Disclaimer: I don't own Dragon Ball Z or any of the characters. Every single character belongs to Toei Animation and Akira Toriyama except for the OCs. The plot of the story also belongs to me.
Chapter 6
It was a bright, sunny morning. Birds were chirping and wild animals were roaming free in the woods minding their business. Despite how bright everything seemed to be, the same couldn't be said for two half Saiyans. It was the weekend so it wasn't necessary for Gohan to go to school unless something important required his attention. Even though his mother kept telling him to stay in the house and study, he didn't want to do that since there were other things on his mind.
Chichi was oblivious to the fact that he had gone to see his father on Kami's Lookout yesterday. He hadn't yet told Goten about the results of this particular meeting. When the Saiyan hybrid arrived home last night, his mother had asked him where he was as she was staring at him with so much anger. If looks could kill, he would have been dead on the spot.
He simply told her a lie that he had some catching up to do with Videl, not wanting her to find out that he had actually gone to meet up with their father after classes were over to discuss the upcoming divorce and custody hearing.
When Gohan inquired about his brother's whereabouts when there was no sign of him anywhere, all he got for a response is that Goten was in his room finishing up on some homework. But... there was a sinking feeling in his chest that his so called mother knew more than she was telling. When he finished doing all his homework, he wanted to check up on his little brother but didn't do so in case he was asleep.
Flashback
Gohan had just dropped down onto the ground after flying back home safely from Kami's Lookout, a smile on his face. His father had a strong resolve and that was to get custody of Goten. He was definitely going to give his brother the news, knowing he would be happy to hear that Goku was going to fight for him. He was determined to help his father in any way that he could to get custody of Goten and when they emerged from this battle victorious, he was going to move out too.
He no longer wanted to live with his mother as her actions thus far had saddened him but at the same time... it made him furious. He remembered when his brother was in tears when Chichi refused to let them see their father. The way she was treating Goten... it was horrible and disheartening. Those were the only words Gohan could use to describe his mother's actions.
Before he could even open the door, Chichi had already done that for him and she had a pissed off look on her face as she was glaring at her oldest son. He was supposed to come back right after school and it was late at night.
She folded her arms at her son and asked, "Where were you?"
"Hey Mom, sorry I'm late. I had some catching up to do with Videl. She said she needed help with her science homework so I decided to go over to her house and assist her. It took longer than I thought it would..." Gohan lied, hoping that his mother would believe him and allow him to enter the house.
He was well aware of what would happen if he told her the truth. She would go berserk mode as they were forbidden from visiting their father. It was completely unfair to both him and Goten.
The human woman gave a sigh before addressing her son once more.
"Fine. I'm letting it slide just this once, but it better not happen again. Do I make myself clear?" Chichi asked, trying to make her voice as intimidating as possible.
Though for some reason, he wasn't frightened by his mother's stare.
She stepped aside to give her older son room to enter and pointed towards the direction of the dining room where his food was waiting.
"There's dinner on the table. If you had come home earlier, it would have still been hot. I went through too much trouble to prepare it for you so I'm not gonna waste any fucking time heating it in the microwave. You can do that yourself if it's too cold. Eat everything, work on your assignments and go to bed!"
Gohan was angered by her attitude and was about to give a sharp retort but decided it wasn't worth it and chose not to talk back. Instead, he looked around the rest of the house and frowned when he noticed someone was missing.
"Where's Goten? I thought he would be here to welcome me."
"He's in his room. He just had dinner and he's sleeping after completing his homework." The human mother answered even though that was a complete lie. She couldn't afford to have her son find out what happened between them, at least not for a while.
Gohan could tell that his mother was lying but he didn't say anything. In fact, he could have sworn that he saw a slight smirk on her face when he asked about his brother's whereabouts. But why was that the case?
He simply went to the dining room to eat the dinner she had prepared for him.
For some reason, the "dinner" didn't look appetizing and when he took a bite, it tasted like crap. Some of the dishes were too salty and others were too bland. Not only that, but he could tell that his steak was overcooked and he could see it burnt on the edges. It was as if Chichi didn't make an effort to make the food as delicious as she usually did.
When his mother wasn't looking, he took the plates of food and dumped them in the garbage.
'I would rather starve to death than to eat the shit my mother prepared for me. She clearly didn't make an effort in her cooking and had the audacity to say that she went through so much trouble making it. If I knew she had crappy food sitting on the table, then I would have eaten something at the Lookout!'
He opened the refrigerator and took out a cold bottle of water. Much to his dismay, there wasn't any leftover food he could munch on. Only fresh food ingredients. He shut the door in disappointment and told his mother he was going upstairs to begin work. There were piles of homework assignments in his bookbag so he decided to start working on them and then maybe see Goten if it wasn't too late.
Gohan's eyelids started to feel heavy after he shut a textbook and put it away. He rose from his chair and started to prepare himself for bed, taking one glance towards the clock on his desk. It read; 11:50pm. As he was changing into his sleepwear, he momentarily thought about his little brother. 'It's strange that I didn't even see him at all. Should I go check up on him?' He shook his head. 'I think it's better if I wait until the morning. Goten must be asleep by now and I don't want to wake him up. I'm feeling sleepy so I might as well just hit the bed.'
He laid on the mattress and sleep overtook him instantly.
End of Flashback
Gohan buried his head in the pile of textbooks and other work materials on his wooden desk when he remembered the events from last night. There was no way he could focus on studying when all of this was just messing with his mind. His brother was sad and angry at all of this and it was painful to see him in that position. He had to think of something. He had to find evidence that his mother was unfit to take care of Goten.
There were two questions which came to mind, and they were both raising warning signs in his head. He was starting to realize that he was missing something and was trying hard to put his finger on it.
Why was she so cross with him last night when he came home?
Why was the supper so terrible?
It was now clear that she was even more bothersome than ever before and he didn't know how much more he could take from her until he exploded in absolute fury.
He didn't want to think about it anymore in order not to put himself in a foul mood before starting a brand new day. But all the unwanted thoughts kept on coming back to him.
Chichi had just left the house and told Gohan to take care of his brother, telling him that she'll be back in a couple of hours. She didn't say where she was going. Only that she wouldn't be back for a while, which meant that he and Goten had the house to themselves. It was much better that way so they could communicate more freely and not have to worry about her listening in on their conversations.
Before leaving, she had prepared a couple of cheese sandwiches, hot dogs and a strawberry cake for dessert which she specifically said were for him and NOT Goten. She even told him that there was some packets of instant ramen in the pantry if he felt like eating any. And there were some processed foods stored in the freezer so he could have that too if he wanted. His mother mentioned that she had given his brother some homework and ordered him to make sure he finished every pile of it or else he wasn't going to eat anything.
'She tells me not to feed him if he doesn't finish all his assignments? What a load of shit. I'll feed Goten today. I care about him and I would never leave him to starve!' He thought to himself, his hands balling into fists in anger at this horrible treatment.
Now that their mother was gone, he decided to go and see how Goten was doing. Before he set out for his brother's bedroom door however, the Saiyan hybrid could sense that Goten's energy level was dangerously weak. It was alarming to him because this meant that something had happened to his brother. But when? And how?
Gohan dashed out of his room, not caring that the sudden impact caused some of his books to fall on the ground. He was running through the halls of the house until Goten's bedroom door came into view.
'Please be alright.'
He stopped in front of the door and hesitated for a bit, trying to hear any sounds of the little boy doing homework or something else but he could only sense his weak ki signature. He knocked on the door a few times to see if there would be any reaction.
'Is it just me or is something smelling terrible in there?'
The alarmed brother then started banging on the door with his fists and after once again not receiving a response, he called out to him.
"Little Bro, are you okay!?"
He wasn't responding to him. This could only mean one thing.
A quick turn of the door handle revealed everything he needed to know. He had to take a step back at the gruesome sight before him since it was already making him sick to his stomach and he could barely hold back the bile that was rising up in his throat as a result. Terror flashed through his face as he was wondering what had happened here, and this was the last thing he was expecting to see upon his arrival.
Gohan had come all the way here from his room only to find his brother laying on the floor unconscious. Not only was he lying on the floor unresponsive, but there were also cuts and bruises all over his body. He was surrounded by a large pool of blood which had soon reached the door, but that was the least of his concerns. He took quick steps through the blood puddle and towards the little boy, his shoes causing footprints on the floor. He bent down and started to inspect his condition, running a hand through parts of his body to see just how bad it was.
"GOTEN!"
There was also a nasty purple bruise under Goten's left eye. His right arm was bent to the side, indicating that it was broken. His mouth was busted, it started swelling rapidly and more blood could be seen dripping from it. A closer examination revealed that a bloodied scar ran from the little boy's cheek and down to his chest. One good look at both of his legs told the teenager that they had been twisted very hard until they were dislocated completely. More wounds were hidden underneath his shirt. 'No way... what on earth is this!?'
After he finished inspecting, Gohan raised his hand which was now covered in his brother's blood. Drops of the red liquid were dripping from his fingertips and onto the ground. He didn't dare touch anything else in this room, knowing that he would just get it dirty.
The sight of his beloved sibling in this horrible condition made him so angry and he wanted to get to the bottom of this, but he knew that the only person who could reveal what happened was none other than Goten himself.
The older brother scooped up Goten's bloody body into his arms, not caring that his clothing was turning red. Saving his brother's life was more important to him than his stained clothes.
'I don't know what happened here, but I have to take him to Kami's Lookout so Dende can heal him quickly. His ki is diminishing rapidly!'
Before that however, Gohan fumbled around for his phone using his clean hand. Once he had a solid grip on it, he tapped on his camera app and snapped a few pictures of Goten's wounds while he used the other arm to hold his unconscious brother. He took clear photos of each and every one of his injuries from different angles and raised his shirt to capture some photos of his injuries underneath. He was going to show them to Bulma and the others later when a chance presented itself.
He rushed to the bedroom window and flew out quickly, while holding Goten securely in his arms and being happy that he didn't have to inhale the horrid stench of blood anymore which was making him feel nauseated.
Gohan was flying at his fastest speed while taking note of his brother's limp body. Right now, he was focused on getting him to the Lookout. If he didn't Goten could... could... he didn't even want to finish those words. Goten's body was almost lifeless in front of him. Nothing else mattered to him except getting his brother to the Lookout to be healed by Dende, and then he would have to decide what to do afterwards.
Dende was standing in his usual position, observing the activities taking place on earth while keeping his eyes closed. Earth's guardian was troubled. Very troubled as he witnessed a particular set of events happening on the peaceful planet involving a little boy and his mother. It was making him angry and he wanted nothing more than to go over there and put a stop to all of it as well as help the boy, but unfortunately he could do nothing but watch in horror as an innocent kid was being harmed by the woman who was supposed to look after him.
The Namekian was driven away from his thoughts when he sensed two energy signals. One was strong and the other one was very weak and was fading away. He felt relieved, having expected his good friend to come to his brother's rescue after seeing the state he was in.
Gohan soon arrived holding his brother's limp body in his arms, and he knew right then and there that the boy needed to be healed as quickly as possible before the worst thing happened to him. He was aware of what could happen if he wasn't quick in healing Goten.
"Gohan!" Dende was appalled as he noticed all the injuries on the little boy, and the fact that the two of them were almost completely soaked in blood. "Bring him over here. Quickly!" He pointed to a spot on the floor and the half Saiyan wasted no time in carefully putting him on the floor.
"Can you please heal Goten fast!?" He didn't want to watch his little brother die in front of him. His brother had to survive. He didn't know what he would do if Goten died and could only imagine his father's and everyone else's reaction when news of the gruesome death came out.
"Of course." The Namekian knelt down and examined Goten's injuries. He let out a grimace as he saw how severe it was. The bloody cuts and bruises, the deep gashes on his arms and legs.. they were hard to look at, not to mention the purple bruise under his left eye and the scar running down his cheek until it reached his small chest.
He was barely recognizable.
"Gohan, these injuries are so deep that it's going to take me a while to heal all of them." Dende hated to even tell him this since this is a job that he had to do quickly. Not only that, but he had to figure out how he was going to tell his friend what really happened.
"But will you still be able to heal Goten?" Gohan asked frantically as he looked at his brother in desperation. He looked extremely pale and his energy signal was becoming weaker and weaker. "I... I don't want to watch him die in front of my very eyes. Not to mention... how would our lives continue on from this point!? If Goten really dies, I wouldn't know what to do with myself!"
"Hey, calm down." Dende said to him, placing both of his hands on Goten's bruised body and a golden light soon began to glow as the healing was about to begin. "I can heal him, but I have to start with his most critical injuries first."
Gohan watched as the Earth's guardian began to heal Goten. All of the bruises, the gashes and the bloody scars began to disappear one at a time. His worries began to grow even deeper when one of his wounds just wasn't fading away and when he was about to go into panic mode as a result, the injury finally disappeared. During this time, he didn't dare leave his brother's side. Saving him from death was more important than anything else right now.
The healing process took a long while before it was fully complete. Earth's guardian removed his hands from the boy and looked back at him with a smile. The task was a little challenging due to how severe the bruises were, but he was happy to have succeeded.
Goten was completely healed. There wasn't a single bruise on his body and right now, it looked like he was fast asleep. It seemed that he would remain in this state for quite some time.
He held back his tears of joy seeing his brother healed and wrapped his arms around his namek friend in a tight embrace. "Thank goodness. You healed him just in time. You saved his life!"
"No problem." Dende replied with a calm voice as he returned Gohan's hug. "But there's something I have to tell you."
Gohan released his namek friend and noticed that he had this look on his face. It was as if he had just seen something horrible... something which would never be unseen... something which would haunt them for the rest of their lives. "What is it? What do you have to tell me?"
This was it. He had to tell his Saiyan friend the truth, and it wasn't going to be pretty. "I saw everything that happened. I know who did this to him."
"Y-You did?" The news excited him, because it meant that he could track down the person responsible for harming his brother. "Tell me who did it so I can make them regret doing this to Goten!"
"You're not going to like what I'm about to tell you but..." A sigh escaped from the guardian's lips followed by him giving his friend an anguished look. "The person who did this was... It was..." This wasn't going to be easy to say at all.
"Dende, please tell me who did this to my brother!"
"It was your mother." He finally mustered up the courage to say the truth. "She was the one who left Goten in this state."
It felt as if time had stopped for the half Saiyan as he was trying to process that. He just couldn't believe what he was told. His mother harming Goten? That can't be. He would admit that she was becoming meaner and stricter, but he refused to believe that she would harm his brother. That can't be the case. Didn't she still have love for the both of them? Gohan was about to ask for further clarification when he suddenly had flashbacks from when he came home last night. When his mother told him that Goten was sleeping in his room. He realized that his mother was hiding something just from the way she was speaking.
"He's in his room. He just had dinner and he's sleeping after completing all of his homework."
His little brother was in his room, but he probably wasn't asleep. Chichi probably didn't feed him or let him leave his room so he could go outside and play for a bit. He should have gone to check up on Goten but he was in desperate need of some sleep by the time he completed his homework and made a stupid assumption that his brother was napping at the time.
His eyes widened in absolute horror as this was something that he should have figured out sooner. Much sooner. Even before he brought him here to the lookout.
"No... No way. It can't be..."
"Gohan, are you okay?" Dende questioned, noticing how horrified his friend was looking. He figured that this would be his reaction to hearing the truth.
He took several steps back, terror written all over his face as he took one look at his sleeping brother and knelt down beside him for a moment. "I can't believe this.." The older sibling then stood back up and addressed his namek friend with anger laced in his voice while his hands balled into fists. "You mean to tell me that my own mother was abusing Goten!?"
"Yes.." The Namekian replied, putting a hand on his shoulder. "That was exactly what I saw from up here. I'm sorry."
He was having a hard time trying to believe it but now it made sense since he knew that his mother wasn't being truthful with him and the way he saw her smirk for just a moment yesterday should have been an indication that something was seriously wrong but yet, he thought nothing of it.
"I can't believe it at all. I can't believe how blind I had been to the truth until now. There were so many red flags that my mother was up to no good and I didn't even bother thinking about them at all. I should have gone to see Goten but instead, I go and eat some CRAPPY FOOD she put on the table and then I just had to work on my STUPID HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENTS. This is all my fault!" He slammed a fist on the ground. "I should have noticed these signs sooner, and maybe I could have saved him much earlier!"
"I'm terribly sorry." Dende apologized. "I would have gone over to the house to help him, but as Earth's guardian I'm not allowed to leave the Lookout."
Gohan gave his namekian friend a sad look. "It's okay. I know that if you could have done something, you would have done it without hesitation. But it's my fault. I shouldn't have left him alone for too long. I should have come home much sooner."
"Don't blame yourself. You couldn't have known this was going to happen. The good thing is that you brought Goten here on time to get himself healed. He's completely fine and now what's left is for him to get some rest. Plus, that meeting we had with your father was a very important one."
"Yeah." He smiled, knowing that Dende was right. "I feel better knowing that my Dad will fight this all the way like he always does."
At that moment, Mr Popo appeared and when he saw Goten asleep, he had a look of surprise on his face. "Oh my! What happened to him?"
Gohan was still too angry and shocked to say anything so Dende ended up explaining everything. They were both disgusted by the fact that a human mother could do this to her own offspring. How could Chichi hurt her son like that? What had Goten done to deserve it?
Getting over his shock, Gohan reached into his pants pocket for his cellphone. Once it was in his grasp, he quickly dialed Bulma's number and almost immediately, he got an answer from the scientist.
"Good morning Gohan!" She greeted enthusiastically while the sound of grinding metal and her tinkering with machines in her laboratory could be heard in the background. It was so loud that he almost couldn't hear her. "How's everything going with you and Goten? Are you guys okay?"
"Bulma, can you please tell everyone to come to the Lookout?" Gohan asked with a serious tone as he tightened his grip on his phone. "Something just happened and I would rather not explain it over the phone!"
Her voice also became serious when she realized that the tone in his wasn't one of enthusiasm.
"Alright, I'll tell everyone to meet us there!"
"Bring Trunks along with you too!" Gohan ordered. "He needs to know what's going on as well."
"Got it!"
When the half Saiyan hung up the phone, he stared down at his balled up fists in pure rage. How could his mother do this? How could she think of hurting Goten?
She was getting progressively worse and he didn't know what to do at this point. Gohan could feel Dende place a hand on his shoulder and he turned around to face his Namekian friend.
"I'm sure we can find a way to fix all of this." Dende said to him, not quite sure what else would help in calming him down.
"And try not to panic so much." Mr Popo added. "You brought Goten here on time to get himself healed."
He gave him a tight smile although he was still angry at this late realization. "Yeah, I'm glad that I did. But something needs to be done about my mother. How could she... How could she think of laying her hands on him?"
As they were waiting for everyone else to show up, Dende and Mr Popo tried everything they could to calm the upset Saiyan until there was something that was almost forgotten.
The outfit he was wearing was now ruined.
"Hey Mr Popo, do you happen to have a clean set of clothing here? I would love to take a quick shower and I just feel gross wearing these bloody clothes of mine. Plus, I don't want the others to see me like this."
"Of course I do. I can take you to a bathroom and get some clean clothes for you." He said, looking at his disgusting state before gesturing for him to follow.
"Oh, and Dende?" Gohan stopped walking for a moment to address his friend.
"What's up?"
"Thanks for telling me this."
"It's not a problem at all. If you want, I can fill you in on how it happened after you're done showering."
"I appreciate the offer, but I'd rather hear the whole story from Goten when he wakes up." He said, looking at his sleeping brother once more with a sad smile.
"I understand."
After that, Gohan continued following Mr Popo into the spare bathroom. Once they were there, Mr Popo opened a drawer which revealed some clean clothing, bathing soap and a towel. He placed them over the shower rack so it would be in reach for the Saiyan hybrid.
"Thank you."
"No problem, I will take my leave now so you can shower."
As soon as he was gone, Gohan took off his bloodied clothes and turned on the faucet. He felt delighted when the water was running down his body and washing off all of the blood which was going down the shower drain.
The Ox King sat in his kingdom in Fire Mountain. He was alone by himself in the castle so he had time to gather his thoughts. He felt completely stressed out and it wasn't from all the work he did today, but it was these sudden thoughts taking over him.
He was deeply troubled as he thought about his daughter Chichi and his grandchildren, especially his only daughter. Ever since Chichi's mother died from a terminal illness when she was just a baby, he had spoiled his daughter rotten, buying her whatever she requested without even stopping to question her decisions but now that he thought of it, the Ox King wished that he raised his daughter better.
'I shouldn't have spoiled her like that. In spite of being the princess of this kingdom, I should have told her that if she wanted something she had to work hard for it, that not everything can be handed to her on a silver platter. What... What have I done?'
She seemed to get angry whenever she didn't get what she wanted. It was like she wanted everything to be handed to her within the blink of an eye and it was that part of his daughter that he hated the most.
When Chichi told him that she and Goku had separated and were later going to get divorced, he agreed to come pick her and the boys up from Mount Paozu so they could live with him in his castle for a short period of time. He later found a nice looking house for them to stay in and bought it for them since he knew that his daughter currently didn't have a job to support the children. On occasion, she would come here and ask him for money and it almost made him think of her as a freeloader.
The Ox King didn't like how Chichi gave his son in law a hard time during their years of marriage. Sure, Goku wasn't perfect but at least he was doing his very best to ensure everyone on this planet was safe and yet, she didn't show appreciation.
He also had this gut feeling that told him that his daughter was up to no good.
He began to fear for the safety of his grandchildren. If he were being brutally honest with himself, he didn't want Chichi to have custody of Goten. When he had visited them a couple of times in their new home, he had seen how she poorly treated Goten whenever he asked for permission to visit their Dad and couldn't stand to see the sad look on his grandson's face.
Chichi didn't have a healthy relationship with her own sons but yet... they had a strong relationship with their father. He treated them lovingly and always managed to put a smile on their faces. If anything, the Ox King wanted Goku to get custody of Goten. As much as he loved his daughter, he didn't think she was fit enough to take care of his younger grandson considering her toxic mindset and the kind of relationship she has with him.
'Goku, you deserve to have full custody of my grandson. I believe you're capable of taking care of Goten much better than Chichi ever could. You must defeat my daughter in court and get Goten back!'
He looked around his castle and took sight of all the treasures he had besides his money. He was glad to have done a little bit of remodeling after his daughter and grandchildren moved into their new home he bought for them.
He shifted around in his throne and then his hand accidentally knocked over a family photo. As he was about to put it back in it's rightful place, his eyes caught sight of what that picture really was.
The Ox King held the photo until he was in full view of it. It was a picture of his late wife holding their baby daughter in her arms shortly after she had given birth and before she became sick.
'Oh my dear, I wish you were still here with us. It can get quite lonely without you here...'
The big man shot up from his throne as he remembered something his late wife left behind shortly before her untimely death to give to their daughter.
He wasted no time in walking through the marble hallways. Since he was on his own and everyone who worked in the castle were gone, he could only hear his own footsteps.
The Ox King finally stopped in front of a door and opened it, revealing rows upon rows of neatly stacked boxes. He entered the storage room where old family stuff were being kept and began looking around for the items his late wife left for their daughter.
He saw what he was searching for after a while of digging around.
A large, black velvet box stood on top of a row of cardboard boxes. He had no trouble in retrieving it and setting it down on the ground. Bending down on his legs, he slowly opened the box to look at it's contents.
The first thing he saw was a white envelope containing a parting message. He took it and held it in his hands for a while before finally opening it and unfolding the sheet of paper inside to read what was written on it.
He recognized his late wife's handwriting so well, even if it had been years since he last saw something she wrote.
To my dear husband,
By the time you see this letter, I would already be gone from this earth. Please look after our daughter and guide her on the right path. Teach her right from wrong and do not allow her to make any reckless decisions. Anyway, this box contains some of my old dresses and jewellery. I always wanted to see Chichi wearing them when she was growing up into a beautiful young lady but after I fell sick, I knew I didn't have much time left with you guys.
After I pass on into the next world, I want you to give them to our daughter when she is of the right age. I know she'll look like a real princess in those dresses. This is my final parting gift from me to Chichi since I won't be around to watch her grow up.
I wish you the best of luck in raising her into a young woman. I know it won't be easy, but you can do it. I've been by your side ever since we got married and I always had great faith that you could accomplish your goals, my love.
Farewell...
Your beloved wife.
The Ox King broke down in tears after he finished reading the letter. He had read this many times before, but still couldn't believe what was written.
"I'm so sorry dear, but I-I failed you..." He said while weeping loudly.
"You wanted me to raise Chichi into a highly respectable woman after your death but I couldn't even do that. I just spoiled her and kept buying her things she desired instead of teaching her the value of hard work. Not only did she become spoiled, but she became disrespectful to her husband and mistreats her own children especially the youngest one. How could I break your promise?"
He wiped his tears before setting aside the letter so he could look at the stuff his late wife left behind for their only daughter.
An assortment of traditional dresses, footwear and old jewellery laid there in the box. His late wife wanted him to pass them on to their daughter but he wasn't sure if he could even do it anymore. Chichi's recent behaviour since her separation from Goku was bothering him to no end.
"Maybe... just maybe... one day, I can pass it on to someone who truly deserves it."
He folded all the clothing before putting them back inside the velvet box. One more look at the handwritten letter made him cry even harder.
Goku was on his way to the mayor's home because there was something he wanted to speak with him about. He had just departed from the house after eating some breakfast, leaving Suno alone with her mother since Hiroshi and Eighter had already left to get some work done.
As he was walking to the old man's house, he couldn't help but dwell on Suno's strange behavior. His redhaired friend was looking cheery earlier this morning when they were all eating together and she would even engage in conversations with her parents but... she would avoid eye contact with him.
The only time she would talk to him during breakfast was when he asked her a question or when he wanted her opinion on something. Even then her responses were short, usually one word replies and then he would feel Suno become tense everytime he said something to her. It was almost as if she was afraid of him, wanting to avoid his presence entirely and never have to see him again in her life.
Thinking about it that way, it hurt... it stung... it broke his heart, but he knew the reason why she was acting this way. His friend loved him so much. She felt they would never be together and that the both of them were meant to be only friends.
His heart was aching for his true love, the woman he wanted by his side. He didn't want things to continue being this way between them. Her giving him the silent treatment while he just sat there helpless, knowing what they both wanted.
Now that the Saiyan had his mind set on what he wanted to do, he needed some advice on how to approach this and he felt that the mayor might be able to do that.
He finally reached the mayor's house after a while of trudging in the snow and rang the doorbell, waiting patiently for whoever would come and open the door for him.
Himari, the young maid who he had met the last time opened the door and greeted him with a huge smile.
"Oh Goku, it's you. I had no idea you were coming here today. The mayor isn't home right now, but do you need to speak with him urgently? I can call him if your visit is important."
An idea came into Goku's head. The mayor wasn't home, but what if she could help? It wouldn't hurt to give it a shot. Anyone in the village could give him some advice and after realizing this, he mentally cursed himself for not thinking about going to the other residents.
"I did want to see the mayor but if he's too busy with work, it wouldn't be right to call him and ask him to come back here. I think you might be able to help me instead." He said, remaining hopeful that she could provide some good advice.
"Oh, is that so? Come inside then.."
Himari stepped aside and held the door handle, giving room for Goku to enter the house.
She shut the front door and asked him, "Would you like anything to drink?"
He shook his head and answered. "Don't worry about me, I'll be fine."
The Saiyan took a seat on the couch while Himari took a seat opposite her visitor.
"What is it that you think I can help you with?" The young woman asked. She didn't want to make it seem as if she was acting nosy, especially if what her guest wanted to talk to her about was a sensitive issue.
Goku leaned back in his seat before giving an answer. "Well, the truth is that I'm about to go through a divorce."
The news caused her to gasp slightly.
"My wife and I separated a few weeks ago and she took our two children with her. Suno has been helping me get through this ordeal emotionally and during the short time that we've spent together, I started to develop... feelings for her."
"R-Really?"
Goku leaned against the soft and comfy couch while putting his hand on the armrest.
"Unlike when I was with my wife, Suno has never mocked me nor did she ever insult me. She comforted me and was very understanding of my situation. I felt like I was loved and appreciated. I found out last night that she also felt the same way about me after I overheard a conversation between her and her mother. The reason why she doesn't want to tell me her feelings is because of my divorce and upcoming custody hearing for my younger son. She doesn't want to hurt me and end up losing our friendship..."
Himari nodded her head and chose to remain silent, deciding to speak when her guest was done telling the story.
"She actually felt this way about me ever since we first met as children and has held onto her feelings for years. Suno is putting my feelings first before her own and she's hurting herself in the process. She's feeling... she's feeling lonely because she isn't with me, the man she loves so much with all of her heart."
He paused for a bit before continuing, sadness evident in his voice. "I love Suno just as much and I don't want her to feel that way. I want to tell her my true feelings but I don't know how..."
It was the young lady's turn to speak as she put both of her hands on the table, addressing him seriously.
"I've never been in this kind of situation before but if you really love Suno, you should definitely tell her. Talk to her in private. Tell her what made you fall in love and when you started to fall for her. You mentioned she's feeling lonely because you're not together with her, right?"
His eyes were now facing the newly polished floor. "Y-Yeah, I did."
"Well, now's your chance to make her feel special. Prove to her that she means a lot to you. The advice I can give you is believe in yourself. As long as you say what's deep in your heart, there's no reason to believe things will go wrong. Everything will go smoothly."
When Himari finished talking, Goku's eyes shot up and a small smile could be seen on his face as he shot up from the seat with a strengthened resolve.
"Thank you so much for the advice, ma'am. I know what I have to do now and I'd like to start as soon as possible since it feels like Suno doesn't want anything to do with me. She almost gave me the silent treatment this morning when I was eating breakfast with her and her family and it would have continued throughout if I hadn't said anything to her.."
The young woman winced at that. "Yeah, you should probably start when you can. Perhaps after dinner when her parents are asleep?"
"I'll do that." He agreed, walking towards the door and opening it to feel a rush of cool air. "Please let the mayor know of my visit."
"I'll inform him when he returns."
Goku left the house after shaking hands with her, his resolve to confess to his friend much stronger than before. Any doubts that he had were long gone. Nothing could possibly go wrong if Suno genuinely loves him and wants them to be together.
Every person had just arrived at the Lookout and were ready for some serious business. Bulma, Vegeta, Videl, Yamcha, Krillin, Eighteen, Mr Satan, Buu, Tienshinhan, Master Roshi, Trunks and Piccolo were all present at the scene after the emergency call made by the half Saiyan.
The genius would have preferred using her jetcopter to get here but after hearing how urgent the teenager sounded, she decided to have her husband fly her while their son flew on his own, knowing that it would save a lot more time than riding on the aircraft.
Gohan had taken a nice shower after he was previously drenched in cold blood. He also made sure to bath his unconscious little brother and dress him into some new clothes after he was healed by Earth's guardian since that healing ability didn't get rid of the blood all over him.
He then explained to them what had happened on his end and made sure not to leave out any detail. From how he arrived home, how his human mom was being unnecessarily cruel, not finding Goten anywhere, his mother not making an effort in cooking yesterday's supper and finally... him studying in the morning, sensing his brother's weak energy signal and heading to his bedroom only to find him lying on the floor battered and severely wounded after he was brutally beaten into a pulp.
"Those were the clothes I was wearing before..." He said, pointing to his outfit now laying on the ground.
They stared down at the soiled clothing before giving the older sibling looks of disbelief. They all couldn't believe that Chichi would go as far as to hurt Goten with her hateful words and physically abuse him to the point where he could have died.
"I-I can't believe this..." Trunks managed to stutter as he looked at his sleeping friend, pure rage evident in his voice. "To think that your mother would go this far? I knew Chichi was crazy but after hearing the entire story, I now believe that she's totally INSANE!"
"If she were here in front of me, I will gladly give her the beating of a lifetime. No child deserves to go through such crappy treatment!" Eighteen spat out with venom in her voice while holding one fist.
"Buu would make her pay!"
The words of anger were interrupted when they heard groaning sounds. They all turned around and saw that it was coming from Goten who was regaining consciousness.
The little boy opened his eyes, but his vision wasn't clear and he could feel his head pounding quite hard. After waiting a few moments to fully regain his vision and for the headache to subside, he looked around him, noticed that he was on the Lookout and that everyone was staring at him in concern.
"W-What happened?"
Gohan gently placed a hand on his brother's shoulder. "Goten, tell us what happened yesterday when you were with mom. What did she say to you? What exactly did she do to you?"
As soon as his older brother asked him that, the horrible memories started to come back to the younger boy. It was going to be painful talking about this but if they were going to come up with a solution, then he had to give them all the details.
"I-I was in my room yesterday afternoon. By that time, you still hadn't returned. I was struggling to keep up with the homework assignments mommy was giving me..." Goten's lips started to quiver as he began to sit up into a more comfortable position.
"I couldn't finish before she came to check up on me. She said and I quote, 'Goten, you haven't even finished half of your damn homework!"
Goten went on to explain how Chichi said he was incapable of getting his homework done when Gohan wasn't around and how she was insulting their father, saying he was stupid, idiotic and that he knew nothing about raising a family.
"She... She said that she'll see to it that I'll never see Daddy again because she's going to get full custody of me without any visitation rights." Goten said, quoting his mother word by word.
"Mommy didn't let me eat lunch or dinner as a punishment for 'disrespecting her.' I was in my room starving while doing piles of work. I remember she pulled my ear twice, slapped me across the face twice and then she punched me. I... I couldn't bring myself to react at all. Before leaving my room, she told me that if I didn't finish all my assignments, she would reduce the number of hours I'm supposed to be in bed and make me work for the rest of the night..."
His body began shaking in fear as he remembered her exact words.
"When she came to check up on me again later on and saw that I still couldn't finish my homework, she started to hurt me even more. Instead of reducing my sleeping hours, mommy decided to turn me into her punching bag. She didn't care at all that I was bleeding. It's almost like..." He paused for a moment, feeling his throat become heavy.
"It'll be okay."
His brother's words became nothing more than an echo in his head when he remembered how his mom departed from his room, leaving him there in a pool of blood with a cruel smile while showing no remorse for her actions.
He finally finished off what he wanted to say.
"It's almost like she wanted me to die!"
Memories of when his mother was beating him senseless yesterday was still fresh in his mind. The little boy just couldn't tell every single detail of how the abuse occured as it was way too brutal and it made him sick.
Goten was doing everything he could to hold back the tears that were threatening to spill. Bulma had placed a gentle hand on the frightened boy to comfort him, understanding how hard this was for him.
"Sometime before she came back and beat me up, I left my room after hearing mommy talking to someone over the phone. She told this unknown person that she was going to fake her emotions, make up false stories in the court and convince everyone that she's the better parent than daddy. The person she was talking to... I think mommy said she was going to pay money to whoever was on the line by borrowing money from Grandpa."
Goten began to wail loudly as he stared at each and every person with him right now.
"She was bragging that her Daddy was the Ox King and that he had loads of money in his grasp. I think... I think mommy's going to do something terrible in court..."
Gohan pulled his crying brother into a comforting hug. "It's going to be okay. Everything's going to be alright. We'll think of something which will resolve this whole issue."
"Yeah Goten. Your brother is right about that one." Trunks spoke in an effort to reassure his friend. "We'll find a solution to this issue."
Vegeta growled. Even the Saiyan Prince was livid about these events. "I'm disgusted at this pathetic excuse for a human woman!"
"I would waste no time in beating her to a pulp." Piccolo said with anger laced in his voice. "If this is how she intends to treat Goten, she is obviously a terrible parent!"
Gohan remembered something important as he reached into his pocket, pulling out his cellphone and holding it out in front of the others.
"There's something I have to show you guys."
All eyes fell on him. He opened up the pictures of Goten's battered body and showed it to Bulma first. She gasped in horror when she saw how damaged the little boy looked before passing the phone around for the others to see.
"H-How could Chichi do this!?" Yamcha said angrily as he began to clench his fists.
"I don't know what to say..." Roshi muttered. Behind those glasses he was wearing were a hint of anger.
"Hey Gohan, we can show those pictures to the court as evidence that Chichi was abusing Goten. There's no way the judge or jury would give her custody when there's proof of her harming her own son." Videl spoke up as she touched her boyfriend's arm.
He nodded his head in agreement. "You're right about that. Bulma, would you be able to make copies of these?"
"Of course I can." She answered, taking one more look at the ghastly photos. "I'll get started on that as soon as I get the chance this evening. Just make sure you send the pictures to my phone."
"Big Brother, what are we going to do?" Goten asked with complete fear etched in his voice. "I don't want to stay home with mommy..."
"Gohan, I think it's about time we start monitoring your mother's actions. We need more evidence so we can expose her in front of the judge in court!" Bulma stated in a 'matter of fact' tone.
"Exactly." He gave his younger brother a soft look and said, "Don't worry Goten, I'll stay home with you all day. Mom won't be able to hurt you if I'm around."
Goten nodded his head but with a little reluctance, as if he didn't believe it. "Okay..."
"We'll gather enough evidence of mom's activities and then we'll let Dad in on it." Gohan said, rage filling his entire being once more. "But we all know he'll be pissed once he finds out that this so called mother was abusing Goten!"
Everyone agreed with the statement. There was nothing they could say to refute that.
"We have to make sure Chichi doesn't know we're watching her. Who knows what she'll do if she found out that we know she's abusing her own son." Mr Satan spoke up. "Gohan, you should keep the evidence hidden."
"Of course I will."
"That won't be necessary. When I make photocopies of Goten's injuries, I can keep them in my laboratory and we can show them to Goku later when we meet up with him again." Bulma suggested.
"That's great." Gohan said in agreement.
"I think we should get going before mother gets back from wherever she is as much as I hate to do so." He grimaced at his own words. "If I come across any interesting developments, I'll let you all know."
Bulma crouched down to Goten's height and pulled the traumatized boy into a warm hug. She was feeling sympathetic about him going through all this torture by his mother.
"You know Goten, if I had to make a choice, I would have you stay with me and my family at Capsule Corp and you could hang out with Trunks or even train with Vegeta if you feel like it. I'm terribly sorry you had to go through all this."
"It's okay." Goten kept his eyes on the ground while returning the hug, his voice muffled. "I miss Daddy a lot. I love him and I hope that things turn out alright in the end..."
"Gohan, if there's anything more we can do to help, please let us know immediately." Videl said as she looked at her boyfriend intently, hating the fact that a child had to go though this abuse. Not to mention that this could leave him traumatized for a very long time.
"Don't worry, I will." He reassured her.
"Alright guys, I think it's best if we get going before our mother comes back and discovers we're gone!" He announced, preparing to leave along with his little brother.
Goten stood next to Gohan with the intention of staying with his brother as much as he could. He didn't want to be alone with Chichi for the rest of the day.
"Alright, we'll meet up again." Bulma said, handing his cellphone back to him after looking at those gory photos. "Remember to call us when you've found something new."
"I'll definitely do that."
"The two of you should stay strong through this." Piccolo spoke to the half Saiyans with seriousness in his voice.
"We will. It'll be difficult, but we'll overcome this." Gohan said to his former mentor in determination.
The Namekian simply gave a smile in response and patted his old student on the back.
Everyone present at Kami's Lookout watched as the Saiyan brothers flew back to their 'home.' As soon as they were out of sight, Bulma turned to look at everyone else.
"Is there something you just thought about?" Vegeta asked his wife, noticing her dreadful look.
"Yeah." The scientist responded, a look of sadness in her eyes which almost brought her to tears. "If Goten actually died, we'd have to tell Goku. Had that happened, telling him would have been the hardest part."
Oh crap. That was something that none of them had even thought about. Goku's reaction to this. How would he feel if he discovered that Goten died? And even worse, how would he react to Goten dying at the hands of his own mother?
Krillin clenched his fists. "Goku would have been crying his heart out!"
He was already starting to imagine a scenario in his head where they all had to sit down and explain to Goku what had just occured and him kneeling down beside his son's damaged corpse while crying uncontrollably. He would track down Chichi and make her regret ever having the thought of laying her hands on Goten.
"Damn it..." Tienshinhan muttered angrily. "Chichi almost killed Goten, her own flesh and blood!"
"Let's all be grateful it didn't get to that point. He survived that beating." Master Roshi said to the group as he removed his shades, revealing the disappointment in his eyes at the heartbreaking news.
"We also have to take measures to ensure it doesn't happen again." Hercule added.
That was something they could all agree on but they knew that if Chichi ended up murdering her own son, the fact is that Goku wouldn't react well once he heard about it.
After that painful ordeal, everyone left the Lookout and went their separate ways. Each and every one of them felt extremely bitter at Goten being physically abused by his human mother who was most likely using him for her own personal gain. Dende watched as they all left, especially the two Saiyan brothers who already went through so much hell. His job of watching earthly activities made him feel useless for the first time, having to watch an innocent kid get tortured in the worst possible way and not being able to help at first. But he felt a little better knowing that he had been able to bring him back to full health.
The next time something like this happens, he swore he would jump at the first opportunity to diffuse the situation.
Chichi was walking through the busy streets and heavy traffic jams of West City, heading towards her lawyer's place of residence to discuss various strategies they could use in court.
He told her over the phone that he lived in a mansion and gave her directions on how to get there. This man was the most famous and possibly the richest lawyer around. If he really was wealthy, then it meant that he didn't just reside in any mansion, but one which was very luxurious.
If there was anyone who could help her obtain sole custody of Goten, it was him.
As she was moving to her destination at a brisk pace, she could hear the loud and deafening sounds of vehicles and motorbikes driving through these streets. Not only that, but there was that awful smell of dangerous gases emitting from those big trucks and polluting the air. She couldn't even call for a taxi because she stupidly forgot to put some money in her purse, so she had no other choice but to walk all the way to her destination.
She covered her nose and began to walk faster than ever before.
Chichi finally arrived in a quiet neighbourhood after long hours of walking. A couple of cars passed by, but it was nothing like what she saw in West City. That was horrendous, and was hoping to not go through that again in a very long time.
Beads of sweat were running down her forehead due to extreme exhaustion. The human woman was panting so hard, trying to catch her breath as she was taking in her new surroundings.
'Damn it, I can barely feel my legs at all. I should have packed some money for a taxi. That would have saved me the trouble of walking all the way here and inhaling all those toxic gases in the city!'
'That lawyer said he lived in a mansion but all I'm finding are just... plain houses.'
In spite of her curiosity, the Ox Princess couldn't help but admire the beautiful scenery of this particular area. The houses were quite nice and she absolutely loved how neat and well kept their gardens were. She couldn't keep her eyes off all that luscious vegetation and greenery in her sight as she was walking to the mansion.
Before Chichi even realized it, she was soon standing on a gray, brick walkway leading to the mansion she was craving to see. Her path was blocked by these tall pine trees and thus, she had to pull them from her view in order to see clearly. As she was nearing closer to her destination, the human woman could hear the sound of rushing water and wondered what it was.
She pushed aside the last tree and gaped at the magnificent sight before her. In front of her was a large modern style mansion with luscious, green vegetation and different types of flowers. An open gate fence was surrounding the whole place.
"Woah, this this breathtaking..."
Some basket tables and chairs were nicely laid out in the grass along with a huge barbecue grill which made it the perfect environment for a nice outing with friends. A medium sized swimming pool with a mini flight of stairs was also there, causing stars to form in Chichi's eyes.
A blonde haired gardener in his mid thirties was trimming the hedges. When he took notice of the newcomer, he gave her a huge smile.
"Hello there ma'am, I don't think I've ever seen you around here before. Are you looking for Lawyer Nikushimi?" He asked, momentarily pausing his trimming to address the guest.
Chichi's pupils returned to normal and she returned the smile. "Yes, I am. Is he home right now? I need to discuss some urgent matters with him."
"Yeah, he's here. Just go up the front door and ring that doorbell. You'll then hear his voice through that intercom. That's how he receives all visitors!" The man said, pointing his finger towards a red button with a loudspeaker next to it.
She flashed him a quick smile. "Okay, thanks a lot!"
"No problem."
The gardener resumed his work of trimming the hedges while Chichi walked up to the fancy looking door and pressed the doorbell. A buzzing sound could be heard and almost immediately, she could hear a manly voice through the speaker.
"Who is here at my residence today?"
The Ox Princess cleared up her throat before speaking through the intercom. "My name is Chichi and I'm one of your clients. We spoke earlier over the phone and you gave me directions here so we can discuss the case, remember?"
"Oh Chichi, I haven't forgotten. The door will be open for you in a moment!"
A few moments passed until the front door finally opened. A male butler stood in front of her and greeted her politely.
"Hello, you must be the visitor. I received orders from Lawyer Nikushimi to open the door for you and to bring you to his office!"
"That's right."
The butler stepped aside to give her room to enter and shut the door once this newcomer was inside.
"Please follow me to his office."
She responded with a simple nod of her head and began to follow the man. They were soon walking up a long flight of stairs and as they were making their way to the office, Chichi's jaw dropped in astonishment at how fancy this mansion looked. From the giant chandelier in the living room, from the marble tiled floors, the nice looking furniture, the giant potted plants, etc.
In fact, Chichi had been so distracted observing everything with her own eyes that she almost tripped over a mop bucket. But luckily, the butler took her hand to stop her from falling.
"Take it easy."
"I will."
The duo reached soon reached the door of the Lawyer's office. The employee then knocked on the door and they both waited for it to open.
As Chichi was waiting, she couldn't help but think about how she heard about this man. He was recommended by a good friend of hers and once she got a hold of his contact information, she wasted no time in calling him. At first, they communicated through text messages and she was surprised when he told her the amount of money she had to pay him before he could start work and then his threats...
It made her shudder.
There was something about this man she couldn't quite put her finger on. What kind of person was he by agreeing to create false evidence for her?
The office door finally opened, revealing a large, well built muscular man with short, gray hair which was nicely groomed. He wore a black tailored suit with a collared, long-sleeved white dress shirt and a red coloured tie underneath. He also had on well polished leather dress shoes with black socks and his eyes were covered by the dark sunglasses he was wearing.
Three scars could be seen on his face. One extended from his forehead all the way down to his chin and the other two scars were on his right cheek. Two cigarettes were hanging from his mouth, smoke bellowing from them. In addition to that, he was also wearing a pair of gloves which confused her. A walking cane was by his left side, his hand grasping it to help support his movements. Chichi couldn't help be a little curious, guessing that he must have had some kind of injury in the past which required the use of a cane. The thought of asking him about it crossed her mind, but she didn't want to unintentionally open up old wounds or offend him in any way.
Judging from his appearance alone, it looked like he was working out at a gym. His bulky muscles and strong figure was enough proof of that. He looked like a professional lawyer but he also seemed a little intimidating.
"You must be Chichi."
Her thoughts were broken when she heard the man speak. She could hardly believe that she was meeting him for the first time. He had this unreadable expression on his face.
Her lips curled into a smile and she held out a hand for him to shake. "Yes, I am."
He removed the two cigars from his mouth and shook her hand. "I'm Lawyer Nikushimi. Why don't you come inside and we can talk more about your case?"
'Damn, he's got a strong grip on me!'
"Do you need anything else, sir?"
Nikushimi shook his head at the butler as he let go of Chichi's hand. "No, I don't. You can leave now."
The butler nodded his head, heading back to where he left his mop bucket and he continued mopping the rest of the stairs. After watching him for a moment, the Lawyer turned his attention back to the Ox Princess.
He gestured towards the inside of his office. "Come inside."
Chichi entered the room and looked around it in awe as it was decorated quite nicely. On either side were three wooden shelves with papers and other documents stacked neatly inside. In the center of the room was a large mahogany desk with some folders on top of it.
Two glasses and an alcohol bottle was also sitting on the desk which meant that he must have been expecting her arrival.
Behind the desk was a slightly open window with a nice view where she could see more vegetation and a huge sized parking lot where some nice fancy cars were parked. Did her lawyer really own all of that?
'This really is a rich mansion. It makes me wonder why Goku couldn't just get a damn job and make some hard earned zeni. I would have talked him and the boys into moving out of that ugly dumpster in Mount Paozu. Then we could have moved into a fancy place like this one. Oh well, it doesn't matter now cause I'm divorcing that stupid monkey!'
Nikushimi shut the office door and gestured towards the empty chair behind his desk. "Have a seat."
Chichi takes a seat in silence and watched as her lawyer was walking with a limp, using the cane to help get him back to his seat. He carefully sits down on his chair and puts his walking cane aside.
"I figured you would want something to drink when you got here so I had my butler bring two glasses and a bottle of vodka." He noticed her puzzled look and asked, "Or would you like some water instead?"
"Actually..." A smile crossed her face as she grabbed hold of a glass. "It wouldn't hurt to try some alcohol. I wasn't a huge fan of it before, but what the heck? I'll have some!"
"Smart choice."
The Lawyer popped open the bottle and poured a full glass of vodka for his client before pouring some for himself. He took a sip of the alcoholic drink before addressing her seriously.
"Why don't you tell me your husband's name? You always talked about how lazy and shitty he was. If I'm going to help you obtain custody of your son, then I'm going to need as much information as possible about him."
Before she could respond, he cut her off.
"Remember that I'll need my money before I can start work on the case creating that fake evidence. You can pay me the day after tommorow and I think I told you this before, but I'm reminding you to bring me the money during the night so nobody will get suspicious. For now, just tell me everything about your husband. Got that?"
"I understand." Chichi said as she took a sip of her vodka. It had a bitter aftertaste, but it was at least tolerable. Placing her glass back on the table, she stared into the man's eyes intently. "My father is..."
"The Ox King." He cut her off once more. "You mentioned that a couple of times and you're going to be borrowing money from him so you can pay me. Correct?"
Chichi nods her head once more while a small smirk crossed her features. "That's right. I'll just lie and tell him that I need some groceries for the house and clothes for the boys. He'll never know the real reason why I need the zeni!"
He returned the smirk. "I like the sound of that. Now will you tell me who your husband is?"
She takes a deep breath before answering. "My husband's name is Son Goku."
Nikushimi sat frozen in his chair at the mention of that name. It sounded familiar to him and it almost made him spit out his vodka but he refrained himself from doing so since it would be unprofessional behavior in front of a client.
'Son Goku? No way... He couldn't be the one... He couldn't be that same person... Could he be that boy who...?'
"Did... Did you just say Son Goku?" He asked, trying to revel in his shock.
Chichi noticed his shocked expression and frowned. "Yes. Is something wrong?"
He shook his head, a gleam of interest now showing in his eyes as he finished off his vodka. "Not at all. You may continue."
The human woman poured herself another glass before explaining the story of her soon to be ex husband. How they met, how they ended up together, etc. She even told him the names and ages of their two sons. As he was listening to her story, an evil plan began to formulate in his mind.
'So this woman really was married to SON GOKU of all people? Unbelievable...'
In order to take full advantage of the situation, 'Lawyer Nikushimi' knew that he had to tell Chichi his true identity. But for now, he was going to listen to the entire story and figure out what action to take from there.
Bulma sat in her laboratory and this time she wasn't working on a new invention or making any repairs to her old ones, but rather she was looking at the graphic photos from her computer. She ended up having to move back some of her old machinery so she could have space to start what was needed to be done.
As soon as Gohan sent them to her, she didn't waste any time in transferring them to the desktop. Every time she had to look at those pictures, it made her angry. The bruise under the boy's eye... his broken legs... What had Goten done to deserve this disgusting treatment from his so called mother?
'Showing these to Goku is going to be such a hard task.'
Her eyes were soon lingering on the scar on Goten's cheek and it made her curious. What exactly did Chichi do to create that scar?
Sighing, she pressed a button on her photocopy machine that was sitting next to her desktop computer. The machine began to make a whirring sound, about to do it's job. After it started functioning she heard a soft knock on the door.
"Come in."
The door was wide open, revealing her purple-haired son who had a worried look on his face.
"Hey Trunks sweetie." Bulma greeted her son, spinning her chair around so she could properly face him. "What's up?"
The worried look on Trunks's face said it all. He was obviously worried about Goten and the fact that he went through physical torture by his wicked mother.
"Mom, I can't stand to see Goten like this." The purple-haired boy replied, while moving towards his mother who was working on printing out the photos. "One of his parents is abusing him."
"I know sweetheart. I can't stand it either but he's going to get through this. Everything will soon come to an end." Bulma placed a hand on her sons arm and held it to provide a bit of comfort for her son.
"Mom?"
"Hmm?"
"Do you think..." Trunks's eyes were now on the pictures coming out of the photocopy machine. "Chichi used a pocketknife on Goten? It could explain why he got those ugly scars."
Bulma's eyes widened in surprise. "A pocketknife? Now that I think about it, it's the only plausible explanation. Or maybe she used some kind of blade on him."
"Damn it... Did she want to kill Goten or something?" Trunks asked in anger.
"It's almost like... It's almost like she wanted me to die!"
She just simply put a hand on her son's shoulder, not knowing how to respond to that.
Both Mother and Son watched as more papers began to come out of the printer. Trunks gave a disgusted look as he looked at the photos. His closest friend Goten being abused by this evil woman... this would be engrained in his mind for a very long time.
As soon as Bulma was done photocopying, she pressed the power button on the printing machine which turned it off. She opened a drawer, pulled out a large brown envelope and stored the pictures inside.
The blue haired scientist gave her son a light sigh and said, "I'll keep these here in the lab. We'll have to show these to Goku later when we meet up with him again."
Though in her mind, she was still thinking of his reaction when he found out about all this. How were they going to break the news to him? How would they tell him that his wife was abusing his beloved son?
Trunks gave a slight nod, not really trusting himself to speak at the moment.
"Sweetie, I know you're worried about Goten but trust me, everything will be resolved soon. Goku's going to get full custody of him and we're all going to play our part to ensure that it happens." Bulma said, not blaming her son for worrying about the boy.
"I know, mom."
Bulma gave her son a light smile as she put the envelope in an empty shelf. "To lighten up the situation, I've got to find time in my busy schedule and start planning the get together party. I don't know the exact date this will take place, but I'll find a way to get everything together especially with the food. I'm just hoping Gohan and Goten will be able to make it!"
"Alright, sounds good."
She sat up from the chair and addressed her son with another smile. "Let's go get some dinner. I'm sure you're hungry!"
Even though the half Saiyan wasn't really hungry, he decided to at least try and eat something. Hoping that food would temporarily get his mind off of this, he followed his mother out of her laboratory and into the kitchen. Arguing with her was not an option.
The two Saiyan brothers had just arrived 'home' after Goten's near death experience. While they were flying, Gohan managed to send Bulma those horrid photos so she could work out her magic. He figured that it was better to get it over with rather than to wait until later. While he was eager to get the news out to his father, he knew that he had to be patient and wait for the right time.
Goten clung to Gohan's arm tightly, afraid of coming face to face with his evil mother after everything she had done to him.
When they reached the front door, Gohan gave it a soft knock under the assumption that his mother had come home before them. After knocking on the door a second time and finding no signs of Chichi's presence, he opened the door with the younger sibling following closely behind him.
"This is strange..." Gohan muttered as he looked around the house. "Mom said she'd be gone for a few hours and there's no sign of her anywhere. I wonder what she could be doing that's keeping her out this late."
He looked down at his little brother who was now clutching his stomach and he instantly knew what was up.
"Hey Goten, are you hungry?" Gohan asked with such gentleness. "Mother told me earlier that she prepared some sandwiches and hot dogs along with a strawberry cake for dessert. There's also some instant ramen in our pantry and frozen foods in the freezer. She told me not to give you any, but I'm not listening to her crap!"
The Saiyan hybrid was expecting his brother to say he didn't have an appetite or that he wasn't hungry, but his answer surprised him.
"I-I guess it wouldn't hurt to have some food since mommy isn't here to ruin things for me. We both know that she wouldn't have fed me.."
It pained him to hear his brother say that but deep down, he knew it was true after what transpired today.
"Come on."
Goten responded with a slight nod of his head. He followed Gohan into the kitchen and the elder brother opened the refrigerator and searched through it's contents until he found the cheese sandwiches, hot dogs and strawberry cake. Much to his delight, he found some apple juice they could both drink.
In a matter of seconds, Gohan brought out the cheese sandwiches, hot dogs, cake and juice from the fridge. He searched through the freezer and found some processed foods to eat. The next thing he did was to prepare some instant ramen for himself and his brother. After heating everything in the microwave and bringing it to the dining table, the two of them began to eat with an intense ferocity. Through the entirety of their dinner, Goten wouldn't say much whenever his big brother tried to start up a conversation with him. He hated to see his brother like that, and so he decided to act quickly right after they ate. He had to search for more evidence aside from those pictures he took earlier.
"Goten, you'll have to rest in my room for now since yours has blood splattered all over the floor and I know you wouldn't enjoy being in there for even a second. I'll be taking care of the dishes. As soon as I'm done, I'll go clean your bedroom floor and check up on you."
"Okay."
Gohan watched him leave for a split second before bringing the dirty dishes back to the sink to wash. It only took him a few minutes to finish washing each and every dirty utensil. He took a look around him to make sure everything was in place and then he went to the area where his mother kept the cleaning equipment.
He took a mop bucket and filled it up with water before taking a bottle of bleach and pouring some inside. He then took a cleaning brush in case there was any hard scrubbing to be done.
He was in Goten's room in a flash. All the blood on the floor was disgusting, but he wasn't going to back down from this. He began mopping the floor as fast as he could. The task was easy with the mop absorbing the blood but he soon found himself scrubbing some hard spots on the ground.
Within an hour, the cleaning was complete. Gohan wiped a sweat from his brow before seeing his own reflection in the now bloody mop water, anger consuming him once more.
'How could you do this, Mother!?'
He immediately disposed of the dirty water outside before returning the equipment to their rightful places and then he decided to go see his brother.
Before he could even take one step forward, a random thought occurred to him. His instincts were telling him to go and take a look in his mother's room. Chichi wasn't home, so why not?
He was soon on his way to his mother's bedroom. Taking a deep breath, he opened the door and was surprised to see that his mother's room was cluttered with books and other items. Despite the fact that Chichi was always talking to Gohan about cleaniness and would scold him when she detected even a spec of dirt, she didn't exactly keep her room neat.
The Saiyan hybrid stepped inside, trying to think of why exactly he decided to come in here. And then almost immediately, the answer dawned on him.
'Evidence to use against mother in court!'
She had to keep something in here which could expose her.
Gohan began looking through his mother's closet for something that would help in exposing her wrongdoings. After finding nothing in there, he began to open her dresser drawers, searching long and hard. His fingers brushed against something which he easily pulled out and it looked like some kind of voice recorder. Along with it came a cellphone. He was sure his mother had taken her phone along with her, so why was there another one here?
Or was this just a spare?
He wasted no time in pulling out his cellphone and taking pictures of what could be possible evidence to use against his mother in court and sent it to Bulma along with a text message.
Gohan:
Look what I found in Mom's room. I don't know what they contain, but I think it may be evidence of her planning something.
Bulma:
Nice work! Can you bring it over to me tomorrow? We can take a look at them together.
Gohan:
Of course I can do that. As long as mother doesn't discover that it's missing.
Bulma:
Alright. I'll expect them tomorrow. She probably doesn't use them anyway. If you're still worried, why don't you hide them in a safe place?
Gohan quickly snatched the two items and left his mother's room, making sure not to leave behind any evidence of his snooping around. He then hid them in an area Chichi rarely ever went to and went straight to his bedroom.
There, he saw his brother lying on the bed just staring at the ceiling. He could immediately tell what Goten was thinking about. The younger sibling diverted his attention from the ground when he noticed Gohan standing in the doorway. He tried to give him a smile, but the older brother could see right through it.
"Are you okay?"
Goten gave an exhausted sigh. "I don't know. With everything happening, I just feel overwhelmed."
The fear that his mother would get full custody of him and never seeing his father again was taking it's toll on him.
Gohan sat next to his brother and a hopeful smile crossed his features.
"Look, I found something in mom's room which I hope can provide evidence of her secret plans. I'm hiding it in a safe place so mother doesn't find them. I'll be showing it to Bulma tomorrow so we can figure out it's contents. If it gives us a clue, we can use it against her when the time comes for us to appear in court. The more evidence we have against mother, the higher the chances are of Dad getting full custody of you."
Goten thought about that but he was still scared. "But... Mommy could also make Daddy look bad. She insults him all the time and makes him look like a horrible person when we know he isn't!"
"Just have faith in Dad. We both know he can pull through. He said he wants custody of you so he's going to give it everything he's got in court. Believe in him Goten. He can do it!" Gohan said, determination to help their father flooding his very being.
His thoughts were scrambling and he felt conflicted. Everything that occurred was overwhelming him. But the boy was able to piece his thoughts together as he finally said in a more cheerful tone, "I believe in Daddy."
"That's the spirit. By the way, Bulma is organizing a get together party very soon at Capsule Corp. You'll be seeing Trunks and you'll get to have fun again like the old times. How would you like to attend?" Gohan questioned, awaiting a response from him.
"I would like that, but what about mommy? You know she would make both of us study for long hours. She wouldn't let us go since anything that doesn't have to do with our studies is a distraction to her." Goten stated as his arms were sprawled on the bed, completely stressed out.
He wasn't going to deny that the thought of going to a party at Capsule Corp sounded pleasing, but Chichi wouldn't like the idea of them going.
Gohan closed his eyes for a split second and began to think. Goten was right. Their mother wouldn't let them go to this get together party so how would they be able to attend? If she found out about this, she would do everything in her ability to stop them from going so how would this be possible? Almost immediately after that thought crossed his mind, he cracked a mischievous smile which made the little boy give him a confused look.
"Goten, I have a solution. I'll ask mother if we can go. And if she refuses to let us go, we'll sneak out. It's not fair that she doesn't let you go outside." Gohan said, the smile still plastered on his face.
"But what if mommy discovers we're gone?"
"That doesn't matter anymore. You deserve to go outside and have fun. Mom doesn't allow you to do any of that. She never gave you the chance to go outside ever since we moved into this house and I'm not letting this opportunity go to waste. What do you say? Would you like to go?"
"I'm going!"
The two half Saiyans gave each other a smile and fist bumped each other. At the moment, nothing much mattered. They didn't care what their mother said as they were both determined to not allow her to ruin this chance for them.
Goku had just arrived back from the mayor's house after he had spoken with Himari. She had been so helpful and his talk with her had given him a much clearer mindset. He wanted Suno to know that he genuinely felt the same way about her.
He could feel his heart aching in his chest when he thought about his friend who he desperately wanted to be with.
'Tell her why you love her. Tell her when you started to fall in love with her. You said she's feeling lonely right? Now's your chance to make her feel special. Prove to her that that you love her. The only advice I can give you is believe in yourself. As long as you say what's in your heart, everything should go smoothly.'
Those words kept ringing in his head and even though he had a resolve to confess his feelings to Suno, he needed to be careful with how he handles this. Should he say the wrong thing, it could end up hurting not only her, but himself as well.
Goku felt confident that everything would go smoothly. He had to talk to her today, because there was no way he would allow her to keep holding back her pain when he knew for a fact that she deeply loved him. He wanted to be there for her and show support. Just like she had done for him.
'How do I get her to talk?' He thought to himself. 'It's like she hates me now.'
Now it almost seemed like she was giving him the silent treatment which was really starting to hurt, and it would drive him mad if he allowed it to continue any further.
As long as he took his time with this and picked his words carefully, there wouldn't be anything that could go wrong. Goku wasn't going to allow her to keep holding back her feelings. By the end of the day... he was going to make sure she opened up to him and show his friend just how much love he felt for her. He was going to make her his partner.
The front door was slightly open, so Goku just walked inside and silently closed it. He could hear the setting of the dining table and knew Suno and her mother were busy getting dinner ready. It was settled then. He was going to have a private talk with his friend alone after dinner.
"Honey, do you mind taking those spoons to the table for me?"
"No problem Mom, I'll do that right away!"
He wandered into the dining area after hearing those familiar voices and found the two women who had just finished setting all the food on the table. He frowned when he didn't see Hiroshi or Eighter anywhere in sight.
"Goku, you're here. Please let me serve you your dinner!" Suno chirped as she gestured for him to sit on a free chair while she scooped up some delicious ramen and vegetables.
"Sure, no problem. I just arrived back."
He complied and waited while she was serving his food for him. As her back was facing him, Goku had a small chance to study her body language. On the outside, she was looking happy and energetic but at the same time he could tell that she was holding something back, and he knew what she was trying to hide.
The immense love she felt for him.
Kaiyo decided to break the silence. "So Goku, how was your day today?"
"It was pretty good. I had a lively conversation with the mayor today." He replied, though it wasn't really true. What excuse could he give them?
What they didn't know was that his original plan was to talk to the mayor but found out he wasn't home so he got advice from Himari, his helper. He felt bad about lying to them but at the same time, he didn't say what he wanted to talk to the mayor about as he had no idea how both women would react to it.
"That's great. I suppose it went well?" Suno asked while she placed his bowl of ramen and veggies in front of him.
Goku smiled at her before giving the look that told of confusion. "Yes, it did. By the way, where's Hiroshi and Eighter? They don't seem to be at home.."
"They're working late today, but I hope they don't take too long in getting back." Kaiyo replied with worry.
She began walking to a nearby window and pulled the curtain back to see if there were any signs of her husband or the android, but all she could see were the rough patches of snow and the rows of beautiful snowforts built by some little children earlier this morning.
"Mother, don't worry so much. They both work so hard."
"I know that but they should come back before we end up having a horrible snowstorm.."
Suno bit her lip in fear, before a smile crossed her lips. "Don't forget that Eighter's pretty strong. He can protect Dad if it becomes necessary."
At the mention of that, the older woman seemed relieved as she walked back to her seat and sat down, serving some supper for herself.
"I keep forgetting that one fact. When I was with him in town buying groceries, he was able to scare off some armed robbers who tried to attack us.."
She patted her mother on the shoulder. "See? There's nothing to worry about, they'll be fine!"
"Exactly that. The village has been peaceful for many years after my departure so there's no reason to think they wouldn't be okay. Of course, I can always go out and search for them if they don't return the next morning."
The thought reassured them and it even earned him a small smile from Suno. He almost wanted to hold her hand, but refrained himself from doing so.
"You're a lifesaver!" She told him as she walked over, wrapping her arms around his neck and nuzzling her head in the crook of his neck before beaming at him. "You know that, right?"
"Of course!"
She returned to her seat. The trio began to converse among one another. Happiness and laughter filled the air, generating a very positive atmosphere. After dinner, Goku helped the two human women with the dishes and took slow steps to his room with only one thought on his mind.
He could hear Suno urging her mom to go get some rest while she finished cleaning up in the dining room. To him, she seemed pretty insistent on doing everything alone when Kaiyo was offering her help. Could it be that she wanted to be alone and didn't want her mother to see her upset?
"Darling, are you sure you don't need any help with the cleaning?"
"No mother, I can do everything myself. Why don't you go and get some rest? You deserve it."
"If you say so."
To avoid detection, he stepped aside and into the shadows as Kaiyo began walking to her bedroom. Once he sensed that she was safely inside, the Saiyan craned his head to get a better look at her.
One look at his redhaired friend while she was cleaning the dining room made his heart shatter. As she was wiping the table, he could have sworn that he saw a few tears escape from her eyes. She paused to reach out for a few tissues and cleaned her tears.
She was crying.
The sight of her breaking down made him want to go back in there right now and tell her the truth but this wasn't something he wanted to rush into, being that she was the only woman he loved and adored with all his heart.
He continued walking into his room, deciding to take a nice hot shower before taking action.
Goku had just finished showering and he was dressed in his winter clothes. Nothing else was on his mind except talking to Suno. He could still sense her energy in the living room while Kaiyo was sleeping in her room. As soon as he was done getting himself ready, he saw Suno sitting by herself and she was now wearing her usual winter clothing. Was she planning to go outside too? She was staring down at the floor, her red hair covering her face entirely. He blinked. Was it just his imagination or did he see another tear droplet fall from her eye? No, he couldn't have been seeing things.
When she noticed his presence, she smiled at him but Goku knew it wasn't a real smile. It was a fake one. It was time to make things the way they should be.
"Hey, are you alright?" He asked, taking a seat beside his friend on the couch. He tried to be as gentle as possible with her, knowing how sad she was feeling.
What she didn't realize was that things between her and Goku were going to take a turn for the best. Their friendship was about to blossom into something more... Something which would never be forgotten.
He placed a hand on his friend's shoulder, hoping to ease some of the pain she had been feeling. He knew that deep inside, there was nothing but sadness in her heart while on the outside she was acting as if she was jovial. She was trying to suppress her feelings for him and act as if everything was okay.
"Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?" Suno smiled at him, but winced when she felt him touching her shoulder. She was quick to move away from him, as if wanting to avoid contact. It didn't go unobserved. "I mean, everything's going well. I was just about to go for a walk after doing a bit of cleaning. You know, the regular stuff."
She could feel her voice quivering but she wasn't going to cry again. Not in front of him.
Goku could tell that she was lying through her teeth. He took her hand. "Listen, there's something I need to talk to you about. Since you said you're going for a walk, would it be okay if we talk outside?"
Confusion crossed her features but she nodded her head without saying anything as she didn't trust her voice at the moment. A huge lump formed in her throat and she was afraid that she would burst into tears if she tried to speak.
Goku walked to the front door and she followed him, wondering what was up.
Once they were outside, the two began to walk a long distance from the house. Suno was confused because she didn't know where he was taking them nor did she have any idea what he wanted to speak to her about, but she continued to follow him to wherever he was planning to go.
He was still holding her hand through the rough snow, using the nearby lighting to guide them. On their seemingly long journey, she was trying to avoid eye contact with him by either looking up at the sky or just stare at the snowmen in their path.
Taking one look at this sad woman, it would seem that saying anything to her almost seemed like an impossible feat but he wasn't one to give up that easily.
"What is it that you want to speak to me about that you had to drag us all the way out here?" Suno questioned while maintaining her fake smile, noticing that they were the only ones around and this area was almost dark with the exception of a few streetlights. "Whatever it is, you could have said it at home. Why did you pick a time like this?"
After making sure they were far enough from the house and that nobody was watching them, Goku gave a silent sigh and held both of her shoulders gently in order not to hurt her.
He looked into her pretty eyes and asked, "What's really bothering you? I could tell that something was wrong when we were at the dinner table."
He already knew what the problem was, but he was hoping for his friend to tell him herself before he took action.
"Goku, what are you talking about? Nothing's bothering me." Suno replied to him. Her throat began to feel even heavier as she talked. "I'm perfectly fine. You don't have to worry about me..."
He shook his head, knowing that it wasn't true. "No, you're not alright. It's written all over your face."
"But I'm fine.." She insisted as her gaze was lying on the hard snow, afraid to face him. "You don't have to worry about anything. Nothing's wrong with me!"
She was surprised that Goku was able to read her emotions so easily. Her facade was starting to crumble and she was beginning to feel as if she had been defeated. She didn't know what else to say that would convince him she was alright even though deep down, she knew she wasn't.
"Suno, there's no reason for you to lie about this." Goku spoke as he looked at her softly. He was surprised that his friend was trying so hard to deny all of this.
"I'm telling you that nothing's bothering me!" Suno insisted while raising her voice a little bit. "Can we please leave this alone!? What part of that don't you understand? I'm fine. End of this story. I think bringing me all the way out here just to ask me that was stupid and pointless!"
She turned around and began to walk away from him while trying hard to hold back her tears. He just stared on in surprise.
How was it that Goku was able to see through her emotions like this? How was this possible? First, her mother was the one who was able to do this and now it was him.
Stupid?
Pointless?
Now that was offensive to him and he was now becoming furious with her. How could she say that to him when he felt the exact same way about her?
Before she could take another step forward his hand was on her shoulder, forcing her to look at him.
She tried to wiggle herself from his strong grip on her while staring angrily at him. "You made me come outside with you for a stupid reason. Now, let go of me. I want to go back home!"
"Suno..." He tried to speak but she wasn't letting him which was making him even more upset.
Her finger was poked into his chest. "I don't care what you have to say. I'm going back home!"
"But please-"
"No!"
"Why-"
"I don't want to hear it!"
"Just listen-"
"Absolutely not!"
"For Kami's sake, will you just SHUT THE HELL UP!?"
There was silence between the both of them after that sudden outburst from the Saiyan. Suno was taken aback and she was very frightened by it as tears were prickling at the corners of her eyes. Her entire body felt numb... frozen in place. The man of her dreams was upset with her for the very first time as evidenced by his angry glare.
"Goku-"
He raised a hand in front of her to prevent her from interrupting him again, anger still written on his face.
"Listen to me!"
A nod of her head was all she could manage. She couldn't speak even if she wanted to. All she could do was to look at his angry face and it was hurting her even more.
"It's not like you weren't giving me the silent treatment at breakfast. You didn't even say a damn thing to me unless I said something to you. Even then, you mostly just talked with your parents and Eighter while acting as I'm nonexistent!" He snapped, letting his rage take control of him.
Suno remained silent as she felt nothing but shame filling her whole being. She was shocked when she felt him poke a finger into her chest like she had done to him seconds ago.
"Do you really think that me being worried about you is a stupid reason to bring you out here? This is between the two of us, that's why I brought you out here in the middle of the night. You looked happy when we were in the house but despite that joy I saw in your eyes, I could tell you were holding something back!"
A tear slipped from her eye but she made no effort in wiping it away as she listened to his rant. His harsh words were cutting through her and it almost felt like a knife piercing through her heart.
"I can see right through you, so why don't you stop wasting time and tell me what the problem is, huh?" He removed his finger from her chest while keeping his stern look. "Don't even try saying that things are okay, when they're not. Don't you dare lie to me!"
Never in her life did she think that her love would ever talk to her that way. She had no idea how to respond. His angry rant had rendered her speechless. Why was he making it so difficult to suppress her feelings? Why didn't he want to leave this alone?
"G-Goku?"
Suno took a step back from the Saiyan in shock, her body shaking in tremendous fear. She didn't have the willpower to speak right now. When she looked at his face, he looked absolutely serious.
"I... I... I'm so sorry..."
The frightened woman stuttered with her words as she had never heard him speak this way before. She avoided his gaze, not wanting to look at him. His voice alone had scared her.
His demeanor soon began to change at the sight of his scared friend. The anger dissipated and regret soon filled his features once he realized what he just did. This beautiful angel standing in front of him... this lovely woman who has shown him nothing but kindness... he screamed in her face when he should have been patient with her, knowing that she held onto her feelings for so many years.
'What have I done?'
Goku took one of her gloved hands and held it while the other rested on her shoulder. "I'm sorry for talking to you that way. I didn't mean to scare you. It's just that I'm really worried because you seem to be holding something back. What's wrong?"
As he used a thumb to wipe away a tear, the Saiyan father mentally slapped himself for doing that.
'I'm such an idiot. Why did I snap at her like that? She's only struggling to let out her feelings!'
This reminded him of when he did the same thing to his friends, back when he was a total wreck from his breakup with Chichi and their separation. But this was Suno, the woman who had fallen in love with him and who he loved very much in return. He only wanted her to open up to him about her true feelings and his stupid ass just had to go and frighten her like that.
Suno still didn't want to tell him anything as she went on to say in a very calm voice.
"I-I already told you I'm okay. N-Nothing's wrong with me."
A barely audible sigh escaped his lips. If things kept going like this, he wasn't going to get any information from her. He decided to take matters into his own hands with this approach.
"No, something's wrong. I overheard a conversation you had with your mother last night. You two were talking about me, isn't that it?"
As soon as he got those words out, Suno's expression turned into one of shock. This couldn't be.
"How... how much of it did you hear?" She managed to ask.
Suno was now completely stunned that Goku knew of her feelings towards him. The feelings that she had been trying to keep from him until he was through with his divorce.
He knew everything now and she had no other choice but to tell him how she really feels, and at the same time she had to be prepared to hear the worst from him. She had to be prepared if he didn't reciprocate those same feelings for her.
"I heard everything while I was hiding behind that huge potted plant in the living room.." Goku responded with a soft look as he could tell that this redhaired woman in front of him was about to cry even more. "Suno, please tell me what's on your mind. You can talk to me."
The Saiyan gave her hands a soft squeeze, hoping that it would provide some kind of comfort for her.
Suno began to stare at the ground since she didn't want to see the look on Goku's face. He was saddened that she was refusing to look at him.
"You're right. Mother and I began to talk shortly after you went to your room. She knew what was bothering me the moment you mentioned moving back home with your son."
She raised one of her hands to wipe her tears, but still kept her gaze on the snow.
"I'll tell you everything since it's clear that you want to know. The truth is that I've had feelings towards you for quite some time. Ever since we met as kids actually. When I asked my mother years ago if we could keep you, I assumed it was because of pure excitement at having someone stay with us since things can get pretty dull and also due to extreme worry after I saw you lying unconscious in the snow on my way back home."
Goku nods his head in understanding, never once removing his soft grip on her hand.
"As time passed on, I began to realize that it wasn't just worry or excitement. It was a small crush which became bigger and bigger until I couldn't control it anymore. After you left the village to return to West City, I... I couldn't stop thinking about you. I didn't know what to do or if I should seek advice from someone. It was prior to when we met again that my feelings towards you had become even stronger than they were before."
He was now starting to feel guilty and while he knew the exact reason why, he could only watch as her tears were falling on the snow.
"When you told me you were getting divorced and your wife took your two kids with her, I felt terrible. I put off telling you how I felt because of how heartbroken you were from the separation and the upcoming divorce. What kind of person would I be if I just dumped my feelings onto you, knowing that you were going through a hard time? I was afraid... I was afraid of losing the friendship I have with you. I didn't know if I should keep my feelings to myself or if I should even say anything at all."
He felt numb upon hearing that and only one thought crossed his mind.
'I can hardly believe that she held onto those feelings for so long. SHE LOVES ME! I forgot about her and even worse, I get married to a woman who made my life a living hell. How could I have been so stupid as to commit myself to something I didn't understand the true meaning of while this lovely angel was waiting for me? There was so much life had in store for me. I could have been traversing the world and learning new things before my return here and maybe... I could have have settled down with her.'
His thoughts were interrupted when he heard her pained voice once more.
"When you told me you were planning to get custody of your youngest son, it wasn't that I wouldn't be happy if you won custody of him but it was because if you left, I would have never gotten the chance to confess my feelings towards you. To put it bluntly, what I feel for you is love. I love you so much."
'Just as I was thinking.'
"And the truth is that if you left Jingle Village, I would feel lonely because I would be battling my feelings for the person I love. I would be lonely because I never got to tell you how I really felt. My parents, Eighter and my friends would be there for me, but the person who I truly love wouldn't be there with me. It... It doesn't matter if you don't feel the same way towards me. You're about to get divorced and you only see me as a friend so it wouldn't... it wouldn't work out anyway..."
Suno couldn't control her emotions anymore as tears were flowing down her cheeks even harder than before. She was weeping heavily and there were no signs that her tears were going to stop anytime soon.
"I... I told myself that I would be there for you through thick and thin even if you don't love me the same way that I love you. I wasn't planning on telling you any of this until you were through with your divorce and you don't have to give me an answer if you're not ready. I-It doesn't matter anymore."
She began to wail even harder as she stared at the ground, her own words feeling like she had been stabbed a thousand times. She didn't even want to look at the Saiyan after she finished pouring her heart out in front of him. His reaction would be hurtful to see if he ended up saying that he didn't feel the same way about her. She was trying to wipe her tears fervently but to no avail as they just kept falling and falling.
Suno was convinced deep down that Goku was going to say that he didn't like her the same way. After all, they were just friends and they wouldn't be anything more than that.
His heart began to break into pieces as he looked into the eyes of this distraught woman. He knew she didn't want to look at him and it was hurting a lot. It was as if Goku could tell what she was thinking. She was expecting to hear the worst from him and it was a rejection so she didn't want to see the expression on his face as he did so, but that wasn't the case.
He loved Suno just as much as she loved him.
Goku watched as Suno's tears were falling down her cheeks. He couldn't see her face since she was just staring at the cold ground. The Saiyan didn't know what to say at the moment so he did something he didn't think he would do.
He pulled her into an embrace and allowed her to cry into his chest, his hands digging deep into her hair. He couldn't care less that his jacket was wet from her tears as his arms were around her like he was providing security and not wanting to let her go. Her cries became nothing more than muffles and her head was buried deeper into his chest.
He felt a twinge of sadness in his heart, knowing that his lover was crying because of him. All he could do was to give her soft pats and rubs on the back and wait until she had calmed down before he spoke.
Her hands were clutching onto his jacket while she continued to sob in his soft and gentle embrace.
The fact that his love was in tears, made him want to start crying too.
"Goku, please. Let's leave this..." Suno began to say through her tears but the Saiyan cut her off.
"Alone?" He finished the sentence for her as he was holding her in his arms and running his hands through her soft red hair. "Are you kidding? No way. Whether you like it or not, you're going to hear me out.."
Suno continued to cry loudly into his chest and Goku just continued to embrace her while looking at her in sadness. He hated seeing her like this. He hated seeing her broken and her resolve crumpled due to her fears of rejection.
Once her sobbing seemed to die down, he used a finger to touch her chin and lift her face to look up at him. Once she was finally looking at him, he was now in full view of her pretty face. Her eyes were red and puffy from all the weeping.
"Goku... I told you it doesn't matter anymore. I-I'm sure you don't feel the same way about me. Why don't we just put all of this behind us and then we can continue to be friends, all right?"
She made an attempt to leave but Goku grabbed an arm to stop her in her tracks. He could see that she was still trying to avoid his gaze and so he lifted a finger to stop her tears from falling.
"Do you really think this doesn't matter to me too?"
Silence.
"What made you think that I don't feel the same way?"
More silence. All he could hear was sniffling from her until...
"Y-You haven't even been in Jingle Village for that long. Plus, you're going to meet Chichi again in court for the divorce and custody hearing. You only see me as a friend and nothing more.."
"I love you too."
That caused her to freeze in her tracks. All that could be heard were the sounds of the gentle wind blowing past them and then there was a moment of silence.
Suno slowly turned her head back to face him. When she was facing him once more, the Saiyan could see that there were still unshed tears glistening in her eyes but he could also see a glimmer of hope.
"Y-You love me? For real?"
"I do."
Goku gave a deep breath and began to speak, ready to let out the feelings he didn't know he had until yesterday.
"Why would you make the assumption that I don't feel the same way? I also began to love you the same way you love me. When I told you about my divorce, you did nothing but console me while my soon to be ex-wife did nothing but make me feel miserable throughout our marriage. You never left my side even after I told you about the Saiyans. You're the one who was able to put a smile on my face every time I was feeling down. My wife made me miserable and living with her was a pain in the ass, but you're the one who truly makes me happy."
His hands were clasped into hers, loving the softness of them.
"Ever since we got married and had our children, she has constantly been insulting us. She was the kind of person who never seemed to realize what was at stake because she was always thinking about her own selfish desires. She'd make our children study even if the earth was in danger and she never seemed to understand that fighting was in my blood. It was something I had been doing ever since I was a kid. But you..."
Goku looked into her dazzling eyes. It broke his heart to see them watery with tears. His hands reached out to cup the sides of her face as he continued to speak, his voice filled with so much emotion.
"You're one of the kindest people in my life. You help others in need without any hesitation. The more I spent time with you, the more attracted I began to feel. You were saying that I don't love you back but you're wrong. If there was one thing that my marriage lacked, it was love. I couldn't love Chichi no matter how much I tried but with you, it's different. I feel like I've found someone who will finally respect what I do and somebody who will always have my back just like I have hers."
His hand left her cheeks to push back a strand of her hair so he could view her teary face, still filled to the brim with unshed tears.
"I'll admit that at first I didn't understand what my feelings were towards you but when I thought about the conversation you had with your mother and the times we spent together since I moved in, it made me reflect on things and I figured out my real feelings."
His own eyes were feeling watery and he had to stop for a moment, feeling the heaviness in his voice.
"The love that I should have felt for my wife... I'm feeling that love for you. The affection that I never got from my wife, you're the one who's been showing me more affection and making me feel loved. The smiles that I never saw on my wife's face, I'm seeing those smiles on your beautiful face. I wasn't happy with my marriage and for once I'm glad that I'm going to divorce Chichi because the one who's been helping me get through this painful ordeal is my true love. The love of my life is here, right before my very eyes. I don't like seeing you in this pain because of me. I don't like seeing you cry just because you'll be lonely after I leave. I'm right here with you, so please don't be sad..."
Goku raised a hand and began to gently touch Suno's wet cheek as he looked at her with such softness that it was making his heart drop. "It hurts me to know that you were in this pain... It's painful to learn that you were keeping all this to yourself but I appreciate the fact that you took time out of your day to think about me even if it was only for a moment. I'm happy to be back here because now that I think about it, I wouldn't have wanted to be with any other woman.."
He continued to hold onto her hand, waiting for a response from her. She relaxed under his touch and despite the fact that she still had tears flowing down her cheeks, she was showing signs of happiness.
On the inside, Suno was struck after hearing everything. She felt stupid to believe that Goku wouldn't reciprocate those same feelings. When she looked at his face, she could immediately tell that he was being sincere about every single word he said. The way he spoke about her... it made her want to cry again, but those tears weren't tears of sadness.
They were tears of joy.
The love of her life cared about her so much. She wanted to be with him and not only that, but she wanted to stand by his side and help him get through his divorce as well as giving him moral support during his custody hearing. If possible, she was going to do everything in her ability to help him out as much as she could because his happiness meant the world to her. Suno was going to be there for him through each and every step. She could tell that the man of her dreams wanted her to be there for him.
Suno managed a smile through her tears, enjoying the warmth of his hand. She began to release sniffles as she wiped her tears away, preparing to speak once more.
"I want you to know how sorry I am for the treatment I gave you today. I didn't realize you also felt that same way. I had been so focused on keeping my feelings to myself. I was confused to the point where I didn't want to talk to you and I felt that avoiding you was the best option, but now I realize how much it hurt you. You're the only person I ever want to be with, and I don't want to lose this chance of being with you because you mean the whole world to me."
After hearing those words, Goku pulled her closer to him. Their faces were slowly leaning closer as they were about to show a display of love and affection for each other. He felt like the luckiest man on the planet right now, being in front of the woman who truly loved him.
"Please promise me that if something's ever bothering you, you'll come to me. I want to be someone you can lean on for support and I want to be there for you just like you were for me. I promise I'll be there for you always. You won't feel lonely anymore."
He lowered his voice to a whisper. "Is that a promise?"
"It's a promise, and I intend to keep it for the rest of my life."
As soon as those words were exchanged, Goku slowly placed his hand on Suno's cheek while her hand was touching his rock hard chest. They both smiled at each other, not knowing what to say.
There was something that the both of them wanted but they couldn't express their feelings into words as this was something that only their actions could convey. The Saiyan opened his mouth to speak but he wasn't able to form any words since there was no way to put this into words. The only thing he could do was to shower her face with caresses and then he realized what he needed to do.
He had to speak with his actions, not his words.
Goku tilted his head as his lips slowly drew closer to Suno's and without a single thought in his mind, he closed the gap between him and his true love, grabbing her by the arm to pull her closer to him until their bodies made contact. When he stared this beautiful woman in the eye, he knew right then and there that he wanted her. He didn't want to wait any longer before showing his love and affection for her.
The tips of their noses began to touch as the air around them became much colder and thicker than it how it usually was. The snowflakes began to block their view of all the houses, trees and the snowmen around them but that didn't matter to them.
What really mattered was this moment between them.
Suno's gaze was lingering on Goku, knowing what she truly wanted from him but before she could try making the request... he caught her by surprise as he grabbed her hand in a flash, swooped in and captured her lips in a fierce and passionate kiss. Her body at first felt completely frozen by how quick it happened but after feeling his tongue prying her mouth open, she wasted no time in opening it and giving him access.
If there was one thing that Goku knew, it was that he never had this feeling of desire while he was still living together with Chichi since they rarely ever showed any signs of affection at all and also because of her unwillingness to do things that weren't related to forcing their sons to sit behind their desks doing endless studying. The only times he remembered kissing her was on their wedding day and on the rare moments they were actually alone together. His wife had been the one to initiate them and even then he didn't feel any love behind their kisses. He rather felt nothing but complete emptiness when he kissed Chichi.
But with the woman standing in front of him, his true love... the feeling was completely different. With every minute that passed, he found himself wanting more of her. He wanted nothing else but her presence.
Goku kissed Suno on the lips with so much force and passion, his fingers tracing along her body and reaching out to cup the sides of her face as he did so. This moment was so intense and they had no time to process it but they both knew it wasn't ending anytime soon.
Suno's hands were moving down his chest before she eventually settled on keeping them around his waist and deepening the kiss, wanting their bodies to be closer to each other.
'Oh my God... is this really happening to me right now!? I can't believe this isn't some dream of mine, but a reality, and I don't want this to end. I want it to last all night...' She told herself as her body felt attached to the Saiyan and didn't want to let go of him.
She was feeling a kind of sensation she had never felt before, her hands holding onto his coat jacket and forcing him to stay put while she continued to make love to him.
He didn't mind one bit, having no intentions of running away.
They were both enjoying themselves in their moment that they didn't want to stop. It was becoming more violent and aggressive. The two of them paid no attention to their surroundings as their kiss was becoming more and more passionate, their hands roaming each other's body in desperation.
Goku had his strong arms around his lover's petite form with one hand on the back of her head while the other one was positioned on her waist, kissing her as if his life depended on it. His instincts began to take over as he grabbed hold of her legs and lifted her up, feeling a great deal of satisfaction when she decided to keep them around his torso.
Suno could feel her hat falling off from her head as she devoured the lips of her lover with equal passion and desire but she didn't care because her moment alone with him was what really mattered.
They soon parted away from the kiss and they looked into each other's eyes. Suno asked with a breathy voice but yet it was filled with so much lust, passion and most of all love for the man in front of her.
"Are... Are you alright?"
She soon found herself cupping her lover's face in her hands as she asked him this, their foreheads still making contact.
"Yes, I am. A little out of breath, but I'll be fine." Goku responded, his face full of love and affection for the woman standing before him. His voice was breathy from the display of love they just shared, but it didn't matter to him right now. He stroked her cheek gently as he gave his next response. "You know, I should have realized my feelings much sooner but I was oblivious the whole time... you were..."
She put a finger on his lips to silence him.
"Please don't blame yourself for this. You were going through a difficult time with your wife leaving you and taking your sons along with her. You needed time to grieve for your loss and despite the fact that I was hurt, I understood that you needed time."
Tears began to slide down his face as he looked at her. "Thank you so much... for understanding the pain that I was going through. I love you with all of my heart."
"Hey, please don't cry..." Suno replied while looking at him. Her own tears were threatening to spill once more as she saw that he was crying. She was wiping his tears away with her finger as her tears finally poured down her cheeks once more. "I love you too, and I'll... I'll always be by your side."
"Everything you say means a lot to me. Whenever you're there with me, I just feel like I can get through a difficult situation... like the sacrifices I made weren't for nothing." Goku said as he pulled the red-haired woman into another embrace, squeezing her tightly in his arms. He cried even harder as he pressed his hands into her back.
"I'm glad to hear that. I always wanna be there for you, no matter what.."
Every single area of the village was quiet except for the sounds of them crying their hearts out.
Hearing that response from her seemed to trigger a reaction as Goku released himself from their hug and tucked a strand of her red hair behind her ears. They both stared into each other's eyes, their looks saying more than words ever could. As he continued to look into her eyes, he could immediately tell that she wanted more. There was no doubt in his mind once he looked at her lovingly. He wiped her tears with his finger and focused his gaze on her.
"You wanna stay out here with me?" He asked her.
Suno looked at him while nodding. "Yes, I do. We still have plenty of time left."
He grabbed one of her hands before looking around once more, satisfied there was nobody watching them. "The best part is that we're the only ones around so we get to have our privacy."
"I can see that."
He didn't say anything in response as his eyes began to linger on his lover's lips once more, wanting to experience it all over again. This first kiss was more memorable to him than all the toxic moments he spent with his wife. This one moment was making him feel happy inside.
He was finally with the love of his life. Well... almost. The only thing he had to do was to ask her that one question before she was finally his.
"Is something on your mind?" Her soft voice interrupted him. Both of her hands were on his chest and she had this adorable look that was glistening in her eyes but at the same time, she was desperate to continue what they just started. "You're a bit quiet."
Goku gave her a soft chuckle. "I'm sorry, I just spaced out entirely."
"It's okay." Suno answered as she grabbed his face in her hands and leaned in closer, their lips inches apart from each other.
He positioned both of his hands at her waist, bringing her closer to him until he felt her body touching his.
"You're okay too, right?" Goku asks her, his hands leaving her waists and making traces along her cheeks.
"Yeah, I am. Now that you're here with me."
Before he could say anything more, Suno pressed her lips against his once more. Her arms began moving to wrap around his neck and keep him in place. He was stunned for a few seconds by how fast she was but he quickly responded to the kiss, his hands exploring every part of her body in a rapid motion and in places he never thought he would touch either.
She didn't seem to mind it as his skillful touches were driving her to the brink of insanity. All she could do was to let out soft moans of pleasure.
His fingers began to rub her leg up and down, loving how soft they were, loving how... he stopped himself there and just hoisted her up into his arms like he had done the first time, while trailing kisses along her neck before making his way to her stomach.
Not even the snowflakes raining down on them could put a stop to this lovely and romantic moment.
Goku was sitting atop a large boulder he had managed to find nearby and had just gestured for Suno to sit on his lap. Her legs were dangling over the rock and he loved the fact that she was nestled comfortably in his arms. Her head was resting on his chest and he had his strong, muscled arms around her being and it was in such a protective manner as if another man could come by and take her away from him.
He knew this to be impossible since this adorable angel only had eyes for him.
Luckily for them, there wasn't any snowstorm so they were relaxing peacefully. No words were said between them as they sat there in the aftermath of their very first kiss.
Somehow, Suno wasn't finding herself to be cold anymore as she realized that being in his arms was protecting her from the cold. Their makeout session had ended a little while ago and the two of them were finding comfort with each other. Neither could have imagined that such a long session would leave them gasping for air.
They were no longer crying like they were before. Now the both of them were happy being together in this moment.
"Suno?"
Goku's voice broke the still silence, and she raised her head up to look at him. "My friend Bulma said she'll be organizing a get together party very soon. How would you like to come along with me? I think it will be a great opportunity for you to meet my friends as well as Gohan and Goten, my two beloved sons."
Suno gave him a soft smile. "Of course. I would love that. I'll come with you."
Seeing that her head was still raised at him, Goku took that opportunity to lean in closer and give her a gentle kiss on her lips. He just loved how soft they were.
"I didn't realize you harboured feelings for me for that long. You held onto them for years until we met again."
He couldn't help but feel as if he would have had the ideal life with Suno and not Chichi. Taking note of how different the two of them were, Suno showed more care and actual love to him than his own wife ever did, and it was something he actually appreciated. Her presence and her warm smiles were enough to get him through a rough day.
"Yeah. I held onto hope that we would cross paths again and we did. But we're together now aren't we?" She placed a hand on his cheek and gave him another kiss. "I love you so much."
Goku hugged her and pecked her forehead. He ran his fingers through her soft, delicate hair before he replied. "I love you too."
'She's so beautiful.'
He took one of Suno's hands into his and looked at her. "Now that we're alone right now I need to ask you these two questions which I want you to answer truthfully."
Suno nodded, ready to hear whatever he had to say.
"Will you go on a date with me?" Goku asked while holding her hand, waiting for a response from her.
Suno looked at him for a moment. He gave her a soft look but she could also tell that he was being serious. Once again she had tears falling down her face which he was wiping away. She finally addressed him as she said, "Yes. I'll go out with you."
Goku starts planting kisses all over her face and she couldn't help but giggle as he was doing so. He began to laugh, twirling her hair around playfully.
"Oh, stop it..."
"You can't fool me. I know you're loving this!"
"B-But..."
"Just admit it!"
"I guess you're right."
"I knew it!"
After their laughter died down, his face turned serious again.
"Now for the second question, and I need an honest answer from you."
She nodded her head, ready to give him an answer.
He takes a deep breath. "Will you be my girlfriend?"
Suno covered her mouth in shock at the question, tears filling her eyes once more. "Do... Do you really mean that?"
Goku smiles, knowing what her answer would be. "I really do, but it's up to you if we should start dating."
"Are you kidding me? Of course, I'll be your girlfriend. That's all I've ever wanted. To be someone special to you.." She's in tears as those last words come out of her mouth.
He removes the scarf he's wearing around his neck and starts cleaning her face with it. Once he's finished, he opens his strong muscled arms for her with the widest smile.
"Come here baby.."
In an instant, she flung herself at him. He returns the hug and kisses the top of her head while inhaling the scent of her hair.
'I'm really lucky to have Suno as my new partner. I'm going to do everything I can to make her the happiest woman alive. She deserves the very best and I'm going to give her that!'
"Shhhh... don't cry. My heart belongs to you, got that?" He whispers in her ear while cradling her like a small child. All he received was a nod in response.
"You know you mean everything to me right? Aside from my two sons, you mean the whole world to me. I'll do everything I can to make you happy, just like you did for me.."
Suno lifted her head and smiled through her tears, feeling his lips briefly make contact with hers. "Yeah, I know that now."
"Do you want to go back to the house?" She asked him, noticing how late it was. Of course, she wasn't feeling tired at all but was now wondering if they should return home.
Goku shook his head as he wraps his own scarf around his partner and smiles when he sees how cute she looks in it. "No, let's stay here a little longer. We've both just let out our feelings and I don't want to cut this short. Let's spend some alone time together."
Suno just smiled as she was satisfied with his answer. Truth be told, she didn't want to leave either as she felt safe and secure in her boyfriend's arms.
They sat there together in silence until she noticed that something was on her boyfriend's mind. "Are you alright?"
He didn't answer her, observing their surroundings for a split second. There were no signs of a snowstorm so that was a good thing.
"Hey, what's wrong?" Her fingers cup his chin in worry.
"I-I think I had feelings for you back when we met as children."
That caught Suno by surprise. "R-Really? You did? B-But how?"
Goku couldn't help but sigh as he looked ahead, avoiding his girlfriend's gaze. "Those times we spent together as children may have been short, but after taking the time to really think about them, there were small signs that I felt the same way. But... being the naive child I was back then, I never picked up on your feelings or mine either. It's not fair that you thought about me every single day yet I continued on with my life as if we hadn't met before. I was sad when I had to leave everyone, but I was upset that I had to leave you behind. There was so much we could have done together if that hadn't been the case."
"Goku..." She felt tears brimming in her eyes.
"I just wish I hadn't been an idiot and then maybe things would have been different."
"Hey." Suno spoke sternly, not liking where this was going. "I told you before, you're NOT an idiot!"
He shook his head, almost as if he was disagreeing with her. "I can't help it. I just can't stop thinking about this. You've been in love with me, but instead I go and marry-"
"Stop it!" The village resident cut him off so firmly, causing the Saiyan to turn back at her in shock as he hadn't expected that sudden outburst. "It doesn't matter. We're together now, so let's not dwell on this anymore."
He remained silent, allowing her words to sink in for a moment.
"Don't forget that you have two sons who love and care for you. Shouldn't you be happy for that?"
"You're right. I should be happy that I have the boys." Goku said, embracing her once more. "No matter how many times Chichi tried to turn Goten against me, it never worked. He looked up to me, and that alone tells me I did a pretty solid job at being a Dad."
She was loving his positivity as she smiled brightly at him. "There you go. And don't you ever think negative about yourself again, you hear me?"
"I promise and I really appreciate how you understand me."
She leaned up and gave him a soft peck on the cheek. "Don't mention it. Your relationship with Gohan and Goten is just as important to me as our relationship."
"Thank you, babe. I'm glad you're in my life again but this time, for good. I'm not letting you out of my sight like I did all those years ago.."
As soon as he said that, Suno closed her eyes and waited for the oncoming kiss from him. She threw her arms around him as his lips came crashing down on hers. It lasted for a good few minutes before he pulled away from her.
"Baby?"
"Yeah?"
"The next time you set out to retrieve provisions for the villagers, I'm coming along with you. I want to play a part in ensuring that these people have everything they need during the tough winter.." He told her, his eyes now on the snow covered cottages around them.
"That's fine by me. I know you would want to help them when they're struggling to survive. You and I would make a great team!"
Suno clasped her hands together in excitement, hearts appearing in her eyes at the thought of working together with her boyfriend.
Goku chuckled at that for a moment. "And also, I want to keep you safe as well.."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
Remembering the talk he had with the android, he carefully chose his words.
"I know that you struggle with retrieving food and water for these residents mainly because of the rough snowstorms that occur. Eighter is there to protect you, but I can't imagine what would happen if he wasn't with you and you're out there by yourself. It can be dangerous when you're on your own, you know?"
A light sigh escaped from her lips, knowing that he was right. It was hard for her. "But... as one of the few people who can still move around, I took it upon myself to make sure that the villagers have all their necessary items. I can't stand to see them suffer..."
He lifts her chin and it was evident that her pupils conveyed sadness.
"Hey, cheer up. I want to be there with you when you're on the job. We can retrieve food, water and other items the people might need. The task would be much quicker if I'm around and as your boyfriend, it's now my duty to protect you from those snowstorms. I can use my energy to keep you warm when you're freezing cold. How does that sound?"
Suno's eyes lit up and she gave her partner a bear hug which would have crushed a normal human. "Awww, I already know you're going to be an awesome boyfriend!"
"And I know you'll be a wonderful girlfriend!"
Goku couldn't help but admire her. She looked so happy, vibrant and full of life, and she was absolutely adorable with her winter clothing on and with his yellow scarf around her neck.
"Oh, you should have this back.." Suno removed the scarf to give back to him and then he stopped her.
"Keep it."
"W-What?"
He re-wrapped the piece of fabric around her neck. "It's yours now. I think you look pretty in it!"
Her fingers touched the scarf before she looked back at her partner with so much love. "I don't know what to say except thank you. You're so sweet."
"You don't have to say anything. Okay?" He gave her the sweetest smile, wrapping his arms around her once more in the tightest hug he had ever given. "I'm just happy we're together now."
She nods her head while blinking back her tears.
"I don't think there's going to be a snowstorm at this time of the night so I want nothing more than to relax with you. Everyone's asleep in their homes and I believe your father should be back home too..." He murmured in her ear.
Suno sighed in relief. "That's great but what about Eighter? Do you think he's home too?"
Goku was secretly thrilled when he sensed a power level entering the house. "If they left together, then they would come back at the same time."
He was unable to sense Eighter's ki being that he was a full robot but knew by instinct that he arrived back with Hiroshi. He made a mental note to tell her more about his ability to sense ki and it's other uses.
'After I settle down with the boys, maybe I can teach Suno how to sense energy if she's interested in learning. It could be useful for her.'
She leaned against his chest as she looked up at the stars appearing in the sky. "You're right about that. They should be safe at home and... we're both going to have a new start tomorrow aren't we?"
"We sure will."
Goku held her hand in his as he kept his gaze on the sky. It sure was a beautiful night especially with the full moon out and it reminded him of the days when he still had his tail.
Now the village resident was wondering what they would do on their first date as she began to stare off into the sky dreamily. She imagined herself dressing up in her room and her boyfriend showing up with a bouquet of red roses, and them walking off into the night. She didn't know how long she had been daydreaming, but it just made her feel delighted. Goku gazed down at her and he let out a soft smile, his chin resting on top of her head. Her eyes shot open and she realized she had been dreaming about her first date with her love, though she didn't care about how their date went but was just happy to know that Goku loved her. Without saying anything to him, she made herself even more comfortable in his arms, earning a chuckle from the Saiyan.
"Let me guess. You were daydreaming about our first date?"
"I couldn't help myself. But honestly, how everything goes down with regards to that doesn't concern me. What matters to me is that we love and care for each other."
Goku just gave a smile at the petite woman who was resting in his arms as she took the words right out of his mouth. For almost the entire night, he and Suno would whisper sweet words to each other or he would occasionally kiss her on the lips or on the forehead.
He wasn't exactly sure what was going to happen between them from this point onwards, but what he did know was that he loved her with all of his heart. He would do anything to protect her from the dangers of this planet and was determined to help her keep the village residents safe and happy. It was the least he could do for her after everything she did for him up until this point.
Goku swore that he would never ever do anything to hurt her in any way, like how he stupidly screamed in her face. It almost brought tears to his eyes just thinking about that but he wasn't going to let it happen again.
The divorce and custody hearing coming up was like a breath of fresh air because he now had his real partner by his side. No matter what happened from this point, he would always treasure Suno and her strong love for him deep in his heart. Not only that, but he swore on his life that he was not going to lose this lovely angel the way he did with his soon to be ex-wife.
This new found love for her would stay strong for years to come and will never fade away. He couldn't imagine anything breaking them apart.
(End of Chapter 6)
To be continued...
Author's Note: This chapter is one of the best ones I've ever written with Goku and Suno confessing their love for each other and realizing just how important the both of them are to each other. I keep reading this chapter over and over again. And about the court scenes, it will happen in a future chapter. I'm going to do my part in brainstorming ideas. I want it to be as emotional as possible. If you guys have any ideas for how the divorce and custody hearing for Goten should be like, feel free to put it in the comment section and I'll see you all in the next chapter!
UPDATE: I have rewritten some parts of chapter seven as I don't really like how it's looking right now. Once I'm satisfied with the changes, I'll repost it. Since I've been going back and forth with editing the previous chapters, I feel like chapter seven is kinda... outdated. Especially now that I've made some major changes to the sixth chapter.
