Monkey Moon

Chapter Nine

He leaned forward for a stolen kiss. The Goku that was wouldn't do this...but I've changed. Kakarot is alive in me now!

"Hn..." liquid eyes opened slowly. "I had a marvelous dream..."

Goku sat up. "Vegeta?"

The prince pulled him back down. "Silence, while the others still sleeping."

"I don't remember what happened last night."

"Are you certain? Sense your feelings, Kakarot, then tell me."

Goku stretched over him again, a warm heaviness spreading through his body. He felt deliciously weary and sore. A gentle buzz rang in his skull.

"Kami...it's incredible!"

A hot lick in his ear. "Feel it, do you? And there is more."

"I've never...felt this good in my entire life..."

Vegeta sniffed along his neck. "Hai, hot perfume. This is where you belong, reva. You will stay!"

Goku flopped against Raditz, feeling sticky warmth on his backside. "Did all of us?"

Vegeta gave a lazy yawn, his tail stroking Goku's thighs. "Hai, love. This is but the first night of jungle run."

Goku blinked. "What did you call me?"

Vegeta kissed him. "I choose you, Kakarot."

Goku pulled back reluctantly. "This is madness, Vegeta...I'm married."

A pointed tongue lapped his shoulder, tasting. "No...you came to us, as blood demanded."

"But that doesn't mean we can be together-"

"I know your heart, and you know mine. We chose each other, Kakarot."

Goku's expression was blank as he stared at the cave ceiling. "I don't remember what happened!"

Another kiss. /No? Think back to last night.../

The oozaru played, wrestled and displayed. Goku remembered the one he wanted most, more than anything. A well boned oozaru, his pelt of richest red black fur. He approached and they spoke, sniffing and biting affectionately. Wrestling became embracing, embracing became coupling...

"I...ah..."

"We were meant to be, Kakarot. There's no turning back now."

"It's not workable, Vegeta...I want you, but-"

A growl. "Since we first met, I knew...my belief was only reinforced as time went on and we clashed. We bring out the best in each other."

"And the worst."

"Ideal for a saiyan. You feel it, too!"

A shiver. "Maybe...but I still have a wife and son."

Vegeta nipped his ear. "Were you thinking of them last night?"

Goku felt his flesh heat as he wiggled against Raditz. "No...kuso, I'm getting hard!"

Vegeta was breathing heavily. "Nothing else matters now...the blood burns!"

Strong arms grabbed the prince into a hot kiss. Tails coiled and knotted as passion stripped reason. Raditz and Nappa surged next to them, awakening from the noise. Obsidian eyes snapped open.

"Yessss" Raditz hissed, grabbing Goku from behind. Nappa likewise gripped Vegeta's hips firmly, pressing into tight heat.

Goku took perverse delight in feeling the press of flesh from all directions. Their individual tastes and scents mingled in one pulsating mound as all were penetrated in turn.

Goku sucked Vegeta's tongue as Raditz pounded him from behind. Nappa plumbed his Prince from the other side as Vegeta fisted Goku furiously between them. Seconds later they jerked and exploded together, moans and roars permeating the cave.

No one moved. They lay sated and spent, the pack link a live wire joining their minds. Words were unecessary.

Goku wondered how anyone could experience such utter watched him gently.

/What are you thinking?/

Dark eyes fluttered. /Nothing. Just amazed at all this...so many lost years from my people./

/It doesn't matter now. I have a plan for us./

"Later" the prince murmured in his ear. "Tomorrow we will talk more of other things."

Goku stroked the finely planed face. "Vegeta, I have to go home."

"It isn't far. You're already there."

"No, I mean back to Chi Chi."

A snort behind him. "That isn't what you want, Kakarot" Raditz said roughly. "We are your people, your kin."

"Aye, listen to Vegeta." Nappa added, sidling up. "The universe is large and endless. There's much glory to be had for warriors of our mettle."

Goku edged up to a sitting position also. "I love fighting, but I can't just abandon them."

"The boy will be fine" Nappa assured him. "Use the link whenever needed...it isn't necessary to be in contact."

"Hmm..."

"I would see your new power level, also." Vegeta stated.

Goku smirked. "Still competition, ne?"

"Always. It makes the blood go. Anything you do, I can do."

A laugh. "Now that's the Vegeta I know best!"

The ouji stood and stretched, ruffling his tail. "We'll bathe and eat now. Another moon of delight awaits us."

Nappa sniffed. "Ah, a new dawn ripe with possibilities."

Raditz stroked Goku's thick mop. "I will wash you."

"I think I can manage-"

Vegeta champed his fangs. "Kra-kee-kikkak!"

Radtiz and Nappa nodded silently. Goku stared in surprise.

"That sounds familiar."

"It's our base language, Kakarot. You can sense it but not comprehend. Use our pack link."

Goku frowned momentarily, focusing on the mental channel. "Got it..."

"We'll see." the ouji grinned smugly. "Ki-kkoe-kaaddr-kun?" (Are you

following this at all?)

Goku smirked back. "Kuu-kriy-kaa." (no problem.)

Raditz wrapped his tail around. "Excellent. Now come, brother. I will wash you."

"Don't I have a say in the matter?"

"None."

()

The saiyans bathed in the waterfall. Nappa dived into shallow pools playfully, splattering everyone. Raditz washed Goku head to toe, lathering him slowly with a plant soap. Vegeta washed as well, enjoying the feel of cool water on his skin.

Raditz gave a wicked smile. "My, what's this...you like being bathed a lot, eh?"

Goku stared at his erection covered in thick foam. "Shimatta! Your touch feels so good, Raditz...I'm having a hard time controlling myself-"

"Why control at all?" Raditz dropped to his knees. "Turn this way."

Goku licked his lips. "Hn, I catch the drift...you can't keep your hands off me."

"That comes later" hot lips sucked him sweetly. /You taste wonderful, Kakarot./

"Kami!" Heat laced Goku's chest, sparking his nipples. Strong hands clutched handfuls of black spikes.

Vegeta and Nappa watched, stroking themselves. Goku did a slow dance against the rock wall, his body moving sensuously in rhythm as Raditz savored his manhood. Eyes closed in bliss as he locked fingers behind his head, face tilted high in wanton delight.

Vegeta couldn't believe his eyes, taking in the sculpted perfection glistening with foam.

By the gods, if you could only see yourself, Kakarot...this is what I knew all along lay beneath!

Nappa had similar thoughts. He's pure saiyan now, not that buffoon we first met...such a beauty. Gladly would I fight any who touch him out of turn.

Their thoughts were interrupted as Goku roared in climax, wrapping a leg across the broad shoulders of his brother. Slowly he regained his senses and straightened up, black eyes sparking with lust.

"I intend to repay the favor, Raditz" he purred, licking a finger.

Hot eyes leered up at him in turn.

"I look forward to it." Raditz panted, tail bristling in excitement. He turned and lapped foam from a thick thigh.

"Hn...delicious. I should eat you up right now."

Goku pushed the tousled head away. "Enough, you freak. No more free samples!"

Raditz licked the flavor. "Hn, I'll definitely want more...perhaps I'll grab that fat ass again."

Vegeta rinsed away his own orgasm. "Only with my permission." His voice held a hint of warning.

Goku and Vegeta gazed at each other, fire dancing in their thoughts.

()

The light ship landed about ten miles from the keep. Piccolo looked about at the unusually quiet jungle.

"Odd. Normally local wildlife is quite active early in the morning."

Tien placed his hands on hips. "I'll tell you what else is weird... those crazy ki spikes we sensed have disappeared."

"Could they be hiding?" Krillen wondered, kicking a pebble.

"Maybe" Yamcha admitted, staring up a tall tree. "The location is perfect. This jungle's thicker than smog."

"If everything's quiet, maybe we should go back." Krillen suggested. "After all, if Goku's here of his free will..."

"We've yet to establish that." Piccolo insisted. "Let's fly a random pattern and see what develops. He may be in the area."

"Don't sense him at all." Tien frowned.

"He could be suppressing his energy, although I'm not sure why." Yamcha considered.

Piccolo stared at bright skies. "Let's start searching. We'll get no answers here."

They flew over endless green panorama, awed at the lush brightness of color and deep blue waterways.

"See anything?" Tien shouted in the wind.

Krillen shook his head. "Nah, just weak traces...I think Goku's been through here, but-"

Yamcha pointed. "There! Check that out, guys..."

"I see it" Piccolo shouted. "Incredible!"

They stared in awe at flattened foilage and gouged landscape. Boulders lay everywhere in a littered mess for miles. Recently broken trees piled in huge shards along the river next to giant footprints dried in mud.

"Guys, am I seeing what I THINK I'm seeing!" Krillen pointed.

"Quickly everyone, land down in that valley!" Piccolo suggested.

The Z warriors dove down in a flash, landing in the midst of damaged terrain. Tien whistled in appreciation at the wreckage.

"Something sure trashed this place."

"Or someone." Piccolo pointed at the muddy riverbanks. More huge

footprints stood in bold relief. Krillen walked around one.

"What the frack? Guys, any ideas on what's going on here?"

Tien looked down. "Creatures, maybe? Based on the size of these markings they must be monstrous."

"But where could they be?" Yamcha peered around. "There's no hint of what or who did this."

Piccolo had a nagging thought. "This reminds me of something. Do those prints look familiar at all?"

Krillen pulled his chin in observation. "They almost look like human footprints...but not exactly. The number of toes are all wrong."

"I was thinking the same thing." Tien agreed.

Yamcha snorted. "Giant people roaming around? Come on!"

A strange silence fell as they thought furiously. "Not people." Piccolo said finally. "Not human..."

Tien held out a hand. "Whoa, wait a minute. What are you suggesting?"

Krillen cursed, a sudden insight striking him hard.

"Krillen, what? You know something?"

The diminutive warrior shook his head grimly. "Do you guys remember how the tournament palace got trashed years ago?"

Tien blinked in shock. "Yeah...I was there. A giant creature came from nowhere and terrorized the place. People were running for their lives."

"It was in all the news." Yamcha added. "Something about a giant ape thing..."

PIccolo's eyes went wide. "Of course...Krillen's right! Why didn't I see it!"

"Krillen, you know who did this?"

"Maybe." Krillen gritted his teeth. "I hope for all our sakes I'm wrong."

Tien was serious now. "You know something. Tell us!"

"This is something only myself, Piccolo and Nairobe have seen. When we first fought Vegeta on earth, he transformed into a giant ape creature. Something saiyans call oozaru."

"Then...it was an oozaru that attacked the palace years ago!" Yamcha shouted. "There were no saiyans on earth then-"

"Only one, but he didn't know at the time." Piccolo was very quiet.

Tien gleaned the point. "Oh no...are you saying?"

"Please, everyone, let me finish." Krillen continued. This oozaru state is only achieved under a full moon. It's considered the ultimate power form for saiyans."

"What about the super saiyan level?" Tien wanted to know.

"I don't know all the differences, but I can tell you any saiyan is capable of changing into a giant ape."

"But Goku's a saiyan, and he never changed." Yamcha stated.

"Goku's tail was removed as a child. Without a tail saiyans can't achieve oozaru."

The bandit's mind raced now. "That creature at the tournament...was Goku!"

Krillen nodded grimly. "I'm not saying Goku is responsible here, but the other saiyans might be. Besides, Goku doesn't have his tail anymore."

"That's not true." Piccolo corrected. They all stared in surprise.

"What!"

"I forgot to mention it earlier. Part of Goku's 'change' has been the regrowth of his tail."

"Trouble." Yamcha muttered, shaking his head.

"Not necessarily, but we need answers here. Everyone, fan out. Maybe we can find something. They're obviously nearby."

()

The saiyans had dressed and returned to the keep. They sat around a small fire, eating fruit and roasted pig.

"I was hungrier than I thought" Nappa grunted, biting into a hock.

"Hn, an excellent breakfast" Vegeta chomped on a pineapple. "We'll need our strength for later. Everyone, eat well."

Goku was practically gorged, stretching out in the grass. "Sleepy..."

A thick tail flopped over his face. "Up, Kakarot...you can sleep later."

"Get up for what, Raditz? I feel too good. Besides, I'm stuffed. I can't eat another pig."

"A belly should always be full" Vegeta commented. "Leave him be, Raditz. This is our time of enjoyment, and all may do as they wish."

"Good point, ouji" the maned saiyan yawned, flopping down himself in the tall grass. He observed Goku, who had already fallen asleep.

"I'm more anxious for the upcoming moon. So many things to do!" a snicker.

Nappa growled. "It was my touch that brought him over, Raditz. That lush flesh is still on my mind."

"But not yours to claim" Vegeta ate a bone, cracking loudly. "He is mine, and neither of you touch him now without my permission."

They nodded in unison, sullen. "Hai, ouji."

()

Krillen approached a large waterfall, nestled in deep jungle. He saw several figures below.

"Hey, everybody!" he hissed, pointing. "Look, down there! I see them."

"Good" Piccolo stood alongside. "Now maybe we can get some answers."

Nappa still worked his ham hock, not looking up. "I smell company upwind."

Vegeta tilted his head. "Hai, above the valley on the outcropping. Curiosity seekers, perhaps?"

Raditz rolled to his side in the grass. "No. Note the scent? I do believe it's the plant man, our favorite namek."

"Piccolo." Vegeta hissed. "It figures...he's probably brought the rest of that motley crew with him. No matter."

Goku snored away, oblivious to everything. Vegeta moved to his side, sitting crosslegged next to the well muscled form.

"Well then. Let's see what our visitors want."

Raditz growled. "Why not fight them? With the exception of Piccolo, they're all fairly weak."

"Piccolo himself would be no challenge to me now." Nappa boasted. "A little bloodshed would start the day off well."

Vegeta laughed smugly. "Our guests arrive. Remember, we can afford to be gracious now. The prize is ours!"

The others cackled in agreement as the z warriors approached.

Nappa grinned. "I'd nearly forgotten...I suppose we'll have to hear strident accusations, eh?"

"They can screech all day, it changes nothing." Raditz insisted as the others approached. "Kakarot knows his life."

Piccolo stalked down the incline first. "What's going on here, saiyans?"

"'Saiyans?'" Vegeta mocked, wide eyed. "My, how formal. And here I thought we were past such distinctions."

"Save it, Vegeta. What have you done to Goku?" he glanced at the prone figure.

Vegeta glanced at his fellow saiyan and smiled, gently sweeping his tail across the handsome face. A small grin curved upward on swarthy features.

Krillen stepped forward. "HEY! Cut that out!"

"The mouse roars." Nappa pointed his ham hock at them all. "Why are you people here? We're enjoying a quiet breakfast, and don't appreciate foolish interruptions."

"We're here out of concern for Goku." Tien responded. "Let's just say we aren't convinced he's here voluntarily."

Vegeta made a grand gesture at his side. "As you can see, he's sleeping peacefully."

"How do we know he isn't drugged?"

The saiyans roared with laughter. Raditz shook his head somberly. "Are all humans so ridiculous! What would drugging him achieve?"

"Who knows? Your motives haven't made sense since you arrived on earth."

"Ah, but they do. We simply haven't revealed them."

"Bull!" Krillen shouted. "You've got a hidden agenda. What is it?"

"Nothing sinister, I assure you" Vegeta said smoothly. "If you don't believe me, ask sleeping beauty here." he pointed at Goku.

Krillen kneeled next to his friend, shaking him gently. "Goku, can you hear me?"

A strange keening sound came from the saiyan's throat. Krillen shrugged at the others.

"Maybe he's clearing his voice or something-"

"Hn, don't remember last night but it sure was hot!" Goku mumbled.

Yamcha coughed into his hand, grinning. "Well...at least we know he isn't drugged!"

"Will you wake up already?" Krillen shook the saiyan again. "We don't need a porn recording!"

Sleepy eyes blinked open. "Ha? Krillen?"

"Yeah, it's me."

Goku sat up slowly, rubbing his head. He stared at his friends.

"What are you doing here in South America?"

"Chi Chi was concerned about you" Piccolo supplied. "So were we."

Goku was nearly awake now. "But why?"

"She briefed us on some...changes that have occurred."

"What? She told you everything!"

Tien stepped up. "Just enough to make us wonder if you were okay."

Vegeta gave a flip of a hand. "They're wondering if you've grown another head, Kakarot...or perhaps mutated into a green frog!"

"You're real funny, Vegeta" Krillen snorted.

"Do join us for breakfast" Nappa offered sarcastically. "There's plenty for all." he indicated a huge boar on a spit. "We even left the skin on!"

Raditz held up a bowl. "The brains go well with fruit for relish. We filled the stomach with banana leaf mash."

Yamcha turned gray. "Uh, no thanks...we ate on the ship."

"Goku, are you all right? Really?" Piccolo wanted to know.

The tall saiyan stretched in the grass. "I'm fine...I apprecate the concern, but there's no need."

Krillen stared in fascination at his tail. "I'd forgotten you used to have that..."

Goku grinned, waving it about. "Yeah, it still seems a bit strange,but I'm getting used to it. Center of balance and all that."

"And the other changes as well?" Piccolo wondered.

Goku suddenly gave a goofy grin, rubbing the back of his head. "Gee,what changes? I'm still just me!"

The saiyans glanced at each other in surprise. Krillen laughed in relief.

"That's our Goku! He seems the same to me."

"Me too" Tien agreed. "I think you overreacted, Piccolo."

"Maybe, but that still leaves the matter of the Dragonballs."

Vegeta bristled. "What about them?"

"We know you intend to use them, Vegeta. The question is for what?"

"That's none of your buisness, Piccolo. Keep your nose out of our affairs."

"Goku, why's he being secretive? Has he told you anything?"

Dark brows pinched, perplexed. "No...the topic hadn't come up, though I'm a bit curious myself."

"Our interests don't involve your precious earth, namek" Nappa stated. "You have nothing to fear."

"Well I have a question" Tien spoke up suddenly. "Were you responsible for all the damage done in this area?"

Vegeta nodded and smiled. "We had a little party...things got out of hand."

"Goku, will you come back with us?"

Goku stood slowly, shocking the other saiyans. "I think so...I need to clear up a few things with Chi Chi."

"Kakarot!" Raditz hissed, starting to rise. Vegeta motioned him to be still.

Krillen patted the dark saiyan on the arm. "Goku knows who his true friends are."

Raditz couldn't believe his eyes as they watched Goku leave with the others. He stood up angrily.

"Vegeta, why'd you stop me! Kakarot's going back to that shrew-"

The ouji pointed. "Sit, Raditz."

"But I tell you-"

"Sit!"

Furious, Raditz flopped down. "Everything is undone now!"

"Hardly. Although I was mildly surprised he wanted to leave, it wasn't shocking. What did you expect? Despite his change, he knows the comfort of a lifestyle with that ningen."

"Great. So he thinks to be all things to all people again? That's what fractured him in the first place! DId you see that insane act he slipped back into!"

"Huhh." Nappa grunted, still chomping. "Well enough. He played the buffoon perfectly for those saps."

"There's a difference, Raditz." Vegeta stated. "The clown is but a skin now, to be worn in convenience. They wanted Goku, he gave them Goku."

Raditz pulled some meat off a bone. "You sound confident..."

Black eyes blazed wildly. "Comfort isn't fire. Familiarity isn't love. Let blood boil and bones burn. The final truth will rip him free!"

Nappa nodded. "The choosing is done. Now let the chosen be bonded."

"He's yet to be touched." Raditz murmured a soft smile, tail lashing slowly.

Vegeta stretched his toes. "Ai...a final night of kisses will render him ours forever. Then will he cry my name under the moon!" the ouji shouted in triumph.

"Honey to my lips." Raditz purred, thinking of things to come.

()

Goku talked and chattered nonstop on the flight back. Krillen laughed, while Tien covered his ears. Yamcha could only shake his head in amazement.

"You're going a hundred miles an hour, Goku!" he commented.

Piccolo sat in a corner of the cabin, unimpressed. "Too much, I'd say."

Goku shrugged. "Ah, don't be like that, Piccolo...I had fun! The jungle's really beautiful once you adjust to the heat-"

"It's not the heat, it's the humidity" Krillen made a face, fanning himself.

"That's awful" Tien commented.

"So sue me."

Goku stood at the viewscreen, a silly smile plastered on his face as he stared at blue skies. Piccolo couldn't take any more. He stalked over to the tall saiyan's side.

"That's enough, Goku. Drop the act!"

Goku frowned. "What?"

"You heard me. Maybe you can fool the others with that routine, but I'm not buying it!"

"What's your trip, Piccolo?" Yamcha wanted to know. "Goku's cool...are you looking for trouble?"

"He's acting, and I won't tolerate it!"

Goku laughed, his tone abruptly changing. "You won't tolerate it? Since when do I answer to you!"

Everyone stared in silence. Goku stopped, mortified. He glared at the namek.

"That's a dirty trick..."

Piccolo folded his arms smugly. "Sorry...I had to break through the pretense."

"What pretense?"

"That imbecilic smile you plaster on."

"And if I walked around looking grim, would that make me honest?"

"No, but a bit more real."

"Lighten up, Piccolo" Tien told him. "Goku isn't under a microscope here!"

"No, but we all know he's changed."

"All right, Piccolo" Goku waved him off. "You've made your point. Satisfied?"

"I'm not." Krillen stared. "You're still the same basic person, Goku. Despite what we were told, I still have faith in you as a friend."

Goku smiled, clapping his shoulder. "I can always count on you, Krillen."

"That makes two of us." Yamcha added. "Who are we to judge? You've saved earth more times than I can count."

Piccolo turned his back. "I never doubted you, but these changes...what do they mean for the future?"

A sigh. "I have some hard decisions to make."

Tien shook his head. "I don't like the sound of that...are you really so different now?"

Goku was serious. "Yes and no. I can't go back to being the way I was before, but I won't forget friends. Count on it."

"But if you hook up with the saiyans, won't that be a conflict of interest?" Yamcha wanted to know.

"They're my own people, Yamcha. Raditz is my brother. What would you have me do?"

"But they're evil, Goku!" Tien blurted.

"It isn't as simple as that."

A pause. "I just hope this doesn't create problems for us all down the road."

Goku looked out the viewscreen again. "You and me both."

()

An agitated Raditz paced around the campfire. "We should have stopped him!"

Vegeta snorted. "Stop thinking with your cock, for Kami's sake. Kakarot has no choice now. The seed is planted in his soul...it will bloom soon enough!"

"So you say, prince. But you and I both know my brother is stubborn!"

"An inherited trait, apparently. Sit down and eat, Raditz. Your bellowing strains my ears, and other thoughts occupy my mind now."

The burly saiyan paused in thought. "It would be a quick turnaround for him to get back by nightfall."

"Hn, no distance is too great when the blood burns."

"You're unusually calm, prince."

"The prize is mine, so there's no need for haste. I've learned to be more patient."

Nappa laughed, gulping a beer. "A patient saiyan...now there's a contradiction in terms!"

Vegeta flashed a wolfish smile. "Only to a point, Nappa. What I want, I get. Any who interfere with our plans will pay dearly!"

Nappa purred in satisfaction. "Loving, fighting, and a universe to conquer...what saiyan could ask for more?"

Raditz plopped next to him. "Immortality, once we get the remaining dragonballs..."

Nappa stroked the thick tail in his lap. "Hai, handsome one. Our dreams will be complete then."

Vegeta stretched out in the warm sunshine. "And none can stop us."

Goku made his abbreviated goodbyes when they got back. Piccolo wasn't so quick to leave his side as they stood outside the house.

"You don't have to hold my hand, Piccolo."

"Goku, I have reservations about what I'm sensing. I'm convinced the others have plans for you."

"Then let me deal with it. I'm a big boy."

"Why are you being this way?"

Goku spun. "Stop hovering over me. I don't need watching, and I'm not a monster!"

Piccolo was grim. "All right. But I have a terrible feeling of disaster down the road."

"Explain yourself, I'm not interested in riddles."

"I don't want to lose your friendship, Goku. Our history has been checkered, I know."

"Where's this coming from? That's all in the past."

"The future worries me. There's more to this than either of us know, and the changes in you are shocking."

"Shocking? Give me a break."

"No...unlike the others I can sense what goes on within. I know how you've changed."

Goku considered that. "I see. You think I'll betray everyone someday?"

"Do you even know for certain?"

"My motives are the same."

"Motives change with desire. I sense what you truly want isn't here."

Saiyan temper flared. "You dare look inside me!"

Piccolo sighed. "For Gohan's sake, I had little choice. The passions and needs of your race...are unfathomable to me."

"Our blood runs hot." Goku replied savagely, looking completely saiyan at that moment. He turned to open the door.

"I appreciate your concerns, but nothing will happen. I just need to spend some time with Chi Chi."

"I'll see you later, then?"

"Hai. Go home, Piccolo."

()

Chi Chi was in the kitchen, resignation in her posture. "So. You've decided to return."

Goku reached for her. "Why wouldn't I, Chi Chi? This is our home!"

She moved away. "Is it? I get the impression you'd rather be somewhere else."

"Where's Gohan?"

"At Tami's house. Her brother is having a pajama party."

"Oh."

"He asked about you. I came up with a suitable lie."

Goku sat at the table. "I'm sorry...what did you tell him?"

"That his father was out fighting demons."

He stared at her. "Chi Chi!"

She smiled bitterly. "I told him you were investigating an alien sighting."

Goku exhaled. "Thank you."

"That doesn't let you off the hook with me."

"Please sit and talk to me."

Her slim form plopped across him at the table. "Why, Goku? You've made your point perfectly clear."

He took her hands. "Forgive me...maybe my new attitude is somewhat harsh."

"That's an understatement. What were you doing all night?"

He flushed, looking away. "Nothing much. I found out where Vegeta and the others are staying."

"Where?"

"South America, in the fifteenth latitude."

She blinked in shock. "But why? They've been here for days, doing nothing. It makes no sense!"

"Vegeta is looking for the missing dragonballs."

A small fist slammed the table. "I knew it! All that phony bull by Raditz-"

"It wasn't phony." Goku flared at her. "He honestly wanted to know you better."

"Then why do they need the dragonballs?"

"I don't have a clue, but I intend to find out."

"How?"

"I'm going back there later, to observe. Maybe they'll let something slip."

She stared at him hard. "Are you telling me all of it?"

A pause. "Yes."

Dark eyes welled up. "I'm sorry, I can't believe you."

Goku couldn't stand her distress. Strong arms swept her up in a bear hug.

"Chi Chi, don't say that-"

"Something's going on with you and those saiyans" her voice was snuffled against him.

He stroked her hair. "You're my wife, Chi Chi. That's why I'm here now."

"Can I trust your word?"

Goku sat down, pulling her into his lap. "I know the last few days have been bizarre. I'd like nothing better than settling into our old routine, but that just can't happen."

"You mentioned change...I'm not sure this is for the better."

Black eyes were glazed, wild. "It's unbelievable, Chi Chi! I've found out so much about myself, things I never knew. My mind, my heart have been opened-"

He realized he'd said too much. She stared at him in shock and dismay.

"You'd better tell me the truth. Now." her tone was ice.

"Chi Chi..."

"Save it. This isn't about change, or compromise. You've made a decision!"

Goku fell silent momentarily. "I needed to talk to you..."

She pushed off his lap and stood. "No. This time YOU listen."

He was startled to silence again. Chi Chi paced slowly around the kitchen.

"You've spoken your mind, and now I'll do the same. Do you think I'm a fool? You're planning something with those saiyans-"

"You can't-"

"Shut up. Do you know how it makes me feel when you disappear at a crucial point in our marriage, then come back excited about being 'awakened?' Do you want to know what I really think?"

Goku swallowed. "You suspect something."

She slapped him so hard his ears rung. "Freak! You're going there to satisfy those filthy perversions I wouldn't agree to!"

He glowered at her, guilt and shame stopping comment. Chi Chi continued, in a rage.

"Admit it! I see it in your eyes, hear it in your voice. You say you can't be what you were. Well guess what? I can't be what I'm not!"

Goku found his voice. "I see. What are you suggesting?"

"Time for both of us. We need to think things through, and I mean hard."

A soft growl escaped the tall saiyan as his tail bristled. "You doubt my love?"

"Yeah, mister, I do. There's all kinds of love, and I'm realizing that now the hard way." her eyes welled up again. "You never loved me like a wife."

"Did you ever love me as a husband!" he snapped back.

"How dare you-"

"Maybe I wasn't always responsible, but at least I cared."

"Don't turn this around, Goku. You always took every opportunity to leave, whether it was a threat to earth or some lamebrained adventure!"

Red haze dotted Goku's vision. "Lamebrained...you think I enjoyed being treated as a child by my own wife!"

"You're so tough...if you were any kind of man you would have said something long ago!" she shot without thinking.

Goku stood slowly, backing her against a wall. "Say that again." He snarled, glaring through lidded eyes.

Chi Chi saw those eyes, feeling fear for the first time. "I didn't mean it." she whispered.

Strong fingers gripped her chin. "Shall I tell you an impulse I feel right now?"

"Goku...don't..."

"The saiyan in me would fracture your jaw." he hissed softly. Her eyes went wide in fright.

"However, I would never do such a thing." Goku released her abruptly. "Were I as weak as you say, you'd be lying on the floor."

She dropped in a chair, trembling. "So it's come to this now...threats of physical violence?"