Dragon Ball © Toriyama Akira, Shuheisha, Inc.
Chapter 19: Mother's Love
"Androids! The androids are coming!" screamed a voice from the hall.
Out of instinct, Chichi quickly wrapped her arms around Tenten and carried her. The whole building began to shake but Chichi refused to halt her steps. The deafening explosion had numbed her ears for her surroundings. The only thing she could hear was her own heartbeat—both because of the fear out of the situation and the anxiety for Gohan, who probably was fighting the android. When she was out of the building, she scanned the sky for any hint of her son, quickly spotted two energy balls met and caused a huge explosion that she was blown away with some other people. Chichi instinctively bent her body to protect the daughter she was holding.
"Ma'am! Are you okay?! Are you hurt?!" asked a soldier nearby who helped her up. "Here, let me carry your daughter for you!"
"I-I'm okay! I can carry her! You better help those old people there!" She pointed at the group of old people who couldn't run.
"Okay! Follow my friend's direction to safety, Ma'am! May God be with you!"
What kind of God did she suppose to pray to when the God had gone along with Piccolo when he was killed? She didn't even know to who she should ask a miracle for the nightmare to end. She was screaming for Gohan, wishing she could catch a glimpse of his spiky hair amongst the crowd. She couldn't even hear her own voice when she called for her son.
Her mother instinct finally brought her step into a collapsed building where the fight used to take place. It was hard to miss the striking orange that became a part of her husband's legend. Chichi carefully put Tenten along with her blanket down in the half-ruined dome, then quickly lurched towards the ruins to recover Gohan from the crumbles.
"Gohan! Gohan! Do you hear me, Son?!" Her heart was beating hard against her chest, slowing a bit when she checked his pulse.
"…kaa-san?"
"Are you alright, Son?" She pulled Gohan's body out from the ruin until he was just beside the unconscious Tenten. Gohan sighed in relief upon seeing his sister.
"I'm okay… But I broke two of my ribs… ugh!" Gohan tried to stand, but Chichi hold him down. "If only I brought the Senzu bean with me, I can—"
"Ssh! Enough, Gohan. You've done your best to fight them. I—" Chichi swallowed her tears down to her throat, feeling emotional to see the state her son was in but decided that it was the bad time to show that. "Seeing you in one piece is more than enough for me."
"Okaa-san… I'm…" Gohan covered his eyes with his palm. "I'm sorry I'm not as strong as Otou-san… If I were as strong as he was, you won't have to live like this."
"Enough!" Chichi shoved her hand into the small bag she slung around her, searching for any first aid kit that could help her ease her son's pain. "You'll have the chance to surpass your father as long as you live so you better stick on staying alive, Son. I only have you two now and I'm not planning on losing you as well…"
"Okaa-san…"
Chichi sighed when she found nothing, shaking her head and knelt beside Gohan. "Let's just get away from this place. Can you help me bring your sister while I support you walk? It must be painful but—"
"Tenten is as light as feather for me. Don't worry, Okaa-san." Chichi helped him up while Gohan gathered Tenten with his right arm. They hadn't even walk a step when both Chichi and Gohan's bodies tensed with an alarming feeling from their back.
The only time Chichi sensed fear was the moment when Picollo 'kidnapped' Gohan, when Gohan embarked for Namek Planet, when her father died protecting her along with her child, and that very moment…
Chichi widened her eyes when she saw two figures floating in the air. Their ice-coloured eyes were sending chills throughout her bones. The way they were staring at the mess they made emphasised the pure psychotic souls inside them.
"Well, well… what do we have here?" #18 swept her blonde hair, playing with it as she shot her wicked smile towards them. "The Son little family—minus the father and the younger son."
"This is the first time I see Mrs. Son, or should I say Son's widow? Your husband was already dead after all. But don't worry, soon enough you will meet your husband and no longer a widow," #17 said.
"Shut the hell up!" Gohan spat. "Don't listen to them, Okaa-san! Go away from this place as far as you can!" Gohan pushed Tenten to Chichi but she only lowered her head and bit her bottom lip. "Okaa-san! We don't have much time!"
"He's right, Gohan… I don't have much time left."
"What are you talking about, Okaa-san?!" The colour in Gohan's face was gone the moment Chichi hovered her hand over her chest.
"I didn't mean to keep this from you two. But even if I survive today, I won't have long." Chichi forced a smile.
"I don't care how long! Even if it's a day or two, just stay with us! You can't do this to us, Okaa-san!" Tears started to stream from Gohan's eyes.
Chichi bit her bottom lip to suppress her emotion. With a gentle smile, she caressed Gohan and said, "I'm sorry, Son…"
"What a pitiful human… Weak, sick, and not even eternal," #18 said, followed with a sinister laugh that pushed Gohan to the limit that he turned into Super Saiyan and shot an energy ball towards her.
"Shut up, shut up! Shut up!"Gohan continuously launched attacks towards them out of his emotional state, but eventually stop when he was out of stamina and fell down to his knees. Chichi quickly came to his side to assist him, noticing the distress in his son's visage and regret her decision to blurt about the disease that had slowly devoured her.
"See… You humans are useless… You shouldn't even exist to begin with, the beings like you…" Both the androids were coming out from the billowing smokes, with a sickening smile that knew no mercy. "I guess this is it for all of you then."
Taking a deep breath, Chichi turned around, facing the androids with no hint of fear on her face. The fear that used to overwhelm her system was no longer there.
"Not my children… Not in front of me…" she said, full of determination. The androids were laughing at her as if she just pulled a comedic line, but it didn't wave her state. She knew that they could no longer escape from the androids' grasp but deep within, she still wished for a power to protect her children, especially when Gohan was no longer in the state to fight.
"Then just die, woman… You and your cockroach family…" #17 pointed his hand towards them. "Any last word?"
Chichi turned her head towards her children, smiling lovingly at them. "Gohan, Tenten… There's nothing in this world…" Chichi inhaled deeply, "that can describe the joy and pride I have for three of you. I can't thank the sky enough for having you in my life…"
"Okaa-san!"
"I'm a daughter, a wife, and a mother of Earth defenders…" Chichi knelt down in front of Gohan, caressing his cheek. "If I can choose my way to die, I want to protect my children until my last breath…"
"Okaa-san… Please d-don't…" Gohan croaked his voice.
"Take good care of your sister, Gohan. I love you both…" The moment #17 launched his attack, Chichi covered her children with her body. Her fate was coming towards her at the speed of light. It was painful for a moment. Suddenly the noises were gone.
The events of her life flashed before her. The silly moment when she met her husband for the first time, when she demanded him to keep his promise to marry her, which he did after he beat her in the tournament. The moment when she had her children, cradling them in her arms.
She had no regrets living her life being able to love and to be loved…
"I'm coming to you now, Goku-sa…" she whispered.
Something warm enveloped her, as if it was there all the time to welcome her. Opening her eyes slowly, the tears she had been holding was flowing free when she saw the person she had longed for a long time. Chichi smiled as she buried her face on the strong chest she used to sleep on during the hardest days, even more when she inhaled his earthy scent.
She was glad to be back to where she was belonged to…
Though she was unconscious at the time, Tenten heard everything her mother said. Trunks was the one who saved them when the androids were gone. Her mother was smiling contently while holding both her and her brother. It was hard to tell why they could come out unscathed in their mother's hold…
As if there was another force that protected them.
Later, both she and her brother found out that her mother had terminal stage breast cancer from her doctor and only had a few months left. She had been in pain and they didn't know at all.
She had no regret dying the way she wanted.
"Okaa-san…" she whispered as she knelt and dipped her hand into the lake. The water was cold but the sensation soothed her heart just like her mother's voice.
"I remember your mother always told us 'The Tales of Dragon's Pearl' whenever I spent the night in your house." The voice startled her that she lost her balance and almost fell to the lake, if not because the owner of the voice held her back. "Whoopsie! That was close…"
"T-Trunks?! W-when did you—"
"Gohan-san had told us many times to never let our guard down, hadn't he?" Trunks mockingly smiled at her as he settled down beside her. "That's dangerous, Tenten. What if it's the androids, not me?"
"I'd sense that, obviously!" She pouted. "Anyway, w-what are you doing here?"
"It's been two hours since you left and my mother kept asking for you every fifteen minutes, so I tracked you down and watching you standing like a rock for an hour."
"I-it's been that long since I left?" She widened her eyes when he responded with a nod. "I'm sorry… I must've lost the track of time… And it's when we're supposed to look for your grandfather's notes."
"It's okay…" There was a hint of disappointment in his visage. "I've looked and found it. But…" He took out a stack of burnt documents from his jacket. Tenten took them and lost for words because anything written in it had been devoured by the burn. "It's all that left."
"And your mother…"
"I told her I haven't found it." He sighed. "I didn't have the heart to tell this to her. I guess… it's better to let her believe that we will find it one day. It's the only thing she believed she still has from my grandfather."
"Is it okay to give her… false hope?"
"It's not false hope if we can ask my grandfather for a copy when we go back to the past. Don't you think?" He smirked, earning him a chuckle from her.
"You're right. We can do that." She wrung her fingers together while looking at the lake.
"I wonder if the Dragon's pearl in your mother's story is the dragon balls," Trunks muttered.
"I've asked her the same thing myself but…" Tenten shook her head. "Dragon balls were purely from the Namekian. I question the authenticity of the story though," she said.
"Even though your family has been guarding the lake for years?" Trunks asked in disbelief.
"Yeah. A human turns into a dragon? Seriously?" She chuckled. "I still love the story though. The most realistic thing about the story is the mother's love. A mother—they never afraid of anything when it comes to their children. Not even death stopped them… Not even death…" She took a deep breath, recalling her mother's last word along with her unconditional sacrifice. Noticing a hint of sadness in her tone, Trunks put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her into him. Tenten responded to his gesture by circling her arms around his waist.
"Chichi-san was the bravest woman I've ever known. It's a no wonder she managed to raise three of you," he whispered while putting his lips on her forehead.
Tenten playfully jabbed his rib. "What is that supposed to mean?"
"An ordinary woman raising three demi-Saiyans? Children who are stronger than her? Who else can do that?"
"Bulma-san did too," she answered with a chuckle, then burst in laughter when Trunks snorted in realisation. "They also have to face super-strong husbands and still manage to make them bend their knees." They laughed even louder.
"You're right. If it weren't because my mother planting the importance of hope within me, I won't know how to survive these days. I've caused her a lot of troubles."
"Indeed, you are. You're such a headache," Tenten mercilessly answered while pinching his cheek.
"Hwey… Daft hut! (Hey… That's hurt!)" Trunks retaliated by tickling her side and held both of her arms when she let go of him. However, the sudden move startled her and she lost her balance. Trunks, who tried to catch her missing his step and both of them fell to the lake.
"So... two demi-Saiyan teenagers who are physically strong, have the ability to fly, are catching colds because they were playing around the lake and fell." Bulma sighed while glaring at Trunks and Tenten, who were covered in blanket, endlessly coughing and sneezing. "I guess cold doesn't discriminate then. Why can't you just go home and change your clothes?"
"It's my fault, Kaa-san. I asked Tenten why not catching some fishes for dinner since we're already wet. We didn't know it's going to be so windy before sunset." He was lying on the couch in the resting area in the lab while Tenten was on the bed because Bulma told them to stay there so she could watch over them while doing her work.
"I'b sowee, Uma-sang… (I'm sorry, Bulma-san…)" Tenten sneezed again. "Wut wong wowee ahou hus. Hi han hoog hu shun houp. (But don't worry about us. I can cook us some soup."
"You can't even speak properly, Tenten. Just rest and take your medicine, okay?" Bulma touched her forehead with hers. "Gosh, this is really bad." The contact reminded Tenten of her mother, who would make her a herbal medicine that magically cured her cold the very next day. She knew how to make one but she didn't want to burden Bulma more than she already did. "I'll cook you your mother's special—the apple soup with the fish you caught, okay?" Bulma winked at her.
"No teriyaki?" Trunks innocently asked.
"I won't give you dinner if it weren't because you're sick too."
The memory affected her deeper when Bulma decided to cook her the comfort food her mother always made for her when she felt unwell. Suddenly, she felt a hand on hers, caressing her knuckle.
"Sorry, I make you sick." He touched her forehead with his. "Wow, Kaa-san wasn't kidding when she said it's really bad."
"Ish thak hu yu, aho. (It's thanks to you, arsehole)," she curtly replied.
"Hey, I said sorry, okay? Why don't you just sleep? Maybe you'd feel much better after that." He kissed her forehead. "I'll wake you up when the dinner is ready. Get well soon, my lady."
"Het ham hest tu, Higer (Get some rest too, Tiger)," she replied with a smile. It didn't take long until the two drifted into a deep sleep.
"…ten."
Her eyes fluttered open, seeing a figure just beside her bed.
"Here, drink this before going back to sleep. It'll make you feel better."
It took all of her effort to get up and hold the medicine pot offered to her. She took a sip of the warm drink, then more. The slight minty taste in the drink soothed her throat and nose, enabling her to taste the aromatic honey that slowly comforted her body. Her sight was pretty hazy and her eyelids were heavy so she did everything with eyes half-closed.
"You too, Trunks. Drink this." She heard a rustle beside her as Trunks took the medicine offered to him, finished it in a second before going back to sleep.
"Thank you, Bulma-san," she whispered before going back to her pillow. "I'm sorry for all the trouble."
"You're not a trouble at all, Sweetie…" A smile crept on her face at the warm touch on her cheek. She could smell the scent of fresh lotus from the hand, the scent that reminded her so much of her mother.
"I miss you so much, Okaa-san…" Tenten muttered as her relaxing eyes brought her away from the real world.
"Get well soon, my little bird…"
AN: I hope I didn't make Chichi OOC from how she supposed to be. She should be a lively, nagging, and talkative mother but considering the situation she was living in, I made her more resilient and stronger for her children.
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