Chapter 5:

Days had passed since he last saw Chi-Chi. Not surprisingly, since he knew Chi-Chi was still a kind-hearted person, she understood him needing to collect some things in the house and she even put aside some cash for him in case he wanted to go to a hotel. In fact, the only time she had spoken to him was to discuss finances. Apparently she had wanted him to take most of the money Mr. Satan gave him, save for a few million zeni to cover Goten's education and life expenses, as she felt it was money that he rightfully earned himself. Of course, Goku had never been interested in money, and he still politely declined her offer as he actually felt it was their money, not his. Instead, he only packed a few clothes and some camping gear.

Truthfully, the Saiyan didn't really want to be around anyone, and he felt most comforted by the wilderness. He had tried again to ask for forgiveness, but Chi-Chi had given him the cold shoulder, which was far worse than her screaming at him.

He sat in front of the campfire, turning over the fish he had just caught. The fish smelled delicious as always, but nothing could ever compare to his mate's cooking.

Goku knew he had to do something. He wasn't going to give up, but he also had no idea where to start. Asking for forgiveness didn't get him anywhere. She certainly didn't want to be around him right now. But spending time apart only made his stomach tie in knots, fearful that the time would only make them drift further away from each other.

"Dammit, I really am a fool," he whispered to himself.

Suddenly he sensed two familiar ki's land near him. Usually he was happy to see his sons, but in a rare moment, he felt nothing but shame and guilt in their company.

"Hey Dad," Gohan said, putting a comforting hand on his father's shoulder.

"Daddy, why haven't you been home," Goten said, not fully aware of his parents' situation yet and instead running rather carefree towards the campfire. What he did know though was that he missed his dad.

"Hi sons, it's great to see you," Goku said with a small smile. "Sorry Goten, Daddy and Mommy just need some alone time right now."

While Goten was busy taking over cooking of the fish, Gohan sat next to his father on the ground. He was told from his mother of their parents' split, and of course he took the news hard. He only had vivid memories of their parents being so happy in love. Sure, the times when he was gone were tough. The worst was when he was dead for seven years. But his dad did always come back. And he was sad to hear that things were rocky for them.

"How are you Dad?" Gohan asked apprehensively.

Goku only shrugged, not really wanting to talk about it, especially in front of his youngest son. Sensing this, Gohan tasked Goten with retrieving a bunch of wildberries, which the little guy only too happily obliged. Now that they were alone, he prodded further.

"Dad, you can talk to me," Gohan said encouragingly.

Goku sighed. "I screwed up. I never realized that me leaving hurt your mom, and I feel so guilty for doing that to her all these years. I never meant to hurt her… or you and Goten either," he added quietly.

Gohan didn't expect to hear this admittance from his dad. If he had to be honest to himself, he really couldn't blame his mom for wanting out of her marriage. If he kept constantly leaving Videl, he wouldn't have been surprised if she left him too. But as a kid hearing this from his dad, he thought back to the few times when the nights were long and he was tossing and turning in bed alone… and it was those times that Gohan would wonder why he wasn't good enough for his dad to come back. Ultimately though, he knew that his father only made decisions with good intentions in mind, so Gohan had forgiven him a long time ago. "It's okay."

They were quiet for another few minutes before Goku asked, "how's your mom?"

"Mom's… okay, I think. She's still really sad, but I think she's trying to stay strong."

Goku nodded, still feeling a swell of pride for his mate's strength. "I don't know what to do, Gohan. I wish I could turn back time, but I can't. And I don't know how to make things right again."

The eldest son mulled over his words for a bit, not knowing what to say or how to help. But… "If there's anyone that can get through this, it's you and Mom. You guys are the strongest people I know, and I know deep down you still love each other. It'll take time, but I think things will work out. You just need to trust yourself."

For the first time in a while, Goku smiled a true smile, his eyes shining with happiness and love for his son. "Thank you, I needed to hear that."

"I'm baaaack!" Goten sing-songed, appearing with an assortment of colored berries carefully carried in his stretched out shirt. "Sorry I took so long. I saw a dinosaur that totally looked like Icarus Gohan, so I went to see if he wanted to make a new friend and…"

As Goku listened to his youngest son animatedly tell his story, he internally made a promise to himself. He would show Chi-Chi again how much he loved her. And he promised he would spend the rest of his life doing that. He just needed to figure out how.