Risk
Chapter 2
A day had passed since Goku and Chi-chi had set off for Namek under the unusual circumstances. Since then, the spaceship, despite Dr. Brief's attempts, had nearly plummeted into a nearby star. The couple had barely managed to work together to get the ship back into the right direction.
At that moment, the couple trained under twenty times normal gravity at long last. Though it had been a burden for the Earth woman to endure, she had managed to match her husband's finesse in training in the same gravity. Goku threw a punch as Chi-chi did some back flips before her feet tapped the wall and she lunged at him. Both traded punches and kicks against one another while blocking their attacks. Breaking out of the brutal dance, they both backed up and slowly circled; trying to find a weakness in one another's defense. Before they could lunge again, a voice interrupted.
"Goku! Can you hear me?"
"King Kai?" Goku questioned. He put a hand up to signal Chi-chi not to attack since she did not hear this clearly at first. She stopped somewhat confused on why he would call time before they could continue their spar.
"Who else would be contacting you? Why are you in space? Oh yeah! You're heading to Namek, aren't you?" King Kai telepathically communicated with the Earth-raised Saiya-jin and the Earthen female on the ship.
"That's correct, but I'm not alone." Goku replied out loud.
"You're not alone? Who else is with you?"
"My wife, Chi-chi." Goku answered the Lord of World's question.
"Hm. I see. Anyway, I'm glad to say that your friends have made it here faster than you."
"Heh, I see." Goku grinned. He wasn't surprised since he had fallen off Snake Way once and fell into a trap by Princess Snake.
"Hey Goku."Yamcha's voice echoed. "How's the wicked training in the mortal world?"
"It's great and I got Chi-chi to help!"
"How did she get on the ship with you?"
"Well, she kind of snuck on…" Goku started to say.
"Came along to make sure you come home safely." Chi-chi butted in.
"Man Chi-chi! He'll come home. After all, he's done the impossible before." King Kai attempted to reassure the woman.
"Well, I've heard from Bulma's dad that Vegeta's on Namek." Goku asked the Lord of Worlds.
"That bastard's still alive? I'm rather surprised he lived through the beating you put him through." King Kai's voice echoed.
"That's not the worst of it." Goku sweated a bit. "They're stuck on Namek and there's an even more powerful person there. From what I heard, this new guy outranks Vegeta by a long shot."
"So they're stranded on Namek with a powerful evil chi? I dare hope it's not Frieza."
"Frieza?" Goku repeated.
"He doesn't sound so good." Chi-chi added in.
"He isn't. Let's see if my suspicions are correct…" King Kai muttered. The nervousness seemed to cut through the ship like butter. They both hoped against hope that it wasn't him.
Minutes passed before the couple heard the Godly dynasty panic. They knew right then and there that it was as he feared.
"It's Frieza! He's on Namek!" King Kai uttered in pure horror. It was as though the name itself was taboo to the Lord of Worlds.
"Does that mean he's after the Dragon Balls as well?" Goku asked.
"He's the most feared dictator of the universe, Goku. If you or Chi-chi see him, run away and don't even anger him!"
"But shouldn't we try to stop him from hurting anyone?" Goku asked. Typical that he would not dare run away when he was more concerned about the safety of others.
"STAY AWAY FROM HIM!" King Kai yelled at the two as they both winced from his tone of his high-pitched voice.
"Son, just get the Dragon Balls." Another, yet familiar voice muttered. They almost did not recognize it at first due to the ringing in their ears.
"Piccolo?" Goku smiled.
"Wish us back as soon as you get all seven, clear?" Piccolo commanded
"Right!" Goku replied before turning to Chi-chi. "Chi-chi, we're going to have to train under fifty times gravity."
"What? Already?" Chi-chi questioned.
"Yes. We need to prepare in case we need to fight Frieza." Goku replied.
"But didn't King Kai just say…" Chi-chi began.
"Yeah, but even if we don't see Frieza, we might as well be prepared for the worst." Goku encouraged her. It was true that even if they wouldn't see him, they would need to be ready for anything that might arise once they reach the planet.
"Understood," Chi-chi nodded.
Another day had passed and since King Kai's warning, Goku and Chi-chi had brought up their training in the gravity room. Both of them had not rested unless it was to eat or sleep and it seemed that their training was proving to become efficient.
"Goku shouldn't we take a break?" Chi-chi questioned.
"How come?" Goku asked while stretching.
"My back's starting to get a bit sore from this gravity."
"You know, now that you mention it, the gravity seems a bit heavier than it was an hour ago." Suddenly, both of them were floored by the gravity's force and try as he might, Goku could not fight the gravity to stand again. The last thing he could remember before he lost consciousness was the blood coming from Chi-chi's forehead.
"You must save her…" a voice echoed through the red walled canyons of a place that Goku never visited before. He looked around in confusion to find the source of where the voice was coming from.
"Who's there?" Goku looked around, seemingly unfamiliar with the landscape. He jumped when he saw Chi-chi's body looking like it did before he lost consciousness on the ship. "Wait. Where's the ship?"
"You never left…"
Goku's eyes opened in confusion and he felt the gravity's pressure against his back. He noticed the blood on the floor beneath Chi-chi's body had grown into a larger puddle since he had been laying there upon the ground. If he did nothing but lay there helpless in the gravity's increasing and decreasing force, then…
'No, I can't let her die…' Goku thought while struggling to his feet. The gravity threatened to crush him into the ground; however, it was taking him sheer willpower to defy the intense gravity. The lightning from the electrical storm outside that caused the gravity machine to malfunction in the first place lit up the room in an unnatural and ominous light. The gravity shifted during his struggle; forcing him to call upon reserves he knew his body wouldn't be able to continue to produce forever.
A foreign emotion that he normally would not dare allow to feel filled his body and he found his strength to stand. Ignoring the pain that ripped throughout his body and muscles at that moment, he finally managed to gain his footing. He half-crawled, half-walked himself over and shut the gravity machine off before he returned to his wife's side.
Unable to fully pull her into his arms, he had to drag the Earthen female to where the Senzu Beans were resting on the seat of the chair. Chewing the bean to where it could be swallowed, he administered the bean by locking lips with her. With his tongue, he pried her lips open and forced the bean into her mouth before massaging it down her throat. It was shortly after the actions he had taken to ensure her safety that he lost consciousness once more.
Chi-chi stirred not long later and noticed that she wasn't hurt anymore and the gravity was back to normal. The electrical storm had passed and it was eerily quiet within the gravity room. She then looked down and noticed Goku was unconscious and seemed gravely weakened. Grabbing a Senzu Bean from the bag, she was about to administer it when she noticed a strange lump in his pants. Curiosity seemed to bother her and she pulled down the pants only to be greeted by a fuzzy tail.
'Tail? Goku had his removed a long time ago. Why would he grow one now?' Chi-chi thought silently. Her husband was indeed an enigma that she couldn't figure out. She pulled up his pants, reminding herself why she was checking on him in the first place. Forcing herself to put those thoughts aside, she shook him gently to wake him. "Goku? Goku, wake up."
What felt like an eternity of begging and pleading soon was rewarded when Goku's eyes opened weakly. He was a bit confused on where he was when he remembered how hurt Chi-chi was. He almost thought he was dreaming at first.
"Chi-chi, are you alright?" Goku questioned in a weak voice. Tears were in her eyes and she felt immensely relieved when he responded.
"I am, but you look like you're in bad shape," Chi-chi replied before placing a bean in his open mouth. Chewing it slowly, Goku was lost in thought of what transpired while he was unconscious. After he healed, he sat up and stretched the renewed muscles; sighing in relief that his body and his wife's was perfectly fine. She immediately embraced him as he rubbed her back to reassure that he was not hurt in the slightest anymore.
"Whatever gravity we were under, we should try training under it." Goku grinned.
"From what I last saw, it was around a hundred times normal gravity."
"Ouch. No wonder we had a tough time getting up. I guess we'll both have to work our way up there."
It had been hours since the couple started training in eighty times normal gravity and Chi-chi was growing winded from the exercise. After ending the training for the day, they decided to call it a day and get some rest. Ever since he had awakened, Goku felt something odd about him ever since he was knocked unconscious. Though he didn't voice it to anyone, he still a nagging feeling felt like something changed with him besides the newly acquired strength he gained.
Pulling down his pants, he was stunned when he saw his tail wiggle around through the torn hole in his boxers. He wondered if he alone knew that he now possessed it once again. Ever since the threat that the Saiya-jins had put Earth through, he had declared himself to be a human. This was before Vegeta rubbed it in his face that he was the reason some of the times he transformed and could not recall the events from the night before.
'When did that grow back?' Goku thought to himself. A part of him wanted to remove it again; knowing full well that if he didn't, then it would be a mistake he would regret for the rest of his life. Another though nagged at him that he claimed his Saiya-jin blood shortly after Vegeta's defeat and stopping Krillin from running the evil prince with Yajarobe's sword.
Chi-chi was already asleep after the grueling day of training they had endured together during the past several hours. Deciding not to worry about it, Goku climbed into bed and pulled his slumbering wife ever closer to his side. He fell into a rather troubled sleep; one that he normally wouldn't have if he was back on Earth where for the moment was in blissful peace.
To Be Continued…