-3-

The moment he got close, the dragon seemed to have sensed him as it turned towards the direction he was coming from before roaring and lunging at him. It was a good thing that Flying Nimbus was a little bit faster than the blue beast. Whenever the dragon tried to catch Goku in it's mouth, the yellow cloud was a breath's faster of getting him away from it.

Which was a little annoying because he just wanted to get close to the window and save the princess already. He already promised the Ox King that he would get her first before fighting the dragon. He wasn't going to back out from that promise. After all, he always always kept his word.

He just needed to get past this dragon first.

"Ah!" he exclaimed as he noticed a small opening under the dragon's body near the tower. "There Flying Nimbus. I'm sure that would let us sneak past the dragon!" Flying Nimbus wasted no time in following his orders and immediately flew towards that barely noticeable space between the dragon and the tower. He slipped under it easily shot up towards the window. He seemed to have miscalculated the dragon's senses because it easily spotted him and was on his tail.

It was a good thing he was close to the window.

When he was only a few feet away from the only entrance accessible to the tower, he leaped towards it, letting the dragon chase after Flying Nimbus.

He rolled on the floor as he landed, and immediately stood up to dust his pants before going to the window to look for Flying Nimbus.

"I do hope Flying Nimbus manages to escape the dragon," he said to himself. Scratching his head, he slowly turned around and said, "Now, where's that prince-"

Before he could finish turning around, he felt something smack the back of his head really hard. If he wasn't that strong, he would have probably passed out.

"W-who are you?" He heard someone asked. Nursing his head, Goku turned towards the direction where he heard it and was greeted with the weirdest thing he'd ever seen. "Why are you here?"

And possibly the prettiest girl he'd ever laid eyes on.

"D-did you hear me?" she asked, her black eyes narrowed in slits as she clutched the dark frying pan tightly between her hands. There was a yellow chicken huddled behind the skirts of her dress, its eyes also in slits. Her dark hair fell behind her like a waterfall, and honestly Goku didn't know what he was supposed to do when he suddenly began to feel warm all over.

"D-don't make hurt you again!" She threatened, thrusting the pan close towards him.

Wait, she used the pan to hit him?

"Did you use that to hit me?" he asked out loud as he pointed at the utensil in her hand.

The girl brought the pan back close to her. The chicken suddenly began to vigorously flap its wings to hover right by her.

Huh, the chicken could actually fly.

"Yeah," she answered cautiously. "What of it?"

"Man, that pan must be made of some kind of magical thing. That hurt," he snickered as he rubbed the spot on his head that was hit.

The girl, who was caught a little off guard by his easy going attitude, lowered her arms a little, but it didn't last long before she glared at him once more. The chicken giving the same expression as her.

"Anyway," Goku said, shaking his head. "Are you Chichi?"

"Yeah…" she answered again in the same tone, "Why does it matter?" She tightened her grip on the handle of the frying once more, ready to strike if he even do one wrong move.

"Oh good," he exclaimed brightly. Chichi narrowed her eyes. What did he mean this was good? If it's her case, this wasn't in any way "good" at all.

"Your dad wanted me to save you," he told her calmly, a easy-going grin on his face.

Wait, what?

"W-wha?" she said with wide eyes in surprise, her grip on the pan loosening as she lowered the pan slowly. Even the chick seemed to be caught off guard by his statement.

"Yeah," Goku nodded before scratching the back of his head with a confused look. "Said I have ta save you before I get to fight the dragon."

Save her? Did that mean that Pa didn't give up on her? That all of the times she was peering out of the window, hoping to all the gods that her father and their people still believed that she was alive, that all those times, her faith in them wasn't wasted at all?

"Your old man also wanted to 'offer your hand to me in marriage,' whatever that is," he added, puzzled as he scratched the back of his head.

… What?

"M-marriage?" Chichi spluttered, taking a step back while Peepo seemed to have froze midair in shock right behind her. "T-to you?"

"Yeah," Goku nodded in confirmation. He moved his hand away from his head to put it on his hip. "Apparently he's been doing that to all the people who wanted to save you?"

W-was he joking? Offering her hand to anyone?

"Y-you're not serious are you?" Chichi asked shakily. "Pa wouldn't just offer me l-like that?" Like she's some kind of prize, right?

Goku shook his head, "He said whoever saves you or something deserves your hand in marriage." He proceeded to scratch behind his head again, something Chichi couldn't place as endearing or annoying.

But the nerve of her father, actually offering her hand to people she didn't even know!

Chichi narrowed her eyes towards this… man and tightened her grip on her frying pan.

Even to him…

"Anyway, come on," Goku put his hand on his hips. "The faster I get you out of this place, the faster I get to fight that dragon."

Wait what?

"Fight the dragon?" Chichi repeated with wide eyes, her grip turning slack. "You want to fight that-that thing?"

"Yeah!" Goku answered excitedly as he rubbed his nose with an easy-going grin.

"Are you insane?" Chichi screeched, stomping her way towards him as she pushed her face closer to his. Goku suddenly took a step back as he felt his body suddenly warm up while his heart seemed to began to speed up"That thing's a monster. I've been stuck in this forsaken tower for three years. I know what it could do! You wouldn't even be able to touch it, much less beat it."

Goku shrugged as he laughed lazily. "You never know," he said. "There's always a first time for everything."

Chichi narrowed her eyes once more. This guy has too much confidence.

"And who do you think you are to believe that you could beat that dragon, huh?" she asked hotly as she decided to poke his chest.

Wow, hard couldn't even to describe those muscles. Holy shit.

Suddenly, a hand gently wrapped around her wrist. Chichi blinked her eyes in surprise and gingerly looked up just to see a smile she didn't know she's been looking for all her life.

"I'm Son Goku, and I'm going to be the one to save you!"