Chapter 8:

"Thank you boys for the invite," Chi-Chi said as Goten flew beside her.

"Yeah, Gohan and Videl said it's been a while since we've seen him," Goten said, not giving anything away.

Chi-Chi nodded her head. A nice outing with her sons was just what she needed. Plus riding on Nimbus made her feel quite young again, though it did bring up some memories. Oh, she could just remember a certain young boy on the fluffy cloud riding off without a care in the world…

On the way there, she enjoyed watching the setting sun and looking at the landscape beneath her. It was only a twenty minute flight to Gohan's, probably a little slower with her in tow, but it definitely was picturesque getting there. Finally she saw her son's home. Their house was much bigger than hers, but it was also very modest considering her daughter-in-law was the second richest woman in the world.

The two of them landed, and Goten scratched his bottom, quietly complaining of how itchy his trousers were. Well, at least he looked presentable. While it was just dinner with her sons, she still felt it appropriate to dress up. For herself, she wore a lovely pink blouse with white pants. She had even done her hair up a bit differently.

Goten ran up to the front door and rang the doorbell. Gohan then answered it with a big smile on his face. "Hey squirt! Mom!" With that he had kissed his mom on the cheek. "Come on in guys."

As soon as she got through the door, she could smell something delicious. She smiled, thinking of how Videl's cooking skills must have improved dramatically. She was eager to sit down, eat, and catch up with her family, but a certain man at the dinner table immediately made her stomach drop. "Oh! Goku…"

Goku looked up at Chi-Chi, his eyes widening a little. He was just as surprised to see her there too. "Hi Chi…"

"What's going on?" mother demanded of her sons. She had specifically asked Goten if her ex-husband was coming, and Goten had insisted he was not invited. Yet… here he was!

"We're having dinner!" Goten said happily.

"Actually, you guys are having dinner. Me, the family, and Goten are stepping out." Gohan explained.

"But…" Chi-Chi wanted to say she wasn't ready to just have dinner alone with Goku. She still wasn't sure how she felt. She definitely missed him. And she took back what she thought of Goku. Yes… he loved her, that she was quite sure of now, but everything was still too confusing.

She was just going to say something, but her sons were looking at her with so much hope. Especially her little Goten with those big, brown, puppy-dog eyes. It was obvious what they were doing, and despite being internally conflicted, Chi-Chi didn't want to disappoint her kids. And the food did smell good…

"I can leave Chi-Chi," Goku said quietly, standing up as he prepared to leave.

"No! No Goku, it's okay," Chi-Chi said.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes… It'll be fine." She hoped so for their sakes.

Gohan and Goten sighed with relief. Gohan didn't even know he was holding his breath at this point, but he was happy that at least his parents could be civil around each other. "Alright, we'll head on out. Videl, Pan, and Piccolo are already at the movie theater so we don't wanna keep them waiting. We'll see you two later!"

"What, Piccolo's there–"

"Buh-bye Mom! Bye Dad!"

After they left, the house went utterly silent. It was odd. Before, both Goku and Chi-Chi had been comfortable around each other. Especially in the earlier years, when they were living life as a newlywed couple. They've argued and yelled, like any married couple. But it had never been awkward between them.

"Umm… would you like to sit down?"

That snapped her back to attention. "Yes, sorry about that."

Taking a seat, she observed the table. Their kids really went all out. Right in the middle was a huge roast chicken topped with gravy and herbs. There were also other entrees laid out before them: pork doused in sauce, fried fish with green onions and tomatoes, grilled octopus, barbequed short ribs. And many helpings of side dishes. There was also a whole bowl of salad that looked really delicious. Initially she hadn't paid attention to the table, but there were even rose petals surrounding the food. And right next to the chicken was a tall, yet simple candle lit up and a lovely bottle of wine already opened. With the sun set and the room lights off, the room really had a romantic quality to it. Chi-Chi couldn't help but smile, proud of her sons and–most likely–much of Videl's work.

"Wow… the food looks great," Goku said. If she was amazed, no doubt Goku was mesmerized.

"Yeah, I can't wait to try it," Chi-Chi said back.

Both of them went ahead and dug in. Goku had huge helpings for himself, but of course she wasn't bothered by it, having had years getting used to his other-worldly appetite. It wasn't long before things felt familiar, almost like old times. In fact, she could even say she was enjoying herself as she allowed herself to giggle from Goku's bad, yet cute (in her opinion) table manners. The glass of champagne also made a contribution here.

"Ahhh man, that was good," Goku said after his fourteenth plate.

"The boys and Videl really outdid themselves!" Chi-Chi agreed, feeling very full herself.

"Yeah…" Goku chuckled.

Comfortable silence passed between them. "So… how have you been?" Goku said after a while.

"I've been okay… Just doing the usual. Cooking, cleaning, taking care of Goten. How about you?"

Goku shrugged. "I've been… okay too. I've just been camping out in the wilderness. It sorta reminded me of the times when I was a kid and Grandpa would show me so many things."

Like earlier on the cloud, Chi-Chi couldn't help but smile as she reminisced over his childhood and their youth. Goku was very free-spirited, even more so back in the day than now. She supposed that was one of the reasons why she fell so madly in love with him to begin with… "How's training? Any new adventures since…"

Goku smiled back, but didn't want to acknowledge their split. "Not really. I've just been camping. It'd be nice to go back to some of the old places actually. Aru Village. Gengoro Island. That furnace place–"

"Oh yeah I remember that! That's near Dad's castle!"

"Yeah, and that's where we saw that tall lady and Grandpa."

"We were trying to get the Bansho Fan so Dad could get my dress–"

Chi-Chi and Goku immediately stopped talking. Before they knew it, they were reminiscing over their engagement period, right before they got married.

"Times certainly have changed…" Chi-Chi said after a while, but Goku didn't say anything back. Feeling some of the effects from the now empty bottle of wine, Chi-Chi decided to be bold. "Goku… how come we never went on another adventure?"

Goku sat back a little, surprised at her question. "I don't really know."

"Goku… even when we were married, you were in and out of the house. You went on so many adventures, and you'd always come back home with these amazing stories. Sometimes when you'd tell them, I wished that you brought me along with you."

The Saiyan was now really surprised. "Really? I had no idea you felt that way."

"Well, not like you were around to pick up on that," Chi-Chi grumbled. "Seemed like it wasn't a bother to you that I wasn't there."

"That's not true."

"Whatever," Chi-Chi replied, now more annoyed.

"Chi. You may not believe me, but I missed you every single time I was away. You were always on my mind. Sometimes I'd feel so alone, it would hurt."

"If you felt this way, then why didn't you just bring me around from time to time?"

"Because–"

"Because what?" she exclaimed.

"Because I thought you weren't interested."

"What!?" Chi-Chi was angry. "How can you say–"

"There were places where I definitely couldn't take you. Like Whis' planet. Or Other World for obvious reasons. But a lot of the time when I asked you to come with me to places you could go to, you said no. Whether it was Turtle Island, West City, or even going on a camping trip near the house."

Chi-Chi backtracked. She never thought of it from his point of view.

Her silence gave him the courage to continue talking. Talking about things he didn't even really know until recently. "We had kids. Gohan and Goten were–are a handful. And I'll always be grateful to you Chi-Chi for being there for them when I couldn't. But even when they were younger, you worked so hard for them to be scholars and not a fighter like me. But that's all I am. I never went to school and I can barely even read or do math now…" Goku bowed his head, saying the last part in almost a whisper. "I know now that I'm a useless father too."

"Goku!"

"I know. Gohan already forgave me, but–"

"GOKU!" He looked up to see his mate's horrified face. And that's because she was. "Look at me. You and I may have had our differences. There are mistakes–that both of us had made–that we might not be able to make right again. But don't EVER think that you're a bad father."

Goku shook his head sadly, but that only made Chi-Chi more determined. "Don't do that Goku. Please. You're the best father in the world. Gohan and Goten look up to you. You're their hero. They love you. I love–" Chi-Chi immediately cut herself off. Goku was looking at her with wide eyes, not daring to believe it.

"... I still care about you. A lot," Chi-Chi admitted.

Goku smiled softly at her. "I do too. I'll always care about you."

For the first time in a long time, both Goku and Chi-Chi saw eye-to-eye on something, and it made their perspectives on each other all the more better. For the rest of the night, while they didn't press each other on their marriage, they talked and even laughed as if they weren't just recently separated.

Hours later, Chi-Chi had suggested calling it a night, as she was full and tired from a lovely dinner. Once outside, she felt the chill.

"Well, I'll see you around," Goku said.

"Umm… you know, it's pretty cold outside. If you want… you can stay at the house."

Goku seemed apprehensive, but Chi-Chi continued on. "Not in our room… um, on the couch if that's okay. I'm sorry, I'm just not ready yet."

Goku nodded his head in understanding. "The couch is fine, as long as you're okay with it."

Chi-Chi smiled, wrapping an arm around Goku's for confirmation. He gave her one last smile before he put his fingers to his head, and they both teleported away into the night.