A/N: Thank you for reading my story, I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it. The whole point of me wanting to write this fic was because so many people in my life were pregnant at the time, and so I thought today would be the best day to post the final chapter because my friend had her baby boy tonight. I'd love to do a sequel of this story about the family growing up together and stuff, so if I get a chance and find some time to start working on it, I hope to have a new addition to the story sometime in the future as well. Thanks again, now onto the closing chapter.
"Oh wow, he looks just like Goku! He looks just like him! Wow!"
That's the same thing everybody said once Chi-Chi began to show off her new baby boy. And he did in fact look just like his belated father. Chi-Chi cried, she cried her eyes out as soon as she had given birth and saw her new son for the very first time. It was almost as if Goku were there with her now, reincarnated, even though she knew that was impossible. She felt true happiness for the first time since Goku's death, she held the baby close, it was a warm hug of joy. The baby was so much like Goku, he had a big appetite, loved to sleep, and when he cried, you heard it.
"What are you going to name him?"
That was another thing that everybody kept asking, and each time Chi-Chi was thrown off guard. She honestly had no idea. The baby seemed so perfect, so much like her husband, she couldn't be happier now that he was finally brought into the world. But no name she had in mind seemed to fit. Gohan and the others all racked their brains, but every name they suggested she turned down. Of course Ox King broke out his list, but much like the names he threw out for Gohan, none of them seemed to fit his new grandson.
"What are we going to do, it's been days since he was born, he's almost a week old." Gohan sighed, his arms on the table, his head resting on top them. "Thinking up a name is much harder and more tiring than I thought it would be."
"What would Goku want to call him?" Ox King thought aloud.
"Goku…?" Chi-Chi muttered quietly, looking up upon hearing his name. She sighed, frowned and looked back down at the sleeping baby in her arms. "That's right, Goku will never know he had a son, he never realized that he had a new life that he left behind. He will never see him, and the baby will never know his father. He'll only see him in pictures, and in the reflection of a mirror."
"Oh, mom…" Gohan sighed.
"Chi-Chi…" Ox King couldn't think of anything to say to console his daughter.
"Oh Goku." Chi-Chi stared skyward. "What would you name our son? He named Gohan so easily."
"You didn't care for the name at first, but, I think it worked…" Ox King glanced at Gohan.
"Yeah, I wanted Einstein." Chi-Chi smiled in remembrance.
"Yuck!" Gohan stuck out his tongue.
"Yeah, you screamed as a baby." Ox King laughed.
"Well he wailed at your name suggestions too, daddy." Chi-Chi smirked.
"Really? Ah ha hah!" Gohan laughed. "Well I guess my new little brother is just like me, none of the names seem to fit no matter what anybody suggests."
"It took us three days after coming back from Capsule Corp to finally figure out that the name Gohan was a perfect fit." Chi-Chi sighed happily.
"It hasn't been much longer with this one, Goku came to the rescue that day, so this time one of us will have to." Ox King replied.
"That's right." Chi-Chi said with determination. "Goku's not here now, but this little guy is. We can't dwell on the past, because he is the future. But first he needs a name. Gohan? Dad? I'm going to put on some coffee. We're gonna pull an all nighter." She clenched her fist, the two boys shot each other a curious glance.
Hours later…
"Yawn. Ah, mom, I'm tired… can't I go do some homework now?" Gohan groaned, on his back as he lay down on the couch.
"My back hurts from pacing, maybe we should take a snack break." Ox King wiped his brow.
"No! My son can't go on nameless forever, we need a name and we need to pick one now!" Chi-Chi cried. The baby boy, awake now, was enjoying himself, cooing and laughing at the misfortune of his weary family members. "Oh and you just think this is all a game, well you just wait, once we get the perfect name for you it will all be over, and we will have won."
"Mom!" Gohan moaned, was she really going to feud with a baby now? She really needed a rest!
"Oh alright, we can take a break, gosh…" She rolled her eyes. "I need to change him anyway…" She walked into the extra room they had in the house, until the new arrival it had been storage and a random room. "Alright baby." Chi-Chi got to work as the happy baby giggled and cooed up at his mother. She smiled, "You really do remind me of Goku." He laughed. "There, all done." She picked him up. She looked around the room, it was already changed into a baby nursery, it had a crib and dressers and a rocking chair in the corner by a window. "The sun is nice today." She walked over and sat down, cradling the child in her arms. "There you are, my son. Why don't we take a nap, I could really use a rest right about now…" And not much sooner than when she shut her eyes, she had fallen asleep, with the baby boy following right behind her.
'Chi-Chi… Chi-Chi? Chi-Chi, can you hear me Chi-Chi!'
'Ugh… uh, huh? What… whose there, who is that?'
Chi-Chi was so stiff and tired, her eyes felt too heavy to open. But she kept hearing somebody calling out her name. Finally she felt her lids flutter open, when she opened her eyes, the world around her was dark, her visibility was shrouded in wispy fog. She wasn't standing, she wasn't sitting, she was floating in a realm of nothingness, nothing but black and silver fog.
'Chi-Chi.'
'Hello! Where are you who, whose calling me?' She tried to look around, squinting through the fog, trying to force her eyes to adjust, she knew she recognized the voice, but she couldn't place it.
'I'm sorry hun, I guess you can't see me, but I can see you. Chi-Chi I'm standing right here next to you, just put your arms out and you can touch me.'
'What…?' Chi-Chi just hovered there confused, there was nobody in front of her. 'But nothing is there.' She was starting to get nervous, where was her dad, and her two sons. Was she dreaming? Was she delirious?
'Just trust me Chi-Chi, reach out to me, I promise I'll catch you.'
'O….okay…' Chi-Chi didn't know who she was speaking to, even though she knew she knew the voice, but something in the presence of the stranger she felt almost calmed and at ease. 'I'm not really sure what's going on, but…' She lifted her arms and reached out.
'I'm here Chi-Chi, trust me, I'm here…'
'Who, who are you…?' In the instant she reached her hands out, she felt a huge burst of energy surge through her. She wanted to cry out in shock, but only a gasp managed to escape. 'Ah…!' But she wasn't afraid, she felt safe, she felt warm, she felt, she felt something she hadn't felt in a very long time, nearly a year, a feeling she longed for, a feeling she knew, a feeling, she missed.
'I'm so, so incredibly proud of you Chi-Chi. I miss you so much. I guess it makes sense that you can't see me but I can see you. I can see you all, I've been watching every one of you. I miss you all, and I'm so sorry I'm missing out on a new baby. I'm so sorry I wasn't there for you.'
'G…gh…' Chi-Chi couldn't speak, her eyes were open wide.
'Had I known what I would be missing, what I was leaving behind, I would've made the decision to stay here differently. I thought it was wrong for me to come back, I'd be putting you in harm's way, but, in fact, by leaving you, leaving all of you, but especially my family, I may have hurt you more than any enemy ever could. And for that I'm sorry. I didn't want to be selfish, but, I guess that's just how it turned out.'
'G…goh…' Chi-Chi's eyes began to well up with tears.
'You were amazing, you've been so incredible these past 9 months I've been gone. I love you so incredibly much, I can't thank you enough for being the strong one in the family. I know it's been very hard for you, and for Gohan, but I'll always be here, even if I can't touch you, even if you can't see me, I will always be there for you, and for our sons. Our two, incredible sons. I'm sure that little one will grow up to be just like Gohan and me, no, even better. Because he'll live in a tranquil world, one without fighting and the pain of loss. But we will never know each other, and perhaps that's the greatest pain of all. And I'm sorry for inflicting it…… Chi-Chi. I don't have much time left, I didn't have a lot of it available to speak with you right now, but this isn't good bye, I can see you again when you sleep, you can speak to me in your dreams. When you look up in the sky, just know that I'm looking back down on you. You have no idea how much I miss you, how much I love you, how much I wish I could be there for you, to hold you, to play with our sons and watch them grow. There's so much I wish I could say, so much I want to do, and I can't. But, maybe there's no need for talking, if I just hold onto you a little bit longer, then, maybe then you'll understand.'
In the instant she felt embraced, she felt an aura surging around her, the warmth and happiness of being in his arms, the comfort and security she had missed and been longing for, for nearly 10 months of being without. In that moment, there were no more words, but when their bodies melded together she felt everything, there wasn't any more need for talking, that feeling she had missed, longed for... now she understood.
'Gh…goh… Oh Goku.' Tears poured down her face as she closed her eyes. In a flicker of a fraction of time, she could've sworn she saw him standing in a bright world, a green field full of wild flowers, a blue sky lined with puffy clouds, she felt as if she were in paradise with him. 'I love you so much, I miss you. Thank you.'
'Good bye Chi-Chi.' Goku waved. 'Tell…I said hello.'
'Huh, what…?' Chi-Chi hadn't heard the second word.
'Tell…I said hello.'
'Goku, I'm losing you, I can't hear you!' Chi-Chi started to run, reaching out for the fading image as the darkness began to return to her eyes. 'Goku, please wait, Goku!' He faded further away, he cupped his hands around his mouth as he waved, as if he were yelling, but although his mouth was moving, she couldn't hear him, what was he saying?
'Chi-Chi!'
'Chi-Chi!'
'Chi-Chi'
"Chi-Chi!"
"Huh!" Chi-Chi jolted back to reality, panting from the dream once she looked around and realized she had fallen asleep, she was in the rocking chair in the nursery. "What, I…" She blinked up at her father, rubbing some loose bangs on her forehead.
"You were muttering in your sleep." He replied. "Anyway, we have a great idea!"
"Huh?"
"Mom!" Gohan burst forward. "I had a daydream, I think, well, maybe I fell asleep… But anyway, I saw him, I saw dad!"
"Go…Goku!" That was right, Chi-Chi suddenly remembered the dream.
"I know the name, I know what we can call the baby!" Gohan beamed happily.
"Huh…?" Chi-Chi blinked.
"He said, to tell him hello. Tell Goten I said hello. Goten mom, his name is Goten!" Gohan cheered, and as he did, the baby began to laugh and clap happily, just like Gohan had as an infant.
"It's only fitting, Chi-Chi." Ox King smiled. "Goku's son, Gohan's brother, his name should most definitely be Goten. I think it's perfect!"
"Yay! He did it, he saved the day again after all!" Gohan jumped up happily.
"Goten…" She muttered. "Goten." She looked down at the baby who was giggling and squirming with joy in her arms. She smiled, so relived, so incredibly happy, tears crawled down her cheeks. She remembered the feeling in her dream, what Goku had said. He hadn't left his family behind, he hadn't left them at all, he was there, with them, he had left them Goten. She cradled him closely, feeling the warmth she had felt in her dream, and she closed her eyes and whispered, "Goten… your daddy says hello."
I'll see you tonight, my love… if only it weren't just in my dreams.
I love you, I miss you… and I know you're watching us. And I know, that you're proud.
Goku…