"Man, am I beat!" Goku laughed, wiping the sweat from his brow.

He sure could go for some sort of meat right now. Grilled fish didn't sound too bad either. Something savory and juicy. He sniffed the air but instead of something savory he smelled something…sweet? Mmm, fruit sounded pretty good too! He wasn't picky. If it was available, he'd eat it!

Goku jumped high into the tree and swung across the branches until he located the source of the yummy scent.

"Oh boy! Mangos!"

He plucked two from the tree and took a large bite out of one.

"Mmmm!"

He hadn't had these since he'd travel with Bulma! He took another bite and looked around, spotting an odd looking animal with long limbs moving slowly down a tree. It sure was a funny looking creature.

Goku finished off the mango and chomped down on his second as he observed his surroundings.

It sure was peaceful here. Not a soul but the animals around. He sure had missed it. Living with Krillin and Master Roshi was great, and Launch made tons of yummy food! But they sure were a rowdy bunch. It was great being around so many new people but he sure had missed being able to just sit back and enjoy nature. His friends weren't too interested in taking in the wilderness but that was okay. For the next three years it would just be him and the animals.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

"Hm?" Goku's head swiveled in the direction of the scream as the funny looking creature booked it into double time to get out of there. "What was that?"

"Stay away you big jerks!"

Huh? Why did that voice sound so familiar?

Goku grabbed another mango and swung toward the commotion, stopping only when he spotted a leg sticking out of a bush. He dropped down beside it and peered through the leaves. There was a man lying there, riddled with bullet holes, who didn't look like he was breathing. He couldn't have been the source of the screams though, the voice had been too girly to come from a big guy like him.

Goku yanked his head back and looked around, spotting another prone figure at the base of a tree holding a large gun, and quickly made his way over but he could tell that this guy was gone too. By the looks of the dent in his head, the culprit was that large coconut at his feet. But who had screamed?

He bit into his mango right as another piercing wail rang out.

"AAAAAAAAAaaaaahhhh!"

Well that didn't sound good.

Goku swallowed his fruit and tossed the remains behind him as he scrambled to catch up. Several more bodies laid spread across the path but he didn't pay them any mind. Instead he hopped across them all in a single leap, narrowly avoided the ledge to a small ravine when he landed, and raised a hand to one ear.

"Oh what do I do? What do I do?! Where even am I? Oh no I'm lost! I'm lost and I'll never see my dear Papa again!"

Goku leaned over the ledge to spy a small girl—at least he thought they were a girl—wearing a familiar pink helmet and boots, with a green cape and little else.

It was a girl! And he knew her!

He somersaulted over the edge, landing next to her with barely a noise and grinned.

"Hey Chi-Chi! It's me, Goku!"

Chi-Chi's tears froze in midair as she whipped around to look at him.

"Goku?! What are you doing here?" She gasped and brought gloved hands to her lips. "Did you come to rescue me from the bad men?"

"I can if ya want," Goku offered, though he didn't know what much there was left to do considering the trail of bodies she'd left in her wake.

He frowned finally realizing they weren't anywhere near Mt. Frypan. How the heck did Chi-Chi wind up here?

"Who are they and what do they want with you?"

"I…I don't know," Chi-Chi mumbled, her eyes welling with tears in a way that put Goku on edge. "The last thing I remember was being out for a walk near my home and then…then somethin' hit me!"

Her tears quickly turned to outrage as she remembered their attack. The nerve of those brutes!

"When I woke up I was here! In some sort of jungle?" She questioned looking around. "My poor Papa's probably so worried and all because of these jerks! But I don't even know where we are, how can I possibly find my way home?!"

"I can take ya home Chi-Chi."

"Really?" She turned wide, sparkly eyes in his direction before throwing herself at him. "Oh thank you, thank you, thank you! I'm so happy you found me!"

Goku stiffened under her assault, feeling his cheeks go hot with every squeeze of her arms. He sure hadn't expected such a strong reaction but it was okay. He had hugged his grandpa the same way too, so he knew Chi-Chi must be really, really happy.

There was just one little problem.

"Uh, Chi-Chi?"

"Mhm?"

"I can take ya home but I can't use Nimbus cause Master Roshi said I'm supposed to be trainin'."

"Oh…well that's okay," Chi-Chi shrugged. "I don't mind walking."

She started to pick herself up from the ground but fell back on her butt as soon as her leg gave out beneath her.

"Ow! That hurts!" Chi-Chi cried, squeezing her ankle.

Goku pulled her hand away and then tugged off her boot and sock to examine it closer. It was swollen, that much was clear, and was already a dark purplish color. He pressed his fingers along the muscle carefully, feeling for any breaks but was relieved when he felt none.

"It's not broken but it looks like you sprained it pretty bad."

He sniffed the air a few times and grinned. Great! There was a water source nearby. He turned and offered her his back.

"Climb on!"

"But won't I be too heavy?"

Goku laughed. Her too heavy? That was funny.

"Nah. I could lift twenty of you, easy!"

Chi-Chi frowned, feeling somewhat offended though she didn't know why. Still, if Goku said he could carry her, then she'd just have to trust him. Placing all her weight on her good leg, Chi-Chi carefully got to her feet and then draped herself across his back as Goku slipped his hands under her legs to lift her up.

"Ready?"

Chi-Chi grabbed her boot and indicated that she was.

"Okay then, let's go!"

Goku laughed as he bounded through the forest with Chi-Chi clinging to his back. At first she seemed scared but she quickly grew excited as they went, laughing alongside him as he leapt from rock to tree to branch.

"Duck!" he shouted and Chi-Chi did as she was told, laying herself as flat against him as possible as a low branch went flying by. Goku leapt to another hanging high above and swung them an impressive distance, landing beside a steady river. "We're here!"

He lowered Chi-Chi to the ground and then examined her ankle once more.

"Hmm…well it can't be helped I guess."

He started tugging off his shirt making Chi-Chi go bright red.

"G-Goku! What are you doing?!"

"We need to wrap your ankle so it can heal," he explained, pulling his shirt over his head. "But I don't have any bandages, so I'll have to make some."

"Wait!"

Goku lowered his shirt and turned to her. "Why? Don't it hurt?"

"It does but you don't have to ruin your shirt for me," she told him as she removed her cape. She tore a long strip off and handed it to him. "We can use this."

"Oh, okay thanks."

He put his shirt back on and then went and soaked the cloth in the river. It would be better if they had ice but the cool water would still help with the swelling. Goku wrung out the excess liquid and then wrapped it around Chi-Chi's ankle, making sure to get it tight—but not too tight—just like Grandpa had taught him.

"There! All done," he grinned, falling back to sit on his butt.

Chi-Chi twisted her foot around, examining his work, before joining him on the ground. "Thanks, Goku."

She scooted closer to him and then blushed at her forwardness but she couldn't help it! She'd been so scared when she'd woken up in those bad guys' lair and being with Goku made her feel safe.

Goku noticed her movements but didn't think anything of it, more focused on her scent and the way it put him at ease. He had noticed this the last time they'd hung out as well, but something about it was really relaxing.

His eyes grew heavy and started to shut before a sudden thought jolted him wide awake. Oh yeah! He was supposed to be bringing Chi-Chi home.

Goku scratched his cheek as he thought about how to go about it. He couldn't use Nimbus but Chi-Chi couldn't walk with her ankle injured either.

"I guess I'll have to carry ya back," he told her. "That'll make trainin' harder but I suppose it can't be helped."

"Sorry," Chi-Chi mumbled, fidgeting with her fingers. She didn't want to be a burden bu—

"Wait!" She gasped. "What if I use Nimbus while you train? After all, I'm not the one who isn't supposed to use it."

"Hey that's right!" Goku grinned. "Okay, let's do that. But first, we should get somethin' to eat. Are ya hungry?"

"A little," Chi-Chi admitted bashfully.

"Wait here, I'll get us somethin' tasty!"

Goku snatched up the remains of her cape and leapt into the trees, leaving Chi-Chi on her own, but that was okay. She wasn't afraid now that she knew Goku was nearby. Plus she really was hungry and her ankle really did hurt…maybe she could soak it in the river while she waited for Goku.

Using a root for support, Chi-Chi clambored to her feet and hopped toward the river, never noticing the feline eyes that watched her from the bushes.

…

It hadn't taken him long to find the grove of fruit he'd seen before. Goku gathered as many as the cape could carry—eating one for every one he planned to bring back—and quickly finished tying the ends of his makeshift sack together before heaving it over one shoulder. He hoped Chi-Chi liked mangos. This was the second time they would be sharing a meal and for some reason that thought made him happy. Which was weird. He'd shared tons of meals with Bulma, Krillin and the others…but he had liked eating with Chi-Chi…it had been peaceful. Like the meals he had shared with Grandpa.

"AAAAAAAAAHHH!"

Shit! That was Chi-Chi! Had those bad men returned? She had been able to handle them earlier but now she was injured!

Goku jumped from the tree to the ground and raced back to the river as fast as he could, arriving just in time to see a screaming Chi-Chi slamming a tiger back and forth by its tail.

"GOKU!" she cried, swinging the tiger into a tree.

WHACK!

"HELP!"

She smashed it against a rock.

BAM!

"IT'S GONNA EAT ME!"

She hurled the tiger into the ground with such a large thud that Goku couldn't help but stare. He'd never seen anyone else handle a tiger so easily. For some reason the sight made his heart race.

But then Chi-Chi's tears increased to painful levels hurting his ears.

Goku winced as he pulled out his powerpole and leapt, bringing it down on the tiger's head with a hard smack. Chi-Chi threw herself into his arms as soon as she was sure it was safe to do so.

"Oh Goku! I knew you'd save me!"

"I don't know Chi," Goku snickered. "From what I saw ya had things under control." He raised the pitch of his voice up an octave. "Oh Goku! Save me! BAM!" His shoulders shook as he laughed and pointed. "You were so funny!"

Chi-Chi pulled away with a pout. Hmph! If he had seen all that then he should have helped sooner!

"Aw don't be mad, Chi-Chi. Here! I brought ya somethin' to eat!"

He handed over the sack of fruit for her inspection, watching her sniff the fruit carefully before taking a small bite, and was pleased when she seemed to enjoy it.

"Mmm! This is so good! What is it?"

"A mango!" Goku grinned. "And there's plenty more where that came from, so eat up."

He snatched up one for himself, finishing it in two bites, before dusting off his hands. It was time to get to work!

Goku leapt into the trees and broke off several branches and gathered leaves and vines. When he had all that he needed, he began to assemble the spit.

Chi-Chi watched him curiously. "What are you doing?"

"I'm gonna roast this tiger! It sure was lucky ya came across him. I was hankerin' for some meat before I found ya!"

She watched him pierce the tiger with a spear-like branch before she'd seen enough.

"STOP! Ya can't just cook a tiger like that!"

"Huh?" Goku looked up from his work. "Why not?

Chi-Chi huffed and pulled out a small hunting knife she kept in her boot.

"Bring it here," she ordered.

Goku did as instructed and watched as Chi-Chi proceeded to skin the animal carefully. It wasn't the first time she'd skinned an animal, mostly rabbits and chickens, but it was certainly the first time she'd ever had to do so on a creature so large!

When she was done, she cut a mango in half and proceeded to rub it over the tiger meat before finally allowing Goku to roast it.

Goku hadn't understood why she'd wasted a mango at first, that is, until he bit into the cooked meat.

"This is so good!"

Somehow the mango had made the meat a thousand times yummier!

"Of course!" Chi-Chi smiled proudly. "My Papa's an amazing cook and I'm gonna be even better than him someday!"

"You can do it Chi-Chi!" Goku grinned. " If you can do this with just some mango, then I know you can!"

Chi-Chi turned away with a blush while Goku thought of all the yummy meals she was sure to make someday. He wondered if she would be willing to let him have some if he asked nicely.

After they had finished their meal and Goku had tossed the last of the bones in the pile, Chi-Chi turned to him and asked how long it would take to get to Mt. Frypan.

"Hmmm," Goku rubbed his chin as he thought. At Nimbus' top speed, it would probably only take half a day but since he would be training as they went, it would probably take a little longer. "I dunno. A day? Maybe two?" He noted the sun had nearly reached the horizon and frowned. "We should probably wait 'til tomorrow though. It's gettin' late."

"Okay!" Chi-Chi agreed, trusting in him completely. "Where do you live?"

"On Mt. Paozu but it's a long ways from here. Even further than your place Chi-Chi!"

"But…but where will we sleep?" she asked, fearing the answer.

"Wherever we want to!" Goku grinned.

Wherever they wanted to? That's not what Chi-Chi wanted to hear! She'd just been attacked by a tiger earlier that day! What if another one came and ate them while they slept?!

"What if another animal comes? Or the bad men return? Or it rains? Don't you have some sort of shelter or something?"

Goku scratched his head as he thought about this. He was sure he could handle any sort of danger but Chi-Chi had a good point about the rain. Maybe sleeping out in the open wasn't the best idea.

"I got it!" he snapped, thinking of the perfect location.

Goku turned and offered his back to her again.

"Hop on, I know a place we can spend the night."

Chi-Chi gathered her things and did as she was told, holding on tight. Once she was secure, Goku raced back towards the ravine she had fallen down and leapt to the top with two precise hops. There had been a small den not far from here…there!

Goku jolted to a stop beside a small stream emerging from beneath a pile of rocks and placed Chi-Chi down to examine a hidden opening.

"Wait here," he told her before crawling in to inspect the area. It was dry and not too dirty. No animals had been here for a while in any case.

He popped his head back out and waved her in, helping her when she struggled due to her injury.

"Well?" he asked, waving his arms. "Whaddya think?"

Chi-Chi looked around with a small pout. It was a far cry from her bedroom but at least she didn't have to worry about tigers attacking her now.

"It's perfect, thank you Goku."

"Yeah, of course!" Goku grinned.

Chi-Chi smiled bashfully back and Goku could feel the heat on his cheeks rise as they stared at one another. For some reason being in this small space with Chi-Chi felt different than when they were outside.

He scratched the back of his head, nervously. "Well g'night!"

Goku flipped himself over and squeezed his eyes shut despite the fact that he wasn't very sleepy.

"Good night," Chi-Chi murmured.

He could sense her laying down beside him, shifting back and forth to find a comfortable position. For some reason all his senses seemed attuned to her every move. However when she was still shifting twenty minutes later, Goku finally had enough and rolled over to look at her.

"What's wrong?"

Chi-Chi froze, halfway to another position.

"Nothing!"

"Can't sleep?"

"Not really…" she admitted after a moment, now wanting to seem ungrateful. "I'm not used to sleeping without a pillow."

"You can use me as a pillow if ya want," Goku offered, making Chi-Chi blush.

"Really? Are you sure?"

"Sure! I used to do the same with Grandpa all the time."

"Well okay then…" She scooted closer and laid her head against his shoulder and chest. "Thank you, Goku."

"Uh, yeah, sure…" Goku mumbled, confused. When he had offered to be her pillow, he'd expected her to rest her head in his lap, not whatever she was doing now. He scratched his cheek feeling a little awkward, though he didn't know why, before catching a fresh wave of Chi-Chi's scent as she spread the remains of her cape over them like a blanket.

Huh. Well maybe this wasn't so bad after all.

He rolled his head closer to her hair and breathed in. Chi-Chi's scent had always relaxed him…but something about this felt different…good different.

Goku tightened his hold on her as they drifted off to sleep…