"RUN!"

Goku snatched Chi-Chi's hand up and booked it, practically dragging her behind him, as he jerked left, then right, zigzagging his way across the land as lightning crashed in their wake. He knew they couldn't outrun the dragon's blasts forever, but that didn't mean he planned on slowing down any time soon!

The hair on the back of his neck stood on end, and he knew another bolt was close. He hauled Chi-Chi with him as he leapt forward, just barely avoiding the lightning strike even as the sizzling heat singed his tail, making him stumble and lose his balance momentarily.

However a moment—especially in a fight—could be everything, and this one was all that was needed to make him lose whatever distance he had managed to put between them and the dragon at their heels.

The air charged as Goku regained his footing, and he knew he wouldn't be dodging the next blast. So with a parting wink instead, he chucked Chi-Chi as far from him as he could manage and braced himself for the incoming blow.

Chi-Chi hit the ground hard, though the sand softened it some, but that didn't stop her from snapping her head up in time to see the lightning slice through the darkened sky and crash over Goku.

"GOKU!"

The bolt slammed into the ground, it's tendrils rushing outward, stretching, grasping for anything in reach, and then Chi-Chi saw the dragon tilt it's head back and charge up again and she knew if there was even a small chance Goku still lived, then she couldn't let him get hit again.

With a prayer on her lips, she ripped off her sash and in one swift motion, lashed it around the dragon's jaw, snapping it shut and forcing it to swallow its attack. Its belly swelled and then there was a slight BOOM! but aside from the dimming electrical sparks around her, the dragon seemed unaffected.

It reached for its muzzle, struggling to rip it off, and when that proved futile, swung its head back and forth, whipping Chi-Chi from side to side.

She cursed and held on for dear life, praying that it didn't send her crashing into the ground but each swing of its head grew more violent and erratic and she knew she wouldn't be able to hold on for much longer. Her hands were already slipping, the rain and her sweat making the length of her sash slick, and then the dragon thrashed its head again and she cried out as her grip broke, flying back past the edge of her weapon, the blade at the end slicing her brush burned palms as she scrambled to to grab it tight again.

This was it.

She knew she wouldn't survive the fall.

Goku…Papa…I'm sorr—

An arm plucked her out of the air and pinned her to a solid body as his free hand latched onto her sash and swung them around to the dragon's back.

Goku willed his boots to grow heavy, anchoring him to the dragon's back, and yanked Chi-Chi's sash back, tight, reining the beast down as it bucked wildly to get them off.

"GOKU!" Chi-Chi cried, clutching onto him like a lifeline. " You're okay!"

"For now! But he's too strong! We gotta put an end to this!" Goku shouted over the racket.

The lightning crashes had temporarily ceased thanks to Chi-Chi's quick thinking, but the winds still howled and the rain was coming down, thick as sheets. He didn't know if the dragon controlled the weather or if they were just naturally in sync, where one went, the other followed, but he didn't wanna stick around long enough to find out.

"D'ya think ya can channel ki again like ya did in the volcano?!"

What? Chi-Chi frowned. Channel ki? But how? In the volcano there had been a source, a huge bubbling source! There was no such thing in the air with them currently, unless he wanted her to try and suck it from the lightning that flashed across the sky!

"From WHAT?!" she shouted over the downpour, studying their surroundings, but as soon as the words left her lips she knew.

Her gaze snapped to his, stunned.

But that was impossible! She'd never done anything like that before. Not with a living creature.

A memory surfaced then. A lone night by a waterfall filled with stars…a pale figure draining her…

Chi-Chi shoved those thoughts aside and focused on the battle.

Goku was holding on for now but there was no telling how long his strength would last. This creature was practically a natural disaster and much stronger than either of them could handle on their own. But if she could do what he was asking…it would weaken the creature while giving Goku the strength to finish it off. She was sure he could do it, if that perv Roshi could blow up her Papa's mountain, then Goku could definitely take down this beast!

He just needed a little help.

Chi-Chi gave Goku a nod to indicate she understood and then got to work. With him as a grounding point, she focused in on his familiar ki and traveled downward, intending to search for the dragon's core around its chest, but almost instantly recoiled back instead.

Its ki was unlike anything she had experienced thus far. Goku's, though strong and fast like a whirlwind, was limited, while the ocean's unending ki had been slow and sluggish. The volcano's, meanwhile, had been bright with strong currents and she had expected to find something similar in the dragon. Maybe a cross between Goku's and the volcano's. Instead, it was just like the storm itself with dozens and dozens of swirling kis blinking in and out of existence as others clashed together to become bigger and brighter before flashing once and then scattering across the dragon's being.

It was chaos, and Chi-Chi found it difficult to focus on any one thing, painful even, as if her brain—and even her body—were being zapped with tiny currents but that didn't matter. She needed to do this. Goku was counting on her! Gritting her teeth, she ignored the pain the best she could and focused on extracting ki from the closest swirling masses, slowly funneling it through her body and straight into Goku.

Goku grunted as he felt the familiar push of intrusive ki before his body began to adjust, his muscles expanding, like a dehydrated sponge filling with water. She was transferring it to him faster this time, confident in what he could take and like his greedy stomach, Goku felt his body devouring it eagerly, wanting, needing more.

The power.

It was unlike anything he'd ever felt before. He felt invincible. Untouchable. Like he could crush anything in his path.

He knew it was a false assurance. He'd felt like that at the Tournament facing Piccolo.

And then Piccolo had drilled a hole through his chest.

But that was that and this was this. Piccolo had been his strongest adversary, but this was a wild beast of untold power.

And still Goku had never felt so strong. He knew he just needed enough to blast the dragon away…but he also wanted to see how far he could go.

There was a sudden jerk in the flow and he squeezed Chi-Chi's hip supportingly. "C'mon babe, ya got this. We've only got one shot!"

Chi-Chi whimpered but pushed through, knowing he was right. Her limbs trembled under the strain as she stretched her senses farther, the many swirling balls of ki moving faster now, bouncing every which way as she freed up space.

She felt rain—or was that sweat?—dripping down her face, her head growing dizzy...

"A little more Chi, we're almost there!"

One shot, they only had one shot…

Chi-Chi seized up, her body suddenly going cold and clammy, and fell limp against Goku as her vision faded to darkness.

"Chi-Chi?! Chi-Chi!"

Goku shook her gently in his arm.

Shit! What happened? Did transferring ki put that much of a strain on her? But wh—

As if everything clicked together Goku dropped his head on her shoulder and groaned.

Of course it did. Absorbing ki put a strain on his body too, he just didn't feel it because the ki more than made up for it. Chi-Chi was absorbing but she wasn't keeping any for herself and she had only done this a handful of times. It made sense that the process had affected her so greatly.

Goku cursed and shifted her onto his back, offering Chi-Chi a silent apology. He knew it had been necessary but the fact that it was at all made him feel weak. If he had been stronger, Chi-Chi wouldn't have had to push herself so hard.

He just hoped it was enough.

Clutching Chi-Chi close with one arm, Goku yanked her sash free from the beast's muzzle and leapt into the air, quickling binding her to him as he went. When he was sure she was secure on his back, he flew up into the clouds, and began charging up.

"KAME…"

Sensing the danger—or just the incoming blast—the dragon whipped around, and pinpointed him through the cloudy veil, before tilting its head back to preparing its own attack.

"HA…ME…"

Goku sensed its power building…it was nearly there…

"HAAAAAA!"

The beast released at the same time and their ki beams struck head on, neither giving way to the other but Goku wouldn't be the one going down. Not today.

Chi-Chi was counting on him.

He shoved more power into his blast, using up every last drop he had, every bit he had received from Chi-Chi and then some…he couldn't hold back…he had to give it everything he had…he had to defeat it, he had to! He just needed to PUSH!

"NGYAAAAAAAAHHHHH!"

Scraping the bottom of his reserves Goku shoved it all into his attack and felt the dragon's beam give, collapsing inward and making way for his kamehameha to blast the beast away.

And then the world went blinding white.

When he could finally see again, the dragon and the storm were gone, leaving only clear blue skies and the unrelenting sun.

Battle over, Goku lasted another second in the air and then his strength gave out and he and Chi-Chi went careening to the ground. It was all he could do just to twist her into his arms and shield her head right before they crashed but he hoped it was enough.

It was a long minute after they slammed into the earth before another sound was heard, but eventually Goku managed to pull him and Chi-Chi out of the sand before falling back on his butt, feeling completely drained.

Damn. He really had nothing left.

But they couldn't stay there.

Out of habit, his gaze drifted over the landscape to determine their next move, but his eyes lingered on the horizon when he realized there was a sliver of blue that was different from the rest. He rubbed his eyes roughly and squinted, but when the sliver didn't change Goku grew excited.

They'd done it! They reached the end!

It looked like there was an ocean to cross next but that would be easy now that they had made it out of the desert!

He turned back to check on Chi-Chi but she was still out cold, her ki dangerously low. She must have really pushed herself to get like this.

Goku rubbed the back of his neck, his guilt growing.

It had been necessary but he knew a part of him had enjoyed feeling so powerful. He had thought he was at his limit with Kami's training, only growing in strength on this journey a little in comparison with Chi-Chi, but after that time in the volcano he had realized that wasn't true. There was still great room for improvement.

It excited him.

He wanted to see how far his body could be pushed, how much ki it could hold. When the option presented itself he took it eagerly.

But seeing Chi-Chi like this…it was wrong.

He didn't care that it was necessary. He didn't wanna have to borrow power again, if it meant putting Chi-Chi in danger. He'd just have to work harder to bridge the gap between his current state and that version he had been just moments ago.

He knew he could do it.

But for now, he needed to get to Chi-Chi to safety.

Goku lifted her onto his back and started walking towards the blue horizon, smiling as he noticed the sliver he'd guess was an ocean grow bigger and bigger the closer they got. Relieved he hadn't been imagining it, he walked for another ten minutes before he noticed a cluster of palm trees, and started making his way towards that.

"Hang on Chi-Chi, we're almost outta this wasteland."

o0o

"DAMN THEM!" Niulang cursed, slamming his fists against the table. How were they so strong?! Was there nothing that could stop them?

He ran his hands through his unkempt hair, trying to think of a plan. If they reached the distant western lands he would not be able to follow, their borders guarded by beings who had not taken kindly to his past games. He would be forced to wait for their return, if they even planned to do so.

He could not chance it. He needed something. Anything!

What other creature was there? None that he could control but…but maybe there was one that could stall. Act as a guard to keep them from entering the western lands. At least long enough for him to figure something else out.

He hurried to his books, searching for anything that could meet his needs.

o0o

Goku stumbled several feet past the treeline and then, unable to take another step, collapsed against the nearest palm tree, sinking to his knees and then his butt as he shifted Chi-Chi around so she could rest easy in his lap. By some miracle he'd made it here and now he just wanted to sleep for a week…or at least a few days before he was forced to move again.

His tiredness seemed to disappear altogether though when he felt Chi-Chi first start to stir, then release a pained groan, but he'd take it if it meant she would be okay.

"Chi-Chi! You're awake!"

"Not by choice," she grumbled, feeling woozy. It was worse than that time she'd woken hungover on a moving dinosaur cart but she supposed going head to head with a dragon would do that to a person and she hadn't even been the one hit by lightning!

"Oh that's right," Chi-Chi muttered.

She lifted her head off Goku's chest so she could inspect him for injuries but quickly dropped it back down again before she could make herself sick. She'd just have to check him later. Right now her stomach just wouldn't stop swirling.

"Hey there, take it easy," he murmured, rubbing her back. "It's safe now. We did it Chi-Chi. We finally made it outta the desert!"

Chi-Chi sighed, relief flooding through her system. "Oh thank goodness."

To think she'd started to believe they'd never leave!

Although in a way they almost hadn't. If Goku hadn't been able to finish off the dragon, that fearsome monster would have turned the desert into their permanent resting place.

She shivered and forced her thoughts to something else, namely the moments before she'd passed out, and how different it had felt pulling ki from a living creature. Though it had been difficult, she didn't like that she'd been able to do it at all. It reminded her too much of them.

Vlad and Camilla.

Ever since she and Goku had first encountered them on that mountain valley farm, just their mere memory left her feeling uneasy. She'd been able to shove her anxieties aside for awhile but then she'd discovered her own natural abilities, ones that Goku couldn't replicate, and then all Camilla's cousin talk came flooding back making Chi-Ch wonder if the woman had known something she didn't.

It was possible. After all, how much did she really know about her family's history? Neither her mother nor her father had ever talked about their parents or origins. She'd just assumed her father's father had been a king like her Papa, and her mother some long lost princess. Something romantic, to go with a heroic adventure.

Now she knew her mother had been an orphan, which meant who knows what could be lurking in her background. In her very DNA. Combine that with her horns that she'd had to hide since childhood and she wasn't sure if she wanted to learn more about who she was.

"Chi-Chi?" Goku called her, rubbing her arms. "You okay?"

Belatedly she realized she was shivering.

"Oh! I'm okay. I…I was just goin' over what happened. That dragon sure was strong."

"Yeah it was," Goku grunted, rubbing her arms a little faster. "Sorry."

"Huh? What for?"

"You fainted cause of me."

Chi-Chi turned to him confused. "Why would ya think that?"

"If I had been stronger, ya wouldn't have had to push yourself to take so much," Goku shrugged, looking away, much to her annoyance.

Chi-Chi crossed her arms and glared at him. "You're already the strongest man in the world, now ya wanna be stronger than a dragon?! Don't be ridiculous," she huffed. "It's okay to get help."

But Goku knew better.

"No. I know I can get stronger now. Next time I wanna be able to face it on my own." The 'without you' heavily implied.

Chi-Chi pulled back, stung.

"W-What?"

The whole point of her taking this journey was to get stronger so she could better support him and he just thought he could cast her aside like yesterday's news?!

Her ki spiked, and Goku knew he was in trouble, but he was too weak to move quick enough to avoid the shove that knocked his head back into the tree.

"Fine! Ya wanna do it all own your own then go right ahead!"

Goku groaned, thankful that Chi-Chi's energy levels were still low so that the blow wasn't harder, but he still had to scramble to grab her hand before she could climb to her feet and walk away from him.

"H-Hey wait a sec! Chi-Chi, I don't get it. Why're you mad?"

"Figure it out!" She yanked her hand away and made to leave, but collapsed back on the ground before she could take a single step, still weak despite her anger.

"Chi-Chi?" He tugged on her foot. "C'mon Chi-Chi, tell me."

Chi-Chi tried to break her foot free but failed when his tail wrapped around her too, prompting her to burst into tears. She didn't wanna cry, but she was just so exhausted and upset!

Goku was upset too, but for an entirely different reason. He hated seeing Chi-Chi cry but he just couldn't figure out what he'd said wrong!

"I'm sorry, Chi-Chi, please don't cry!"

"I'm not crying!" Chi-Chi growled. She was but she wasn't about to admit it to him after what he said. "I know I'm not as strong as you but I didn't realize you thought I was just gettin' in your way." She tugged on her leg. "Let. Go."

"What?" Goku wrinkled his nose, clueless how she could have come up with that idea.

"I said let go!"

"No!"

Chi-Chi tried to break free again, but Goku dragged her back until she was securely in his arms, forcing her to look away to avoid him. He pouted and tapped her forehead.

"Did ya hit your head when we fell? When did I say that?"

"Why else would ya not want me to help fight?!"

"It's not like that! I…" Goku grumbled and this time it was his turn to look away. "I just don't like seein' ya get hurt. Not if I can help it."

"And ya think I like seein' you get bloodied up in my stead?" Chi-Chi demanded.

Goku stared, his heart beating a little faster.

The thought of how Chi-Chi would feel in his place had never even crossed his mind. He knew she cared and worried for his sake but finishing the bad guy had always fallen to him. First with Bulma, then with all the people he'd help when dealing with the Red Ribbon Army. Even Kami had relied on him to get rid of Piccolo. He was the guy everyone called to beat up the bully.

But Chi-Chi didn't want that?

His gaze softened as he cuddled her close.

"Ah Chi-Chi," Goku giggled, feeling so happy to have her heart. She wanted to protect him as much as he wanted to protect her but that just made it even more important that she never got hurt.

His hands found their way into her hair, tugging at the ties for her cute little buns, but Chi-Chi slapped his hands away before he could unbind them.

"Stop that! I'm still angry!"

"I know."

He kissed her cheek.

"I can't stop ya from fightin'," he told her. "But I won't let ya get hurt. Not for me. I'm still gonna protect ya from everything that I can."

"You can try," Chi-Chi huffed. "And I'll do the same."

Goku smiled, his cheeks turning a light pink as he pressed his forehead to hers, tangling their bangs. "My hero."

Chi-Chi blushed and shoved his face away. "Stop that!"

It was impossible to stay mad when he kept smiling at her like that! But…but at the same time she understood his feelings. She looked down, all the fight leaving her at once.

"I know you can handle it all on your own but just because you can, doesn't mean you should. I…I was so scared when I saw that lightning hit you, but I shoulda known better," she sighed.

Average humans had been known to survive lighting strikes and Goku was far from average. Chi-Chi looked up at him slyly, feeling pride that this man would soon be her husband.

"My man is strong."

Goku straighted at that, feeling that familiar pleasurable feeling in the pit of his belly start to stir. He pressed her closer and just as slyly replied, "I hafta be to handle my strong woman."

"Oh you'll handle me?" Chi-Chi questioned, raising a brow. She adjusted herself in his lap so that she was now straddling him, her arms wrapped around his neck.

Goku let his hands slide down to grab her ass. "I'll handle ya right now."

"We'll see about that," she purred, leaning in to kiss him.

The words were charged but the kiss was slow and sweet. No rush, just the desire to enjoy tasting one another, their tongues sliding in and out as Goku buried a hand in her hair and deepened the kiss, already anticipating a different sort of taste dripping between her legs. He was tired, practically tapped out.

Good thing he always had the strength to eat.

Unfortunately Chi-Chi could not say the same, because after another minute had passed she broke the kiss, dropping her head on his shoulder, and sighed while Goku continued kissing her neck, unperturbed, sucking and nibbling until he heard a small groan.

"I'm so tired."

Goku hummed against her skin but continued on as if she hadn't interrupted.

"Goku, we can't."

"But I wanna taste ya Chi-Chi," he murmured in that low voice of his, making Chi-Chi flush. "An' I wanna feel your mouth on me again."

Her ki and scent spiked, making Goku grin, but Chi-Chi still found the strength to deny him what they both wanted. "I want to, I do. I really, really do…but I'm just so exhausted."

Goku shrugged. "There's always the senzu."

"Goku!" Chi-Chi cried, slapping his chest. ""We can't waste a senzu bean on this!"

He pulled back to look at her, his face entirely innocent as he asked, "What if another bad guy attacks? Your ki's so low, ain't it dangerous to leave it like this?"

"No!" Chi-Chi glared, not convinced by his act.

Goku opened his mouth to try a different tactic but then the ground shook, toppling them over. They quickly scrambled to their feet and Goku shoved the senzu bag in her hands, telling her to stay there, before shooting up on his power pole to investigate.

The skies were nice and empty and the ground was equally so with just the palm trees scattered here and there swaying in the wind. He didn't see anything out of the ordinar—wait a second.

Goku did a double take and looked back at the desert landscape they'd just escaped from, noting water between it and the land he was currently standing on. Did they just break away from the mainland?

So that's how islands formed!

Ho, ho, ho…I think not my boy.

Huh?

Goku spun around on his pole, searching for the source of the voice but came up empty.

Down here.

Down? Goku looked straight below but all he saw was Chi-Chi staring up curiously at him.

Why not greet me at the "front" of your so called island?

Goku scratched his cheek and shrugged before calling down to Chi-Chi. "Stay there!"

He somersaulted off his pole to what would have been the old coast line, and caught himself in mid air to see if he could spy the source of the voice, only to see the largest turtle he had ever come across in his life.

The "island" was the turtle! Who'd of thought?

He floated down to what Goku hoped was eye level and raised a hand in greeting. "Hi there! Sorry, didn't realize we were on ya."

It is no trouble, feel free to stay as long as you need. It is nice to have company.

"Thanks!"

Is there anywhere in particular you wish to travel?

"Uh…" Goku rubbed his chin. That Bai lady had mentioned the name of the place they needed to go, but for the life of him he couldn't remember. "Oh yeah!" He snapped his fingers. "We're tryin' to go as far west from here as we can."

West you say. Then I know the perfect shore to take you. You may rest easy for the next few hours.

"Really? Thanks!" Goku grinned.

He'd been so sure that the rumbling had been another incoming attack from the coward who refused to face them. Who knew he'd find an ally instead?

With that settled, Goku dropped back down to the turtle's back and went in search of Chi-Chi. He found her not too far off and as soon as he explained what was going on she was quick to take advantage. She set up the hammock—because according to Chi-Chi, putting up an entire house on the poor creature's back, no matter how temporary, seemed just rude—and threw together two dozen sandwiches that Goku devoured in no time. Unfortunately, though he'd been quick, Chi-Chi had already curled up in the hammock and gone to sleep.

Goku sighed, giving up on having any fun time, and stripped down to his boxers before joining her. No sooner had he settled in with Chi-Chi snuggled up against him, then he was out like a light, his snores swaying them to and fro.

o0o

"Finally!" Niulang gasped, coming upon something at last. Luckily it seemed all that was needed was a simple awakening spell. He waved his hand over his crystal orb to show him the faces of the couple that had been a thorn in his side and called forth his power, shouting the incantation with the creature in mind. "Aistayqaz wakharaj! Hirasat alshawati!"

Several hundred thousand miles away, in the very depths of the ocean, an ancient creature opened its eyes and roared.

o0o

"Chi-Chi…Chi-Chi…" Goku muttered, squeezing her closer in his sleep. "Don't let 'em eat me, Chi-Chi… I ain't a carrot! Imma real boy."

All of a sudden the ground shook violently, stirring him awake.

"Huh?!"

Goku sat up abruptly, clutching Chi-Chi to his chest as he looked around, but when he couldn't spot any immediate signs of danger he carefully lowered her back down and slid out of the hammock, doing his best to not disturb her. It was late and Chi-Chi's ki was still low. She needed rest. Besides, it was probably nothing. He'd just check in real quick with Mr. Turtle. No need to wake her.

The ground shook again, knocking him off his feet, and Goku scrambled to stand, suddenly more alert.

Was that really just Mr. Turtle moving?

Feeling uneasy, he grabbed his power pole, but didn't bother wasting time throwing on his clothes. Instead he rushed off through the trees blanketing the giant turtle's back, stopping short only when he finally broke free from their protective coverage.

"What the…?!"

Goku stared up in shock at the largest dinosaur looking thing he had ever seen but it was way bigger than even the t-rex that used to chase him and Krillin when they were kids, with thick scaly limbs and spikes trailing down its entire back. Was everything just bigger in this part of the world? His gaze flickered to the clouds behind it, spotting the outline of a full moon just out of sight, and every part of Goku froze.

It couldn't be.

Was this the full moon monster?!

o0o

Chi-Chi gasped and shot up from a dead sleep, alarm coursing through her. Something was wrong, she could sense it, but what she couldn't determine.

Wait…where was Goku?

"Goku?" she called, climbing out of the hammock. She noted his clothes were still strewn messily across the ground but only one of his staffs was there. Could he have gone to investigate something?

Suddenly the ground shook and Chi-Chi had her answer.

As fast as she could, she scooped up his things and tossed it all in a storage capsule before racing to find him. Their earlier conversation was still replaying in her head. She didn't care how much he hated it, she wouldn't let him fight all on his own!

o0o

Run lad! Run!

The creature swung a thick spiked tail into Mr. Turtle's side causing Goku's friend to cry out in agony.

"Mr. Turtle!"

Goku clung to Mr. Turtle's shell as best he could but then the dinosaur reared back to swing again and Goku decided he had seen enough. He leapt into action, bringing his grandpa's trusty power pole down on the beast's head but it didn't even make the creature blink. Instead it batted him aside and dived down to take a bite from Mr. Turtle's neck but Mr. Turtle was faster, retreating to the safety of his shell in the nick of time.

The monster roared and Goku felt its ki suddenly dip and spike before unleashing a powerful blast that left dozens of little cracks spreading across Mr. Turtle's shell.

Shit! No wonder Grandpa had lost against this thing. It was too strong!

Belatedly he wished he had thought to take a senzu with him, the food and nap had gone a long way to restoring his strength but against this beast he would need every drop and then some. He whipped his pole across the creature's face and when that didn't work, struck him in the eye, finally gaining its attention.

The beast roared, enraged, and smacked him out of the air and into the watery depths below just as Chi-Chi arrived on the battlefield.

"GOKU!"

She searched for him in the waters but when he didn't resurface right away, redirected her attention to the monster, wondering how she could possibly stop him. The beast had knocked Goku aside like a fly! What could she do that he couldn't?

Wait. There was one thing.

Chi-Chi focused her mind's eye on the kis swirling around her, bypassing the ancient turtle's and the unending ocean's to read the monster's, cold and sluggish one, searching for its weak points. Qinglong had taught her all life, whether it be an animal, plant or even a rock, had some sort of weak point…but this beast…it was hard to tell, everything was thick and unyielding…was this an exception?

No wait! There…just behind the hinge of its jaw…that was it. It had to be!

If she could just hit that spot with enough force…

While Chi-Chi was formulating a plan, Goku was working his way back to the surface with strong, steady strokes, trying to calculate a plan of his own to win against the full moon monster.

And he would win it.

He needed to.

There was no way he'd let this chance to avenge his Grandpa go to waste. But it was so strong! If it decided to blast him there was no way he'd survive it head on.

Which of course meant that as soon as his head broke above the water he saw the creature release a ki beam straight at him.

Shit! He wouldn't be able to dodge it!

But right as he thought that there was a furious scream and a glowing rock suddenly shot out striking the monster in a spot that made its beam veer off course and towards Mr. Turtle's back instead.

Damn it! That had to have been Chi-Chi!

Goku launched himself out of the water but it was too late. The monster's beam was destroying everything in its path!

"CHI-CHI!"

As soon as the beam ceased he landed on top of Mr. Turtle's back and immediately started searching for her, but she wasn't anywhere he could see.

"Chi-Chi?! Chi-Chi!"

Where was she?!

Goku shut his eyes, trying to search for a ki but Mr. Turtle and the creature's were more powerful and everything was too confusing.

He cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted, "CHI-CHI!"

The monster roared, Mr. Turtle was groaning and the waters kept crashing everywhere, but Goku's sharp ears still picked up on the slight moan coming from beneath some fallen trees.

"Chi-Chi!"

He rushed to the sound and chucked the rubble aside to reveal a battered Chi-Chi, blood soaking her hair.

"Chi-Chi!" Goku pressed a hand to her head, trying to staunch the blood. "No, no, no, no Chi-Chi…c'mon Chi-Chi…" he begged shaking her a little. "I need ya to wake up, please? Chi-Chi?"

When her head simply rolled to the side a white hot anger filled him. This thing killed Grandpa! And now it was trying to steal Chi-Chi from him too!

He glared up at the monster, his tail lashing in anger, but right at that moment the clouds parted behind it, revealing the full moon.

—BADUM—

Something dark and strange coursed through him, filling his veins with a sinister power that overwhelmed him. His body went rigid and his muscles began to bulge as hair sprouted all over his body. His nose and mouth elongated and his teeth and nails grew sharp and then in one heartbeat his form exploded, ripping away the little he wore to shoot up in height, rivaling that of the creature he faced, now in the form of a giant ape.

Lad? Mr. Turtle called, peeking out of his cracked shell to see what was happening but all that was there was the ancient one now staring at a giant ape that must have appeared while he hid, who in turn was staring at something in its hands.

But where was the boy? And for that matter, where was the girl? He wished he could ask but neither the ape nor the ancient one seemed capable of speaking just then.

…

Mr. Turtle wasn't the only one who wanted to know what was going on. Thousands of miles away Niulang cursed as he gazed in his crystal orb, smacking it several times in frustration.

"What is happening?!" Why did everything grow distorted? Was it because they had moved too close to the western shores? This would not do. He needed a visual! His creature had to be capable of keeping them at bay until he could formulate a new plan!

He smacked the orb again.

What was happening?!

o0o

The ape examined the girl in his hands, sniffing her with his snout gently. There was something comforting about her scent. He had been filled with rage just moments ago, but something about this small creature resting in his palm seemed to calm him.

Mine.

But the Ancient One had no patience for this. It had been awoken from its slumber to find others on its turf and now an even bigger predator had appeared, threatening its borders.

It must die.

The Ancient One charged its attack and blasted the ape's shoulder, enraging the other creature, who whipped around with a snarl and shot back his own ki attack that left the Ancient One roaring. The giant ape followed up by jumping on the one who hurt him, prepared to tear it apart.

This thing had threatened what was his!

MINE!

With one hand he held the girl close to his chest and lashed out with the other, but his burden left him vulnerable and the creature blocked the attack and struck out at his hand holding the girl but it didn't count on one thing, and that was the ape's tail blocking the hit and wrapping around its leg to yank it down under the waters.

As soon as the Ancient One fell, the great ape leapt again, and this time they wrestled and rolled with one another, smashing against the nearby shore. At some point they managed to find themselves in a deadlock, and so they did the only thing that they could and began charging their attacks.

Mr. Turtle had seen enough from inside his shell to know he needed to book it out of there. He popped out and began slowly paddling away but he couldn't move fast enough, and instead was sent flying from the aftershocks as the attacks clashed and exploded.

The sky went bright and didn't fade until several long moments later but by that time the battle was over. The Ancient One retreated back into the ocean and the great ape was quick to whisk away his treasure. He bounded onto the mainland, growling and stopping every few steps while looking over his shoulder to ensure no one followed, until he came to a mountainous region that offered him a degree of cover.

With one last glare over the summits, the giant ape burrowed down between the peaks and slowly pulled his hand away from his chest to examine the girl, sniffing and nuzzling her with his snout. When she didn't wake, he let loose a whine and ran his tongue over her with soft, gentle strokes before laying down his head beside his open palm and slowly closing his eyes.

o0o

"NO! NO! NO!" Niulang cried, chucking his crystal orb against the wall along with whatever else he could get his hands on. How did they defeat such an ancient powerful creature?! Just who were these people? And how was he supposed to stop them?!

"Zhinu," he muttered, burying his face in his hands. "Zhinu what do I do? I finally have an opportunity to reunite us for good and yet it is slipping through my fingers! Have we not suffered enough my love? Why is fate kind to them and yet we must continue so?"

He was tired. So tired.

Tired of everything refusing to go his way.

Once upon a time he had been a good, hardworking man whose only crime was being swept away with his feelings for a beautiful clothmaker.

The punishment had been cruel and unjust.

Perhaps now, through his various misdeeds, it was earned but he knew his Zhinu still deserved no such censure and yet here they were. Still separated for all eternity because her cruel father could not be bothered to reuse a single piece of cloth.

"If I had this man's strength, then perhaps I could have fought him." Alas he was but a simple herdsman.

Niulang slid to the floor in despair, knowing he had failed. It had been so long since he had hope, that he had forgotten how soul crushing it was to have it ripped away as well. For the first time in nigh two hundred years, he wept.

o0o

Goku groaned, scrunching his face, and woke to clear blue skies and the sounds of birds chirping in the distance. "Oh man, what happened?"

He pressed a hand to his head and sat up, only to realize he was naked.

"What the…"

Goku jumped to his feet, his gaze darting around, spotting all the telltale signs he'd missed. The snapped trees, the giant footprints.

The full moon monster.

It had been here.

"Damn it!" he cursed, punching the ground.

He'd been so close! Had finally seen it with his own eyes and yet he'd still failed to kill it! And Chi-Chi…

Goku's eyes widened.

Chi-Chi! Where was she?!

He looked around wildly before spotting her unconscious form lying only a few feet away.

"Chi-Chi!"

Goku was on his knees by her side in an instance, his shaky hands pulling her into his arms as his mind was assaulted with a similar moment over a decade ago; but instead of her slim, battered figure, his Grandpa's body had laid broken and bloodied before him.

Grandpa had died that day and now Chi-Chi…Chi-Chi was…

Goku crushed her to his chest, unable to keep his tears back any longer. Chi-Chi…his Chi-Chi…he'd failed her! He hadn't been able to protect her when it mattered most and now she was…she was…she…

Small cold hands pressed against his sides, nearly startling him into dropping his precious bundle until he realized what it meant.

"CHI-CHI!" He pulled back enough to look at her. "You're okay!"

"That explains the massive headache," Chi-Chi grumbled, squinting as she opened her eyes.

Her head was throbbing and she was annoyed that this was now the second time in a row that she had blacked out only to wake up in Goku's arms.

So much for proving she wasn't a burden.

Chi-Chi pushed on Goku's chest, needing room to breathe, but paused when she noticed his quivering lips and watery eyes.

"…Goku?"

"CHI-CHI!"

Goku crushed her to his chest again, releasing a heavy sob, and this time Chi-Chi didn't pull away.

"Oh sweetheart…oh Goku, it's okay," she murmured, rubbing his back. "I'm okay."

"I thought you were…I thought you…"

"I know love, I know." Chi-Chi squeezed his shaking shoulders tight. "But I'm okay, just a little banged up. Do you wanna tell me what happened?" she asked, pulling back just enough to catch his gaze. "And wher—Goku why are you naked?"

Goku wiped an arm over his eyes and looked away, though he kept one hand linked with hers and his tail wrapped around her waist. "It was the full moon monster, Chi-Chi. It was here."

And he had failed to stop it.

Chi-Chi gasped, suddenly understanding his tears—not that she thought he didn't care about her well being but he had never cried like that before—but that still didn't explain where his cloth—

Oh wait.

She knew the answer to that actually.

Chi-Chi popped open their capsule organizer and opened the capsule she vaguely remembered tossing all his things in before rushing after him.

"We lost the hammock but I think I managed to get all the rest," she told him.

With his hand still in hers, Goku looked through the container, curious as to what she was talking about, and grinned when he realized she'd managed to grab his things before everything went down, meaning…

He hunted through his clothing and popped back up with the senzu bean bag.

"Alright!"

Goku dumped the two and a half remaining senzu beans in his palm and popped the half bean in his mouth while handing a whole one to Chi-Chi.

"Eat this."

Chi-Chi did as she was told and nearly cried in relief as her headache instantly abated. Her body felt lighter, stronger, than she could ever recall. She had had her doubts about the abilities of the little bean, but it was truly worth the hype.

"Thank you," she sighed, feeling like she could finally relax.

Thank goodness they still had these left and that they hadn't consumed them after the battle with the dragon.

Wait.

Chi-Chi frowned and turned back to Goku who had just fished his pants out of the container. "Goku…if you didn't eat a senzu bean, how didja defeat that monster?"

"I didn't."

"Then how did we get away?"

Goku stared, his mind coming up blank. "I…I don't know."

How did they get away? And why couldn't he remember anything?

"Well that's okay," Chi-Chi murmured after a moment, sensing his unease. She supposed she would be too if she couldn't remember something like that. "But are you sure that was the full moon monster? I thought we determined it lived on Mt. Paozu. How did it get here?"

"I don't know," Goku muttered again, frowning.

How did it get here? In fact…it had appeared before he had even laid eyes on the full moon.

An uneasy feeling settled in the pit of his stomach. Before Chi-Chi, he had always been so sure of what he knew about the monster. Then Chi-Chi came along and made him rethink what he knew but what happened last night went against all that.

And yet he knew the signs.

Broken trees. Giant footprints. Waking up naked with no memory…

"Goku? Honey? What's wrong?"

"Huh? What's that?"

Chi-Chi frowned as Goku smiled, no doubt trying to reassure her, but his smile was all wrong. It was too stiff and not the easy, lopsided grin she had come to love. Something about last night's events was bothering him, but she didn't know what. So she did the only thing that she could and threw her arms around him, squeezing him close.

"Hey now, whatever it is, I promise we'll get through it together."

Together.

Goku wanted that more than anything. If he lost her to the full moon monster…

He gripped her tight and breathed in her scent, needing comfort from the fears that were starting to creep up on him, needing proof that she was still there.

Goku nudged Chi-Chi with his nose until she turned towards him, and then kissed her slowly…but his kisses soon grew stronger, hungry. He didn't want to think about things that made him uneasy. Not when Chi-Chi was alive and warm in his arms. He just wanted—needed—to drown his senses in her.

Chi-Chi understood.

There was a desperateness to his kisses that she was eager to return. So much kept happening, threatening to tear them apart.

She hated it.

But here in his arms she felt safe, like nothing could touch them, and she was determined to give him the same reassurance, but then he slipped his hand inside of her shorts and she couldn't help but stiffen.

"Goku, wh—ah!"

His rough fingers danced inside of her, making her squirm, and then he was lowering her backwards on to the ground, his bare chest hovering over her. He was so handsome and Chi-Chi couldn't help but imagine how this must look, this beautiful, naked man pleasuring her out in an open field. The image was so erotic she couldn't help but blush, but it was his eyes, watching her with an intensity that he usually saved for his opponents, that left her weak and practically melting in his arms.

"Oh, Goku," Chi-Chi sighed.

He was upset, and she didn't know why. But if this is what he needed from her then she'd make sure he felt her love in return.

She reached for him, wrapping her hand around his length, and smiled when his playful fingers faltered at her touch, but if Chi-Chi thought a single brush against his skin could stop him for good, she was mistaken for Goku was quick to recover, his clever fingers working her body as Chi-Chi met him stroke for stroke. They held each others' gaze, both refusing to look away even once, not even as they traded soft, wet kisses until Chi-Chi finally felt herself tipping over the edge with Goku falling right after, his hot liquid squirting all over her stomach as they shared one last final hard kiss and stayed there, chests heaving, before they slowly came back down from the high of finding solace in each other's arms.

When Goku finally released her, and could see the mess he'd made, he blushed and looked away.

"Sorry, I shouldn't have jumped ya like that."

"Hey!" Chi-Chi placed a hand on his arm and waited until he looked at her. "Did ya hear me sayin' no?"

"Uh…no?" Goku hesitated, not entirely sure. She could have probably told him she was an alien right then and he wouldn't have caught a word.

Thankfully Chi-Chi just smiled and said "Exactly!" before shaking her head and slipping her arms around him. "You don't have to tell me what's going on but I'm here for you, sweetheart, in whatever way you need."

Goku relaxed and brought his arms around her in turn, appreciating more than he could say that Chi-Chi wouldn't press him on this uneasiness he was feeling. He didn't know if he could explain it even if he tried, but he knew even if his uneasiness continued to grow, as long as Chi-Chi was by his side, he could face anything.

"Thanks Chi-Chi, you're the best."

"I know," she winked. "Now whaddya say we shower and then I whip us up somethin' to eat, hm?"

Goku grinned and kissed her cheek, his heart feeling lighter than it had all morning. "Ooooh, do we have any of that worm meat left?"

"You can't be serious," Chi-Chi muttered, but when he just looked at her confused, she tossed her hands up in exasperation. "Ugh!"

"Kidding! But you should see your face!" Goku laughed, pointing at her.

"Goku!"

Goku just laughed…and laughed…and laughed…to the point that Chi-Chi grew annoyed and decided she'd had enough. She uncapsulated their house and stomped inside, slamming the door in his face, but that didn't bother Goku.

Not until he tried to follow and found the door locked.

"Chi-Chi? Aw, c'mon Chi-Chi, it was just a joke!"

He rattled the door but Chi-Chi never answered.

"Chi-Chi!"