Goku sat there in his wife's embrace, her little, but strong arms like a warm blanket around him against the cold night. He had buried his face in the crook of her neck, his eyes closed, the smell of her skin and the beating of her heart against his own, making him still. As she gently run her fingers up and down his spine to calm her sweet husband, Chichi noticed the small chest on the floor, some items scattered around it.
"What's all of this?" She gently asked him. Goku unsheathed his face from her shoulder, his eyes on the chest she was referring to.
"I found it under the floor. Never seen it before" he told her quietly.
"Can I see?" she gently asked, combing the bangs of hair from his clammy face.
"Ye" he told her, sitting up properly from her embrace to let her take a look. Her eyes immediately fell upon the small armour and her eyes lit up in amazement.
"Goku ... is that? ..." she trailed off, her mouth gaped open as she stared at him.
"Ye, It's my Saiyan armour I came to Earth in" he told her.
"Oh, Goku, look how small you were" she cooed, picking up the small chest armour to get a better look.
"I was a lil runt, huh"
"I can't believe your grandpa kept this" she pouted.
"Me neither" he agreed. She gazed at the little armour for a few more seconds, her eyes then catching sight of what looked like an old map on the floor.
"Is that a map?" she asked, carefully setting the small armour down on the ground.
"Ye" Goku watched as Chichi picked it up, admiring the many areas of their mountain home. Goku pointed at a particular spot to show her, "My grandpa found me here"
"Wow" Chichi whispered in awe, "April 9th, 737. Aged 3 maybe 4"
"My grandpa just guessed how old I was by lookin' at me. So, I don't really know how old I am"
"You told me your grandpa said you were 3 when he found you" Chichi remembered.
"Ye, he said I was 3"
"Then, that's what we'll stick to" she smiled tenderly at him, cupping his one cheek in her palm. Oh, her heart ached as she took in his appearance, his eyes puffy and red and his cheeks rosy from sobbing his little heart out just now. She took her attention back to the map in her other hand.
"So, he found you right there, really deep in the mountains in your ship" Chichi confirmed.
"Mr Briefs found the ship I came to Earth in. He used it to make the one I travelled to Namek in. Kinda crazy it was out here this whole time an' I didn't know"
"It was probably completely overgrown with moss and trees out here" Chichi thought.
"I guess so" he murmured.
"Did you wanna go see where he found you?" She asked him, referring to the map in her hands.
"I dunno, I don't really need to" he shrugged. Chichi's eyes went back to the map.
"You weren't kidding when you said you and your grandpa explored most of Mount Paozu. He's written an entire map of the place" she said with a smile.
"Ye, it's missin' a few places that me an' you found, though" Goku said, remembering their first year of marriage where they explored the mountains together. He didn't know his grandpa had made a map of their home, and he never remembered all the names of the different spots he knew, but he remembered where he'd been, and knew some of the places that he and Chichi had discovered were new.
"We'll have to add to it, if you wanted to, of course. It will be fun adding all the new places on here" she told him.
"Ye, maybe" Goku thought.
Chichi put down the map a moment later and picked up an envelope with Goku's name written on it.
"Oh, Goku ..." she trailed off. It was from his grandpa, it had to have been. By the look on her husband's face, she knew it was his grandpa's writing.
"He wrote this for you. Did you want to read-"
"-No" he instantly interrupted her, his eyes on the envelope in her hand. And she could feel the change in his demeanour immediately, the look on his face telling her everything she needed to know.
It was too soon.
"It's okay, baby. Whenever you're ready, if you're ready, I'm here. Whether you want me to read it with you or you just want to tell me about it, I'm here when you're ready" she assured him, her gentle voice and soft touch to his face doing something to him in that moment.
He couldn't stop himself.
He pushed her down against the wooden floor of the cabin, his lips smashing against hers in a searing kiss, her eyes wide, a startled yelp coming from her throat. But, she soon succumbed to his aggressive advances, her eyes drifting shut, her mouth opening to his as his tongue licked along her bottom lip. Goku dipped his tongue inside of her mouth, groaning at the sweet taste of her, his wife's tongue soon tangling with his. His desperate hands dived into her hair, destroying her perfectly kept bun, his large palms holding her steady so he could ravage her with his mouth.
Chichi moaned loudly against his lips, her hands clinging to his red and blue flannel shirt, fingers digging into the garment and pulling him more firmly against her, his pelvis grinding against hers, stimulating them both beneath their clothes.
They broke for air, her shuddering breath fanning his face as he tugged at her bottom lip, before planting a trail of hot kisses down her jaw and neck. Her hands found the back of his shirt, where she untucked it from his jeans, her hands diving under, finger nails immediately raking up his bare back, making him shudder against her as he unbuttoned the collar to her dress. When she dug her fingernails deeper in his taught skin, a deep growl sifted through his lips and he bit her throat.
A strained moan fled her lips, her brows furrowing as he pulled back an inch to look at her, her chest rising and falling swiftly at the ravenous orbs staring back at her, greedily devouring her. He gripped her at the back of her neck and slammed their mouths together once again, their tongues entwining, his hips bucking against hers, his free hand coming down to roughly grope a breast through her dress.
His fervent kisses left her almost breathless, his movements setting her core on fire, her touches and delicious moans making his cock ache against her. His both hands briskly delved down her body to grab the ends of her dress, where he unashamedly yanked it up to her hips to reveal her strong, creamy legs and her underwear. He spread her legs, nestling himself between them, where he humped her desperately, their moans becoming more feral, and more frantic. He grabbed her thighs and kneaded the soft skin, skin so soft, so irresistible, muscles so strong and delectable, he needed more.
His lips left hers, leaving her panting, his teeth tugging at the top of her dress, his nose then nuzzling the bare skin on display, his lips kissing her hot skin as his little wife shakily unbuttoned the remaining clips on her dress for him. He moaned against her breasts, kissing and nipping at the bountiful flesh, before licking up her cleavage, making his wife squeal. He released a thigh, his hand slithering up her side to reach a breast, where he yanked one of her bra cups down to reveal a plush mound. He instantly sucked her pert breast into his mouth, Chichi slamming her head back against the floor, her eyes rolling back in pure rapture as he feasted on her limp form.
She wrapped her strong legs around his lean waist, squeezing them against him, grinding her hips and rubbing herself against his raging hard-on, his growls of satisfaction and frustration vibrating against her skin as he suckled her hardened nipple. He could smell her need for him, and the intoxicating scent had him heady, making his heart pound erratically in his chest. His lips left her nipple with a 'pop', his dangerous eyes praying on her as his adventurous hand skimmed up her inner thigh, where he hooked a finger at the edge of her panties, pulling them to one side.
Chichi's mouth fell open, and she lifted her head up, her desire through hooded eyes pulling him into a chokehold as his long, skilful fingers rubbed her up and down, her wetness seeping out onto his fingers as he teased her core.
"Oh, Goku, yes!" she ground out through her teeth, throwing her head back against the floor as his large digits slipped inside of her. Chichi grabbed her husband's face and she kissed him hard as he worked her honeypot with his fingers, Chichi thrusting against them, her one hand then dipping down between them to grab the large tent in his pants.
"Ngh, Chichi!" Goku rasped against her tasty lips, "I need you". Chichi's hands were already on their way to unsheathe the beast that would soon wreck her, her lips finding his in a fiery kiss as they both worked to undo his jeans and haul them down his hips.
"I need you, too!" she panted against his lips, her hot breath making him shiver, her one hand guiding his large size to her opening. She pumped his shaft a few times, the feel of her small hands on his dick making him fold against her, his face burying into the crook of her neck where he muffled his cry for her. He forced himself up after a moment, leering over her little body, pinning his wife's arms above her head, before roughly pushing himself inside of her heat.
Chichi sucked in a breath at the deep intrusion, her mind silenced, every thought vanishing with a whoosh! She firmly shut her eyes, a staggering breath escaping her, her hands balling up above her head as he angled his pelvis against her, following with long, deep thrusts. Her eyes flew open at the slam of his hips, her eyes meeting his, a surge of excitement flourishing within her as she watched him have his way with her. His lustful gaze consumed her, the veins protruding on his arms, his palms pressing down on her arms with every thrust. It was like pure ecstasy being injected into her blood stream, but it wasn't enough.
She bucked her hips up to meet his, squeezing her walls around his pulsing cock, his breath wavering at her toe curling movements, his grip on her arms suddenly loosening, his hands sliding up to her wrists as his body dipped down so he could capture her lips. Their mouths moved passionately, her breasts rolling up and down his solid chest as he rocked against her, his palms letting go of her small wrists so he could encage her in his large arms, fingers combing through her messy, dark tresses and gripping her at the back of her head.
Chichi broke the kiss and buried her face into his clammy neck, hushing her wanton cries, her arms wrapping tightly around his solid form, her fingernails savagely scratching down his back, making him shiver and swallow his moan as he continued against her, his hips picking up the pace.
"GO-KU!" she breathlessly called his name against his shoulder, his rolling hips hitting her sweet spot with such perfect precision, his pelvis bone rubbing against her clit, it was almost too much for her to take. She clung to him as he pounded her hard against the wooden floor, her body still fully encased in his arms, his beastly body crushing her against him.
His coarse hand pulled her head from his shoulder, those midnight eyes gazing up at him, his favourite pair of eyes to look into. Their bodies moved together, like perfectly fitting puzzle pieces, it was no longer him and her, it was them.
He watched her, completely lost in the moment, as she fell apart for him, her walls clamping down around him, her eyes rolling back, her screams of passion for no one but him hitting his ears like the sweetest music he'd ever heard.
He kissed her. Hard. The chills running up his spine, her cries spilling from her trembling lips against his, her potent scent hooking him like a drug mule as he pounded her harder and harder into the ground. His brow glistened from sweat, it was against her skin, it was in her hair.
His once perfected rhythm became more frenzied, his hips suddenly jerking, his balls tightening, his breathing choppy as he reached his high with her. A guttural sound escaped the depths of his throat, his eyes tightly shut as he rode through the euphoric waves of his orgasm, his sweet wife kissing his cheek, her hands carding through his sweaty hair.
The wetness of her lips left their mark against his skin, like silent promises and proclamations of love.
Kami, he sold her his soul.
They lay still against the cool wooden floor as they caught their breath, her small body still encased in his arms, his head on her shoulder, her gentle fingertips drawing circles on his back, calming every nerve and shunning every thought.
They lay there in silence, enjoying their small bit of intimacy, his giant hands cradling her head like it was made of glass.
"It makes sense, you know, you not being human. Should have known" Chichi broke the silence.
"Ye?"
"Your incredible strength, your bottomless stomach" Chichi playfully jabbed him in his side, Goku chuckling lightly against her shoulder, "your tail, that little purr you do" Chichi felt him go still against her, moments later he lifted his head so he could look at her.
"It doesn't bother you that I'm not human? Not even a little?" Chichi could read the worry on his face, his eyes darting back and forth hers as he nervously waited for her answer.
Kami, didn't he know? Didn't he know that he was still him? Didn't he know that they still bleed the same? That they still breathe the same, that she was still completely and utterly, deeply in love with him?
"No" she answered him honestly, "I thought about it a lot after you left for Namek and honestly it just answered a lot of my questions. I palmed everything off to it just being you. I've never been with anyone other than you, I had no one to compare to, so I had no idea what was normal and what wasn't. And even if I did think something wasn't normal, I just made excuses for it". She observed as he thought for a moment, his fingers gently caressing her bare stomach.
"It doesn' gross you out? Like, ya still want me, right?" he decided to ask her.
"What?" she wasn't expecting that question at all.
"I know I look like me, but ... i'm not me. I'm not Goku"
"What are you talking about? Of course you're Goku"
"Goku's not my real name. My grandpa gave me that name when he found me. I have a birth name ... a Saiyan name" he quietly told her and she could see the disappointment in his face, his eyes avoiding hers as he drew little circles on her stomach. Chichi knew about his Saiyan name. She heard Vegeta saying it after everyone were transported from Namek to Earth by the Dragonballs. She questioned Gohan about it when they went home that day, and Gohan confirmed it was his father's birth name.
"I know" she responded to him, which had his attention immediately, his eyes catching hers.
"You ... know?"
"Kakarot, isn't it? I heard Vegeta saying it and Gohan told me afterwards that it was your birth name" Goku went quiet for a moment.
"Do you want to be called Kakarot?" she wondered.
"No" his answer was quick and blunt.
"Then, I guess you're Goku" she smiled warmly at him and he gave her a small smile in return.
"And to answer your other questions, no, i'm not grossed out, and I definitely still want you" she sweetly told him, running her fingers through his bangs and across his scalp affectionately, "Why else would I be a sweaty, half naked mess on the floor" she finished off with a wink, making him snort out a laugh.
"I already told you, you're my Goku" Goku couldn't help himself as he pressed his lips to hers in a tender kiss. He ended the kiss a few seconds later and he rubbed her nose affectionately with his.
"I'm glad you're okay 'bout it, wasn' sure how you'd feel 'bout me bein' an alien. I was wonderin' for a long time on Yardrat, 'bout what you an' Gohan thought of it, what my friends thought 'bout it..."
"You spoke to your friends about it, didn't you?" Chichi checked with him.
"Some of them, ye"
"And they were fine with it?"
"Seemed fine with it" Goku thought.
"There you go" Chichi gave him a smile, "So, nothing to worry about" she assured him, kneading and caressing his huge shoulders.
"Ye, I guess so. Just need to speak to Bulma" he told her.
"I'm sure she'll be fine, she's always liked you. Me, not so much, but you, yes" Chichi thought.
"Whaddya mean?"
"Ever since the tournament and we got engaged, she just didn't like me. I knew I hadn't done anything wrong, so it puzzled me for a while. But, I think I know now" she told him.
"What is it?" Goku wondered.
"I think she has feelings for you, or at least she did have feelings for you"
"What?! No way! It's Bulma, we're just friends!" Goku poked out his tongue in disgust.
"You might feel that way, doesn't mean she does"
"But ... she never said anythin' before. I mean, I never understood all that stuff until I married you. I wouldn'a known if she was flirtin' with me or somethin', but she's never once made me think she liked me that way. She always just shouts at me an' hits me an' throws things at me. She even shot me before"
"Hmm, well, maybe that's because you were just a child then. Things changed when you grew up" Chichi thought. She didn't like the thought of another woman liking her husband, she didn't like the thought of another woman putting their hands on him like that, either. This was the first time Goku had ever talked about Bulma like that. Usually, Bulma came up into conversation when talking about his adventures looking for the dragonballs, nothing more.
Goku was gobsmacked by Chichi's assumption. It really had him thinking about things.
"I remember her tellin' me I was handsome when we were at the tournament ... but, I didn' really know what that meant then, so I never really thought too much into it" he recalled.
"There we go, I rest my case"
"But, that shouldn' be a reason to not like you, Chichi. Ya still didn' do anythin' wrong. Just 'cause I married you, ain't no reason to be like that towards ya"
"I know, Goku. But, some women are just like that"
Goku didn't like that. It also made him think about the argument they had the other evening and it had him confessing.
"I don't think you were unfaithful to me, Chichi. I'm sorry for what I said. I guess ... I just ..." he trailed off, unsure of how to word it.
"I know" she responded, cupping his cheeks with her hands and giving him a gentle smile. She was angry at first, and hurt by his admission, but she knew deep down Goku didn't mean it, "I think you were a bit jealous of him" she told him.
"Jealous? Of what? He ain't strong, Chichi, I could snap him like a twig" he told her seriously, a frown on his face. Chichi couldn't help but chortle at his words.
"I know that, Goku. I don't mean his strength, I meant you were jealous of him spending time with me. It wasn't often I saw him, it was only time to time, but it was more than what you got to spend with me, because you weren't here"
"Maybe" he grumbled.
"And I know you're very protective of me and you've never liked another man being too friendly with me" she giggled, "Do you remember that time at the store? When I saw someone from daddy's village and he put his hand on my lower back? I heard the growl that came from you and the whole store shook and you cracked the tiles beneath your feet where you were so angry"
"That wasn' funny" he pouted.
"And that time we went for a check up when I was pregnant. You scared that poor man out of the room when he asked if he could examine me"
"He was gonna go down there an' look at ya!" Goku reminded her, patting the place between her legs that was reserved only for him, "I didn' know that was how they checked ya. I thought only I'm allowed to see ya an' touch ya down there!" Chichi couldn't help but laugh at him.
"You had this wild look in your eyes, I thought you were gonna kill him" she recalled.
"I wanted to" he mumbled, frowning at his wife as she continued to giggle, "It still ain't funny". Chichi shook her head amusingly at him.
"Point is, I know you, Son Goku. Better than anyone. I wasn't happy that you were thinking those things about me the other night, but I thought about it non-stop for days, and I understood why you were acting that way"
"I really am sorry" he whispered softly, resting his forehead against hers and closing his eyes, "feel like I'm just one big mess"
Chichi slid her hands up to his hair and she let her fingers run through his thick, wild mane, the tips of her fingers then soothingly massaging his scalp, that little engine in his chest starting up again, making her smile.
"We're gonna get through this together" she whispered to him. He fully encased her body in his arms again, swamping her body with his as he cuddled her against him, burying his face into her neck for comfort, enjoying his wife's sweet touches as she continued to play with his hair. But, the moment was short lived when he felt someone approaching.
"Oh, crap!"
"What's wrong?"
"Gohan's comin'!" They exchanged mortified expressions, but they both shot up, fixing their clothes, giggling like teenagers. They both made themselves presentable in record time, Chichi quickly tidying her messy hair as Goku smiled at her.
"We got 'bout 10 seconds" he whispered to her, cupping her one cheek and pulling her to him for a sweet kiss. Chichi smiled against his lips, before he pulled away. He winked at her, and that's when Gohan appeared in the doorway.
"Mom, dinner's burning. I had to turn the stove off" he told his mother.
"Oh, no! Dinner!" she exclaimed, jumping up and running out of the small house, "Hopefully it's not completely ruined!"
"I think it's okay" Gohan shrugged before starting to walk back towards their house, his mother about to follow him.
"Hey ... Chichi?" Goku called his wife.
"Yeah?"
"Thank you ... y'know ... for bein' here"
"I'm always gonna be here" she assured him with a warm smile, before sprinting off towards the house. Goku smiled to himself, before turning to face his past on the ground. He hesitated for a moment, his eyes just staring aimlessly at the items scattered on the floor. He found himself clearing it up a minute later, putting it all back neatly into the chest. He put the chest on the table, eyeing it up once more before he finally left the small cabin.
When Goku walked into the kitchen, the wonderful aroma of food hit his nostrils. He stood there for a moment, observing as his wife stacked up plates of food, his little son sat at the table eagerly waiting to eat it. Goku chuckled to himself, seeing himself in his son more and more as he got older. He always thought he was Chichi's carbon copy, which he was, but there were little traits of his slipping through here and there, now.
Goku pulled out the chair next to his son and he sat down. He caught his son's eye and he reached over to ruffle his son's wild hair playfully, before affectionately caressing it, giving his son a little wink. Gohan beamed up at his father.
Chichi was back and forth the table, setting down numerous plates of delicious food. Chichi giggled at her husband and son as they practically drooled over her handy work. After placing the last plate on the table, she sweetly stroked her son's head, before ruffling Goku's playfully. Goku gave her a warm smile, which she returned, before both Saiyan boys said grace and tucked in.
Goku winced, a loud smash echoing throughout the house, glass going all over the place as he stood there with just remnants of the empty glass in his hand.
"God damnit!" He cursed.
"Goku! Really?!" Chichi shouted from the living room.
"I'm sorry! I didn' mean to!" He'd broken a lot of plates, glasses and cutlery since he returned from Space. Some days he felt he had good control over his strength, other days, not so much. And it wasn't just crockery he had broken. He'd broken the table in the living room when he put his glass down too hard on it. He'd ripped the front door off it's hinges when walking out of it. He'd also put a hole through the tiles in the master bathroom when he slipped and tried to stop himself from falling. Chichi was not impressed with that one.
Thankfully, Goku had placated her, promising to fix it when he finished the repairs in their kitchen after hitting her through the wall. Luckily, Goku learnt a lot about fixing things and building things before Gohan was born. When they found out Chichi was pregnant with their son, The Ox King agreed to help his daughter and son-in-law with adding additional space to their little home for Gohan. With the help of a few men that the Ox-King hired for the project, Goku learnt first hand what to do. He wasn't good at numbers, so he struggled with measuring things, but actually building the foundations, the walls and roof of the house was easy work.
And he quite enjoyed it. He always liked using his hands, he remembered it well from when he was a kid training under Master Roshi. He and Krillin did construction work most days as part of their training, shovelling through rocks and dirt and loading it up into wheelbarrows. They did this over and over, making better work of barrelling rock an dirt than the heavy machinery.
Goku snapped out of his daydream and he sighed, glancing down at the glass scattered on the floor. He really needed to watch his strength. He felt fine with the Earth's gravity now, so that wasn't the problem. He shook his head, it was just a him problem, once again. He chucked the remainder of the glass that was in his hand into the trash and he went and grabbed the dustpan and broom.
A couple of week's passed and it was late one night, so Goku sneaked into his bedroom, tip-toeing towards the master bathroom to take a quick shower.
Once he was all squeaky clean, Goku dried himself off, throwing his towel on the floor in the corner of the bathroom, before gently padding butt naked into the bedroom he shared with his wife. He quietly pulled a pair of boxer shorts from one of his drawers, before slinking into bed with his wife. She was facing him, soft snores filling the air, but he couldn't stop himself from pulling her into his arms, where he snuggled her and kissed her head.
"Goku?" she croakily whispered, her eyes opening slightly to squint at him in the dark.
"Ye, it's me, sorry, I didn' mean to wake ya" he told her gently.
"What time is it?" she wondered, stirring some more and trying to focus her eyes better on her husband.
"Late" Goku told her, "just go back to sleep" he pulled the blanket up to tuck them both in.
"How late?" she questioned him, more awake now, and Goku could feel her eyes narrow on him.
"Um, 2am" he whispered out.
"2am?! Are you serious?!" she yelled at him.
"Sh! Babe, you'll wake Gohan" he quietly tried to calm her.
"Don't you babe me!" she whisper yelled at him, "You've been training with Piccolo since you finished dinner, it's now 2am! Goku, this is getting ridiculous!"
"What? How is it? I'm sorry I woke ya, I won't next time"
"It's not even that! It's the fact that you've been training all day, you come home for dinner and normally we spend time together as a family before Gohan goes to bed, then we have time for just us, but now you're going back to train with Piccolo and not coming home until late!"
"I told ya I need to do more serious trainin' with Piccolo. I can't do that with Gohan, I don't wanna hurt him, so I hav'ta wait to do that with Piccolo"
"Gohan could train less during the day, so you can train alone with Piccolo"
"An' that will cut into Gohan's trainin', we can't do that"
"So, that's it? You're just gonna train 24/7 an' we won't spend any time together?"
"It's not every night, Chichi" Goku reminded her.
"It's most nights!" she argued back.
"Aw, Chichi, c'mon, don't be like this" Goku groaned.
"Why don't you just say it?! You'd rather train than spend any time here with me!" she spat at him, before turning over, putting her back to him.
"What? Chichi, no, it's not like that" he tried, putting his one hand on her shoulder. Chichi shrugged it off coldly.
"Goodnight, Goku" she hissed. Goku stared at her back for a moment, wondering what the hell just happened. But, he didn't have the energy to fight back tonight, so he let out a frustrated sigh and turned over as well to go to sleep.
Another day passed and Goku had just finished the house repairs with a few workmen the Ox King had hired. After the builders had left, Goku spent time playing with Gohan in the garden, kicking a ball about. Chichi watched her husband and son through the kitchen window as she waiting for the teapot to boil for her father and herself. She could see the smile on Gohan's face, Goku's laughter in the air as he tackled the ball from his son and playfully pushed him over into the grass. This was all Chichi wanted more than anything.
The teapot had finished boiling and she poured the hot tea into two teacups on the side.
"How are things?" her father asked her for the dining table.
"Gohan's so happy his father's home. He's been a completely different boy"
"That's not what I meant" Chichi stalled in her response as she stirred the tea.
"Have you both talked yet?" her father pressed.
"I've tried. He won't open up to me" she told her father sadly. The Ox King knew there was problems and he was annoyed with his son-in-law, and his son-in-law knew it and he was keeping his distance from him. But, he knew from his daughter that Goku was a very closed person and it took time and a lot of patience to get him to open up about things.
"Maybe you need to try a different angle" her father suggested.
"I've tried being blunt and getting it out of him, I've tried leaving it and giving him time and just reassured him I'm here for him when he's ready. What else should I be doing?" she turned to face her father.
"Maybe you need some time alone together. Gohan's always here, maybe he's holding back because of that?"
"He's been fine arguing with me when Gohan's here" she miffed, chucking the spoon in the sink angrily.
"You both need some time alone, it's been 2 years. You've had no time alone since he's returned"
"I dunno, dad" she quietly replied, bringing their tea cups to the table and sitting down across from her father.
"Let me have Gohan this weekend. Spend some time together, go for a walk, have a nice picnic, just relax together and talk. Just, don't get angry at him"
"I have every right to be angry at him" Chichi frowned at her father.
"I know, honey, but you know that will scare him off and he will completely shut down". Chichi sighed, her eyes staring at her tea. Her father was right, of course.
"Send him over Friday afternoon, I'll be done with the council meeting and I have no plans for the rest of the weekend"
"This is just an excuse for you to steal your grandson" she cocked her eyebrow at him and he chuckled.
"You caught me" he teased. Chichi sighed.
"Okay, he can stay with you for the weekend, but don't spoil him too much"
"I can't promise you anything" he grinned at her.
The football had been forgotten in the garden and Goku and Gohan were rough-housing, wrestling and pushing each other in the grass, Gohan then jumping on his father and trying to lay a punch on him.
"Gohan!" came his mother's voice from the front door.
"Yeah, mom?" Gohan called back to his mother, his arms wrapped around his father's leg.
"One more hour and it's time to do your homework!" she reminded him.
"Okay, mom" he sighed out.
"Yeah, Gohan, do your homework" his father teased, pushing his son over by pressing his finger to his little forehead, making him laugh.
"Goku, one hour!" Chichi told her husband.
"Alright" he quietly responded, not looking at her.
Gohan watched his mother go back inside. There was an atmosphere that he just couldn't explain, but it wasn't one that he remembered as a smaller child, it was different. He may have been young, but he knew that things weren't okay between his parents. They were angry at each other and they were both so distant with one another. Gohan hoped that things would go back to how they used to be soon.
Gohan jumped his father again and almost lay a punch on him.
"Hah! Told you I'm getting faster! I caught Mr. Piccolo twice the other day! Now I'm gonna get you!" Gohan kicked at his father, who blocked him with his arm.
"Woah, hold on there, big shot" Goku chuckled at him.
"Take that!" Gohan threw a punch at his father, who dodged it effortlessly. Gohan was about to throw another move, when his father grabbed him and pulled him into a headlock. Gohan tried to get out, but there was absolutely no chance of him pulling free of his father's grasp. He was Son Goku, after all. That's when his father gave him a big, mischievous grin, and suddenly Gohan was being tickled all up his sides, and he wriggled in his father's arms, laughing hysterically.
"Daddy! Stop!" he laughed out, his father laughing with him. Goku stopped the torture a few moments later and let his son catch his breath. He then put his little boy back on his feet.
"You're gettin' cocky. I wonder where ya got that from" Goku cocked a playful eyebrow at his son.
"I dunno, he's the coolest though, taught me lots of things" Gohan smiled up at him. Goku chuckled and ruffled his son's messy hair affectionately before tapping his shoulder and running off.
"Tag! You're it!" He shouted as he ran off towards the trees!
"Hey, no fair!" Gohan shouted after him, disappearing into the woods with his father.
The sun had gone down that night, the brightest of stars sparkling as they were cushioned against the midnight blanket of the sky. Goku lay upon a grassy hill just up from his home, close to where the river flowed. He rested his arms behind his head, his eyes tracing the stars, the sounds of the running water and the crickets calming him.
He'd been there for about an hour, after helping his wife clear up after dinner and telling his son a story in bed. And he had some company tonight, company which he didn't normally have nor did he choose.
Piccolo.
Goku didn't know why Piccolo was sat there with him on the hill. Neither of them had spoken, Goku just star gazed and Piccolo appeared to be meditating.
Piccolo hadn't meant to sit with him, but, he just did. But, it felt a relatively comfortable silence for the hour they were there together.
As Piccolo sat there, he couldn't help but feel Goku's Ki. It was doing that erratic jumpy thing again. Goku's Ki was generally quite calm, but it had it's moments where it was quite chaotic. He didn't know if that was normal for him, or whether it was because he was troubled. And he knew he was troubled.
Piccolo knew Goku was restless. He'd come hunting for Piccolo on a few occasions in the middle of the night and took out his frustrations on him with his fists. Piccolo wasn't one to complain when it came to training, it was good resilience training for him, even though he was out of Goku's league now, and the Saiyan certainly left him black and blue. But, he wondered if this was really the best way for Goku to be venting.
From what Piccolo could understand from his observations and things he overheard; Goku was having problems with his wife. He'd heard them argue and he could feel Goku's frustration from it. What Piccolo couldn't understand, was why Goku didn't put his wife in her place. She was a mere human being, granted, strong for a human, but she was nowhere near Goku's league. So, why didn't he just deal with her? Why did he care so much about appeasing her?
Piccolo had briefly brought the topic up a few nights ago, though he was very careful with his words after the thrashing Goku gave him the last time he spoke ill of her. Piccolo didn't understand human relations, it wasn't something his species experienced, so he couldn't relate. But, he did understand that humans could make bonds and be 'married' as Gohan called it. Unfortunately for Piccolo, Gohan talked about his parents a lot when they'd take breaks during training. Goku would sometimes go and meditate away from them or go catch a fish from the river, so Piccolo was left alone with Gohan.
It was annoying listening to the kid babble on about something he simply didn't care about, but, he at least learnt something, he supposed.
A few nights ago ...
"You're very frustrated tonight" Piccolo observed as he flew backwards to put space between him and Goku.
"I'm not frustrated, I just wanna spar" Goku told him, before launching at Piccolo again. Piccolo put up his arm to block, but he took a full on punch from Goku, sending him crashing down into the dirt.
"Just want to spar" Piccolo huffed out as he pulled himself out of the ground, "Think someone's in denial" he commented. He quickly jumped up to avoid Goku as he flew at him, before blocking an onslaught of attacks from Goku, leaving him laying in the dirt again.
"You're not gonna fair well against the androids if you carry on like this" Piccolo told him as he still lay in the dirt on his back.
"Carry on like what? Beatin' you to the ground?" Goku smugly returned. Piccolo frowned and sat up. That was a low blow.
"No, I meant with your frustrations. You might be 'beating me down', but all that adrenalin from your anger is going to wear off eventually. You should know well enough by now, that you need to be calm, focused and your mind clear if you want to win"
"I don't think I need a pep talk from you, Piccolo" Goku snidely remarked.
"Okay, so we'll just keep at this, and see where that gets you" Piccolo threw back. Goku landed on the ground a few feet away from Piccolo, watching as the green man pulled himself out of the crater of rocks and dirt.
"What's wrong, Piccolo? Gettin' too much for ya? Thought ya wanted me to let loose" Goku reminded him.
"There's letting loose, then there's losing control. Which one are you going to choose?"
"I have complete control" Goku firmly told him.
"Your body is here, but, your mind is elsewhere"
"An' how would you know that? You have no idea what's goin' on in my head"
"I don't need to, I can feel it and I can see it in the way you're fighting"
"Okay" Goku rolled his eyes.
"Okay, then answer me this. Who leaves their home in the middle of the night, consistently for the last 5 nights, looking for a fight, if he's just fine? After we have been training all day, and all week"
"So, what?" Goku snapped back at him, "I've trained plenty of times durin' the night"
"Is it always specifically after having a disagreement with your wife?" Piccolo could see the coldness in Goku's eyes.
"Have you been listenin' in on our conversations?" he snarled at Piccolo.
"Not on purpose. But, there's been raised voices and I wondered what was going on"
"It's none of your damn business!"
"It is my business when I'm trying to meditate in peace and all I can hear is you and your wife shouting at each other!"
"Then rip your ears off so ya can't hear us!"
"It's also my business when I'm taking the brunt of your anger! It's not a spar, it's not in any way constructive, it's just pure venting of anger and frustrations, which isn't helping you!" Goku remained silent.
"You won't even transform into a Super Saiyan!"
"I don't need to listen to this" Goku growled at him.
"Then, don't" Piccolo bluntly countered, "Go home and stay home. When you're ready to admit your faults and actually do something about it, then come and find me. Until then, I'm done with this nightly 'beating'" and with that, Piccolo took off into the skies, heading towards the mountains in the distance.
Goku just stood there, festering in his anger, watching as Piccolo disappeared into the night sky.
Piccolo had no idea what he was talking about! He was full of shit! He was wrong!
Right?
...
As Goku sat there amongst the grass of the hill, his eyes still gazing up at the stars, he was starting to wonder if Piccolo was right.
He didn't consider the Namekian a friend, but so far, he was the one person making a lot of sense to him.
"Out with it already" Piccolo ordered the Saiyan. Goku turned to look at Piccolo, blinking at him, slightly baffled.
"How did ya-"
"-I told you already, I can feel it" Piccolo reminded him, his eyes still closed as he sat in meditation. Goku went quiet for a few minutes and Piccolo left him to it. He didn't really want to have such a deep conversation with him, he didn't care about Goku or how he felt, but whatever it was, it was affecting his training and it needed to be resolved. Everyone needed to be at their best for the fight against the androids, so one way or another, Goku needed to deal with it.
"It's a lot" Goku spoke into the night.
"With your wife?"
"With everythin'"
"Start from the top" Piccolo advised him. Goku found himself trying to figure out where the top was.
"This Super Saiyan thing. It changed me"
"In what way?"
"I'm strugglin' to find myself, I guess. Tryin' to accept what I am is hard. I don't wanna be this person"
"Too late for that. You've always been a Saiyan"
"I didn' know that, though. I thought I was a human, I thought I was just like everybody else. I thought I was this good person. It's hard to let go of that"
"I have no interest in whether you're a good person or not, but, you seem exactly the same person to me" Piccolo told him.
"I do?" Goku questioned, turning his head to look at Piccolo.
"Yes, you're annoying, immature and sentimental. None of that has changed" he grumbled out making Goku snort out a laugh. They stayed in a small silence again, Piccolo thinking of his next words.
"You've grown a lot. You've improved in every way. You've managed to reach a power the rest of us could only dream of and you're using that power for the greater good. You wouldn't be where you are right now if you weren't a Saiyan" Piccolo told him. It was a very different perspective and Goku let it sink in.
"Your friends, your family, everything you know would be gone if not for your heritage. So, is it really that bad?"
"When you put it like that, no, I guess not" Goku thought.
"You're angry because you didn't know, it was kept from you. You're ashamed because of what the Saiyans were and what they did. You're lost because you're trying to find that middle ground between being yourself and being what you were born to be" Piccolo analysed him. Goku was astounded by Piccolo's observation of him.
"How do you know all that?"
"I have a hunch" he replied, but Goku's narrowing eyes had him confessing, "and I've heard your conversations with your wife and heard you talking to yourself. Which is weird, by the way" Goku couldn't be angry at Piccolo's clear disrespect of his privacy. Because he really nailed his feelings and thoughts on the head.
They sat in a comfortable silence for a few minutes.
"Transformin' into a Super Saiyan is me acceptin' what I am. I learnt to control it on Yardrat, but I never used it for anythin'. I showed Trunks that day in the desert to make a point, but, otherwise I've kept it hidden away"
"Then, stop hiding it and use it to your advantage" Piccolo caught Goku frowning to himself in the corner of his eye. Geez, this man was hard work. For someone so pure and simple on the outside, he sure was a conundrum on the inside. And Chichi willingly chose to marry him? That woman needed therapy. That had Piccolo leading onto the next issue.
"You need to speak to your wife"
"I know" Goku admitted quietly.
"Then, just do it! What's holding you back?"
"I don't even know anymore"
"Is it because she scares you?" Piccolo asked him.
"What? No!" Goku's voice rose a few octaves and Piccolo looked at him with judgemental eyes.
"Okay, maybe a lil" Goku muttered. Piccolo rolled his eyes.
"So many of your problems will be solved if you just get it off your chest and tell her everything". Goku went quiet. He was in turmoil again.
"She's not gonna hate you"
"I dunno what she's gonna think of me"
"Why do you care so much about what she thinks of you, but not everyone else?"
"Because ... she's Chichi. She's ... everythin' to me. What she thinks of me matters to me more than anythin'. I don't ever want her to think differently of me-"
"-She told you she didn't care that you were a Saiyan" Piccolo interrupted him. Goku turned his head to look at him and he frowned.
"Sorry, I overheard" Piccolo turned away from Goku's gaze.
"It's not that. I know she said that an' I know she means that. But, she doesn' know what happened to me. She doesn' know how I couldn't protect Gohan. She doesn' know how low I was an' how weak I was an' how I couldn' come home 'cause I was such a failure. I've never been a failure to her before"
"That's what you're worried about?" Piccolo gawked at him.
"You just don't understand" Goku huffed out.
"I understand that you're an idiot and you need to stop being a coward and speak to your wife". Goku said nothing, but Piccolo could feel his anger.
"Stop running, Son. You can't run forever" Piccolo ended the conversation there and the two of them continued to sit there in silence together for some time.
"Typical I only find out now that your wife is your weak spot. Could have used that back a few years ago" Piccolo muttered. It had Goku smiling, at least, shaking his head at Piccolo.
"Shut up, Piccolo".
There it was.
Capsule Corporation, in all it's glory.
As Goku stood there, in the morning sun, looking up at he monstrous building, he couldn't help but acknowledge how long it had been since he'd been there. It would have been when he boarded his ship to go to Namek. Seemed a lifetime ago. Place still looked the same, though.
Goku went inside and was flagged down by the receptionist as he tried to waltz right into the main building. When he explained who he was, she smiled, stating it had been a while, but she should have recognised that wild hair of his. The receptionist directed Goku to Bulma's lab, where he found Bulma perched at one of her desks working.
"Miss Briefs, you have a visitor" the receptionist called to Bulma as she opened the door. Bulma turned and the biggest smile graced her features when she saw Goku.
"Goku! What a nice surprise! Thank you, Elisa" Bulma chirped. Elisa nodded and left the two old friends to it. Goku wandered into her lab his eyes peering around the place, taking in the familiarity.
"Can't remember the last time I was in here" he spoke.
"Some time when you were a kid, I think" Bulma told him as she stood from her desk. As Goku's eyes wandered about her lab, her eyes wandered over him. He wasn't wearing his Gi today, which was a rarity. He had some fitted, ripped blue jeans on, with brown baseball shoes with white tips and a fitted white t-shirt. And that shirt was certainly doing wonders for him, showing off his incredible physique. Son Goku had certainly grown a lot since she last saw him, his muscles were bulging, he looked so good.
He was really looking like a man now, not just the little boy she found in the mountains.
"Whatcha doing here?" she decided to ask him to take her mind off other things, "haven't come to check up on Vegeta, have you?"
"Nah, I don't need to check up on 'em. He ain't gonna cause any trouble now I'm back" there was a confidence in his voice which Bulma couldn't deny was very attractive. He'd always been a confident person, but he could really back-up his words now he was the strongest in the World, maybe even the Universe with Frieza gone.
"So, why are you here, then?" Bulma wondered.
"Wanted to see you" he told her as he approached one of her tables, his eyes taking in the piles of paperwork, the top document being a blue print for his ship to Namek.
"You wanted to see me?" Bulma asked, her heart suddenly thumping in her chest.
"Ye, haven' really had chance to talk to ya 'bout things" he said as he picked up the blueprint.
"Well, a lot's happened over the last 2 years and you've been away, so I guess we haven't really been able to. Do you want a drink or something?" she asked him as she walked over to her coffee machine, "I have coffee or there's some soda in the fridge" she pointed to the fridge by her desk.
"Nah, i'm good thanks" he responded, his eyes reading through his blueprint. Bulma poured herself a coffee, her eyes on him as the hot drink poured into her cup.
"We did a pretty neat job on that, huh" she commented.
"Yeah, crazy how it got me to Namek so fast"
"All thanks to your Saiyan ship. Lucky it was still out there and I could pillage it" she huffed out a laugh, before taking her coffee from the machine.
"Yeah ... lucky" he murmured quietly, before he put the document back down. Bulma observed as Goku's eyes lingered on the blueprints, before he turned to face her, and she felt her heart drop in her chest. He looked so glum, nothing like she was used to seeing from him.
"I guess it's all been a lot for you" she gently spoke.
"You could say that"
"Hard to believe you were just that wild, little boy I found in the woods" she smiled warmly.
"You were the first person I ever met, after my grandpa. I left everythin' I knew to go with you. I was excited for the adventure, but I was also scared to death leavin' my home. I followed you everywhere ya went, I trusted you, I protected you. I thought we became good friends" Bulma wasn't sure where this was headed, but there was a sudden tension in the air.
"We are good friends, Goku"
"If we're such good friends, why did'ya treat Chichi so badly?"
"What?"
"Ya know what, Bulma" Goku firmly reminded her. There was a short silence before Bulma responded.
"I really don't. What did I do?" she asked as she set down her coffee.
"You, Roshi an' Krillin treated her badly an' I don't understand why. She was nothin' but nice to everyone at the tournament, so i'm tryin' to understand what happened"
"A lot happened, Goku"
"That answer ain't gonna fly with me. She's my family, Bulma"
"We were your family before Chichi! You met her for like 5 minutes when you were kids-"
"-It was more than 5 minutes, Bulma" Goku cut in, "We went to find Master Roshi together, that took quite some time flyin' on Nimbus" Goku recalled. Bulma rolled her eyes at him.
"Either way, you weren't with her long, then you didn't see each other for years, then all of a sudden you meet her again and off you go to get married?"
"What's wrong with that?"
"You had to ask what takin' someone's hand was! You obviously didn't know what marriage was, and you obviously didn't care about her because you forgot about her!"
"How was I spose to know what that was if I ain't ever been told? An' ye, I did forget about her for a moment, but when she told me her name I remembered who she was"
"You didn't know a thing about her! Who goes and marries someone they don't know?"
"But, I did know her"
"No you didn't! You knew her name and that she was the daughter of the Ox King! That's it! She forced you into that marriage and you foolishly said yes!"
"She didn' force me to do anythin'! She reminded me of the promise I made when we was kids! I agreed to keep my promise an' marry her"
"Because you felt obliged to!"
"I wanted to keep my promise, ye, but, I did like Chichi, even when we was kids. She could ride Nimbus, which meant she had a pure heart. I liked how strong she was, she beat all her opponents easily in the preliminary rounds an' she wasn' phased takin' me on"
"So you liked her, big deal, you like everyone" Bulma threw her arms up in the air, "Doesn't mean you should agree to marry her"
"Why does it bother you so much? You ain't the one who married her"
"Because you just took off with her! You went and married her, without even inviting us, and we didn't see you for 5 years! We're supposed to be your friends and you just left us like that!"
"Honestly, I didn't realise how big of a deal a weddin' was at the time, so I didn't care to invite anyone. But, when ya marry someone you make a life with them, so that's what I went an' did. Didn' mean I didn' care 'bout you, or forgot you, just spent time with Chichi an' my son"
"Did she stop you from seein' us?"
"What? No!"
"You can tell me, Goku, it's me"
"No, Bulma, she didn't stop me from doin' anythin'. I wanted to settle down with her out in the mountains. I was happy with my life"
"You're Goku! You love fighting and going on adventures! You didn't sit still for anyone!"
"I did for Chichi" there was silence for a moment and it was tense. Bulma shook her head at him.
"She changed you!"
"No, she saw me! I wasn' just some bodyguard to her! She likes me for who I am! I'm not a fighter to her! I'm her husband an' I'm Gohan's father!"
"You think that's all we see in you?! You think we don't care about you as well?!"
"You don't treat me like Chichi does"
"Yeah, you're right, we don't stop you from seeing your friends! We don't stop you from trying to do what you love most, which is to fight! We don't just completely ignore you when you're battered and broken on the ground!"
"Chichi ain't stopped me from doin' anythin'! I was fine spendin' those 5 years with just her an' Gohan! I was still trainin' and I still am now! She would never try an' stop me from doin' that! She doesn' like me fightin' 'cause she worries 'bout me, an' now she worries 'bout Gohan, but she has never tried to stop me! an' she didn' just ignore me when I was hurt on the ground, her main priority was Gohan! As it should be! Gohan will always be our priority! She thought she lost him for a year, Bulma! You wouldn' understand 'cause you ain't a mom, but it absolutely wrecked her when Gohan was taken from her!"
"You're not human, Goku! Does she forget that he's half of what you are?! He's strong and he can take care of himself!" Bulma argued.
"It doesn' matter what he is! He's our son, Bulma! An' he was only 4 years old when he was taken by Piccolo! He was just a small child, who'd never been on his own before! She had to deal with losin' me an' losin' Gohan! She was heartbroken an' she was scared!" Goku paused for a second, "She was angry at me that day in the desert"
"Angry at you for what? You didn't do anything!"
"She thought I agreed to Piccolo takin' Gohan before I died!"
"What? Why would she think that? She wasn't even there!"
"'Cause none of you told her what really happened! An' it ain't the first time! You didn' tell her that I'd died until she came lookin' for me an' Gohan at Master Roshi's the next day! None of you made any effort to reach out to her an' tell her what happened!"
"She isn't logical, Goku, she's always just angry and shouting-"
"-Can ya blame her for bein' angry?!" Goku raised his voice at Bulma, and this startled her, "I was dead! Our son had been kidnapped an' you all knew this an' didn' tell her! She's my wife, Bulma! My wife! If you cared 'bout me, like ya say ya do, then you woulda told her as soon as it happened! Not the next day, when she came lookin' for us, which if she hadn' you probably still wouldn'ave told her, right?!" he snapped at her.
"No! That's not true!" Bulma argued back.
"Then, why didn' ya tell her after it happened?!" he demanded to know. Bulma suddenly felt flustered under Goku's scrutinising stare.
"There was a lot going on, Goku! We had to deal with you dying, too! We lost you, too! And we found out from your brother about those other Saiyans coming. We had to prepare! We had to find the Dragonballs! There was a lot to think about and deal with that day!"
"So, my wife just didn't fit into any of that?"
"That's not what i'm saying-"
"-If Chichi had died, would you'ave told me right away?" he suddenly asked her.
"What?! Of course we would have, Goku!"
"So, why was she treated differently when I died?"
"I... It's not-"
"-You were all wrong for how you treated her! I'm so angry at you for what you did!"
"Goku-"
"-What's your problem with Chichi?!" he interrupted her.
"What?"
"Is it 'cause ya have feelin's for me?"
"What?! Feelings for you?!" she laughed out, "where on Earth did you get that crazy idea?!"
"Bulma" he called her name in a serious tone, "The truth" she was silent, god smacked by where this conversation had gone to.
"Do you?" he pressed firmly. Bulma let out a long sigh. There was no point keeping it from him now.
"Maybe ... maybe before, but, not now!" she told him, flustered, and partially lying.
"You had feelin's for me before?" he repeated, "When?"
"Well, I just ... I thought you were handsome when we reunited at the 23rd martial arts tournament. You'd really grown up into a man, I was shocked"
"And?" Goku pushed.
"I was annoyed when she turned up and started going on about this promise you made. She really put you on the spot in the ring, I felt bad for you. But, then you went and agreed to marry her. I couldn't believe it! I was going to talk to you after the fighting was done, but, you took straight off with her"
Goku remained silent as she continued.
"We didn't see you for years, I thought about you a lot and wondered if you ever married her. Then you came to Master Roshi's that day, with Gohan. I couldn't believe it when you said he was your child. Sweet, naive Son Goku had a kid, never thought i'd see the day. I kept it to myself, but I can't deny I was disappointed you'd gone and made a family with her. I thought for a moment maybe you weren't happy with her, though, because you were moaning about her not letting Gohan fight"
"Just 'cause I moaned 'bout it, didn' mean I wasn' happy with her. I was just bein' impatient an' wanted to start trainin' him straight away. With everythin' that's happened since then, I wish Gohan hadn't been dragged into it all"
"Really? But, he's your son? Don't you love that your son wants to be a fighter just like you?"
"I'm proud of him an' how strong he is. But, I never wanted him in danger. I'll never forget how I found him when I reached Namek. His neck was broken, he was covered in bruises an' blood, he was so close to death. I felt like the worst father in the entire Universe. He really had me worried, an' I had no one to blame but myself"
"That's not true, Goku! You had no idea what was going to happen on Namek! None of us did!" Bulma gently spoke.
"Chichi didn' want him to go, an' when I saw him like that, I understood why. I never saw him like that before, not even when he fought Nappa an' Vegeta. I can't explain how it made me feel. I was so conflicted on what I wanted for him after that. He wanted to stay an' fight on Namek, even after I sent him away when I was fightin' Frieza, an' he wants to train with me now, which I accept, but he won't be fightin' any androids"
"What do you mean? I thought that was the whole reason why you're training with him and Piccolo?"
"I want to train him, to make him as strong as possible, but not to fight with us. I just want him to be able to keep himself an' his mom safe. With what happens in Trunks' time, I don't want that for Gohan. I won't let that be his future an' his fate. Not my Gohan"
"Well, I guess that's understandable" Bulma thought.
"I didn't understand Chichi then, but, I do now. I just want my family to be safe"
"You say that, but, you want to fight these androids. We could have stopped them already! We could have found Dr. Gero's lab and destroyed everything before the androids could even be made!"
"We don't know that for sure"
"We could have at least tried! You wanted to fight them, you got so excited about it! All of you! Honestly, you're all gonna be the death of us" Bulma huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. Goku rolled his eyes.
"No, we're not. We'll be fine, we'll stop the androids, anyway, we're goin' off topic. What happened after ya saw my son?" Bulma stalled for a moment, carefully choosing her next words.
"I was jealous" she admitted quietly.
"Jealous? Of what?"
"Jealous that Chichi had a son with you! Jealous that you were in a relationship! I just didn't understand how you saw her, but you didn't see me"
"I didn't see ya? Wha'dya mean? I can see ya just fine". Bulma slapped her forehead at him. He always did take things literally.
"No, Goku, I just meant you didn't see me and how I looked. My looks didn't ever interest you. I had all the boys looking at me, but you didn't. I'm a beautiful woman, smart, rich, but you chose some plain girl over me"
"Plain girl?" Goku wasn't familiar with that term, "I dunno what a plain girl is, but, Chichi is beautiful" he told her.
"She's also hysterical, crazy and mean!" Bulma accused. Goku frowned.
"No she's not!"
"I'm sorry, Goku. But, she was wrong for how she treated you in the desert. Your body was broken and she hadn't seen you for a whole year and she wanted nothing to do with you! It was cruel! You don't treat your husband like that! I wouldn't!"
"Like I already told ya, she was angry at me an' Gohan was her priority. If she'd come to me first you'd have somethin' to say! You'd say she was a bad mom for checkin' on me an' not Gohan"
"That's not true"
"It don't matter what she does, she'd be wrong either way, right?"
"Goku, that's not-"
"-You only got to see a small bit of it! You didn' see how she cared for me in the hospital, day in an' day out. She never left my side! You didn' hear our talks, you didn' see how she comforted me when I needed it!" he angrily told her.
"Goku-" Bulma tried again.
"-It doesn' matter what you say, Bulma. I don't care what ya think of any of that. I'm not mad at her for the way she treated me that day, an' that's all that matters 'cause I'm her husband"
"You deserve better than her, Goku"
"What, like you?" Goku motioned towards her.
"I understand your love for adventure, obviously, we met to go on a crazy adventure together! I'm fine with you fighting, you can do all the training you want. I have this incredible home, with the best chefs here to cook your food. I would be so good for you" she told him as she approached him, standing just in front of him, her eyes looking up into his, his massive body towering over hers making her heart race faster.
"I know you, Goku" she gently told him, her one hand reaching for his. Goku pulled his hand away from hers.
"No, you don't" he bluntly told her.
"Of course I do" she almost laughed out.
"You have no idea who I am, 'cause if ya did, you'd know there's more to me than fightin' an' adventures"
"Well, ye, but, I know those things are most important to you"
"No, the most important things to me are my wife an' son"
"But, I could-"
"-No, Bulma! You need to accept that I'm with Chichi an' I'm happy with her. Whatever feelin's you may have, ya need to deal with. It ain't ever gonna happen between us" Bulma felt sick to her stomach. It was blunt and it hurt.
"I don't wanna have this conversation again. I wanna move on from it all. But, ya don't ever get to treat her like that again, Bulma" Goku told her seriously, before putting two fingers to his forehead and disappearing, leaving Bulma stood in complete silence.
Goku had been gone all day. Chichi had no idea where he was. She woke up to his side being cold and empty, even Gohan didn't know where he had gone to, saying he didn't tell him anything. It was now late, Gohan was fast asleep in bed, Goku's dinner had long gone cold, she'd showered and was sat brushing her damp hair, wondering where on Earth her husband was.
That's when he materialised in the middle of their bedroom, startling her and making her yelp.
"Goku! Where have you been?" Chichi asked him from her vanity, her one hand on her racing heart.
"Out" he responded in a cutting tone.
"I know you've been out, Goku. But, where?"
"Just out, Chichi, why d'ya need to know everythin' that I do?" he groaned out as he started to undress, pulling his shirt over his head.
"You've been gone all day, Goku! Gohan's been home, which is unusual because it's a week day. Normally you're both training"
"Well, we didn't today" he clarified, throwing his shirt to the floor.
"Is this because of Piccolo?" she asked him, but he didn't respond, "Gohan said you and Piccolo weren't talking the other day"
"No" he curtly answered her.
"What's going on with you?" she frowned at him as she spoke.
"Nothin's goin' on with me" he lied, kicking his shoes, jeans and boxers off and walking naked towards their master bathroom.
"Goku-"
"-I'm takin' a shower" he interrupted her, before closing the door on her.
Chichi was fuming! She was trying so hard with him, to be there for him, and he treats her like this?! She jumped up from her vanity, snatching her robe from the chair and she stormed out of their bedroom.
Goku turned on the shower and got straight in, standing under the shower head, letting the cold water rinse over his head, before it even got a chance to heat up. His eyes were shut tight, his brows furrowed, a burning in his chest from his anger.
He was clouded in a darkness that he wasn't use to, but it felt like an old friend.
The water began to heat up, warm water drizzling down his cold face as he stood directly under the shower spray. His body was tense, his arms tightly to his sides, hands balled into fists.
"you're an idiot and you need to stop being a coward and speak to your wife"
"Stop running, Son. You can't run forever"
Piccolo's stupid words galloped through his mind, like a herd of restless horses trampling through the woods.
This darkness needed to go. It had been following him for far too long.
He needed to speak to Chichi.
He washed himself, rinsed off the soap and climbed out of the shower. He dried himself in record speed before opening the bathroom door and waltzing into his bedroom, expecting to see his wife in bed. But, she was nowhere to be seen. He felt for her Ki, and could feel she was very frustrated but was still in the house, he then heard movement in the kitchen. He went to his chest of drawers and pulled out a pair of navy blue lounge pants from the second drawer, quickly pulling them on before leaving the room in search of his wife.
Her Ki led him to their kitchen, where his little wife was pouring the tea pot into a cup at the counter.
"Thought you was goin' to bed" Goku said to her from the kitchen doorway.
"I'm not ready to sleep" she quietly responded, keeping her back to him.
Goku wasn't sure what to say to that. He found himself hesitating, wondering if he should ask why.
"Just go to bed, Goku. Pointless you just standing there"
"I came out here to talk to ya"
"Oh, so now you want to talk?" she hissed at him, putting the metal tea pot down with force, making a clanging noise.
"Ye, I do. Maybe I don't always wanna talk when you wanna talk. It ain't always gonna be on your terms, y'know"
"It's never on my terms, Goku! You never speak to me when I want to! I always wait for you!"
"You been bangin' on 'bout me talkin' to ya, an' when I wanna talk, ya got a problem with it!" Chichi spun around to face him from the kitchen counter.
"That's not true! I'm just tired of the attitude and the way you speak to me! I'm trying to give you time and be patient with you, letting you know I'm here for you, but all I get in return is you talking to me like shit!"
"Aw, y'know what, I don't even want this argument! All we've done is argue since I got back! I'm so tired of it! So much for her 'welcomin' me back with open arms', Niiara!" he huffed to himself. Chichi stood still, her eyes just on her husband as she took in his words.
"Niiara? Who's Niiara?" she ground out. Goku shrugged his shoulders complacently.
"She's just some girl I-" his eyes widened in fear when he realised what he said and the angry fire in his wife's eyes only added to that fear.
"Woah, that came out wrong, that's not what I mean-"
"-Some girl you what, Goku?!" Chichi hissed at him.
"Chichi, I didn' mean it like that-" he panicked and put his hands up in defence in front of him.
"-I was right, wasn't I?! There is someone else?!" if he couldn't see the hurt in her eyes, he could certainly hear it in her voice.
"No, Chichi, I swear there's no one else! That just came out wrong! She's just someone I met on Yardrat who helped me!"
"Oh, I bet she helped you, alright! Scratched that itch very nicely for ya, did she?!" she yelled at him.
"Chichi-"
"-You two-faced, dirty LIAR!" she screamed at him, grabbing the fruit bowl from the side and throwing the bowl and the contents at him. Goku dodged the bowl and the apples that he'd picked from their garden two days ago, the pieces of fruit bouncing and rolling across the floor.
"I'm not lyin'! Nothin' happened!" Goku defended himself.
"You've been home long enough, now, and you still haven't spoken to me about your time away! You've never been this secretive! You've never been this way towards me! I never thought you would really do something like that to me, but clearly you have!" those angry tears he hated so fucking much started to form at the corners of her eyes.
"I would never do that to you! I made a promise when we got married an' I will always keep that promise! So much has happened, Chichi, so much that I don't even know where to start! But, I swear, I never cheated on ya!"
"I feel like I don't even know you anymore" her voice had reduced from angry and loud, to sad and timid. It broke Goku's heart.
"You know me, of course you know me" he told her, "I'm your Goku, remember?"
"My Goku was never like this"
There was complete and utter silence. And it was so loud.
Goku had no words. There was absolutely nothing he could bring himself to say, absolutely nothing in his head except for the dire disappointment he had in himself.
Chichi was right. This wasn't him. He was better than this.
Where was he? Who was this person right now? He didn't recognise himself, either.
His heart pounded in his chest, he felt sick, his mouth dry, the tip of his tongue moistening his dry lips.
"I'm sorry" his voice wavered, just loud enough for his little wife to hear. He went to walk away, but Chichi called after him.
"Please don't go, Goku. Please stop running" he turned slightly to look at her, both of them just stood there lost in each other's eyes.
"I ..." he tried to speak. Chichi waited patiently for him to say something, to say anything.
"I just ... I need a minute" he stammered out, before leaving the kitchen and going outside.
As soon as the cool, evening air hit him, he felt a nervousness inside of him, like a swarm of bees buzzing uncontrollably in the pit of his stomach.
His eyes caught sight of his Grandfather's Cabin in the distance.
There it was again, fucking taunting him.
His arms felt heavy, his brow was sweaty, his fingers fidgeting amongst clammy palms. A sour taste filled his mouth, he felt bile come up in his throat, his head pounding, his heart thumping in his tight chest.
He needed to flip the switch before he broke something that couldn't be fixed.
He needed to rid himself of these demons inside of him, which he shouldn't have to carry.
He had to let go, 'cause he was going to lose the only person he knew.
He closed his eyes, a memory hitting him, a voice coming into his head ...
"You are worried about seeing your wife?"
Goku paused for a few seconds.
"Yeah" he spoke just above a whisper, his fingers fumbling and picking at his training shorts.
"Why?" She asked him.
There was another pause from Goku as he gazed at the floor, almost as if he was hoping it would give him the answer.
"'Cause of what I am". He uttered out, his voice clouded with shame.
"But you have always been a Saiyan" she reminded him.
"But we didn' know I was"
"Does that really matter? You are still you, aren't you?" She pushed.
"I guess … I've changed"
"What has changed? apart from maybe your body and your hair when you do your little trick?" Goku chuckled lightly.
"I dunno, I've grown up a bit, I feel different, but I spose i'm still me".
"So, why are you worried? If you are still you?"
"I … don't know". He said honestly. Niiara placed her hand on his, stopping him from nervously picking at his clothes.
"You are worrying over nothing. Your wife loves you and will be waiting for you with open arms" Goku continued to stare at the floor, but humoured her with a small smile.
"I hope so" he whispered out loud to himself.
He opened his eyes and turned his gaze back to his little home.
'You can do this! Just go back in there an' do this, already!' his mind whirled as he attempted to drown out the rising tide of anxiety.
He swallowed hard as his eyes gazed at the brown, wooden door.
This was it.
It was time to stop running.