Disclaimer: I don't own DB/Z/GT.
A/N: I'm not sure what I was getting at here. This little plot bunny just popped up it's adorable little head in my mind and I sat down and typed away the instant it appeared. I think it turned out well. I hope you enjoy, and tell me what you think at the end! :)
A Solid Dose of Reality
Goku calmly sat in the living room as he waited for ChiChi to finish getting ready to go out to dinner in West City. ChiChi always dressed modestly, but as she grew older, she tended to spend more time making herself what she called 'decent'. Goku never understood the need for this. He always thought she looked good in everything or nothing at all.
Goku sat up on the couch he was perched on, suddenly interested in the many pictures on the walls. Having walked by them every day, he found it hard to believe he hadn't ever spent any time to look at them, really examine them.
The majority of them were pictures of the family, but there were speckles here and there of close friends as well. There were a lot of Gohan's baby pictures. There was a photograph of Goten riding Goku's shoulders piggy-back style. Goku smiled warmly at the fond memory. Gohan and Goten were the greatest kids! His eyes then caught a picture of the whole family at the beach. Goten was a little older in this picture. There were friends there as well. Trunks and Goten seemed to be working on their sly plan to bury the Prince of all Saiyans in the gorgeous white-powdered sand.
Goku laughed and then his eyes suddenly landed upon Pan. He fondly touched her miniature with his index finger. She was only a toddler at the time, but she was a feisty one! Goku was lifting her up in the air and swinging her around like an airplane. He could almost hear the reminiscent sound of her pretending to be the fastest jet in the world, faster than a Super Saiyan 3, she had said. "NEEEAOOOOR…. NEEEAOOOR…" came her impersonation of the plane whooshing through the air.
Goku then laid his eyes upon a picture of him and Bulma standing side by side. He was only 12, and she must have been about 16. They both had grins spread across her face. They were also both holding up a peace sign, but unbeknownst to Goku at the time, Bulma's peace sign was directly behind his head. She was giving him bunny ears. He looked so goofy. Goku couldn't help but laugh out loud at this.
His fluctuating attention soon rested upon his and ChiChi's wedding picture, and just as he was thinking of how beautiful ChiChi was and how lucky he was to be her husband, as if on cue, ChiChi walked into the room.
She came up behind him, and put her arm around his waist, he then did the same in return, pecking her on the forehead as he did so. ChiChi was now a woman of 70 years of age. Wrinkles were scattered here and there across her face, but her skin still held a quality of blemish-free creamy smoothness. Her skin wasn't quite as elastic in certain places anymore, but regardless of her age, she was still full of youthful vitality. She had her salt and pepper hair pulled back into a tight bun. This gave Goku the sudden urge to pull it out and dishevel it, but he knew that this would only make her angry, so he chose to save that until later.
Without much thought, Goku randomly blurted out, "Why don't we have another baby, ChiChi?"
ChiChi was taken aback for a moment, but she quickly regained her composure. She cupped Goku's chin in her hands and smiled at him gently. Goku knew this smile. This was the smile that she gave him whenever he said something naïve. Goku instantly regretted asking. He didn't want ChiChi to think that he was stupid. He didn't want to embarrass her.
"Goku, honey, we can't have another baby," she answered softly, drawing her hands back down to her sides.
Goku was aware that he should let it end here, but he was curious as to why. "Why not?" he asked with a playful pout.
"It's simple Goku. I'm just too old to have a baby," she replied with a slight frown. She hated it when the topic of her age was brought up. It put a spotlight on how much younger Goku looked. Goku still looked like a young man of 20 years.
"But ChiChi!" he whined, "You aren't old!"
"I am too!" she argued back, but laughed as she did so. At least in Goku's eyes she would always be young and beautiful.
"But… really Goku. When a woman gets to a certain age, she goes through something called menopause. This slowly makes it to where a woman can no longer have babies," ChiChi further explained.
"When did this menopause thing happen?" Goku asked, slightly curious, but at the same time rather disappointed.
ChiChi blushed. 'Great!' she thought, 'Let's just bring up the subject of how old I am again!'
"Well, Goku… it happened when I was 48, so I haven't been able to have a baby for 22 years," she continued.
"Oh… yep… we're not having another baby!" Goku replied with a nervous laugh.
ChiChi frowned.
"It's no big deal, Chi. I still get to look forward to more grandchildren! I just wish they'd be a little more interested in the martial arts, that's all."
ChiChi laughed at this. 'That's just my typical Goku, always thinking about who to fight next.'
"Well don't forget about me!" ChiChi replied indignantly. "I still give you a run for your money."
Goku snickered, "Yeah, you do!"
It was true, even at 70, ChiChi was still an awesome martial artist. She got more involved in fighting again once Goten left the roost. She and Goku had been sparring every day since. She was as fit as a woman of 40. The doctors were always amazed when she came in for physicals.
"Maybe we can spar after dinner?" Goku suggested/pleaded.
"Oh… alright, Goku, you win," ChiChi replied.
"Alright Chi! You're the best!" he shouted, giving her a great-big bear-hug.
Later That Night at a Restaurant Somewhere in West City:
Clink… tap… clink… tink… tap… clink…
"Goku!" ChiChi hissed, slapping at Goku's hand as a sort of reprimand, "for Kami's sake, how old are you, five? Stop playing with your silverware!"
Goku scratched the back of his head sheepishly, "Oh sorry, Chi. I'll try to stop."
"And put a napkin on your lap!" she continued. "I swear, I can never get the stains out of your clothes!"
"Yes, ChiChi."
"Good evening," announced the newly-approached waiter with a friendly smile.
"Good evening, sir," replied ChiChi politely.
"Hi!" chimed Goku happily. 'Ooooohhhh… the waiter's here, it won't be long until… food!'
"So nice of you to take your grandmother out for a night on the town," continued the waiter with his practiced pleasant small-talk.
"My grandma?" Goku spoke dumbfounded, "I don't have a…"
Goku paused as his eyes locked on to ChiChi's face. Her face was beet-red, and she looked embarrassed/enraged at the same time. Suddenly, a long time after the fact, everything suddenly clicked in Goku's head.
The waiter seemed to have caught his mistake as well, "Er… I'm sorry, ma'am, obviously you're his mother; you look much too young to be his grandmother. It was an honest mistake. You must excuse my conduct!"
ChiChi couldn't seem to find her voice so Goku intervened for her. "She's my wife!" he stated plainly.
"Oh my!" the waiter exclaimed, backing away nervously, "I'm so sorry, and what a lovely wife she is!"
And with that said, the waiter bolted out of the room in sheer embarrassment.
"ChiChi…" Goku began frantically, noticing tears well up in her eyes, "… please don't cry! I don't think you're old. I love you! I think you're beautiful!"
"I am old," ChiChi sobbed.
"Fine!" Goku nearly shouted. "Have it your way, ChiChi! You are old, but I don't care! I love you just the way you are, so stop worrying about what other people think!"
"Oh Goku," ChiChi replied with a sniffle.
"What?"
And out of nowhere ChiChi began to start laughing.
"Wha – why are you laughing Chi?" Goku asked in confusion.
ChiChi continued to laugh, suddenly becoming hysterical to the point that tears were running down her flushed cheeks. And in an instant, Goku could swear that ChiChi looked as young as he did.
"Is something wrong?" he questioned nervously.
"Of course not," she replied in-between her bouts of laughter.
"Then why are you laughing? Was something I said funny?"
"No, I just realized that you were telling the truth all along… that you don't think I'm old," she said, calming herself down a bit. "It's funny because I didn't notice it sooner, but really, I was just laughing at the expression on your face when he said I'm your grandma!"
ChiChi tried to suppress her laughter.
"I don't get what's so funny about that!" Goku replied, utterly confused.
"That's why I love you," spoke ChiChi with a genuinely happy smile.