Future Timeline. Post-Buu/Pre-Black. Based on an actual headcanon I have. I first saw it on a fic, here, by darkopacity, and I just love it.

This story is currently being posted over on Archive of Our Own! Same pen name, same title, same stories. They'll be posted here before they're uploaded over there, however, unless the story is more mature than what will allow. So yeah. Enjoy!

Chi-Chi slowly packed up her old clothes. Her hands were shaking, as she put each garment away. The rooms were deathly quiet, and the only noise came from the softly blowing wind. When she finished packing what was left of her essentials, she sealed the bags away into a capsule, sticking it in the pocket of her apron. The halls were completely bare. She had put away every single picture and every single decoration. If one were to look at it, one might suspect that no one had lived here, in years.

How fitting.

Chi-Chi left her house, and walked into the bamboo forest. There was a small piece of cleared land, with a piece of wood standing in the middle of the dirt, with a ribbon of cloth wrapped around the middle. She knelt down in front of it, smoothing her dress out as best as she could.

She breathed out. "Hi, Goku," she said with a strained smile. "I hope you're still doing good, wherever you are. I... I'm leaving, soon... and I don't think I'll be coming back. Please, don't think I'm trying to forget about you. I never could, in a million years. I just...

Chi-Chi paused, as she felt her throat constricting. "I just can't stay here, anymore. The world is so much brighter than it was, when you last saw it, and I need to get back out there and experience it. I want to move past all of this."

"I... I decided I'm going with her. I love her. She helped me so much, and she's just amazing. Sometimes, I feel like she's the only thing that kept me going, through all of that" She brushed away stray tears with her index finger. "I-if you're listening to me, I just want you to know that I'll never forget you, and I'm always wishing that you were back here. I could never replace you. But... I shouldn't be mourning you, forever.

She sniffed, loudly. "I hope you're taking care of Gohan, up there. Maybe you've seen dad, too. Who knows how many strong guys are in other world?" She managed to laugh, as she cried more. "Don't wait up for me, please. I hope it's going to be a while, before we see each other, again.

"I love you, Goku. I always will." She bowed her head, and prayed.

Chi-Chi waited inside of the house, until there was a knock on the door. She gathered her things, put them into her pocket, and opened the door.

Bulma smiled at her. "You ready?"

Chi-Chi took one last look at her old home. She sighed and turned around. "I am."

Bulma took her hand, and squeezed it, slightly. She gave her a tender kiss, before leading her to the car. Chi-Chi cuddled up to her side, as they took the scenic route back to Capsule Corporation.

The complex was empty, when they arrive. Chi-Chi looked up and around. "Where's Trunks?"

Bulma sighed, whistfully. "Growing up - he moved in with his girlfriend a month ago."

Her jaw dropped, slightly. "You're letting him move out, already?"

"I trust him. If he acts out, Mai will keep him straight - she's a smart girl."

Still, it shocked her that she was that willing to let her son go, after all they had been through. If it were Gohan, she'd never let him out of her sight, ever again.

Her eyes grew heavy, and she looked down.

Bulma kissed her, again, before a tear had a chance to escape her eyes. "Hey, none of that," she said. "Don't dwell on the past so much."

She sighed. "How did you do it? How can you move past everything, like this?"

"I just remind myself that Goku, Yamcha, and the others wouldn't want me to mope around, forever. You know that's true. We can't undo any of this... but we can move past it, and look forward."

"Why are you always right..." she murmured."

Bulma chuckled, and kissed her, again. Chi-Chi didn't hesitate, this time, and she gripped her lab coat, bringing her closer. She felt so relieved and free - something she hadn't felt in decades. She didn't have to live in the past anymore or for anyone else. Now, she could live for herself.

And it was all thanks to the woman she loved.