I love Goku/Chi-Chi SO much, and I know GoChi day is fast approaching (May 7th or 5/7) which just so happens to be the day before my 13th anniversary on this website! This story, which will be fleshed out through 3-4 chapters, is dedicated to the ship I love so hard. I hope that someone out there enjoys it, and I should have all the chapters uploaded just in time for GoChi day :-)

Last author note you'll hear from me unless a guest has a question I cannot reply to through PMs! If you happen to catch any mistakes while reading, please let me know and I'll fix it ASAP.

Inspired by Betaruga's GoChi Tarzan AU artwork, and of course, Disney's Tarzan. I highly recommend listening to the Tarzan soundtrack while reading!

Jungle Boy

A Tarzan AU

Chapter 1: Every Gesture, Every Move That She Makes

The baby's pod was the first to slam into the thick damp grounds of the jungle. His eyes had only opened a couple times in his brief life. The first time was when he saw his mother, drenched in sweat, looking down at him with tears in her eyes. The second time was when his father was hastily securing him into the seat of the pod he was currently trapped in.

Not seeing either of those people for the third time, he released a loud deafening cry. Above him, completely covering the sky, were tree tops. Monkeys who had similar tails like the one he cradled himself with looked down at him curiously. His dark eyes expanded wide in terror. Although the creatures in the trees looked a lot like his family, he didn't recognize them.

He was about to release another series of wales until a calm voice from above said,

"Shh, my baby. Shh. Mama's here."

As if he weren't screaming his lungs out a few seconds prior, the baby outstretched his chubby arms and clapped his hands together in excitement. He knew that voice and face very well. It was the first one he had ever heard. Within moments, she had jumped down into his crater and was removing him gently from the harness. As soon as she lifted him up and pressed him against her chest, he rubbed his face against hers. Both of their flesh was smooth to the touch.

He cooed and cuddled her, thankful she had found him. She held him tightly as she jumped out of the crater. The messy haired baby looked over his mother's shoulder and watched the place where his pod had fallen begin to fade into the background. He could see other crash sites around them as they continued their walk through the unknown jungle. They weren't alone out here.

The baby loved the way his mother was patting his back and humming lowly. He loved it so much that he closed his eyes and dozed off. He remained sleeping even when they stopped moving.

"What do we do now?" her voice was a quiet kind of sad. Something had happened recently that wasn't good.

The father of the boy was standing in front of her. He had the same hairstyle, but his face was more like his other son who was currently holding onto his leg. "We make it our new home."

There was another young child, same age as the baby's older brother. His hair stuck up like a black flame. He scoffed and kicked a rock in the direction of the father. His little voice was big with confidence. "I've taken over planets stronger than this in my sleep. Just say when and I'll-"

"No!" the adult's voice barked, causing the flamed hair child to glare up at him. "We need to keep a low profile so we can't ever be found."

"But Bardock-" a large built man with a bowl cut opened his mouth in protest, but was quickly shut down by his superior.

"But nothing! Doing what I say is the only way we're going to survive," his voice was sharp and cruel as if he had completely forgotten that they had lost everything moments ago. "If you're hellbent on destroying something, go to another world and let Frieza discover you there. I'll kill any of you that does it here."

There was a painful hush in the middle of the jungle. The flamed hair boy who had just lost his father didn't shed any tears, but just rolled his eyes and turned his back on the self proclaimed new 'leader'. The leader's mate wondered for a second if the prince was going to leave, and it broke her heart. Although strong and cold-hearted, Vegeta was still just a child.

There was murmurs among the survivors as they took in Bardock's words. Different groups started breaking off, but not before giving Bardock the middle finger. They settled themselves back into their pods and entered coordinates to somewhere new. As they blasted off through the trees and into the sky, the mother chanced another look at where she had seen the prince. He was still there. He wasn't making eye contact with anyone, but he was there. The mother felt relief wash over her.

The remaining survivors stood in a circle around their leader. It was his old crew of Fasha, Borgos, Shugesh, and Tora, his two sons, Gine, and the prince. He nodded at each of them when they made eye contact. "You'll all do as I say. Understand?"

Everyone but Gine, her sleeping baby, and the prince nodded. Bardock's mate couldn't help but think he sounded an awful lot like someone they had escaped from. She was going to quietly scold him for being so harsh after what they had just witnessed, but was interrupted when the primates from the trees had landed on their feet to surround them.

A large dark gray ape got close to Bardock and pointed to the brown bushy tail wrapped around his waist. "Are you friend," he grunted. "Or foe?"

The fact that the ape had spoken their language took Bardock by both surprise, amusement, and hidden embarrassment. Had Frieza been correct when shouting around the slur of calling them monkeys?

"That depends. You have a place for us to stay?"

"Yes," the ape barred his teeth into a smile. "Hidden. Among other animal friends. Away from humans. Away from others. Join us?"

As Bardock studied the ape's face, Fasha pulled Tora's ear down to her level and whispered in his ear. "I think he's lost his mind!"

"Yeah, no kidding..."

The leader nodded his head, and the ape took off. The other monkeys had followed behind him. Tora cleared his throat and placed a hand on his best friend's shoulder. "Boss, I don't think the crew wants to be shacking up with apes the rest of their lives. You sure about this?"

"Yeah," Raditz's tiny voice coming from below was disgusted. "They smell bad."

Bardock closed his eyes as more complaints filled their small circle. He had done everything he could to save anyone he possibly could from a tyrant's vicious wrath. All scouters had to be destroyed prior to departure and now all of the pods that were evidence needed to be destroyed as well. Bardock himself loved destroying planets as much as the next Saiyan, but this was serious. There had to be no proof that they were alive on this little planet. They needed to blend in, however demeaning it may be.

He shot his mate a look. She had been dangerously quiet, but at least she wasn't complaining. She knew what she was getting into. He knew that she would do anything she had to in order to keep her sons alive.

"They speak our language for a reason. We will become one of them," Bardock spoke through clenched teeth and fists. "You'll have exactly one minute to decide if you're in before I destroy the pods."

Shugesh and Borgos waved him off and made their way back to the crash sites. Tora hung his head after watching them disappear. He was surprised to see Fasha still remaining by her leader's side, despite her pained expression. Even in times like this, she respected her leader no matter what. She was loyal. The warrior, deciding that he owed Bardock, patted his friend's shoulder once again.

"You got me and Fasha, man. We'll go destroy the pods for you if you want to get a move on."

The men shook on it. Bardock looked over his shoulder at his mate, who was rocking the sleeping Kakarot in her arms. She gave him a small smile while her tail whipped rapidly behind her. "After you."

After her mate had followed where the apes went with her oldest son following close behind, Gine looked to the prince who was standing there with trembling fists. Still holding her baby, she dropped down onto one knee so she was eye level with the feisty child. "You don't always have to be so prideful, you know. You don't have to do what they do, but at least stay with us? I owe it to the king to take care of you."

Vegeta said nothing. He slapped the woman's hand out the way before it could touch his cheek. Despite his demeanor, he had followed in the direction of her mate and son. As she stood up, she was prepared to do the same but Kakarot was beginning to wake up. She held him out in front of her and felt her eyes swell up with tears.

"This is going to be the only life you'll know," Gine sniffed and brought him back towards her to kiss his forehead. "I hope it's a great one."

Chi-Chi wiped her damp forehead with a handkerchief she removed from the back pocket of her khaki shorts. She placed it back in its rightful spot and continued her way through Mount Paozu. The girl was thankful that she had been given a ride up until she reached the border. The rest of the way needed to be hiked. Mount Paozu was wildly untouched by humans, except for one. She sighed in relief and thanked the good Kami upstairs that she finally came across his tiny house.

She had raised her fist to knock on the door but before she could touch it an old man appeared. He was much shorter than her, but that could be blamed on his age. His white mustache danced when he spoke. "Ah! You must be Ox's daughter!"

Chi-Chi flashed him a peace sign and laughed. "And you're Gohan! You got the map?"

Gohan chuckled nervously as he turned his head in both directions. He could feel a sweatdrop forming when he noticed this girl was all by herself. "...You didn't bring any reinforcements?"

Chi-Chi rolled her eyes. Obviously, her dad didn't do a good job on filling in the old man of how much of an ass-kicker she was. She gestured to the sword that was between her back and her backpack. "That's the only reinforcement I need."

"Oh dear..." Gohan gulped. "Sweetheart, the only reason I asked your dad to send help instead of me doing it on my own is because the jungle is a scary place by yourself! Not only is the jaguar out there, but so is the wild monkey man. He's insane!"

Chi-Chi couldn't help but laugh at the terrified expression on his face. She took a swig of water from her canteen around her neck and screwed the top back on. From what she knew, Jungle Boy was a myth. "Have you actually seen this weirdo?"

"No, but I hear him screaming in the night every now and then! It's different from the apes. It's human-like. Prevents me from sleeping each time."

Chi-Chi blew her bangs off her forehead and patted the old man on his shoulder. She wasn't afraid of anything, especially not a fabled monkey man. What was he going to do, anyway? Throw a banana at her? "My dad wouldn't send me here if he didn't think I could handle it. Please believe that. I'll get that jaguar that's been killing your livestock and make it back before dark. Sound good?"

Gohan wanted to protest, but the girl was as stubborn as they came. He could tell that from the moment he saw her walking up the steps. He slowly handed her the map which she took gently. "That X is where I have a suspicion of where it lurks. Please... if you feel any uncertainty, run back to me as quickly as you can."

"I appreciate how much you care," she truly did. It was like she speaking to her own grandfather. "I'm not coming back here without the body of that beast. You can count on that." With last one wink, Chi-Chi turned her back on the old man and disappeared into the darkness of the trees. Gohan sighed deeply and sent a prayer up to whoever was listening that the girl would come back in one piece.

A teenage Kakarot was currently trapped in a headlock by his brother who was giving him a noogie. The messy haired boy laughed and managed to push him off the branch they were resting on. Raditz used his tail to catch himself before falling to the muddy ground beneath them. The oldest of the two swung upside down lazily. His long black hair was cast downward.

"Nice try, little brother. But you still aren't stronger than me."

Kakarot laughed and flicked one of his brother's big toes. "At least I'm not ugly!"

The two brothers had fallen down onto the ground and were about to start fighting again until a red furred ape came running into towards the troop. Kakarot had stopped her when he noticed she was crying. He was sitting just like her, with his knuckles pressed into the soil.

"What happened!?"

"The beast..." the female released the saddest sound that Kakarot had only heard a few times. It was her way of crying. "It took my baby..."

Kakarot and Raditz exchanged a knowing glance and grunted. The beast had killed many of the babies over the last few months and even some mothers. Bardock never allowed anyone to travel beyond their side of the river to kill it. Kakarot couldn't stand to see yet another one of his people losing someone they loved. "Do you know where our dad is?"

Raditz tilted his head. He hated when his brother had that look on his face. It always meant he was up to no good. "He's helping collect fruit... You know he's going to be pissed if he finds out you went to the other side."

The younger brother gestured to the female, who was in mourning. "I can't sit by and let that beast get away with this any longer! Can you!?"

The other male's gaze pingponged between the two and sighed loudly. Whether he approved or not, his brother was going to do whatever the hell he wanted. "Alright, but if Father asks I'm telling the truth."

Kakarot grinned with his full teeth and patted his chest. "I better leave now, then." He nodded at the red ape who was tapping her heart adoringly.

"Thank you, Kakarot... I believe in you..."

Raditz watched as his brother began swinging through the trees at their highest location, making it easier for him to find what he was looking for. The brother gestured towards the female apes who were waiting for mourning mother to find comfort in them. She moved towards them quickly and left the long haired male alone. Soon after he squatted on a cold dark rock and looked up at the trees. Kakarot was long gone.

"Whatcha thinking about?"

His mother had emerged from behind him. About a year into living in this strange world, they had ditched their armor and wore thin cloths of animal hides. They only hid what was once considered their private anatomy. Their exposed skin, in addition to their tails, made them more relatable to the rest of the troop. Raditz could remember a few details of his life before this, but he was convinced Kakarot truly believed he was an ape.

Realizing how long he was taking to answer Gine, Raditz cleared his throat. "The beast killed Kiah's son."

Gine pressed her hands to her shocked mouth and sadness took over her sad, large eyes that resembled Kakarot's. "What an evil thing! Someone has to do something about it!"

Raditz chuckled. "Well I'm glad you feel that way because..."

It wasn't until her stomach growled loudly that Chi-Chi realized she hadn't eaten since the morning she left Fire Mountain. She waited until she found a safe looking grassy patch and dropped down onto her knees. She slid her backpack off her slender shoulders and leaned her sword against the tree next to her. The warrior princess found herself humming a relaxing tune as she placed a towel in front of her.

Someone listening to her heard that tune before.

Oblivious to the eyes watching her, Chi-Chi started spreading out a delicious spread of homemade food in front of her. It would taste even better if it were warm, but it was still going to taste oh so good. She inhaled deeply and let out a groan. It had been way too long. She used her chopsticks to lift up some rice but before the deliciousness touched her taste buds, she heard a predatory growl from behind.

Without a second thought, Chi-Chi snatched her sword and spun around. The jaguar, its mouth freshly bloodied from a recent meal, was stalking towards her. It was much bigger than she had anticipated, but the princess charged full force with the intent of the sword going straight through the center of the creature's eyes.

She deeply underestimated the power of the wild cat.

Its body had knocked the sword completely out of her hands with nothing but a graze. The jaguar pinned her down and was ready to take a chunk of flesh off her face. Chi-Chi screamed loudly at the sight of its fangs with skin and fur dangling in between. She closed her eyes tightly, disbelieving that she was going to die like this. Its nails were digging into her shoulders and she figured it was either the claws or the teeth that would kill her first.

She waited.

Waited.

Waited.

But death never came.

Her eyes shot open as she felt the jaguar's nails were lifted from her skin. The animal was being pulled from behind by its neck, and Chi-Chi watched in a mixture of relief and horror as a large pair of human hands snapped its neck. The dead body was the only thing between her and a man wearing nothing but a loin cloth. She winced as she propped herself up with her elbows. Her arms would have become detached if the jaguar had a chance to dig deeper.

She studied her savior. His hair was in a style she had never seen before, all spiked out in different directions. His pectorals were large and a finely tuned six pack was directly beneath them. She was studying his arms until they dropped down. His knuckles were dragging in the grass as he hobbled over to her like an ape.

Like an ape...

She finally noticed the tail swishing behind him as he got closer. Any sane person would hightail it out of there, but Chi-Chi just couldn't look away. He was grunting and investigating different parts of her body. She blinked as he removed a bug from her hair and ate it.

"Ew..." she muttered but her eyes hadn't lost their wide shape. He pressed two fingers against her wounds on her shoulders gently and then brought them up to his nose to sniff them. He wiped the blood off on his chest and then continued to inspect her.

Is this who the old man was so afraid of? This monkey man was so...

"Hey!" she giggled. "Stop!"

He was down by her feet and removing her hiking boots followed by her socks. He sniffed her socks and made a gagging noise before throwing both to the side. Her laughter filled his ears as he touched the same number of toes that he had. He ran his hand up her leg and she thought he'd stop once he reached the hem of her shorts. His hands kept going up.

"KNOCK IT OFF!" she sat up fully and punched him under his chin. The monkey man grunted as he stumbled backward. He twitched his face and stood in the same ape pose as before, staring at her reddened face with wide eyes. The human took a deep breath and stood up to brush herself off. She continued to glare at the male as she did so. "Even though you're a pervert, I guess I should thank you for saving my life."

The man released a series of grunts and pounded the ground as she retrieved her socks and boots. When she bent over to put them on, he scurried over to her and smacked her butt with the back of his knuckles.

Kakarot sat in front of the strange creature. She used her hands to eat like he does, but she used tools to help her. He watched as her soft lips opened up to bite the food and then swallow it. Her eyebrow raised up and he couldn't understand the noises that were coming out of her mouth. He still liked the way it sounded. Her eyes rolled like Vegeta's does.

"I don't know if it's you or your food that smells nice, but something sure is making me hungry!"

She seemed to understand the way he rubbed his belly because she pointed to her food. Kakarot held his palms out to her and she placed some of her mushy food onto them. He sniffed it once before greedily consuming it. He liked his hands all over and he could hear her releasing a beautiful sound. She was laughing. He knew it was laughing because his mom looked the same way when she saw something that was funny.

"Can I have some more!?"

His palms were out again. She placed a large amount on them and he ate it. She continued to share her food with him. He had never tasted anything this good his entire life. It was so much better than anything his dad would bring back. After most of the food was gone, he watched as she removed a piece of cloth from her bag and wiped her mouth.

It looked a lot like what he wore.

"Seems strange, but okay!" He removed his loin cloth and wiped his mouth with it. He watched as her eyes rolled to the back of her head as she fell backwards.

Chi-Chi was fanning herself after briefly loosing consciousness. Thankfully, the monkey man had covered up his privates again. She wondered if he could understand her or just knew by her body language. After all, she was using his body language to understand. This guy wasn't human, and wasn't an ape. He was somewhere in between. He didn't seem to know how to speak.

She pointed to her chest with her index fingers as he raised an eyebrow. He was crouching down in front of her. "Me, Chi-Chi. Me, Chi-Chi," she repeated herself and then pointed at him. "You?"

It was quiet as the male in front of her kept pointing to her and then himself. She could hear the sounds of birds calling out to one another and the sound of the river splashing with fish. Finally, he opened his mouth.

"You," he pointed at her. "Chi-Chi?"

She smiled brightly and pointed at herself along with him. "Yes! Chi-Chi!"

He returned her smile and then pointed at himself. "Me... Kakarot."

Kakarot? What a strange name. She wondered who named him, and if all apes called their babies some weird vegetable name. She kept her smile sweet despite the burning questions. "Me, Chi-Chi. You, Kakarot. Hi Kakarot." She was waving, and he returned it.

"Chi-Chi!" he grunted and stood up on his feet. He was pounding his chest and grinning as he said her name. "Chi-Chi!"

"Very good," the princess winked and then pointed up at the sky. The sun was beginning to set and she didn't want to be out in this jungle when it night came. She needed to get the body of the jaguar back to Gohan in order to get paid. She pointed up to the sky then behind her with her thumb. "I need to go home. Night comes," she frowned and wagged her finger. "No good."

Kakarot blinked at her, not understanding this one. He watched her stand up and place her belongings on her back. She stood up straight like he would sometimes, but she did it more often. When she grabbed the beast's legs, he let out a howl and pounded his chest. He was standing up like her, towering above her.

"Ohhh, what!?" Chi-Chi dropped the jaguar's legs to place her hands on her hips. "You're very interesting Kakarot but I need to-"

After a few more grunts, he used two hands to lift her up by the waist and sling her over his shoulder. They left the jaguar behind as he jumped high onto a tree branch. The woman was pounding his back and screaming loudly.

"PUT ME DOWN! PUT ME...Oh my gosh are we getting higher or is it just..."

The female had grown silent and Kakarot thought she died. He placed her down on another branch and pressed his ear against her chest. He smiled when he could hear her heart beating. All she had done was fall asleep.

He flung her over his shoulder again and swung through the trees using both his tail and free arm. The smile never left his face as he continued on his way to bring Chi-Chi home to show everyone.