Son Family Fic Week

Prompt: Forgive

A/N: This prompt could have gone so many ways. I didn't want to make it too similar to anything I've done before. So I did something different! Although I have to admit I don't like writing out scenes that pretty much happen in series, I felt like I could get a way with this because I really wanted to get into Chi-Chi's head here. Also, I felt like it was a good start to my week of Son Family / GoChi fics – even if I'm starting out later than I wanted. ((::cries because I missed GoChi day::))

ALSO - The High School fic will be updated as soon as possible I SWEAR. I HAVE to make it perfect so I'm being extra, extra careful with it. I HATE making you wait, but this one NEEDS to be handled with care. So PLEASE bear with me as I strive to make it as PERFECT as I can.

~!~

Entering the World Martial Arts Tournament seemed like the best way to find him. She wasn't even mad that he hadn't come for her yet. They never had set a date – just a vague promise that one day he would return and make her his bride. Well, she'd gotten tired of waiting.

Looking around the contestants as they prepared for the preliminary matches, Chi-Chi searched with hopeful eyes. He couldn't have changed too much over the years. His hair should be easy to pick out in a crowd if nothing else. Oh, but there were so many people here.

So many people already staring at her. Probably wondering what a girl was doing here at a martial arts tournament. Well, martial arts wasn't just for the boys. She had her own strength and training to help push her through the ranks. Hopefully. She did want to impress him with her fighting skill, since he seemed to love it so much.

Finally – finally – she spotted him among all the contestants. Hanging around all his friends with their turtle school gi. Oh, but he certainly had gotten taller. Of course she had, too. She smiled as she stepped up and tapped his shoulder. Other than shooting up in height and lacking the monkey tail, he really hadn't changed all that much. His hair was still a wild, erratic mess, and his eyes still holding that same boyish curiosity as they looked to her.

She tried not to giggle as his eyes looked her over. "Hi, Goku."

"Uh," he blinked, a finger to his chin. "Do I know you?"

In one moment, her perfect world shattered into pieces. He didn't recognize her. He'd forgotten. So, the reason he hadn't come for her wasn't an innocent mistake after all. He wasn't waiting too long. He'd simply forgotten all about her.

Shock quickly melted away to the fires of anger as she glared at him. "You – you fool!"

Goku dropped to the floor as her shout echoed around the building. His eyes were wide, his hand up by his face, as he now looked up to her from where he'd fallen. "Was it something I said?"

He forgot. He forgot. He forgot.

Feeling her chest tighten with a multitude of emotions, Chi-Chi turned away without explanation. He didn't need an explanation. She wouldn't bother to give one. If he'd forgotten, what did it matter anyway? Tears, hot tears, threatened to fall, but she kept them at bay as she stomped away from him. How dare he...

How dare he forget his promise.

How long had she waited for him? How many days had she spent staring up at the clouds, wondering when he'd return, riding in on that strange yellow cloud of his. Sometimes she'd see a sparkle of sunshine reflecting in the sky and mistake it for him. So many years...

..wasted.

She wanted to be angry. Anger was easier. Feeling the heat and turning the bitterness on him. It was so much easier. How could he?

She also wanted to cry. The tears pricked at the edges of her eyes, her arm lifting to wipe them clear as soon as she was far enough away. She told herself she didn't need to cry. She was stronger than that.

Sparing a glance over her shoulder, Chi-Chi froze in place when she saw him staring after her. Breath caught in her throat, she watched as he got to his feet, leaning slightly in her direction as if he wanted to chase after her. For a moment in time, their gazes locked. She felt everything else fall away from her as he swept her away all over again. That look in his eyes. So confused and yet...

And yet...

When Goku turned away, distracted by his friends once more, Chi-Chi lingered for a few seconds longer before letting the heated anger flood her again. He'd forgotten. How could he? He'd made a promise and then never fulfilled it. But that didn't hurt as much as the knowledge that he had completely forgotten her. She'd been pining after him for so long and looking forward to meeting him again, only to have all her hopes and dreams dashed with one question.

Hopes dashed and thrown into a well of bitterness.

Taking that heated anger, she cradled it inside like a child, and set out on a new goal. Instead of impressing him, she would beat him at his own game. She'd climb the ranks and throw him from his precious tournament. Dash his hopes and dreams the way he had dashed hers.

As the tournament progressed through the preliminaries, Chi-Chi put all her focus into fighting and winning each battle. She crossed the stage and soon made a name for herself with how fast she could toss opponents to the side. Underestimated at first, she proved herself to be a strong-willed and tough woman to beat. Victory after victory fell at her feet, and eventually...eventually the time came to face off against the one she had come to meet in the first place.

Goku stretched on the tournament stage, showing his excitement for his upcoming fight, and then he turned to her, offering that smile and a small little wave of a greeting. That smile. Of course he would still be smiling. Of course it would still make her weak in the knees, even moreso now than their childhood. Because he had grown up and he looked so handsome. And yet...

He obviously thought nothing of her. He felt nothing toward her. He'd forgotten...

Her ire returned as she narrowed her eyes and glared at him. His smile dropped. She huffed. Good.

They walked out on the stage, setting their positions at a proper distance. He was staring at her. She was glaring at him. Seeing him look so confused, not even knowing what he had done, made her want to lash out right now. The drums built a rhythm, steadily getting louder and faster, until finally the time came to start the fight.

With the announcement made to begin, Chi-Chi sprang into action. Goku dodged away from her, avoiding every attack as he questioned why she was so angry with him. It only fueled her on harder. Using moves that had knocked out ordinary men in the preliminaries, she scowled and snapped her frustration as he kept blocking or stepping away like it was easy.

He never once attacked her. Across the stage, up in the air, around and back down, he only blocked and avoided every move she could throw at him. Returning to their positions on the stage similar to where they had begun, Chi-Chi set a stance again and clenched her teeth, waiting to see if he would at least make one attack against her. As they stared at each other again, Goku begged her to explain. He really had no clue why she was so upset.

"You said that I would be your bride," she snapped. "You promised to marry me!"

His confused face at her explanation didn't help at all. He even had to turn to his friends and ask what a bride was in the first place. As the conversation continued, he turned wide eyes to her, asking how he was supposed to marry someone he didn't even know. Her heart skipped a beat.

Forgotten...

Refusing to be upset, Chi-Chi instead let the heated frustration fill her again. It pooled in her stomach, and she smirked as she told him that he'd have to beat her if he wanted to know her name. If he couldn't remember, there was no reason to just give it to him. He should figure it out for himself. Or never know at all.

With such an agreement made, Goku smiled – that smile again – only to grow serious as he fell into a stance of his own. So. He was finally going to attack, was he? His arm punched the air – and then she was flying backwards. She hit something hard and saw only darkness.

When she came to, he was hovering at the edge of the tournament stage, apologizing for knocking her out. Oh, but now she had a terrible headache on top of all the heartache. But he sounded worried and a little upset for hurting her, though he did say it would pass in time. Maybe that was why she couldn't help but smile at him a little as she climbed back up to the stage, rubbing her head as he backed off and stared at her.

"I won," he said after a while. "Will you tell me your name now?"

She sighed. "You're impossible. I'm the Ox-King's daughter: Chi-Chi."

His eyes widened immediately. "You're – you're Chi-Chi?"

The look that crossed his eyes gave her hope again. All at once, he seemed to cross through several emotions, as if he couldn't decide what he should be feeling. But one of them definitely fit into the image she'd wanted to see from him when they met up at the start of the tournament. He was stunned, and now he couldn't seem to stop staring at her, for whatever reason. But that look...

"I remember now!" He exclaimed, eyes wide as he leaned over slightly. "It was back – back when we were children that I told you I wanted a bride."

"I remember," she said. "I was there."

"But I -" he sighed and pulled back. "I don't think you understand. I thought a bride meant something to eat."

"S-something to eat?" She repeated the words and felt her heart sink; so that was why he didn't remember; he hadn't ever meant to return to her and marry her one day; it was all... "So the promise you made was a mistake?"

How could she be mad at him? He hadn't known. He really hadn't meant to...Oh, it was like some bad dream. Having hopes dashed for an entirely different reason. All those years wasted, thinking he loved her the same way she loved him, and yet...it wasn't true at all. The anger fell, and the tears threatened to appear again. Holding them back this time was going to take work, even if it was out in front of so many people. Her heart had never felt so -

"Sometimes my brain doesn't know what my mouth is saying," Goku said, breaking her from her thoughts as he walked up closer to stand in front of her. "Good thing my heart does. Will you marry me?"

At first, she stared, unable to believe he'd actually said those words. But the words rang in her mind and her smile couldn't be held back forever. The anger at being forgotten, the hurt at realizing she'd fallen for a misunderstanding, it all disappeared. She really couldn't be mad at him. Not with his eyes begging her to accept the proposal. Not with his presence so close, trying his best to appease her.

Anger was easy.

Forgiveness was easier.

At least this time.

All the frustration melted away as he made good on his word anyway. Maybe she had impressed him after all. He wouldn't go through with it if he didn't feel something for her, right? What was all that talk of his brain versus his heart? Was he trying to say his heart felt something for her, even if his brain couldn't understand what the feelings meant?

Whatever he meant, she couldn't help but smile and nod. "Yes."

The announcer said something on his microphone, the crowd cheered, but Chi-Chi felt her word drop to just the two of him. Just her and Goku. His eyes looking so confused when she grabbed his arm. His words sounding slightly annoyed as she rubbed her face against him. He didn't understand yet. But he would. She could hear it in his voice, see it in his eyes, whether he knew it was there or not.

Years left alone to wait for him, building a need for him, suffering through the upset of learning he hadn't remembered her, or wanted her the way he'd said. He'd put her through so much in such a short amount of time, and yet...

The forgiveness was easy. Having him next to her. Imagining what their life could be like together. She was giddy with excitement!

How did he do that? How did he make her so mad one second and so happy the next? It was so dizzying. She could hardly keep up. Hopefully, he wouldn't do that to her in the future. Hopefully now they could settle down and build an easy life together...

Hopefully, in the future, she wouldn't have to learn how to forgive all over again.