Chapter 13:
"Ughhh….." Chi-Chi groaned as soon as she woke up. Goku hadn't come back since the night they fought, so it made the past few days more difficult and unbearable. Like the previous mornings, she didn't want to get up, but she still had things to do. Life carried on after all, didn't it?
Still, there were menial things she had stopped doing the more days had passed of Goku's absence. For one, she was waking up a bit later than normal. Not too much, maybe about ten or so minutes. But for her, that was saying something. And today, she didn't feel the energy to do her hair, letting it simply hang down after a quick finger comb-through. She instead focused all her energy into putting on an "everything-is-normal" mask for the sake of her son and eventually, she made her way to the kitchen, figuring that Goten would be getting up soon.
She didn't see Goku inside the house, and her heart sank for the upteenth time seeing the couch unoccupied with folded up blankets and a puffed up pillow to confirm it.
Could she really blame him though?
He was the strongest man in the universe, yet whenever she thought back to that night, she knew he had never looked more beaten and vulnerable. It stung even more that she was the one that dealt the blow.
If there was one thing she was able to do in the last few days, something she was more forced to do actually, was really reflect on everything. Not just the last few weeks or even their marriage, but of all the years that she's known Goku. Deep down, Chi-Chi knew her soulmate was a free spirit at heart. It was something that drew her to him in the first place, and she had mistaken his free spirit for a lack of love. She had foolishly let other people's opinions matter more than the one that was most important: Goku's. No matter how much they fought, no matter how many times he left, no matter how much she truly believed that she still deserved to have a husband that was around more… Goku never did hide what meant a lot to him, and it was awful of her to accuse him of not loving his family.
Chi-Chi sighed wistfully as she stirred the pot of soup. She was so lost and confused.
Eventually the food was almost ready, however she realized she forgot to grab some vegetables for the last dish. Making sure everything was turned off, she stepped outside, feeling somewhat comforted by the crisp morning air and the upcoming daylight. She really did intend to go to her garden, but she found herself walking past the patch of land and walking into the woods.
Sunlight streamed through the tall trees, the morning dew covered the greenery, yet Chi-Chi continued to walk aimlessly. Finally, when her own feet couldn't take it anymore, she curled up next to a log and buried her head in her arms. She missed Goku so much.
A twig snapped and she looked up immediately, thinking suddenly a wild animal appeared. But there Goku was, looking at her intensely.
Without hesitating, she jumped to her feet. "Goku!" She was ready to throw her arms around him, but she got something even better. The Saiyan instead rushed to her and enveloped her in a tight embrace before kissing her. The fact that he was the one that initiated it, made it all the more sweeter. He had his hands entwined in her hair and she wrapped his warm body with her own arms, trying to convey the love she had for him as much as possible. This kiss was much more meaningful, and she got the message: he had missed her too.
After a long time, they pulled apart, Chi-Chi having so many things to say. The first of course being an apology. But Goku shook his head and insisted they sit down.
He then proceeded to tell her everything.
How he flew into a rage when Goku Black killed Future Chi-Chi and Future Goten. How he didn't even have a wish for Zalama if he had won the tournament because he felt life with his family was already perfect. How his heart ripped open in two when Buu blew up the Earth after gruesomely killing her too. How the seven years of him being dead was the hardest thing he had to go through.
"I couldn't even check in on you guys," he admitted with sadness. "If I did, I wouldn't be able to handle being away from you all."
He didn't stop there though; he continued on.
How he knew deep down he wasn't going to make it home after the Cell games, and that being with Chi-Chi and Gohan was the only thing he wanted to do during the ten days left before the tournament. How devastated he was when Freiza killed Krillin, and being terrified of not being strong enough to protect the ones he loved, especially her and their son. How he dreamt about her a lot the first time he was on Snake Way. How utterly ashamed he was when Raditz kidnapped their firstborn. How the first couple of years of being a married couple were some of the best of his life.
Goku told her how proud he was of Chi-Chi for being so strong every time he was gone. How grateful he was towards her when she trained their youngest son to keep his legacy alive. How she was so pretty when he came back for one day; and that not for the first time when he's with her, her presence made him speechless. How much he appreciates her patience with him and he doesn't know what he'd do without her.
Above all, "I'm sorry that I hurt you, Chi-Chi. I'm sorry that my fighting got in the way of us. The thing is though, I'm still a fighter. I always will be. I love to fight—to get stronger. Not just to protect you, but because I want to push past my limits. I know I can. And I realized that maybe I was leading you on this whole time. I don't need to get stronger; I'm the one that wants to get stronger. It's in my blood and it's something I can never stop doing. But… no matter what happens, I love you Chi-Chi. You and our sons are the most important people to me. The most important of all. Please don't ever doubt it."
With tears in her eyes, Chi-Chi hugged him. "Oh Goku…" And she did. She promised to never doubt him again. "Thank you… I needed to hear that," she said after a while. But it was her turn now. "I'm sorry, I really am. I was just so tired of being alone, and instead of talking to you and telling you what was on my mind, I just blamed you and made a mess of things. I forgot how much we mean to you, and I understand now that's the worst thing I've done. Can you forgive me for that?" Goku smiled gently, nodding his head.
"I love you Goku. I truly do. You're the one I want to spend the rest of my life with. The last few days, I've really come to realize again that while we may have had our bad moments, we have a hundred times more great ones. I love you for who you are. I loved you when you were the boy riding on a cloud. I loved you the day you made my dream come true of being your wife. I loved you when you held me as I gave birth to Gohan. I loved you when you died protecting me and our family. And after being with you for so long, I love you just as much, if not more. You do come and go Goku, but now I understand your feelings for me were always there. Your heart's always been in the right place.
"And you're right, you are a fighter. The best I've ever seen. Even now after all these years, I'm so amazed at all the things you can do and I'm so proud of everything that you've accomplished. I don't want you to change. But… I still have to be honest. The fighting did get in the way of us. STILL is in the way a little bit. I do feel alone sometimes, and I wish you were around more often but not in the way that keeps you from being who you are. So I was thinking just now… Goku, do you know what an 'anniversary' is?"
He shook his head, hearing this word for the first time.
"An 'anniversary' is a day that celebrates something special."
"Like a birthday."
"Exactly. Except, we won't celebrate someone's birth. For us, we'd celebrate the day we got married. You probably don't remember our wedding day, but—"
"April 29."
"What?"
"April 29," he said simply. "That's when we got married. It was a Friday. And you looked beautiful that day."
Chi-Chi stared openly in shock, but it was gradually replaced with a warm smile. "You're right, Goku. It was April 29. And you looked very handsome too," She reminisced then, Goku in his white suit, smiling at her. "So what I'd like to ask… could you be home every year on that day? To celebrate us?"
Goku was quiet, so much that Chi-Chi started to get nervous. Maybe it was too much to ask for?
Then, very lovingly, he took her hand in one and used his other to touch her face softly. "Chi, you've always been so good to me. Thank you, for everything you do… it's just, what you're asking for isn't reasonable."
"Oh…"
"It's because you deserve more than that. Chi, I can't guarantee it, but I promise you, I can try and come home every 29th instead of just that one day a year."
"REALLY!?" Chi-Chi said, her smile breaking through as much as the sunlight above them.
"Yeah. I love you," Goku said.
"Oh Goku!" The Saiyan laughed as he caught his mate in his arms when she tackled him to the ground in a fierce hug. This may be an unconventional love, but it's ours, Chi-Chi thought to herself. At last, both of them were so happy to finally come together, bringing their lips together in a passionate kiss to prove it. Chi-Chi reveled in his touch, while Goku took the time to inhale her scent. It smelled like home. They kept embracing, not thinking that anything could ruin the moment.
gggRRROOOWWWLLL*
Well…
Goku laughed sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. "Uh, sorry about that. I haven't had breakfast yet."
"Me too. Let's go back and eat. Plus, Goten—uh-oh." Chi-Chi said, her cheerful face falling flat.
"What… What's wrong!?"
—
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
Goku fell to his knees in despair, slamming his fist on the ground for good measure.
Before him, looking rather comatose and pleased with himself, was Goten lying down on the floor with his pants stretched out around his belly and using a fish bone to pick the meat out of his teeth. Right next to him, was the kitchen table scattered atop with empty plates and traces of what should've been enough to feed a small village. Not even a crumb was left for the elder Saiyan man. Goten's eyes widened, hearing his parents come in through the door and more so seeing his dad so distraught.
"Uh… um… s-sorry Daddy… I was just so hungry!" Goten said with reddened cheeks.
Seeing her Goku weep on the floor, her child caught red-handed, and taking in the sheer ridiculousness of it all.. she cracked. She burst into laughter, clutching onto her stomach. She fell to the floor, hanging onto the Saiyan who was still crying anime-style tears from all the eaten food and asking Kami what could he have possibly done to deserve such fate.
Don't worry Goku, Chi-Chi thought through her laughter, I'll be here to take care of you. Always.