"So where to first?" Goku asked, which seemed to be the million zeni question. Chi-Chi was still in a bit of a daze from agreeing to travel with him on this trip even after she had turned down his proposal.

Did this mean they were engaged? Dating?

'I do care for you. You're my friend.'

Right, right. He thought of her as a friend. She could handle that. It would mean she couldn't be as affectionate as she'd used to fantasize about but it would allow her to protect her heart better when things eventually didn't work out.

Friends. She'd treat him as a friend.

"Well," Chi-Chi said, after taking a sip from her water flask. "I suppose we should get supplies first. I hadn't planned to be away from home longer than it took to get to the tournament and back. Plus I need to send a letter to my papa so he doesn't worry."

"Why would he worry? You're strong. Just look how ya took care of that gang," Goku grinned.

"Well sure," Chi-Chi frowned, passing her flask to Goku. "But he worries because he loves me."

Goku paused before he could take a sip, curious about this word 'love'. Chi-Chi had mentioned it earlier too. Which must mean it was important.

"What's love?"

"What's love?" Chi-Chi repeated, turning towards him in shock.

Did he seriously not know? Hadn't anyone ever told him? She tried to think of what she knew of his past, although admittedly it wasn't much. Just that he'd been raised by his grandpa and then gone off searching for dragon balls and training with his friends. Maybe they just hadn't liked to talk about their feelings? She'd overheard the aunties in the castle complaining often that men never did…it would certainly explain why no one had told him. Or was it because his grandpa had been a hermit according to her Papa?

Chi-Chi stared at him a moment longer before deciding it didn't matter. If he didn't know something, she would simply teach him or find someone who could.

"Love, Goku," she began, doing her best to distance herself from the subject, "is an emotion. It's what you feel when you're close to someone or desire to be, when you care for them. A bond, if you will. You're happy when they're near or sad when they're gone. You want to protect them and keep them safe and you hate when they're hurt or upset."

"You mean like Grandpa."

"That's right," Chi-Chi nodded, "Like your grandpa, or my mother. That's what you'd call familial love. It's not quite the same as romantic love but both are important. Romantic love is when you feel like what a husband and wife should feel for each other, it'll drive you crazy one second and then put you totally at peace the next. It can make you feel like you can take on the world as long as they're by your side."

She sighed, and looked off into the distance, "It'll make you both selfish and selfless because you'll do anything to be by their side and want them all for yourself, but you'd sacrifice anything just to keep them safe and happy. It's the best and worst feeling in the world."

Goku drank from the flask as he considered Chi-Chi's words. If that's what love was, it would certainly explain why Bulma and Yamcha acted so crazy around each other. He'd always just chalked it up to something perverted like Master Roshi…

His eyes drifted towards Chi-Chi who still stood staring off into space, her arms wrapped tight around herself. Did this mean Chi-Chi felt this way? About him? Why? Goku shook his head. No that wasn't right, if she loved him she wouldn't have said no when he asked her to marry him…right?

He rubbed his head, feeling a headache coming on.

"So a letter'll stop him from worrying?"

"Huh? Er…probably not." Chi-Chi admitted, "But it'll be better than me disappearing without a word and I'll send updates when I can."

"Hmm."

After hearing Chi-Chi's description of love, Goku doubted this, but he supposed that she knew her father best and decided to move on. "So where to next, Chi?"

"The next major town was just about an hour's drive from here. We can stock up on supplies there, shall we?"

"Sure! Wanna take my Nimbus? It'll get us there in no time."

"Alright but just this once," she instructed, raising a finger to lecture him. Really though she was trying to impress the message on herself. This was a training journey after all. Nimbuses and air bikes would hinder that. "I'm not saying we have to walk the entire time but we should at least train our legs some."

"Right," Goku grinned. "That's what Master Roshi told me after my first tournament." He turned towards the sky and cupped his mouth. "NIMBUS!"

The fluffy little cloud shot out and down, slamming to a halt right in front of them. Goku hopped on easily and then, recalling how Chi-Chi had struggled and grabbed his tail the last time, turned and offered his hand to her, looking all the world to Chi-Chi like a gallant knight trying to woo his lady.

Yesterday it would have made her swoon.

But that was before she learned Goku hadn't even known what a bride was.

Now? Now she would have to be smart about this. She couldn't risk falling for his charm and forgetting why she turned him down in the first place! Besides, this was the start of her journey. How strong could she get if she accepted his aid every step of the way?

With this in mind, she shot him a smile and ignored his hand. Mimicking his technique, she jumped on top of the cloud with ease, feeling quite smug at his wide eyes until he smirked and muttered, "So that's how ya want to play it?" Before she could guess his next move, the Nimbus zoomed off.

"GOKU!"

Goku grinned cheekily as he caught her before she could fall, ignoring her curses as he helped her to find her footing. "That's not a very nice thing to say," he teased, keeping one hand on her shoulder to steady her despite her attempts to shrug him off.

"Ya could have killed me!"

"Nah," Goku winked, "I wouldn't let anything happen to ya."

Chi-Chi stared at him, sure her face looked like a tomato, and then turned away with a huff. Friends. They were just friends. She would not get swept up in all his boyish charm. She refused!

They arrived at a decent size town in a fraction of the time and after a little assistance from the local populace, made their way to a capsule store. It was a large shop, with a good selection of homes, vehicles and any other assortment that you could want, for a price, which Chi-Chi was hesitant to cough up. While she knew her father would want her to be comfortable and use his funds for supplies, she didn't want to take advantage of his kindness, mainly because he wasn't there to have a say.

She was staring particularly hard at two capsule houses when Goku noticed the small frown she was making.

"What's the matter Chi?" He asked, looking curiously over her shoulder.

She sighed and pointed to the one she was most interested in.

"I'm trying to decide what we should do for shelter. I've got a single room structure, barely big enough for a bed, but it does have a bathroom. We obviously need to get something bigger but I'm wondering how big? And should I consider looking into a trade-in option?"

Goku cocked his head to one side. "Why would we need that Chi-Chi? As long as we have some place to sleep we'll be fine. Grandpa's house didn't even have a bathroom and that was enough for us."

"Goku!" Chi-Chi gasped, "Didn't you hear me? There's only one small room! We'd practically be sleeping on top of each other!"

"Well sure, that's what I did with Grandpa."

Chi-Chi stared at him, trying to discern if he was really so naive or if he had other intentions but he just continued looking at her with that same guileless look on face. Did he really not understand how scandalous his suggestion was? Or worse? Was he just not attracted to her?

Right, of course he wasn't, he was only here because of a promise.

Friends. Be his friend.

"Goku, you and your grandpa are family. We're not. It wouldn't be proper for us to sleep so close."

"But we're training to be family, right?" Goku argued, placing a hand on her shoulder. "So there's no problem! And…" His cheeks tinged pink, embarrassed to admit the next part. "And it's been a long time since I've slept next to someone. I miss it," he muttered so low, she could barely make it out, and then turned big pleading eyes on Chi-Chi. "I promise I won't snore or take up a lotta room! So can't we? Please?"

Chi-Chi flinched under this full frontal attack. How was she supposed to say no to that face?

"Please, Chi?"

Ugh it just wasn't fair, why was he so cute?

"Pleeeeeease?"

…

Goku was grinning widely as Chi-Chi finished her purchases. She had agreed to share a room and had instead purchased a large futon set, some kitchen appliances, like a fridge and a stove, and some storage capsules, to keep all their supplies in.

Their next stop was a clothing shop after Chi-Chi was horrified to learn that he only had a spare undershirt in his sack and a small blanket roll. While none of the shops would be able to replicate the weight to his training shirts, she had insisted they get him "the basics" like underwear, pajamas and a few casual wear pieces to keep covered with while his training gis were being washed.

He had never owned so much clothing. Had never even thought to. Was this part of being married? Owning a bunch of stuff? He supposed that wasn't so bad. And so far he liked hanging out with Chi-Chi. She was a little bossy but that was okay, in fact he found he rather liked it. She seemed determined to make sure he was happy with all the decisions and he couldn't remember the last time he'd had someone fuss over him so much.

It was nice.

He wondered if he should fuss over her right back. If that's what families did? He supposed Grandpa had fussed over him a lot…but he had also been little and unable to do certain things for himself. Maybe he should ask…but then what if she took his lack of knowledge as a sign he'd be bad at marriage? She had already turned him down twice, he didn't want to risk it a third time.

So instead he kept quiet and followed her lead throughout the stores.

By the time they were done shopping for clothes and supplies, dusk had begun to settle, so they opted to find some place to eat instead of making anything themselves. Goku certainly had no problem with that.

They found a buffet and he'd eaten his fill, ravenous despite the senzu he'd eaten earlier, while Chi-Chi watched on in stunned fascination. Somewhere between his fourth and fifth dish he'd checked to make sure she was eating as well and was pleased to see her happily munching on a steamed bun.

By the time they'd finished eating, both were ready for bed.

Goku was relaxed and happy as could be but Chi-Chi had begun to work herself into a bit of a state. She had been doing her best to ignore the thought of sleeping next to Goku all afternoon but now that it was evening she was going to have to face it head on. She had never slept with anyone before, let alone a man! What would people say? Would they think her a scarlet woman? A harlot that went about the town?

She didn't know what to do but she had to do something!

"Er…did ya want to wash up first Goku?" she asked upon entering the miniature capsule home, stalling for time.

Goku sniffed his clothing and made a face. "Phew, I guess I better huh?" He laughed and then started to strip.

"GOKU!"

He paused shirtless, having just started to lower his pants, and looked towards her. "What's up Chi?"

"Ya can't take your clothes off here!"

"Why not?"

"B-Because!" she stammered scandalized. "We're not married!"

"But we talked about this, remember?" Goku pouted, "We're trainin' to be!"

"I SAID NO."

She refused. This was one thing she would not budge on, no matter how cute he looked when he made that face. "I've already agreed ta sleep in the same bed with ya, that's bad enough! But there are some things I will not do and this is one of 'em! Besides, I never agreed to marrying ya, just that you could join me on this trip."

Goku's pout deepened at this. He just couldn't understand why she was being so stubborn about marrying him when she was the one who reminded him of his promise in the first place! With a huff, he yanked his pants up, grabbed a change of clothes and stomped into the bathroom.

Chi-Chi huffed right back and turned up her nose for good measure. He could make as much of a fuss as he'd like! She wasn't budging.

She grabbed the futon storage capsule and pressed it open. Waving aside the smoke, she reached in and grabbed the futon and spread it out with a snap of her wrists, laying it down carefully from wall to wall. It really did take up the whole space but it hadn't mattered much when it was just her bunking down for the night. Now she had a bedmate, one who didn't seem to understand societal expectations, and was content to strip in front of her without a care in the world!

She growled and focused on spreading out the blanket and pillows, doing her best to ignore the splashes of water she could hear coming from the bathroom. When she was finished, she put away the futon's storage and grabbed her own change of clothes, doing her best to remain angry so that when Goku came out she wouldn't cave to him again.

When he finally did emerge, she turned away with a hmph, but a small tug on her hand forced her to meet his hurt gaze. Despite her best efforts, Chi-Chi could feel herself soften towards him.

"I'm sorry Chi-Chi, really. I didn't mean to make ya so angry. Bulma used to yell at me about strippin' when I was a kid but I thought…if we're a family then it'd be okay. My only family was grandpa and he didn't have a problem with it. I'm still learnin, Chi-Chi, but I can do better."

Darn. How was she supposed to stay angry with him now?

She sighed and gave him a quick hug, pulling away quickly when she felt him stiffen in surprise.

"It's okay Goku, I'm sorry I snapped at ya. It's just that even if we're training to be a family, until we're officially one, that's one thing that I won't allow, do ya understand?"

"Yeah sure, Chi-Chi." Goku blinked, scratching his cheek. "Whatever ya want."

He had felt odd when she hugged him but he was happy that she seemed to be in a better mood now. He hadn't liked knowing she was angry at him.

Goku yawned, finally feeling the events of the day catching up with him. Even after eating a senzu bean, it had been a long day. Chi-Chi took that as her cue to head towards the bathroom and pointed to the futon, telling him it was ready if he wanted to lay down. He didn't need to be told twice!

He hopped to the floor and shuffled under the blanket. Man this futon was comfy! He threw his head back on the pillow and kicked his feet excitedly back and forth. Today had been a great day! He fought and defeated a strong opponent, he reunited with old friends and now he was on a new adventure to have a family again!

It had been so long since he had someone he could call family. And he was going to live with her for the rest of his life! He couldn't imagine how long that was. It was a little frightening if he was being honest but that fear also made him excited. Aside from his grandpa, the longest he'd lived with someone else was Krillin and Master Roshi and that hadn't even been a full year! Sure he'd train with Mr. Popo for three years but he didn't really think that counted. He hadn't really formed a bond with him or Kami the way he had with Krillin. Not the way he was determined he would with Chi-Chi.

Goku smiled. He had been shocked when she'd hugged him but that was okay, that's what family did. He'd hugged his grandpa all the time. It would be nice to have someone to hug again…plus her hugs were nice…warm. He hadn't hated it…in fact it made him rather happy, though his stomach had felt weird. But what really had him smiling like crazy was the fact that this time, Chi-Chi hadn't denied that they were training to be a family. She had said 'until', meaning it would happen at some point.

He giggled and snuggled further into the blankets. Today had been a great day and as soon as Chi-Chi came back, it would be even better! And these blankets were so warm…

While Goku was warming up under the covers, Chi-Chi was growing rather cold in her bath. She supposed she ought to get out of the tub but that would mean joining Goku in bed…and she couldn't do that!

She slapped her hands on her cheeks and dipped under the water. To think she was going to sleep next to Goku! She had dreamed about being his wife for so long but this? Under these circumstances?

BAH!

How could she dare?

And yet dare she must, Goku was waiting on her.

'Remember, he's your friend.'

She quickly toweled herself dry, put on her nightgown and finished her nightly routine. When she had nothing left to stall with, she took a deep breath and snapped open the door…only to find Goku snoring away, spread out across the futon.

Chi-Chi sighed. It seems she was the only one who had been worked up about this after all. And yet…somehow this only made her like him more. He was just so cute!

She smiled and slipped under the covers in the small space beside him. Wouldn't take up much room, ha!

"Goodnight, Goku," she whispered, pressing a quick kiss to his cheek before switching directions and getting comfortable.

Chi-Chi yawned, feeling the effects of the day. She was just so sleepy…

Goku stirred awake, feeling a slight sensation, and wearily looked around for the cause. It was dark and there was no one around, no one except what looked like a slight figure sleeping next to him and the scent of smoke and wildflowers in the air…Chi-Chi!

He smiled sleepily and noted that the blanket didn't cover her completely. Well that wouldn't do…he reached over and tugged it up, giving her shoulder a couple lazy taps, as if to keep it in place, before drifting back to sleep.

"Night, Chi-Chi."