Welcome! This is my prequel, based on the flashbacks of "Ox Queen" and going beyond where those stories have thus gone! Suggested by my wonderful beta, RoyalBlueRoses, this story will cover Chai's growth from the Saiyan Saga of DBZ to the end of the Cell Games and will have a few of the movies thrown into the mix, as well as extending the world to look at the Ox Kingdom and it's interactions with the other Twelve Kingdoms.
Happy reading and please rate and review!
Prologue:
Rain tapped against the window and trickled along the tiled roof overhead. Outside, the trees got the gentle watering that they deserved, preserving their emerald leaves despite the late February cold. Winters were mild here, thanks to the warm waters from the Southern coast that pushed a temperate breeze up into Mount Paozu.
"It was the name of the first queen, and since I abdicated my rule to marry you, Goku-sa, I figure I would honor my ancestors by naming her Chai," Chi-Chi said from the windowsill.
She sat in a rocking chair, wrapped in a blanket, letting the motion sway her precious bundle to sleep. So far, the girl proved to be a very good baby. She didn't cry much, and ate about what Chi-Chi expected, having been Goku's daughter.
" 'Abdicated' ?" Goku asked. He was dressed in his usual orange gi, holding a plate of muffins that his wife had made earlier. They still wafted a gooey chocolate scent through the house. Chi-Chi counted quickly, and of course, he had all but two muffins on that plate.
She sighed at his lack of understanding. Normally, she had plenty of patience for explaining things to Goku. It wasn't his fault that he grew up in the jungle, after all. Recently giving birth made her tired, however, and the amount of feeding Chai required took a lot out of Chi-Chi, even if the girl did sleep through most nights.
That settles it. Any child I have is going to be well-educated.
"It means I gave up the right to rule," she said, before turning down to her precious bundle."You're going to have a good vocabulary, won'cha' Chai-chan," Chi-Chi cooed.
She gently tapped her baby's nose. A tiny hand grabbed onto the woman's pale finger and shook it as large ebony eyes opened, one after the other. The assertive display brought a smile to Chi-Chi's face as Goku came over and sat across from her, looking down at the baby.
"Yes, we will have an excellent vocabulary," the woman said, matter-of-factly.
"She's so tiny, Chi," Goku nearly whispered.
The matriarch nodded, then looked up to see a piece of muffin being offered to her. She nibbled it off of her husband's fingertips, giggling at the crumbs that covered his own mouth. There was no way he had the grace to sit at court, though Goku would have made an honorable king. Even among the Twelve Kingdoms that the Ox belonged to, he was considered a hero of great caliber. Chi-Chi's choice of husband surprised no one. The Ox Kingdom was a warrior kingdom, and so of course the Ox Princess would choose the strongest man on Earth.
Probably helps that I love him, Chi-Chi smiled. She happily chewed the chocolate morsel and looked down at her baby. Another hand was reaching up towards the mother's face, probably to try and get some of what she just ate.
"I can't wait until she's big enough to train," Goku added proudly
A small squeal escaped baby Chai's lips, but Chi-Chi was not so amused. Immediately, her brow furrowed as she stared down her husband. I love this idiot.
"She is a princess, Goku!"
"So?" he shrugged, picking up another muffin. "Wha's the big deal, babe?"
Chi-Chi began shaking so much that the chair under her shivered. She'd be worried if she wasn't holding probably the most durable baby on Earth. True to her suspicions, Chai was giggling at the vibration.
"Don't you 'babe' me, Goku-sa, if you want another baby in a few years! Princesses don't fight, and they don't train! I want her to be able to marry a prince and rule the Ox Kingdom!"
The man scratched the back of his neck with his free hand. "But you fought, and you were a princess… I mean, it was your idea for us to get married."
The woman lurched forward, baby close to her breast. A small brown tail wrapped around Chi-Chi's wrist as Goku scooted his chair away from her. Somehow, the chocolate muffins remained on the plate. He ended up with the back of his chair pressed against a nearby wall and Chi-Chi's finger pointed at him, one nail less than an inch from his nose.
"Yes. Yes it was. And now it's my idea that she marries a prince. Princes don't like tough girls. They like pretty, ladylike princesses!"
"I dunno, Chi-Chi. I mean, ain't you getting ahead of yourself?"
"Ahead of myself?!" She growled back, exasperated.
"Well, what if she doesn't want to be queen?"
Chi-Chi shook her head and went back to her chair with a huff. "Daddy isn't going to live forever, ya know. And it's not like I have any siblings. It'll have to be Chai."
Goku got on his knees in front of her, his large hands clasped together as he pouted. He looked up at her with big dark eyes. Pleading eyes. Eyes that didn't know the effect they had on her, for all of his innocence.
"Can't I train the next one?"
"The next one is going to be a scholar."
"What about the one after that?" The Son woman sighed audibly. "Oh, c'mon, Chi-Chi!"
"How many children do you think we are having, Son Goku!?"
He shrugged again as he stood to retrieve the plate of muffins from the floor. She did not even see when he placed it down earlier. The platter was nearly empty. He'd eaten 38 muffins in the span of a 20 minute conversation.
How am I going to feed him AND his children?
"I was thinkin' three or four. Neither of us had siblings." he then smiled broadly, offering her another bit of muffin. Chi-Chi graciously took it. Normally she didn't snack between meals but pregnancy changed that and her husband seemed all too happy to encourage that change. "I think it would be fun to have a houseful of kids."
Again, she blushed. A houseful of children was what she wanted.
"Let's start with two then see what we think, Goku-sa."
"I hope the next one is a boy."