Chi Chi looked up from the large stack of bills on the table and closed her eyes in utter hopelessness. Despite of how hard she tried to stretch the small amount of money they still had at their disposal there was no way they could manage much longer, especially now.

By living modestly in the country she was able to push back the inevitable for years now, but she always hoped that they'll make do at least until Gohan's adulthood. Food expanses were greatly reduced by hunting, fishing and their own crops, but two Saiyan appetites were terribly demanding despite all that.

Chichi rarely shopped for clothes, most often choosing to sew their garments herself and when they teared and they teared often she mended them over and over again. If their little house needed repairs they made them themselves if at all possible, which more often than not wasn't. Having two people often miscalculating their strength put furniture and their house construction in constant danger.

Even Gohan's education, the one thing she always insisted upon giving him the best there was, was partially subjected to their modest means. His books were almost always gifts from her father or Bulma, secondhand or checked out of the closest decent library in Orange Star City. She always tried so hard, Chi Chi thought. But it still wasn't enough.

For so long she tried to save her pride and avoid asking others for help. Even her father, the Ox King, didn't know the whole picture. Chi Chi knew that he would jump at a chance to help if she would just say one word, but she held back.

Asking for help while Goku was still alive would imply that he wasn't a good provider for his family, it would imply that she made a mistake when she persisted in her decision of marrying him and it would imply that she was helpless without her father and his support. No, she was a grown woman and she took full responsibility over her choices.

Even if at times life with Goku was hard, she managed just fine and she enjoyed it. How could she not? Every time she looked at her husband and her son smiling faces her heart swelled with love.

Now, that Goku was gone she might even consider going to her father for support if he hadn't told tell her that he is sick with cancer. He came over few times since Cell Games to just spend the time with her and his grandson despite his rapidly deteriorating health. To say goodbye, he said, and to help them deal with his departure. He was one of the most selfless men she knew. Just next to Goku.

Chi Chi smiled sadly. She was sure that her father was the main reason why she fell so hard in love with her husband. Both of them were quite similar to each other. Both were strong, loving and selfless men with hearts of pure gold.

Chi Chi put her hand on her slightly swelled stomach. She suspected she was pregnant again. She hadn't seen a doctor yet, but she recognized all the symptoms. It wasn't as if she didn't went through it all before during the first months of her pregnancy with Gohan. She was sure she was carrying a child.

And she was terrified. And she felt so alone. A child that wouldn't know his or her father. A child that wouldn't know his or her grandfather, either if what doctors said was true. What role model would the child have besides her?

Sure, she still had her precious Gohan, but she was his mother. She was responsible for him, not the other way around. She shouldn't put so many responsibilities on his shoulders. Even if he was much stronger than her and brilliant to boot, he still was a little boy. Or wasn't he?

Chi Chi sighed heavily.

Ever since Cell Games he had changed. He was so much more mature and serious than before. His eyes lost their sparkle, their joyfulness. His childhood and his innocence were irreversibly gone, it seemed. He didn't laugh as much anymore and smiled only briefly. Chi Chi most of all missed his laugh, the carefree, delighted outbursts that were so much like Goku's. It seemed, Chi Chi thought, that Goku died in more ways than one this time around.

When Gohan talked with his Grandfather it only seemed to get worse. The quiet despair was clearly visible on his little face. It was something that Chi Chi never wanted to see, but she knew that her face mirrored that of her son. The thought of losing her father just after losing her husband tore her apart with grief.

Chi Chi opened her eyes and glanced through the window to the backyard where Gohan was training. Again. After Cell Games he picked up his daily grind of studying in the mornings for few hours and then training for the rest of the day. He only broke this routine for food, sleep and an odd visit from his Grandfather. Chi Chi was so grateful for those visits...

She watched her son as he executed perfect kata at unbelievable speed. His form always perfect, his stance an amazing mixture of different fighting styles. Sweat was rolling down his body, but he didn't waver once in his dedicated training. His face was a stone mask of concentration.

He was wearing weighted clothes very similar to those of his father's gi. His black hair was standing out in various directions, needing a haircut badly, his eyebrows drawn together in concentration. It was very familiar view for her.

He looks so much like Goku, Chi Chi thought and deep sigh escaped her lips.

She tried to encourage Gohan to spend the day with his books, to at least take a short break from training and to rest. Studying was what he should be doing after all. He wouldn't listen, though.

"Mom, I won't stop training" he said with a serious tone. "Dad wouldn't want that. Besides, I may be the strongest person on Earth right now, and possibly the strongest in the universe, but there always may come another threat and next time we might not get a convenient warning from time and dimension traveling friendly half-Saiyan. Can't you tell how lucky we were this time? I can't let anyone get hurt again, Mom. I just can't."

"But, Gohan...!" Chi Chi tried to protest.

"Mom, I know that you want me to be a scholar" Gohan said. "I am aware that I need a proper education to get a good job. I am aware that you want me to have a life outside of fighting. Mom, I promise you, I won't stop studying. I even kinda like it. But I will not stop training too."

Finally, Chi Chi conceded. After all, if her boy will keep studying and even admitted that he likes it, well, that's a victory for her and her upbringing methods on it's own.

Normally, she would unleash her wrath on him for discarding his studies like that, for giving his education a second place in his priorities, but how could she do it now? She understood that her son was grieving, just like she was. She understood that by training he felt closer to Goku. She couldn't deny him that connection to his father. Still, she missed her little boy, the way he used to be just a few weeks ago.

Oh, Goku, why did you have to leave... We miss you so much..., she thought.

For all her complaints about having a karate bum as a husband, she always loved Goku dearly. He was her best friend, her companion and her lover. His great heart and perpetual optimism balanced her short temper and inborn tenacity perfectly. He was a great constant in her life. She could be sure that no matter how much she yelled at him about some silly thing he might have done, he always loved her with the same unwavering love she had for him. He was her true soul mate.

Tears swelled in her eyes, but before they had a chance of rolling down on her cheeks, Chi Chi brushed them away as she did every time after that first night Gohan told her Goku died and did what she was always doing for her family.

She fought.