Goku exhaled and flung himself back onto the grass, his arms and legs sprawled out as his mind soared. His eyes lazily glanced up at the small white clouds dancing across the ocean blue sky, the gentle wind blowing and caressing his arms and face, his eyes closing tiredly as he recalled the reason for his current predicament.

He'd messed up. He'd messed up big time.

He should have known he couldn't hide anything from his wife. But this was something he did not want her to find out about. Because he knew she was going to flip! The tournament of Power had only ended a couple of weeks ago, and after a somewhat angry welcome from his wife when he returned home, things seemed fine between them, and life just carried on.

But, three days ago, it all changed. She found out that he had asked for the tournament to take place, which she wasn't happy about, as they could have all been wiped from existence had they not won. He tried to explain that he didn't know that would be the consequence should they lose, and actually all along they were going to be wiped out, so if anything, Goku gave them a fighting chance.

But what was worse, was that she had found out who ordered the assassination on him with Hit.

It was Him.

3 days prior ...

He winced when Chichi asked him directly about the assassination and if it was indeed him that arranged that. He became nervous. How the hell did she know about that? Vegeta was the only person who knew the truth, aside from Whis and his sister. Surely none of them had told her?

"Well, is it true?!" his little wife furiously questioned him, her arms crossed over her chest. Crap. How was he going to get out of this one? There was no way he could keep the lie up now.

"Uh ... yeah ... it's true" he nervously stuttered out.

"Are you serious?! What the hell were you thinking?!" Chichi shrieked at him, her angry eyes burning into his soul, making him cower.

"I know, I know, I was stupid! But, I just wanted to fight him, that's all!" Goku tired to placate her.

"By ordering an assassination on yourself?!" she screamed in disbelief.

"Yeah ... I mean, no! It wasn' like that!" he tried to explain, putting his hands together in prayer in front of him.

"After everything this family has been through, you willingly risk your life, just for some fun?!"

"No, honey, please-"

"-You have been back not even 3 years, after being dead for 7, and you're already acting reckless! You just can't help yourself, can you?!"

"Chichi-"

"-I know you train when you're supposed to be working, I'm no fool! And I didn't mind you entering the tournament! But this? Goku, how could you?!"

"I know, I'm sorry, Chichi!" he apologised, scooting closer to her.

"It's bad enough you hid what could have happened if you had lost the tournament, but this is just ... I have no words!" Goku reached her and put out his arms to try and hold his wife.

"Chichi, I'm sorry, come here-"

"-NO! Don't you dare try and charm your way out of this!" She screamed at him, slapping his hands away from her.

"But, I just-"

"-NO! I don't wanna hear it! Just leave, Goku! I can't even look at your right now!" she seethed.

"You ... want me to leave home?" Goku asked her quietly, his strong arms dropping weakly to his sides.

"Yes! I want you to leave! So, leave!" she yelled, turning her back to him and resting her palms on the kitchen worktop. Goku sighed dejectedly, but honored his wife's request and left. Chichi covered her face with the palms of her hands, trying to keep her emotions in check, knowing Goten was down the hall. But, it was already too late for that, as he was stood in the hallway and heard them arguing. Goten watched his mother with sad eyes. He'd never heard her shout at his father quite like that before. And what did she mean, when she told his father to leave? Did that mean he wasn't coming back? Goten was worried.


It was later that afternoon, when Gohan stopped by the house, a smile perched on his face when he landed outside the front door. He closed his eyes and breathed in the fresh air, something he missed whilst living in the city. He gave the door a quick knock before entering, a big grin on his face as he walked into the kitchen.

"Hello, anyone home?" he greeted. Goten's head shot up from his desk and he darted from his school work in his bedroom, and straight to the kitchen where he threw himself at his big brother.

"GOHAN!" He shrieked, hugging him tightly around his neck. Gohan laughed at his little brother's excitement and hugged him back.

"Good to see you too, squirt" Gohan chuckled out. He crouched down and put Goten back on his feet, his eyes then glancing around the kitchen and living area.

"Say, where's mom?"

"She's takin' a bath" Goten informed him.

"This early in the day?" Gohan questioned, cocking an eyebrow. Now, past experience taught Gohan, that whenever his mother took a bath during the day, she was pissed!

"She's not very happy since the argument with dad" Goten quietly told him, sadness in his eyes. Gohan gave his little brother his full attention, placing his hands reassuringly on his little shoulders.

"They had an argument? What happened?" Gohan asked him.

"I'm not sure, but mom was angry at dad for somethin'. I never seen her that angry with dad before. She was shoutin' but dad was angry too and shouted back at mom. Then, mom told him to leave and he did and he hasn' come home for 3 days, now!"

"3 days?" Gohan repeated, quite surprised by this.

"Yeah! An' I tried to find him, but I couldn' sense him! D'you think he's okay, Gohan? I'm worried about him!" Goten sadly told his big brother. Gohan ruffled his little brother's wild hair affectionately.

"Hey, squirt, don't worry, I'm sure dad's just fine".

"But, why hasn' he come home? I really want him to come home, brother". Gohan gave his little brother a warm smile and pulled him in for a big hug.

"Hey, it's gonna be okay. I will go and find dad".

"I wanna come with you!" Goten exclaimed, pulling back from Gohan's hug.

"No, kiddo, I need you to stay here with mom. She won't be very happy if you leave, too". Goten sighed.

"Okay" Goten affectionately gave Goten a little jab to his chin and reassured him with a smile.

"Don't worry, it's gonna be okay. I'll find him" he told him, before walking out of the house.

Gohan immediately took to the sky and stopped mid-air, closing his eyes and focusing. He searched hard for his father and smiled when he felt him. He picked up his father's Ki and shot off at full speed in his direction. He must have gone off planet when he first left home, that would explain why Goten couldn't sense him. But, he was certainly back on Earth now.

After flying for a few miles, Gohan found his father led down on the grass next to the near by lake.

"Hey, dad!" Gohan called to his father from the sky before landing swiftly onto the grass a few feet from him. Goku turned his head to the side to see his eldest son approaching him.

"Hey, Gohan, what are you doin' here?" Goku asked him curiously. Gohan was still dressed in his work suit, so had obviously not long finished for the day.

"Lookin' for you, of course. I stopped by the house and you weren't there. Goten said you hadn't been home for a few days. Is ... everythin' okay?" Gohan observed his father's reaction. His father wasn't a very good liar, but was good at hiding his feelings. Goku's eyes turned from his to look up at the sky again.

"Uh, yeah, just ... y'know, been busy with the farm an' stuff. Guess I haven' really been home much".

Gohan shook his head.

Liar.

He sat beside his father and leaned back on his palms, gazing out at the glimmering blue lake. It was peaceful and statue still, the sweet smell of sap lingering in the air.

"What'cha doin' out here, then? If you're meant to be farmin' and stuff? You takin' a break?" Goku gave his son a quick side glance. His son was asking a lot of questions. What did he know?

"Yeah, just ... havin' some down time" Goku responded casually. There was silence between them for a few moments, Gohan thinking carefully about his next question. He looked down at his father, taking in his body language. His body seemed relaxed, but the look on his face told him different. He didn't know his father as well as his mother did, but he knew his father enough to know that he was stressed. And his father didn't get stressed.

"So, you gonna tell me the real reason why you're out here?" he asked him, his eyes still on him. Goku peered up at his son, a dumbfounded look on his face.

"What d'you mean?" He responded with feigned innocence.

"Dad" Gohan cautioned his father gently. Goku inwardly winced. His son wasn't buying anything he was saying. He was just like his mother. He let out a deep breath and sat himself up next to his son, his eyes staring out at the lake. Gohan noticed how his father fidgeted with his fingers, a telling sign that his father was anxious. Gohan was quite shocked at how openly his father was displaying his apprehension. This was not like him. Gohan was concerned.

"Your mom kicked me out" he answered him quietly, his eyes now engrossed on his fumbling digits in his lap.

Well, this wasn't the first time his mother had kicked his father out.

"What happened?" Gohan pushed. He waited as his father took his time to answer. His father wasn't always the best with getting his words out, especially when it came to situations like this.

"She found out about the tournament ... and what really woulda happened if we had lost"

"Okay" Gohan kept his eyes on his father as he continued.

"Yeah ... but she also found out about my fight with Hit"

Gohan cocked an eyebrow. He knew about that fight. He had gone to find his father, with Piccolo and Goten and they found him almost dead laying on the ground. After his father managed to get his heart going again by his own Ki blast, he asked for them all to leave so he could continue his fight with Hit. Gohan wasn't comfortable with it, but they respected his request and left. His mother found out about the fight from Piccolo, after she forced it out of him and she demanded to be taken to him. When they found Goku again, she was extremely worried about him and was questioning who would have put the hit on him. Goku stated that he didn't know.

"Mom knew about that fight, she was there, dad. Me, Mom, Goten and Piccolo came and found you just after Hit left".

"I'm not on about that". Gohan observed as his father licked his dry lips.

"Then what? What else happened?" Goku paused for a good few seconds, and Gohan could see he was really struggling to answer him this time.

"Dad, what did you do?" Gohan firmly questioned him.

"It was me" he blurted out.

"What was you?"

"I'm the one who hired Hit" Gohan's mouth gaped open.

"What?" he gasped out, in utter disbelief. Goku sighed.

"I went to Whis and asked if he could get Hit to come fight me. When we fought in the tournament, he held back against me, and I didn' like that. I wanted to fight him at his best with nothin' holdin' him back. After all the trainin' I'd done, I really wanted to test myself out".

"Dad" Gohan uttered in shock.

"So, Whis said he would ask his sister to sort somethin' out"

"You hired an assassin to kill you?!" Gohan called him out.

"Not ... exactly. I didn' specifically ask for a bounty to be put on my head. I just wanted a rematch, but for it to not come directly from me, 'cause I knew if Hit knew that, he wouldn' have gone all out".

"Dad, are you serious? What the hell was you thinkin'?!" Gohan shouted at his father. Goku stood up and started to pace back and forth.

"I know. I know it was stupid, and I didn' mean for it to happen the way it did. I just wanted a good fight! That's all!" Gohan rose from the ground, watching as his father paced back and forth.

"But you still did it! You made that call! Holy cow, dad, no wonder mom is mad!"

"I know, I messed up!"

"Messed up? You deliberately requested for an assassin to hunt you down and fight you! An assassin who was stronger than you! And then you lied about it! You acted like you had no idea who hired him! When it was you all along!"

"Well ... I didn' lie, I didn't say it wasn't me" Gohan felt a headache coming on.

"How can you be so cool about it?! He could have killed you, dad! You could have died again!"

"Gohan-" Goku tried to talk to his son, ceasing his pacing.

"-I can't believe you, dad! Of all the crazy things you've done, this is one of the worst! This is the lowest of the low!" Gohan yelled. Goku eyed his son, a sullen look upon his face. Goku felt like the worst person in the world right now, not because his son was angry with him, but because he was disappointed in him. And that hurt more.

"Gohan ... I'm sorry" his father solemnly spoke.

Gohan could have slapped himself in the face at his father's stupidity! He knew his naïve father probably didn't think it through properly, and probably did just want a good fight, but he just couldn't see the severity of the situation. Gohan shook his head and stared down at his work shoes.

"I've always had your back, dad. You know I have. I've always stood up for you when mom's been mad at you for somethin'. But this? This is too far"

Goku had nothing to say to that. What could he say to that?

The lack of response from Goku made Gohan furious.

"I'm appalled, dad! That was such a stupid, selfish thing to do!"

"Gohan, I-" Goku tried.

"Don't dad! Just don't! God, I can't ... I can't even look at you right now!" Goku watched with a disheartened expression, as his son flew off in the opposite direction. He had said the exact same words his wife had said 3 days prior.

Shit.

Not only was his wife fuming with him, but his son was too.

Now what?


Goku spent the next hour sat with his legs crossed at the lake edge, picking at the long blades of grass on the bank. He had no idea what to do. Gohan was always the one that defended him and advised him in these sort of situations. Even when he was a kid he would give his father some great speech, reassure him and make him feel better. Goku couldn't help but smile lightly as he recalled the amount of times Gohan helped him pick some wild flowers from the woods, to take home to Chichi in an attempt to apologise. Little Gohan would shove him towards the house, giving him a vote of confidence, Goku clumsily walking into the house, sweating from every orifice and giving his wife a cheesy, nervous smile and handing the flowers to her.

Goku sighed. Goku knew he was meant to be the adult here, being Gohan's father. But he was terrible at this kind of stuff. Gohan always knew what to do or say, more so now that he was a family man, too. He knew how to word things and put things into perspective. Goku found that really difficult. But, now Gohan was pissed at him ... Goku had no idea where to go from here. He groaned in annoyance and stood up, swiping a handful of rocks as he did, then one by one he flung them across the surface of the lake. He suddenly felt his son's Ki and looked over his shoulder to see his son returning and shortly landing a few feet away.

They both remained silent, eyes on each other for several seconds. Gohan was the first one to speak.

"I'm annoyed with you, dad" he told him, in a calmer voice this time.

"I know" Goku murmured as he turned back around and threw another rock across the calm lake.

"But, I know that aint gonna help you and mom right now" Gohan sighed out. Goku glanced at his son from the side, unsure of what to say.

"So, what are you gonna do?" Gohan pressed.

"I dunno" Goku uttered, throwing another rock.

"Well, hangin' around here feelin' sorry for yourself aint gonna do anythin'" Gohan told his father.

"I know that, Gohan"

"Well, stop hidin' here and go an' talk to mom!"

"I tried talkin' to your mom, and she wouldn' listen to me!" Goku rose his voice back at his son, facing him now.

"Then, you need to try again!"

"Do you know your mom?"

"This isn' a joke, dad!"

"Don't you think I know that? Do you see me laughin'?"

Gohan placed his hands on his hips. Boy, did he look like his mother. Goku huffed out a frustrated breath.

"Look, I appreciate you comin' out here to find me, Gohan, but you're my kid, and this isn't your business. This is between me and your mom". Goku snapped at his son. Gohan frowned.

"It's my business when Goten comes to me upset because he heard you and mom arguing! He's worried about you and wonders why you haven't come home!" Gohan quipped back at his father, frowning harder at him. His father didn't respond, he only started pacing again, irritating Gohan further.

"And I understand you're frustrated, dad, but don't take it out on me. This is your fault!". Goku stopped pacing, his hands raking through his hair, the frustration more than evident. He turned to face his son.

"I'm sorry, I'm not trying to take it out on you. I'm not. I just ... dunno what to do ... I-I'm sorry" he stuttered out. Gohan watched as his father stood by the lake side again, folding his arms and shaking his head, likely berating himself. Honestly, this man!

Gohan exhaled and ambled over to his father, standing right next to him as they both stared out at the lake.

"Just ... go home tomorrow and talk to her. Make her listen to you. Tell her your side of things and apologise". Gohan advised his father.

"I will" Goku quietly responded. The two stood in silence for a few seconds.

"You wanna come stay at mine tonight?" Gohan offered, peering over at his father.

"Nah, I'm good out here" Goku quietly returned, kicking the dirt on the lake edge with his boot.

"But, you have nowhere to sleep and no roof over your head-"

"-Gohan, I lived alone in these woods when I was a kid. I know how to live off the land and find shelter. I'll be fine" Goku reassured his son, looking at him this time. Gohan stared into his dad's eyes. At least he seemed like he was being genuine with that answer.

"Well, if you change your mind, you know where I am"

"I know. Thanks, son" Goku told him gratefully.

"Okay, well, I gotta head home, so, I will talk to you tomorrow" Gohan told his father before taking off into the sky once more. Goku watched his son disappear into the sky, a longing look on his face. He appreciated his son being there for him, despite how angry he was at him. But, at the same time, Goku couldn't help but feel alone right now.


It was Gohan's turn to vent his frustration as he paced back and forth his kitchen, Videl watching him intently from the kitchen table.

"I just can't believe him! What was he thinking?" Gohan poured out.

"I dunno, Gohan. But, this is your dad, I'm sure he didn' mean anythin' by it"

"He lied, Videl! He lied to all of us! All to get a thrill!"

"I know, honey. Your dad just ... can't help himself sometimes" Videl guessed. She had come to know Gohan's father very well, and as much as she loved the guy, he could be very frustrating. He was funny, always making her laugh and always spending time with Pan, but the man had a one track mind and as soon as the opportunity to have a little fight arose, he was gone quicker than bees to honey.

She knew a lot about the Saiyans from her husband, and from Bulma and Chichi, but she didn't know everything. Gohan was only half Saiyan, so he didn't quite have the hunger that his father had for fighting and he certainly was nowhere near as impulsive. Gohan enjoyed the odd spar with his father and Piccolo, but nothing more than that. Goku on the other hand, he was almost obsessive, it was a need for him. Videl couldn't form an opinion on Vegeta, because she didn't know him that well, but according to Bulma, he was just as compulsive. Videl was glad that Gohan wasn't like that. She always wondered how Chichi and Bulma coped with it.

"They've been through so much together, and they've rowed loads of times before. My mom's kicked him out of the house before, but always allowed him to come back once they both cooled off. They've always been able to fix it. No matter the problem, they always found a way ... But ... What if this is really it? What if my mom is really done this time? I dunno what I'd do" Gohan suddenly turned to look at his wife, almost hoping she had the answer, or a way to resolve all of this. Videl found her feet and approached her husband.

"It's gonna be okay, Gohan. This is just another problem for them to work through and fix. Your parents have been together forever, and they are so strong. It'll be okay, you'll see". She reassured him, gently rubbing his strong bicep.

"I hope so". He murmured.


It was just past midday and Goku found himself in his garden, staring longingly at his home. He was nervous. Very nervous. His wife had a knack for making him feel nervous, both good and bad, of course. But, when she was angry at him, really angry at him, he couldn't help but crap his pants. It was ridiculous, really. He was one of the strongest beings in the Universe, his wife was no match for him. And yet, she had this power, this fire in her eyes, that had him on his knees, completely submitting to her. He always wondered how she did that.

He slowly ambled towards the house, taking a deep breath before knocking on the kitchen door. A few seconds later, he was greeted by his very angry wife.

"Hi" Goku greeted her quietly, gently thrusting a concoction of wild flowers towards her. Chichi frowned.

"I don't want to talk to you" Chichi fumed, about to slam the door on him, but Goku stopped it with his free hand.

"Chichi, we need to talk about this" he pressed, entering their kitchen and closing the door behind him.

"No, we don't. You might need to, but I don't!" she responded, turning her back to him as she walked towards the kitchen counter.

"No, we both need to talk about this. Just at least let me explain myself!" Chichi had her cleaning gloves in her hand and was about to put them on and start washing the dishes, but instead she threw them down onto the counter and spun on her heels to face him.

"Go on then, explain yourself!" she ordered. Goku swallowed, the nerves suddenly getting to him. He had gone over what he wanted to say in his head several times, on his way to the house, but now his mind was blank. He carefully put the flowers down on the sideboard and exhaled as he racked his brain for the words he needed to say.

"I know what I did was stupid, but it didn' quite happen the way you think it did" he started cautiously.

"Oh, so Bulma's a liar now?" she sassed, folding her arms over her chest. Goku frowned slightly. So, Bulma was the one who ratted him out.

"I'm not accusin' anyone of bein' a liar, Chichi, It just didn' happen quite like that. Bulma wasn' the one who was there". Chichi raised an eyebrow, waiting for him to continue.

"Some time ago, I went to Whis and asked him if he could find a way to make contact with Hit and get him to fight me, but without knowing the request came from me! Whis spoke to his sister, and she ordered Hit to assassinate me. I knew I had improved and my strength had increased, so, I wanted to test it out. When I fought him at the tournament, he wasn' givin' me his all because we weren' allowed to fight like that. At least, we weren' allowed to fight to the death, because it was against the rules, so I knew he was holdin' back on me. I was stronger fightin' him the second time round, so I thought I had a better shot at it, but I guess I was wrong. I wasn' purposely tryin' to get myself killed, I just didn' want him to hold back against me. I wanted a real fight with him to see where I stood!"

"Hit is an assassin. It's his job to kill people" Chichi stated.

"Well, yeah, it is his job to do that, but I wasn' worryin' about that, I had a back-up plan".

"With the Ki blast?" Chichi pressed. Shit, how did she know about that?

"Yeah, I planned the Ki blast to get my heart pumpin' again. And it worked! So, all was fine" His breezy response stabbed her in the heart.

"Does this family mean anything to you?" she quietly questioned him.

"What kind of question is that? Of course it means somethin' to me! You're my family!"

"Hit could have killed you! You just admitted he was stronger than you! You knew he was stronger than you, yet you played with fire! Your heart stopped beating, Goku! It was sheer luck that brought you back! You could have died again! I could have lost you again, the boys could have lost you again! Do you have any idea how this makes me feel?!" her voice trembled.

"Chichi, I didn' mean anythin' by it. You have to believe me"

"You never do, Goku. You just run off and do these stupid things, with no thought to any consequences and no thought to how it would affect our family!".

"No, that's not true"

"It is true! This is just classic Goku! You did the exact same thing with Cell!" she raised her voice.

"How is this the same thing?" Goku wondered.

"Because you hid everything from me then, just as you have now! You hid from me that you couldn't beat Cell and you hid from me that you were going to make Gohan fight him!"

"I didn' tell you 'cause I didn' want to worry you. I had complete faith in our son, and he proved me right by beating Cell! No one else believed he could do it! Only me! I didn' want you to freak out, when I knew he could do it!" Goku responded firmly.

"No, you were wrong! And you had to sacrifice your life because of that mistake! You should have never put that burden on our son! And you knew it! That's why you took the fall for it!"

"I took the fall for it to protect our son! I thought that Cell would be gone, an' it would all be over! I didn' know he could regenerate after blowing up his entire body!"

"Another mistake! So, you sacrificed yourself for nothing! Cell still lived and our son had to carry your death and the burden of saving the world on his shoulders!" Chichi pointed out. Goku was starting to get irritated.

"I sacrificed myself for Gohan and for you! Nobody thought Cell was comin' back! That aint just on me! I did what I did to save you!"

"And then, when you had the chance to come back, you refused to" Chichi added.

"Chichi, we already talked about this!" Goku almost groaned at her.

"And I want to talk about it again! You claim you did what you did to save us, and yet, when you had the chance to come back to us, you declined it. How did that save us? You refused to come home to us! You left us, Goku! You destroyed us! You left me with no explanation, not even a goodbye! Yet, you were able to say your goodbyes to everyone else on the Lookout!"

"Aw, c'mon, Chichi, we have been through this! We had this argument! I refused to come back 'cause I thought it was the right thing to do! Danger has followed me since I was a kid, all these enemies were constantly after me! I thought that by staying dead, they'd have no reason to come to Earth, so you and Gohan would be safe and finally have peace. And you know I was only allowed to talk to them because they were tryin' to wish me back. King Kai forbid me to speak to anyone after that! It's against the rules of the afterlife. And what has this got to do with my fight with Hit?" he tired to steer them back on topic.

"We lost you, Goku. You left your wife and your son. Irregardless of your reasons, you left us for good. We were never going to see you again until we passed over. We had to live with your decision to stay dead. We had to mourn your death. Gohan had to battle with the guilt, blaming himself for your death because he didn't beat Cell when you told him to. I had to deal with having our second child without you! You crushed this family with that decision! And it took years for us to accept it and live with it!" Chichi rasped out.

"I still don't understand what this has to do with Hit?!" Goku exclaimed. Bringing up Cell was always a sore subject and he didn't want to hear it if he didn't have to. Chichi continued.

"When Gohan told me you were coming back for a day, I screamed with excitement. Gohan was over the moon, and even though Goten was nervous to meet you, he couldn't wait for it, too. And then, when we found out at the lookout that you had been granted life again, it was like our family had become whole again, we finally had you back, it was like air was pumped into our lungs again. I can't even begin to describe how I felt. Our family has been put through hell for so long, Goku. Something always happened to us, something always ripped us apart. Raditz, Vegeta, Frieza, the androids and Cell. It's been heartbreak after heartbreak. Worry after worry. But we finally had you home! And we finally had peace! I thought everything was fine and you were happy being home with us!"

"I was, Chichi! I still am! I am so grateful that the old Kai gave me my life back!" Goku assured her.

"You are so happy, that you arranged a tournament with all the Universes, with the outcome being that we would be completely eradicated if we lost. You are so happy, that you requested for an assassin to be sent to fight you. Knowing there was a good possibility you would lose. Knowing the assassin could kill you, and he almost did! You purposely put your life on the line, just to sate a sick thrill of yours, not even thinking about what it would do to us if we lost you again." Chichi felt herself losing her composure, her voice cracking, thick with emotion, her head filled with years of painful memories.

"Babe" Goku barely whispered, his eyes saddening as he watched his wife start to crumble before him, tears forming in the corners of her eyes.

"You almost single handedly destroyed this family again, Goku! And this time, just so you could have fun fighting someone stronger than you!".

"It's not like that, an' you know it! I would never intentionally try an' hurt this family!" Goku raised his voice at her.

"You are so consumed by this need to fight. You are blinded by it and can't see what you are doing!"

"I'm not blinded by anythin'! I know what I am doin'!"

"No you don't! And you never will! It will never change! I can't go through this again, Goku! I won't! I won't be hurt like that again!" She cried out, tears now cascading down her pale cheeks. Goku swiftly reached her body and pulled her to him, forcing her palm to his chest.

"Chichi, please don't cry, I'm right here! I'm alive! My heart is beating!" he frantically tried to assure her.

"You're not listening to what I'm saying!" she argued.

"Yes I am!" he countered.

"No you're not, Goku!" she wept, pushing against his chest to get away from him, "You are so quick to run off and save the World, but where are you when I need you? Where are you when I need saving?! I can't keep drowning because of you! Because that's how it feels, Goku! Like I am drowning, with no way out and no one to save me!".

"Chichi, I'm here. I will save you!" Goku anxiously spewed out, chasing after her as she walked away from him. He stood directly in front of her, bending down to see her face better, his hands grabbing her by her shoulders, "I won't let you drown, Chichi. I promise, I will never let you drown!"

"How can you do this to us, Goku?"

"Honey, I didn' mean it-"

"-I want you out of this house" she shakily whispered.

"What?" Goku breathed out.

"I'm done. I don't want you here. Please, go" she whimpered.

"You don't mean that" Goku croaked out, his terrified eyes desperately trying to search hers, praying this was some cruel joke.

"Yes, I do-"

"-No, no you don't! You can't mean that! You can't want me to leave!" his voice trembled, his hands gently shaking her shoulders.

"I can't keep doing this, Goku! I'm done! I'm done with being left in the dark! I can't keep waiting for you. I can't keep worrying and hoping you're gonna come home alive. I can't do it! I've done it for too long! It's not fair!"

"You're done? After all this time, you're done?! You can't be done! You love me, Chichi, don't you?!" he gently questioned her, cupping her one cheek with his sweaty palm.

"Please, Goku. Don't make this harder" she begged him, her sorrowful eyes just staring into his as she moved from his touch.

"No, please, Chichi! Don't do this! I know I messed up, but please! Don't make me go! I don't wanna go!" he begged his wife.

"I don't want you here anymore!" she howled at him, tears casing her entire face.

"You're a liar! I don't believe you!" Goku threw back, holding her in place as she tried to escape him.

"You're so selfish! And reckless! You couldn't' give a damn about this family!" Chichi shouted at him.

"That's not true!" he shouted back.

"Let go of me!"

"No, I won't! I can't! I can't let go of you, Chichi!"

"You have to!" she countered.

"I can't, honey, please. I dunno what I'd do without you! You're everythin' to me, you an' the boys! Please, Chichi! I'm sorry! Don't do this!" Chichi pushed Goku against his chest with all her strength, startling him and breaking his hold on her.

"GET OUT!" She screamed at him, the force behind her voice making the whole house shake. Goku backed off, but his fearful expression never changed.

"Please, Chi" he whispered.

"Get out, Goku" she firmly repeated herself. Goku could feel his heart beating frantically in his chest, panic etched across his face.

"But ... I love you" he choked out. For a split second, he could see a tenderness in his little wife's eyes, from hearing such words from him. But it was short lived.

"I don't care. Just go" she barely managed to get out, her red puffy eyes glaring at him, the tears still fresh on her rosy cheeks. Goku felt like he had been backed into a corner with no way out, and that always kicked in fight or flight mode for him, though normally the former, today he felt like he had no choice but to accept it was the latter.

So, he left.