Top Notes:

I'm sorry for the late update, I've been having such a short time these last few days...

I'll try not to delay so much for the next chapter.

Please, enjoy!

Overnight everything seemed to have turned upside down in his life. It was as if the world was conspiring against him. One fine morning, after having sex with the most amazing, wonderful, perfect woman in the whole world, he had woken up only to find that she had left without saying anything, that she no longer wanted anything to do with him, that he was still cursed, and, to make matters worse, that his mother was dating and wanted him to meet the guy in person.

All things seemed to be falling apart and going off the rails. He led a perfect life until he was cursed. In fact, he led a more than perfect life until he met Chichi. Because he didn't care about that stupid curse, in fact, he even took advantage of it, as Ribrianne had well said. Everything was going very well, but it was only when that beautiful brunette came into his life that things turned upside down.

Suddenly, that curse stopped being a blessing and became a torment. Suddenly he no longer wanted her for just one night but for more nights. Suddenly he no longer wanted her just for sex, but for the company, the conversations, the laughter, and everything that went with it. Suddenly he couldn't get her out of his mind anymore, and any other woman in the world seemed irrelevant next to her. Suddenly he no longer wanted to be with a different woman every night, but he wanted to be with just one, with her.

Chichi had shaken all his structures to the point that Goku could not even explain how it had happened. But it had happened and there he was, suffering because of a woman. Something that he thought would never happen in his life.

His friends told him to let it go, to move on, that at least now the curse only concerned Chichi, that other women wouldn't have the same effect, then he could go back to living his normal life, the life he always had, the life he always wanted.

The problem was.

He didn't want that life anymore.

He no longer wanted to date other women, kiss different mouths, or feel the warmth of several different bodies each night. It didn't make sense to him anymore.

All he wanted was Chichi.

Just her.

He still didn't know what to do about the damn curse. He went back to research, to inform himself, and to look for other ways to change it, to reverse it, but nothing seemed to bring him a solution. Meanwhile, time went by and Chichi didn't speak to him again. And he knew that she wouldn't return while she was still cursed, but he couldn't let the distance between them increase, he couldn't let her distance herself further and further from him, he had to do something, he had to at least try.

Cursed or not, he needed to tell her how he felt. And it was then that he decided to go personally to her house to talk. Without invitation, without warning, he wanted and needed to get it off his chest once and for all.

He didn't know if this could help in any way if it would bring about any change in his condition, but he knew he had to at least try.

The man sighed deeply as he stared at her house's door from inside the car and, summoning up his courage, decided to go ahead. He got out of the vehicle, but before he could go around, he saw a short lady carrying several bags and balancing a few boxes at the same time. Unable to ignore the situation, he walked up to the lady saying:

"Hmm, hello Mrs.… excuse me, let me help you carry these things!"

The old woman tried to look at him in a small gap between the stacked boxes, but all she could see were parts of the man's body and face. She then stretched the boxes toward Goku's large, strong hands as she said: "I accept the help, thank you, young man!"

As soon as the boxes were out of her field of vision she could finally catch a glimpse of who the person offering her help was, as well as Goku, who recognized her from that first night he had brought Chichi home. It was the gossipy neighbor.

"Where should I take them?"

Uranai squinted her eyes at him as she analyzed him from the soles of his shoes to the tips of his spiky hair.

"To the garage, please!"

Goku nodded and walked with the old woman to the house's garage, where the gate was open and several other boxes and bags were piled up. He carefully placed the boxes on the floor, although they were light for his level of strength, he didn't know if they were delicate objects.

"Here it is!" he smiled. "Do you need any more help?"

"Hmmm..." Uranai put a hand on her chin and murmured, watching him. "I remember you! But you look different now..."

"Huh?"

The old woman waved with her hand and walked by him, saying: "I need to move these boxes!" and she pointed in the direction of a pile of boxes that seemed to be blocking the inside house's doorway.

Goku nodded and started moving the boxes to the place where she indicated he could put them. It didn't take long, and about ten minutes later everything was organized.

He ran his hand across his slightly sweaty forehead and said smiling: "That's it! Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go."

"Thank you very much, young man. Are you going to the Mao's house?"

"Oh, yes, I need to talk to Chichi."

"She's not here, I saw her leave a few minutes before you showed up!" she answered with conviction and Goku wondered if she was so gossipy as to know whether or not Chichi was home

or if it should have just been a coincidence that the woman had seen her leave. "She went out with that man from the Potara perfume advertisement."

Goku tilted his head to the side and arched an eyebrow.

"Man in the Potara perfume advertisement?"

"Yes, that advertisement with the man with the colored eyes."

A chill ran down Goku's spine. The 'colored eyes man'. He knew who it was, and now he could understand the feeling of familiarity he felt every time he passed a billboard advertising that perfume, even though he always hated that perfume. No wonder why…

It wasn't enough that this guy was on Chichi's track, he knew that they had had some involvement, but had no idea that they might still be dating.

And to make matters worse, the guy was a model.

How could he compete?

Uranai gave him a warm smile and said: "Hmmm... I realize that there is goodness in you, despite your aura..."

He arched an eyebrow and cocked his head to the side. "Thank… you...?"

"You're different indeed! You have a better aura, but I can still see a little shadow around you... it's not like before, it's smaller, less intense, but it's still there, I can see it... A curse..."

"Can you see my curse?" Goku's eyes widened in astonishment.

"I cannot see your curse, but I can see that you're cursed. I can see a shadow around you. It's smaller, much smaller, but it's still there!"

She just walked back, crossing the aisle of boxes with short strides, since she was a very short lady. Goku still stood there dumbly, without action, until she shouted:

"Come on! Or are you just going to stand there in the middle of my garage forever?"

Goku shook his head and walked toward her.

"Can you... Can you help me?"

The old woman looked at him over her shoulder with her frown full of wrinkles and replied: "Hmmmm... we'll see..."

As soon as the car pulled over to the side of the road she felt her heart begin to skip a beat. There was another car parked there that she recognized, and mostly knew, who it belonged to.

She didn't really know why, but she had been a little restless that afternoon and seeing his car there only made it worse.

He was there. Oh, God, Goku was there.

"See you tomorrow then?"

Her attention was redirected to the person next to her in the driver's seat with a sweet smile on the lips. She shook her head slightly and smiled in response, saying: "Of course."

And before she could get out of the car, he slowly approached her and pulled her in for a soft kiss on the lips. Chichi responded a little hesitantly and didn't last long, pulling away and staring into those beautiful eyes of different colors.

"Bye, Granolah. Talk to you later!" she said quickly.

An enormous anxiety had taken over her and she found herself wanting to get out of there as soon as possible. Not that the meeting hadn't been pleasant, on the contrary, it had been great, but knowing that Goku was around made her feel disconcerted.

"Bye, gorgeous!" Granolah shouted out the window.

She gave a weak smile and waved to the vehicle, which then drove off. Chichi looked at the car that was parked and saw no movement inside the vehicle, at least not what could be seen through the dark windows. For a moment she wondered if she had made a mistake and that it wasn't really his car, but a similar one, until her eyes met the black of his eyes across the street.

She froze and swallowed hard.

Goku had a difficult expression to read. He looked happy, but at the same time upset, annoyed, or maybe worried was the right word. At the same time, he seemed anxious, nervous, and elated.

He waved at her and crossed the street. What he was doing across the street, Chichi couldn't even imagine, but he smiled as he approached and it made her a little more unsettled.

"Hey, Chi! What's up?" he said, trying to ignore the absurd jealousy he was feeling at that moment, having seen her get out of the car of that stupid colorful-eyed model. Fortunately, the windows of Granolah's car were as dark as his own, so he couldn't see what was going on inside the vehicle, although he had a slight hunch.

"Hi Goku. What are you doing here?"

"I came..." he cleared his throat and scratched his head, "I'm sorry I didn't set up a date with you, but... it's just that I really wanted to talk to you. When I arrived I saw your neighbor carrying some boxes, she was in need of some help and I went to give her a hand."

"Oh..." Chichi murmured and stared at the house in front. He could feel the curious eyes of the old woman next door watching them from one of the windows. "Okay, fine. Let's go inside!"

Chichi led him to her room and closed the door. She knew her father wasn't home, because not only his car wasn't in the garage, but his key wasn't on the key chain either, but she had no way of knowing how long it would take, and it was better if they stayed there so they would have more privacy.

Although he had anxiety eating him up inside, Goku smiled as he entered Chichi's room. He had not had this chance the first time he had been there. The room was large and beautiful, very well organized and clean, the walls were a light cream color that matched the shades of the furniture.

"Wow, look at that! It doesn't even look like a torturer's lair!" he joked.

"That's because this here is just a facade. Behind this bookcase is a secret passage that leads to my real torture chamber!" she joked back, feeling a small spark ignite inside her.

It had been at least three weeks since she had last seen Goku in that morning in the park, and they had not spoken to each other since then either. Chichi was convinced that she didn't have any feelings for the man, except for a consideration for the moments they had spent together, after all, Goku was, above all, good company. He was nice, funny and the two of them got along very well, but that was all, just as a good friend. However, the block that she felt towards him prevented her from even maintaining a friendly relationship, she could no longer see herself having the conversations they had before and she was fine with that, she had accepted that her interest in him was only related to the bet she had made.

However, now that he was there, things seemed a little different, and that 'block' that she was once feeling, was gone.

It frightened her.

It frightened her immensely.

What kind of effect did he have on her?

She had decided to follow Whis' advice and take the chances that life was giving her and also her father's advice that she needed to live her life and that was when Granolah came back to her. He was really interested in continuing to date her – even after they had sex – and it showed that there could be a future between them. Chichi then decided to surrender to this opportunity and give the model a chance. He was a good person, a good man, besides being very handsome, and as a bonus he was good in bed – not as good as Goku, but good enough. He was a decent guy, he was responsible and longed for a future that involved a family and children, unlike Goku who never wanted any responsibility in his life.

The truth was that she was enjoying going out with Granolah. And just when it seemed she had found the right man for her, Goku appeared and brought up that feeling that she thought didn't exist, that she had fought not to let exist, that she couldn't allow to exist. A feeling that she had almost accepted was there, deep in her chest when she felt that connection with him, but that was lost at dawn. However, at the same time that the blockage was gone and the feeling had resurfaced, there also came all the issues that made her stay emotionally away from him. Everything she knew Goku to be and everything he had done with only one intent: to get her into bed. To conquer her as if it were a challenge that would complement his list of goals.

She would need to be cautious, very cautious...

"Can you believe my mom decided to get a boyfriend?" he commented, deciding to make some conversation, perhaps to minimize his anxiety and nervousness.

"Really?!"

"Yep..." he shook his head and put both hands on his jeans pockets "And she wants me to meet the guy. She's having dinner to introduce him to the family. Ugh!" he rolled his eyes.

"And what's the problem?"

Goku grimaced.

"My mom's dating! This is weird! And I don't trust the guy!"

"Do you know him?"

"Not yet, but I don't even need to meet him, I already know he'll suck."

"You should at least give him a chance, get to know him before you judge."

"I don't think I'm going to change my mind and I don't feel like going to this dinner, but my mom is going to make me go, there's no way out of it…"

Chichi gave a nasalized laugh and shook her head.

"Is your mother happy?"

He shrugged. "I think so..."

"So that should be enough, right? I mean, isn't that what matters, her happiness?!"

"Of course, but she's a grown woman with two grown children, she shouldn't be going around dating..."

He then became silent and Chichi arched both eyebrows.

"What's wrong with her dating? Isn't she single?"

"She's no longer of age, that's all."

"And who says one is old enough to date after to be an adult? Children cannot date. Adults can!"

"Ehhh, not my mom!" Goku grumbled.

Chichi took a deep breath, impatient and angry. There he was, that immature Goku she had met. Whether or not she had any feelings for him didn't change the fact that she had no compatibility with someone like him.

She then crossed her arms and stared at him, seriously.

"This is... unbelievable... Goku, what are you doing here?" she asked impatiently. "To talk about your mother's boyfriend, I'm sure it wasn't. What do you want?"

Goku scratched his head and sighed. He had rehearsed a million times what he was going to say to her, but there, in that instant, it seemed that he couldn't remember anything else, or that he didn't know how to say it, or what to say.

"I needed to talk to you, Chichi... The truth is... I can't get you out of my mind, I just can't. You drive me crazy, Chi, you drive me crazy as hell!"

He stepped forward and touched her cheek gently. Chichi felt the warmth of his palm caress her skin as those words were slowly absorbed. It seemed like something she wanted to hear, but at the same time, it was terrifying.

"Goku…"

Her big brown eyes stared at him with a certain glint. Goku smiled slightly, for Chichi had not backed away, not like she had when he met her last time, she had not shrunk or retreated at his touch. He closed his eyes and rested his forehead against hers, bringing his other hand to the other side of her face, holding her close to him.

Chichi closed her eyes next to him and felt her insides turn, her skin shiver, her hands sweat, and her throat go dry. Her heart pounded, especially when his warm breath crashed against hers and his lips parted like an irresistible invitation, but reason seemed to beat even harder and she pulled away.

"No, Goku... What... you..."

"Chi, I-"

"No!"

He tried to reach out to her again, but she pulled back.

"Goku, what we had was just one night, one fun time. I thought that was clear, that this is what you wanted, that this is what you wanted from the beginning!"

"It was, it was ... but ..." he shook his head "but..."

"No, Goku. It was it! It was for me too." Chichi sighed. "I honestly don't know what you expect from me, Goku. Do you really think that after everything... after all that has happened... that you could just come to me, say that I drive you crazy, and that I would do what?"

"I-I-I..."

"You don't like me, Goku, there's no way." she said firmly looking at his black and sad orbs "From the beginning I was nothing but a conquest for you, I know that. You did everything to get me into bed, you lied, lied more than once, that I know. From the beginning you only thought about getting me into bed, to get one more beautiful woman to have sex with, one more trophy for your collection of conquests, just like all the others you must have done and must still do. There's no way I can take you seriously, there's no way I can believe that this," she pointed to herself and to him, "can work."

"Chichi I know that I acted wrong, that I was an idiot, but…"

"That's okay, Goku, I know that you were only using me, I accepted this condition because I was also only using you." she admitted it. She couldn't point fingers at him and say that he had been lying from the beginning when she hadn't been totally honest either.

Goku opened his mouth and widened his eyes and remained static, not understanding.

"I made a bet, Goku, I bet with Whis and Chirai that I could have sex with you without falling in love." she sounded a bit cold, which made her uncomfortable, especially when she saw Goku's disappointed expression, but she had to be honest. "I was also just using you, so I didn't mind that you were only after me because of that too. It was a mutual benefit."

"Are you-you-serious?"

"Yes, Goku. And if you must know... I won the bet!"

That was cold water was thrown in him for Goku who was left without reaction. He had believed that they had something. Something strong and intense, it was not possible that only he had felt that connection. He knew that the next morning, these past weeks, what was keeping her from him was the curse, but now... now that he shouldn't have a curse anymore, hearing those words was like feeling his heart being trampled.

But he couldn't believe it.

"I... things have changed along the way, Chichi, I know they have for me, this isn't the way I see you! If I had bet, I would have lost the bet, because I fell in love with you."

He sounded sincere and pure as he looked into her eyes. He knew what he was feeling, he had no doubt.

Chichi shook her head again. She still couldn't believe that feeling, no matter how much he said it, she couldn't believe that it was what he truly felt. She saw herself more as a crush, as someone he wanted to keep around because he thought it would be good for him, to have someone to have nice sex with once in a while. What were the chances that he would take her seriously? Of making a commitment? Of wanting a future? Those things were not for him, as he himself had told her once before. She couldn't let herself be fooled. After all, how long would he go through with it? How long before he got sick of this quiet dating life and went back to his routine of being a womanizer? That is if he actually stopped and made a serious commitment to her because there was still the risk that he would want to keep them both and she was not an idiot to be made of fool.

"I think you're just a little bit used to my company after all this time, we could be good friends, but I think it'd... I don't think that'd work either." Now, even without the block, she felt that it wasn't a good idea to maintain a friendship with him. "I'm sorry for using you, Goku, I didn't mean to do you any harm, but... I just did what you were doing to me, and I'm sure you've been on this side so many times."

This was true, and it made Goku feel a bitter taste in his mouth as he remembered all the times a woman fell in love with him after they had been together, only for him to say that he had never promised anything and took off, leaving behind a woman with a broken heart, just as he was at that moment.

"You don't have to apologize to me, Chi... But I..."

"I think you'd better go now, Goku." she sounded firm, perhaps as firm as she had ever sounded with him before.

"Chi..." he tried to reach out, to take her hands, to feel the warmth of those fairy hands one last time, but she pulled back.

It was not because of the block thing. It was for caution.

Maybe if he tried a little harder...

"Chi, please, I just wanna say..."

"No," Chichi held up his palm in a stop sign. "I'm seeing another guy, Goku. And we're cool, I don't want to spoil things. Please go away and don't look for me again."

Goku swallowed hard.

And all he could think was that it was too late. Ribrianne had gotten what she wanted. He shook his head. He didn't want to give up, but he didn't want to be pushy either. If she said no, then he would accept her no.

Chichi walked him to the door in silence, but before he left, she said: "And don't be so hard-headed about your mother. She deserves to be happy. Go to the dinner, give the guy a chance, bring some wine!" she smiled lightly and Goku almost smiled at the comment, but said nothing and left.

She felt her heart squeezing and aching as she closed the door. Her eyes threatened to burst into heavy, thick tears, but she took a deep breath and tried to avoid it all the same.

It was the right thing to do. Goku was still the same irresponsible, immature, inconsequential man she had met in the park one fine morning. She wasn't going to stop following her path, now that she had made up her mind to give Granolah a chance, to delude herself with Goku.

Outside, Goku walked to his car. His steps were slow, he seemed to be trying to absorb everything he had heard, or maybe he was trying to give Chichi time to open the door and shout his name, to say that it was all a huge mistake and that she wanted to be with him.

He closed his eyes reliving in his memory the brief moment when he was so close to her... He could have kissed her, he wanted to kiss her, he knew she wouldn't back down, and he knew that after that there would be no way she could deny the feeling she had. But he didn't. He had to respect Chichi's decision. Whatever it was...

Before he got into the car, he heard the old lady behind him, calling him:

"So how did it go?"

He looked back and the old woman was standing in her house's doorway, staring at him expectantly. He shook his head sadly and she motioned for him to come over.

"Are you sure you have removed the curse?"

"I have. There's nothing else there, I'm sure!"

Goku sighed heavily. There was a small part of him that hoped that perhaps the reversal of the spell hadn't worked, and Chichi's answer was nothing more than the answer to his curse yet. But from the interaction he had had with the old woman, it had been enough for Goku to know that she was a witch just as much as Ribrianne. He had told his whole story to Mrs. Uranai, and she, because she could see that underneath the whole shell of that womanizer, there was a good-hearted person, decided to help him and even hope that he would get along with her neighbor.

"Well, thanks for getting me out of it, anyway, but... I guess that's the end of it."

Uranai gave him a sympathetic look and replied: "It is still early for the end, young man."

"Yeah... I dunno..."

Goku sighed again as he looked one last time in the direction of Chichi's house.

It seemed like the end for him.

End Notes:

Goku got rid of the curse, but Chichi already moved on... oh boy, what's going to happen next? Will he give up on her that easily? Won't he fight for her? Chichi will let her fear overcome her feelings for him?

We'll find out soon 😉