Hello! Author here. Requesting a favor. My account is not showing me anything really, when it comes to statistics, just a big fat zero on this entire story, though I know I have at least 4 followers. Which is great! Very happy that someone is enjoying this story but if you could consider leaving a review, just so I know you're real, I'd appreciate that. Not sure what is up with this site but my attempts for answers from the admins have been less than fruitful.
In any case, I'll let you get to what you're actually here for. Enjoy!
"There, that ought to do it," Chi-Chi smiled as she finished tying her scarf around the young girl's ankle.
She patted the child's head before standing to her full height, and looked the girl up and down. Chi-Chi's heart tightened at the sight, easily able to picture herself at that age, with her leg wrapped tight after falling down a ravine. Oh how far she had come in just two short years. Now she was the one helping people!
Chi-Chi pressed her hands to her cheeks happily. 'Just you wait Goku, I'll become a worthy woman for you yet!'
She sighed, feeling wistful, and turned back to the girl. "Let's get you home…uh…what was your name again?"
"Josei!" the girl sniffled, holding on tight to her skirt.
Chi-Chi couldn't help but smile. The girl was so cute! "Let's get you home Jose—"
"Princess Chi-Chi! Princess Chi-Chi!" cried Oba as she scrambled across the bridge. "I told you not to get too far ahead!"
Josei gasped. "You're a princess?"
"It's not ladylike to wander off—"
"Does that mean you live in a castle?!"
"What if something happ—"
"And get to wear pretty dresses?!"
Chi-Chi groaned, slapping her forehead. When would Oba learn?
"Oba! You're not supposed to call me that while we travel, remember?"
Oba stared back, confused. "But then how will others know to treat you with the proper respect?"
"Will you get to marry a prince?!"
Chi-Chi ignored her attendant and turned her attention back on the little girl with a smile. "Some princesses do but I'm gonna marry someone much better!"
"Better than a prince?!" Josei asked, astonished. She couldn't imagine such a person.
Chi-Chi giggled and took the small girl's hand, walking along the path. "I'm gonna marry the strongest, sweetest man in the world someday."
"And that's better than a prince?"
Chi-Chi's smile widened. She could tell the little girl was doubtful but that was only because she'd yet to meet Goku.
"Better than anyone!"
Her gaze drifted to the sky as she wondered where he was now.
o0o
Goku dropped the boulder to the side and rotated his arms, giving them a good stretch. It had been a few hours since breakfast…maybe he should consider finding something to eat before it got much later.
"Heeeeeeeeeeeeelp!"
Huh?
What was that?
Goku darted through the forest, bouncing off the trees as he went until he spotted a little kid running through the foliage, a jungle cat hot on his heels.
Oh goodie! Lunch!
He leapt just behind the boy and intercepted the beast's fangs by slamming his pole between its jaws.
"Sorry! Can't let you do that."
The tiger swiped, shredding his clothes, but Goku was quicker. He delivered a swift kick to its jaw before jumping up into the air and knocking it back to the earth with a roundhouse kick. It didn't get back up.
"Welp, that was easy," Goku grinned. He turned to the child peeking out from behind a bush, trembling with fear. "You can come out now! Don't worry, he can't hurt ya anymore."
"Oh thank you, thank you!" cried the small boy—at least he was pretty sure it was a boy—as he ran to give him a hug. "I was so scared it was going to eat me!"
Goku blinked before a smile sprung to his lips as he recalled the last time he had heard those words. Chi-Chi had claimed to be scared too but she had swung that tiger around by its tail as she screamed, making the whole situation look pretty absurd. He hadn't been able to help laughing, even if it angered her, but Chi-Chi forgave him pretty quick in the end. Food made everything better.
His heart squeezed uncomfortably at the memory.
He'd been doing his best to avoid thinking about her. Everytime he did, he found himself heading back to Mt. Frypan. It was distracting. He was supposed to be training. He couldn't do that if he kept running back to Chi-Chi's.
But at times like these, he couldn't help himself.
Goku wondered how she was doing before he remembered the trembling boy squeezing him tight. He patted the boy on the back and smiled.
"C'mon! I'll take ya back to your village, alright?"
The boy nodded gratefully.
"Great! Just one sec."
Goku opened a storage capsule and tossed the tiger inside before capsulating it again.
"For when I get hungry," he explained, noting the boy's bewildered stare. "By the way, I'm Goku. What's your name?"
"Otoko," the boy muttered, confused by the strange behavior of his rescuer. However he was old enough now to realize beggars coouldn't be choosers. So instead he just smiled and directed Goku back to his village.
It took longer than either expected but in the end they made it safely back after a short trek. Good thing too. The clouds were getting dark and it looked like it would probably rain soon.
"Welp, we're here." Goku grinned. "I guess I'll be going now."
"Wait! You can't go now. I have to repay you somehow."
"Aw, you don't have to do that. Besides, I got somethin' tasty out of it so we're even!"
"Please?" Otoko begged, noting Goku's tattered clothes. "My mother could patch up your clothes! She's skilled and very fast!"
Goku pulled the material tight to examine it. His clothes were pretty ragged and he still needed them for at least another year—he'd already ruined the set Chi-Chi had given him. Maybe accepting the boy's offer wasn't such a bad idea.
"Okay! Thanks!"
He followed Otoko to his home when a familiar scent hit his nose, making it twitch. It was something…something smoky and…sweet, like wildflowers! This was Chi-Chi's scent!
Goku spun, searching for the source, but he knew without looking that the owner of the scent wasn't there. Where did she go? And why had she been here?
He leapt to the top of a hut.
"Wait! Where are you going?" cried Otoko.
But Goku was already leaping away, trying to hunt down the scent's owner. It couldn't be anyone other than Chi-Chi, he knew it had to be her. But what was she doing here?
He sniffed the air, once…twice…
There! His head snapped to the left. The scent was coming from over there!
Goku spotted the small figure walking away and grinned. It was Chi-Chi!
"Hey Chi-Chi!"
Goku flipped in front of the girl, startling her, smiling wide only to pout when he realized it wasn't his friend. "You're not Chi-Chi."
In fact, this girl didn't smell like Chi-Chi at all. He sniffed a little closer and realized the source was coming from a scarf wrapped around the girl's ankle.
"You know Princess Chi-Chi?" the girl beamed, her eyes going wide and sparkly.
Of course he knew Chi-Chi but he was surprised to learn that this girl did too. "Yeah, you know her?"
"Yes!" The girl grinned, nodding eagerly. "Princess Chi-Chi saved me from the river! She even gifted me her scarf!"
She lifted her leg to show off her bandaged ankle before lowering it back down and sighing. "She's so kind and beautiful! I wish I was a princess."
"Do you know where I can find her?"
"She was heading back to the river crossing just south of here."
"Thanks!"
"Wait!" the girl called, "the princess left hours ago!"
But Goku was already long gone, hopping from roof to roof as made his way to the river.
All year he had been good, focusing on his training and staying away from Mt. Frypan but he wasn't about to miss this chance now that Chi-Chi had come to him! He had to find her!
The sky grumbled as he ran, prompting travelers to rush for cover, but Goku paid it little attention, more focused on his goal. He darted back and forth between the people and the trees, and finally pole vaulted the remaining distance, before landing on the bank of a raging river.
There was no one in sight.
If Chi-Chi had been here, it had been hours ago, but he could still smell the faintest trace of her scent. He wouldn't let this chance pass him by.
Goku leapt over the river just as the clouds broke and the heavens released buckets of rain in a violent downpour.
"Oh no!"
He wasn't fond of getting soaked but all this rain was washing away Chi-Chi's scent! Goku hurried down the path, racing to catch up, but even after running a good ten minutes there was nobody on the road.
"Power pole extend!"
He dug his power pole into the earth and shot up into the sky, hoping to catch sight of any travelers but the forest was thick and the few openings in the woods revealed nothing. He sniffed, trying to catch her scent one last time, but only managed to get a hint of something smelly and…
Lightning struck, electrifying his insides, and Goku fell, crashing to the earth.
…
Goku groaned as he came to, rolling onto his hands and knees before stumbling to his feet and leaning heavily on his power pole. It'd been awhile since he'd last been caught in a storm, Chi-Chi's camping gear coming in handy over the years. He smiled, recalling how she had lectured him about taking care of himself.
"Heh. I guess she'd be pretty upset if she saw me now," Goku smiled, though it wobbled a bit from the pain.
He limped his way to a small overhang and collapsed face first, his tail sticking straight up as he grimaced.
Wait a sec…
"Tail?" Goku peeked over his shoulder and spotted his tail swaying back and forth lazily, as if it hadn't just materialized out of nowhere. He jumped to his feet excited. "Oh hey my tail's back! Yay! I missed it."
He hugged his tail close, feeling happy, even though he was still disappointed to have missed Chi-Chi. Oh well. It stunk that he missed her but he'd see her again next year. After he won the Tournament that is. And then he'd tell her all about it and she'd be so impressed! She'd probably give him a dozen kisses for being so strong.
Goku grinned. He liked the thought of that. He turned to his tail. "Guess I better train you huh?"
Oh! But first he needed some new clothes…and there was still that tiger to eat and…
o0o
"Huh?"
Chi-Chi turned to glance back the way they had come and noted the storm raging in the distance.
"Princess Chi-Chi? Is something the matter?" Oba asked.
Chi-Chi frowned, noting vaguely that her attendant was still calling her by her title, but didn't take her eyes off the storm. For some reason she had the strangest desire to go back.
"That must be pretty nasty if we can see it from here," Oba muttered, stepping up beside her. "C'mon my lady. We should get going before it catches up."
Chi-Chi knew Oba was right, the storm did look very bad, but…
She sighed and turned back around. It was probably just the incident from earlier making her imagine things.
"Lead on Oba."