07

Bulma took Chi-Chi to the room inside the house to try to treat her injuries as best as possible with the help of the first-aid kit that Master Roshi had on hand. The one on her face didn't look that bad, but a notorious bruise had already formed where that barbarian had hit her. For this, they applied an ointment that, in theory, would help reduce swelling and relieve pain and a bandage over the area.

The most worrying thing was the blow she had received to the torso. Chi-Chi removed the top of her purple outfit so Bulma could see it. A large bruise had also begun to form, especially on her left side. Bulma wasn't a doctor, but it certainly didn't look good. She had no choice but to apply the same special ointment for blows to the entire bruised area and then surround her torso with bandages.

As a final touch, Bulma gave her a couple of strong pain relievers that would hopefully help her feel better and maybe even make her sleep a little.

"How do you feel?" Bulma asked once they were done as she put everything back in the medicine cabinet.

"Better," replied Chi-Chi in a muffled voice as she put her shirt back on as fast as her pain would allow.

"I still think we should take you to a hospital to get checked out."

"I'm not going anywhere until I know Gohan is safe," Chi-Chi declared with unshakeable firmness.

Bulma only had to sigh in resignation. It seemed that stubbornness was a common trait in the Son family, which made her worry about what would become of poor Gohan in the future.

At that moment, there was a knock on the door. Chi-Chi had already put her clothes back on.

"Come in," Bulma instructed, and instantly the door swung open. Krillin and Master Roshi cautiously entered.

"Bulma, if we want to catch up with Goku, we'd better get going," Krillin said as soon as he was inside, taking Chi-Chi by surprise.

"Yeah, let's go," Bulma agreed, getting up from the bed.

"Will you go with Goku?" Chi-Chi questioned, somewhat confused. If they had mentioned it before, she likely hadn't heard them due to her daze.

"The truth is, we all know we can't trust Piccolo," Krillin said seriously. "Maybe we can't do much, but if we leave Goku alone with him, he would be very capable of betraying him or even allying himself with that other guy to finish him off between them."

Chi-Chi's face suddenly filled with fear at the moment of hearing that possibility, which had not crossed her mind until that moment, but now it was terrifyingly possible.

"Can't you be a little more sensitive for once?!" Bulma exclaimed suddenly with a scolding tone, surely after perceiving the strong effect that his words had had on Chi-Chi.

"Okay, but for that very reason, we should go and try to serve as a backup for Goku if needed," Krillin mumbled nervously, somewhat intimidated by his friend's reprimand.

"Krillin is right," Master Roshi intervened. "Also, how many times can we get the chance to directly see the two most powerful warriors in this world fight side by side? Goku and Piccolo are a fantastic combination we can't ignore."

"Master Roshi, I'm quite concerned about your priorities," Bulma stated sternly, watching him through narrowed eyes. "But the truth is that if Goku ends up badly hurt after fighting with that other guy, Piccolo can take advantage of it to hurt him. We'd better go get him."

"I'll go with you," Chi-Chi said suddenly, slowly getting to her feet.

"Don't talk nonsense, child," Master Roshi replied harshly. "You are very hurt. What you have to do is stay and rest."

"Master Roshi is right," Krillin seconded. "Also, Goku said to wait for him here."

"How do you want me to stay here so calm after everything you just said?!" Chi-Chi exclaimed loudly, shocked and annoyed, making all three of them take a step back on reflex.

Shouting like that apparently caused her to wince a little in pain, causing her to cringe a bit and put both hands to her wounded side. She took a deep breath, trying to get over the pain but also trying to calm her nerves. Once she felt ready, she spoke again.

"Also... while Goku distracts that man, maybe we can take Gohan away from there to a safe place. So Goku can fight without worries."

"That's a good idea," Master Roshi agreed. "But, do you seriously think you can undertake the trip in your condition?"

Chi-Chi nodded.

"The painkillers are already taking effect. So let's go now. The longer we wait, the longer Gohan is exposed to danger."

Without waiting for confirmation from them, she began to walk towards the room's door, already apparently with a little more security in her steps.

"Hey, are you just worried about Gohan?" Krillin questioned with a harsh voice. "What about Goku? Why don't you care about him?"

Chi-Chi stopped suddenly in the doorway upon hearing such questioning.

"Krillin!" Bulma exclaimed loudly, again sounding like a rebuke. But Chi-Chi responded before she could say anything else, still turning her back on everyone.

"I am not worried about Goku. I know he will kill that alien and also Piccolo Daimao. He will take down any threat, no matter how strong he is. Goku doesn't need me to keep him safe." She turned at that moment to see them over her shoulder. Her eyes radiated decision, but they were also moist. "But Gohan is just a little boy and is my son. My duty as a mother is to protect him and keep him safe."

They were silent, sensing the weight those words placed on them, but especially on the person who spoke them.

"I understand how you feel, Chi-Chi," Bulma stated, moving towards her and carefully placing a hand on her shoulder. She stared at her and smiled gently. "Let's go get your son, okay?"

"Thank you, Bulma," Chi-Chi agreed, genuinely grateful for the woman's kindness.

There seemed to be nothing more to say.

Already on board Bulma's ship and heading towards the indicated place, Chi-Chi began to feel more vividly the effects of the painkillers. And not only because the pain had lessened a lot (but not completely gone), but because she began to feel little by little drowsier. At first, she was just tired, but then her head tilted slightly to the side until her forehead rested against the window glass. And despite the seemingly uncomfortable position, her eyes threatened to close.

"Are you okay, Chi-Chi?" She heard Krillin ask next to her. And even if she had wanted to answer him, her body would not have managed to react enough to do so.

"Let her rest," Master Roshi's voice said right after.

Krillin seemed to obey his teacher's instructions since he didn't ask again. But Chi-Chi did not want to rest, did not want to fall asleep. She wanted to be aware and alert, ready for whatever she had to do to get Gohan out of that battlefield. She had always wanted her son to never get involved in this whole situation. He had to have a quiet life, dedicated to study, research, and creation; no to fights, to enemies that come down from the sky, destroy cities and kill people at their whim. This was not the life she wanted for him. So she had to get him away from all that madness as soon as possible...

Despite her reluctance, Chi-Chi's eyes ended up closing, and they didn't open for a while. Her mind quickly sank into a deep sleep, and her entire body managed to relax for the first time since all this began. Maybe just a few minutes, just enough to regain her strength.

She did not know how long she was asleep. A few minutes? An hour? But while her eyes closed, images came to her mind, all involving her husband, her son, and her in some way. Some made no sense, others she could easily recognize as memories.

One of those memories, the most vivid of all, she quickly recognized as one of the first nights she and Goku had spent in their new home, sometime before finding out she was pregnant. They both lay on their bed, their naked bodies wrapped in the sheets; she snuggled against his side, her head resting on his shoulder. Chi-Chi's fingers subtly ran over the muscles of the formidable warrior's broad chest while he delicately wrapped one of his arms around her, pulling her towards him. No one who knew him could even imagine that side of Goku: the tender side of him, delicate, passionate, loving... A side of him that only she and no one else knew.

"I feel so good every time I'm in your arms, Goku," Chi-Chi whispered slowly, her lips lightly brushing the skin of her husband's shoulder. "So safe, so warm... Do you feel the same?"

"I feel really good right now," Goku replied calmly. He's always been a person of few words, but for Chi-Chi, he makes up for it with big acts.

"After so long, we are finally here, you and me, together. We are married, we have our home, the Earth is at peace, and a whole future awaits us. I couldn't ask for anything more right now to be happy. And you?"

"Well," the warrior muttered thoughtfully. "I'm actually a little hungry."

"Oh, Goku," Chi-Chi laughed, amused by his habitual quips. She rose at that moment a little, placing herself on top of him. She crossed her arms over his chest and rested her chin against them so that she could see him directly into his face. He looked back at her. "Promise me you will never leave my side, my dear Goku. Promise you'll always be here with me."

"Never leave?" he muttered, obviously confused. "And where would I go?"

"Nowhere," Chi-Chi laughed, the mere sound of her voice overflowing with joy like the strong fall of water from a waterfall. She then rested her face entirely against his chest, managing to perceive the constant beating of his heart against her ear. "Just tell me that we'll be together forever, please. I don't know what would be of me without you..."

Chi-Chi felt at that moment how one of his hands was delicately placed on her head, and he slowly ran his fingers through her long dark hair.

"If that's what you want, that's fine," he murmured slowly as he continued to caress her. "I promise that I will always be here with you. So don't worry, okay?"

"Thank you, Goku," Chi-Chi mumbled, almost entranced. "I love you so much, my Goku..."

And at that moment, an intense golden glow enveloped her, as if she were at the epicenter of a tremendous explosion. She woke up the next instant abruptly and violently, almost as if she had been shaken or pushed out of bed. She jerked her face away from the window, and her eyes went wide, looking around her in confusion and fear. Her breathing was rough, and she even felt a strange cold sweat on her forehead.

"Chi-Chi, are you okay?" Krillin asked next to her. Only when she turned to see him and recognized his face did she realize where she was. "Did you have a nightmare?"

"No," Chi-Chi answered quickly. "Haven't we arrived yet?"

"We're close now," Bulma informed ahead at the controls.

Chi-Chi leaned back against her seat and tried with all his might to regulate her breathing. Without her being fully conscious, her hand had clamped tightly on her chest, and a deep, stabbing pain had begun to invade her right at that point. But it wasn't pain from her injuries, and that was clear to her. It was something else… something worse.

The horrible, tangible, suffocating feeling that something terrible had just happened right at that moment.

"Goku…"