Author's note: Hey, guys, thanks for the reads, & the reviews. I love getting those alerts. Please feel free to keep them coming, & let me know your thoughts as the story progresses.

Chapter 34

Capsule Corp

All throughout their compound, scientists and engineers worked towards making Dr. Brief's latest idea a reality. Had they created a space craft before? Yes. Was this one pushing the envelope further? Absolutely yes. However, fueled by large amounts of coffee, and the results of one of Dr. Brief's latest experiments, they knew they would get it done, or at least get further than any other team would be able to.

As wrenches were turned and panels were shaped, Dr. Brief flipped the last light switch in their housing block. Easily finding his way through the dark he sat on his and his wife's marital bed. He let his bunny slippers slip from his feet, spun, and lay next to his wife. With the swing of an arm she flung several blankets over her husband, and nuzzled up under his arm, wresting her head on his shoulder.

"Tell me we're going to find her." Panchy side.

"We are going to find her." Dr. Brief responded immediately. "Dragon balls or no, Saiyans or no, help or no, we, will, find her."

"Thank you." Panchy looked up towards her husband, kissed his chin, and inhaled his scent. "What do you think she's doing right now?"

"If I know our daughter, and I do." He kissed the top of his wife's head. "She's either inventing, plotting an escape, or refusing to sleep."

"What do you think she's inventing?" Panchy asked.

"I have absolutely no idea." Dr. Brief responded. "You know, if it wasn't for her, we probably wouldn't be here right now."

"In what way?" Panchy asked. "Like, in Capsule Corp, or..."

"No." Dr. Brief smiled down at his wife. "If it weren't for Bulma, we probably wouldn't be alive." He hugged his wife closer. "Remember when she first made the dragon radar?"

"Yeah, but we weren't wished back." Panchy rolled further onto her husband, turning her head to face him in the darkness. "If you could make a wish, any wish, what would it be?"

"For Bulma to be back." Dr. Brief said immediately. "But that's not what I meant. I meant, if she didn't make the dragon radar, she wouldn't have met Goku. If she hadn't met Goku, who knows if Goku would have ever found his way to Roshi, to training, to becoming stronger. If he wasn't as strong as he was, when his brother came to Earth, or when the other Saiyans came to Earth if he somehow fended off Raditz, well, we wouldn't be here having this conversation right now."

"Bulma." Panchy said. "If it weren't for her, the world would be destroyed. Earth's unsung hero." She closed her eyes.

"Maybe not even that late." Dr. Brief said. "What about the Red Ribbon Army?"

"You're right." Panchy nodded, accidentally digging her chin into her husband's sternum. "If she hadn't gotten Goku off that mountain, then who would have stopped the Red Ribbon Army?"

"Even worse." Dr. Brief said. "Worse than if they took over the world. Imagine if they got their hands on the dragon balls? We know they had their own, less sophisticated and less functional dragon radar. If I recall correctly,m they actually had several of the dragon balls in their custody at one point."

"We know what Vegeta would have wished for if he could, and Frieza too. What do you think the Red Ribbon Army would have wished for?" Panchy grimaced.

"Well, we know how short their commander was. So, my guess? For it to be more socially acceptable for men to wear heals." He chuckled. "Krillen probably would have appreciated it, actually."

"You're not exactly Mr. Tall." Panchy rubbed her nose against her husbands.

"I'm not exactly Mr. Tiny either." He nosed her back and she chuckled. "Hey, stop laughing, it's cold in here, and, and I just took a shower."

"Krillen." Panchy smiled. "I wonder if Bulma could invent a nose for him? Maybe make it so he could actually breath and smell through it, and, oh, shoot lasers. That would be cool."

"Nose lasers?" Dr. Brief asked. "I suppose rhinoplasty is an option, for the cosmetic side, but giving scent to someone who was born without a nose. Hmm." He cupped his chin, brushing his fingers against his wife while doing so. "As long as the neural pathways are established, I don't see why it couldn't be done, but, I don't know if that area of his brain would develop if he never had a need for it. For that matter, I wonder if he can taste?"

"I hope so." Panchy smiled. "Or I've wasted a lot of time cooking for him."

"Even if he couldn't have tasted all the wonderful food you've prepared for him over the years, you wouldn't have put any less effort into it." Dr. Brief kissed his wife's forehead.

"Yeah, you're right." Panchy rolled away from her husband, staying between his arm and himself, cuddling into his limb. "I wonder what Bulma is eating."

"I hear space duck is quite delicious." He chuckled. "Although, if she's in space Australia..."

"Andromeda." Panchy corrected.

"If she's in Andromeda." Dr. Brief gave in. "Then maybe space kangaroo?"

Panchy imaged a mamma hopping around one of Saturn's rings, Joey in its pouch. Both would wear fish bowls, and have moon boots on. She laughed at the thought, and a tear slid down her cheek. "If it wasn't the Red Ribbon Army, then Piccolo, the bad one, would have taken over the world."

"Well, no." Dr. Brief said, turning to face his wife's back. "The people who released him would have been successful far before the Red Ribbon Army, and before Piccolo."

"Can we really give Bulma credit for that stuff though? Goku's the one that stopped everyone." Panchy wiped her face on her husbands pajama sleeve.

"Not entirely." Dr. Brief wiped his arm on Panchy's pillow. "But she did play an important role. She set everything into motion, and if she hadn't made the dragon radar, hadn't set out like her sister, hadn't believed in a magical wish granting dragon, the world wouldn't be here today."

"I disagree." Panchy said. "Things may not be exactly how they are today, but we'd still be here, Bulma would still be here, and, and humanity would have survived, and Bulma would have been even more important than she is already."

"If Goku hadn't stopped that first guy wanting to take over the world, the Red Ribbon Army, and Piccolo, who would have? Or do you think those things wouldn't have happened if Bulma didn't invent the dragon radar?"

"If Bulma hadn't invented the dragon radar." Panchy drew out the last syllable. "Hmmm." She rolled over her husband's arm, to her side of the bed, and sat up, crossing her legs, facing her partner. In response Dr. Brief propped himself up on one elbow. "She made that arm for her friend, Tien. She could have made something similar to fight off Pilaf, to arm the government against the Red Ribbon Army, or to take out Piccolo."

"While I have absolutely no doubt she would be more than capable enough." Dr. Brief nodded. "I don't know where the idea would come from. Through her friends she's been able to learn about ki, and she was able to use Dr. Gero's plans to base her design on. So, could she do it? Yes, but, the idea of it would be, hmm, quite out there?" He cupped his chin again in his free hand. "It would be like going from weight lifting, to gravity training. Is it better? Yes, by far, but without the right inspiration, it just wouldn't have happened."

"So, like going from a horse and buggy to a plane? Or from paintings to virtual reality?" Panchy crossed her arms, a smug look across her face.

"Yes, ex, act, ly." Dr. Brief chuckled. "I guess you got me there."

"I don't know what form her solution would have taken." Panchy leaned towards her husband. "But Bulma, or you, would have come up with something, somehow, to save us, and the rest of the world. I know that, for a fact."

"You know, if she hadn't invented the dragon radar." He frowned slightly. "She never would have met Yamcha."

Panchy smiled and laid back on her side of the bed, turning her back to her husband. He mirrored her action, and scooted his back against hers. "Yamcha." She said. "Such a nice young man."

Dr. Brief's frown deepened.

"You still don't like him?" Panchy moved her arm behind her back, reaching under Dr. Brief's shirt, just wanting to feel his skin.

"I don't think he's right for her." Dr. Brief said. "He's, he's."

"He's what, honey?" She scratched his back with her nails.

"He's." Dr. Brief chewed his lip. Yamcha was the opposite of Bulma in nearly every way, but he and Panchy were proof that didn't matter. But, where they complemented each other, Yamcha didn't seem to bring anything to the table. Bulma was brilliant, Yamcha was, did he even have a formal education? Bulma was fierce, Yamcha was, he said a wolf, but more of a puppy. Bulma was driven to change the world, Yamcha, Yamcha wanted to play in the sand and rob people to make a living. "He's, he's not enough for our daughter."

"Not enough for OUR daughter, or not enough for Bulma?" Panchy asked. "Bulma is her own woman. Just because he doesn't fit in our life, doesn't mean he doesn't fit in hers."

"Panchy." Dr. Brief reached back and grabbed his wife's hand. "You are the undisputed queen of culture. No one comes close to being as fine of a hostess as yourself. Me? I'll microwave some nachos or maybe bake a pizza, offer some beers, and talk for hours about my latest project. I am not good in those situations, not like you, and having you in my life greatly improves my life." He squeezed her hand. "I could provide the kids with the best education money could buy, but you could actually motivate them to learn. Does Bulma take after me? Yes, but without you, she wouldn't be third the woman she is today. Again, I have a weakness, and that weakness is your strength."

"I also can get things off the top shelf for you." She wiggled closer to him.

"You're right, you also hide the things I shouldn't eat on the top shelf." He wiggled back. "Yamcha though, I don't see how he improves Bulma's life. What weakness of hers does he compensate for?"

Panchy closed her eyes and squeezed her husband's hand. "Let me think." With her free arm she pulled a pillow down to rest in front of her, and leaned into it slightly. "What weakness..."

"Yeah." Dr. Brief said. "Chi-Chi is driven, and because of her Gohan will be well educated. Goku is a force of nature, and because of him Gohan will be one as well. If either one of them weren't involved in his upbringing, Gohan, well, he wouldn't be himself. What about Bulma and Yamcha? We know what Bulma brings to the table, but what influence will he have on our future grand children?"

"For being a genius, you're missing a pretty big hole in your logic." Panchy whacked her butt into Dr. Brief's, and he scooted towards his side of the bed. Panchy followed close behind.

"What's that, Panchy?" Dr. Brief looked over his shoulder.

"You asked what weakness of Bulma's does Yamcha help her with. You made an assumption there, come on, you're smart, you can figure this out." Panchy chuckled as another tear ran down her face.

"Hmmm." Dr. Brief whacked his wife back, but she didn't budge, instead choosing to come even closer. "I guess, maybe not all couples need to be as different as you and I? I'm trying to think of an example of another couple who's halves are a lot more similar."

"That's not it." Panchy rolled onto her back, not breaking contact with her husband. She got one arm under his neck, and another around his shoulders. She threw her leg over him as well, and his jet pack was equipped.

"What assumption did I make?" Dr. Brief looked back at his wife, and she gave him a peck on the nose.

"You said that Yamcha doesn't have strengths matching Bulma's weaknesses. Tell me, husband, what weaknesses does our daughter have?" She gave him a second kiss on the nose.

He turned away from her again. "Hmmm. That's a good question." Dr. Brief rubbed his cheek onto his wife's arm. "That's also a good point. Logically speaking, everyone has flaws, she's not Kami after all."

"Even Kami has flaws." Panchy said.

"It's a figure of speech … one that doesn't really apply when your daughter is friends with God." Dr. Brief chuckled. "For being a boring old scientist, and a social butterfly, our daughter has turned out surprisingly abnormal."

"Abnormal? Just because her best friend is an alien, she's summoned a wish granting dragon, met God, met God's evil twin … she's not only been to space, but helped create the craft that got her to another planet … how, how is she abnormal? Those all sound like perfectly normal things to me." Panchy chuckled.

"Her boyfriend also is best friends with a talking, flying, shape changing, cat." Dr. Brief said. "As is customary, of course." He chuckled too. "Oh, and the first human prisoner of an alien tyrant."

"Why couldn't our life be normal?" Panchy asked.

"Life could be normal, but how boring would that be?" Dr. Brief asked. "Wake up, go to work, come home, eat dinner, go to bed, and repeat? We could have hobbies, you'd be a cook, I'd tinker. Bulma? She'd probably be a tutor …"

"Boring." Panchy said. "But safe."

"As we discussed earlier, Panchy, if Bulma wasn't Bulma, the world wouldn't be here, or at least how we know it today. If we were normal parents, if Bulma was a normal girl, then who would have stopped Pilaf?" Dr. Brief rotated to face his wife.

"Why is this all happening now?" Panchy asked. "I mean, over the last few decades, how many people have tried to take over or destroy the Earth? What happened to cause all of this?" She scooted down the bed and let her husband hold her close.

"Now you're making assumptions." Dr. Brief said. "Just because we know about these things now, doesn't mean they just started happening now. I mean, someone had to seal Piccolo away, before Pilaf could release him, right?" He nuzzled Panchy's head.

"So, if we were a normal couple, and Bulma was a normal girl, then, then someone else would have stepped up, and saved the day. Just like it's always been in the past." Panchy nuzzled back.

"We don't know that." Dr. Brief said. "We know how many people stood up to the Red Ribbon Army, and how many of them died. Who's to say countless others haven't died facing other world ending threats? Maybe, maybe each generation there's only a few people, a few unfortunate people, who are cursed with power. Who's to say if those people don't submit to the curse, the world would survive?" The first tear that night fell from his cheek. "While we can hope that others would have, or could have ,stepped up to fill Bulma's massive shoes, we can't know that. And, if they did step up, we couldn't know they were successful."

"Curse?" Panchy asked.

"Being able to help those you love is definitely a blessing." Dr. Brief said. "But, not having a choice in the matter? Having the obligation? Knowing that if you fail, everyone suffers, and, and it's because you failed? Yeah, I'd call that a curse."

"You're right." Panchy said. "I'm getting tired."

"Let's go to sleep." Dr. Brief said. "I have a lot of work ahead of me.

"Good night, Dr. Brief, I love you." Panchy said as she stretched herself out.

"Good night, Panchy, I love you too." Dr. Brief followed her lead. "Hey, one more question."

"What's that?" Panchy asked.

"Why do you never call me by my first name?" Dr. Brief looked over his shoulder.

"No idea, honey. Hey, I have a question too." Panchy chuckled as she let herself melt into her side of the bed.

"What's that?" Dr. Brief asked.

"How do you think Tights is doing?" She tried to look towards her husband, but the bed was too comfortable, and she decided it wasn't worth the energy.

"Good night, Panchy." Dr. Brief stretched and relaxed into his side of the bed.

Mount Paozu

Chi-Chi drew the black out curtains closed in Gohan's room. While the room hadn't been used since the boy left for space, it had been inspected and cleaned at least every other day in his absence. Only a few minor changes had been made. The braille book he had been reading had a bookmark placed between its pages, and it was closed. His bed was previously made, but Chi-Chi stripped it and changed the sheets regularly. The small wall mounted clock had been replaced with a talking clock on his nightstand. Aside from that though, it was exactly how he had left it.

"Good night, Moon. Good night, Stars. Good night, Little Angel." Chi-Chi kissed her son on the forehead, and pulled up a thick blanket, followed by a down comforter, and finally a quilt.

"Good night, Mom." Gohan responded, not closing his eyes.

The pair stayed still for several moments, looking into the other's eyes, memorizing the other's face, and enjoying the other's company. Gohan was the first to break the silence.

"I'm not really tired, yet." He said.

Chi-Chi frowned slightly, before quickly wiping it off her face. "How late did you stay up in space?"

"I don't think it works like that." Gohan smiled. "When we left Earth we tried to keep to a 24 hour sleep cycle, but we were having issues. Eventually we slept when we were tired, ate when we were hungry, and trained, or studied, the rest of the time."

Chi-Chi didn't exactly think her son was being truthful with her when it came to studying, but at this point, that didn't really matter. "How about after Namek?" She reached behind her back and spun Gohan's desk chair around before pulling it close and taking a seat.

"After leaving Namek, and Yardrat, the ship kept us asleep. When we landed, that was like our morning. On Yardrat we slept all night though, most nights." Gohan turned onto his side, and pulled one of his extra pillows down under his sheets. He threw a leg over it, and hugged it.

Chi-Chi couldn't help but smile at her son. He didn't really care for stuffed animals, but he still wanted to be cuddled. "Yardrat? What was that like?" She looked at the edge of the bed, trying to judge how much room was there for her to sit on.

"Yardrat?" Gohan asked while yawning. "It was nice. The people there, Yardratians, were strange looking."

"That's not very nice." Chi-Chi interrupted. "It's not like you to judge people based on their looks."

"Mom, our king is a dog, I was trained by Piccolo, and turn into a giant ape during the full moon." Gohan responded. "I'm not going to judge someone based on what they look like. I was just saying that they're a little hard to describe. Shorter than humans, but they still have two arms and two legs. They've got big round heads, big eyes, and things on their head like Namekian's, like Piccolo."

"And what were they like?" Chi-Chi asked.

"Most of them were really nice." Gohan said. "One of them taught Dad and I this really useful technique." He touched two fingers to his forehead. "It's called Instant Transmission. We can use it to instantly transmit ourselves to anyone that we can sense, and we can even bring people or things around us with us."

"Really?" Chi-Chi asked. She bit her tongue. Instinctively she let her voice carry the tone of an uninterested parent. She used the same tone she would have used if Gohan had been telling her about a dream he had in which he could fly, except, this was her boy, and he could fly, and, and apparently teleport. "Wow." She said, properly awed this time. "So, you can teleport from here, to the city, and back again?"

"Well, if you want to go somewhere particular, you need to know what to feel for. Otherwise, you'll just end up somewhere around the group of energies you're using as a guide. I think I used it during my fight with Cooler, I don't know where I transmitted to, but I hope the stuff I brought with me didn't cause anyone any trouble … but if no one was home, I wouldn't be able to come back using the technique." Gohan scooted away from his mother, until his butt hit the wall that his bed was pressed up against.

Chi-Chi took the invitation, and sat on the edge of Gohan's bed. "Cooler." She said. "That was the one you fought today, right?"

"Yeah." Gohan said. "Frieza was on Namek, his older brother was here on Earth." He fought back another yawn.

"Would you rather not talk about them?" Chi-Chi asked. She'd rather forget he ever was in danger, that he was ever hurt, but again, that didn't matter right now. She could hope that he'd like to change subject, but, but if he wanted to discuss it, it was her job, as his mother, to listen.

"I don't know what there is to discuss." Gohan said, averting his gaze.

"Anything." Chi-Chi said. "If you'd like to discuss Frieza or Cooler, we could discuss how you felt around them, we could discuss how the fights made you feel, or we could discuss how weird their names are."

"Hey!" Gohan said. "I just said the Yardratians looked strange, and now you're saying Frieza and Cooler have weird names?" He looked back up at his mom and chuckled.

"Their evil." Chi-Chi said. "They hurt my family, and they hurt me. I, I'm mad at them, and while it's not right to be mean towards people you're mad at, I think there is an exception for people who are actively trying to, hurt, those who I care about."

"Their father is King Cold." Gohan chuckled. "I think they may have been named after their hearts."

Chi-Chi chuckled as well. "I shouldn't encourage this, or model it, but, but that was cold." She smirked.

"Speaking of weird names, have you met Turles yet? He was at Capsule Corp with us, but we didn't really talk much ..." Gohan's mind flickered to his father, and he looked down once more.

"Yes." Chi-Chi smiled. "He is a very, nice, man. Ever since the wish was made he's been keeping the world safe from the other Saiyans. He had a lot of good things to say about you. How did you meet him?"

"He hasn't told you?" Gohan asked, genuinely surprised.

"He did." Chi-Chi admitted. "I'd like to hear it from you though." She let her slippers fall to the floor and set her feet on Gohan's bed. Leaning onto her elbow, she made herself more comfortable.

"Well, on our way to Namek we heard a distress signal..." Gohan briefly recapped their arrival on the planet being attacked by the Tree of Might. "We fought these people called the Crusher Crew, or something like that."

"Another silly name." Chi-Chi smiled.

"Remind me to tell you about the Ginyu Force." Gohan smiled. "Well, remember to ask Turles about them. Their name isn't that silly, but I'm told they were over the top." He continued to walk his mother through the gathering of fruit, and their acceptance of Turles onto their ship.

When Gohan finished his story Chi-Chi took a moment to absorb the information. She already knew Goku's relation to the Saiyan, but being reminded of just how they met still boggled her mind. She brushed a hair out of her sons face, he needed a hair cut. "What was Namek like?"

"Blue grass, green sky, three sons, and lots of Namekians." Gohan smiled. "If it wasn't for Frieza, it would have actually been really nice. We met the father of all living Namekians. His name was Guru, Grand Elder Guru."

"Was Guru his name, or a title?" Chi-Chi asked. "A guru is, hmm, a person who is very knowledgeable and wise in spiritual things."

"Like Kami?" Gohan asked.

"Yes, like Kami." She knew her son was a quick study.

"I think it was his name, but, he was really old. Maybe his name became the word here on Earth? Is that possible?" Gohan chewed his lip. "Actually, now that I think about it, how did the Saiyans know our language when they came to Earth? And the Yardratians spoke it too, and Frieza ..."

"It's possible." Chi-Chi tilted her head. "Did you meet anyone that spoke another language?"

"Uh..." Gohan raised a closed fist to his mouth, pressing his forefinger against his sealed lips. "Well, the Namekians had their own language, in addition to ours, and, so did the Yardratians, actually. So ..."

"So that's, odd." Chi-Chi said.

"Mom?" Gohan looked up towards her. The room was dark, but her energy was shining faintly in his senses. He couldn't see her, but her ki had a familiar figure.

"Yes, Gohan?" Chi-Chi encouraged her son.

"Am I in trouble? I didn't mean to upset you earlier." Gohan closed his eyes, smothering a tear.

"Not at all, baby." She reached down and kissed his forehead. "I am so, so happy that you're home. My heart is singing. I, I'm trying not to cry, tears of joy. I thought I would never see you again, and, I am upset, but not because of you." She wiped away a tear. "I know I can be a little, over the top? Sometimes. I know I have gotten mad at you before. But, Gohan, there is absolutely nothing you could do that would upset me, not in a way that matters. And, and no, you're not in trouble. I don't want you to leave this house for, until you're married, but you're not grounded, you're not being punished, that's, that's just me, my fear of losing you. It's my problem to deal with my emotions, not your concern, nothing you need to burden yourself with, Love."

"I'm sorry I didn't come home." Gohan shuffled the pillow he was cuddling down, and wrapped his arms around his mother. She returned the hug.

"Gohan, you did come home. You're here, you're home. You're, you're here, with me." She kissed his forehead again, and she stopped fighting her tears. They ran down her face freely, showering her son.

"I'm sorry I didn't come home sooner. I'm sorry you worried." Gohan joined his mother, showering his pillows.

"No, Honey, no." She replied. "It wasn't your choice, it wasn't your fault." She pulled back from the hug, not seeing her boy in the darkness, but instinctively knowing where his eyes were, and holding their gaze. "You did nothing wrong, and don't ever let anyone tell you otherwise. You, Gohan, did nothing, wrong." She pulled her boy back into her arms.

"It was Dad's idea." Gohan admitted. "But I agreed to it." He tightened his grip, not wanting his mother to pull away again. "I was scared, I, I didn't want to hurt you, I didn't want to hurt anyone." His tears soaked into her top. "I agreed to stay in space. I, I could have come home, I could have told Dad no. It was my fault."

Chi-Chi couldn't hold back a sob from escaping when her boy tried to take his father's responsibility on himself. "No, Gohan, it wasn't. You did the best you could, with the information you had. You didn't know any better, and you can't hold your past self to that level of expectation. It's not your fault. Please, please don't blame your past self, please. You, you are so, so important, to me, to your family and friends, and, and you beat Frieza. You, you saved everyone, but, but you're still a boy, a child, someone who looked up to his father for guidance. Could you have come home? Probably. But, that wasn't your responsibility. No child should have that much responsibility on their shoulders, and you are so, so much more than a child, I know that, but you're still a child, my child, Goku's child."

Gohan wiped his nose, and moments later it required the same again. "What's going to happen now, Mom?"

"Now?" Chi-Chi asked. "You are going to grow up to be a strong, kind, smart, important, man. Your father and I, we're not perfect, and I'm sorry that illusion was broken for you. We have strengths, and we have weaknesses." She shook her head. "Goku and I, we have our own strengths, and we have our own weaknesses. You, you're the combination of the best parts of us."

Gohan took several shaky breaths.

"You are now, and will always be, my little boy." She hugged him tight. "But, you're not perfect. No one is. Don't, please don't hold yourself to that expectation. Not now, not in the past, and not moving forward. Now, you're going to grow up, you're going to do the best you can, in whatever you decide to do."

"What about Dad?" Gohan asked.

"Your dad, he." Chi-Chi bit back another sob. "He's strong. He's independent. He'll be fine."

"What, what about us?" Gohan reopened his eyes. "Us, the three of us."

"Gohan." Chi-Chi set her jaw. This wasn't a line of thought she wanted to follow, but for her son, she had to. "Your father did something that, that really hurt me. I, I love him, with all my heart. I love you, with all my heart. But, he, he hurt me, and I don't know how long it will be before I can forgive him, or if I can. I'm sorry."

Gohan pulled one of his arms free and summoned a small ball of ki. The green light illuminated his room. It's odd placement low to the bed cast unusual shadows across his and his mother's faces. "We're not perfect, Mom. He made a mistake. How can you hold him to the same standards you're telling me not to hold myself, or you, or him, to?"

Chi-Chi looked at the energy for a moment, and back at her boy. "Gohan." She adjusted her grip to maintain a two armed hug on him. "I have strengths, I have weaknesses. I, I'm not strong enough to forgive him, not yet. Hopefully, hopefully some day, but, but I just can't yet. You are the best parts of your father and I, and, and I hope you are more capable of forgiveness than I am."

"Piccolo took me, trained me, too. Before the Saiyans came to Earth. Nappa and Vegeta. How can you forgive him, but, but not Dad?" Gohan's ki flickered, the ball of ki lightened for a moment, before fading back to the soft glow.

"Honey, it's not that I have forgiven Piccolo, but, but I accepted it from him, I should have expected it from him." Chi-Chi sat back and wiped her eye again. Looking down, her top was soaked in tears, and spotted with snot. "Piccolo wasn't a nice person. He, he was a bad guy, and your father protected the world from his, and him. I wasn't surprised at all that he would do something as horrible as take you from me." She took a deep breath. "Your father and I share something, something that only the two of us could ever have, and that is you. We put our hearts and souls into you, and I trusted him, completely, with you. When he took you from me, even if it was for my own protection, he betrayed that trust, and, trust is not something that is easily repaired."

Gohan let the energy fade from his hand, closed his fist, and laid down on his back. "I, I think I understand." He said. "It's not that I was away for so long, it's that you trusted him not to do something like that, right? It, it's not really about me?"

"That, that's right, Honey." Chi-Chi swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood up. "It's, it's not that you were gone. Trust me, that hurts, hurts so much, but, it's that he broke my trust in him."

"So, if I was kidnapped by the Ginyu Force, or Frieza, or Raditz, or ..."

"I get the point, lots of people want to kidnap you."

"And Dad couldn't stop it, would that have broken your trust, because you trust the he is strong?"Gohan asked.

"No, not at all." Chi-Chi said. "I, I may have been mad at him, but I would know he did the best that he could have, and that he wouldn't stop until he got you back home safely."

"Why would you be mad at him?" Gohan asked.

Chi-Chi tucked him back in and walked to the door before responding. "It's a weakness of mine, one that I'm glad you don't have. I have trouble being mad at a situation, or at something or someone out of my control. So, instead of being properly directed, that anger gets pointed towards somewhere wrong, and in that situation, I think it would be Goku."

Gohan rolled over and pulled his pillow back up to be cuddled. "Do you think you'll let him home?"

Chi-Chi opened the door and stepped out. Turning back to the bedroom one last time before closing it, she responded. "I hope so, but, I don't know if I can. Good night, Gohan, I love you."

"Good night, Mom, I love you too."

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