DBZ: Married to Another Saiyan (AU)

by Monokub

Stories unravel in a multitude of ways. Some see our heroes become evil. Some see Villains become Heroes. And others simply add another character to the mix. What happens when a new character is thrown into the plot? What changes from the original version? Most importantly: What would happen if Goku married Caulifla instead of Chichi? Rated T for Safety

7. Filler Ep1: The Perfect Christmas Gift

A/N: Final Word Count- 9.7k Pre A/N's.

Oh the Weather outside is Frightful... nah, with global warming, the rest of that song is just ruined now.

Lol, goooood morning and Merry Christmas to all! I present to you the first filler episode (yes, even in fanfics, there are now fillers. BLAME THE WORLD OF ANIME NOT ME!) dictating Goku and Caulifla's first Christmas together! As is expected with Filler episodes, this one is intended more for simple fun and laughs, but with it being holiday themed, of course it'll also run with the usual Christmas Sappiness towards the end that nobody can get enough of during this time of year XP And no worries, unlike full episodes, these fillers will (presumably) always be singular. That is to say, the entire story will usually run through a single episode/chapter, instead of the typical 2-3 parters episodes may usually take.

And since i have something special to announce at the bottom, i will just say here I hope you all enjoy! Be sure to leave a like, fave, follow, and review if you did and hope to see you on the next episode!

ENJOY!

...

...

...

"Hmhmhm, hmhmhm, hmhmhmhm hmmmmmm~" Chichi hummed merrily as she hung the last of the reefs along the last wall of the house.

It was the very mystical, magical, time of year that everyone on Earth celebrated for one reason or another- Christmas! The time of giving, the time of sharing, and the time that everyone put all their problems behind them for one day and made peace with one another.

Unless it was over the last Christmas Eggnog. Then it was an all out War.

As if to make it an even more magical experience, it was the Son Family's first time ever celebrating Christmas as well, as neither Goku nor Caulifla had ever celebrated the holiday, seeing how a majority of the time in their lives were spent either training or saving the world. In fact, if it wasn't for what little contact they did have with cities and their friends, they might not have heard about Christmas at all! Because of this, Chichi wanted to go out of her way to ensure they had the best Christmas ever, even if it was only celebrated for one night, and the following morning.

Unfortunately, there was only one part of the holiday Goku and Caulifla understood, much less cared about.

"Can we eat yeeeeeet?" Caulifla groaned lying her head on the table. She had been eyeing the plastic tables set up with all sorts of confections and delights for the last straight hour, feeling like the pain of hunger was affecting her eyes and stomach.

"Cauli, we're not celebrating until 6 tonight." Chichi reminded with a sigh. This particular time of year was also a favorite of Chichi's when it came to Cauli, mostly due to the fact that due to the extreme cold, it was the only time of year Caulifla would FINALLY wear something a little less revealing than her usual outfit. As of now, she had a nice festive Christmas-colored red and green sweater on, something Chichi found particularly cute. "Have some snacks or something to tie you over."

"But there aren't any snaaaaaacks! You said they're all for the party..." Why did the most delicious time of the year have to be the hungriest as well? There were cakes, assorted meats and cheeses, and several types of drinks from casual juices to the exotic wonders. The entire house was filled with an assortment of creative smells, all of which made Caulifla's stomach rumble more than usual. "I don't get why you're wasting so much time hanging up these weird things anyway.. Why don't you just skip it so we can start cooking?"

"For your information, I've been working tirelessly to spruce up the place since five this morning!" Chichi fussed with her hands at her hip. "We've been planning to celebrate yours and Goku's first Christmas together for weeks, and you need to make sure it's special!"

"What for? It'll come back next year anyway."

"Oh Cauli..." Chichi pressed a finger to her own forehead, trying to soothe the slight headache that was forming. She couldn't fault Caulifla for not understanding a good portion of the holiday. To someone who's never celebrated Christmas before, such an event must've looked bizarre, crazy even. After all, from her point of view, why worry about one year when it came back the next. "Of all the holidays, Christmas is a special time of year where you wish nothing but good will and peace on Earth. About giving to the less fortunate and such."

"... And when does that help?" Caulifla raised a brow at the notion. "If people truly did that I think I would've been the first to know about it." She had a valid point, as much as it pained Chichi to admit. Given Caulifla's home growing up, she would've been among the first of many to receive some form of charity if not for the fact her island was surrounded by water and smog. Growing up in such poverty, such desolate conditions, it was a wonder she had as much as she did growing up. "And why do people wait till Christmas to do it? If they have money to donate or something they should do it year round."

"A lot of people do donate throughout the year, it's just..." How was she supposed to explain this to her? It was like trying to talk to an alien from space who never heard of Christmas before. Then again, they might understand it faster than this conversation was going. "It's just a time for us to be thankful for everything we have, and what we can give to others. Which reminds me. What is your Christmas Gift for Goku this year?"

Caulifla blinked. "Gift?" She wasn't unfamiliar with the term, just the fact it was related to a holiday like this.

"You didn't get him a gift?!" Chichi almost choked on her words alone as she said. "Cauli, you have to get him a gift for his first Christmas! He's your husband!"

"Yeah but it's not his birthday, is it?" She was both, asking in general and legitimately curious. Come to think of it she never did catch when Goku's birthday was.

"No, but you just need to, okay? It's Christmas, and Goku's first!" It was hard for her at times like these to not directly butt in. After all, as much as she wished otherwise, Cauli was Goku's wife, not her. Even if she did all in her power to help make it a happy one, that didn't make it anymore hers than Cauli's. "It's a sign that you appreciate all he does for you, and that you're thinking about him all the time."

"But I am thinking of him all the time!" Caulifla smiled as she stood. "Two months ago we finished working in the backyard and got that training ring built. And last month we went out hunting and found the Four Star Ball his Grandpa Gohan owned. Oh! And just last week when we were in bed we-!"

"I DON'T NEED THAT MUCH DETAIL!" Chichi spazzed as she quickly waved her arms for her to stop, a mad blush filling over her face. "When I say think about Goku," Chichi took a deep breath to regain her sense of self, and sanity, "I mean like 'something meaningful' and thoughtful. Something that really means something to him."

"Like the Dragon Ball?" The wife wondered.

"Yes, like the Dragon Ball!" Chichi smiled with a nod, glad she was finally getting somewhere with this girl. "It doesn't necessarily have to be as precious or dear to him, but like, something he would want, you know? Something he would enjoy."

"...So you do mean like last week when we-"

"STOP TALKING ABOUT LAST WEEK!" Or maybe she was somehow getting further and further from the point. "I MEEEEAN, huff, like a memento, or something he can use around here. Just... something that tells him you really know him, and that you care about him."

"That I... Care?" Caulifla lowered her eyes a bit at the detail, going into thought.

She was still unsure about the entire concept of marriage.

Of what it means to be together.

Of love.

She knows she cared for Goku on a personal level, one that two friends shared naturally, but whenever it came to matters about actual love and the works, it just felt... foreign to her. Growing up in her early childhood, the most experience she did know about love were the types of physical love she saw in alleyways and through windows.

The kind of love certain authors can't write about in a Teen-Rated story.

Emotional love, on the other hand, was something she had yet to fully grasp. She did care about people, and it's not like she never loved anyone. She loved her aunt and misses her to this day after her passing. She missed Krillin when he died before, along with several other friends, when King Piccolo ran amok. And she missed the time she shared with the people she hadn't seen since the Budokai Tournament earlier this year.

She just wasn't sure exactly what it meant to care specifically for one person in a relationship like this.

As she was in her thoughts, Chichi took the opportunity to search through the kitchen drawers. After a thorough search, she finally pulled some things out which she eagerly placed in Caulifla's hand. "Here. I want you to take this money and go out into the city, and find something that really means something to Goku." She requested as she started nudging Caulifla towards the door. "And before you ask, no, I don't mean food."

"What if I can't find something?" The perplexed girl asked as she opened the door. "How will I even know if he likes it?"

"Just find something you know with all your heart that he'll appreciate." Chichi gave her a small pat on the back as they stepped through the snowy doorway. "Don't come back till you find the perfect gift. Goku's putting in the effort to find a Christmas Tree so the least you can do is put in the same amount of effort. And take your time, have fun with it. Dinner won't be for a long while so you have all day if you need it."

"Hmm..." There was about 300 Zeni here from what Caulifla counted. If Chichi thought this would be more than enough money then she needed to make sure she found the perfect gift. "Ok. Thanks Chichi. Do you want me to pick up a gift for you, too?"

"Hmhmhm, no, but thank you though." She assured. "I'm still thankful you guys allow me to live with you after all that's happened, so consider any gift for me more than paid for."

"All right. I'll be back as soon as I can. Hey, Flying Nimbus!" The monkey-tailed woman called forth, beckoning the golden cloud over for her to jump on to. "Let Goku know I'll be back later!" She said before waving goodbye, Chichi giving a soft smile as she waved as well.

All in all, things were shaping up to be a pretty good Christmas party tonight. While it would've been just her, Goku, Caulifla, and her Dad, it was still a little get-together for the whole family. There would be smiles, there would be gifts, there would be Christmas music on the radio. And now that Caulifla was out of her hair, Chichi could finally get back to work without worrying about Caulifla either bothering her during the decorating, or, more likely, trying to sneak a bite of the food when she wasn't looking- again.

It was also the very same thought that made Chichi tap her chin in curiosity. "I wonder what's taking Goku so long, anyway...?"

...

Meanwhile...

"Haaaaaah!"

*Crash*

"Nope. Let's try this one. Haaaaaah!"

*Crash*

"Not this one either! Maybe this one?"

*Crash*

"Oh come ooooon!" Goku groaned as he crossed his arms. All around him in the forest, every tree within several hundred feet of him was knocked over, all ranging in sizes of twenty to fifty feet in diameter, as natural for the great Sherman Trees, were toppled before him. For nearly two hours now the proud warrior was doing everything in his power to find the perfect Christmas Tree like Chichi requested knowing it would make both her and Caulifla happy.

Given that it was his first Christmas, he wanted to make sure he found the right tree to celebrate it with. But what should've been a quick and easy endeavor slowly turned into a matter of annoyance as each and every tree he knocked over with a kick or a punch resulted in the same thing!

"One of these trees has got to have a Christmas Star on top..."

...

...

West City

One of the largest cities on Earth.

The home to several infamous businesses and corporations as well as one of the most thriving cities around! Here people could be seen hustling and bustling 24/7, day to night, going through rigorous tasks daily to keep the city running, the streets clean, and the economy functional. In fact, it was such an overwhelming city that simply getting through it would take at least two full days by foot, several hours by car. From entertainment to amusement parks and the whole nine yards, this city housed just about everything one would ever want to experience in life.

And why wouldn't it? It was home to one of the greatest scientists in the world, Dr. Briefs, who revolutionized technology thanks to the infamous Dinocap Capsules that were used all across the world! From simple boxes to full blown houses, complete with indoor plumbing, these capsules were a breakthrough in just about every aspect of science. If one needed it, they could capsule it. That was one of the many slogans thrown around town during the early period of release. It was such a financial success that within a few weeks of launch, West City became one of the most profitable cities on the planet!

It was also the greatest annoyance to a young woman who was currently walking the sidewalks of the loud city.

Much like her house, Caulifla found the city enraptured with numerous decorations on just about every building. Whether it be small warehouses to full blown skyscrapers, every part of the city was decorated and shining like the night sky, letting everyone know how much this momentous holiday meant to them. It was actually quite a wonder they managed to cover so much of the city as it was given the amount of snow and ice that usually covered the roads, streets backed up with cars beyond cars that would wait for the plowers to finish their job.

"Mega Mall... Mega Mall... Mmmh..." She grumbled as she checked sign after sign, following the small sheet of paper she had with a minimap on it. "Come on, I swear I passed this street several times!" If it wasn't for the fact it was harder to see the street signs from above, Caulifla would've stuck to using the Nimbus to fly around. It didn't help she had only ever visited the city a handful of times growing up, unaware of what a Mega Mall was supposed to look like to begin with. "I should've brought Chichi with me... Hm?" The noise caught her attention as she looked down another street.

Up ahead she could see virtually hundreds of people all frantically blocking the entrance of a large building, seeming to be in a hurry to rush in there as soon as possible. Curious about the noise, Caulifla soon found the answers to her prayers as she saw the sign above the large glass double doors. "Ah ha! Mega Mall Megalopolis!" She mentally patted herself on the back at her accomplishment, smiling the whole time as she casually and easily shoved passed various people through the entrance. Once she stepped inside, she felt like she entered a whole new world of wonder as she gazed at the sky.

Everything the city had to offer, everything it could provide one with, was currently nestled at every single corner of this mall. From the ground floor up to the top of the megadome, Caulifla could see floor after floor, dozens of elevators, hundreds of escalators, and thousands of people in every direction she turned as everyone went about their business starting or finishing up last minute Christmas shopping for their families and loved ones. And much like the city outside, every rail and every staircase was wrapped with wreathes and decorations in a variety of pastels, flora, and ribbons.

"Wooow... so this is what a mall is like." She blinked looking around. So what am I supposed to find in here? She had absolutely no idea where she was supposed to start looking as she strolled through. She was still mesmerized by the enormity of the place, the massive in-door amusement park housed in the center of everything, and the screams and laughter of people having a good time doing this and that. If people can house everything they need in one building, why bother with a city? It was a thought she would have to address later.

Right now, there was Christmas worry about!

"Ok, so... what would Goku like...?" She poked her chin as she viewed a small map kiosk on the second floor. "Something that isn't food... Isn't food..." Darn it, why was this hard? The main two things she knew about Goku were the two things she wasn't allowed to buy: things for training, and food! "I could get him an outfit but... he usually just wears the same thing..." Lifting her head up, her eyes came to a halt as she noticed one of the stores.

It was a rather peculiar, strange-looking store to her. It had a strange crimson lighting within it and, for whatever reason, there were curtains covering the glass from the inside of the shop. The only thing she took note of was the somehow stranger sign atop the store, smiling to herself as she strolled on in. "Hey, that's perfect! A game store!" Of course! A game! Why didn't she think of that? They usually played board games with each other and Chichi during stormy weather, and this place was definitely the best store to choose from!

After all, why else would it have the letters "XXX" over the top if it wasn't the symbol for Tic-Tac-Toe?

What started as a simple mission to find a game slowly came to baffle Caulifla as she looked around. What kind of game store is this? Nothing about the place made sense for the sign that it had. Instead of rows upon rows of different games and knickknacks, the store was filled with bizarre "costumes and merchandise" she would never expect in a game store like this. Gazing ahead, she began to search a small bin with weird clothing in it.

"And who would wear this stuff?" Digging through the pile, she found countless pieces of clothing that continued to confuse her. A lot of them looked like some of the stuff she wore, primarily underwear, yet it all looked so strange to her. "A lot of these aren't finished, they have holes in 'em... and what the heck's 'edible underwear'?" She tilted her chin wondering to herself. Does it still count as food if you wear it?

"Mmh... No, not this... maybe... Nooo..." A familiar voice caught Caulifla's gaze as she turned her head left in surprise at the woman digging through the same bin.

"Bulma?"

"Cauli? Oh my gosh, it's great to see you again!" It was a small world after all as Bulma hugged her confused friend tightly.

Like everyone else around here, Bulma didn't appear to be any stranger to the Christmas spirit as Caulifla noticed her outfit. She was sporting a nifty bright red shirt with a green skirt that stretched passed her knees. The skirt was embroidered with golden thread that drew out snow flakes all across it, and the shirt sported Jolly Old Saint Nick himself that would wave to anyone who saw the shirt, showing the jolly man letting out a "Ho! Ho! Ho!" in a word bubble he was letting out. And to top it off, she had a pair of snow white tennis shoes with a little glitter to them.

"It's been so long! Merry Christmas!"

"Uh... Merry Christmas?" Caulifla returned, assuming correctly that it was something people greeted with on this festive day. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, not much~" Bulma swooned with a small blush closing her eyes. "Just... looking for a certain gift."

"For who? Yamcha?"

"Mhhhhh, maaaaaaybeeee-" All at once Bulma's eyes bugged out as she suddenly remembered where they were. "Wait a minute... what are you doing here?"

"Oh, I'm Christmas shopping for Goku." She proudly explained, thumbing to herself. "It's our fist Christmas, so Chichi said I have to find something that really mattered to him." The enthusiasm she held slowly dwindled to a small frown as she looked around again. "But I'm not really having much luck. There isn't a single board game in this place."

"A... game...?"

"Well, yeah. What else would XXX stand for?"

"...ohmygod..." She squeaked. All at once, Bulma's face turned beat red and her pupils turned white as a small wave of steam rose from her head.

The absolute worst combination of events were unfolding before her at the worst possible time. One, someone she knew fairly well caught her in here of all places, the person in question being Caulifla. Two, the idea of having to explain to someone what "XXX" stood for around here and what this store was actually for. And three, above all, the fact that someone caught her in here at all meant it would be easy to identify her since she happened to be the daughter of a famous scientist, who was also a renowned scientist herself.

The only Christmas Miracle as of right now was that it was Caulifla of all people.

"Bulma? Are you okay?"

"Excuse me ladies," a young holiday-dressed clerk greeted as he clapped his hands together, "can I help you find something?"

"Probably?" Cauli shrugged. "I was looking around for a gift and she was loo-"

"LOOKING FOR YOU ALL DAY! I FINALLY FOUND YOU!" Bulma suddenly shouted as she slapped a hand over Caulifla's mouth. "WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN? I'VE BEEN LOOKING EVERYWHERE FOR YOU!"

"You were?" Caulifla raised a brow as she backed up for a moment. "But I thought you wanted to buy some-"

"YES, I WANTED TO BUY SOMETHING IN THE NEXT STORE OVER!" Bulma interrupted loudly again as she squeezed Caulifla's hand tightly. "THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR FINDING MY FRIEND FOR ME! YOU HAVE A GOOD DAY NOW, BYEBYE!" Without giving the confused girl another chance to speak, pulling at a strength that would put Goku's to shame, Bulma hastily dashed away from the store as fast as she could with Caulifla in hand, the confused girl still trying to understand what was going on around here.

All the same, the clerk of the store just blinked as he tilted his head. "I wonder why Miss Bulma never asked about the package she ordered..."

...

...

"Finally..." Chichi sighed as she lied on the couch, wiping her brow. "That's the last of the preparation." As happy as she was, she wished she wasn't as tired as a result when there was a party just four hours away from now.

The household was fully decked out with decorations from head to toe. The table was sorted, the drinks were plenty, and the food was everywhere, something rather necessary when living with two people whose stomachs were basically bottomless pits at this point. And with Goku's arrival not half an hour ago (after requiring another explanation about how Christmas Trees worked), the young fighter was finally home as he and Chichi waited for Caulifla's return, as well as the arrival of Chichi's dad, the Ox King.

Looking around the room, Chichi smiled at the surrounding landscape, taking in the decorations and colors that filler the room. A perfect Christmas tree nestled to the side with dozens of presents under it and a beautiful star on top. It was the epitome of the perfect Christmas image, and all that it stood for. She could hardly wait for her father's arrival so they could get the festivities under way.

"At least it came out decently."

"Mmmh... I'm back." A slightly moaning Goku informed as he came out of the bedroom, scratching all over.

"Goku! You look wonderful! Merry Christmas!" Chichi happily chirped, admiring the outfit he was wearing.

"Merry... Mhhh... Itch...mas... Mmmmmh..." The poor man couldn't stop scratching all over his sides as he tries to reach every nook and cranny. "Chichi, do I have to wear this? It's seriously itchy!" In fairness, it actually wasn't all too different from the same thing Caulifla was wearing. All it had in addition to it was the small black outline of what would've been Santa flying his reindeer over a small house. Along with it, he was also wearing a pair of gloves, one green, one red, and both with tiny bells at the wrist.

"Yes, Goku, it's Christmas." Chichi firmly stated. "Every year we decorate the household and ourselves. And it's only for a few hours, so you'll just have to put up with it for a little while. Besides, Caulifla's been wearing hers all day today without any problems."

"Awwww man... Can I at least take off the gloves?"

"Fine." She sighed.

"Oh thank you... Ahhhh..." Oh yeah, that hit the spot. Without those smooth restrictions, he could finally scratch all around him with 100% effectiveness. "That hits the spot. Speaking of Cauli, where is she? I haven't seen her since this morning."

Chichi smiled excitedly at this, trying her best not to show it. "Oh, she'll be back later with a little surprise." She was almost too giddy to contain her excitement. The best part about not telling Caulifla what to get is the exciting mystery of not knowing what she would get. Whatever she got would be just as surprising to her as it would be for Goku. "I guarantee you'll enjoy it."

"Oh man, I can't wait." Goku looked up in thought with a smile. "I've been starving all day!"

"It's not going to be food!"

"Awww... Then what is it?"

"It's a surprise, you'll just have to wait for her to come home."

"Shouldn't I be looking for a gift for her, too?"

"You've helped with the decorations and provide for the house on a day-to-day basis. It's time for Cauli to provide for a change."

"But she does provide everyday."

"I know she helps with the hunting and cooking, and I'm trying to teach her how to sew," she off commented, "but I mean more than that. Like, something that gets used here everyday, like the lumber you collect when one of you tear a hole through the wall or fuel for the fireplace."

"Ooooh, I see." Which likely meant the young warrior didn't but was the closest thing he'd get to understanding. "Is she really gonna know what I want? I mean... even I'm not sure what I would ask for on Christmas."

"Well, just think of something." Chichi clapped with a smile. "What's something you like or like doing that doesn't involve food or training?"

"Hmm..." He raised a brow as he crossed his arms. "Well... we like games, I guess." He did care for Caulifla as much as she did for him. But for a couple who had little understanding in the concept of love, it was hard to describe or explain what made them specifically care for one another.

"See? There you go! Something that a normal couple would enjoy!" Any day she could get them to mention something that didn't involve violence or food was a blessing. "What kind of games do you enjoy?"

"Well, last week, when we were in bed, we-"

"NOT THOSE KINDS OF GAMES!"

On second thought, maybe violence and food wasn't so bad after all around here...

...

...

"Ugh... That was so embarrassing..." Bulma moaned as she rubbed the cold soda can against her head. Somehow the fact she ran less than a mile in under ten seconds while pulling a friend of hers along didn't feel like the accomplishment she should've been proud of given where she was running from. Now situated on a bench near the food court, the young woman was resting her weary legs just as Caulifla returned with several hot dogs.

"You feeling better yet?" Caulifla asked as she handed one of the four dogs to Bulma, holding the other three in both her hands and tail.

"Yeah, I guess. Thanks, Cauli." Bulma sighed as she accepted one of the delicious dogs. "Mmmmh, this is good."

"I'll say!" Caulifla practically cheered as she already ate half her first hot dog in one bite. "I've been starving since breakfast after helping Chichi with the decorating."

"How are you enjoying your first Christmas, Cauli?" Bulma asked curiously as she she opened her drink. "If I recall, this is the first one you and Goku are going to celebrate, right?"

"Yeah, far as I know." She was still marveling at the giant glass dome that made up the ceiling, staring at the little specks of snow she could see gather atop it. "I still don't fully understand it, but a lot of people seem to be into it. And I do like the colors around here. Everyone seems a lot more chipper around here too."

"That's Christmas for ya." It felt good to Bulma to be on the same page with the girl. She smiled looking ahead at the hundreds of stores and people walking around with laughter and cheer. "It's the kind of time that brings people together, and lets them know you really care about others."

"Yeah... Care..." The girl's eyes lowered as she stared at her own two feet, leaning back a little. "Hey, Bulma?"

"Yeah?"

"What does it mean to exactly care for someone?"

"What do you mean? Don't you care about Goku?" She was rather surprised by the sudden question.

"Of course I do, it's just that, well, Chichi said you're supposed to 'really care' about someone close to you, especially on Christmas. And I don't really get what's different between it and caring for a friend."

"Oh, that's what you mean..." She had to admit, it was a legitimate question to ask. It never really crossed the scientist's mind in terms of how she would explain it. "Well... think back on your past. Was there anyone you cared for?"

"Well, yeah. There was Goku, you guys, Master Roshi, Launch... There were a bunch of people I cared about."

"But I mean like extra cared for. Does anyone come to mind?"

"Well, there's..." Caulifla's tail drooped at the thought as she curled her legs up to the bench, hugging them a little. "There was... my aunt... before she passed..."

"Oh," Bulma winced a little ashamed, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring that up."

"It's okay. It's just... I don't know what it means to care for someone like I did with my aunt. I mean, she raised me since I was little, so I care for her because of all I owe her for."

"Well... what about Goku? Don't you care about him? Isn't that why you asked him to marry you at the tournament?"

"Kinda..." Caulifla scratched the back of her head cheekily after finishing her second hot dog. "It was mostly just so we could keep fighting and training everyday. I kinda thought it was a rule or something."

"Heheh, that definitely sounds like you." Bulma chuckled covering her mouth a little. To think the lone girl that was once part of a desert band of thieves would one day be talking about marriage and caring to her, much less with the very boy who practically started their adventures with her. "But you could've asked anyone to marry you, and you chose Goku. Why is that?"

"I don't know, I guess..." She actually hadn't considered that line of reasoning before, finding herself growing curious at the notion. "Maybe... I thought I owed him too? I mean he did bring me back to life before, and we were always at each others side while training for each tournament."

"Yeah, but aside from the life thing, that's just a thing friends normally do with each other. What matters is the amount of time you spend with one another. That kind of stuff is why you marry someone."

"So you're saying I should marry someone like Krillin too then?" After all, she did spend several years training with him, not to mention the adventures he tagged along with with her and Goku.

"No, I mean," it was getting a bit tricky for Bulma to contain her chuckles, "I mean the difference between caring about someone and REALLY caring about someone is, I guess, what they mean to you. You know? What does Goku mean to you, really?"

"What does he... mean to me?" Like before, that was a question she never really pondered in her life. She looked at her open palms as she flexed them a little, remembering all the times they fought and trained together, along with all the adventures they went through on a daily basis. "I... I don't really know..." Bulma actually smiled at the longing look in Caulifla's eyes. The girl definitely cared about Goku in a way she couldn't understand. It was almost adorable to Bulma to see Caulifla talking about love and caring this much during such a festive holiday.

Finishing the last of her drink and tossing away the can, the scientist brushed herself off as she held out a hand to the young girl. "Well you're never going to know by just sitting here." She stated, pulling Caulifla off the bench and onto her feet. "So come on!"

"Where do you think we should go?"

"Anywhere that looks interesting to you." Bulma proudly puffed up her chest. "And don't worry. We're not going to stop until we find you the prefect gift!"

...

...

4 Hours Later...

"Wahhhhh!"

*thud*

"You two are banned from this mall for life!" The security guard yelled as he and several others returned to the mall.

"Grrrrrr FAT HEADS!" Caulifla yelled back, scooping up a pile of snow and chucking it at the door. Taking a moment to shake more of the snow out of her own hair, she looked a little apologetically to Bulma before helping her onto her feet. "Are you alright?"

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine." Bulma replied, shaking a little from the piles of snow strewn across her outfit. She was not prepared to get her slightly exposed legs covered in snow, but then again, she really wasn't prepared for Caulifla's first trip through a mall.

"I'm sorry about that..." Cauli apologized remorsefully.

Even though it did annoy her a little, Bulma gave a sympathetic smile to the girl while patting her head. "H-Hey, come on, it's okay. I can easily hack the mainframe and get us delisted from their banned list. Besides, I'm sure people have had... worse... experiences than that..." The last part was kind of hard to say enthusiastically. And why wouldn't it be?

The whole shopping trip, for better or worse, was definitely worse than Bulma could've anticipated. First there was the resounding trip to the clothing store. Thinking it would be nice and appropriate, not to mention something that could be allowed to wear in public compared to the mysterious "XXX" store, Bulma thought it would be a great idea to find a matching pair of outfits for the young girl to wear with Goku, one that either had some special gimmick like completing an image when standing beside one another, or simply one that went together with another. And to her joy, they found the perfect set of clothes!

Unfortunately, having been away from Caulifla for awhile, she had completely forgotten about Caulifla's little 'issue' about dressing in public. So when she gave the outfit to Caulifla and told her to try these on while she went to look for a matching set that came from the Men's section, the next thing she knew she heard screaming about some crazed lady who was standing in the middle of the store half naked while trying on several outfits.

Bulma made a mental note to remember to tell her where to change her clothes as she hurriedly ran out of the store with the still-half naked Caulifla following along, rushing to the nearest bathroom where she could change into her old clothes again in peace.

Mistake number two came when they entered an electronics store. To be fair, while not having a grasp at all the technology within the place, most of the things Caulifla came across was met with relative simplicity, the girl reacting to all the weird gadgets and gizmos nonchalant much like the average shopper would. Compared to the previous store, Bulma was sure things would go a lot smoother here as she chatted with the girl about the different things they had and what they did.

Much like the first store however, things only ended in disaster when their trip was nearing the end. In fairness, this one was a little more on Bulma's fault than the young girl's who had never ventured into the city all that often. While browsing several options of music players, movie players, and so forth, the two came upon something Caulifla had never experienced before- a VR headset! It was revolutionary, and could've been the perfect gift Caulifla was looking for. They could've used it to pretend they were on a beach, take a relaxing tour from the comfort of their own home, and so much more!

So of course the misfortune had to rear its ugly head when Cauli, the girl who wasn't used to such technology, had her first experience with a VR headset taking her on a trip to the age of dinosaurs, where mighty giants and all manner of creatures once roamed the Earth. And the graphics must've been pretty realistic to the young woman, because the moment she saw a bizarre 3-headed T-Rex leaning in on her, her reflexes kicked in as she blasted the ferocious creature with a simple ki blast... and forgetting it was all virtual to begin with.

And by simple, that meant one capable of blowing a hole in the middle of the large store that scattered handfuls of equipment devices in every direction. If it wasn't for the resulting smoke, mass panic and chaos, and the sprinklers going off, they would've been identified as the perpetrators right there and then.

It almost scared Bulma how absolutely no one noticed them.

The last nail in the coffin came about this time as the duo were trying to find another store to search rather than being directly in one. Wondering if there could've been some sort of kitchen utensil or something they could buy. If they couldn't buy food themselves, the least they could do was buy something for the house itself that was related to something she and Goku enjoyed. Yet, they never managed to get to that sort of store as while they were walking, Caulifla stopped dead in her tracks as her eyes were captivated by a display window, showing her one greatest weakness in the entire universe.

Cuteness. Uncontested, unconditional, Cuteness.

A dozen of brown extremely cute extremely adorable puppies she saw barking and jumping at the window as Caulifla gazed over them, her pupils blowing out of proportion and being replaced with entire stars as she squealed at the sight. Each and every one of these delightful little hounds were just begging her to take them home with her, she just knew it! She couldn't be a cruel and heartless monster like everyone else passing them by!

She was powerless to resist them. How could she? Growing up in her home, there was absolutely nothing cute or adorable on land, with pictures of puppies and kittens only being accessible to her through the television. Heck, it wasn't until she came across Yamcha for the first time that she met the closest thing to a kitty, a flying one at that, his partner Puar.

AND NOW SHE WAS EXPECTED TO JUST LEAVE ALL THESE CUTIES HERE AND MIND HER OWN BUSINESS?!

Looking around to see if the coast was clear, as Bulma was walking away, stopped as she suddenly heard a nearby shattering noise. Turning around, she was greeted with a sight she never would've expected, even for Caulifla. Humming to herself while looking away, acting as unsuspicious as possible, Caulifla casually greeted her with nothing out of the ordinary, while paying no mind whatsoever to the fact her sweater had apparently tripled in size, was wiggling, barking, and currently had half a dozen tails sticking out of it.

The sight that followed would leave many children baffled as not two minutes later, the scene of a grown monkey-tailed woman being dragged out by the leg by several security guards could be seen, all while the woman was begging, crying, and scraping at the floor to be let back into the pet store, and an embarrassed scientist being escorted along with her.

Afterwards, it didn't take too much work to put the two together as the culprits for several shenanigans that were being reported through the mall, and were promptly vacated from the premises by force. And, to Caulifla's dismay, Bulma forbade her from fighting back.

"And you weren't arrested, so..." Bulma joked, trying to cheer the girl up. "I mean hey, it could've been worse, right? How awkward would it have been to call Goku and say 'I need some bail money' and all that? Amiright? Hahahah... hahah... ehhhhhh..." And failing. Joking was clearly not her strong suit as noted by the younger woman who turned her eyes away.

"I didn't get a present..." Caulifla said, turning to the night sky. "And it's getting late."

"Uhh..." Bulma frantically tried to think of something to cheer the young wife up. "Hey, it's not so bad! I mean, there's always Christmas day-"

"All the stores will be closed. Chichi already told me."

Well there went that plan to cheer her up... She thought to herself. "Then... why don't you come with me back to my place? I bet I could spruce up something really nice! It would just take a few hours-"

"No." Caulifla flatly denied. "Dinner's gonna start in an hour, and it's gonna take most of that time to get home. I don't want Goku to get hungry because everyone's waiting for me."

Still trying her best, she gave the girl a supportive smile as she pat her on the head. "Hey, it's going to be okay. I promise you if you just tell Goku where you were to begin with, he'll understand."

"I doubt it." Caulifla accepted her fate as she called the Flying Nimbus to her side, hopping atop it as she sat cross-legged. "Thanks for all the help Bulma. I really appreciate it. Just wish I could've found Goku a present this year." With a small wave, the girl took to the air as the Nimbus began its long ride home.

To most people, seeing such a scene before them would've been disheartening, tragic even. To someone like Bulma, however, the eager young scientist just gave her leaving friend a soft smile, waving back to her as she left. There wasn't an ounce of worry in her mind as she watched Cauli leave, knowing the girl was going to be alright.

"You already got him a gift silly~" The small smile of sentimentality soon turned into an uneased frown as she groaned at the other thought she had. Please don't tell anyone where you saw me...

...

...

"Mmmmh..." Goku stared out the window as he leaned against the wall.

It was over twenty minutes since dinner was supposed to start. As planned, the Ox King, Chichi's father, arrived a little over an hour ago, showering the house with various gifts for his young daughter and her dearest friends. Spirits were lifted quite a bit, as planned, as the festivities got under way with stories about the first year together, christmas music, and a few snacks along the way.

Or what they could get before Goku practically inhaled half of it.

When it came to Dinner Time, however, that's when the mood started to turn sour, especially for the man of the house. It was already past seven, an hour after Caulifla was expected to get home. When she didn't show up within half an hour to it, they decided to extend the wait before dinner was started just to make sure Caulifla had the time she needed in order to get home and possibly rest for a few minutes, assuming at first that she was just running late and would've taken a small rest upon returning.

To Chichi's shock and horror, even after the hour was up and the three decided to start dinner, Goku just didn't have the appetite for it. He was beside himself a little anxious about where Caulifla would be. There wasn't a chance in the world that she would ever skip dinner (and at the rate things were going he wasn't going to be able to resist much longer himself). She was a strong fighter, and she was using the Nimbus today, to Goku's assumption since he had to fly the tree back.

So what was taking her so long?

It was more disheartening to Chichi as she watched Goku's worried look the whole time, wondering herself where Caulifla had gone off to. Even if she got lost somewhere, the Nimbus knew where to take them from and to from any place in the world. And Goku's minor pacing around the door wasn't helping.

"Hey, Chichi?" Her large father spoke as he was sitting at the table beside her. "Maybe we should celebrate this tomorrow? It's getting a little late."

"No." Goku sighed. "You guys eat can eat without me." Chichi almost had a heart attack at the mention. The words "eat without me" had never been uttered by such a lunatic!

"Eat without you?!" Chichi nearly gasped as she stood. "But Goku, you must hungry too. I know those snacks wouldn't fill you up."

"I know, I know, but it just wouldn't be right without Cauli." He replied, preparing his snow boots. "You said it yourself, this is supposed to be a special time of year."

"Mmmmmh..." Now the weight of guilt was slightly weighing on the young woman. She didn't mean to press so hard about the importance of the holiday, she just wanted to make it special to the people she felt closest to. "No, I'll go, too. I'm the reason she went out in the first place." She decided as she grabbed her scarf from the chair.

"Well hang on, sweetie. If you're going then I am too." The Ox King announced rising from the chair.

Goku smiled with a small nod at the scene, appreciating the sentiment from his fellow friends. "Thanks guys. Hopefully we can-"

*knock*

*knock*

*knock*

"Huh?" All heads turned back to the door as Goku looked through the door's small diamond-shaped window. "Hey, it's Cauli!" Everyone's smiles grew at the announcement as Goku opened the door. "Hey, Cauli! Where've ya been? We were just about to-" He paused as he noticed the solemn expression on her face. "Cauli? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." The young woman continued to frown as she was looking away, arms placed behind her back. She didn't appear to be freezing despite the weather and she didn't seem hurt in the slightest. Yet something about her just screamed "pain" to him for some reason, like some invisible force was causing her grief. "Hey, can I... talk to you for a minute?"

"Huh? Oh, uh..." Goku looked back to the table, noticing Chichi wave her hands to shoo him out the door, then back to his partner. "Sure. What's up?" He asked closing the door behind him.

There was a brief silence as the sound of wind filled the air. The two of them leaned along the tunnel-like doorway as they waited for Cauli to break the tension. "...I'm sorry."

"Sorry? About what?" Did she break something he wasn't aware of? Accidentally start a fight with someone else? Huh! Did she pick another fight with Piccolo again without him being there to watch?!

"Ruining Christmas." She answered. "I couldn't find you a Christmas Gift." There was a bluntness to her tone and a way that made her sound saddened yet unsure of how to act at the same time. All the while the Ox King and Chichi were looking through the window eavesdropping on the conversation.

"You couldn't find a gift for me?" Goku tilted his head at this. "I thought you went to the mall?"

"I did, a-and I tried! I tried looking all day for a gift!" Her expression changed from a soft frown to an exasperated doubt. "I wanted to find something to show that I care about you, m-more than the others in this case." She was unaware of the light blush on her face that flashed. "I tried looking store after store, this place had all these sorts of things, but I couldn't get food of course, and I couldn't think of anything you liked about besides training and I-... I got kicked out."

"You got kicked out of a mall? For what?"

"How should I know? Apparently you try to defend yourself from some dinosaur thing and the next thing you know everyone's looking at you like you're some weirdo!" It still didn't make sense to her! If anything she should be banning everybody else in the mall for looking at her weirdly for that! "The point is... I couldn't find you something special..." She guiltily held up a white bag from behind herself filled with an assortment of goodies. "So I just got some food. That's all I could think of... I'm sorry."

The moment felt tense between the two as Chichi watched with a small frown. She definitely felt like she was too hard on the girl now. Yeah, it was a little annoying she still just brought food back, a waste of 300 zeni she wasn't going to see anytime soon, but she didn't think this would be so troubling for the young girl. It was just supposed to be a simple thing, something to prove that she cared, and she... couldn't even think of that.

Looking back on it, Caulifla began to wonder if Goku really should've just married Chichi instead. She didn't know anything about being some "wife" thing, heck she was just interested in spending every day training and hanging out with him. He was definitely the closest person to her in her life outside of her Aunt Chiyo, but she didn't know the best way to present that. At least with Chichi he could probably have a decent and semi-normal life, with a woman who actually knew how the world worked.

After what felt like an eternity, Goku finally broke the ice as spoke. "Cauli..." Caulifla turned her eye to look at the expected disappointment, but was instead greeted with a warm genuine Goku-kind of smile. "That's awesome!"

"Huh?" Did the food really mean that much to him? Even Chichi wondered that as her and her dad exchanged glances at one another before looking back.

"I didn't know you cared so much!"

"What are you talking about? I didn't find anything you wanted!" Was this supposed to be some weird part of Christmas? Was someone supposed to get a gift the other hated then they had to pretend they were really interested in it? Cause that's the only thing that made sense here to her!

"Yeah, but you tried to!" He pointed out squeezing his fists excitedly. "You spent the whole day just trying to find something for me on a holiday we've never had before. No one's ever done something like that before! Thank you!" Caulifla nearly jumped as he wrapped his arms around her neck, pulling her in for a massive hug.

Caulifla was at a loss of what to say as a small drip of water was forming in the corner of her eyes. Was this all for real? Was this what it meant to care about someone? She never experienced this sort of thing, even when she lived with her aunt, yet she felt a strange familiar warmth about it. She felt like... she was safe again, that she was protected with him. She felt like as long as he was around, everything would be fine. It's how she felt as a small child growing up, all the warmth her aunt provided for her while doing her best to make a living for the both of them.

It felt nice.

Blinking back the tears, Caulifla returned the hug with her own, Chichi and the Ox King giving their own affectionate smile for the happy couple, glad that everything turned out all right. She felt a strong sensation she hadn't felt in a long time, one that almost reminded her of the day she finally won against Goku. It was one of the best feelings she ever experienced in her life, and one she always wanted to keep with her. Just like this moment, now, and forever.

Leaning back a bit, Goku noticed as Caulifla's eyes wandered upwards a bit, a look of intrigue crossing her face as Goku stared at her. "Cauli? What's wrong?"

"..."

*smooooooch*

The Ox King felt necessary to cover his daughter's eyes, not that she was about to let him as she blushed an watched. For one of the few times in their life, the two embraced each other in a passionate kiss again. For the few times in their lives they could recall doing such a thing, every one was more momentous than the last. And this one didn't seem to be any different as Goku embraced it.

The longer it lasted the redder Chicih's face became, almost being tempted to let her father cover her eyes with his massive hands. Thankfully, it didn't last more than ten seconds, Caulifla pulling away from the kiss with a casual expression.

"Um... thanks?" Goku said, unsure of how to respond to such a situation. "What was that about?"

As opposed to some feeling or discussion about "love" or something like Chichi expected, Caulifla just casually pointed out the small plant hanging over the entrance.

"Mistletoe."

*THUD*

Both Caulifla and Goku turned their heads to the door briefly as they heard the sound of Chichi and Ox King falling in disbelief, never knowing the two were watching them this whole time.

"So that's what that's for..." Goku awed the strange peculiar plant. "I always wondered why she hung that up."

"Mhhm. Bulma explained it to me when I saw a couple kissing at the mall under one. Apparently you're supposed to do it around Christmas."

"Is that right?"

"Yeah, just don't try it with Bulma. She doesn't seem to be a fan of it for some reason." It felt weird to her that the woman who swooned at the sight of the couple kissing at the mall wasn't as accepting of a kiss herself.

"Well anyway, why don't we head on in? We got boatloads of food now!" Goku decided as he grabbed the bags and opened the door, seeing Chichi and Ox sitting at the table as if they had never left. "Hey guys, Cauli's back! And she brought food!" Chichi rolled her eyes playfully at this as the festivities could get under way and the season was filled with warmth and cheer once more.

Seeing this before her, Caulifla gave a soft smile herself at the sight. She couldn't explain it, honestly. Seeing the mistletoe was just a spark that ignited the strange feeling she felt well up inside of her. So far she still couldn't comprehend what it meant to really care for someone, but with people like Goku around, it started to make a little more sense, however little. A part of her hoped to herself that, with enough time, she could realize what it truly meant to really care for someone else.

And how she truly felt about Goku.

As far as days went, it was a pretty sporadic but interesting day. It had it's ups, it's downs, but overall, tis the season filled with holiday cheer and jolly. The only thing she still continued to regret was the fact that she never could find the right gift for-

*gurgle*

"Whoa.." Caulifla wobbled for a split second, looking down as she rubbed her tummy. "That was weird." She could've sworn she felt a strange wooziness in her stomach for a small flash of a second. But just as quickly as it appeared, it quickly disappeared all the same. "Oh well. Hey Chichi, hey Ox, don't start without me! By the way, you two will never guess who I bumped into at the game store today!" She hastily ran inside closing the door, not wanting to miss out on the holiday goodness.

It would turn out to be ironic in the future for the young Son family. Because as it would turn out, Caulifla did have the perfect gift for Goku after all...

He would just have to wait nine months before getting it~

...

...

...

*Dedicated and In Loving Memory of Akira Toriyama*

The man who changed the world more than the world will ever know, and touched the lives of children, teens, and adults across the globe, and continues to do so to this day, even after passing.

-Including Mine-

~Merry Christmas Everyone~