Goku grit his teeth.
This just couldn't be happening! No! This wasn't the way it was supposed to happen!
Frieza was supposed to be dead!
But there he was, just a few hours ahead of him and about to land on Earth! How the hell did he survive Goku's attack and the planet blowing up?
I should never have given him some of my power! This is all my fault!
Goku felt anxiety rush through his body, the pod became unbearably hot, the ruffled turtle neck of his Yardratian armor becoming painfully tight around his throat.
He felt his heart thumping uncontrollably in his chest, sweat gathering at his brow and cascading down the side of his face.
Goku, get a hold of yourself! You need to calm down! He told himself as he tried to breathe. He was not about to have another panic attack in this stupid pod!
Breathe, Goku. Just breathe.
Goku closed his eyes and took deep breaths. But it was hard. He was too distracted.
He put two fingers to his forehead and concentrated, but he couldn't quite lock onto anyone's Ki on Earth. Shit! Couldn't he concentrate properly? Or was he too far away?!
He felt completely helpless and pathetic! He hated himself! He should have left sooner! He should have come home! Why didn't he come home?! Why wasn't he strong enough?! Why wasn't he ready?!
He eyed the pod dashboard and noticed Frieza's ship had come to a stop.
Oh, no! Frieza must have landed on Earth! He was there, where his family and friends were! And there was someone else with him! Hi Ki was similar to Frieza's, too!
He felt guilt! He regretted not making sure Frieza was dead!
He closed his eyes and concentrated again, trying to lock onto Frieza for instant transmission, but he hesitated, a strange, unfamiliar Ki suddenly grabbing his attention.
Who was that?
Piccolo? Vegeta? No, it couldn't be ...
Whoever it was, they were powerful! Their Ki signature was huge! Goku decided to wait for a moment as he felt out this person's Ki. Whoever it was didn't have bad energy, at least.
It was only a few minutes later when he found himself in a state of shock. Frieza ... he was gone ... just like that. How was that even possible? This person was strong! Who is this guy? Oops, there goes the other guy! He dead, too!
After a moment's thought, Goku decided to sit back and continue his journey to Earth. Whoever this person was, they had taken care of Frieza and the other guy.
Three more hours, and you're home. He told himself.
Three hours later, he found himself stood upon the dusty plains of the desert, surrounded by his friends and his son.
He also found himself in the presence of the boy who just saved them all from Frieza.
Goku was dumbfounded when he landed. His son and friends were expecting him and knew exactly where he was going to land. He guessed he had the strange newcomer to thank for that.
It was weird, Goku thought, meeting the son of his arch enemy, the prince of all Saiyans. A son that his rival had no idea about yet. Trunks was his name, and he was the man responsible for defeating Frieza and his father King Cold. He was from the future, and he'd travelled back in time to warn them of the impending arrival of two killer Androids in 3 years time. He also warned Goku that he was going to get sick, real sick, with a heart virus that kills him in Trunks' time. Lucky for Goku, Trunks brought him some medicine that would cure the virus, which meant Goku had a shot at fighting the androids.
The other shocking bit of news, was that his oldest friend Bulma was Trunks' mother. Goku nearly choked on his own breath when Trunks revealed that information to him. Bulma and Vegeta? You had to be kidding!
After bidding their goodbyes to Trunks, who returned to his own time, Goku was condemned to his thoughts for a moment.
This wasn't what he had planned. He was supposed to be coming home to finally be reunited with his family and friends, to finally have peace. But instead of being able to enjoy the peace, like he wanted, he was coming home to Earth to train hard to protect it all over again. He never wanted this, yet he found himself excited by the prospect. Why? was it because he was a Saiyan? Was it because no one challenged him now? Because he wanted to test his abilities? He'd grown so strong, no one could step up to him now, so did he need more?
It was Vegeta who interrupted Goku's thoughts an instant later, demanding to know how he escaped from Namek. Goku explained how he caught sight of a pod, which he later understood from Shee, belonged to the Ginyu Force, which Vegeta confirmed was indeed true. Vegeta also confirmed what Pybara then said, about the Ginyu Force having orders to conquer Yardrat, until they were called away by Frieza to Namek.
Vegeta smirked at him, "Then those odd clothes are from Yardrat" he guessed, almost mocking his appearance. Goku couldn't really deny his clothes were strange.
"This is the latest fashion back on Yardrat. Trouble was, my clothes were all ripped up. I guess they do look kinda strange, but at least they ain't pink" he laughed out.
"Oh, shut up! Who cares about your stupid outfit anyway!" Vegeta shouted at him, irked by his comment, already annoyed by the ridiculous pink shirt he was given to wear by Bulma. Goku listened to the sounds of his friends and son laughing at Vegeta. It was so nice to hear, and also kind of surreal they were laughing at Vegeta of all people. Vegeta, who not that long ago was trying to kill them all. Vegeta, who was stood there dressed in yellow pants and a pink shirt, like he was auditioning for a flower show. He-he! Crazy!
"Anyway" Vegeta growled out, "That may explain why you took so long to return, but I know you enough to know you wouldn't just leave without gaining something. The Yardratians have no strength, but they know a variety of strange techniques. I'll bet you learnt something from them"
"Well, ya got me there" Goku grinned at Vegeta, annoying the fellow Saiyan.
"So, what kind of techniques were they? Show us!" Bulma chirped. Goku couldn't help but get a little bit excited to show his friends what he had learnt on Yardrat. Their faces were priceless when he showed them Instant Transmission, by teleporting to Master Roshi and stealing his sunglasses and bringing them back.
"No wonder you didn't come back when we wished you to! You were busy having too much fun learning new tricks!" Yamcha laughed out.
If only you knew the half of it, Goku thought.
"Wow, Goku, is there anything you can't do?" Bulma commented. Goku removed Master Roshi's sunglasses from his face and turned to face Krillin.
"Hey, Krillin, can ya give these back to the old man for me?" Goku asked him, handing the sunglasses to him.
"Sure thing, pal" Krillin nodded with a smile as he took them from him. Goku held Krillin's gaze for a few moments. It was so good to see Krillin again. He knew he needed to talk to him about things, but that could wait for now. He was just glad Krillin was alive.
The group of friends agreed they would all meet up in three years time, all of them going their separate ways to do their own training. Piccolo agreed to train with Goku and Gohan in the mountains of Paozu, so after bidding everyone farewell, everyone took off in different directions.
As Goku, Gohan and Piccolo flew through the fluffy white clouds in the bluest of skies, Goku couldn't help but smile to himself, his eyes closing as he took everything in. It was kind of surreal, returning to Earth. He'd been away for so long, he'd forgotten how it felt ... from the feel of the gravity, the smells, the familiar breeze flowing through his hair, the sounds of the dinosaurs roaring in the distance.
He suddenly felt a small tug to his left pant leg and he opened his eyes to gaze down at his son who clung to him, the biggest smile on his little face. Goku suddenly realised that he hadn't even had chance to give his son a proper greeting yet.
"How ya doin', little man?" Goku gently spoke to his son, reaching down to ruffle the boy's wild locks affectionately. Gohan's eyes began to shimmer, tears threatening to fall, but his smile never faded from his face.
"I really missed you, daddy" he told him. Goku stopped mid-flight and took hold of his little son and brought him into his arms in a tight, warm hug. Goku closed his eyes and relished in the feeling of his young son against his chest, and it hit him right there and then, just how much he had missed the little guy.
"I missed ya too, Gohan" he softly spoke to him. Piccolo had stopped flying just up ahead and rolled his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest as he impatiently waited for them to continue their journey. He never understood human emotions, it was stupid, weak and unnecessary as far as he was concerned.
Gohan pulled back in his father's arms and grinned up at his father.
"It doesn't feel real that you're home, daddy! Gosh, mom's gonna be so happy!" he exclaimed. Goku wasn't so sure about that.
"Ya think so?"
"Yeah! We need to hurry up and get home, daddy!" he shouted out excitedly. Goku chuckled at his son's enthusiasm, and suddenly felt the inescapable urge to feel for his wife's Ki, so he could teleport them all home. He closed his eyes and put two fingers to his forehead and concentrated for a brief second.
Ahhh ... there she was ... Chichi...
Kami, it felt so good to feel her energy, although, it was a bit elevated. She was pissed at something.
"Is ya mom mad about somethin'?" Goku questioned his son.
"Uh, maybe" Gohan sheepishly mumbled out.
"What did ya do?" Goku pressed.
"I snook off" Gohan quietly admitted to his father.
"Gohan" Goku frowned at him. Poop, it had been a long time since he saw that look from his father. It was a rarity his father scolded him for anything, but when he did, it had him running for the hills.
"I only run off because I could sense Frieza! I was in a hurry and I just didn't think about it" Gohan quickly babbled out.
So, Chichi was not only gonna be mad at Goku when they returned, she was also gonna be mad at Gohan. On top of that, Goku would have to explain to his wife that they needed to train for the next three years ... with Piccolo. Shit, this was gonna be the biggest battle of Goku's life. Goku let out a breath and put his fingers back to his forehead.
"Alright, put ya hands on me, both of ya, an' I'll teleport us home" Goku instructed. Gohan grabbed onto his father's pant leg again and after rolling his eyes, Piccolo placed a hand on Goku's one shoulder. A second later, Goku teleported them to Mount Paozu. When they appeared in the garden, Goku couldn't stop the smile spreading across his mug. He took in his surroundings, the smells, the sounds of the birds and the crickets. It was so good to be home.
Gohan walked ahead of him, anxiously, and Piccolo took off into the trees. Goku's eyes caught sight of movement by the washing line and his grin widened when he saw his wife. Chichi's eyes caught Gohan's immediately and she frowned hard at him. Goku couldn't help but chuckle quietly to himself. He'd missed that angry look of hers, more than he realised. He also found it amusing that she hadn't spotted him yet as the large bed sheet blocked her view of him. He stood silently, waiting for her to notice him.
"Gohan! Where have you been?! You can't just sneak off like that! Do you have any idea how worried I've been?!" Chichi scolded her son as she pulled out a peg from her apron pocket.
"I'm sorry, mom, but I had to go! It was really important, I swear!"
"So important that you couldn't tell your mother about it?!" Chichi accused, her eyes back on the sheet she was fixing to the line, "Honestly, Gohan, it's bad enough that your father took off without saying a thing to me! I won't have that same attitude from his son! Do you hear me?!"
"Yes, mom" Gohan grumbled, ducking his head.
"Good! And take off that horrible outfit! You look like a delinquent!"
"But, it's Saiyan armor, mom! And I am half Sai-"
"-I know, Gohan! But you look like that brute, Vegeta and I won't stand for it! Go and change, now, please!" she told him firmly, cutting him off.
"Vegeta's not all that bad, mom" Gohan stated, shuffling his feet.
"Not all that bad?! After what he did to your father? After what he to you?!" Chichi was gobsmacked at her son's comment! She batted the sheet out of her way, to face her son better, "Gohan, how can you-" she lost her train of thought, her eyes wide and her mouth going dry.
It couldn't be ... it just couldn't be ... this had to be a cruel dream!
"Goku?" she breathed.
"Hi, Honey" he gently greeted her.
"Goku ... is that... really you?" her voice trembled.
"It's really me, Chichi. I'm home"
His heart pounded something crazy in his chest. His brow was sweating and his palms felt clammy as he fumbled with them at his sides, clenching and unclenching his fists nervously.
He just stared at her, taking her in, in all her entirety, from her long, shiny, midnight hair that was down and sprawled out over her shoulders. To her big, sparkling eyes, which he had never seen eyes like it in all of his travels. He got lost in those eyes many times before, and standing there now, staring into them, he found himself feeling a little lost in the most beautiful way.
He could smell her from where he stood, and it almost made his knees buckle, her potent, addictive scent completely overwhelming him.
God, he missed her. And he didn't realise just how much until now.
But, did she feel the same way? Did she miss him, too?
Chichi said nothing as she too, just stood there and gaped at him. Her Goku ... he was standing right there! Her Goku was home!
Less than a second later, Goku was shocked as his little wife sprinted towards him, throwing herself at him, wrapping her legs around his mid-section and her arms around his neck in a fierce embrace.
"Oh, Goku! I can't believe it! You're really home!" her muffled cries could be heard as she buried her face into the crook of his neck.
"It's okay, honey, I got ya" he gently told her as he wrapped his large arms around her small form, savouring the feel of his little wife in his embrace.
"I missed you so much" she whimpered against him.
"I missed you, Chichi" he whispered against her hair, her scent assaulting his senses. Chichi pulled back slightly a short while after, so she could look at him, almost as if to check that he really was standing there. His handsome smile had her heart fluttering and she couldn't help herself as she slammed her lips against his in a brief but fierce kiss. Goku was taken aback by her aggressiveness, but was more than happy to return the act with equal ardor. But, his small wife ended the kiss much quicker than he would have liked, knowing their son was watching.
"Where have you been all this time?" she suddenly wondered out loud.
"Huh?" he gaped at her.
"When we tried to wish you back, the Dragon told us you were still alive. So, where have you been?" Goku suddenly felt uneasy, so he carefully let his wife down, setting her on her feet.
"It's nothin' to worry about"
"What?"
"I'm home now, so it doesn't matter" he brazenly palmed it off.
Was she hearing things? It's nothing to worry about? He's home now so it doesn't matter? Was he serious?
"You've been gone for over a year, with no explanation, but it doesn't matter?!" She wanted to clarify.
"Aw, c'mon, Chichi, I just got home" he huffed out.
"Exactly! You just got home! After nearly a year and a half! And I want to know where my husband has been!"
"I'm not doin' this now. I've just got home, it was a long journey back to Earth an' I'm tired"
She was astonished. Completely astounded by his response. She quietly watched as her husband walked towards their little home, grabbing Gohan and throwing him playfully over his shoulder, before entering through the open kitchen window.
Goku walked into the kitchen with his son, plonking the little boy on his feet again, letting out a sigh as he glanced around the room. It looked the same as he remembered. It felt so good to be there. Goku declared he was taking a shower and changing out of his Yardratian clothes. He was proud to wear the attire, but it was too damn stuffy and itchy. Chichi thought that was a good idea, his outfit was honestly bizarre.
After changing into some comfy blue Gi pants and a white tank top, Goku made his way back into the kitchen where his son was sat at the table with a book, surprisingly still in his Saiyan attire, his wife making a start on dinner. Mmm, he couldn't wait to eat her food again!
"Um, dad?" Gohan called his father as he approached the table.
"Hmm? What is it, son?"
"What about Mr Piccolo?"
Oh, yeah, that's right, Piccolo was outside in the garden. Shit, he needed to tell Chichi about it.
"Piccolo?! Did you just say Piccolo?!" Chichi abruptly interrupted, spinning on her heels to face them both.
"Oh, yeah, Piccolo's gonna be stayin' with us for a while" Goku told her quite calmly. Gohan didn't dare look at his mother as he partially hid behind his book.
"What?!" Chichi snapped. Goku felt a sweat droplet forming at the side of his head.
"Uh, yeah, we kinda have to prepare for a huge battle in three years' time"
"What do you me kinda?" Chichi growled out, both hands firmly resting on her hips.
"So, we met a young man today named Trunks who is from the future. He travelled back in time to warn us that in three years' time two very powerful androids will be unleashed upon the Earth and we have to stop them" Goku told her, "Do you remember the Red Ribbon Army?" he asked her, hoping she remembered his adventures as a kid.
"Yeah, I remember, you destroyed their army when you were a child" she reflected, which made him smile a little.
"Well, unfortunately a scientist named Dr. Gero managed to escape an' he's been continuin' his evil ways all this time. He's managed to create two killer androids an' they will set foot on an Island not too far from South City on May 12th. So, we're gonna spend the next three years trainin' hard so we're ready for them" he told her.
"Who's we?" Chichi questioned him firmly, a look of suspicion on her face.
"Um, me, Piccolo an' Gohan" he grinned at her nervously. By now, Gohan had clambered down off the chair and was hovering by his father's leg.
"You're kidding me, right?!" she shouted at him. Goku swallowed down his nerves.
"No, I'm not, Chichi. We need Gohan. I'm gonna make him even stronger than he is now, so he stands a chance against these androids!"
"You want to make him stronger?! NO! Absolutely NOT! You keep your training for yourself and Piccolo! Gohan is not coming with you!" Chichi fumed.
"But, Chichi-" Goku tried.
"-NO! I won't have it! He was kidnapped for a year! Then travelled to Namek! I just got him back!"
"Chichi, I know, but-"
"ENOUGH! This is getting ridiculous! He's missed out on so much of his childhood and school! How much longer will you interfere with Gohan's education?!" she raised her voice, inching closer to him. Gohan ducked his head down slightly, watching as his father anxiously put his hands up in front of him in defence.
"But, I told you we'd need his help. I know his education is important, Chichi, but what good is an education if the Earth is destroyed by the androids?" Goku tried to reason with her.
"Oh, what do you know about education?! You've never had a job and earned a single penny for this family!" she bellowed. Damn, that was harsh, Goku thought.
"That's not the point" Goku awkwardly looked away from his wife, his one hand behind his head nervously, "There's a much bigger problem now, an' besides, Gohan wants to fight with us"
"NO! I won't have it! It's not happening!" she screamed at him now only inches from him.
"Are ya tellin' me that Gohan's education is more important than savin' the Earth?" Goku questioned her, a little astounded by her reaction. He always knew she'd be angry with the idea, but really? Gohan's school work was more important than the future of Earth?
"You bet I am! I don't care about what happens in three years' time! I care about what happens now! And I want our son to live a normal life and have an education!". Goku almost fell over at her words. She was crazy! She wasn't serious, surely?!
"Chichi, you gotta be kiddin' me" he blurted out.
"I'm not kidding you! I'm deadly serious! I want my baby boy home, where it's safe, with me, right here!" She prodded his chest in anger and Goku just smiled nervously at her. His right arm came up and he tapped his wife's shoulder.
"You're crazy ... c'mon, Chichi-" but he wasn't able to finish his words, a horrified look upon his face as he watched his little wife soar through the wall of their kitchen and smash into a tree outside in their garden. His eyes widened in fear, his mouth gaped open, and it took a second for him to comprehend what just happened.
"MOM!" Gohan called his mother, his eyes on the gaping hole in the wall.
"Oh, shit!" Goku panicked, before flying out the front door and to where his wife lay in a heap on the ground, "CHICHI! Chichi, I-I'm so sorry! I didn' mean to! I was tryin' to go easy on ya! I've just gotten so strong!" he blurted out, before throwing himself down to where his wife lay, removing the rubble and lifting her into his arms.
Thank Kami, she was alive! She was breathing and conscious! She groaned in pain in his arms, her eyes clenching shut, her left arm nursing her right arm protectively as if it was hurt. She didn't even notice Goku lift her from the ground, due to her concussion.
Goku ran into the kitchen where Gohan had already pulled out a chair for her, a first aid kit ready on the table. Goku very carefully sat Chichi down on the chair and immediately flung open the first aid kit, so fast and hard that the lid flew off across the kitchen.
"Aw, crap!" Goku cursed as he watched it fly across the room.
"Language" Chichi barely groaned out through gritted teeth. She may have been a bit disorientated and in a lot of pain, but their son was still present.
"Sorry" Goku apologised, before fishing through the first aid kit to find bandages, plasters and some antiseptic with wipes. Goku inspected his wife, noticing a graze across her left cheek and a graze and bruising at the side of her head. His shaky hands were completely incapable of opening the bottle of antiseptic, and Gohan noticed, so he took the bottle from his father's trembling hands and helped with cleaning up his mother's wounds. Goku couldn't even speak as he let his son clean her up. He went to touch her right arm, to see if it was broken and she quickly moved it away, wincing as she did.
"I just wanted to check it. Can ya move it okay?" he asked her gently.
"Yes, I can move it" she ground out angrily, frowning hard at the discomfort she felt. Gohan finished his job by applying plasters to Chichi's wounds, whilst Goku unwrapped two bandages. He handed one to Gohan, who carefully helped his mother put her left arm into it like a sling, whilst Goku bandaged around her head where the bruising was already evident.
"I give up" his wife suddenly spoke, very quietly, "It's always the woman who has to give in"
"I'm so sorry, Chichi! I really am! I shoulda been more careful!" Goku apologised.
"Go and train Gohan, it's not like I could stop you, anyway. But, this is it! In three year's time, Gohan will be going to school and you will stop all of this nonsense!" she chided him.
"Okay" Goku answered her quietly.
"Baby" Chichi spoke to her son, who waited eagerly to hear what she wanted, "Could you get mommy a glass of water and some pain medication, please?"
"Sure, mom" Gohan chirped, before running over to the kitchen sink, where he flew up to reach a glass from the cupboard, before running the cold tap. As Gohan searched the medication cabinet for the medication she asked for, Goku bent down so he could look at his wife properly.
"Chichi, I really am sorry" he softly spoke to her, about to comb a strand of hair out of her face, which was sticking out from underneath her bandage, but with her good arm she slapped his hand away.
"Don't touch me" she angrily whispered, her eyes like daggers as she glared at him.
It was like a stab to his heart and a boot to his balls as he hovered over her, unsure what to do now. He felt awful, like the worst person in the entire Universe. He'd trained so hard to control Super Saiyan, but he'd completely bypassed the fact that he had also gotten stronger in his base form. And there was the change in gravity to account for. He was an idiot, a fucking idiot. Now, because of this, he'd really hurt his wife.
"Here you go, mom" Gohan said as he handed his mother the pain medication and placed the glass of water next to her on the table. Goku watched helplessly as she took the medication and knocked back the water.
"Thank you, Gohan. Now, I better check on dinner, it's probably burning" she groaned as she shakily tried to stand up.
"Chichi, no, ya need to sit down" Goku told her.
"Yeah, mom, me and daddy can finish dinner, right dad?" Gohan questioned his father, looking up at him.
"Right" Goku agreed.
The Son boys finished dinner, and after plating up Chichi some food, and then his son, Goku sat and ate his own plates silently. This was not how he envisioned his first night back. He was looking forward to his wife's cooking, only to instead be stuck with his own mediocre, partially burnt cooking. He was hoping then to chill with his son, before putting him to bed and finally having some alone time with his wife.
There was no chance in hell of that happening now.
When dinner was finished, Gohan helped his father clear the table. Gohan dragged a dining chair to the kitchen sink where he began to wash up, whilst Goku offered to walk Chichi to their room for her to lie down. But, Chichi was being stubborn and refused to let him help her with walking to their room. He followed her anyway, just in case, and stood awkwardly in their bedroom as she pulled open one of the drawers to their large dresser, to fish out one of her night gowns.
"Chichi, please let me help you" Goku tried again as he ambled over to her. She almost flew around on the spot to glare at him, the action catching him off guard, making him jump.
"You stay away from me! I don't want you anywhere near me!" she seethed.
"But, babe-"
"-Don't you babe me! I don't want you touching me, you've done enough! Just go away!" she snarled.
"Go away?" he almost whimpered out. He did not want this.
"You can sleep on the couch tonight" she ordered, her jaw tight as she sat herself down on the edge of the bed and turned on the lamp on the bedside table.
"What? Aw, c'mon, Chichi, I just got home, I don't wanna sleep on the couch, I wanna sleep in here with you!" he tried to bring her around to the idea.
"And like I just told you, I don't want you anywhere near me. I'm hurting, I'm angry and I'm tired, I just want to be left alone" she huffed out.
Goku felt his whole body slump at her rejection. But, he knew it was fruitless to keep on at her.
"Okay" he quietly responded, "I'll ... help clean the kitchen up an' get Gohan to bed" he walked away from her and reached their bedroom door.
"If ya need anythin', just call me" he told her solemnly, before exiting the room and closing the door behind him. Chichi closed her eyes, her bottom lip trembling as she tried to compose herself. She couldn't believe what had just happened. He'd always been stronger than her, and had always been so careful with his strength around her. He'd never hurt her like this before.
She sighed tiredly. This wasn't how she wanted to spend his first night back, either.
It was the next day and after the Son boys had made her some breakfast, Chichi went and sat on the couch to try and relax with a book. She was only a paragraph in when her large husband came waltzing in and came right up to her. She observed as he extended his right hand out to her, revealing some sort of purple tube in his palm.
"What's this?" she questioned him.
"It's medicine. You were so angry when I told you 'bout us trainin' for the androids, I didn't get chance to tell ya 'bout it" Chichi frowned at him, like he was blaming her for that.
"Go on" she pushed in a short tone.
"The boy I told you about, the one I met from the future, he gave it to me. In his time, I get sick with a heart virus an' I die before even gettin' a chance to fight the androids"
"What?!" Chichi gasped, dropping the book off her lap.
"It's okay, this medicine will cure me. Trunks said there's no antidote in our time, but in his time there is now, so he gave it to me". Chichi plucked the small vial of purple medicine from his hand, eyeing it intently.
"This will cure you? He said that? He knows for sure that it will?"
"Yeah"
Chichi went silent for a little while, her eyes simply focused on the medicine in her grasp.
"So, I wanted to give it to ya, 'cause I know you will keep it somewhere safe for me".
"Did he say when you were going to get sick?"
"Not really, he just said that I will catch it some time from now". Chichi felt absolutely devastated as she stared at the the small vial in her hand. Goku bent down and picked up her book from the floor.
"Hey, it's nothin' to worry about. We have the antidote, so I'm gonna be fine" he spoke to her gently. Chichi gave him a very small smile. Goku smiled back at her, handed her the book back and then left the room.
Chichi sat in a stunned silence, staring at the doorway her husband had just walked through.
Her husband was going to get a heart virus and potentially die. She was possibly going to lose him again.
It didn't matter how angry she was at him. Kami, she couldn't lose him again.
"So, how's things been? Since I been gone?" Goku asked his son. The two of them were having some down time a few days later, fishing at the nearby lake, something Goku had promised his son when the Saiyans first came. It took a while for him to keep his promise, but he did keep it. Father and son were led next to each other amongst the lush green grass, their fishing rods perched just in front of them, awaiting their catch.
"Okay, I guess. I caught up on my school work and did some training in secret" he told his father. Goku huffed out a laugh. That's my Gohan.
"Mom's found things tough, I just tried to be there for her. But she kept getting upset with me 'cause I don't need her to do things for me like I used to"
"Like what?" this spiked Goku's interest.
"Well, I can run my own baths now and dress myself! And I can plate up my own food and clean up after myself. Mom gets upset when I do it, she said I don't need her anymore"
"Well, we both know that's not true. We will always need mom" Goku told him.
"I said that, but she just got more upset. I thought she'd be happy that I can do things for myself now" he uttered sadly. Goku turned his head to give his full attention to his son.
"Hey, mom is very proud of you, Gohan. She's proud of how much you've learnt an' grown. But, she's also sad 'cause she missed some of that growin'. She wanted to be a part of it but that was taken from her an' that upsets her" Goku explained.
"I guess so" Gohan nodded in understanding.
"It's a big deal when ya kid grows up. I know I feel kinda sad I missed out on things, too" Goku admitted to his son.
"Like what, dad?" Gohan wondered as he turned his head fully to look at his father.
"Just missed watchin' ya grow an' spendin' time with you. I promised you like a year ago that I'd take ya fishin' an' I've only just kept that promise. I've missed birthdays, I missed Christmas, I missed a lot of things, son"
"But you're here now, dad" Gohan reminded him with a smile.
"Yeah, I know, kiddo" he smiled back at him. There was a small, comfortable silence between father and son as they gazed up at the fluffy white clouds in the blue sky.
"So, what else happened whilst I was gone?" Goku asked his son.
"Mom threatened to kill my home tutor and chased him around the garden" Gohan blurted out. Goku nearly choked on his own spit. He sprung himself up into a sitting position, eyes wide in shock.
"What? What d'ya mean?"
"Well, not too long ago she said she wanted me to have extra help with catching up on my school work, so she hired a tutor. His name was Mr. Shu and he wasn't a very nice man. He kept whipping me when I didn't work hard enough or if I fell asleep. I didn't mean to fall asleep, but that gave him no right to whip me" Gohan pointed out with a frown.
"He didn' hurt ya, did he?" Goku wondered, a frown on his own face.
"Not really, it was annoying more than anything. But, the last day he was here, mom came in after he shouted at me and he told her that I was rebellious and didn' respect authority and it was your fault that I was like that. He said some other bad things about you, too, like how much of a bad father you were for not being there and mom was furious! She opened my window and grabbed him and threw him out of it! I couldn't believe it! It was a good throw! He then started to bad mouth her so she jumped out the window and chased him out the garden. It was really funny" Gohan chuckled out.
Goku sat and shook his head in disbelief, but he couldn't stop the little smile from forming on his face.
"Ya mom stood up for me, huh?"
"She sure did!" Gohan beamed, remembering the day like it was yesterday. The smile was hard to shake from Goku's face. No matter how pissed off she was at him, she always had his back.
That's my girl. He smiled proudly. Just maybe things would work out better than he originally thought. Which led him to his next important question. Something that had been eating at him since Yardrat.
"Hey, Gohan?" He called his son, his eyes turning away to glance over at the lake.
"Yeah, dad?"
"How d'ya feel 'bout ... bein' half Saiyan?" Gohan sent him a funny look.
"What do you mean, dad?"
"Well, are ya upset that you're half of what I am? A Saiyan? 'Cause Saiyans are bad people. Y'know first hand what they're capable of" he spoke lowly, and Gohan wondered if he was the one who was upset by it. Gohan sat up to answer his father.
"I don't care what I am, dad. I'm fine with being half Saiyan. And you're wrong, not all Saiyans are bad people. You're a Saiyan, and you're not a bad person" he reminded his father. Goku smiled a warm smile when he turned his head to face his little son.
"Ya think so?" Goku gently responded.
"Uh-huh! You're the best, daddy! So, it's okay with me!" Gohan chirped. Goku felt a lump forming in his throat at his son's words. He was worried over nothing. He reached a hand over and gently ruffled his son's wild hair.
"Thanks, little man. That means a lot" he told him. Gohan smiled bashfully.
"And it means I'm super strong! I wouldn't be able to fight like I do if I wasn't half Saiyan!"
"Hey, ya get that from ya mom, too, y'know" he reminded him, a knowing look on his face as if to say 'hey, watch it, don't disrespect ya momma like that'
"I know, I know! But mom don't know how to fly or shoot Ki from her hands!"
Thank Kami for that, Goku thought to himself.
"I am sorry though, Gohan. For how things turned out, for puttin' you through all that on Namek-"
"-But, dad, I wanted to go!" Gohan interrupted him.
"I know ya did, but I never wanted ya to get mixed up in all that an' nearly die out there. If I had known how bad it was out there an' knew about Frieza, I never would have let you go"
"But I did just fine, right? I handled myself!" Gohan spoke with passion.
"You did amazin', kiddo an' im so proud of you. I guess I just wish things had happened a little differently" he told him with a sad smile.
"Well, it all turned out okay in the end, right dad? We wished our friends back and you beat Frieza"
"Well, sorta" Goku mumbled out.
"You still beat him, dad and you became a Super Saiyan! Which is so cool!" He exclaimed, jumping to his feet.
"Ha-ha, ya think it's cool?"
"Yeah! Maybe you can teach me to be a Super Saiyan, too!"
"Yeah, let's slow it down a little. I don't think ya mom will be too impressed with me if I did that" he chuckled out, pushing at his son's head playfully, making him laugh. Goku's eyes remained on his child as he ceased his laughter. Gohan looked at his father for a few moments before talking.
"I know mom's mad at you, but she really missed you, dad" he told him and Goku wasn't expecting such a thing to come from his son's mouth.
"She missed me?" Goku pressed.
"Yeah, I caught her crying before and I seen her with a sad face sometimes when we would be sat at the table eating dinner. She didn't say anything, she'd pretend she was okay, but I knew she wasn't"
Goku couldn't help but stare at Gohan. He wasn't sure what expression he was giving, but he was in awe at his son.
When did his son become so grown? And so observant?
It made him feel sad, knowing his son had grown so much and so fast - too fast, and all because he had no choice but to.
And Goku had missed it all.
He felt his little son slipping through his fingers, like grains of sand. He really wasn't a baby boy anymore.
"Well, daddy's home now and daddy'll fix it" he assured his son, pulling him in for a bear hug.
"I'm glad you're home, daddy" he muffled into his father's shirt.
"I'm glad I'm home too, son" he gently returned, holding his little son just a little tighter.
"Goku?!"
Goku's eyes sprang open at his wife's call and he sat up amongst the lush green grass of their garden.
"Yeah?!" he called back.
"Can you come here, please?!" her voice was tinted with agitation. Great, here we go, he thought. He'd been expecting some sort of argument, you could cut the tension in the air with a knife. But, it had been a few days, and nothing. He sighed and dragged himself up from the comfort of the grass and slowly made his way into their home. He walked into the kitchen and stood by the kitchen table waiting for his scolding. His wife's back was to him, but she turned to face him, some sort of paperwork in her good hand. She walked over to him and placed the paperwork on the table in front of him, prompting him to look at it.
"What's this?" he asked her.
"Bills" She told him blunty, before ambling back over to the kitchen counter.
"Okay ... what d'ya want me to do with them?" Goku wondered out loud to his wife. He cocked an eyebrow as he heard his small wife laugh sarcastically.
"What do I want you to do with them? Really? That's your response?"
"Ain't ya dad been payin' the bills?" Goku questioned her.
"Yes, he has been, but for too long, Goku! We shouldn't be relying on my father anymore! We're a married couple with a 6 year old son! It's our responsibility to keep this roof over our heads and provide for our son!" Chichi told him.
"There ain't no tournaments right now, Chichi, so I can't go win us any money"
"I'm not asking you to win us money by fighting in a tournament, that's not consistent enough or reliable. I want you to get a job"
"Chichi, I can't work right now, ya know I have to prepare for the arrival of the androids" Goku reminded his wife.
"You don't need to train every day! Besides, you can still train and work, Goku" she enlightened him. She observed as her husband let out a frustrated breath.
"I can't work an' train, Chichi, I need to put all of my focus an' energy into preparin' for this fight. An' I don't train every day, we have Sundays off" he reminded her.
"Oh wow, one day off a week for family day" she snorted, placing her good hand on her hip.
"You're the one who wanted Sunday to be family day, so what's the problem?" Goku questioned her.
"Oh, so I'm the only one who wanted to spend time together as a family, after us being apart for so long?" Chichi threw at him.
"I didn't mean it like that, I just meant you asked for Sundays, so I gave ya Sundays"
"Well, now I want you to get a job" she told him firmly, her frown deepening.
"An' I'm tellin' you I can't get a job right now" he responded, just as firmly.
"So, we're supposed to just keep scrounging off my father?"
"Has he said somethin' to ya?" Goku suddenly asked her.
"What?"
"Has he said that he don't wanna provide for us anymore?"
"No, but-"
"-So, if he hasn' said anythin', why are ya makin' a big fuss over it? It wasn' a problem before, so why is it a problem now?"
"It's always been a problem, Goku! This isn't the first time we've talked about this! It was different when we first got married, we were out on our own for the first time, so he supported us with everything we needed. But, we should be paying our own way now!"
"But why?" Goku pressed.
"Doesn't it bother you that we are relying on someone else to take care of us?! Doesn't it bother you, as the man of the house, that you aren't providing for us?" she raised her voice at him. Goku shrugged.
"If ya dad don't mind, an' can afford to do it, I don't see the problem. Gohan is happy an' looked after an' we have a nice house, isn't that what's important?"
"I can't believe you!" Chichi shouted at him, completely exasperated, flailing her good arm around.
"What?!" Goku exclaimed, bewildered by her reaction.
"You are unbelievable! We're not doing this, Goku! We are not relying on him anymore!" she pointed her finger at him, "You are going to get a job!"
"Chichi, I am not gettin' a job!" now he was getting annoyed. Why wasn't she understanding that he really needed to train right now?
"Yes you are! Providing for our family is more important than your training!"
"How can you be so stupid? I can't provide for our family if the androids wipe us out!" he shouted at her.
"Excuse me?!" oh, he did not just call her stupid!
"You heard me! How can I provide for us if we're all dead? Ya wanna know what happened in Trunks' time? I died from a heart virus an' then everyone else got killed by the androids!" he enlightened her.
"Even Gohan?" she gasped out, concern now etched upon her face.
"Yes! Even Gohan! He didn' die straight away, but he did eventually, after years of tryin' to fend them off an' survive. He grew up in a world full of fear an' destruction. I ain't gonna let that happen in our time, Chichi! That's why this is so important! Gohan's studies an' me gettin' a job will have to wait". Goku observed as his tense wife turned her back to him.
"Chichi, I didn' want this" he assured her as he approached her.
"Yeah, sure you didn't" she snorted out.
"Hey, I really didn't. This ain't what I had planned" he explained.
"You love this!" she countered, turning around to face him once again, "You love that you get to train every day for the next three years! Fighting is everything to you, and don't even bother trying to deny it" she quipped.
"It's not everythin'" he tried, "but if I don't fight, I will lose everythin'" he gently told her. He let out a frustrated breath when his wife ignored him.
"Chichi, c'mon" he tried to coax her round.
"Whatever, Goku, do what you want. You always do anyway" she muttered, before vacating the room. Goku frowned and shook his head. His wife was unbelievable sometimes.
Goku smiled, a genuine smile, as he listened to his son continue to update him on what he'd been up to since Namek. He listened, bobbing around in the outdoor tub with his son, as he rambled on about Piccolo, a lot, and it led Goku to wonder just what happened for Gohan to grow so attached to the demon king's son.
"So, ya like Piccolo, huh?" Goku questioned his son as he leant the back of his neck against the rim of the tub.
"Yeah, he's nice when you get to know him. He acts all mean, but he's not really. Well, not anymore" Gohan told his father as he perched on the larger man's knee.
"Not anymore?" Goku wondered, "Was he mean to you before?"
"Well, when he took me away after you died, he wasn't very nice to me" Gohan admitted quietly, "but after we started training for a while, he started being a little nicer to me and then when we were fighting the Saiyans, he saved my life".
"How was he mean to you?" Goku asked his son, but Gohan appeared a little reluctant to answer his father. Goku sat up straight in the tub and gave his son a serious look, "Gohan, what did he do?". Gohan looked at his father's stern face and knew he'd have to come clean.
"Well, when he first took me, he said really mean things to me and I was really sad 'cause you had died and then I was really scared 'cause I didn't know where I was and I wanted mom, but he just shouted at me for crying and told me I had to stop or he'd slit my throat" Gohan admitted uneasily.
Goku just stared at his son, his jaw tight, as he confessed.
"He told me I had this power inside of me and he was gonna bring it out of me, but I didn't believe him, so he grabbed me by my head and threw me at the mountain, telling me to find my power or I'd be turned to jelly against the rocks. I got angry and I managed to find my power and I shot through the mountain. I couldn't believe I did that. He told me I had to learn to fight but I said I didn't wanna be a fighter, but he said I had to. He said you would be coming back to life, so I said I wanted you to train me, not him, but he told me he was training me and that's it" Gohan told his father, all the while trying to avoid his glare.
"Keep goin'" Goku pressed.
"He told me the first part of the training was to survive. He told me that he'd be leaving me alone for 6 months and if I survived that, then he would train me. He just took off and left me, and I was really scared and I didn't know what to do. Then a dinosaur chased me and I got stuck up a big mountain, and I was hungry and cold. I don't remember it all, but it did get better and I did survive. I remember little things you taught me, too, daddy"
Goku cocked an eyebrow, "like what?"
"Well, I remember when I hurt myself, you showed me this special plant that helped to heal wounds, and I found it and used it to make my cuts better. I made a shelter outa big tree branches like you showed me and I grilled fish like you did" Gohan said proudly. Although full of anger, Goku couldn't help but admire his son, a sense of pride hitting him all at once.
"When I saw Mr. Piccolo again, he said it was good I managed to keep myself alive and that's when he started training me properly. It was real tough, he was real hard on me. I was so tired every day and had a lot of bruises and cuts, but I kept going. I knew I had to 'cause of the Saiyans that were coming and I wanted to make you proud, too" Goku placed his large hand on his son's small shoulder.
"Gohan, I'm always proud of you" he reminded him, earning a smile from the little boy. Goku thought for a moment before speaking.
"Did ya like trainin' with Piccolo?"
"Not at first. It was really hard and it hurt a lot, and I wanted you to train me, not Mr. Piccolo. But, afterwards it wasn't so bad"
"I never wanted Piccolo to take you, ya know that right? I wanted you to go home to mom" Goku told him.
"I know, but it's okay daddy, I got through it and got real strong! Maybe one day I will be strong just like you!" he chirped, balling his hands up into fists, a big smile on his face. Goku raised a hand from the water and ruffled his little son's spikey locks affectionately.
"Maybe one day you'll be even stronger than me"
"No way, daddy! No one could ever be stronger than you!" Gohan told him. Goku's eyes remained on his son.
"So, ya said he was nicer to ya afterwards? An' he saved your life?" Goku pressed for more. Gohan nodded enthusiastically.
"Yeah, when Nappa tried to kill me, Mr. Piccolo jumped in the way and took the hit. Before he died, he said that he was getting soft 'cause of me and you". Goku cocked an eyebrow. Piccolo? Soft? They weren't words he'd put together in a sentence, unless it was to say Piccolo was completely incapable of being soft.
"He said that, huh?"
"Yeah! And then he said that I was the only person who ever really talked to him, and spending time with me wasn't so bad. He told me not to die and ... well, that's when he died". Gohan uttered out sadly.
"An' you went all the way to Namek to get him back" Goku reminded his son, bringing a smile to his face again.
"Yeah, I promised I would" he beamed so proudly.
For a moment, Goku just stared at his son, his eyes taking note of the big smile on his little face, a smile that could light up the darkest of woodlands. But he found himself imagining, just for a second, the fear his son must have felt when he was taken by Piccolo and left alone in the mountains.
His four year old son. Kidnapped, abused and neglected by Piccolo. The same Piccolo that tried to kill him at the 23rd martial arts tournament. The same Piccolo his wife had so passionately wanted abolished from their lives.
That Piccolo hurt his son.
Gohan's smile fell from his face as he took in the enraged look of his father.
"Daddy?" he quietly called his father. No more than a second after he uttered his father's name, did his father jump out from the tub and reach for his Gi. Gohan watched as his father used his Ki to quickly dry his body, before hurriedly dressing.
"Dad? What are you-"
"-Stay here" his father interrupted him firmly as he finished tying his sash around his waist.
"But, daddy, where are you going?" Gohan tried again, hanging over the edge of the tub to see his father better. Gohan observed as his father turned to face him, the look on his face making Gohan feel anxious.
"Daddy needs to have a lil' talk with Mr. Piccolo" he spoke darkly, and before Gohan could respond, he put two fingers to his forehead and disappeared.
Gohan sat in silence for a few moments, wondering what his father meant by 'talk'.
"Gohan, where's your father? He was just out here with you" his mother's voice made him jump, an angry look upon her face as she approached the tub.
"He went to find Mr. Piccolo" Gohan told her as he leant over the rim of the outdoor tub.
"What? Why? You only just got back! He better not be training again!" Chichi fumed, her good hand resting on her hips.
"I don't think he's gone to train, mom, he was ... really angry" Gohan told her nervously.
"Why? What happened?" Chichi's angry glare quickly turned to one of concern as she awaited Gohan's response.
"Well, dad asked me about my training with Mr. Piccolo ... and I don't think he liked what I said" Gohan fumbled. Chichi stared at her son for a few moments, no words leaving her mouth. She knew about Gohan's training with Piccolo, and it was just another reason to hate that green alien bastard! And this was one of the many reasons why she didn't want her son or husband hanging around with him! He was a brute! An evil, nasty brute! And he couldn't be trusted!
Who in their right mind abandoned a four year old child in the mountains and then beat them senseless as a form of training? She despised him! Goku's brazen attitude about Piccolo made her furious and she just couldn't understand how he could be okay with letting that monster be around their son after what he did. But, after what Gohan had just told her, it seemed Goku had no idea what really happened out there. And now he did, and he was angry.
Chichi wondered what her husband was going to do to Piccolo.
Piccolo was meditating silently in the mountains, not too far from the Son home. It was very peaceful in these mountains, and Piccolo could see why Goku and his family liked it so much. His left ear suddenly twitched, signaling someone had arrived in the vicinity. What Piccolo didn't realise, was how close the person was to him, and what he wasn't expecting was a hard blow to his face, so hard it knocked him flying into the mountain, his body colliding roughly with the rocky surface.
He groaned as he pulled himself out of the rubble, his right hand soothingly rubbing his jaw, blood dribbling down from his bottom lip. He looked up and saw the perpetrator, a cold, hard look on the man's face.
"You? What the hell was that for?!" Piccolo scorned.
"What was that for?" Goku's icy tone sent a shiver up Piccolo's spine. But before he could respond, Goku hit him again, sending him crashing back into the mountainside, his body hurtling out the other side.
Piccolo winced as he sat amongst the grass and rubble on the other side of the mountain. His eyes caught sight of Goku again as he hovered above him in the sky, almost as if he was circling his prey.
Shit, Goku was pissed! What the hell was he so angry about?
"Listen, you can keep punching me, or you can tell me what the hell you're so angry about" Piccolo grumbled, wiping the blood from his bottom lip with the back of his hand. Goku landed abruptly in front of him, his hardened stare putting Piccolo on edge.
"I know about the trainin' you gave my son" he rasped.
"What?" Piccolo uttered, "What do you mean?"
"You know exactly what I mean! The trainin' you gave him where you abandoned him for 6 months! You left my four year old son alone in the mountains, when he had no idea how to fend for himself! You left him to suffer the cold nights, to go hungry 'cause he didn' know how to hunt for food! You left him scared, takin' him away from his mother, from his comforts an' everythin' he knew! An' then, on top of that, you beat him for 6 months, throwin' him at mountainsides an' forcin' him to fight! How dare you!" Goku yelled at Piccolo, pounding on him again, sending the Namekian skidding across the terrain.
"Son! Will you calm down! It wasn't quite like that!" Piccolo tried to reason with him as he scrambled to his feet.
"You're a LIAR!" Goku fumed, dashing towards Piccolo and swinging his right leg up to round house him. Piccolo blocked the Saiyan's leg, but the force of it sent him spiraling backwards. He dug his heels into the ground, stopping himself from going back any further. He grit his teeth, on the offensive, waiting for Goku's next move.
"I'm not saying that didn't happen, I did leave him in the mountains, but I didn't let him go hungry! I was keeping an eye on him the whole time, he just didn't know it!" Piccolo tried to explain, "And I may have been hard on him, but he needed it!" He jumped slightly when Goku landed directly in front of him again, and he swallowed hard at the teal colour that shone in Goku's eyes.
"You beat my son, an' your reasonin' is that he needed it?! What kind of trainin' is that? That's heartless an' cruel! He didn' even know you! He knew nothin'!"
"And who's fault is that?!" Piccolo raised his voice, "You let that boy's power go to waste! I brought it out of him! And it's a good job I did! Because he helped fend off those Saiyans until you got there!"
"He was supposed to go back to his mother! You had no right takin' him!"
"Well, I did! And I'm glad I did! Look at him now! He's so strong, you should be proud of him!"
"I am proud of my son! Don't you dare try an' make out that I'm not! But what you did was wrong!"
"Are you mad that I trained him, instead of you?!" that was probably the wrong thing to say, as Goku's fist collided with Piccolo's jaw once again, sending him crashing back into the dirt.
Goku took a steady breath.
"Yeah, I did wanna be the one to train my son. I wish it had been me, but you took that from me! Part of me is thankful 'cause he is incredibly strong an' he was able to keep himself alive on Namek, but I will never forgive you for how you went about it. He was four years old, Piccolo! He didn' deserve to be treated that way!"
"I didn't take anything from you, you were dead! Besides, you had plenty of chance to train him prior to that, but that controlling, insolent wife of yours stopped you from doing so!"
He really probably should watch his mouth. His body slammed into the ground, damn, his face felt wrecked.
"You do not talk about her. She has nothin' to do with this! Understood?!" Goku spat.
"Yeah, I got it" he grumbled as he shakily pulled himself back up. That punch was the hardest one so far. Mental note, don't mention the wife.
"Look, okay, I admit I might have been a bit harsh on the kid. But I don't regret it! What's done is done, it's not like I can change what's happened" Piccolo admitted when he got to his feet. The fire in Goku's eyes could have engulfed him then and there, but Goku didn't move this time as he stood before Piccolo.
"The only reason you're still standin' is because you saved my son's life an' he sees you as a friend" he told him darkly. Piccolo had no response to that.
"From now on, you will have no say in my son's trainin'" he told the Namekian. Piccolo was stunned. He was the one who trained Gohan in the first place! He knew the boy! He knew what he could do and he knew his limits! What did Goku know?
"What? And you think you can train him? You have no idea how your son-" Piccolo questioned him.
"-He is my son! I don't care what you think! I am the one who will be trainin' him now, not you!" Goku repeated, raising his voice at Piccolo.
"You are too soft! You won't push him hard enough!"
"I am his father, an' what I say goes! We won't be havin' this conversation again, got it?!" Goku yelled, his hair rising up and flowing above his head. Piccolo took a step back, admittedly threatened and quite frankly defeated.
"Fine" Piccolo muttered.
"Good" Goku hissed at him, "We're gonna take a few day's break from trainin', 'cause honestly, with how I'm feelin' right now, I'll kill you" Goku told him bluntly before putting two fingers to his forehead and disappearing.
"Do you think daddy's okay?" Gohan asked his mother as she pulled the covers up to his chin.
"I'm sure your father's just fine, sweetie" Chichi assured him, gently combing his wild hair from his face.
"Do you think Mr. Piccolo's okay?" Chichi frowned at his question, "I know you don't like him, mom, but he's nice now and he saved my life" Gohan avoided his mother's eyes as he quietly responded.
"Whatever is going on between your father and Piccolo is obviously needed. We just need to leave them to it, okay?"
"Okay" Gohan said quietly.
"So, stop your worrying and get to sleep" she told him with a smile before kissing his cheek. He nodded and watched as his mother walked towards his door.
"Goodnight, Gohan" she bid him sweetly.
"Goodnight" Gohan chirped back before closing his eyes. Chichi smiled at her little boy and turned off the light before leaving the room. She closed his door and made her way down the hall towards the kitchen. She collapsed onto one of the dining chairs, letting out an exasperated sigh, rubbing her temple. Her son must be suffering some sort of trauma, she was sure of it, because how on Earth could he think so highly of that green menace?! After what he did to Gohan when he kidnapped him! After how he treated him! Gohan had told her how Piccolo sacrificed himself for him against the Saiyans. He also told her how he pushed Goku out of the way to save him against Frieza.
But, how could Gohan be so forgiving? How could he get over what Piccolo did? Chichi couldn't do it. She couldn't get past that first part, and didn't think she ever could. Piccolo almost killed her husband a few years ago in the 23rd martial arts tournament, and then put her son and her through hell for a year when he kidnapped him. She just couldn't do it.
She carefully undone the bandage that supported her left arm and she lay the bit of cloth on the table in front of her. She stretched out her arm and gently moved it around, finding it was much less painful now, just a dull ache if anything. She glanced up at the clock on the wall and wondered what was taking her husband so long. What was he doing? Was he okay? She was starting to worry.
That's when Goku appeared in the kitchen, startling her, her hand grasping at her chest in a panic. That freaking appearing trick of his! She wasn't sure she'd ever get use to that!
"Goku?" she called out to him as she stood from the dining chair. He looked fine, not a scratch on him.
"Please don't ask about it, I'm not in the mood" he quickly told his wife.
"But, Goku-" she tried.
"-Chichi, please! It's dealt with, that's all you need to know!" he finished abruptly before storming out of the kitchen and heading to their bedroom. Chichi simply stood silently in the kitchen, in shock at her husband's attitude towards her. It wasn't that he didn't have it in him to speak to her like that, it was the fact that he'd rarely done it. In fact, she could only remember it happening maybe a handful of times back when they first got married, when they were still learning about each other. Otherwise, he was the most laid back, chilled person she had ever met and hardly anything irritated him. At the very least she didn't irritate him.
Things had certainly changed. Her husband was a walking jar of frustration and that cork top was going to pop off at any time. She could feel it. And it wasn't like him and she didn't like it.
She decided to leave it for tonight, as she was just too tired. She pushed the chair back under the table, leaving her sling behind, and turned off the kitchen light and followed in Goku's footsteps. When she reached the bedroom, she heard the shower running, so she got out her nightwear and pulled her hair from it's tight bun on the top of her head and sat on the end of the bed, waiting for her husband to come out.
She didn't have to wait long, as her big, burly husband came ambling out of the bathroom, completely naked as he dried his wild hair. She couldn't help but stare at him, her mouth hanging open. This was the first time she'd seen him completely naked since he returned from Space and holy shit, he looked unreal. She had already noticed that he'd buffed up since the last time she saw him, but God damn, he was built like a freaking brick house! Even his thighs had expanded, and looked like they could crush a planet or two between them! The man was a mountain of muscle and it was jaw-dropping!
"Your arm's better" he quietly acknowledged, knocking her back to reality.
"Uh, ye, it's much better now" she quietly responded.
He definitely caught her staring, there was no way he didn't with the way she openly ogled at him. But he didn't say anything about it as he pulled on a pair of white boxer shorts and grabbed his pillows and briskly left the room. It wasn't until he left that Chichi realised he had gone and that he'd took his pillows with him. She found herself just sat there, her mind almost blank, her eyes staring at the open door.
Was this how it was going to be now? They weren't going to talk? They weren't going to sleep in the same bed? They were just going to stay angry and distant with one another? She knew she had banned him from their bed when he hit her through the wall, but that was more than 2 weeks' ago. She swallowed down the lump in her throat and she took a deep breath. She wasn't going to cry over him. She forced herself to get up from the bed and she made her way into the bathroom to shower. A nice, hot shower was what she needed to rinse all the negativity away.
Well, she hoped.
Goku tossed and turned all night long, and in the end he grew beyond frustrated and kicked off the blanket that was originally draped over the back of the sofa and he lay in silence staring up at the ceiling. He'd had a nightmare at some point during the night, but managed to fall back to sleep, but then he just couldn't get comfortable and his mind wouldn't shut off. He turned his head, squinting at the clock he could just make out on the side table next to the armchair in the corner. It was 5.04am. He groaned and threw his arms up, covering his face.
That was his first nightmare since being back home, and it was a nightmare he remembered having frequently back on Yardrat. Shee warned him that he still had a long way to go in finding himself and healing his mind, but he didn't think the nightmares would carry on. He remembered this particular nightmare all too well, but he couldn't understand why it was still in his mind. Frieza was dead and he was home with his family and they were safe, so why was he still worrying about all that?
He puffed out his cheeks and let out a dramatic huff before pulling himself up off the sofa. He dragged himself to the kitchen sink and turned on the cold tap, taking his large hands and cupping the water, and splashing his face with it. He grabbed the towel that was folded neatly over the handle of the oven to his right, and dried his face off with it before throwing the towel aside. It was pointless going back to sleep now, so he decided to sneak into his bedroom to grab his Gi and get some early morning exercises in. Maybe that and a bit of meditating, would help ease his restless mind.
Chichi hadn't long started breakfast a few hours later, and was stirring a large pot of Miso soup on the hob, her eyes watching her husband as he meditated out in the garden. She had a clear view of him through the kitchen window, his obviously tense figure sat crossed-legged beneath the shade of the trees. He'd been up for a while. She knew. She heard him sneaking into their bedroom sometime early hours of the morning and caught him grabbing his Gi and leaving again. He didn't know she was awake, or at least she didn't think he did. She lay perfectly still, her body relaxed, only her one eye cracking open when he had his back to her. She wasn't sure where he was heading off to at that time, but she wasn't going to question him on the matter.
As she stirred the piping hot pot of soup, she found herself surveying the garden, her eyes looking for something in particular, or someone she should say. Piccolo was nowhere in sight. Normally, he would be stalking somewhere in the garden, normally in the shadows like the creep that he was, waiting for her husband and son to vacate the house to go and train. But not today. Today, Piccolo was nowhere to be found. She wondered if that was Goku's doing. Had he completely banished Piccolo from their home? Or were they taking a breather? She didn't know, and probably wouldn't know until Piccolo rocked up again, if he ever did.
Her eyes travelled back to her husband and she let out a small sigh as she watched him. She had never felt so distant from him, so alone, yet he was right there in their garden. It felt like he was still on another planet, because he couldn't possibly be right there, only a few feet away from her, not talking to her, not holding her, not sleeping with her, not anything with her.
She missed him. She missed him and he was right there.
You know you really miss someone when you crave something so simple, such as the sound of their voice, their laughter, their touch, their smell, their breath on your skin. She tried not to miss him, because she was angry at him, because she didn't understand him and his actions, because he completely neglected her, but in the end, she still did. She felt herself getting irritated by the thought of it all, and failed to notice the hot pot of soup bordering a bit too closely to the edge of the cooker. She was so lost in her thoughts, she didn't realise just how hard she was stirring it, every whisk of her wrist as she stirred, knocking the inside of the pot and slowly but surely sending it closer to the edge.
It was too late when she noticed, as the pot tipped over the edge, her mitten-clad hands barely catching it before the whole thing hit the deck! But she didn't manage to stop some of the delicious soup as it poured out all over her one arm and onto the wooden floor. And it was scorching hot, making her yelp from the burning sensation it caused on her right arm. Goku must have heard her, it sure seemed like he did, as he was at her side within a second of her whimpers vacating her mouth.
He swiftly took the large cooking pot from her hands and placed it back on the hob, before turning to his wife, his eyes full of concern as he saw the blazing red colour on her arm. He gently pushed his wife towards the sink, removed the mitten, turning the cold tap on and carefully holding her right arm under the stream of soothing, cold liquid. He could tell her mind was still in a blur, as she only just comprehended that she was stood at the sink with her arm under the cold tap. She bit her lip, her arm was raw and stung like crazy.
"Keep your arm there" she heard her husband tell her in a gentle tone, before he left her side and plucked the first aid box from the shelf next to her cook books. She observed as he opened the box, and rummaged through the many items, a small "ah-hah!" coming from his mouth when he found what he was looking for. He then returned to her side holding a burn compress, but waited a few more minutes for her arm to cool beneath the cold water.
"Does it still sting?" he asked her, to which she shook her head, her eyes just watching the water running over her arm. He turned off the tap and took her left hand, directing her to the kitchen table, where he sat her down and plonked down onto the chair next to her. He dragged his wooden chair closer to her, before carefully opening the burn dressing and flicking the packaging aside. Chichi rested her right arm on the table before Goku gently placed the dressing over the burn.
She watched as he attentively spread the dressing over the wounded area, taking particular care not to press down on her arm too hard. They'd been here many times before, him dressing a burn that she'd received from cooking. He'd make jokes about her being clumsy, when he was normally the clumsy one. He'd poke fun at her, they'd laugh and he'd sweetly take care of her.
But there was no laughter today.
"There" he concluded, shaking her from her thoughts, "Should be okay now".
"Yeah, thanks" she replied quietly.
"Y'need to be more careful, coulda been much worse" he told her, and if they weren't on such bad terms she'd laugh at him, scolding her like she normally would to him.
"I know, I will" she almost whispered, her eyes peering up to meet his. Their intense stare lingered, his one hand still on her right arm, his fingers almost caressing her. It was the first bit of physical touch between them since the day he came home and it had her heart beating hard in her chest and her mouth going dry. She swore he felt the same way, but as quickly as the gaze started, it ended, and her husband pulled away. He rubbed at his neck anxiously before reaching for the torn dressing wrapper on the table. He stood from the table and averted his eyes from hers.
"I'll, um, put this in the trash" he murmured before walking off. Chichi nodded her head, her eyes now staring at her dressed arm and she listened as he disposed of the packaging before exiting the kitchen.
It was the next morning, and Goku was in turmoil.
She was winding him up ... she must have been! She had to be walking into the living room dressed in just his grey t-shirt!
Goku's eyes were wide like dinner plates, his jaw hitting the cushioned seat of the sofa beneath him as he lay there, his neck craned to get a better view of her.
Nah, she wouldn't ... would she?
His eyes glazed over as he watched her walk into the kitchen, his view of her still very clear through the doorway when she reached the one counter to grab the teapot. His eyes roamed down her body to her toned, creamy legs, his gaze shifting back up to stare at her ass, which was only just covered in his shirt. His eyes roamed higher and he reveled in the sight of her long, dark, thick hair, which was down and sprawled out over her shoulders and down her back. She turned to her side to open the large fridge, his eyes resting on her chest. He could tell she wasn't wearing a bra, god damn it! He could see the perfect outline of her swelling breasts through that thin t-shirt!
Why? Why was she wearing that? Why was she doing this to him?
He groaned in pure frustration, ripping his pillow from underneath him and slamming it over his head to block out the view. He dramatically flung himself over, his body now facing the cushioned back of the sofa, his legs crossing somewhat to try and ease the now very noticeable tension between his legs.
His act of frustration didn't go unnoticed by his wife. She turned to face him, his back to her as she leaned up against the counter, waiting for the teapot to boil.
"I'm making some tea. You're gonna have to get up now before Gohan sees you" she told him, not a hint of a tease in her voice which just irked him even more. Yeah, that's right, you just worry about our son catchin' me sleepin' on the couch, don't worry about my ragin' freakin' hard on! He mumbled profanities into his pillow before dragging himself up off the sofa. Keeping his back to her, he threw the blanket over the back of the sofa, grabbed his two pillows and like a stroppy teenager he stomped his way to their bedroom.
It was dinner time that evening and Chichi gawked as she turned her head, watching as her nonchalant husband casually walked into the kitchen in just his boxer shorts.
His tight, black boxer shorts.
"Goku! Put some clothes on! You're in the kitchen!" She chided him.
"Oh, so you can walk around in nothin' but a shirt, but I can't walk around in my boxer shorts?" he threw back at her, walking towards her.
She just looked at him, irritation evident on her face. He dipped his index finger into the soup she was stirring on the stove and he sucked it off his finger suggestively, all the while his eyes still on her.
"Mmm, tastes good" he murmured, before ambling off towards the kitchen table, where he sat down, waiting for his dinner with his son.
Chichi was stunned, and there was a delay in her reaction as she cleared her throat, trying to forget what just happened.
"Goku, can you at least put a shirt on, please? It's bad manners!"
"Gohan doesn't mind, do ya, son?"
"Um" Gohan's eyes flitted between both of his parents and he could feel the tension in the air. He didn't want to be a part of whatever this was.
"Goku-"
"-Get me a shirt an' I'll put it on!" he suddenly snapped at her. Chichi could barely breathe properly, the hot, evil anger bubbling inside of her on the brink of erupting! She bit her tongue, knowing her son was there. She hastily grabbed him a shirt from the pile of ironed clothes on the sideboard and handed it to him. She took a breath and walked back over to the cooker, where she angrily stirred their evening soup.
He was pushing every, single button. He wouldn't tell her where he'd been all this time, he was avoiding her and barely spoke to her, he was training constantly and now he was talking to her like shit! She wasn't sure how much longer she could keep a cool head.
Once dinner was finished, Gohan was sent to have a bath and Goku told him a story before tucking him into bed and bidding him goodnight. A few moments later, Goku sauntered into the kitchen in his boxer shorts and tank top, finishing off his glass of juice.
"Goku, next time you don't want to listen to me, can you at least not do it in front of our son" Chichi told him, her back turned to him as she was finishing drying some of the dishes.
"Sure, no problem" he said with an attitude, before dumping his empty glass in the sink.
"And can you drop the attitude!" she threw back at him.
"I ain't got an attitude" he bit back, about to walk out of the kitchen.
That was it. That was all she needed for that raging volcano to erupt!
She was done.
