Strolling lazily over the cobblestone pathway, Bulma stopped and took a calming breath as she enjoyed the beautiful scenery. The falling veil of pale pink petals from the surrounding cherry blossom trees giving her a sense of peace. It almost made her forget the reason she was in the park...almost.
Saying a silent prayer, Bulma continued her trek through the willowy trees, arriving at the shaded venue her staff was setting up. Unlike her usual grandiose gatherings she wanted this one to be modest and simple. Anything more would scare her guest of honor. And the last thing she wanted was to run Chichi away from her own baby shower.
The new mother had been very adamant about not having a baby shower. She claimed it was because of the unwanted attention but, Bulma new better. Chichi was just drowning in embarrassment. The woman still couldn't reconcile being middle aged, pregnant, and a grandmother. And at 6 months pregnant, her reclusive behavior had only gotten worse.
On one hand, Bulma completely sympathized with her, especially on the middle aged part. Her last pregnancy had been much harder on her body than she expected. And her hovering husband just drove her up the wall. She thanked Kami Whis was there to zap Bulla out when he did.
Chichi had managed to keep Goku from spilling the beans about their new addition, but once that baby arrived, there was no way he'd keep quiet about it. The best thing to do is get it all out in the open now.
Thankfully, like minds think alike. A few weeks ago Videl reached out for help with her isolated mother in law. The next thing they new their innocent pow wow turned into operation baby shower.
To keep it a surprise, they decided to disguise the shower as a simple cherry blossom viewing party. Not only would their friends get the shock of a lifetime, it wouldn't raise her suspicions either.
The only ones who knew this would turn into a baby shower were Videl, Gohan, and herself. Goku couldn't hold water so they left him out of the equation. Though, to be fair, his role in actually getting her there would be the hardest. But, she had faith in him. If he could convince her to have another baby, he could get her to the park.
With her hands on her hips, she took stock of all the decorations. They'd hung up pink, yellow and baby blue streamers from several branches along with paper lanterns for the evening festivities. There were blankets and regular picnic tables for those that didn't want to sit on the grass. And of course baby games, but she'd bring those out later.
From the corner of her eye, she saw the caterers sitting down the huge cake she ordered for the reveal. As soon as they left, her nosy husband appeared holding their daughter. No doubt about to use her as an excuse to get a sample.
"Vegeta! We can't eat that yet!" She yelled stalking over to him.
"I still don't understand why we need to have a party for Kakorat's brat. It's not even here yet!"
Exasperated, Bulma threw her hands up. "Will you stop complaining already?! This has nothing do with you or Goku. It's for CHICHI! If you want something to eat then go over there!" Pointing to the other table packed with food.
Vegeta rolled his eyes before walking away. "Whatever. I still think it's stupid."
"Oh hush! It's almost 3 o'clock. People should start arriving soon." She shushed, taking a look at her watch.
Bulma shot him a warning glare when he continued to mumble under his breath. He'd been prickly ever since she told him the real reason for the party this morning. It only took him five seconds to start badmouthing their guest and she wasn't having any of it.
Ignoring his grumbling, she went back to reviewing her staffs work, making sure everything was in place. They'd just finished when she saw Krillin and his family walk through the halo of trees. Smiling, she waved them over.
"Hey Bulma!" He waved back. His wife and daughter close behind.
"Hey. I'm glad you all could make it."
"You know we'd never miss one of your parties. By the way this was a cool idea."
"I know. It's been a while since we've all gotten together and I thought this would be more relaxing."
"That's true. I'm glad though. This is Marrons first viewing party and she loves it." He laughed, pointing to his daughters wondrous expression.
"Will there be any giveaways today?" 18 asked with a raised eyebrow. The hopeful glint in her eyes obvious.
"Yes, but things will be a little different this time." She hedged. Looking over her shoulder, she saw more familiar faces arriving through the tree lined entrance.
18 noticed how she shied away from the answer. "Different how?"
"You'll see." Bulma winked as she walked away to greet their friends.
"Don't you think that was a little weird?" 18 said, looking down at her husband.
"Nah. Knowing her, she probably has something crazy planned." He shrugged nonchalantly.
"Let's get a blanket and find a good spot. You wanna pick a tree for us?" Smiling down at his daughter. Beaming brightly, she nodded and ran off under the falling leaves.
"I'm gonna go say hi to the others. Bulma said Goku's not training for once so hopefully I'll get to see him."
18 huffed in doubt and went after her daughter. "Don't get your hopes up."
…..
"I still think you all could have come without me." Chichi said for the fifth time, grimacing as Goku helped her out of the airship.
"Now honey, we talked about this." Gyumao admonished.
Straightening her lavender cheongsam over her bulging stomach, Chichi rolled her eyes then waddled towards her sons. Both with an amused look on their face. Usually she'd be the one scolding everyone, but lately, the shoe had been on the other foot.
Their grandfather was not the only one concerned about their mothers self imposed isolation. As her baby bump grew, it became harder and harder to pry her away from the house. They knew she wasn't unhappy about being pregnant. She just wasn't keen on the amount of weight she'd gained.
From the pleased look on his fathers face, Gohan could see how happy this made him. He'd been wanting to share the news of their new member for months. Now that he was finally able to, his smile was nearly unbreakable.
Putting his arm around her, Goku ushered her towards the entrance "Now now, we're already here. It'll be nice seeing everyone after such a long time."
"He's right mom. It's a nice day and we haven't gone cherry blossom viewing as a family in years." Gohan encouraged.
"It'll also be Pans first time going. She'd be upset if you didn't come with us." Videl said as she passed Pan over to Gohan.
Leaning out of her father's arms, she hugged her grandmother around the neck. The simple action thawing her icy demeanor.
Sighing in defeat, she kissed granddaughters cheek and nodded in agreement. Chichi knew they all meant well and hated bringing the morale of her family down. They'd all made so many sacrifices for her. The least she could do was spend time them.
She especially owed her sometimes scatterbrain, yet sweet husband. During her pregnancy, he'd kept his word and stayed by her side the entire time. He even helped around the house, which for him was a rarity. It was time to give back.
"Fine. I'm hungry anyway. Lets go so we can eat."
"Yes! I'm starving!" Excited, Goten ran in front as they made their way inside.
...
"Personal trainer? You're a personal trainer!?" Krillin said incredulously.
"What wrong with me being a personal trainer?"
Chuckling, he waved his hand in apology. "I'm sorry Yamcha. That's just so...you. It makes sense. Much better than when you were a baseball player."
Lifting his chin, Yamcha comically popped his collar. "Hmpf! You forget that I'm still a world class martial artist. I can do almost anything. Plus it brings in all the ladies."
"Don't you ever get tired of that revolving door?"
"Not all of us are lucky enough to find the one."
Blushing, Krillin scratched the back of his head as he thought about his lovely wife. "Hehe, yeah I am pretty lucky. But remember, I wasn't the first one to get married."
"Don't remind me. It still blows my mind that Goku's a grandfather now. Isn't it crazy…." His voice fading.
"I know. And she's so cute too. Maybe it's something in their genes. I mean Gohan was barely out of high school when he got married." Krillin replied after taking a swig of his beer.
Looking up, he noticed the stunned look on Yamcha's face. It was as if he'd seen a ghost. "What's wrong?" Turning to see what could stop this chatter box from talking.
He smiled when he saw his best friend appear through the trees. However, his expression quickly turned into disbelief as he took note of the person walking next him.
"Holy shit!"
"Dude…."
"Are seeing what I'm seeing?!"
"DUDE!" Yamcha whisper yelled as their friend and his very pregnant wife walked over the hill.
"Hey guys! How's it going?" Goku yelled as they got closer.
At the sound of his voice, their other friends turned to greet him. Only to have shock and awe catch their tongues as well.
"Oh my…." Master Roshi said as he removed his sunglasses to make sure his eyes didn't deceive him.
Deciding to the break the uncomfortable silence, Bulma rushed over to the blushing mother. She figured this might happen and was already prepared to ease Chichi into it.
"Son! I'm glad you all could make it. How are you feeling Chichi?" Grabbing her hands reassuringly.
"They're staring…" Peeking around Bulma's head to see everyone with their jaws still on the ground. Even Piccolo blinked at her owlishly.
"Yes, well, that's what happens when you wait 6 months to tell people your pregnant." Bulma whispered back. The ire in Chichi's eye telling Bulma how she felt about that answer.
Regaining his senses, Krillin greeted his old friend with a lopsided grin. "Man, you sure know how to make an entrance. Why didn't you tell me? I told you to keep in touch."
"It's complicated." Gohan said as he walked around his embarrassed parents.
"I guess I should be glad you didn't wait years like you did with Gohan. How are you feeling Chichi?"
"Like I swallowed a bowling ball. But I'll live." She smiled back tiredly. The little walk winding her slightly.
Krillin nodded in understanding and stepped aside so she could get through. "I bet. We should get you a seat."
Grabbing her hand, Bulma led Chichi to a long table that was nicely covered with a white cloth. Instead of wooden benches, this one had white high back chairs to match. "No worries, I have a seat made just got you."
Joining her husband, 18 asked the question that seemed to be on everyone's lips.
"How many months are you?"
From her tone, Chichi knew 18 was referencing her over sized stomach visibly stretching the seams of her maternity dress. Taking a deep breath, she focused on staying polite when she replied. "I'm a little over 6 months."
"That's a big 6 months...OW!" Yamcha cried out as he doubled over from a blow to the stomach. The blue haired culprit staring him down with venom.
With a raised eyebrow, 18 gave a disbelieving look. "He's not wrong."
Catching on to the conversation, Goku jumped in with a proud smile. "Oh, we think this one's got a tail. She was huge like this with Gohan too."
Rolling eyes, Chichi plucked a chip from the bowl of snacks on the table. "Thank you honey." She said dryly.
"A tail?" 18 asked looking down at her husband.
"Saiyans are born with tails. Goku and Gohan had them, but it seems that gene skipped the other half pints." Krillin explained.
18 nodded at his explanation. She may not be an expert, but there was more going on in there than an extra appendage. Not wanting to be too crass, she kept her curiosities to herself. She'd bother her husband about it later.
While their other friends offered them congratulations, Bulma pulled Videl to the cake table to help with the reveal.
"Did you bring it?"
"Yep. I got it right here." Videl replied as she pulled out a rolled up scroll from Pan's diaper bag.
"Perfect. You can hold the other end." Bulma whispered before yelling to the small crowd. "Attention Everybody!"
"Now that everyone is here we can get started. First off, I want to thank everybody for coming. At our last celebration, we were all just thankful to be alive. This time it's for a much happier occasion."
Noticing the gleam in her daughter in law's eyes, Chichi could sense where their little speech was going. Videl had been the main one pushing for her to come. And knowing Bulma's flare for the dramatic, she suspected they might try something like this. Chichi thought she'd be furious, but now that she was actually there with her family looking on gleefully, she couldn't stop the emotions bubbling up inside her.
"Today, we're here to celebrate the new addition that'll be joining us in a few short months." With a bright smile, Bulma and Videl rolled out the yellow and baby blue banner that said 'Welcome Baby Son'.
"Congratulations you two."
Goku beamed at the banner. He remembered his father in laws villagers throwing a party for them with Gohan, but he never expected anything like this. And with their friends and family together, he couldn't have been happier.
"This is awesome! Chichi they even made a banner." Excitedly looking down at his wife. When he saw her tears, he panicked slightly.
"Ah Chichi don't cry." He soothed with an arm around her shoulders.
"I'm sorry." She sniffled, leaning into his chest. "It's just…It's just.." She tried speaking through hiccups.
"It's ok dad. I think she's happy." Giving his father a reassuring pat on the shoulder.
"Awe…that's nice. So wait, it's a boy?" Krillin piped up.
"Um…"
Giving Goku a wink, Bulma took pity on him while he consoled his wife. "Unfortunately, we're still in the dark about that, which is why we kept everything neutral. Let's give her a minute then we'll start the festivities. I've got a lot of surprises for everybody."
While Chichi collected herself, Bulma had her staff pin the welcome banner up and get the games ready. Gyumao decided to take that moment and make his daughter a plate. Food always worked in situations like this.
"Here you go honey. Why don't you eat something?" Setting the plate down in front of her.
Wiping her face on Goku's shirt, she leaned back with an apologetic look. "Oh Goku, your shirt!"
"Don't worry about it. You eat, I'm gonna go get something too."
Hopping up, he allowed Bulma to take his seat and ran to the buffet table. Completely unbothered by the huge wet spot on his shirt.
"So, ready to kill me yet?" She giggled as the pregnant woman sniffled and picked up a chicken skewer.
"If I wasn't so big, yes." Chichi replied around a mouth of food. "You really didn't have to do this."
"I know, but seeing a hard nose woman like you cry over a party is worth it."
"I'm sure this won't be the last time. Lately all I do is eat, sleep and cry."
"You're carrying alien baby number 3. You're allowed." Bulma countered. Her response earning a small smile. "So, did the doctor finally figure out what you're having?"
"No, they still can't get a good image, but I think it's another boy. As much as I hate to admit it, Goku's right. I was big like this with Gohan so we're pretty sure this one's got a tail."
Taking a seat across from them, Videl slid another plate towards her mother in law. She was already halfway through her current one despite being in the middle of a conversation.
"I told her it still might be a girl. You never know."
"She's right. Just keep your options open. You still have time."
Snacking on a fry, she shook her head in concern. "I wish it was that simple. If the baby's a girl we'll definitely need another room. Not to mention, more space in general."
"Chichi, relax. You've got a ton of support now and we're gonna help you with whatever you need. Here, eat some more. I know you want to."
Cutting Bulma look, she was about to say something snide when she felt a sharp nudge in her abdomen. Blowing out a deep breath, Chichi looked down and rubbed her round belly. The active bundle settling down at her touch.
Reaching over to rub her stomach, Bulma giggled at the little high five she got. "Oh he's real active!"
Hissing at the affirming kick, Chichi took a few more calming breaths and resumed her meal. "That man better be glad I love him."
"Ladies!"
Turning they found Yamcha standing next to their table with a goofy grin on his face. Rolling her eyes, she forked more food in her mouth, hoping he wouldn't say anything stupid this time.
"Sorry about earlier. You know I can't control my mouth sometimes."
"It's fine Yamcha. I'm sure I shocked everyone."
"That's one word for it." He snickered.
Behind him, Goku walked up and gave him a slap on the back. The force causing him to lurch forward into the table. Wincing in pain, Yamcha rubbed his shoulder and greeted his oldest friend.
"Hey man. Still heavy handed, I see." Rolling his arm.
"Yeah, he does that." Gohan said dryly. Sitting down next to his wife.
"I was just telling Chichi how surprised I was. Especially, when it comes to you two."
Chomping on the large drumstick in his hand, Goku gave him a confused look. "What do you mean?"
"Well, you two have been together a long time. I would've thought you'd be done with kids."
"You make it sound like we're old or something."
"That exactly how he's making it sound." Chichi drawled out from across the table.
"What? Oh no! I..I..didn't mean that you were too old. It's just with you doing the whole Super Saiyan God thing I wouldn't think you had the time." He stammered, quickly correcting himself when the three women at the table glared at him.
Shrugging nonchalantly, Goku still couldn't see the problem. "Why not? I haven't stopped training..."
"No honey." Chichi interrupted. "What he really trying to say is that he's surprised we still have sex." Crossing her arms over her stomach.
"Oh Kami.." Gohan lamented with a hand on his forehead.
"Huh?! That's silly. We have sex all the time." Goku laughed as Yamcha's eye bugged out of his head. "I mean she's been a little stingy lately cause she got big, but I don't care."
"Goku!" Chichi whispered yelled with a hot blush. To her side Bulma laughed obnoxiously at the stunned man. Her loud howls blending in with Videls string of giggles.
Not finding the humor in his parents sex life, Gohan quickly excused himself. "I need a beer."
Needing time to process the fact that his innocent friends children weren't flukes like he always thought, Yamcha slowly backed away and followed suit. "Um right, I think I need something stronger too."
Sitting down next to his wife, Goku gave her a perplexed look. "Did I say something wrong?"
Shaking her head, she gave him with a peck on the cheek. "It's ok honey. I forgive you."
"That was an excellent reply."
Wiping tears from her eyes, Bulma let out another string of giggles before she composed herself. After taking a moment to enjoy the blushing couple next to her, she stood up and clapped her hands together. "Alright you two love birds. It's time for some games!