Chapter 8


Over the years, she's experienced that there's ever only so much time that grace can allow her, to visibly fall apart, in the wake of tragedy, before she has to pull herself together again. Even when there hadn't been a crowd around to watch her fall apart, grace only allowed her a certain amount of time, to abandon herself; her strength, and her defining character, for something uninhibited, uncontrolled and feeble. Naturally, she could do with that time as she pleased. She could wail and thrash around, she could sob using her chest and entire upper body, and she could even stare off into space, while her soul went through a cave of tormenting emotions, but when that allotted time expired, everyday Chi-Chi had to return to her territory, immediately getting into survival mode.

Now is no different.

Grace, although having been a witness to what just happened with her husband, that god and his servant, doesn't give her a little bit more time, than it usually would, to lament the injustice of her loss. She finds it a tad unfair this time, simply because this isn't like any of the times that Goku left willingly, but she also remembers that grace has always been on her side. Always, grace has been listening and giving her the necessary time, on the condition that she pulled herself together, and moved to do something about her situation, through the reminder that her tears (no matter how heartfelt and precious they are), and being broken, didn't eventually resolve the situation. That's why grace has always only given her a limited amount of time to bask in the abandon of her emotions.

That hasn't changed.

Her given time, is finally up and she has to gather her collapsed body off of the floor, get on her feet and dust herself off, in order to get the remnants of her vulnerable moment, permanently off her. Though it would seem like it, the way that she is taking time in smoothing her clothes with careful precision, she is in no way attempting to put her moment behind her, to make it seem like it never happened. What she is doing, is simply compartmentalising her moment of emotion, for her to have the fully functional ability to deal with the situation at hand; what she can do, apart from getting emotional, about the forceful detraction of her husband from their home. Only that way, can she truly get into stable gear, for how best to handle, and deal with this situation that she finds herself in.

'You've been without Goku before, Chi-Chi. This is nothing new,' she encourages herself in a whisper after she's finished arranging herself.

True, her heart answers her mind, but the difference is that this time, Goku wasn't even conscious when he left. Unlike in the past when he made the decision to leave, this time he didn't even know that he was leaving, because those two didn't give him the chance to know it. They simply came into her home, and took him with them, as if he was their property and responsibility, leaving her in the empty house all by herself.

Well, no, not really by herself, because now that the afforded breaking time from grace is over, she starts to notice things around her. Like the unseen image of Goku appearing in the air one second, and then disappearing together with the god and his servant, as her eyes look at the spot where she'd last seen him. Like the worry surrounding her, as she remembers that he had been taking a bath, and claimed to be hungry. Like the fear developing within, as she recalls his conceited behaviour, and how that could potentially get him into more trouble with the god.

She's worried about him, like really worried. She's got herself together, and she is using her feet to move now, automatically heading for the bathroom that she knows he didn't tidy up, but she is still worried about him. There's a difference between being stuck in a state of emotion for the bad that has happened, and still feeling strong emotions for something, while going through life as she ought to, which is what separates her worry from being an emotional breakdown.

What will happen to him? Really, she wonders, what will happen to her husband?

His manner of talking is different, he has this partly condescending smirk on his face, and he goes about as though everything from the natural light, to the rice that he has to eat, has to fear him without question. With that attitude, she's worried about what they will do to him, once they get fed up with him. A god such as that Beerus one, must seek to be revered without question too, and that being the case, the two of them are bound to hit into each other, until one of them cannot take it anymore. Her intuition tells her that of the two, Beerus will be the first to crack that is unless he finds out how to work around Goku.

Really, she considers upon entering the bathroom, just contemplating that, someone should tell her how she cannot be worried about what will happen to him? She goes straight for the used towel in the bathroom, knowing to use that for wiping of the water from all the surfaces, but her thoughts still remain on worry for her husband.

What are they going to do to him? Having taken him against his will, what will they put him through?

She goes on about cleaning the bathroom, as she would be able to do in her sleep, although, her thoughts refuse to divert to anything else that isn't her husband. Normally, besides wanting the house in order, she also uses cleaning as a clearing time for her mind too. Except for this evening, when she can't help it repeating the same thoughts of worry in her head, which unfortunately doesn't leave her mind clear at all.

They mentioned something about him being a danger to the Earth, but that cannot be. If he was a danger to the Earth, he wouldn't have come home in the first place. He would've gone out, looking for people to challenge him, and make a show of his power for all the nation to see, but he didn't. Instead, he obeyed his body (which only Goku is capable of doing), listening to its needs, before he did anything else. How can someone capable of taking orders, even from her, who has no physical strength to match his, be a danger to the Earth?

Tucked between her worry for how he is, she's bothered by the fact that they took him against his will. Taking him against his will, can only mean that they don't have any good plans for him.

She worriedly wonders, what are they going to do to him? How are they going to treat him? Will they dress him in the clothes that he likes, since he didn't even have clothes on him when they took him? Are they going to give him a comfortable bed to sleep in? And food? Will they feed him before he goes to bed? He'd been hungry, so are they really going to give him as much as his stomach needs, or are they simply going to throw him dry slices of bread?

By heaven, her heart sighs, she's worried about him.

Maybe her worry is irrational, but what can she do? They didn't give her a chance to try with him. They only forced him to leave his home, so how is she not supposed to worry? How can she turn down her restlessness, when she knows nothing about anything. Yes, Goku can take care of himself, but still... The fact that she doesn't know about why, and how this fusion between Goku and Black happened, has her hostage in worry shambles.

After she finishes cleaning the bathroom, and she's washed them, she carries them in a basket, past the kitchen, to hang outside. Despite her consuming worry, she won't be as careless as to leave wet towels inside a laundry basket, in waiting for the next day. If she did that, one, the smell will not be pleasant, and two, it's most likely that the towels will catch a slight mould, and that she cannot have. At least, if she can't have stopped that god from taking her husband, she can stop the towels from stinking up the bathroom, and getting infected with mould.

'He didn't even eat,' she weakly remembers again, as she carries the wet towels past the kitchen.

In any case, needing to take care of the wet towels right away, she forces herself to forget that fact for a moment. Later, when she's hung up the towels, she can come back to giving attention to the worry that he didn't eat yet. But... Speaking of the towels, was it maybe her fault that Goku was taken? Should she have taken measures, to make sure that he didn't leave, like she is doing with the towels so that they don't develop mould or stink up the house? Did she miss to do something preventative?

The questioning thoughts continue to play in her head, as she lifts the wet towels to the line for hanging, and her eyes catch sight of the stars in the sky. She finds that the image of the silent stars, does something to her, something weakening, that her hands still on the wire line for support. Her eyes keep in place, staring at the stars too, while her mind sees beyond the stars. Transfixed on the image of the stars quietly minding their lives, and simply shining as they always do, she wonders if her Goku is somewhere out there? Behind the endless array of stars, is he being held captive? She wonders too, if he is conscious now. As the stars are awake, not hidden by the light of the sun, is he in his right state of mind as well? Or are those two meddling inside his mind, to change his way of thinking?

'Oh, I hope he's all right,' she quietly breathes out to the night, clutching the wire line meant for clothes, just a little bit more than before.

If he's conscious by now, is he feeling lost? Is he maybe even a little afraid for himself?

She'd like to know, what could possibly be going on through his head, if he is conscious at the moment? If only to feel something imitating of better about his absence, she'd find it better to know what his thoughts are, while she thinks of him. But, unfortunately, she knows that she can't have that luxury. When he's not physically with her, they have no way of communicating. Without the fantasy of connected souls and minds, that are telepathic between them, they (she, particularly) only has love to sustain them, and keep them grounded in the knowledge of the other, wherever they are.

'You be all right, Goku,' she quietly promises to the stars, deciding then, that staring out into the night sky will not do her any good.

With everything, she hopes that someone, somewhere, will hear her prayer, to answer it. Shenron, or even one of those Supreme Kais. She needs for him to be fine, at least. If he can't be with her, he should at least be fine. Not lacking, not worrying and not wondering. As for her, she needs to finish up out here, go back inside the house, and tend to the pots that she left on the stove. It's a bit of an internal struggle for her to let go of watching the stars, but she has to do it. In an odd way, she may feel connected to Goku as she watches the stars, considering that he, like the stars isn't even on the Earth anymore, but the reality is that no amount of staring out into the sky, will keep her worry out of her system.

Once she is finished outside, and she has locked the front door, she quietly does what she needs to do around the kitchen, even humming a little tune to keep her company, so that her thoughts do not stray to her taken husband. For the most part, the humming helps her stay clear of wondering and wondering some more, however, her heart still feels heavy inside her chest. The distraction of humming keeps her mind away from thinking, but her heart doesn't easily fall into the trap of that same distraction, and as soon as she starts packing the food away, a clear reminder that no one will eat it, her heart reveals its feelings.

She is alone at home. No husband, and no son here with her. Oh, how her heart misses them, that she feels lonely like she has never felt in her life.

Should she call Gohan, and then Bulma? Should she tell Gohan to go and get Goten from Bulma's for her? Because if that were to happen, she would be sure to find comfort in sleeping with Goten in her bed. Just his innocent presence, would be able to comfort her, like it has done in the past, when extreme worry for Goku pressed her down. Goten has always been her silent anchor these past years. The only reason that she sent him away to Bulma's, was so that he wouldn't be offended by Goku's uptight behaviour, except, after all, now she wants him back. She wants her baby back.

But, if she gets him back, what will she tell him in the morning? What will she say when he wants to know where his father is? Will she really be able to tell him that she begged that god not to take Goku, but he refused? And thinking of that god...

Is her Goku still intact in that body, or is he being pushed into a corner as she thinks they are most likely to do to him? What in the world could those two doing to him right now? What if they are using some type of disciplinary action against him, maybe locking him up in a cage, because they think that he is too dangerous? What if Goku is being rightfully rebellious, and they feel the need to keep him line?

Oh, she pulls in a breath, with her hand over her heart, if she doesn't stop this repetitive thinking of hers, she's going to turn grey.

What she should do instead, is make herself a cup of soothing tea, to help her relax, and once she has relaxed, she can go to bed with a free-from-worry mind, for a good night's of rest. In that mindset, feeling prompted, she turns on the kettle, and then prepares everything that she needs to make her cup of tea, but by the time that the water boils, she's no longer in the mood for it. During the time that she waited for the water to boil, she had different thoughts that contributed to her questioning herself, with; really how does she think tea will relax her exactly? Real relaxation, she will only do when Goku is back with her here at home. Before that happens, she can do whatever she thinks will help her, but she won't ever be able to relax.

She needs to go to bed, rather, she tells herself.

Yes, she needs to sleep. She needs to allow sleep to collate her thoughts and feelings, so that when she wakes up in the morning, she'll have a clear mind. With a clear mind, she can... Well, at the moment, she doesn't know how a clear mind will help her get her husband back, but she just knows that she needs it. She also just knows that for as long as she is going around this house, reminders of what took place, will keep coming to her mind, thus inducing the same repetitive thoughts of worry in her head, and that, she should avoid by going to bed altogether.

Hmm, yes, she carefully nods, the prospect of not worrying about the same thing over and over, is highly appealing to her, (because in her mind, a part of her still feels that she is being irrational in her worry) that she immediately leaves the tea behind, turns off all of the lights, and then heads straight for their bedroom. Her undressing process, is hurried, as she is mostly focused on the goal of getting some rest and from that, a clear mind. In bed, though, she quickly learns that no matter which way she turns, this way, or that way, she can't find a comfortable place to rest her body, or head. All she does, regardless of her posture, is keep wiggling her body, hoping to fall into the right angle and position of sleep, but it doesn't happen.

If only this tossing was about her sleeping alone in a big bed, because although she hasn't slept alone in a while, if she had to –like now- her body would remember to recognise sleeping alone, and not make a fuss about it. This isn't about her sleeping alone, she comes to the conclusion after several minutes of attempting to force her eyes shut, it's about being restless in her thoughts, that she eventually gives up on thinking that she can fall asleep in this state. Bolting up in bed, she reconsiders her previous thought of sleep, for another fix.

Like maybe... Maybe a bath will fix her. She could soak in warm water, and...

She swears, she sighs as she begins to get out of bed, this, what she's doing, is probably what killing yourself, but not actually dying, feels like. Thinking you've taken care of what you wanted to, and believing that you've achieved your goal, only to realise after a while, that no, it's not like that, must be that feeling. How discouraging and frustrating it is to be like this. Like this, who is to say that the bath will even work for her? Who can convince her that it won't just be another attempt that will fail, and become time that she simply consumed for no actual result?

Oh, this is so discouraging, and on top of being worried about her husband, she really doesn't need any more discouragement.

In any case, desperate to try, she leaves the room, expertly navigating through the dark, to go and start running the bath. Upon entering the bathroom, however, a questioning thought hits her; will she really be able to sit in the bathtub for relaxation, knowing that this is the last place where Goku had been before they took him? It's true what they say then, she remembers with a tired heart, that one incident, one occurrence, can change the association of one specific thing, in one's mind. In this case, what she is sure of is that actually sitting in the bathtub, she will not be able to associate with relaxation.

Hmmpf! This is really so frustrating!

Cleaning up, she did easily, but anything else, she hasn't been able to talk her mind into. That can only mean really, that there's really only really thing left to do, and that one thing, is Goten. If it takes waking him from sleep, she will do it. Since everything else failed, there's certainty within her that Goten will not fail her.


26Chapters


She had considered calling Gohan to tell him that Beerus took Goku, but she thought that as a man with his own family, she shouldn't bother him with her troubles. At least, if she didn't know what happened to Goku, she would be going from house to house, asking where he might be, but this is different. Even though she doesn't know where exactly in the universe he is, she knows that he was taken. That way, she was easily able to come to the conclusion not to involve Gohan, and rather head over to Capsule Corp. herself.

Since she didn't take note of the time that passed since Goku was taken and now, it's a bit of a surprise for her, when Vegeta is the first one to meet her at the front glass doors, before she even announces her presence. He too, she sees, is surprised to see her. She reads question on his face, just before it changes to something like understanding. She has not had many interactions with Vegeta over the years, except, she can say with certainty that understanding is not a look that she has seen on his face before.

'It's late,' is the first thing that comes out of his mouth, although, it doesn't sound like a hostile statement.

'They took my Goku, Vegeta,' she softly cries to him, airing her reason for being here to him.

'I know,' he deeply answers, like he had only been waiting for her to say that.

Then, her heart perks up with a little bit of hope, if he knows that, she wants to know, 'Where did they take him?'

For an immediate answer to her question, he only looks at her for a moment, and then turns his back on her, leaving to start walking away from her. He doesn't get further than the door on his immediate right, which is only six steps away from the front door, and she takes that to mean that she should follow him. Cautiously, she follows after him, measuring her steps, while trying to prepare herself for whatever it is that Vegeta may have to tell her.

When she thinks about it, why else would he lead her into a room, if not to deliver some type of bad news to her? She has to be internally prepared for that.

As she enters the room that he led her into, she finds him pouring a drink into a glass, from one counter on the side of the room. She's not interested to know what this room is for, but if she had to guess, taking into account that it's right by the front door, it has to be the immediate receiving room. Obviously, the house portion of Capsule Corp. doesn't share the same reception area as the company, so this has to be the first room of reception for visitors who aren't regulars. Anyhow, now inside the room, she watches him pour the light brown liquid into a glass, and her mind automatically goes to the tea that she had thought to make for herself back at home. That's clearly not tea that he is pouring from a glass, she can see that, but still, she somehow allows her mind to go with tea, that when he comes towards her with the glass in his hand, offering it to her, she takes it without hesitation.

'I don't know where they took him,' he answers, 'but know that is not Kakarrot alone.'

She knows that. She interacted with him, both verbally and physically, for probably longer than any of the rest of them have at this point, so she knows that it's not solely Goku inside that body. Also, she really doesn't care about that little fact, she just needs to know where they took him to, because they did it against his will, at a vulnerable time.

'Where did they take him?' she asks again, desperate to hear him say something about it, even a lie at this point.

Closing his eyes and crossing his arms as though mustering patience for it, Vegeta again tells her, 'I don't know.'

But he must know, she reasons while looking at him. He trained with that Whis one too, just as Goku had done. Vegeta trained before Goku ever did with Whis. He must know where they live, or at least have an idea of where they would take him, if not where they live.

'You know where they live,' she reminds him.

He's seemingly unimpressed by her reminder, for he opens his eyes, to look at her with purpose. He doesn't say anything to argue with her, but his stare is enough to communicate that she doesn't know what in the world she is bordering on suggesting. Fear isn't exactly what she would name his silent communication, although, it's something close.

'Drink,' he finally gets out of her mouth, gesturing with a nod to the glass in her hand.

Without question, she simply obeys him, bringing the glass to her lips for a drink. The first touch of the liquid on her lower lip, is nothing, but on her tongue, the touch reveals its true colours. Instantly, after clenching her jaws together in protest, she spits the sip onto the floor, just as suddenly dropping the glass from her hand, because she doesn't want any part in something so strong and foul.

'Ugh!' she softly revolts from her mouth.

She doesn't know what she had been thinking in bringing a sip of alcohol to her tongue. Actually, no, she does know what state of mind she had been in, to accept the drink from Vegeta. She had wanted tea to relax her at home, but she never drank it, and so here, she imagined that a drink (not necessarily alcohol) would calm her in the same line of effect as tea. Instead of that happening, however, the glass lands with a cracking shatter on the floor, making her realise what she has done.

She wastes no time in falling to her knees, rushing to catch the glass that has already touched the ceramic floor, and shattered. Subconsciously, she's ignoring the reality of what just happened, because still just wants to stop something that already happened, from happening. Much like what she is trying to do with the feelings left behind by Goku's abduction.

'Leave it,' Vegeta's voice commands her.

She doesn't know what it is about Vegeta that's bringing out an obedient, or maybe dependant side from her, but to everything that he does, she finds herself listening to. Like now, she easily hears him, and just as easily lifts her head to look at him.

'I'm sorry about that,' she apologises for the mess, while remaining on her knees.

'There are people to clean,' he simply answers.

Thankfully (she feels), he's not saying it directly, but she knows that he is really telling her that it's okay. She sees it written on his face that, he can understand her somehow, that he is in no way blaming her for her actions.

'Please tell me, Vegeta,' she begs, not even realising that she's on her knees as she does. 'Do you know where they took him?'

'No.'

As flatly as he says it, she feels her hope go, and with her flat hope, she feels the strongest compulsion to make someone, anyone, Vegeta, understand that it was an injustice to take Goku like that.

'They are wrong, you know?' she quietly says, her head moving from side to side in denial. 'He's not a threat to the Earth. Goku would never harm it.'

'Zamasu would,' Vegeta tells her point-blank. 'The two are fused, and for as long as they are fused, there's no telling what they will do together. Zamasu hates humans, and Kakarrot loves to display his strength, so you can imagine the combination of that fusion.'

Fused. Fusion.

Those words miraculously bring her body up in a new kind of hope, different from the one that just became flat. The last time, when Goku told her how he had fused with Vegeta in order to defeat Buu, they surely came apart. This fusion too, can't be permanent. There has to be something to separate them, because even Trunks and Goten only have thirty minutes granted for their fusion.

'When will they unfuse?' she frantically wonders. 'It's possible to, isn't it? You and him weren't supposed to come apart, but you did.'

'I don't know what happened then,' Vegeta flatly replies. 'Don't ask me.'

How can she not ask him? He's the only one who can help her. There isn't anyone else who can give her information. He is the only one who knows about the ways of Saiyans, and he's been in a fusion with Goku before.

'But Vegeta, I-' she tries, only to be cut off.

'Get up. Go home, and get some rest,' he says. 'There's nothing we can do, but wait. Beerus and Whis are not who we should angering. Least of all you, if you want that one back.'

That is what she can do? Wait? So what does she do with her restless anxiety, then, while she waits? Heaven, she's already halfway gone to the current bout of anxiety, where will she keep it, that it won't birth more anxiety?