be here, following her, because his stomach calls for food.

Surprisingly, he does nothing to retort to her dare, but rather takes measured steps past her towards the bathroom. He must've realised that his staring would do nothing to break her, because he doesn't do that either.

Watching him leave, Chi-Chi closes her eyes to breathe out a long sigh. Who knew that Goku could work her up this much, to this point of feeling relief that he's not in her presence? For one thing, there's an air about him that clearly spells his will to not be under her thumb, and that's not typical of her usual Goku. And for another, he wants to carry himself smugly, as if he owns the world, which isn't like her humble Goku at all.

She takes pride in the fact that her family is strong and yet so humble, but never go around displaying that. This, what this Zamaku is attempting to disassemble, is something that is rubbing her off the wrong way. At least, as a temporary relief, with him in the shower, she will not have him surly looking over her while she cooks.

She opens her eyes to see if he's disappeared completely, and just then, he slightly turns his head back to her. He doesn't halt in his steps, but the smirk that spreads on his face when he looks back at her, and the glint that shines in his grey eyes, make Chi-Chi feel like something just popped inside of her. She turns away from his stare so fast, as if she's offended, that she scolds herself for doing that, once she's sober.

Why did she turn away from him like that?

It's not like she's afraid of him, so why did she hide herself from his provoking smirk? All of a sudden, she starts to wonder, how long will this fuse last? Will it be like the temporary fusion that Goten did with Trunks, or will be the permanent one, that Goku was barely lucky to escape from with Vegeta, because of Buu's magic?

If he's going to have this effect on her from now on, she can't help it wonder, how are they even connected to be able to fuse? From what Goku told her previously, there has to be an equilibrium between the two of them, that's obviously sustaining their fusion. So what is that? Obviously, Goku can't stand Zamasu, and from what she's learned, Zamasu hates humans in general, Goku especially, so there must be some kind of thing holding them together.

But what in the world is that thing?