Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ What A Trip! ❯ Strangers ( Chapter 4 )

Disclaimer is still the same. I own nothing.

"You guys will have to check in with us everyday, so that your fathers don't worry about you," Trunks said.

"Why should we check in with you guys? Why can't you check in with us?" Pan asked innocently.

"Don't start that, Pan," Gohan warned softly.

"I thought mom said that we all had to check in with her, everyday. Besides, we're all rivals now," Bra'e said with determination.

"That's right! How do we know that you aren't checking up on where we are so that you can find a way to get ahead of us? You all could be cheating and we would never know," Alumerzo said suspiciously, as she narrowed her eyes at the screen.

"Actually what I was implying was that checking in with our opponents would only serve to give everyone a lot of extra information. We can just call mom and she can dish out updates. Plus you all will get to see our video feeds from wherever we end up when we start reaching these planets. It's really just going to be a huge and unnecessary hassle. So why don't we just ask mom how everyone's doing instead?" Bra'e asked.

Trunks turned to the men behind him and smiled a bit sheepishly.

"Is that okay with you?" he asked.

Tien and Krillin looked as if they were about to strangle them, but they nodded slowly. Trunks turned back to the screen.

"Sure. Is there anything else?" he asked.

"Nope. We're all fine. Uub is safe until morning at least. Alumerzo may have abandoned her promise by then. And we've got everything that we need. Are you guys okay?" she asked.

"As if we need anything from the lot of you," Base said snidely.

"Well then, if that's all, we need to finish what we started. Bye everybody! My turn!" Bra'e screamed as she leapt up from the table and ran off to the other side of the control room.

"Bye," Uub said as he followed her.

"Don't want to miss this. Later you guys," Marron said as she too left.

"I get the next one! Bye-bye!" Pan said waving.

"There going to start fighting again. I hate violence, but its interesting to watch them. Uub is a very powerful warrior. He beat me, Marron, and Pan with very little difficulty. Maybe Bra'e-chan will be able to give him a challenge. Oh well, I'd better be there in case anyone gets hurt. Goodnight. I love you daddy," Alumerzo said chipper.

"Ditto, munchkin," Tien said gruffly.

"Bye-bye."

With that, the transmission ended and Trunks rose to find something to do. Goten caught him by the arm and spoke quietly.

"He's beaten every one of them, except Bra'e?" he asked.

"That's what they said. It's nothing to worry about. Come on. We've known Uub for years. He wouldn't do anything to really hurt one of them. Relax and have some kind of faith in the guy. I'm not worried, and he's sleeping with my little sister tonight."

"I guess you're right. Let's go spar," Goten said lightly.

He seemed to be back to normal. Everyone else did too. Maybe now everything could get on track. As he went into one of the gravity rooms with his friend, he heard a fax coming in.

"Base, check that out will you?" he called.

Base went over to the communication center and drew out the paper.

"What does it say?" Goku asked.

"It says that our first planet will be in sight in a few days. And to get ready."

"Well, that's descriptive," Krillin said huffily.

"That's Bulma-san for you," Gohan said.

The group then dispersed around the ship, finding various ways to pass the time. Goku was about to start a little fight with Vejita but was entranced by the view outside. Space had always amazed him and made him realize just how simple it all was. In the greatest scheme of things, he and his friends had only mattered a handful of times. The universe didn't need some great hero or protector. It could be destroyed, but did it really only have one form? Surely, the universe had to have had a time when no one was there to protect it. And it surely died once or twice before. But it had come back and was still beautiful, still majestic, still alive. All those stars were so pretty! And all those planets, with all those different people. Goku sighed as he gazed. Everything was perfect right out here. He was thankful. Thankful for a lot of things. Chi-chi was the light of his life and he would never deny it. He owed her a lot when he got home and he was going to pay her back for years of thoughtlessness. It was high time he stopped running from the fact that he was married to a stranger. Sure, the chi-chi of his youth was no stranger to him. He knew her as well if not better than he knew himself. But they were both adults now and he didn't know the grown up chi-chi that well at all. It bothered him. He had two children with her and yet he couldn't say that he knew that much about her. She loved him and their two sons with all of her heart. Her favorite scent and flower was jasmine, her favorite color was yellow… He knew a few things but he wanted to be able to talk to her the way he knew Vejita talked with Bulma. The way Gohan and Videl must've spoken. Krillin and 18, Tien and Lunch… He was certain that he was the only one that simply lived with his own wife and barely knew her. And if not, then the others hid it very well. Was it at all difficult to speak to you wife about anything. As far as he could remember, they had only a few real conversations. When he lay in bed, struggling against his heart disease and she had come to him thinking him delirious from the pain.

Goku-sa? I don't want to put anymore stress or strain on you, but I have no one else that I can talk to…

Oh, yes. He was far from out of it then.

The last person that she could talk to? I'm the last resort? Oh, Chi-chi, when did it come to this?

I'm scared, Goku. I'm really scared. I could lose you again. You just came back only a couple of years ago and now I may have to lose you again? It's not fair! I'm almost glad that you're sick. If you're sick, then you can't fight and you'll be safe here, with me. I know that you want to go out and be the hero and save your friends and the world, but… Don't leave me again! Don't leave me alone to try and explain to your son that you're staying gone or dead on purpose. Gohan is growing up so fast. Don't miss all of it. Please. After this is all over, if we all live or if we can all be wished back, end it. No more fighting, no more adventures. I said goodbye to my adventures when I put on my wedding ring and gave you all myself. I didn't want anything to happen to me, because then I would have to separate from you. And I don't want to do that, Goku. I don't ever want to leave your side. And I don't want you to leave mine either!

Don't worry. I won't. I'll never leave your side for longer than I have to again, Chi-chi. I'm sorry. I just want to make sure that everything is okay. I want you to have a peaceful life, with our children. I fight to keep you safe. Every time that I fight, all I see is you. Every time I leave you, I come back stronger to protect you. You mean the most to me. No one else is more important. No one…

She cried then. And he truly knew what it must've looked like, must've meant whenever he left. Like he abandoned her and left her alone to do for herself. It was exactly what he did. And there wasn't a minute that he didn't miss her. As if half of his soul was gone and striving to return to him.

"Kakarot, are you coming or not?" Vejita asked in an irritated manner.

Goku plastered his patent grin on before facing his longtime rival and friend. No need to ask where he was expected to go. He was feeling like a good spar right about then anyway.