Well, what do ya know? Another chapter! All fall out, of course, but what
the hey!
This chapter will be Lemon-Scented! Turn back now if you don't like that stuff! (Though this is tamer than the uncut chapter).
As always, big thanks to Holly O. for her great beta-ing! **************************************************************************** ** Battle of the Heart by NansJns
Ch.10
Goku took a minute and buried the bone fragment and piece of cloth in a shallow grave there in the woods, even though part of him felt like it was more respect than Davin deserved. Chi-Chi did her utmost not to look at the pitiful remains, mostly because they reminded her of the horrid skeleton arm that had grabbed her. Once that task was completed, they went to get washed off. The river was wide, but shallow, only coming up to mid- calf on Chi-Chi. The water felt bracingly cool and clean. Goku couldn't wait to start washing the dirt off his hands, along with the blood and dust off his arms and chest. Neither he nor Chi-Chi had bothered to remove the rags they still wore, since they had nothing to change into and Goku could easily dry off both of them with a quick flare of his ki. More importantly, if they were completely naked, Goku would definitely lose the fight with his desires and make love to Chi-Chi right there in the middle of the river. Chi-Chi began splashing water across her own body, letting out a small sigh of relief.
"You're not all that dirty, Chi-Chi," Goku observed innocently.
"I know it doesn't really look like I am," Chi-Chi answered. "But I'm actually covered in dried Oozaru saliva. It feels good to rinse that stuff off."
"Oozaru saliva?" Goku blinked. Foggy half-memories of being an Oozaru floated back to him, and he mentally snatched at them to find an answer. "Oh, wait, yeah. . .um, I. . .I think I remember. . .licking you?"
"Yes, you did," Chi-Chi nodded, smiling a little at the memory. "You knew who I was, even though you weren't really you at the time! Despite your slobbering all over me, it was rather. . .touching, and comforting." Goku smiled at her lightly.
"Would you mind helping me with my back?" he asked, and Chi-Chi waded up to him.
"Of course not," she replied, gently tearing a little more cloth off her already torn skirt and dipping it in the river. With the cloth full of cold water, she wiped it across his back, washing away the remaining blood. She also rubbed it across the backs of his arms, just to enjoy touching him more. She sighed softly in admiration, as the late afternoon sun caught the water's surface and made the skin on his muscular back shine, making him look like a Greek god. But she also noticed that his ribs were sticking out, far more pronounced than usual. He looked as though he had lost a marked amount of weight, and he'd had no extra weight to lose. Chi- Chi remembered what Kakkarot had told her, about how Saiyans were more prone to starvation than humans, and felt a sting of guilt. She again promised herself that she'd make him a good meal when they got home, and then felt herself getting lost in the beauty of his body again. She ran her fingers across his smooth skin, from his shoulder blades down to the base of his tail. His tail was swaying, and she heard him purr with pleasure at her touch. His tail suddenly swung up and stroked her inner thigh, giving her a delightfully ticklish, erotic feeling. She sucked in a breath and moved back around him.
"Finished. Your back's clean," she said gently, looking up to see Goku's eyes on her body, and not her face.
"Thank you," he said distractedly, while hungrily eyeing her. Chi- Chi felt a sudden rush of playfulness as she watched him study her.
"You know, I wonder sometimes what our friends would think if they knew what you were _really_ like. They all think you're so pure!" Chi-Chi teased, giggling as she stepped away from him.
"I _am_ pure!" Goku protested, chuckling in response, as his eyes darted up to her laughing face.
"Sure, until you see a little thigh," Chi-Chi giggled harder, lifting what little remained of her skirt to completely expose one well-muscled thigh. "Or some breast," she added, tugging lightly on the tear in her dress's bodice. "Then you turn into a regular sex fiend!" She was laughing so hard now she was having trouble breathing. She was absolutely giddy with her freedom and being back with her Goku.
"Don't tease me, Chi-Chi; I'm having enough control problems as it is!" Goku answered with another low chuckle of his own, as he pulled her into his arms. He gave her a quick kiss, followed by a longer, deeper one. His inner Saiyan nature began to rage with need again and his hands responded by gently wandering and caressing her body. Chi-Chi let out a small hum of pleasure and Goku's questing mouth moved to taste her neck, then her shoulder. His tail wrapped around her waist and pulled her even closer, the soft fur tickling her exposed skin. His mouth dropped lower still to kiss the round top of her mostly-exposed breast. Chi-Chi's breathing deepened and she wrapped her arms around his head to hold him there as his lips and tongue teased her flesh. The last of his control was sliding away as he pressed his body hard against hers; he grabbed the torn top with the intention of tearing it the rest of the way off to have free access to her chest, when a feeling of approaching ki brushed against the edge of his mind. It quickly grew stronger, causing Goku to moan in frustration as he pulled away from Chi-Chi.
"W-what? What is it?" she asked breathlessly, disappointed he'd stopped.
"Company," Goku said simply and sighed, forcing his aroused body to calm itself down.
"What?!" Chi-Chi jumped, looking around, and then spotted two bright twinkles in the sky.
"It's okay, it's our sons!" Goku answered, still concentrating on bringing his body back down from the sexual high it had been fast approaching a few moments ago. In spite of his more-than-slight frustration, Goku began to smile. Inasmuch as he wanted to make love to his wife at that very moment, he did want to see his sons again.
"It is?!" Chi-Chi turned fully to face the direction of the rapidly nearly kis, smiling brightly in anticipation. She was of one mind with Goku on this; she wanted him, but she, too, was eager to see her babies again. A few seconds later, she could see their distinctive outlines clearly against the background of the sky. The two boys soon landed with a splash in the river near their parents. For a moment, Gohan and Goten just stared at their mother and father, as though not fully believing it was really them, back and safe, but then the two boys rushed forward, their ebony eyes bright with tears of relief.
"Mom! Dad!" Gohan cried as he ran up to them.
"Momma! Daddy!" Goten was almost sobbing as he ran with his brother. Goten leapt into his delighted mother's arms at the same time as Gohan ran up to his father, who pulled his eldest son into a quick bear hug.
"Where have you been?! What happened?! Where's Davin?!" Gohan asked quickly, after he and Goten switched parents, giving and getting more hugs. "Oh, Mom! We were so worried about you!"
"What happened to your clothes?" Goten added, looking in puzzlement at what little his parents were wearing. Goku and Chi-Chi launched into a summary of everything that had happened, and the boys listened raptly. Midway through the story, however, Gohan happened to glance downwards and saw his father's tail.
"Dad! Y-your tail! How did you get it back?!" A surprised Gohan almost jumped out of the water at the discovery. Then he asked in a quieter voice, "And those aren't your pants, are they, Dad?"
"I'm getting to that, Gohan! Have patience!" Goku said with a grin.
"Wow, wait 'til Trunks and Mr. Vegeta see!" Goten wondered aloud. His youngest son's innocently spoken words made Goku's train of thought stop dead in its tracks. Up to this point, he hadn't given a second thought to what Vegeta's reaction to his restored tail might be. Goku had little doubt it wouldn't be a happy one, especially once Vegeta found out his own Saiyan tail couldn't be returned, even at the cost of Bulma's mark (that is, if she _had_ marked him; Goku figured she had, but it was none of his business so he'd never asked). The healing spell was forever lost, never to be used again. Even if it hadn't been destroyed, anything from that vile book was far too dangerous and too uncontrollable to use.
"Um. . .maybe it would be best if Vegeta didn't know yet. . .or anyone else, for that matter," Goku answered carefully, as his mind also recalled his friends' past reactions to his tail.
"Goku. . .?" Catching his fretful musings, Chi-Chi touched his arm gently.
"I just got it back, I don't want to lose it again! I'll be careful; all I've got to do is stay indoors during full moons, and I'll be fine! Besides, we already know you can control me when I'm an Oozaru," Goku added quickly and, after a brief moment, Chi-Chi nodded in agreement.
"All right. Boys, we aren't going to tell anyone yet that your father has his tail back. For right now, it's a family secret, okay?" Chi- Chi turned to their sons, who nodded in understanding. ((I can't ask him to just cut off a body part; that's unreasonable. He now knows the dangers if he keeps it intact, and how to handle them. It'll be okay!)) Chi-Chi assured herself.
"Well, you'd better think of a way to hide it real quick, Daddy, 'cause everybody's coming right now!" Goten observed, as several twinkles of ki appeared in the sky.
"Yeah, I know," Goku answered, feeling a little panicky. For a moment, he thought he might just hide his tail down one pant leg, until he remembered his pants were so torn up they just barely covered his manhood (and even if they weren't, they would've been too small to really hide the long tail). He had no time find a way to hide it properly, so he just laid it out of sight, firmly fitted against the back of one leg. ((So long as none of them see me from behind, it'll be okay. . .)) he reasoned. A moment later, Piccolo, Vegeta, Bulma, and Trunks arrived, landing in front of them on the river's bank. A minute or so after that, Krillin, 18, Yamcha, Tien, and Chiao-Tzu landed on the shore as well.
"Goku! Chi-Chi! You're back! You're okay! What happened?!" they all said quickly, and Goku and Chi-Chi started telling their story over from the beginning. Deliberately omitting the part about Davin casting the healing spell on Goku, they told their friends everything that had happened. Chi-Chi shyly tried to tug what remained of her skirt down further to better cover her thighs and, at the same time, tried to pull her top up more to cover her half-exposed breast. Being mostly naked in front of Goku or her sons was one thing, but in front of their various male friends was another.
"A magically created tornado, huh? That explains that weird feeling that was overlapping your ki when we first sensed you," Krillin observed.
"It also explains the feeling of pure chaos that Dende had," Piccolo agreed. "Are you absolutely certain that book has been completely destroyed?"
"The pages were torn to shreds, and the cover burned to ash. Yes, it's destroyed," Goku answered with confidence.
"That's a relief," Gohan muttered under his breath. He hadn't liked the idea of being obligated to safeguard that evil book for most of his life.
"Oh, Chi-Chi, it's so good to have you back! Everyone was so worried! You should have seen how crazy Goku was behaving!" Bulma said, giving her friend a quick hug around her shoulders.
"He told me about it! And it's good to be home!" Chi-Chi emphatically replied, smiling and returning the hug.
"I just knew when he disappeared it meant he'd found someone who could take him to you!" Bulma said with a smile. She would never say so, except to Vegeta, but she was extremely grateful and relieved that she'd been right about that, for part of her had been deathly afraid she'd been wrong.
"Kakkarot, are you certain Davin is dead?" Vegeta inquired, not paying much attention to the women's conversation. "You don't want him popping back up to try this nonsense again."
"No worries there. Trust me, he's dead. Just as painfully as he deserved, too! His own perverted magic saw to that. And even if, by some miracle, he is alive, the "Ahdicionious" was the source of his power, and it's gone now. Without it, he couldn't do anything," Goku said bluntly. His sons and friends, except for Vegeta, were more than a bit surprised at Goku's harsh statement of Davin deserving to die painfully. He'd never said anything like it before about _anyone_. Such a declaration seemed unlike him, even under the circumstances. Vegeta alone understood that it was Kakkarot's true Saiyan nature speaking. To Saiyans, who mate for life, any man who'd try to steal another man's mate deserved as painful a death as could be doled out to him.
"If it's all right with all of you, we'd kind of like to go home now," Chi-Chi suddenly said, leaning against Goku to show how tired she was. The adrenaline boost she'd been experiencing from having her life threatened earlier was finally wearing off, and she now found she was pretty spent.
"Of course! You guys must be exhausted!" said 18, offering an understanding smile and nod. "And the both of you could stand to get some new clothes."
"That's for sure," Yamcha gave a half chuckle. He found himself looking at Chi-Chi and thinking that he'd never realized before what a nice figure she had; she always covered herself up so thoroughly it was hard to see. The closest he'd ever seen her to naked was when they'd first met, and she was a little kid then, so he hadn't really paid much attention. Then his eyes locked with Goku's, who had noticed his gaze lingering a little overly long on Chi-Chi. Goku flashed him a dark warning look as he gathered Chi-Chi up into his arms to make ready to fly for home. A shocked Yamcha pulled back a step.
"Yamcha? You okay?" Krillin asked quietly, noting the look on his face.
"I think I just lost a few years off my life," Yamcha answered in numb surprise. "That was the blackest, coldest, meanest look I've ever seen. . .and to think Goku sent it!"
"I don't blame him. His wife goes missing for a week and he goes though hell to get her back, and when she _is_ back you start ogling her? If it was me, I'd send a dirty look your way too, if not a ki ball," Krillin wryly observed.
"I didn't mean to! And I swear I wasn't thinking anything really inappropriate! I was just noticing. . .she's got a nice shape, that's all," Yamcha said in a pleading voice. "I swear, nothing more than that! And it was just on observation; I didn't _feel_ anything! Well, maybe that Goku's a lucky guy, but you can't hold that against me, can you?" Krillin gave a small shake of his head to say he didn't think so.
"We'll see you all later, okay?" Goku said as he lifted a tired Chi- Chi into his arms.
"All right!" the others called out cheerily, watching as Goku, Gohan, and Goten flew off at top speed, just fast enough to keep anyone from noticing Goku's tail. Vegeta thought he saw something odd about Kakkarot, but the sighting was too quick and vague for him to be sure.
Chi-Chi had never thought their house could look so very good to her eyes. Though it seemed all the smaller after living in Davin's spacious palace, it felt far more comfortable and happy. The familiar sights and smells of their home were soothing and welcoming to her. She felt like she'd been gone far longer than a week, and her still-muddled memories plagued her more than she wanted to admit.
"Okay, I'll take a hot bath, put on some clean clothes, and start on dinner!" Chi-Chi said with a happy stretch, once she entered through the front door.
"Don't worry about dinner, Mom, we'll take care of it! You just rest!" Gohan answered quickly. Chi-Chi glanced at him with uncertainty; Gohan wasn't much of a cook, and part of her was really looking forward to cooking for her family again.
"I'll help," Goten offered.
"How about we all pitch in?" Goku suggested, and Chi-Chi smiled at the thought.
"Yes, that's a good idea," Chi-Chi nodded, then turned to her sons. "Why don't you boys get some fish or beef to start with?"
"Right!" they said together, and took off.
"Let's wash up and change," Goku said, wrapping an arm around Chi- Chi's shoulders and guiding her toward their bedroom.
Goku removed the last of the too-small pants with a bit of relief, taking the little gold bell out of the pocket to put it safely on the nightstand on his side of the bed. As he was getting a new orange gi out of the closet to wear, he stopped for a moment and looked over at Chi-Chi. He watched as she started to move to get her robe, after she'd removed the tattered remains of her dress and bra, leaving her only in her panties. The sudden desire to grab her, pull her to the bed, and make wild, passionate love to her was nearly overwhelming him again; not to mention, the need to mark her again was driving him a little crazy. Chi-Chi picked up her robe slowly as she sensed Goku's craving. She could almost hear his Saiyan soul screaming, demanding, and begging for the taste and feel of her flesh and soul. She could only shudder with her own desires and the raw, erotic pleasure that being so hungered for brought her.
**Soon, Goku, Soon!** she thought to him. He came up behind her and firmly pulled her back against him, his hands cupping her breasts. As he rhythmically squeezed and massaged the firm mounds of flesh, his mouth descended onto her bare neck and shoulder again, kissing, nibbling, and licking. Chi-Chi gasped with pleasure and leaned into him. "W-wait, Goku. . .n-not yet; the boys will be back soon with the start of dinner. . ." she panted. He had seldom been so impatient; and while she understood why, it was difficult to keep a level head with him touching her like that. He let out a small humming sigh against her skin in response. He lifted his head and nuzzled the back of her ear before speaking.
"I know. . .but I. . .I need to feel you. . .I need to mark you again. . ." he murmured softly, his tongue darting out to lightly lick her ear.
"I know. . .I want you too. . .I want to mark you again, too. . .but if we start now, we'll just be interrupted again," Chi-Chi pointed out, tilting her head to look at him.
"You're right, of course," Goku said with a deeper, more resigned sigh. He kissed her soft lips and slowly released her. "Come on, let's wash up." Chi-Chi nodded dreamily, and headed for the indoor bathroom. Watching her walk out of the room, Goku was torn - he usually liked to bathe outside in the barrel, but right now it was painfully tempting to bathe indoors with Chi-Chi. After a few moments' thought, he decided. He knew that if he bathed with her, he wouldn't be able to stop himself from taking her; so he forced himself outside and to the bathing barrel.
Chi-Chi couldn't remember the last time her clothes felt so comfortable against her newly-bathed body. After all the fancy dresses Davin had forced her to wear for him, her normal dress-and-slacks combo felt relaxing and wonderful. Chi-Chi was looking at her nice, normal closet full of clothes when she abruptly realized that she'd never gotten back the dress she'd been wearing the night she'd been kidnapped. The garment had disappeared after she was spirited away to Davin's palace. She'd lost her shoes, too. . .and her purse!
"Damn! I really liked that dress, too! And my wallet was in my purse!" Chi-Chi grumbled. "Oh, well. Those material things can be replaced. The important thing is, I'm home!"
"And we all missed you very much," Goku said, coming up behind her, making her jump. "Sorry, Chi-Chi!" he added, quickly apologizing for startling her.
"It's all right, I should've known you were there," Chi-Chi answered. "I missed you guys, too. . .um, before Davin. . ." she frowned deeply as she again thought of what Davin had done to her, what he had almost made her do. Goku scowled for a moment at the mention of the human man's name. Chi-Chi felt herself start to tremble, thinking of what had happened in the last week, and changed the subject. "I'm. . .going to prep the kitchen for dinner. . ." Chi-Chi said, and started to move around her husband. Goku caught her arm and pulled her into a quick embrace. She melted into his arms, into the safety and love and warmth that his embrace always brought, and fought the urge to cry.
"It'll be okay; he's gone now. He failed; you're home, and we're together," Goku said quietly into her hair.
"I know. . .but he came so close! _So_ close! I thought. . .he made me think. . .that I'd loved _him_ for years!" Chi-Chi answered, her voice muffled by his chest, and two hot tears broke free from her eyes. "That I wanted to marry him!"
"But you didn't completely forget, did you? You said it yourself, it never felt right when he. . . kissed you," Goku said, nearly choking on the word 'kissed'. The idea of Davin kissing Chi-Chi infuriated and sickened him. He had a brief, chilling thought that he kept from Chi-Chi; what would Davin have done had Chi-Chi willingly started dating him a few years ago? Would he have brainwashed the whole family the way he had Chi-Chi, or just left the boys behind? He tossed the disquieting thought around for a moment, then dropped it. It didn't matter; Davin was dead, and his twisted little world was destroyed along with him. Chi-Chi lifted her head and smiled reassuringly at Goku, calm and in control once more.
"No, it _never_ felt right when he touched me," she said, her voice strong with conviction.
"Mom! Dad! We're back! And look what we caught!" Gohan called out jubilantly as he and Goten came into the house with nine eight-foot-long, ninety-pound fish in their arms and large baskets full of vegetables strapped to their backs. Goku and Chi-Chi came downstairs to see what their sons had brought to eat.
"The biggest we could find!" Goten said proudly.
"Wow! Good job!" Goku grinned at them as he surveyed his sons' catch.
"And you already cleaned and scaled them! Thank you!" Chi-Chi smiled as well. "Now, how shall we prepare these?"
"Fried!"
"Grilled!"
"Baked in bread crumbs!" Suggestions flew at high speed, and before long the Son house was filled with the sounds and mouth-watering smells of cooking fish and vegetables. As she prepared dinner for her family, Chi- Chi could almost believe that the last week with Davin had been nothing but a bad dream, except for the fact that Goku's tail kept reaching out occasionally to skim against her legs and thighs. It was as fine a meal as had ever been had in the Son house, and the family talked and laughed as they ate.
"So, Dad, how are you going to hide your tail?" Gohan asked when dinner was almost over.
"Um, I really have no idea. . .I can't think of any way that could fool everybody, especially Vegeta," Goku admitted. He'd given up on his earlier idea of hiding it down one pant leg, it just wouldn't work - the bulge would be rather noticeable, and besides, his tail moved with every thought or feeling he had, just as it always did before. If the bulge itself didn't quickly catch the eye, the bulge _moving_ surely would.
"Well, there must be some way," Chi-Chi said thoughtfully.
"Why don't you just tell everyone the truth? I thought lying is bad," Goten spoke up next. Chi-Chi smiled understandingly at his simple, childlike logic.
"Yes, lying is bad. But sometimes it's necessary not to reveal too much of the truth in order to spare someone's feelings. You know that Vegeta used to have a tail too. If he saw that your father got his tail back, but there was no way to get his own tail back, he'd be very upset," Chi-Chi explained.
"Me an' Gohan used ta have tails, and we're not upset," Goten objected, still looking a bit confused.
"Well, I'm not upset because I know, from past history, that I'd be dangerous during a full moon. I still miss my tail, though, and wouldn't mind having it back. And you barely remember having a tail," Gohan stated. At Goten's puzzled look, Gohan quietly added, "I'll explain about the moon after dinner."
"Say, now that I think about it, why _doesn't_ Goten have a tail? Or Trunks, for that matter?" Goku asked.
"I can't speak for Trunks, but Goten lost his when he was not quite four. We were at the lake, teaching him to swim, when a large fish came swimming up. It must have thought his tail was a worm or something, because that nasty thing bit his tail clean off!" Chi-Chi answered for him, her voice rising a little with anger. Goku winced; he could only imagine how Goten must have cried when that happened. It must've hurt terribly!
"Ouch. Well, it could still grow back," Goku said reassuringly. "So what happened to the fish?"
"We had it for dinner that night," Gohan answered. "The only reason I let it get so close in the first place was to catch it. I'm still mad at the doggone thing for biting my little brother's tail off!"
"I understand why," Goku nodded.
"Now, getting back to your tail, Goku," Chi-Chi turned to him. Goku looked thoughtful for a moment, and then his eyes lit up.
"Hey, you think Aume, Maruberu, and Lilith know any spells that could hide it?" he suddenly suggested.
"I think I've had enough of magic for a while," Chi-Chi muttered under her breath. But, she had to admit, it _was_ a good idea. "They might. We can certainly ask them, if nothing else," she agreed aloud.
"Okay, we'll ring the bell after we've finished with dinner," Goku said with a quick nod and a wide grin.
"So we'll get to meet them?" Goten asked eagerly. Meeting a real- live elf sounded neat!
"Of course!" Goku said.
"Good. I'd like to thank them personally," Gohan observed with a small smile.
Once dinner was finished and the dishes were cleaned and put away, Goku fetched the little bell from his and Chi-Chi's room. They all stood in the living room, and Goku gave the bell a little shake. It let out a small, clear, sweet, high-pitched ringing sound and glowed for half a moment. A few minutes later, there were three flashes of light and the three elf-women appeared as summoned.
"Well, that was fast!" Aume declared, her face beaming with amusement.
"Certainly was," Maruberu said, equally grinning.
"What can we help you with?" Lilith asked with a bright smile. She glanced around and saw Gohan and Goten. "Oh! You must be their sons!"
"Hi! I'm Goten!" Goten said cheerfully. "It's nice to meet you!"
"And I'm Gohan," Gohan said, smiling in return. "Thank you for helping our parents."
"No thanks necessary! They saved us; we're the ones who are grateful!" Maruberu answered. "And I'm Maruberu."
"I'm Lilith," Lilith said.
"I'm Aume. So, what kind of favor have you thought to ask for?" Aume asked, turning to face Goku and Chi-Chi.
"Um, well. . .it's like this: You may have noticed that, when I first arrived at Davin's palace, I didn't have a tail, but now I do?" Goku started.
"You know, I've been wondering about that, too! Where did that come from?" Lilith stepped closer, her eyes falling on the furry limb.
"I was born with a tail, but it was cut off some years ago. Davin used his healing spell on me at one point and, without meaning to, restored my tail. The problem is, some people I know are not going to be at all happy to see my tail grown back; you noticed the giant ape that went stomping around a day ago?" Goku continued, a little drop of nervous sweat trickling down his cheek.
"Of course! Lilith and I saw it turn back into you! You need your tail to do that?" Aume spoke up next.
"Yes, combined with a full moon. Listen, do any of you know of any kind of spell that would help hide my tail from view so people don't see it and freak out?" Goku finally cut to the chase, and the elf-women looked thoughtful.
"Mmm. . .yes! I know something!" Lilith suddenly said. "I know a very good illusion spell that will keep your tail hidden from all eyes you don't want to see it!"
"That sounds perfect!" Goku said with a big grin.
"I don't think I'm familiar with this spell," Aume turned to Lilith with a puzzled expression.
"It's an old spell from my clan. It's not exactly easy, but not the hardest spell I know, either. It requires the person I'm casting it on to help, though. Goku, you'll need to be chanting the names of the people who will be allowed to see your tail while I cast the rest of the spell," Lilith explained. "And we'll need to do some setting up. . .would you mind re-arranging your living room a bit?"
A short while later, most of the Son family's living room furniture had been moved against the walls, and Lilith had made eight small symbols out of pebbles in a circle around a sitting Goku. Goku looked with curiosity at the formation surrounding him.
"Circles are big things in magic, I take it?" he inquired casually.
"With some spells, yes. Okay, now, I'm going to begin the spell; when I do, start saying over and over again the names of the people you want to be able to see your tail, and don't stop until I do," Lilith instructed, while Goku nodded.
"How will we know if this works?" Gohan asked.
"Well, we won't. . .unless he doesn't include someone here in his chant," Lilith answered sheepishly.
"Um, well, I _was_ sorta planning on just saying my family's names," Goku admitted.
"That's okay; we three already know about your tail, so we don't need to see it from this point forward. It'll be a good test to make sure the spell works properly," Aume said with a wave of her hand. "What can Maruberu and I do to help you, Lilith?"
"Concentrate on me and help boost my power a little. We want the result of this to be long-term, right?" Lilith glanced over at Goku.
"Yeah," Goku nodded emphatically.
"Let's get started, then," Lilith said, moving to take her place in front of Goku and the ring of symbols. "Oh, and one more thing - anytime you want the spell to break, all you have to do is tell someone who doesn't know that you have your tail back."
"Oh, okay. Thanks," Goku said. Lilith drew in a slow breath and held her hands out, palm down.
"Watchful Eyes that know all secrets. . .take this secret to your depths. . ." Lilith began chanting, and the symbol immediately in front of her glowed softly. She paused, sending a small nod of her head towards Goku.
"Chi-Chi, Gohan, and Goten," he said quietly.
"Hide his tail from all eyes he doesn't wish to see. . ." the first symbol to the left glowed then.
"Chi-Chi, Gohan, and Goten."
"Keep it only for the eyes he wishes to see. . ." the second symbol to the left glowed.
"Chi-Chi, Gohan, and Goten," Goku glanced at the glowing symbols out of the corner of his eye, and wondered what was making them do that. They were just pebbles from the yard, weren't they?
"Hide it from all the world. . ." the third symbol on the left lit up next.
"Chi-Chi, Gohan, and Goten," Goku twitched slightly as his tail began to tingle.
"Save for the ones he now names," the symbol directly opposite the very first to do so began to glow.
"Chi-Chi, Gohan, and Goten."
"Spirits of Light and Shadow, swallow this secret from sight. . ." the third symbol to the right filled with a soft light.
"Chi-Chi, Gohan, and Goten."
"Until he chooses to speak its name to those who do not know. . ." the second symbol to the right then glowed, leaving only one pebble-symbol still dull gray and brown on the right hand side.
"Chi-Chi, Gohan, and Goten."
"Watchful Eyes, Gentle Spirits, We implore you to make this pact," Lilith finished, and the final stone symbol glowed.
"Chi-Chi, Gohan, and Goten," Goku finished as well, and watched as the stones glowed for a few seconds more before fading back into darkness. "Did it work?" Goku asked everyone. He could still see his tail just fine, but who else could?
"Well, I can still see your tail," Chi-Chi said, watching the tip of the appendage twitch.
"So can I," Gohan added.
"Me, too," Goten confirmed.
"Maybe they can, but we can't," Aume observed, looking Goku over carefully. "I can't see it anymore."
"Nope, me neither," Maruberu agreed.
"Ha! It worked perfectly!" Lilith beamed. "I knew I'd eventually get that spell right!"
"Huh? You mean you don't usually get this spell right?" Goku inquired as they all turned to her with wide eyes.
"Um, well, I've only ever tried it twice before. It's not a common- use spell, you know. And, I admit, something went wrong with both tries. I figure I messed up the symbols, since I know I did the chanting right. Anyway, all that happened was that the spell didn't work, and whatever they were trying to hide didn't get concealed," Lilith defended herself quickly. "It worked here, though, and that's what counts!"
"Yeah, I guess so," Goku nodded quietly as he stood up. It felt good to know his tail was safe for the time being.
"So, anything else while we're here?" Aume asked.
"Ummm. . .no, not really," Goku admitted, unable to think of anything.
"You've done plenty for us already; why don't we call it even?" Chi- Chi observed. All three elf-women shook their heads in a definite 'no' response.
"No can do. Three lives, three favors. That's how it works. Just hold on to that bell, and when either of you finally think of something for the final favor, give us a ring," Aume answered.
"You're not troubling us, really. You should count yourselves lucky our families aren't trying to pay you back as well," Lilith said with a grin.
"And don't feel like you have to rush, either. We'll be ready, willing, and happy to be of any service to you when you think of something we can help you with, even if it's years from now!" Maruberu said.
"Ah, well, if you're sure. . ." Goku said, a little taken aback. "But really, we don't mind calling it even as is. I mean, if you count the healing of Chi-Chi and myself as _two_ separate favors."
"It's no trouble for us, really! And healing you both was one favor," Lilith answered, a small giggle escaping her.
"At any rate, it's late; we'll go for now. Give us a ring when you need us!" Aume said, ready to cast the departure spell.
"Wait, hold up - at least help us clean up the living room!" Goten objected, looking first at the slight mess and then up at the three elves.
"Oh. . .right," Aume said, blushing a tiny bit. Lilith quickly gathered up the stones and returned them to the yard, while everyone else moved the furniture back to its place. Once everything was back to how it was before, the elf-women bid farewell, and cast the spell to take them home.
That night, the Son family went about their normal evening business, except for Goten, who convinced himself that, by concentrating real hard, he could make his tail grow back. Eventually, he gave up on that notion, got a book, and settled himself on the couch between his parents to read. Sitting on the couch, Chi-Chi was looking at a newspaper, and Goku was half- reading a book, distracted by other thoughts. His mind kept wandering over the events of the last nine days. He was staring into space, deep in his reverie, when he heard a little snore by his side. He glanced down and saw Goten, sound asleep, his little head leaning against his mother, with one small hand on his father's leg. Goku smiled softly, set down his book, and gathered his little son into his embrace.
"Someone needs to be put to bed!" he said quietly, standing up as he lifted the slumbering boy into his arms. "I'll tuck him in, then I'm going to our room," he told Chi-Chi, who nodded in understanding, watching as he carried Goten to the room the Son children shared. Gohan was already there, finishing some homework at his desk, and silently smiled over at his father when he came in with Goten. Goku gently placed the boy in his bed, pulled the covers around him securely, and then went to the room he shared with his wife.
Chi-Chi came in a minute later, fully expecting her husband to be unclothed and waiting for her. Instead, she found Goku sitting on the edge of the bed, his elbows on his knees, and his face in one hand. He looked lost in thought, and deeply distressed about something.
"Goku. . .?" Chi-Chi carefully ventured, wondering what was wrong.
"Chi-Chi, I. . .I'm sorry!" Goku said suddenly, lifting his misery- riddled face to look her in the eyes. Chi-Chi stared at him for a moment, confused.
"Sorry? For what?" Chi-Chi asked gently as she sat beside him on the bed. "You couldn't have stopped Davin sooner, I know that. . ."
"Not just Davin. . .what Davin said. . .I'm sorry I keep leaving you alone!" Goku said quickly, the words tumbling out of his mouth in a some- what confused jumble. Chi-Chi struggled for a few moments for an answer, but none came. "Davin was right about one thing; I keep leaving you and the kids alone. . .after the fight with Frieza. . ."
Chi-Chi quickly interjected, "You told me that you were healing during most of that time; that if the Dragon _had_ brought you back to Earth when we wished, the sudden jolt could've killed you!" What in the world had Davin said that brought this on?!
"And that's the truth! But even so, I--I could've come home sooner-- months sooner! While I was healing, I'd seen some Yardrat-jins using Instant Transmission, and I wanted to know how they did that. I thought, at first, it'd only take a few days to learn how to do it, and then I could use it to get home in a snap. But their training took a lot longer than I'd anticipated; by then I realized Yardrat and Earth are too far apart, and I couldn't feel anything here to lock onto and teleport. So I had to take the pod back. . .but I barely understood the controls, and didn't know how to override the stasis command. . .I'm lucky the Yardrat-jins were able to program it for Earth. . .I was asleep until the computer woke me up to tell of Frieza's ship being nearby! And I still didn't use Instant Transmission to get home, because I wanted to see what Frieza was up to! And then, fighting Cell. . ." Goku's voice was rushed, becoming choked with tears of guilt. Chi-Chi felt tears of her own welling up at the sight of her husband's inner pain.
"You died to save us, Goku!" Chi-Chi tried again to cut him off and calm him down.
"For all the good it did! And I could've let myself be wished back, but I chose to stay dead. . .!" Tears were flowing unchecked down his cheeks now, and Chi-Chi felt her heart ache at the look of agonized guilt on her mate's face.
"We've talked about this before! You had your reasons! You thought your presence was bringing danger to us! Raditz came here looking for you, and that led Vegeta and Nappa here. Frieza came here to seek revenge on you for defeating him. Dr. Gero built the Androids and Cell to _kill you_ in retaliation for the Red Ribbon Army's demise. Your paranoia wasn't exactly baseless!" Chi-Chi offered again. "Don't get me wrong, I wish you had let yourself be wished back. . ."
"Maybe it wasn't baseless, but it wasn't right, either! And I left you alone with two children to raise when Babidi and Buu showed up to begin their reign of terror! I can't imagine how hard it must've been!" Goku answered, as Davin's words rang painfully in his ears - "You left her while she was pregnant, you bastard! What kind of 'loving husband' does that?!"
"It was a stupid, selfish decision! What kind of a husband am I, what kind of father?! I didn't even stop to tell the boys I'd found someone to help me save you! I just took off! I didn't think about them at all!" Goku pressed his face back into his right hand as his tears increased in number and his voice began to crack. Chi-Chi swallowed down a lump in her throat.
"You're not perfect, far from it," Chi-Chi admitted quietly. "As for leaving the boys to save me - you were a wreck, everyone knew that. . .you were half-starved, nearly crazed. . .you weren't thinking clearly."
"Kami, it. . .it's amazing that. . .why don't you all hate me?" Goku asked in a quiet, sad voice. Chi-Chi stared at him in stunned silence. She couldn't answer with words. Through the bond, Goku sensed conflicting thoughts and feelings darting through her mind. He found a small ball of hurtful memories that Chi-Chi normally kept tucked away. There had been times--when he was healing from the Frieza fight, rough points in her pregnancy with Goten, rough times when Goten was small--when she _had_ hated him for leaving them, had been angry with him beyond words, had thought he was nothing but a selfish bastard, but those harsh feelings had never lasted more than a few minutes. Because she knew he wasn't doing it to purposely hurt her, that he loved her, doted on their children, and wanted all of them to be happy, even if he wasn't always there. . .she couldn't quite explain to herself why she always forgave him, but she could never bring herself to truly hate him. He was her other half. Gohan and Goten nearly worshiped him; they'd never hate him. And Chi-Chi would never hate him for very long. "I'm _sorry_! I'm _so sorry_! If I could take it all back, I would!" Goku's eyes pleaded with her for understanding.
"Goku. . .you told Gohan you'd be watching over us, but you didn't know about Goten at all when you came back. . ." Chi-Chi ventured. She didn't want to add to his guilt and pain, but this was something about which she'd always been curious.
"I did watch over you. . .from time to time. . .windows to the living world aren't always available up there. . .almost never are, in fact. . .and, more. . .every time I saw you and Gohan, I felt so guilty about what I'd done to you. . .I could never watch for long before it became unbearable. Chi-Chi. . .did I ever tell you how I first reached Super Saiyan 3?" Goku asked quietly, tears still running down his cheeks like rivers. Chi-Chi blinked, confused by the sudden seeming switch in topic.
"No, no you didn't. Why?" Chi-Chi asked slowly.
"Because. . .I discovered it one day, not more than a year ago. . .I'd already found a way to reach SS2; but I'd been growing increasingly angry and bitter on the other side. I missed you and Gohan and my friends so badly. . .at first, I was angry with Gero and Cell; if it hadn't been for them, I'd have been home with you, safe and happy. But then, one day, my anger turned inward, where it really belonged. I _hated_ myself, Chi- Chi. I absolutely _despised_ myself for choosing to stay dead, for leaving you and Gohan alone! I'm not fully sure of what happened then; all I remember was being swallowed up in anger and self-hate; it felt like I was reaching into a deep pool inside myself and pulling out a power I'd never seen before. . .a power that could destroy me, as I wished at that moment. I was in some kind of trance, I think. . .I came out of it in time to keep the new power from tearing my soul apart, but just barely. It took some time, but I managed to find a way to reach into that pool without becoming enraged with myself. . .and it was shortly thereafter that King Kai told me I could be sent back to Earth for one day as a reward for my good deeds. At first, I thought I'd just spend it with you and Gohan, but then I heard Gohan talking about the Tournament, and I thought, 'Hey, I could see my friends, too, if I go there'. . .and. . .I just. . .gave up spending most of the day with you for no good reason. . ."
"I can understand wanting to see your friends too! I don't fault you for that!" Chi-Chi quickly interjected. It was true; she couldn't be mad at him for wanting to see his friends as well during that one day back, and one day just wasn't enough time to track them all down and spend time with them. Using the Tournament as a gathering point made sense! During the day he'd spend time with everyone, and then he'd spend the evening with his family. That was the original plan, anyway. But when a Supreme Kai shows up asking for help, you don't say 'no.'
"Chi-Chi. . .I love you. I love our sons. I don't know why I act the way I do sometimes; why I'm so irresponsible at times. . .but I swear, I didn't mean to hurt you, or make your life harder. . .Kami, I love you all so much. . ." Goku whispered, more tears falling from his black eyes. After seven years' absence, he'd discovered that he held his family even dearer to himself than before. "I swear, I'll do better from now on!"
"I love you, too, Goku. I always have, and always will. Even when I'm mad at you, and think I hate you, I love you. I won't say I'm happy about the times you left me alone, but I won't hold them against you, either. I forgive you, Goku. And I know you'll do better from now on, because, Kami willing, there won't be a reason for you to leave again," Chi- Chi answered gently but firmly, wrapping her arms around him.
"There won't ever be a reason good enough for me to leave you again," Goku agreed. Chi-Chi closed her eyes, leaning into him, and he met her lips with his own. They kissed deeply for several moments. When they parted, Chi-Chi's cheeks where flushed and her lips were swollen from the kisses.
"Goku," she whispered, using her fingers to tenderly wipe away the last traces of his tears. "Make love to me now."
She undressed quickly, as did he, and she quietly admired her mate's beautiful body for a moment as he admired hers in turn. He began kissing her again, leaning her back onto the bed, and Chi-Chi wrapped her arms tightly around him. They were of one mind, needing to drive away the pain and fear of the last week with each other's nearness, each other's bodies. They parted for a moment and Goku lowered his head to kiss her neck and chest. Chi-Chi sighed, humming in pleasure at his light, teasing touch, and turned her eyes for a moment to watch Goku's tail twitch lightly as it laid on the sheets beside them. He'd never had his tail when they made love before and she couldn't help but wonder what he would do with it. She had two distinctly vivid memories concerning his tail. One was of how much it hurt him when she squeezed or pulled it; the other memory about his tail was how soft and bushy the fur felt. Just for fun, she reached out and gently stroked the fur, figuring a soft touch wouldn't hurt him. Goku gasped suddenly at the feel and pulled back a bit, and Chi-Chi jerked her hand back.
"Oh! I'm sorry! Did that. . .hurt?" Chi-Chi asked, somewhat alarmed by his abrupt reaction, but the flushed look on his face told her it had been anything but painful.
"N-no. It felt _good_. . ._very_ good. . .do it again," he said huskily, and Chi-Chi gently reached out again to stroke the soft fur of Goku's tail. His breathing deepened as her fingers ran the entire length of the furry, brown appendage, stroking and rubbing gently. A pleasure- filled moan escaped Goku and his eyes squeezed shut, and Chi-Chi felt herself flush deeper with excitement as she watched him respond to her touch. The place where his tail had been had always been extremely sensitive; if she pressed it just right, he went almost wild with passion, but this seemed to feel even better to him. Her eyes started to do a quick once-over of him, to take in just how much of an affect her hands were having, and then they went full out, working the tail in as they went along.
As Chi-Chi's second climax washed over her senses, Goku set his teeth and bit deeply into her flesh. Chi-Chi let out a strangled cry of pain and pleasure, and then buried her own head into Goku's shoulder, biting him as hard as she could, her teeth barely sinking into his muscular flesh. Goku's scream of pleasure and pain was greater than Chi-Chi's; normally, he would've held out longer, but at that moment he had little control over himself. After breathing deeply for a few moments, he began to pleasure her again, determined to give her as much happiness as he could, and to drive away his own fears and doubts.
"I love you, Chi-Chi!" he panted.
"I love you, too, Goku! Always!" Chi-Chi answered, smiling up at him, her eyes bright with love and desire. He buried his face in her hair so she wouldn't notice the few happy tears that escaped from his eyes and mingled with the sweat on his cheeks.
Hours later, Goku and Chi-Chi slept happily in each other's arms, shoulders slightly sore from the markings. It was the most peaceful sleep either had had in close to ten days. All they knew was each other; lost in their shared warmth and the matched beating of their strong hearts. Davin was all but forgotten. In their own room, Gohan and Goten slept soundly, comforted by the secure feeling that their parents were nearby and together, just as it should be. A strong wind blew, making the trees bend and creak outside the cozy, warm house, and a tiny piece of ash, sparkling a very faint green, drifted by. It hovered for a moment in the sky, high above the Son house, then the sparkle faded and the dead ash blew away into the night.
The End **************************************************************************** ** And there you have it! The ash? Just a tiny remnant from the Ahdicionious, as it loses the last few drops of its power. Also, there's now a whole new reason for why Goku didn't want Kari touching his "tail- spot" in The Lady Kari - if she had, she would've felt his tail! Heehee! I hope you all enjoyed this!
Yes, I know how DBZ ends, but I don't think it's in-character for Goku to just up and leave his family for ten years, and I seriously hate it, so I ignore it in my fics. And now, I've rewritten the ending, so it doesn't matter anymore!
[email protected]!
This chapter will be Lemon-Scented! Turn back now if you don't like that stuff! (Though this is tamer than the uncut chapter).
As always, big thanks to Holly O. for her great beta-ing! **************************************************************************** ** Battle of the Heart by NansJns
Ch.10
Goku took a minute and buried the bone fragment and piece of cloth in a shallow grave there in the woods, even though part of him felt like it was more respect than Davin deserved. Chi-Chi did her utmost not to look at the pitiful remains, mostly because they reminded her of the horrid skeleton arm that had grabbed her. Once that task was completed, they went to get washed off. The river was wide, but shallow, only coming up to mid- calf on Chi-Chi. The water felt bracingly cool and clean. Goku couldn't wait to start washing the dirt off his hands, along with the blood and dust off his arms and chest. Neither he nor Chi-Chi had bothered to remove the rags they still wore, since they had nothing to change into and Goku could easily dry off both of them with a quick flare of his ki. More importantly, if they were completely naked, Goku would definitely lose the fight with his desires and make love to Chi-Chi right there in the middle of the river. Chi-Chi began splashing water across her own body, letting out a small sigh of relief.
"You're not all that dirty, Chi-Chi," Goku observed innocently.
"I know it doesn't really look like I am," Chi-Chi answered. "But I'm actually covered in dried Oozaru saliva. It feels good to rinse that stuff off."
"Oozaru saliva?" Goku blinked. Foggy half-memories of being an Oozaru floated back to him, and he mentally snatched at them to find an answer. "Oh, wait, yeah. . .um, I. . .I think I remember. . .licking you?"
"Yes, you did," Chi-Chi nodded, smiling a little at the memory. "You knew who I was, even though you weren't really you at the time! Despite your slobbering all over me, it was rather. . .touching, and comforting." Goku smiled at her lightly.
"Would you mind helping me with my back?" he asked, and Chi-Chi waded up to him.
"Of course not," she replied, gently tearing a little more cloth off her already torn skirt and dipping it in the river. With the cloth full of cold water, she wiped it across his back, washing away the remaining blood. She also rubbed it across the backs of his arms, just to enjoy touching him more. She sighed softly in admiration, as the late afternoon sun caught the water's surface and made the skin on his muscular back shine, making him look like a Greek god. But she also noticed that his ribs were sticking out, far more pronounced than usual. He looked as though he had lost a marked amount of weight, and he'd had no extra weight to lose. Chi- Chi remembered what Kakkarot had told her, about how Saiyans were more prone to starvation than humans, and felt a sting of guilt. She again promised herself that she'd make him a good meal when they got home, and then felt herself getting lost in the beauty of his body again. She ran her fingers across his smooth skin, from his shoulder blades down to the base of his tail. His tail was swaying, and she heard him purr with pleasure at her touch. His tail suddenly swung up and stroked her inner thigh, giving her a delightfully ticklish, erotic feeling. She sucked in a breath and moved back around him.
"Finished. Your back's clean," she said gently, looking up to see Goku's eyes on her body, and not her face.
"Thank you," he said distractedly, while hungrily eyeing her. Chi- Chi felt a sudden rush of playfulness as she watched him study her.
"You know, I wonder sometimes what our friends would think if they knew what you were _really_ like. They all think you're so pure!" Chi-Chi teased, giggling as she stepped away from him.
"I _am_ pure!" Goku protested, chuckling in response, as his eyes darted up to her laughing face.
"Sure, until you see a little thigh," Chi-Chi giggled harder, lifting what little remained of her skirt to completely expose one well-muscled thigh. "Or some breast," she added, tugging lightly on the tear in her dress's bodice. "Then you turn into a regular sex fiend!" She was laughing so hard now she was having trouble breathing. She was absolutely giddy with her freedom and being back with her Goku.
"Don't tease me, Chi-Chi; I'm having enough control problems as it is!" Goku answered with another low chuckle of his own, as he pulled her into his arms. He gave her a quick kiss, followed by a longer, deeper one. His inner Saiyan nature began to rage with need again and his hands responded by gently wandering and caressing her body. Chi-Chi let out a small hum of pleasure and Goku's questing mouth moved to taste her neck, then her shoulder. His tail wrapped around her waist and pulled her even closer, the soft fur tickling her exposed skin. His mouth dropped lower still to kiss the round top of her mostly-exposed breast. Chi-Chi's breathing deepened and she wrapped her arms around his head to hold him there as his lips and tongue teased her flesh. The last of his control was sliding away as he pressed his body hard against hers; he grabbed the torn top with the intention of tearing it the rest of the way off to have free access to her chest, when a feeling of approaching ki brushed against the edge of his mind. It quickly grew stronger, causing Goku to moan in frustration as he pulled away from Chi-Chi.
"W-what? What is it?" she asked breathlessly, disappointed he'd stopped.
"Company," Goku said simply and sighed, forcing his aroused body to calm itself down.
"What?!" Chi-Chi jumped, looking around, and then spotted two bright twinkles in the sky.
"It's okay, it's our sons!" Goku answered, still concentrating on bringing his body back down from the sexual high it had been fast approaching a few moments ago. In spite of his more-than-slight frustration, Goku began to smile. Inasmuch as he wanted to make love to his wife at that very moment, he did want to see his sons again.
"It is?!" Chi-Chi turned fully to face the direction of the rapidly nearly kis, smiling brightly in anticipation. She was of one mind with Goku on this; she wanted him, but she, too, was eager to see her babies again. A few seconds later, she could see their distinctive outlines clearly against the background of the sky. The two boys soon landed with a splash in the river near their parents. For a moment, Gohan and Goten just stared at their mother and father, as though not fully believing it was really them, back and safe, but then the two boys rushed forward, their ebony eyes bright with tears of relief.
"Mom! Dad!" Gohan cried as he ran up to them.
"Momma! Daddy!" Goten was almost sobbing as he ran with his brother. Goten leapt into his delighted mother's arms at the same time as Gohan ran up to his father, who pulled his eldest son into a quick bear hug.
"Where have you been?! What happened?! Where's Davin?!" Gohan asked quickly, after he and Goten switched parents, giving and getting more hugs. "Oh, Mom! We were so worried about you!"
"What happened to your clothes?" Goten added, looking in puzzlement at what little his parents were wearing. Goku and Chi-Chi launched into a summary of everything that had happened, and the boys listened raptly. Midway through the story, however, Gohan happened to glance downwards and saw his father's tail.
"Dad! Y-your tail! How did you get it back?!" A surprised Gohan almost jumped out of the water at the discovery. Then he asked in a quieter voice, "And those aren't your pants, are they, Dad?"
"I'm getting to that, Gohan! Have patience!" Goku said with a grin.
"Wow, wait 'til Trunks and Mr. Vegeta see!" Goten wondered aloud. His youngest son's innocently spoken words made Goku's train of thought stop dead in its tracks. Up to this point, he hadn't given a second thought to what Vegeta's reaction to his restored tail might be. Goku had little doubt it wouldn't be a happy one, especially once Vegeta found out his own Saiyan tail couldn't be returned, even at the cost of Bulma's mark (that is, if she _had_ marked him; Goku figured she had, but it was none of his business so he'd never asked). The healing spell was forever lost, never to be used again. Even if it hadn't been destroyed, anything from that vile book was far too dangerous and too uncontrollable to use.
"Um. . .maybe it would be best if Vegeta didn't know yet. . .or anyone else, for that matter," Goku answered carefully, as his mind also recalled his friends' past reactions to his tail.
"Goku. . .?" Catching his fretful musings, Chi-Chi touched his arm gently.
"I just got it back, I don't want to lose it again! I'll be careful; all I've got to do is stay indoors during full moons, and I'll be fine! Besides, we already know you can control me when I'm an Oozaru," Goku added quickly and, after a brief moment, Chi-Chi nodded in agreement.
"All right. Boys, we aren't going to tell anyone yet that your father has his tail back. For right now, it's a family secret, okay?" Chi- Chi turned to their sons, who nodded in understanding. ((I can't ask him to just cut off a body part; that's unreasonable. He now knows the dangers if he keeps it intact, and how to handle them. It'll be okay!)) Chi-Chi assured herself.
"Well, you'd better think of a way to hide it real quick, Daddy, 'cause everybody's coming right now!" Goten observed, as several twinkles of ki appeared in the sky.
"Yeah, I know," Goku answered, feeling a little panicky. For a moment, he thought he might just hide his tail down one pant leg, until he remembered his pants were so torn up they just barely covered his manhood (and even if they weren't, they would've been too small to really hide the long tail). He had no time find a way to hide it properly, so he just laid it out of sight, firmly fitted against the back of one leg. ((So long as none of them see me from behind, it'll be okay. . .)) he reasoned. A moment later, Piccolo, Vegeta, Bulma, and Trunks arrived, landing in front of them on the river's bank. A minute or so after that, Krillin, 18, Yamcha, Tien, and Chiao-Tzu landed on the shore as well.
"Goku! Chi-Chi! You're back! You're okay! What happened?!" they all said quickly, and Goku and Chi-Chi started telling their story over from the beginning. Deliberately omitting the part about Davin casting the healing spell on Goku, they told their friends everything that had happened. Chi-Chi shyly tried to tug what remained of her skirt down further to better cover her thighs and, at the same time, tried to pull her top up more to cover her half-exposed breast. Being mostly naked in front of Goku or her sons was one thing, but in front of their various male friends was another.
"A magically created tornado, huh? That explains that weird feeling that was overlapping your ki when we first sensed you," Krillin observed.
"It also explains the feeling of pure chaos that Dende had," Piccolo agreed. "Are you absolutely certain that book has been completely destroyed?"
"The pages were torn to shreds, and the cover burned to ash. Yes, it's destroyed," Goku answered with confidence.
"That's a relief," Gohan muttered under his breath. He hadn't liked the idea of being obligated to safeguard that evil book for most of his life.
"Oh, Chi-Chi, it's so good to have you back! Everyone was so worried! You should have seen how crazy Goku was behaving!" Bulma said, giving her friend a quick hug around her shoulders.
"He told me about it! And it's good to be home!" Chi-Chi emphatically replied, smiling and returning the hug.
"I just knew when he disappeared it meant he'd found someone who could take him to you!" Bulma said with a smile. She would never say so, except to Vegeta, but she was extremely grateful and relieved that she'd been right about that, for part of her had been deathly afraid she'd been wrong.
"Kakkarot, are you certain Davin is dead?" Vegeta inquired, not paying much attention to the women's conversation. "You don't want him popping back up to try this nonsense again."
"No worries there. Trust me, he's dead. Just as painfully as he deserved, too! His own perverted magic saw to that. And even if, by some miracle, he is alive, the "Ahdicionious" was the source of his power, and it's gone now. Without it, he couldn't do anything," Goku said bluntly. His sons and friends, except for Vegeta, were more than a bit surprised at Goku's harsh statement of Davin deserving to die painfully. He'd never said anything like it before about _anyone_. Such a declaration seemed unlike him, even under the circumstances. Vegeta alone understood that it was Kakkarot's true Saiyan nature speaking. To Saiyans, who mate for life, any man who'd try to steal another man's mate deserved as painful a death as could be doled out to him.
"If it's all right with all of you, we'd kind of like to go home now," Chi-Chi suddenly said, leaning against Goku to show how tired she was. The adrenaline boost she'd been experiencing from having her life threatened earlier was finally wearing off, and she now found she was pretty spent.
"Of course! You guys must be exhausted!" said 18, offering an understanding smile and nod. "And the both of you could stand to get some new clothes."
"That's for sure," Yamcha gave a half chuckle. He found himself looking at Chi-Chi and thinking that he'd never realized before what a nice figure she had; she always covered herself up so thoroughly it was hard to see. The closest he'd ever seen her to naked was when they'd first met, and she was a little kid then, so he hadn't really paid much attention. Then his eyes locked with Goku's, who had noticed his gaze lingering a little overly long on Chi-Chi. Goku flashed him a dark warning look as he gathered Chi-Chi up into his arms to make ready to fly for home. A shocked Yamcha pulled back a step.
"Yamcha? You okay?" Krillin asked quietly, noting the look on his face.
"I think I just lost a few years off my life," Yamcha answered in numb surprise. "That was the blackest, coldest, meanest look I've ever seen. . .and to think Goku sent it!"
"I don't blame him. His wife goes missing for a week and he goes though hell to get her back, and when she _is_ back you start ogling her? If it was me, I'd send a dirty look your way too, if not a ki ball," Krillin wryly observed.
"I didn't mean to! And I swear I wasn't thinking anything really inappropriate! I was just noticing. . .she's got a nice shape, that's all," Yamcha said in a pleading voice. "I swear, nothing more than that! And it was just on observation; I didn't _feel_ anything! Well, maybe that Goku's a lucky guy, but you can't hold that against me, can you?" Krillin gave a small shake of his head to say he didn't think so.
"We'll see you all later, okay?" Goku said as he lifted a tired Chi- Chi into his arms.
"All right!" the others called out cheerily, watching as Goku, Gohan, and Goten flew off at top speed, just fast enough to keep anyone from noticing Goku's tail. Vegeta thought he saw something odd about Kakkarot, but the sighting was too quick and vague for him to be sure.
Chi-Chi had never thought their house could look so very good to her eyes. Though it seemed all the smaller after living in Davin's spacious palace, it felt far more comfortable and happy. The familiar sights and smells of their home were soothing and welcoming to her. She felt like she'd been gone far longer than a week, and her still-muddled memories plagued her more than she wanted to admit.
"Okay, I'll take a hot bath, put on some clean clothes, and start on dinner!" Chi-Chi said with a happy stretch, once she entered through the front door.
"Don't worry about dinner, Mom, we'll take care of it! You just rest!" Gohan answered quickly. Chi-Chi glanced at him with uncertainty; Gohan wasn't much of a cook, and part of her was really looking forward to cooking for her family again.
"I'll help," Goten offered.
"How about we all pitch in?" Goku suggested, and Chi-Chi smiled at the thought.
"Yes, that's a good idea," Chi-Chi nodded, then turned to her sons. "Why don't you boys get some fish or beef to start with?"
"Right!" they said together, and took off.
"Let's wash up and change," Goku said, wrapping an arm around Chi- Chi's shoulders and guiding her toward their bedroom.
Goku removed the last of the too-small pants with a bit of relief, taking the little gold bell out of the pocket to put it safely on the nightstand on his side of the bed. As he was getting a new orange gi out of the closet to wear, he stopped for a moment and looked over at Chi-Chi. He watched as she started to move to get her robe, after she'd removed the tattered remains of her dress and bra, leaving her only in her panties. The sudden desire to grab her, pull her to the bed, and make wild, passionate love to her was nearly overwhelming him again; not to mention, the need to mark her again was driving him a little crazy. Chi-Chi picked up her robe slowly as she sensed Goku's craving. She could almost hear his Saiyan soul screaming, demanding, and begging for the taste and feel of her flesh and soul. She could only shudder with her own desires and the raw, erotic pleasure that being so hungered for brought her.
**Soon, Goku, Soon!** she thought to him. He came up behind her and firmly pulled her back against him, his hands cupping her breasts. As he rhythmically squeezed and massaged the firm mounds of flesh, his mouth descended onto her bare neck and shoulder again, kissing, nibbling, and licking. Chi-Chi gasped with pleasure and leaned into him. "W-wait, Goku. . .n-not yet; the boys will be back soon with the start of dinner. . ." she panted. He had seldom been so impatient; and while she understood why, it was difficult to keep a level head with him touching her like that. He let out a small humming sigh against her skin in response. He lifted his head and nuzzled the back of her ear before speaking.
"I know. . .but I. . .I need to feel you. . .I need to mark you again. . ." he murmured softly, his tongue darting out to lightly lick her ear.
"I know. . .I want you too. . .I want to mark you again, too. . .but if we start now, we'll just be interrupted again," Chi-Chi pointed out, tilting her head to look at him.
"You're right, of course," Goku said with a deeper, more resigned sigh. He kissed her soft lips and slowly released her. "Come on, let's wash up." Chi-Chi nodded dreamily, and headed for the indoor bathroom. Watching her walk out of the room, Goku was torn - he usually liked to bathe outside in the barrel, but right now it was painfully tempting to bathe indoors with Chi-Chi. After a few moments' thought, he decided. He knew that if he bathed with her, he wouldn't be able to stop himself from taking her; so he forced himself outside and to the bathing barrel.
Chi-Chi couldn't remember the last time her clothes felt so comfortable against her newly-bathed body. After all the fancy dresses Davin had forced her to wear for him, her normal dress-and-slacks combo felt relaxing and wonderful. Chi-Chi was looking at her nice, normal closet full of clothes when she abruptly realized that she'd never gotten back the dress she'd been wearing the night she'd been kidnapped. The garment had disappeared after she was spirited away to Davin's palace. She'd lost her shoes, too. . .and her purse!
"Damn! I really liked that dress, too! And my wallet was in my purse!" Chi-Chi grumbled. "Oh, well. Those material things can be replaced. The important thing is, I'm home!"
"And we all missed you very much," Goku said, coming up behind her, making her jump. "Sorry, Chi-Chi!" he added, quickly apologizing for startling her.
"It's all right, I should've known you were there," Chi-Chi answered. "I missed you guys, too. . .um, before Davin. . ." she frowned deeply as she again thought of what Davin had done to her, what he had almost made her do. Goku scowled for a moment at the mention of the human man's name. Chi-Chi felt herself start to tremble, thinking of what had happened in the last week, and changed the subject. "I'm. . .going to prep the kitchen for dinner. . ." Chi-Chi said, and started to move around her husband. Goku caught her arm and pulled her into a quick embrace. She melted into his arms, into the safety and love and warmth that his embrace always brought, and fought the urge to cry.
"It'll be okay; he's gone now. He failed; you're home, and we're together," Goku said quietly into her hair.
"I know. . .but he came so close! _So_ close! I thought. . .he made me think. . .that I'd loved _him_ for years!" Chi-Chi answered, her voice muffled by his chest, and two hot tears broke free from her eyes. "That I wanted to marry him!"
"But you didn't completely forget, did you? You said it yourself, it never felt right when he. . . kissed you," Goku said, nearly choking on the word 'kissed'. The idea of Davin kissing Chi-Chi infuriated and sickened him. He had a brief, chilling thought that he kept from Chi-Chi; what would Davin have done had Chi-Chi willingly started dating him a few years ago? Would he have brainwashed the whole family the way he had Chi-Chi, or just left the boys behind? He tossed the disquieting thought around for a moment, then dropped it. It didn't matter; Davin was dead, and his twisted little world was destroyed along with him. Chi-Chi lifted her head and smiled reassuringly at Goku, calm and in control once more.
"No, it _never_ felt right when he touched me," she said, her voice strong with conviction.
"Mom! Dad! We're back! And look what we caught!" Gohan called out jubilantly as he and Goten came into the house with nine eight-foot-long, ninety-pound fish in their arms and large baskets full of vegetables strapped to their backs. Goku and Chi-Chi came downstairs to see what their sons had brought to eat.
"The biggest we could find!" Goten said proudly.
"Wow! Good job!" Goku grinned at them as he surveyed his sons' catch.
"And you already cleaned and scaled them! Thank you!" Chi-Chi smiled as well. "Now, how shall we prepare these?"
"Fried!"
"Grilled!"
"Baked in bread crumbs!" Suggestions flew at high speed, and before long the Son house was filled with the sounds and mouth-watering smells of cooking fish and vegetables. As she prepared dinner for her family, Chi- Chi could almost believe that the last week with Davin had been nothing but a bad dream, except for the fact that Goku's tail kept reaching out occasionally to skim against her legs and thighs. It was as fine a meal as had ever been had in the Son house, and the family talked and laughed as they ate.
"So, Dad, how are you going to hide your tail?" Gohan asked when dinner was almost over.
"Um, I really have no idea. . .I can't think of any way that could fool everybody, especially Vegeta," Goku admitted. He'd given up on his earlier idea of hiding it down one pant leg, it just wouldn't work - the bulge would be rather noticeable, and besides, his tail moved with every thought or feeling he had, just as it always did before. If the bulge itself didn't quickly catch the eye, the bulge _moving_ surely would.
"Well, there must be some way," Chi-Chi said thoughtfully.
"Why don't you just tell everyone the truth? I thought lying is bad," Goten spoke up next. Chi-Chi smiled understandingly at his simple, childlike logic.
"Yes, lying is bad. But sometimes it's necessary not to reveal too much of the truth in order to spare someone's feelings. You know that Vegeta used to have a tail too. If he saw that your father got his tail back, but there was no way to get his own tail back, he'd be very upset," Chi-Chi explained.
"Me an' Gohan used ta have tails, and we're not upset," Goten objected, still looking a bit confused.
"Well, I'm not upset because I know, from past history, that I'd be dangerous during a full moon. I still miss my tail, though, and wouldn't mind having it back. And you barely remember having a tail," Gohan stated. At Goten's puzzled look, Gohan quietly added, "I'll explain about the moon after dinner."
"Say, now that I think about it, why _doesn't_ Goten have a tail? Or Trunks, for that matter?" Goku asked.
"I can't speak for Trunks, but Goten lost his when he was not quite four. We were at the lake, teaching him to swim, when a large fish came swimming up. It must have thought his tail was a worm or something, because that nasty thing bit his tail clean off!" Chi-Chi answered for him, her voice rising a little with anger. Goku winced; he could only imagine how Goten must have cried when that happened. It must've hurt terribly!
"Ouch. Well, it could still grow back," Goku said reassuringly. "So what happened to the fish?"
"We had it for dinner that night," Gohan answered. "The only reason I let it get so close in the first place was to catch it. I'm still mad at the doggone thing for biting my little brother's tail off!"
"I understand why," Goku nodded.
"Now, getting back to your tail, Goku," Chi-Chi turned to him. Goku looked thoughtful for a moment, and then his eyes lit up.
"Hey, you think Aume, Maruberu, and Lilith know any spells that could hide it?" he suddenly suggested.
"I think I've had enough of magic for a while," Chi-Chi muttered under her breath. But, she had to admit, it _was_ a good idea. "They might. We can certainly ask them, if nothing else," she agreed aloud.
"Okay, we'll ring the bell after we've finished with dinner," Goku said with a quick nod and a wide grin.
"So we'll get to meet them?" Goten asked eagerly. Meeting a real- live elf sounded neat!
"Of course!" Goku said.
"Good. I'd like to thank them personally," Gohan observed with a small smile.
Once dinner was finished and the dishes were cleaned and put away, Goku fetched the little bell from his and Chi-Chi's room. They all stood in the living room, and Goku gave the bell a little shake. It let out a small, clear, sweet, high-pitched ringing sound and glowed for half a moment. A few minutes later, there were three flashes of light and the three elf-women appeared as summoned.
"Well, that was fast!" Aume declared, her face beaming with amusement.
"Certainly was," Maruberu said, equally grinning.
"What can we help you with?" Lilith asked with a bright smile. She glanced around and saw Gohan and Goten. "Oh! You must be their sons!"
"Hi! I'm Goten!" Goten said cheerfully. "It's nice to meet you!"
"And I'm Gohan," Gohan said, smiling in return. "Thank you for helping our parents."
"No thanks necessary! They saved us; we're the ones who are grateful!" Maruberu answered. "And I'm Maruberu."
"I'm Lilith," Lilith said.
"I'm Aume. So, what kind of favor have you thought to ask for?" Aume asked, turning to face Goku and Chi-Chi.
"Um, well. . .it's like this: You may have noticed that, when I first arrived at Davin's palace, I didn't have a tail, but now I do?" Goku started.
"You know, I've been wondering about that, too! Where did that come from?" Lilith stepped closer, her eyes falling on the furry limb.
"I was born with a tail, but it was cut off some years ago. Davin used his healing spell on me at one point and, without meaning to, restored my tail. The problem is, some people I know are not going to be at all happy to see my tail grown back; you noticed the giant ape that went stomping around a day ago?" Goku continued, a little drop of nervous sweat trickling down his cheek.
"Of course! Lilith and I saw it turn back into you! You need your tail to do that?" Aume spoke up next.
"Yes, combined with a full moon. Listen, do any of you know of any kind of spell that would help hide my tail from view so people don't see it and freak out?" Goku finally cut to the chase, and the elf-women looked thoughtful.
"Mmm. . .yes! I know something!" Lilith suddenly said. "I know a very good illusion spell that will keep your tail hidden from all eyes you don't want to see it!"
"That sounds perfect!" Goku said with a big grin.
"I don't think I'm familiar with this spell," Aume turned to Lilith with a puzzled expression.
"It's an old spell from my clan. It's not exactly easy, but not the hardest spell I know, either. It requires the person I'm casting it on to help, though. Goku, you'll need to be chanting the names of the people who will be allowed to see your tail while I cast the rest of the spell," Lilith explained. "And we'll need to do some setting up. . .would you mind re-arranging your living room a bit?"
A short while later, most of the Son family's living room furniture had been moved against the walls, and Lilith had made eight small symbols out of pebbles in a circle around a sitting Goku. Goku looked with curiosity at the formation surrounding him.
"Circles are big things in magic, I take it?" he inquired casually.
"With some spells, yes. Okay, now, I'm going to begin the spell; when I do, start saying over and over again the names of the people you want to be able to see your tail, and don't stop until I do," Lilith instructed, while Goku nodded.
"How will we know if this works?" Gohan asked.
"Well, we won't. . .unless he doesn't include someone here in his chant," Lilith answered sheepishly.
"Um, well, I _was_ sorta planning on just saying my family's names," Goku admitted.
"That's okay; we three already know about your tail, so we don't need to see it from this point forward. It'll be a good test to make sure the spell works properly," Aume said with a wave of her hand. "What can Maruberu and I do to help you, Lilith?"
"Concentrate on me and help boost my power a little. We want the result of this to be long-term, right?" Lilith glanced over at Goku.
"Yeah," Goku nodded emphatically.
"Let's get started, then," Lilith said, moving to take her place in front of Goku and the ring of symbols. "Oh, and one more thing - anytime you want the spell to break, all you have to do is tell someone who doesn't know that you have your tail back."
"Oh, okay. Thanks," Goku said. Lilith drew in a slow breath and held her hands out, palm down.
"Watchful Eyes that know all secrets. . .take this secret to your depths. . ." Lilith began chanting, and the symbol immediately in front of her glowed softly. She paused, sending a small nod of her head towards Goku.
"Chi-Chi, Gohan, and Goten," he said quietly.
"Hide his tail from all eyes he doesn't wish to see. . ." the first symbol to the left glowed then.
"Chi-Chi, Gohan, and Goten."
"Keep it only for the eyes he wishes to see. . ." the second symbol to the left glowed.
"Chi-Chi, Gohan, and Goten," Goku glanced at the glowing symbols out of the corner of his eye, and wondered what was making them do that. They were just pebbles from the yard, weren't they?
"Hide it from all the world. . ." the third symbol on the left lit up next.
"Chi-Chi, Gohan, and Goten," Goku twitched slightly as his tail began to tingle.
"Save for the ones he now names," the symbol directly opposite the very first to do so began to glow.
"Chi-Chi, Gohan, and Goten."
"Spirits of Light and Shadow, swallow this secret from sight. . ." the third symbol to the right filled with a soft light.
"Chi-Chi, Gohan, and Goten."
"Until he chooses to speak its name to those who do not know. . ." the second symbol to the right then glowed, leaving only one pebble-symbol still dull gray and brown on the right hand side.
"Chi-Chi, Gohan, and Goten."
"Watchful Eyes, Gentle Spirits, We implore you to make this pact," Lilith finished, and the final stone symbol glowed.
"Chi-Chi, Gohan, and Goten," Goku finished as well, and watched as the stones glowed for a few seconds more before fading back into darkness. "Did it work?" Goku asked everyone. He could still see his tail just fine, but who else could?
"Well, I can still see your tail," Chi-Chi said, watching the tip of the appendage twitch.
"So can I," Gohan added.
"Me, too," Goten confirmed.
"Maybe they can, but we can't," Aume observed, looking Goku over carefully. "I can't see it anymore."
"Nope, me neither," Maruberu agreed.
"Ha! It worked perfectly!" Lilith beamed. "I knew I'd eventually get that spell right!"
"Huh? You mean you don't usually get this spell right?" Goku inquired as they all turned to her with wide eyes.
"Um, well, I've only ever tried it twice before. It's not a common- use spell, you know. And, I admit, something went wrong with both tries. I figure I messed up the symbols, since I know I did the chanting right. Anyway, all that happened was that the spell didn't work, and whatever they were trying to hide didn't get concealed," Lilith defended herself quickly. "It worked here, though, and that's what counts!"
"Yeah, I guess so," Goku nodded quietly as he stood up. It felt good to know his tail was safe for the time being.
"So, anything else while we're here?" Aume asked.
"Ummm. . .no, not really," Goku admitted, unable to think of anything.
"You've done plenty for us already; why don't we call it even?" Chi- Chi observed. All three elf-women shook their heads in a definite 'no' response.
"No can do. Three lives, three favors. That's how it works. Just hold on to that bell, and when either of you finally think of something for the final favor, give us a ring," Aume answered.
"You're not troubling us, really. You should count yourselves lucky our families aren't trying to pay you back as well," Lilith said with a grin.
"And don't feel like you have to rush, either. We'll be ready, willing, and happy to be of any service to you when you think of something we can help you with, even if it's years from now!" Maruberu said.
"Ah, well, if you're sure. . ." Goku said, a little taken aback. "But really, we don't mind calling it even as is. I mean, if you count the healing of Chi-Chi and myself as _two_ separate favors."
"It's no trouble for us, really! And healing you both was one favor," Lilith answered, a small giggle escaping her.
"At any rate, it's late; we'll go for now. Give us a ring when you need us!" Aume said, ready to cast the departure spell.
"Wait, hold up - at least help us clean up the living room!" Goten objected, looking first at the slight mess and then up at the three elves.
"Oh. . .right," Aume said, blushing a tiny bit. Lilith quickly gathered up the stones and returned them to the yard, while everyone else moved the furniture back to its place. Once everything was back to how it was before, the elf-women bid farewell, and cast the spell to take them home.
That night, the Son family went about their normal evening business, except for Goten, who convinced himself that, by concentrating real hard, he could make his tail grow back. Eventually, he gave up on that notion, got a book, and settled himself on the couch between his parents to read. Sitting on the couch, Chi-Chi was looking at a newspaper, and Goku was half- reading a book, distracted by other thoughts. His mind kept wandering over the events of the last nine days. He was staring into space, deep in his reverie, when he heard a little snore by his side. He glanced down and saw Goten, sound asleep, his little head leaning against his mother, with one small hand on his father's leg. Goku smiled softly, set down his book, and gathered his little son into his embrace.
"Someone needs to be put to bed!" he said quietly, standing up as he lifted the slumbering boy into his arms. "I'll tuck him in, then I'm going to our room," he told Chi-Chi, who nodded in understanding, watching as he carried Goten to the room the Son children shared. Gohan was already there, finishing some homework at his desk, and silently smiled over at his father when he came in with Goten. Goku gently placed the boy in his bed, pulled the covers around him securely, and then went to the room he shared with his wife.
Chi-Chi came in a minute later, fully expecting her husband to be unclothed and waiting for her. Instead, she found Goku sitting on the edge of the bed, his elbows on his knees, and his face in one hand. He looked lost in thought, and deeply distressed about something.
"Goku. . .?" Chi-Chi carefully ventured, wondering what was wrong.
"Chi-Chi, I. . .I'm sorry!" Goku said suddenly, lifting his misery- riddled face to look her in the eyes. Chi-Chi stared at him for a moment, confused.
"Sorry? For what?" Chi-Chi asked gently as she sat beside him on the bed. "You couldn't have stopped Davin sooner, I know that. . ."
"Not just Davin. . .what Davin said. . .I'm sorry I keep leaving you alone!" Goku said quickly, the words tumbling out of his mouth in a some- what confused jumble. Chi-Chi struggled for a few moments for an answer, but none came. "Davin was right about one thing; I keep leaving you and the kids alone. . .after the fight with Frieza. . ."
Chi-Chi quickly interjected, "You told me that you were healing during most of that time; that if the Dragon _had_ brought you back to Earth when we wished, the sudden jolt could've killed you!" What in the world had Davin said that brought this on?!
"And that's the truth! But even so, I--I could've come home sooner-- months sooner! While I was healing, I'd seen some Yardrat-jins using Instant Transmission, and I wanted to know how they did that. I thought, at first, it'd only take a few days to learn how to do it, and then I could use it to get home in a snap. But their training took a lot longer than I'd anticipated; by then I realized Yardrat and Earth are too far apart, and I couldn't feel anything here to lock onto and teleport. So I had to take the pod back. . .but I barely understood the controls, and didn't know how to override the stasis command. . .I'm lucky the Yardrat-jins were able to program it for Earth. . .I was asleep until the computer woke me up to tell of Frieza's ship being nearby! And I still didn't use Instant Transmission to get home, because I wanted to see what Frieza was up to! And then, fighting Cell. . ." Goku's voice was rushed, becoming choked with tears of guilt. Chi-Chi felt tears of her own welling up at the sight of her husband's inner pain.
"You died to save us, Goku!" Chi-Chi tried again to cut him off and calm him down.
"For all the good it did! And I could've let myself be wished back, but I chose to stay dead. . .!" Tears were flowing unchecked down his cheeks now, and Chi-Chi felt her heart ache at the look of agonized guilt on her mate's face.
"We've talked about this before! You had your reasons! You thought your presence was bringing danger to us! Raditz came here looking for you, and that led Vegeta and Nappa here. Frieza came here to seek revenge on you for defeating him. Dr. Gero built the Androids and Cell to _kill you_ in retaliation for the Red Ribbon Army's demise. Your paranoia wasn't exactly baseless!" Chi-Chi offered again. "Don't get me wrong, I wish you had let yourself be wished back. . ."
"Maybe it wasn't baseless, but it wasn't right, either! And I left you alone with two children to raise when Babidi and Buu showed up to begin their reign of terror! I can't imagine how hard it must've been!" Goku answered, as Davin's words rang painfully in his ears - "You left her while she was pregnant, you bastard! What kind of 'loving husband' does that?!"
"It was a stupid, selfish decision! What kind of a husband am I, what kind of father?! I didn't even stop to tell the boys I'd found someone to help me save you! I just took off! I didn't think about them at all!" Goku pressed his face back into his right hand as his tears increased in number and his voice began to crack. Chi-Chi swallowed down a lump in her throat.
"You're not perfect, far from it," Chi-Chi admitted quietly. "As for leaving the boys to save me - you were a wreck, everyone knew that. . .you were half-starved, nearly crazed. . .you weren't thinking clearly."
"Kami, it. . .it's amazing that. . .why don't you all hate me?" Goku asked in a quiet, sad voice. Chi-Chi stared at him in stunned silence. She couldn't answer with words. Through the bond, Goku sensed conflicting thoughts and feelings darting through her mind. He found a small ball of hurtful memories that Chi-Chi normally kept tucked away. There had been times--when he was healing from the Frieza fight, rough points in her pregnancy with Goten, rough times when Goten was small--when she _had_ hated him for leaving them, had been angry with him beyond words, had thought he was nothing but a selfish bastard, but those harsh feelings had never lasted more than a few minutes. Because she knew he wasn't doing it to purposely hurt her, that he loved her, doted on their children, and wanted all of them to be happy, even if he wasn't always there. . .she couldn't quite explain to herself why she always forgave him, but she could never bring herself to truly hate him. He was her other half. Gohan and Goten nearly worshiped him; they'd never hate him. And Chi-Chi would never hate him for very long. "I'm _sorry_! I'm _so sorry_! If I could take it all back, I would!" Goku's eyes pleaded with her for understanding.
"Goku. . .you told Gohan you'd be watching over us, but you didn't know about Goten at all when you came back. . ." Chi-Chi ventured. She didn't want to add to his guilt and pain, but this was something about which she'd always been curious.
"I did watch over you. . .from time to time. . .windows to the living world aren't always available up there. . .almost never are, in fact. . .and, more. . .every time I saw you and Gohan, I felt so guilty about what I'd done to you. . .I could never watch for long before it became unbearable. Chi-Chi. . .did I ever tell you how I first reached Super Saiyan 3?" Goku asked quietly, tears still running down his cheeks like rivers. Chi-Chi blinked, confused by the sudden seeming switch in topic.
"No, no you didn't. Why?" Chi-Chi asked slowly.
"Because. . .I discovered it one day, not more than a year ago. . .I'd already found a way to reach SS2; but I'd been growing increasingly angry and bitter on the other side. I missed you and Gohan and my friends so badly. . .at first, I was angry with Gero and Cell; if it hadn't been for them, I'd have been home with you, safe and happy. But then, one day, my anger turned inward, where it really belonged. I _hated_ myself, Chi- Chi. I absolutely _despised_ myself for choosing to stay dead, for leaving you and Gohan alone! I'm not fully sure of what happened then; all I remember was being swallowed up in anger and self-hate; it felt like I was reaching into a deep pool inside myself and pulling out a power I'd never seen before. . .a power that could destroy me, as I wished at that moment. I was in some kind of trance, I think. . .I came out of it in time to keep the new power from tearing my soul apart, but just barely. It took some time, but I managed to find a way to reach into that pool without becoming enraged with myself. . .and it was shortly thereafter that King Kai told me I could be sent back to Earth for one day as a reward for my good deeds. At first, I thought I'd just spend it with you and Gohan, but then I heard Gohan talking about the Tournament, and I thought, 'Hey, I could see my friends, too, if I go there'. . .and. . .I just. . .gave up spending most of the day with you for no good reason. . ."
"I can understand wanting to see your friends too! I don't fault you for that!" Chi-Chi quickly interjected. It was true; she couldn't be mad at him for wanting to see his friends as well during that one day back, and one day just wasn't enough time to track them all down and spend time with them. Using the Tournament as a gathering point made sense! During the day he'd spend time with everyone, and then he'd spend the evening with his family. That was the original plan, anyway. But when a Supreme Kai shows up asking for help, you don't say 'no.'
"Chi-Chi. . .I love you. I love our sons. I don't know why I act the way I do sometimes; why I'm so irresponsible at times. . .but I swear, I didn't mean to hurt you, or make your life harder. . .Kami, I love you all so much. . ." Goku whispered, more tears falling from his black eyes. After seven years' absence, he'd discovered that he held his family even dearer to himself than before. "I swear, I'll do better from now on!"
"I love you, too, Goku. I always have, and always will. Even when I'm mad at you, and think I hate you, I love you. I won't say I'm happy about the times you left me alone, but I won't hold them against you, either. I forgive you, Goku. And I know you'll do better from now on, because, Kami willing, there won't be a reason for you to leave again," Chi- Chi answered gently but firmly, wrapping her arms around him.
"There won't ever be a reason good enough for me to leave you again," Goku agreed. Chi-Chi closed her eyes, leaning into him, and he met her lips with his own. They kissed deeply for several moments. When they parted, Chi-Chi's cheeks where flushed and her lips were swollen from the kisses.
"Goku," she whispered, using her fingers to tenderly wipe away the last traces of his tears. "Make love to me now."
She undressed quickly, as did he, and she quietly admired her mate's beautiful body for a moment as he admired hers in turn. He began kissing her again, leaning her back onto the bed, and Chi-Chi wrapped her arms tightly around him. They were of one mind, needing to drive away the pain and fear of the last week with each other's nearness, each other's bodies. They parted for a moment and Goku lowered his head to kiss her neck and chest. Chi-Chi sighed, humming in pleasure at his light, teasing touch, and turned her eyes for a moment to watch Goku's tail twitch lightly as it laid on the sheets beside them. He'd never had his tail when they made love before and she couldn't help but wonder what he would do with it. She had two distinctly vivid memories concerning his tail. One was of how much it hurt him when she squeezed or pulled it; the other memory about his tail was how soft and bushy the fur felt. Just for fun, she reached out and gently stroked the fur, figuring a soft touch wouldn't hurt him. Goku gasped suddenly at the feel and pulled back a bit, and Chi-Chi jerked her hand back.
"Oh! I'm sorry! Did that. . .hurt?" Chi-Chi asked, somewhat alarmed by his abrupt reaction, but the flushed look on his face told her it had been anything but painful.
"N-no. It felt _good_. . ._very_ good. . .do it again," he said huskily, and Chi-Chi gently reached out again to stroke the soft fur of Goku's tail. His breathing deepened as her fingers ran the entire length of the furry, brown appendage, stroking and rubbing gently. A pleasure- filled moan escaped Goku and his eyes squeezed shut, and Chi-Chi felt herself flush deeper with excitement as she watched him respond to her touch. The place where his tail had been had always been extremely sensitive; if she pressed it just right, he went almost wild with passion, but this seemed to feel even better to him. Her eyes started to do a quick once-over of him, to take in just how much of an affect her hands were having, and then they went full out, working the tail in as they went along.
As Chi-Chi's second climax washed over her senses, Goku set his teeth and bit deeply into her flesh. Chi-Chi let out a strangled cry of pain and pleasure, and then buried her own head into Goku's shoulder, biting him as hard as she could, her teeth barely sinking into his muscular flesh. Goku's scream of pleasure and pain was greater than Chi-Chi's; normally, he would've held out longer, but at that moment he had little control over himself. After breathing deeply for a few moments, he began to pleasure her again, determined to give her as much happiness as he could, and to drive away his own fears and doubts.
"I love you, Chi-Chi!" he panted.
"I love you, too, Goku! Always!" Chi-Chi answered, smiling up at him, her eyes bright with love and desire. He buried his face in her hair so she wouldn't notice the few happy tears that escaped from his eyes and mingled with the sweat on his cheeks.
Hours later, Goku and Chi-Chi slept happily in each other's arms, shoulders slightly sore from the markings. It was the most peaceful sleep either had had in close to ten days. All they knew was each other; lost in their shared warmth and the matched beating of their strong hearts. Davin was all but forgotten. In their own room, Gohan and Goten slept soundly, comforted by the secure feeling that their parents were nearby and together, just as it should be. A strong wind blew, making the trees bend and creak outside the cozy, warm house, and a tiny piece of ash, sparkling a very faint green, drifted by. It hovered for a moment in the sky, high above the Son house, then the sparkle faded and the dead ash blew away into the night.
The End **************************************************************************** ** And there you have it! The ash? Just a tiny remnant from the Ahdicionious, as it loses the last few drops of its power. Also, there's now a whole new reason for why Goku didn't want Kari touching his "tail- spot" in The Lady Kari - if she had, she would've felt his tail! Heehee! I hope you all enjoyed this!
Yes, I know how DBZ ends, but I don't think it's in-character for Goku to just up and leave his family for ten years, and I seriously hate it, so I ignore it in my fics. And now, I've rewritten the ending, so it doesn't matter anymore!
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