Risk
Chapter 18
Dust collected on the furniture and cobwebs hung unchecked from the ceiling and within the windows. The housewife within Chi-chi screamed at the very place that she would dust and clean daily in the past would be a horrible mess when she returned. Then again, she had not thought about how the house's condition after returning from space with her husband.
The same husband that vowed never to abandon her who stood there with his mouth agape at the scene of the crime.
"Uh… I expected the house to stay clean while you're gone…" Goku sweat dropped at the scene when they all had arrived to the house only a few moments ago.
"You three go out and train," Chi-chi pushed Goku, Gohan and Piccolo out the door before closing it behind her. She turned towards the messy house with a disgust on her face. A part of her had wanted to neglect the household chores and join her husband, son and the Namekian warrior outside for a spar; however, the housewife within the female warrior was horrified at the very thought of dust touching each floor, countertop and even the windows. 'This is my own personal hell…'
"Why did mom push us outside?" Gohan asked looking at his dad in question. He wanted to find out what was the matter; however, the door had slammed before he could question why he was outside with his father and mentor.
"I guess she wanted to get dinner done," Goku absentmindedly replied to attempt to give Gohan a decent answer to the question. Had he or anyone else had looked back at the house at that very moment, one would have seen a frustrated female warrior cleaning the house in such a frantic pace that it almost seemed she was trying to keep herself sane.
"Let's see… wash…"
Chi-chi had not been around a washing machine for a little over a year and felt like the very thing was taunting her by just looking at the device that had been long neglected. Next to her feet sat the dirty bed sheets that she had to wash due to the dust and cobwebs that graced them from her long absence. To measure a cup of how much detergent was easy, turning on the washer was difficult, to apply the cup to the washer would be the most difficult. In frustration, she racked her mind to find out how things worked again; figuring burning the sheets in the oven wouldn't get them clean.
'Gods, did my time in space turn me into a slob?' Chi-chi mentally thought to herself. 'I knew how to do all of this a year ago…' Playing with the knobs, she soon heard running water enter the tub of the washing machine. 'Well, that's a start…' She poured the cup into the washing machine before looking at the sheets again. 'Now what?'
The thought of checking up on Chi-chi seemed to pop into the Earth-raised Saiya-jin warrior's mind while he trained against Gohan and Piccolo. He had to stop their assaults and land to catch his breath. He never thought about going to see if she would be okay since he had left the house.
"I'll be back guys," Goku waved before teleporting to the house.
'Ungh… none of this is good…' Chi-chi cleaned out the refrigerator of all of the moldy food and expired items that had sat in there for over a year. It reeked of high heaven and she thanked Kami that her husband was out training. Almost though her wish for her husband to be outside had been twisted around, she heard a whine behind her and banged her head against the freezer door; knocking herself unconscious in the process. In the freezer door where she had hit her head was a dent that normally wouldn't be caused by a normal human.
Then again, who said that she was normal living with her alien husband and raising a child who's half?
"Eww…" Goku complained before hearing the clunk and noticing his unconscious wife sprawled out on the kitchen floor.
'What the hell's wrong with you? I know it smells bad, but to complain and cause her to hit her head isn't a way to help her you know!' Kakarrot yelled from within Goku's mind. 'Pick her up and carry her to… hm… this house is a mess… You know what, just carry her outside and clean up this place while she's unconscious.'
'What?! You expect me to clean up this mess on my own? I don't know how to use the vacuum cleaner or how to clean!' Goku whined at the voice in his head.
'You might not, but I do since I'm a part of you,'Kakarrot countered. 'It will require you to learn something you're not really familiar with, but if you do it right, then it should make this place more tolerable…'
Goku picked up Chi-chi. 'What do you suggest I do then? Let you have control of my body?'
'If it will clean up this place faster, then yes.'
'Promise you won't hurt Chi-chi or anyone else.'
'I won't. Like I said before, I won't hurt anyone you hold high in value…'
For the first time since he had heard Kakarrot's voice, Goku gave into the voice and allowed the split personality to take control without the aid of hypnotism or losing consciousness. Seconds after Kakarrot was set free, he carried Chi-chi outside and set her down before finding the bench to set her down in on the porch. He kissed her forehead and went back inside the house to complete his current mission: to clean the house.
Hours later, Chi-chi stirred with a splitting headache. Sitting up slightly, she felt sick and was forced to lay back down. She felt cold and noticed the sky was growing dark. How long had she been outside like this? The sound of footsteps was heard and she saw her husband's face looking at her out of concern; however, there was a foreign look within her eyes that almost made her feel like she had lost consciousness again.
"Are you alright?" Kakarrot asked. His tail wavered behind him in an almost concerned way.
"K-Kakarrot?" Chi-chi had to guess at the Saiya-jin's identity this time around. Had it not been for the accent he had in his slightly deeper voice, she wouldn't have been able to guess it was the less than merciful version of her husband. "I… I feel sick…"
"I'll carry you to bed," Kakarrot replied in a calm voice.
"W-wait… there's no sheets on the bed…" Chi-chi started to say.
"Yes there is. I dried them."
"You know how to use the washer and dryer?" Chi-chi looked at Kakarrot in amazement and assumed this personality was more responsible than Goku. She knew her husband had trashed the washer and dryer when he attempted to do the wash once. Since then, she said that she would never let him try to use them again.
"Compared to the technology I have been exposed to, the primitive technology wasn't too hard to understand." Kakarrot answered her before picking her up and carrying her into the house. She was surprised how clean the house was when she had failed to even touch the counters before the refrigerator was even cleaned out.
"Wait, what about the refrigerator?" Chi-chi asked before she noticed that the door was still slightly dented; however, most of the dent was knocked out.
"I fixed that after carrying you outside and cleaned out the rest of the refrigerator. I then cleaned the countertops, washed the dishes, swept the rooms…"
Kakarrot's verbal list was suddenly stopped by a sincere kiss from Chi-chi. A low purr escaped the Saiya-jin warrior's throat as he deepened it suddenly. Unlike the kisses that Chi-chi would normally get from her husband, the fierce warrior's kiss seemed more compassionate and true instead of petty and nervousness. She pulled away rather breathless and blushing wildly. It was almost though she was falling in love with him all over again as a little girl.
"No… not even Goku left me breathless…" Chi-chi panted; blushing wildly at the thought of this side of her husband pleasing her further.
"He's a bit irritated that I had taken it a bit farther than I intended." Kakarrot voiced the concerns of his counterpart.
"I feel guilty for wanting more from you when I love him…"
"We're one and the same, it doesn't make much of a difference who you're kissing," Kakarrot nuzzled her.
"I still feel like I'm cheating on him though."
"Is that how you feel? I suppose I'll let him have control then…" Kakarrot closed his eyes and Chi-chi was almost regretting her desire for Kakarrot when she saw Goku glaring at her with anger.
"Goku… I…" Chi-chi felt guilty. She had no idea that she would make her husband jealous when she had kissed his darker half and didn't intend on him judging her with irritation on his face.
"You love him more than me don't you?" Goku asked in a bitter tone.
"That's not it, I…" Chi-chi felt him put her down on the couch before he teleported off. "Goku!" She winced when she felt her head ache and attempted to stand in order to get some ice from the fridge. Truth be told, she did not need to deal with a headache when her husband's out there somewhere.
Piccolo never expected Goku to appear after Gohan headed home. The Earth-raised Saiya-jin seemed rather uneasy about something that he wouldn't verbally talk about to anyone else.
"What's wrong Son?" Piccolo questioned. He knew that something was wrong with the warrior when he felt his chi shift while he was at home twice within a few hours. He had a hunch something wasn't right with this warrior and needed a verbal confirmation.
"Piccolo, do you ever have problems with split personalities?" Goku asked.
"Is this about Kakarrot?" Piccolo guessed.
"How… how do you…?"
"Kami's told me what you've been through since you returned to Earth. How long has this been going on now?"
"Truthfully? A little over a year." Goku confessed.
"You know that this isn't a healthy relationship for you and your wife…"
"I know, it's just I don't know what to do…"
"Maybe you should talk to Vegeta about this," Piccolo offered.
"But…"
"Do you truly wish to cause a rift between you and your wife? Go talk to him." Piccolo commanded. Not wishing to cause the Namekian warrior to yell at him again, he vanished moments later.
Vegeta had not expected Goku to appear so soon within the gravity room. Almost instantly, the Earth-raised Saiya-jin was floored due to four-hundred times normal gravity.
"Ow! What gravity are you training under?" Goku complained.
"Four-hundred," Vegeta snorted. "Honestly Kakarrot, can you be anymore an idiot for teleporting within the gravity room?"
"If I wasn't concerned about an issue that I have been dealing while I was in space, I wouldn't be in front of you right now," Goku growled. Vegeta raised an eyebrow.
"Oh, so now you're ready to tell me your secret," Vegeta questioned in such a mocking voice. "Spit it out then! What kept you from returning to Earth? I know you have more things on your mind than normal."
"You can say that…" Goku admitted before he closed his eyes. "I'm dealing with a split-personality."
"What? Don't you dare pull that crap on me! How do I know you're not making it up?" Vegeta countered in irritation. Not wanting to disappoint, Goku allowed Kakarrot to take control for the second time that day.
"Making it up?" Kakarrot's deeper and more accented tone seemed to make itself known seconds later. "If I was truly making it up my prince, would I continue to deny you the answers you seek?"
"W-what?" Vegeta looked down at the Earth-raised Saiya-jin as his eyes opened. Instead of the warm, happy-go-lucky eyes he was used to seeing, he saw the fierce, untamed eyes of a Saiya-jin warrior. "W-what the hell…?"
"I am the main reason why 'Goku' transformed into a Super Saiya-jin," Kakarrot chuckled to the Saiya-jin prince's surprise.
"He wasn't shitting me with the split-personality…" Vegeta muttered while staring at the inverted warrior in pure shock and bewilderment. He had no way of predicting this darker nature that Goku had unleashed and wondered for a brief moment if he was bent on destroying Earth while he was still on it.
"While I am in control, I suppose I should enlighten you. If you still hell-bent in destroying me in three years, you're only going to lose a challenge in reaching the power you desire."
"I can do it on my own without your help!" Vegeta warned the warrior who wanted nothing more than to destroy him within due time and when he wished to do so.
"I know you can, but I prefer teasing you." Kakarrot ducked the punch aimed at his head.
"Dammit clown! I'll make you pay!" Vegeta began throwing punches and kicks at the other warrior to no success. It was almost though with Kakarrot's personality, he had better movement; however, he still lagged when it came to dodging quickly. A few punches and kicks connected.
"Not bad. If you keep that up, you might surpass me in a few years…"
"Fuck that! I'll get even stronger until your power's dwarfed beneath my own!" Vegeta yelled angrily before firing a blast at the Earth-raised Saiya-jin at point-blank range. Seconds after the dust cleared, a rather irked Kakarrot glared at him in a way that held both promise and a hidden challenge.
"Perhaps then I should take it to the next level… that is with your permission of course…"
"Bring it!" Vegeta bellowed; expecting a challenge from the stronger warrior. Not wishing to disappoint, Kakarrot grinned before focusing his power…
An explosion rocked the backyard and Bulma was jolted from the cake that she was enjoying with her parents. Running outside, she saw Vegeta and Kakarrot standing in the wreckage of the decimated gravity room; the Earth-raised Saiya-jin clearly transformed in a Super Saiya-jin.
"Vegeta! What the hell did you do to the gravity room?" Bulma practically shrieked at the Saiya-jin Prince.
"Actually, that was my fault," Kakarrot held up a hand before he suddenly passed out and fell over; losing the Super Saiya-jin transformation in the process. Seconds later, Vegeta followed suit. Bulma blinked for a second. Normally, Goku wouldn't take the blame; however, she was too angry to care why his voice was deeper.
"Argh! Saiya-jins! Can't live with them! Can't live without them!" Bulma raved in irritation before going to get Vegeta from the wreckage of the gravity room. For now, the Earth-raise Saiya-jin would have to wait his turn for being pulled out.
What felt like hours later, Goku awakened in a bed with only a few bandages on him while he looked over and noticed how torn up Vegeta was. Had it not been for his transformation, he would have had more than just a few bandages on his body. Sitting next to the bed was Chi-chi. Goku instantly felt the tension and it was so thick he could cut it with a knife if he so desired.
"Okay, first, you get angry for me kissing Kakarrot and then, you go and train with Vegeta," Chi-chi growled. "Honestly, I don't know what's wrong with you anymore!"
"I don't know either, but I'm tired of you thinking that I'm abandoning you," Goku growled.
Needless to say, the two had their spat before it was followed with Chi-chi slamming the door; awakening Vegeta in the process.
Two days. It had taken Chi-chi two days to even utter a word to Goku after that ordeal they had gone through. Since then, Chi-chi had kept to herself and did some light training with Piccolo when the Earth-raised Saiya-jin was dealing with his split personality issues and the jealousy that seemed to still remain. Either by sheer coincidence or by dumb luck, Gohan was still in the darkness about Kakarrot. Maybe it was better that way the child did not know of the complex issues that plagued Goku at the moment and keep up the façade to ensure that he grows up knowing he has a sane father.
"I'm still irritated he ran off without telling me," Chi-chi growled before throwing a fist at Piccolo. The Namekian warrior winced after it connected to his arm.
'Damn,' Piccolo thought silently. 'I'm almost afraid of telling her that it was my suggestion for Son to visit Vegeta in the first place.'
"To make things worse, he didn't even apologize to me!" Chi-chi continued her rant before throwing a kick. Piccolo grabbed Chi-chi's leg and glared at the female with an irritated look on his face.
"Maybe it's due to Kakarrot telling him not to do so," Piccolo quipped. Chi-chi's eyes widened when she heard Piccolo speak this.
"How…?" Chi-chi was staring in shock. Now her husband's former arch-nemesis knew about this?
"Kami," Piccolo uttered the name. "He knew about Son's condition. This isn't a healthy marriage you're living in right now and it's only going to get worse if you continue to allow yourself to be infatuated with your husband's other personality."
"Are you saying I shouldn't give him any attention?" Chi-chi asked.
"What I'm saying is you should be careful what you say or do with Kakarrot. He might feel that you're offending him."
"How would you know what I should do to deal with him? It's not like you have a voice in your head…"
Piccolo growled, allowing a foreign-sounding voice escape his throat. "Actually, he does…"
Chi-chi blinked. "And who's this?"
"Nail. He's a Namek I fused with back on Namek," Piccolo explained. If Chi-chi could look even more pale, she would have fainted on the spot.
"By the kais! I would have expected you to be normal!" Chi-chi slapped her forehead.
Goku had left Gohan alone to play with his dragon in order to deal with this split-personality issue he's been having with Kakarrot. He was growing irritated at the fact that he had taken things a bit farther than he attended to do.
'Not like you would have done anything about it. You seem to always act childish unless faced with a crisis where you have no other alternative than to act like an adult,' Kakarrot explained. 'You were acting childish when I kissed her and assumed that I was taking advantage of the situation.'
'It looked like it from my view point,' Goku mentally argued against the voice.
'How many times do I have to say it? She's ours and you need to learn to deal with sharing her…'
'What if I don't like sharing?'
'Then that's tough shit…'
Goku decided not to argue with the voice anymore due to the headache he had. Truth be told, he wished that he could knock Kakarrot unconscious and be by himself for awhile since the troubled Saiya-jin felt irritated that Kakarrot still bugged him when he took breaks. There were nights that he would see him there in his dreams just to annoy him further. Co-exist was what Chi-chi and Kakarrot wanted him to do, but how the Earth-raised Saiya-jin was to do it was beyond anyone's guess.
For now, he assumed the best thing he could do is learn what he could about his split-persona through experience.
Even if that meant attempting to share his opinions or body with Kakarrot again.
To Be Continued…