Of Two Hearts
Chapter 22: Working for Otousan
A gentle breeze blew at dawn one balmy, spring morning, ruffling the dark hair of a young man lying asleep on his futon. Goku grimaced slightly, and opened his eyes slowly. It only took a few seconds for his vision to be set.
Surprised that he was not alone, Goku bolted up and looked at the person sitting on the foot of the futon. "A-Ah, Ox-King? What…?"
Ox-King crossed his arms. "Get up. It's time to start your testing. Get dressed and meet me outdoors."
He left and grumbled under his breath, as if he wanted to hurry and get this over with. Goku was quick to obey and met the Ox-King at the watermill by the Slave Headquarters. He could tell the Ox-King was serious about the tests. "I'm here, sir."
Ox-King glanced at him. "I'm going to shape you into a superb husband. Satisfactory is not a status for you; you will be better than the average husband. Let us begin. A good husband is a good provider. Say your wife wants fish and rice for her morning meal. What would you do?"
Goku blinked. "Get it of course."
Ox-King sighed. "And how would you do it? Where's your fishing rod and basket? Where will you get the rice?"
Goku smiled cheerfully. "I don't need any of that. I fish with my bare hands and bring them back alone. I can get the rice in the paddies."
"What would you bring the rice back in? A basket. You need to weave one."
"Uh… all right."
"Now let's see you fish."
Goku rolled up his sleeves and waded into the river while the Ox-King watched from the riverbank. The judging look on his face turned into one of surprise as he saw Goku easily and happily catch fish by the armfuls.
After only a few minutes, Goku came back with enough fish to feed five men. He dropped the fish at the Ox-King's feet and looked up at him. "Good enough? Now I'm going to get the rice."
It took Goku half an hour to walk miles to the rice paddies and bring back two basketfuls of rice. He even went to the market in the village to buy bowls, soy sauce, and vegetables to top the rice. He returned to the Ox-King and then built a fire.
Ox-King had to admit that Goku was skillful, but he frowned at his breakfast. It didn't look very appealing… He only tasted a little bit and grimaced.
"I'm not the greatest cook, but what I get keeps me alive," Goku said, finishing off his fourth bowl. He looked at Ox-King's food. "You haven't touched it. Do you want it?"
Ox-King shoved his bowl towards Goku and thought, Thank Kami Chi-Chi is a great cook. If she didn't know how to cook, I wouldn't know what would happen.
He waited for Goku to finish eating before he dug in a rucksack by his side. He brought forth a pick and tossed it to Goku, who looked at the tool strangely. "What's this for?" Ox-King pointed to the hills behind Goku. "I said a good husband is a good provider. There are some mines by the hills. I want you to go and bring back something interesting. Copper, silver, iron ores… Gold would be nice. Money is money after all."
Goku looked down at the pick and then stood up, nodding. "I'll come back with lots of ores. The basket will hold great treasures for you, sir."
"You have two hours. Go on now."
Some time later, Goku returned from the mines, his pick swung over his shoulder, and his outstretched arms carrying the basket on his head. He was showered in dust, and there was a streak of dirt on his cheek. Loose pebbles were in his hair.
Goku saw Ox-King was napping under the shade of an oak tree. He would quietly approach him, set the basket down, and sit patiently as he awaited the Ox-King to rise. He tiptoed two feet away from the Ox-King, and quietly put down the basket on the grass.
"You're late."
Goku looked up, surprised. He looked at Ox-King, who was still reclining, his hands cupped behind his head. His eyes were still closed, and he took one arm to point at a stone sundial by the mill. Goku looked at the sundial. The shadow was a few inches past the mid mark. Ox-King was right. He sat up, adjusted his hat and glasses, and looked down at the odd lumps in the basket.
He dug through in the basket, which was half-filled with the things Goku thought would make the Ox-King happy. He picked up several shapes, looked them over, and frowned. "Most of these are dirt clods. You do know that, don't you, boy?"
Uh-oh. Ox-King called Goku 'boy' again. He was not in a happy mood.
Goku frowned, looking upon what he collected. "They looked gold to me when I was at the mine. Some of these have streaks of red or orange. Does that mean something?"
Ox-King gave him a flat face. "You fool. You did not even have the sense to bring a lantern with you while you dug? You cannot depend on the sun all the time. And…those streaks only indicate you struck some clay, which is good for making pottery."
Goku seemed anxious as he reached for the leather pouch inside the material of his kimono at the chest. He opened it and brought out a small carving in the palm of the hand. "Perhaps this will help…"
He dropped the item in Ox-King's hand. He looked it over carefully, with surprise.
"Hm. You've brought a Chinese carving of jadeite! I'm slightly impressed…"
Goku smiled. "It was pretty, so I took it."
Ox-King raised an eyebrow. "You did not even see the significance of jade…?"
Goku tilted his head in confusion.
Ox-King shook his head at Goku. "I really do wonder…"
***
"Watch this one!"
Talim closed one eye as she looked carefully at her standing, colorfully painted target in the distance. She aimed her arrow at the center of the target, and pulled it back against the string of her bow.
"Steady…steady… Go, go!"
Talim watched joyfully as she let go, seeing the arrow soar toward the target. It struck the target several inches above the center. "Darn…"
She and Chi-Chi were practicing their archery on a hill at the back of the palace. It was a nice day to brush up on training, to perfect the graceful and deadly skills of the few female warriors.
"Did you see that one, Princess?"
Talim looked over her shoulder, and then raised an eyebrow. She saw Chi-Chi had wandered from their section of the hill to a green willow tree that overlooked other hills and other areas of the land. She leaned against it, looking out at the valley below.
Talim was going over to see what Chi-Chi was looking at, but she stopped as she heard a faint noise suddenly. It was an angry shout echoing from the valley. Talim went over to the willow tree and leaned forward to look down. She could see Ox-King yelling at Goku about something—there was a mess of metal and tools on the ground and a fire burning in a small circle of stones---and Goku was looking intimidated.
"Um…" Talim said slowly. "Did you see my shot?"
Chi-Chi didn't seem to hear her, as she frowned, still looking down at Goku and her father. Goku must've done something wrong and he was being punished. Ox-King wasn't going easy on him one bit.
Beside her, Talim sighed, bringing Chi-Chi out of her concerned state. "He'll be fine, Princess. Let's go back to shooting our arrows. Show me how to do one from a three feet range!"
Chi-Chi stole one last glance before sighing. "All right, come on…"
She swung her case of arrows over her shoulder and grabbed her bow leaning against the tree's trunk. She walked back to their spot on the hill, with Talim skipping closely behind. Chi-Chi was nonchalant as she set down the case and retrieved an arrow. She picked up the bow and prepared the arrow to shoot. She only skimmed her target before bringing the end of the arrow up to eye level.
Talim frowned beside her. Usually, Chi-Chi would've said words of guidance and demonstrated the archery techniques with enthusiasm. She would've aimed carefully and made sure Talim did the same.
Chi-Chi let the arrow go, and it shot a few inches below Talim's. "Hm," she said. "Let me do that again."
She grabbed another arrow and shot it. The result was more or less similar to the last. Again and again, she shot the arrows, but they weren't as good as they were in the beginning. On two turns, she missed completely.
"That's it," Talim said, placing a hand over Chi-Chi's to stop her from shooting her eleventh arrow. Chi-Chi glanced at the child, who frowned at her teacher. "You keep missing… Stop thinking about him and concentrate. You said we had to clear our minds and focus."
Chi-Chi lowered her bow. She was right. Thinking about Goku like this wasn't going to help him pass the tests at all. She can wish him luck, but that was about it.
"I'm sorry," she apologized apathetically. "My mind isn't here…"
"No, it's not," Talim said sternly. She locked her determined eyes with Chi-Chi's. "You have to believe in Goku. That's all you can do for now. Believe in him."
Chi-Chi smiled a bit. "All right, it's bad when the student is telling the teacher these kind of things. I'll try not to worry as much. This is how you do the three foot range…"
Talim eagerly grabbed her bow and copied Chi-Chi word for word, stance for stance, and shot for shot. As soon as Talim hit the bull's eye, she jumped up and down with excitement. She wanted to shoot it again and again and again.
After plenty more shooting, Chi-Chi felt it was time to take a break. Her arms were starting to feel sore, and she was in need of some replenishment. Her stomach growled lowly, and Chi-Chi placed a hand on it.
"Uh…I'm really hungry…" she said, hoping to lure Talim away from her shooting to eat the lunch they packed.
Being hungry and having a picnic lunch reminded Chi-Chi that this was the kind of thing Goku would like. Having her stomach growl like that reminded her of Goku when he got hungry.
He would be surprised when he saw the picnic lunch, and they would feast peacefully under the shade of the feathery willow tree. It would be so perfect and after dessert, they would talk and she would lie in his arms as she….
"Hey, come on!"
Chi-Chi shook her head, snapping herself out of her daydream. Talim was carrying the folded blankets containing their food and the large water jug was balanced on her head. She was calling Chi-Chi for the second time.
"Coming!" Chi-Chi responded, and ran to Talim. She smiled as she looked out at the scenery. "I know! Let's eat by the river. Would you like that, Talim?"
The girl looked out of the corners of her eyes to her left as she heard faint voices approaching from that direction. She saw Goku coming closer.
"Actually, I wouldn't, Princess. Let's eat somewhere nicer…"
Talim prayed that Chi-Chi and Goku would not see each other. Neither of them needed the distraction of the other's presence. Talim wandered in the opposite direction, hoping to make Chi-Chi follow her.
***
Meanwhile, Goku was carrying a water jug of his own as he returned from the well on the hill. He was supposed to bring back fresh water from the stone well on the hill without spilling a drop. The catch was that he had to balance the jug on his head the whole way. Goku was walking slowly, keeping one eye on the path ahead, and trying to make the other peek at the jug on his head. His hands were forbidden to touch the jug, so he couldn't tell when the jug was rocking back and forth or not.
Goku was relieved to know that he was getting closer to the Ox-King, who awaited him by the oak tree. He was timing Goku. Goku crossed the river to the riverbank by walking the shallow path. He could feel the smoothness of the stones at the bottom of the river. He prayed moss wouldn't make him slip.
Thankfully, Goku made it successfully to the Ox-King and set down the jug, sighing with relief. He sat Indian style and wiped the sweat off his forehead.
"Two and a half minutes," Ox-King said. "That's not bad at all…"
Goku smiled. "All right. What lesson do I, as a husband-in-training, learn from bringing water back?"
Ox-King raised an eyebrow. "What? I just wanted to see if you could bring good water to make sake."
"But what does this have to do with the princess?" Goku asked. "I don't think Chi-Chi drinks…"
"Ahem," Ox-King said. "You don't change the subject. I wanted the wine, all right? Now, make the sake and meet me in the fields out at the back of the palace."
"Yes, sir…"
Goku spent an hour hastily preparing the sake and once again began to balance the jug on his head as he walked for another hour to the palace. He found the Ox-King preparing a training course in the field.
Goku smiled. At least one good thing has come from this test, he thought happily. Ox-King is going to say a good husband is a good protector. That's not going to a problem at all. I've saved Chi-Chi once before.
Goku waited patiently for the course to be set up before presenting himself and the sake to the Ox-King. He set the jug down by a tree far off in the boundaries and stood at attention.
Ox-King nodded at Goku, and he came to him and stood straight and tall. "I'm here, sir."
Ox-King was considerate. Most of the princes who tested for Chi-Chi's hand scoffed at the training course, but they didn't know it was more than what meets the eye, he thought. At least Goku isn't turning his nose up at this.
"All right," Ox-King started. "A good husband is a good protector, so he must train constantly to stay mentally, spiritually and physically fit. Working those three areas are beneficial in shaping a husband."
He pointed to his head. "Mentally, you will feel no fear and will respond quickly to a sensation. You will grow wiser. Women like intelligent men."
Then he pointed to his heart. "Spiritually, you will learn how to make your soul grow. You will be tested of your values, morals and what decisions you will make. This is good. Women like knowing they can trust a man who is confident with himself. They like a man who knows what he's doing."
Lastly, he made a muscle in his arm. "And of course, being physically fit is essential. It's survival of the fittest in this world, boy. And, well, you already know this, but…"
Ox-King's face went blank. "A good looking man is very beneficial for a woman."
Goku nodded, taking all the information in. "I'm ready whenever you are, sir."
Ox-King smiled, though it had a hint of a diabolical smirk. "Let's go then, boy."
Oh, this WILL be fun…
***
Goku was warming up with stretches as he looked around at the training course. He guessed a lot of the things to do with testing his physical endurance, speed, strength, distinction, and building weapons. He picked his head up when he heard someone walking on the grass. He looked up to see a man stand next to the Ox-King. Then Goku looked to his right and left to find that a handful of people had come to watch, most of them being samurai and shogun.
That was strange, Goku guessed. Why would people want to come watch him test? Most of this seemed to be training anyway.
Goku stood to his feet and saw the man standing several feet away, clad in armor. "His Majesty wants to see your overall fighting skills. I will be your opponent today," he said.
He got into a fighting stance, and then looked over his shoulder to see his assistant come towards him, something in his hands.
He bowed before handing Goku's opponent his sword. Then he quickly left.
Goku's eyes widened. "W-Wait a moment," he said to his opponent. "Does that katana have a real blade? Are we fighting unequally? Why do you get to have armor and a sword while I have nothing? What do I do?"
The opponent unsheathed the sword and got into his fighting stance again. "Avoid getting sliced. Now present yourself so our battle may begin."
Goku gave the Ox-King a pleading glance, but he merely raised his eyebrows. 'What are you waiting for?' his face seemed to say.
Goku blinked and then bowed before his opponent, mumbling the proper battle presentation. "I, Son Goku of the dojo of Kame'sennin, wish to battle thee."
The opponent bowed back and said, "I, Nagayo Kou of the dojo of Ryu Kobudo, accept your challenge."
"Hajime!" they heard the Ox-King call from the sidelines.
The match was starting now. Kou let out a battle cry as he charged toward Goku, his sword raised high above his head. The blade gleamed in the sun as Kou leapt towards Goku, slicing the sword down.
Goku rolled out of the way and reverse kicked his hand, but Kou quickly switched hands and did a hammer fist to Goku's ribs. Goku held his side and bent over, becoming a perfect target. Kou cried out again as he brought the sword down to cut off Goku's head, but Goku moved aside, only losing several strands of hair, and tripped Kou.
Kou fell but never let go of his katana, which Goku was hoping for. He tried to slice Goku's legs, but Goku jumped and kicked him in the head, which was ineffective, thanks to Kou's excellent armor.
Kou sliced aimlessly over his shoulder, which startled Goku. The swing was aimless, but it did reach its target. The blade quickly skimmed across Goku's cheek and down his shoulder, ripping the material of his kimono. He was left with a bare shoulder and trails of blood seeping from his wounds.
Kou swung again, but Goku saw this one coming. "No, you don't!" he grunted, leaning in the opposite direction, and grabbed Kou's wrist firmly. He twisted his wrist, thus twisting the blade away from both of them. Goku extended Kou's arm and pinned him. He placed his knee on his elbow and pressed down. Kou cried out in pain, and Goku grabbed the katana. He raised it above his head.
Normally, it was custom to kill the opponent, training or not. The opponent would be considered disgraced for losing. But Goku merely aimed the blade at Kou's neck and said, "You would have been dead."
Goku stood up and faced his audience and the Ox-King. The audience broke out in a mix of rejoicing, booing, and laughter. "How did our future emperor do?" one man of the crowd asked his friend next to him. The friend stared in disbelief. An experienced swordsman lost to Goku?
"No," the friend said. "That's not our emperor… What does the princess see in him?"
The Ox-King came close to Goku and smiled. "I'm amused, and even surprised that you won. I expected you to take a beating or die."
Thanks, Goku sarcastically thought. He looked up at Ox-King. "Is this a part of my test or training? Will I ever have to do this again?"
"Oh, plenty more times," Ox-King answered. "I wanted to see how you fared for the first time. Congratulations, Goku. You have completed your first day of testing, working from sunup to sundown. I'll let you be now and come for you in the morn at the same time."
Goku groaned inwardly. Boy, was he ever tired. This was only the first day. Who knows how many more long and grueling days he had to endure?
***
Later on that night, Goku decided to stop by Chi-Chi's tower before he went to sleep. He was urged to get rest, but Goku wanted to see Chi-Chi first. He had so much to tell her! But there was so little time.
Many women about to be married dreamed of these traditional nightly visits. Just five minutes with their fiancés meant something dear to them, and for Chi-Chi, it was no different. She came from her bathhouse and was clad in her night kimono. She entered her bedchamber quietly and watched where she stepped in the dim room.
Silver paths of moonlight shone through the silk curtains near the back balcony. The floor was given a shiny coat of moonlight, and another shadow aside from her own was plastered on the floor suddenly.
Chi-Chi looked up and to the left, and she was curious as she crept over to the balcony. She pushed aside the curtains, and immediately, her heart stopped.
There was Goku, sitting on the Flying Nimbus, smiling at her gently. This was unexpected. This was a surprise! Chi-Chi had not been expecting Goku to come see her on the first night. The first days were grueling; it only made sense for Goku to get rest.
However, those thoughts quickly replaced by new ones: ones of admiration and concentration.
Chi-Chi felt like the gods had silenced her, as she could only stare at Goku, confused, ardent, joyfully. A shower of moonlight cast a warm glow on him, coruscating his swaying, raven hair, and filling his eyes with a shine that only Goku could give. It gave his entire body a gentle, white outline, and a soft breeze played with his clothes, making them gently flap in the wind. Goku was wearing a green toga that was cut at the upper legs. One shoulder and half his chest were left bare.
A pine green sash was tied around his waist, and he lastly wore navy blue trousers. Even in these simple clothes, Chi-Chi thought she had never a seen more handsome person…
Suddenly, she jerked her head away. An agonizing thought terrified her. Just how long had she been staring at him? It was too long, she thought, as she noticed an awkward silence between them and the fact she had not even greeted him.
Chi-Chi quietly opened the back doors, and stepped out onto the balcony, her head hanging low. It was funny how she felt shy around him…
"Hey, Chi," Goku said quietly, breaking the silence. He looked at Chi-Chi curiously.
Chi-Chi knew she should say something—anything to get a conversation going---but the image of her very inviting fiancé was becoming too much to ignore. She could do it. She could still talk without messing up.
"Hello, Goku… What are you doing here?" she managed to say calmly.
"I finished the first day of working for your father. I wanted to see you before I went to bed. You said it was custom that I could visit you at night, but you don't look very happy," Goku noted.
Oh, no, that wasn't true at all. She was happy to see him. For a split second, she felt like a little girl that was excited on her birthday. She could burst with happiness.
Chi-Chi shot him a glance, and then found herself lost in Goku's innocent eyes. Was he giving her a look that could melt her heart on purpose? And then there was the fact that he was nearly bare-chested.
It started to feel hot all of a sudden.
Idiot, don't blush! Chi-Chi's inner voice scolded. He's looking right at you!
Chi-Chi shook her head and waved her hand. "No, I'm really happy to see you, Goku. I… I didn't expect you to visit on the first night."
Goku tilted his head, smiling. "Well, as I said before, I wanted to see you."
Chi-Chi wanted to look at him confidently, but found she could only give him a shy glance, smiling softly. Kami, why was she so giddy tonight?
"Yes…thank you," she said. It was when Chi-Chi looked at Goku for the second time that she noticed something different. And now she had a reason to get close to him.
"Goku, what's this?"
Chi-Chi stepped closer to Goku, and her hand slowly reached for his right cheek, where a small, white bandage was applied. Her hand cupped his cheek, which was warm from his slight flushing.
"Is it all right?" Chi-Chi asked.
Goku nodded and went on to explain what had happened since this morning. "Then your father wanted me to fight this one swordsman while I had nothing. It was a really close battle, but I'm all right."
He went on to describe the battle exactly as he remembered it, unknowingly causing his fiancée to worry, even though the battle was long over. At the end of the story, Chi-Chi sighed, and her hand began a gentle stroking motion on Goku's cheek.
"I'm sorry," she said quietly. "I hate it when 'Tousan does things like that. That was really dangerous."
Normally, she would feel safe and protected when she was around Goku, but now she felt she was sharing his role: becoming the compassionate protector.
She noticed something else, as she quickly looked him over. "Oh, Goku," she said softly. Her hand made a descent from his cheek to his shoulder, and she slowly traced the slash Goku received on his shoulder.
"He got you here as well. Allow me to take care of it for you."
Goku shook his head. "I'm all right. It just teaches me to keep my guard up at all times. There's no need to worry, Chi-Chi."
***
Chi-Chi sighed again, partially because the day was over and Goku was safe, and partially because she was so close enough to be in Goku's arms. She was close enough to see his chest slowly expand and contract as he breathed, and if she were quiet enough, she was sure she could hear his heart. She was close enough to smell a mix of light sweat and spice from the mountains he trained at.
If only she could linger in his arms a moment longer…
"It's a strange thing," Goku said suddenly, not knowing he stopped Chi-Chi from enjoying a quiet escape in his arms. She'd rather rest in his hold in silence, only hearing his heartbeat, but…
"What is?"
"All of this," Goku explained. "All of these tests I have to perform to determine if I'll make a good husband or not. Your father is always telling me what a good husband should be like and what he does, but I'm not going to be his husband. I'm being yours. What do you think a good husband has?"
Chi-Chi already knew what her father told Goku what a husband should be like. She heard it many times when the princes were tested.
"Everything Otousan said is important," Chi-Chi started slowly. "There are a lot of other factors that should be present in a good husband. A lot like the good virtues… What's really important is that a husband is very loyal to his wife. He's a part of her, just as she is a part of him."
Goku nodded slowly. He was sure he could do that…
"But the most important thing of all, Goku… The most important thing that a husband can have is his true, unconditional, and everlasting love for his wife. He cares for her more than anyone, and his love never changes."
Goku grew quiet and thoughtful at this. It was that word again. Love… Had he really learned to love Chi-Chi over the years? Was he meeting these requirements love had?
Had he even fully grasped the meaning of love? It had to be more than a feeling…
If this love existed… If this love that Chi-Chi spoke of existed… He wanted that love and to express this love in return.
He awaited the day where he'd have to wonder no more about this wonderful thing.
Love.
To be continued…
Chapter Twenty-Three: Eloquence