A/N: sorry for the long wait!

Meeting in the Middle

Chapter 6: Understanding

Goku wasn't one to overthink things, especially when his gut was telling him something. It was his gut feeling that made him leave the only life he knew to go with Bulma in the first place and become a martial artist. Now, because of this same gut feeling he was standing outside of Kame House waiting for Chichi to cool down after her angry bout. He supposed if he wasn't out here waiting he could be training or finding another fighter to challenge. All things considered he didn't think in what-ifs, and his gut felt content staying put for once instead of its usual yearning to set off and look for adventure.

"You there Goku?" Krillin questioned as he snapped his fingers and yanked Goku from his private musing. "Sometimes I wonder what goes on in that head of yours!"

Goku blinked. "Uh yeah, whaddya say?" He asked, staring wide-eyed at his two friends.

Shaking his head in defeat his best friend asked, "that girl's your partner? What's the deal?"

Yamcha nodded. "Yeah, what's going on? She completely lost it when I got here!"

The shorter man scoffed. "Well you practically pulled a Master Roshi on her, 'who's the babe', really? Bulma and Launch would have decked you for that."

"I kind of get dumb when I'm around pretty girls…or just girls in general. I wish I had an off-switch." Yamcha admitted with a moping tone, a light blush sweeping over his face in embarrassment as he twiddled his fingers.

Goku watched as his friends went on their own tangent about the opposite sex. Usually when he didn't understand something and had no interest in it, like women, their comments would flow in and out of his head without a second thought. He'd come to accept this a little after being exposed to people and realizing how small his scope was of the world. He would never be able to comprehend technology like Bulma, or women like his male friends.

Even though he had no interest in such things his friends' perception and scrutiny of women never ceased to amaze him. They could tell the difference between women by their appearance; some they called pretty, some were ugly. To Goku, he supposed it was like being able to tell if another fighter possessed strength or weakness by their appearance, but he also knew appearances could be deceiving. So how could his friends tell the difference by how women looked on the outside? Maybe some looked ugly, but inside they were pretty. He vaguely wondered if they ever considered the possibility.

"Is Chichi pretty?" He wondered out loud to no one in particular.

Both men jolted at the question and looked at Goku like he'd grown a second head.

After a long pause Krillin chuckled in amazement. "I never expected you would care about that stuff."

"So is she?" He asked again bluntly.

The two other fighters looked at one another, before nodding slowly. "Well yeah, you can't tell?" Yamcha asked.

Goku shrugged. "How?"

Krillin shook his head at his naïve friend with a knowing smirk. "You just have to look at her. I mean you can't tell me you look at her and see nothing you like!"

What he liked? Did he like what he saw? He reflected on it, picturing Chichi flying beside him on Nimbus, taking him on in a fight, and showing her fiery attitude in front of his friends. He liked that; he felt it in his gut.

Before he could tell his friends his revelation a scream came from inside the Kame House.

"YOU PERVERTS!" He could hear Chichi screech at the top of her lungs as Master Roshi and Oolong plummeted out the front door.

Krillin and Yamcha yelped in alarm as Chichi charged out of the house with a seething glare and her fists raised high in the air.

"You're going to pay for even thinking about touching me!" She shouted, eyes ablaze with a look that told both of her victims she wasn't done with them yet. Faster than even Krillin or Yamcha could follow she began to chase them up and down the small beach.

The bald monk shrugged and chuckled in his nervous way. "Well I guess she's acquainted with everyone now."

"Yeah, but did you see how she threw them both through the door?! That's some strength right there!" Yamcha exclaimed wearily, eyes still on the three runners.

Goku couldn't agree more and nodded in excitement. "She's a great fighter!" He praised. "I trained with her a bit earlier and even though she's not as strong as me it was fun!" He said all in one breath.

Krillin eyed Goku knowingly. "Oh now I see." He drawled.

"See what?" Goku asked, turning around to see if there was anything behind him.

"Oh nothing. Just for a second there I thought you started getting interested in girls, but I guess you just like having another sparring partner around." His shorter friend stated with a dismissive wave of his hand.

Yamcha nodded at that. "Yeah, I knew it was too good to be true. Let's go inside, it's getting hot out here and those three will probably be at it for a while." He said gesturing to the violent chase. Taking the broken door off its hinges he lead them inside the cool house.

Goku didn't really now what to think of Krillin and Yamcha's words. Why were they so put off when he praised Chichi's fighting? He knew they both loved to fight, not to the extent that he did, but enough to get somewhat excited about a new sparring partner. There was also a strange bubbling feeling inside as he thought more about it. Of course he relished in the idea of a new sparring partner, but that wasn't all Chichi was to him.

Looking across the small white beach he easily spotted her catching up to his perverted master and his pig friend. She moved in a vicious and agile fashion not even Goku could replicate with his more bulky frame. A small smile graced his lips as he studied her movements; Krillin and Yamcha could think whatever they wanted, it was just something he couldn't form into words.

After Chichi was done with what she deemed justified punishment the group sat around the living room table and caught up with one another briefly. Goku sat cross-legged next to Chichi, as he was the only one brave enough to do so, and across from his two friends and Puar.

"Heck Goku, I almost thought it would be another three years from now before I saw you again." Krillin stated with a laugh.

The younger man shrugged, "Yeah, I was planning to go on another journey around the world and get stronger just in case Piccolo wanted another fight, but then I met Chichi." He said, looking over to his new comrade with a wide grin.

She smiled back briefly only to frown a moment later. "You're still planning on doing that Goku, as much as I hate the idea." She scoffed, folding her arms.

"Aw Chi! I can't help it if Piccolo wants another fight! I can't let him take over the world!" Goku whined as he leaned in closer to her as she recoiled.

"As if that's the only reason why you'd fight him again, even though you almost got yourself killed!" She shouted.

Krillin and Yamcha sweat dropped at sight of their friend trying to placate the woman with slits for eyes and snarling lips. Judging by how familiar they were around one another it was hard to imagine they only knew each other for days instead of years.

"Well I guess you know all about Goku's obsession with fighting. You can't help, but get used to it." Yamcha chuckled, scratching the back of his head.

Chichi rolled her eyes. "It wasn't hard to figure out, but it doesn't mean I have to get used to it or put up with it." She said with a firm tone.

Goku merely laughed it off while his friends shared a concerned look, but said nothing.

They sat talking for some time, Krillin and Goku shared in most of the reminiscing, while Master Roshi and Oolong offered the group food as a sort of peace offering to Chichi. She accepted and even offered to help which made Goku drool with excitement as he watched her go into the kitchen.

"Man Goku you really got yourself in a fix with her." He heard Krillin murmur lightly. Both his friends were hunched close together staring at the kitchen uneasily.

"What'cha mean?" He asked. Sometimes his friends' phrases made no sense to him and usually he just ignored it because it would annoy them to have to explain, but he knew it was something about Chichi and he felt his interest pique unexpectedly.

"You don't really know this girl all that well Goku and she doesn't seem happy with you fighting, doesn't that bother you?" Yamcha asked.

Krillin nodded. "Yeah, it's like she wants to change you or something."

Goku stared at two blankly for a moment trying to process their words only to be more confused than ever. "But Chichi loves to fight. We trained together and everythin', why do you guys think that?"

His friends shared a frustrated look only to be interrupted by Turtle carrying a bowl of food on his shell and Oolong with a stack of plates. Lunch was being served and their conversation was put on a momentary halt, but that didn't stop Goku from thinking over what was said.

So lost in thought he didn't catch Chichi smile as she placed a large plate food in front of him. "I can't believe I'm sayin' this, but don't let the food go to waste Goku!" She exclaimed.

Shaking the unresolved questions out of his head he sent her a disarming grin and dug in quickly. Chichi's cooking skills were evident as the group sat in silence, too in engrossed in their meals to make conversation. Goku, of course beat all his friends as the biggest eater and mess-maker much to Chichi's chagrin. As cook she also offered to help clean up which gave Krillin and Yamcha a chance to quickly steal Goku away.

Once outside Goku began stretching. "How 'bout a spar?" He asked, squatting his legs back and forth.

"Uh Goku we weren't done talking about your problem with Chichi." The bald monk said with a raised brow.

Goku shrugged while stretching his arms over his head. "I already told you guys you got it all wrong. Chichi loves fightin', you'll see when she comes out here and I ask her to train."

Almost on cue Chichi propped open the door and stepped outside. "So this is where you guys are, enjoying the ocean breeze?"

Goku perked up as soon as he saw her. "You wanna train, Chichi?" He asked enthusiastically.

Chichi sighed and her face soured. "No way, especially not after a big meal like that. Most fighters don't eat a lot before a fight Goku, it's just common sense." She chided.

"She's got a point." Master Roshi said offhandedly as he stepped outside, already heading towards his lawn chair with a magazine in hand.

Goku pouted at her refusal. Maybe his friends weren't so wrong about Chichi. He always had trouble understanding women whereas they both prided themselves on their expertise, maybe they saw something in Chichi he couldn't even though he spent the most time with her. That odd feeling in his stomach shot up again at the thought.

"By the way." Chichi spoke up, breaking the silence as she eyed the scar-faced fighter. "Goku and I actually came to give you something Yamcha." She said as she pulled a capsule out of her pocket and threw it to him.

He caught it instinctively and stared at it in frustrated disbelief. "Not again…" He complained with a groan.

"What's that?" Krillin prodded with a smirk; trying to get a better look at the capsule.

"Damn it Bulma! I uh…I better go call her!" He exclaimed in panic, running towards the house.

Krillin snorted and followed hot on his heels. "I gotta hear this!"

Almost as soon as the door slammed behind him both Goku and Chichi could hear Master Roshi cackling from his chair at his student's misfortune, even Chichi couldn't help but join in.

"What's so funny?" Goku asked, for once wanting to be in on the joke.

"No offense, but your friends don't know much about women." Chichi giggled, covering her mouth with both hands.

Now Goku was sure he didn't understand at all. "Wha-? Really? But they always talk about how they know everythin' about 'em!"

His statement only made his teacher laugh harder, almost falling from his chair in hysterics. Chichi rolled her eyes, a reaction he noticed she often made when she was about to give him a lesson in social ethics.

With her hands now on her hips he was more than ready for her lecturing to commence only for her to let out a sigh and drop her arms as she turned back to the house. "You're gullible sometimes. I better go back inside and finish cleaning."

Feeling unsettled he called out to her. "Wait Chichi! What do you mean 'bout that?"

She waved him off, opening the front door and gliding inside. "Don't worry about it Goku, it's not stuff that'd interest you."

With that she was gone and Goku was left standing on the beach still dumbfounded and somehow troubled.

That Night

While Kame House already had more than a few extra guests Master Roshi graciously allowed the two to stay the night with a personal invitation just for Chichi to share his bed, apparently it had the softest mattress in the house, or so he said. The young woman of course put him in his place quite forcefully and instead opted to use her sleeping bag in the living room next to Goku and Krillin.

"I better head off to bed, I have an early day tomorrow." Yamcha said, breezing up the stairs and giving the group a short wave.

Krillin said goodnight and slyly turned to Chichi and Goku as soon as Yamcha's door was closed. "We all know where he's running to tomorrow with his tail between his legs, right? Can he be anymore whipped?" He snickered.

Goku said nothing as he thought how hard it would be to walk with his tail between his legs and wondered if that would've made for good training. Chichi on the other hand shook her head in annoyance. "Typical male." She said glaring at the short monk. "There's nothing wrong with apologizing!"

The young martial artist watched as his bald friend nervously excused himself to use the bathroom as if that would deter Chichi's ire; she just snorted and went to get her sleeping bag.

"Goku, Bulma gave us a capsule with another sleeping bag, it's much better than just sleeping on the floor." She said, looking through her belongings to get it for him.

He nodded briskly and walked towards the front door. "I'm gonna go outside for some trainin'."

"But it's late! You're not pulling this stunt again!" She shouted getting up from the floor, ready to march up to him.

He waved her off in his usual carefree way and stepped outside quicker than she could reach him. He didn't see her face as he closed the door, but he could practically hear her teeth grinding together in anger. "If you're still out there by midnight I'm kicking you into the ocean!" She screeched, but to his surprise said nothing more.

Goku rarely thought of keeping track of the time during his training since he never had to worry about a curfew since his grandpa died. While Grandpa Gohan was a lenient man he had a strict curfew set in place and although Goku dutifully followed his grandpa's rules there were occasions he lost track of time and stayed out later than usual. One such time was the night of his grandpa's demise to the giant monster. Since then he listened to his gut more when there were nights that felt ominous and went to straight to bed without a second thought.

However, tonight and the nights before were pleasant for training. The moon was a luminous crescent shape in the sky and the stars were gleaming more than ever. He lost himself to his training in those moments, and while he didn't blast kamehamehas into the ocean in curtsey of everyone sleeping, he still pushed himself to exertion for hours on end.

Hours later Goku heard the front door creak open and a fuming young woman approach on the other side of it.

"I knew you'd still be out." She hissed as she stomped up to him.

Seeing Chichi again brought back everything he had forgotten about today and that odd unpleasant feeling came back.

"Hey Chichi, I haven't trained all day y'know!" He replied, but grew sheepish as soon as he caught her fierce stare. Trying to avoid eye contact he looked down and noticed her clothing for the first time. She wore a simple cotton nightgown and while it sensibly covered her frame it still alluded to the shape of her supple body. It was nothing like what the women in Master Roshi's magazines wore or even on par with some of Bulma's outfits, but its soft sheerness took Goku off-guard for a moment.

Her tsking brought back his attention to her face and he resisted the urge to poke her puffed out cheeks as he sent her a disarming smile. "Time got away from me, sorry."

She huffed. "I wanted to leave early tomorrow, but I stayed up waitin' for you. Now how am I going to wake up at sunrise?"

"Awe, you didn't have to stay up, I would've gone to bed eventually!" He exclaimed only for Chichi to slam her hand down on his mouth. He could feel her thin fingers pressed against his lips closely. "Stop being so loud." She hissed quietly.

Goku sent her an impish look with his eyes and did the first thing that popped into his head; he playfully licked her palm. She shrieked in horror, cheeks tinged pink, and quickly retracted her hand.

"Goku!"

"Now who's the loud one?" He snickered.

Her darkening expression noticeably simmered as he gave her his innocent grin. He was finding a new niche for himself in pushing her buttons; it was so easy to create a furious reaction in her, but it was just as easy to tame it with a simple smile.

She huffed offhandedly and wiped her hand on the front of her nightgown. "Honestly Goku, you can be so immature."

His smile faltered at her words and he turned to look at the waves. Something about what she said didn't sit right with him; just like all of today didn't feel right to him.

He sensed her confusion without her gazing in her direction.

"I don't think I've seen that look on your face before. Is something bothering you?" She asked, and he could hear the concern laced in her voice. She closed in on him slowly and he finally turned to her.

"Maybe." He answered finally. "I don't know what it is."

Chichi looked thoughtful for a moment, then guilty. "Was it because I called you immature? Sometimes I just say things, don't take it personally." She said with a hint of embarrassment.

Goku shook his head. "It ain't really that. I know you don't say it to be mean or anything."

"Then what is it?"

"All day it felt like I didn't understand anything that Krillin, Yamcha, and you were sayin'. It was like a big inside joke no one wanted to tell me." There he said it, he put it into words somehow and yet he wasn't sure if Chichi would understand, hell he really didn't understand what he saying. He felt so strange, almost not himself, talking about something that would otherwise seem so trivial to him.

Chichi placed a comforting hand on his arm, "I'm sorry I made you feel like that. What were Krillin and Yamcha talking about?"

"Women." He answered bluntly.

Chichi averted her gaze briefly, "O-oh." She said faltering. "I didn't think you were interested in that kind of talk."

"Yeah, I don't care about that stuff. When it's some woman I don't know, why does it matter? But a lot of it was about you, and I guess that made me want to understand."

Her eyes widened considerably, and for a moment Goku thought he had said something wrong as she took a step back. Instead, a slow smile crept on her face, "You want to understand for me?" She asked in what sounded like disbelief.

Goku's eyebrow arched in bewilderment at her surprise. "Well yeah!" He exclaimed. "You're not just some random lady my friends are talking 'bout, you're my friend too."

Giggling, she rolled her eyes. "You really have a way with words Son Goku."

"Thanks!" He piped up proudly.

"But what exactly were your friends saying about me?"

"It's not a big deal!" Goku said, waving his hands back and forth anxiously. He didn't like what his friends said, but he didn't want any bodily harm to come to either of them.

"I know, don't worry I promise I won't go after them." She said with a chuckle and then thought for a moment and her face turned sour. "Well as long as it's not perverted."

While still apprehensive Goku was satisfied with that promise and decided it was best just to say it. Maybe Chichi would clear up his confusion and he could finally go back to being himself after today.

"They said just that I only like you around for fightin' and you hate it and want to change me. It really confused me, I thought they were so good at understanding women it made me feel kind of bad they knew you better than I did just 'cause I don't really care about that stuff."

They were both silent for a moment. He studied Chichi's face and noticed the slight crease in her forehead meant she was thinking hard about what he said.

Not a second later her head shot up and she smiled up at him. "You just said we're friends, right Goku?"

He nodded, dumbfounded.

"Then that first part is definitely not true." She chirped happily. "Maybe your friends don't see it yet, but we do and that's all that matters. As for the other things I just want to say I worry about you. I know you're the best fighter on Earth, but I still hate that you'll throw your life away for a good fight. I don't want to get used to the idea; maybe one day when I get to know you better I'll accept it, but you'll have to accept that I'll always hate it." She said firmly.

Goku smiled in relief at her words. It had all been a misunderstanding, something not even his friends were right about.

"I guess I already accept it 'cause it means you care." He said with reprieve in his voice.

She smiled back, her black eyes glimmering from the reflection of the moon. "Your friends aren't the only ones that know everything, what they were saying bothered you, didn't it?"

"Yeah." He nodded, looking down at his stomach, "I had this gut feeling it was wrong, but they always were better at this stuff than me."

"It's good to get advice Goku, but it's also good to listen to your gut." She giggled and patted his stomach.

"Thanks Chichi. So uh…Yamcha and Krillin really don't know anything about women, do they?" He asked bluntly.

She chuckled darkly and wagged her finger. "Let's just say if they keep getting love advice from that deviant master of yours instead of their gut they'll both end up hermits too."

Goku supposed he'd leave it at that as fatigue finally set in over his body. "Wanna go to sleep?"

"Sure." Chichi answered, then turned towards the house as she said, "thank you by the way."

"For what?" He asked as he caught up to her.

She shrugged and smiled softly as she met his questioning gaze. "It's just nice seeing you want to understand things for my sake."

Goku could only think to smile back, but he knew that was enough.

A/N: Hopefully this chapter was satisfying enough, not much happened besides what I hope came off as character and friendship growth. The next chapter will definitely be moving forward narratively.

I also want to apologize again for the long wait. I always intended to continue the story, unfortunately harsh reality and some writer's block got in the way, but since I've been MIA I've gotten reviews and even messages that have all been very encouraging. I also wanted to bring in more to the GoChi community, I'll always love this pairing and both the characters so much and I want to give more to it. So instead of writing a huge essay on why Goku and Chichi are amazing and great together (I totally could do that btw) I'll just continue to write this and I also have an AU one-shot in mind.

Thank you for reading!