One thing was clear: fighting Piccolo was easier than figuring out why the sight of his wife made his face feel hotter than a grilled wolf.

Goku sighed deeply, staring out into the horizon. "What's wrong with me?" he muttered, letting his voice trail off as Nimbus drifted. He thought he just needed some space to think, but every time he left their little house, it bugged him because Chichi seemed... upset. Why did seeing her upset bother him so much? It didn't make any sense.

Goku tilted his head, staring at Nimbus as though it might offer some wisdom. "Hey, Nimbus. Do you understand this stuff? Why do girls make things so confusing?"

Nimbus, of course, did what any self-respecting cloud would do—floated calmly along, offering no sage advice. It was a very Nimbus-like response, Goku was already expecting it. He could only sigh. "Ugh! I only felt this with Chichi. Is this some kind of technique?!"

He sighed deeply, rubbing the back of his head. He had a feeling leaving every morning was a dumb plan, but he figured if he spent enough time away from her, he'd eventually figure it out. He didn't need to admit it was silly, right?

"But it was silly, Dad," Gohan interrupted, shaking his head with a knowing grin. Beside him, Goten snickered, barely able to contain his amusement.

Goku scratched the back of his head sheepishly, his trademark grin spreading across his face. "Huh? Nah." His tone was so casual it sounded like he was brushing off a spilled drink rather than reflecting on a decades-old decision.

Gohan chuckled, shaking his head again. Goku just grinned wider, unfazed and unapologetic. That was their dad—completely unshakable and grounded in his own unique way. For all his quirks, Gohan couldn't help but admire him.

People often thought Goku's priorities were all over the place, but Gohan knew better. So did Chichi, and even Goten had caught on over the years. To Goku, fighting wasn't just about the thrill—it was about protecting the people he loved most. The family he'd built with Chichi was his North Star, his ultimate reason for pushing himself past every limit.

Goku once told him, "The fighting's just part of it, y'know? If I can't win, I can't protect you guys." Those words stuck with Gohan, a reminder of the quiet but fierce determination that burned behind his dad's carefree demeanor. For Goku, nothing mattered more than keeping his family safe.

Still, Goku shrugged off Gohan's teasing. "I'm telling you, it wasn't silly," he insisted, though his grin betrayed him.

Goten burst into laughter, and Gohan just smiled, shaking his head.

It's not petty. It's not silly. He reminded himself. Besides, if he stayed long enough to get caught up in her cooking, he'd end up distracted, maybe even more confused. And that... that was the last thing he needed.

But he could already imagine it—Chichi, serving him one of her delicious meals with that warm, worried look in her eyes, asking him what was wrong, and he'd have to not look at her like she was the most amazing person in the world. Yeah, not awkward at all. So, he took off. Every morning for the past two weeks.

The only problem? The more he stayed away, the more he felt like he was missing something. It wasn't just her cooking. It was her feistiness and her very presence. The way she scolded him with that fiery passion, like she wanted to throw a frying pan at his head and hug him at the same time. It was maddening. So, he'd just... go train. Or talk to Nimbus. Maybe, just maybe, it wasn't the food after all. Just maybe... It was her.

And Kami help him, he might actually be starting to like it.

--

Stopping by a nearby village, Goku decided to stretch his legs. It wasn't far from home—Chichi was strong and capable, but still, he didn't want to stray too far. A small smile crept onto his face at the thought. His wife was incredibly strong and skilled. She had made it to the semi-finals of the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament just over a month ago. Goku felt a blush spread across his cheeks. He was proud and a bit flustered. How lucky he was to be married to such an amazing fighter!

"I'll just call you when it's time to go home." Goku told Nimbus as he jumped off the golden cloud. Goku continued to walk around. It was a nice village, with shops and cafes around. It was not big but enough to have eveything the people would need. As he wandered, he spotted a small café. Inside, a young couple—about his age—was eating together, laughing at something. The man stared at the woman with an intensity that made her blush, and Goku tilted his head. Did he look at Chichi like that when they ate together? Because Chichi always blushed even though he did not, for the life of him, understood why.

The man's smooth moves intrigued him. Every gesture, every laugh seemed calculated to make the woman swoon.

Goku's eyes locked on the couple. The man was smooth—like butter sliding on a hot pan. Every gesture, every laugh seemed to make the woman swoon. Maybe there's some secret technique to this, Goku thought, rubbing his chin. Could be useful for dealing with Chichi.

He squinted harder, analyzing every move like he was watching a high-level sparring match. Whoa, did he just pull off an advanced hand-holding maneuver? Goku leaned forward, "Gotta remember that one."

What he didn't notice was the woman shooting him side-eyes, her discomfort growing by the second. The man, finally catching on, turned to see Goku's wide-eyed stare and decided he wasn't having it.

"Hey, buddy!" the man barked, marching over.

Goku blinked, pointing at himself. "Me?"

"Yeah, you!" The man charged at Goku. "What's your deal, huh? Why are you creeping on us?"

"Creeping?" Goku tilted his head, confused.

"You're staring at my wife!" The man accused Goku.

"Oh! You also have a wife?" Goku grinned as if he realized something wonderful. "I also have a wife!" He said proudly.

The man and woman suddenly became a little confused. "Well." The man started, not knowing how to respond at Goku's enthusiasm. "Then if you have a wife, stop staring at my wife!"

Goku's eyes widened as he finally pieced together what the man thought was going on. He remembered Chichi telling him it was rude to stare at people. His mind raced, and he waved his hands frantically, trying to clear up the misunderstanding. "Oh no! No! It's not that! I would never look at your wife!"

Unfortunately, the man's face turned bright red, and he took Goku's words completely wrong. "Are you telling me that my wife is not beautiful for you to not even look at her?!" he shouted, his voice rising.

Goku blinked in utter confusion. Wait, what? "What beautiful?" he asked, completely baffled at how their conversation had taken such a bizarre turn. He had no idea what they were talking about.

The man, clearly misunderstanding Goku's innocent question, puffed up his chest and pointed a finger at him. "Don't you dare tell me my wife she's not beautiful! She's the most beautiful woman in the whole world!" The man's voice was escalating, and before long, a small crowd began to gather around them, intrigued by the spectacle.

Now, Goku was really trying to process everything. He glanced at the woman, then back at the man, noticing the guy's nostrils flaring like he was about to explode and the woman turning a very deep shade of red. Goku, completely oblivious to the tension, gave his most honest, yet awkward, response. "I don't know about the whole world..." He wasn't trying to be rude; he just didn't understand what the big deal was.

He took another long look at the woman, then scratched his head. Nice-looking... I guess? Based on his knowledge of beauty—sourced mainly from Krilin, Yamcha, Oolong and of course, Master Roshi himself and his questionable magazines—the woman was pretty by those standards. Blonde, skinny, and sporting a lot of face paint. Definitely not bad, Goku thought. But... not like his Chichi.

And that's when it hit him. The whole tournament, all those guys staring at Chichi... Even the way Krilin kept on saying how cute Chichi was. It confused and quite bothered him then, but he couldn't put his finger on why. Now, though? Now it made sense. He didn't like it at all. Not one bit. Maybe it was because Chichi already fascinated him with her feistiness. And especially now Chichi was his wife. Only his. He didn't want anyone else looking at her.

Goku's innocent statement only seemed to fuel the man's anger, and his face turned a deep shade of red. "How dare you!" he yelled. "You don't know what a beautiful woman is, maybe because your wife is ugly!" The man's voice echoed across the street, making a scene and drawing a crowd.

The words hit Goku like a punch to the gut. His wife? Chichi? Ugly? He remembered how much Bulma avoided to be 'ugly' so he understood. Always telling them she wanted to stay young and beautiful. Goku's carefree demeanor shifted in an instant. His eyes narrowed, and his voice dropped. "What did you say about my wife?"

The crowd, now watching with bated breath, murmured in anticipation. The man, now feeling smug as if he'd finally gotten under Goku's skin, stood taller. He thought Goku looked too young to be much of a threat, maybe 18 or 19, just a bit taller than him. "Your wife doesn't stand a chance against my wife," he smirked.

Big mistake.

In the blink of an eye, faster than anyone could see, Goku was standing right in front of the man. The crowd gasped, and the man froze, his smug expression instantly replaced by pure fear. Goku's face was deadly serious, and the air around him seemed to crackle with energy. This was a side of Goku the man wasn't prepared for.

"My wife is the best," Goku almost growled. "She's too good to me."

The man gulped, but Goku wasn't finished. He leaned in closer, his eyes still blazing. "Her eyes when she's mad—oh, Kami, her eyes are amazing. They're like fire when she's mad, and they sparkle like stars when she's happy," Goku continued, his voice softening slightly as he spoke about Chichi. His anger had shifted to something else now—pride. "And her hair! It's all shiny and black, and it flows down her back like a waterfall."

As Goku spoke, he forgot where he was, completely lost in his admiration for Chichi. His face softened as he remembered the woman he adored. "Oh, and her smile! When she smiles, it's like the whole world lights up. And she's got this way of making me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. And her cooking—her cooking—is definitely the best thing in the world!"

The crowd, including the man's wife, stood there wide-eyed, moved by Goku's outpouring of affection and just how oblivious he was. The man's wife, completely taken aback by Goku's sincerity, even blinked back a tear.

As for the man, he was shaking now, all his bravado completely gone. His mouth opened and closed like a fish gasping for air. Goku was still standing there.

But in the back of his mind, Goku wondered if maybe he'd gone overboard. "Did I talk too much?" he asked aloud, turning to the crowd sheepishly. They just stared at him in stunned silence.

The man gulped again. He turned to his wife, clearly hoping she wouldn't notice how much he had just been verbally demolished. The wife, however, just shrugged, a small, knowing smile on her face.

The man frowned at his wife's and the crowd's expressions at Goku. He decided to punch Goku thinking he was off guard, and it was the biggest mistake he ever made. Goku suddenly looked at him and blocked his punch with ease. The man felt scared until he heard someone in the crowd.

"Hey! I know you! And I know your wife!" someone chimed.

"Oh yeah! You're the champion in the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament! The one who proposed to the Ox Princess!"

Goku blushed at the recognition. He blushed even more as the crowd congratulated him, not for just winning, but for proposing to Chichi.

"Princess?" the man, now crouched on the ground, asked in disbelief.

"Yeah. He's Son Goku, the one who also defeated King Piccolo years ago. He proposed to the Ox-King's daughter in the middle of their fight. She's really pretty and strong! No wonder they got together!" someone answered.

The man's jaw dropped. He looked back at Goku, who was now blushing and scratching the back of his head with a sheepish grin. "You mean, your wife is the princess from Mount Fry-Pan?" he stammered.

"Yep! That's my Chichi!" Goku said proudly, puffing out his chest. Not even noticing how he claimed Chichi as his and only his like it's the most natural thing in the world.

The man's wife looked impressed. "Wow, you really married a princess?"

Goku nodded so enthusiastically it was a wonder his head didn't fly off. "Yeah! She's amazing! She's super strong, cooks the best food ever—like, seriously, the best! And—and I really like her face. Especially when it's the first thing I see in the morning! It's like—'Wow!'" He beamed, clearly pleased with himself. "And when she's mad? Oh boy, her face is so cute! I mean, it's kinda scary, but it's still cute."

The crowd "awwed" at Goku's genuine affection. The man's wife nudged her husband. "See? Why can't you talk about me like that?"

The man muttered under his breath, clearly embarrassed. "Uh, well, I mean... you are beautiful but it's not like you also fight in a tournament or anything..."

Goku, oblivious to the new tension between the man and his wife, turned to the crowd and grinned. Now he really wanted to go home. He turned to the man, "Sorry for staring. Chichi told me it's rude."

The man blinked at Goku, all this time he thought Goku was intrested in his wife. "Uh, sorry for, uh..."

Goku only grinned, not really minding what happened. He moved on from it right away. With a simple nod to the man and his wife, acknowledging all was good, and a genuine smile and thanks to the crowd, he called for Nimbus. His stopover was over. He finally decided to go home to his wife.

To be continued...

Note: I have no idea how this story would go but here you go. pardon if they were a little ooc. my memories of the characters were based on my understanding as a child back in the 90s. so it might be diff especially for those who only saw Super. dont know how that was but they say Goku was different. no comment as I havent seen it.