With the aid of my good friend, Chrystaline, I have found the... Well, THE line from DBZ!!! Too be frank, I have NO IDEA how I missed this one, but it's just... HILARIOUS!! I couldn't exactly call it a Corny FUNi Dub Line, but it's just TOO HILARIOUS not to mention! This comes from the Frieza Saga right after Gohan, Krillin and Dende summon Porunga.
*Tenshi throws a mad fit at the Dragon for no reason*
Dende: Come on guys! Don't piss off the god love of love!!
A/N: AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT?!?! I know I can't!!! LOL! Once I found it, I was just... IN SHOCK that I had missed it before! Probably because I was engrossed in the line that Gohan said before it, either in laughter or sheer disgust. I still haven't decided between the two!!
Anyhow, SO SORRY that it's taken me this long to update. I really have no excuse so I won't try to make one. But, I will try and update faster on Chapter Eleven, since I'm really getting to the parts that are going to... Well, SHOCK I guess. Yes, it's getting blown even farther out of proportion than now. The funny thing is that every event I have planned corresponds so evenly with some unexplored situation in the anime that it could actually BE real, but the story itself is so unfathomable in the DB plotline that it would be hard to imagine it. Well, just remember that THIS IS HOW IT HAPPENS IN TENSHI'S TIMELINE! And there 'aint nothin' no one can do about that!!! *Tenshi is slapped with a lawsuit* DIDN'T YA'LL SEE MY DISCLAIMER?! I DON'T OWN DBZ! HAHA!! I WIN AGAIN! *tears up lawsuit but is promptly thrown in jail*
Aye, there's the rub...
Oh, one last quick note: "Goku GLOMPS Mira and pulls her onto his hot, chiseled body."
Hehe... Sorry about that quick rewrite from Chapter Eight, I had one very disgruntled Canadian to answer to when I wrote 'He NEARLY grabbed her.' Tee hee. THERE, 'YA HAPPY?! *Waves picture of Dorkey Cootie-Tush* Well, if she wasn't before, she is now! ^_^
Anyhow, ON WITH IT!
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"It's a record-breaking year for precipitation in this part of the country, so probability states that we will most likely not be getting snow before the season."
Chichi turned off the radio and slunk back in her chair.
"Just what I need.... A rainy Christmas."
Christmas. That thought seared at her. As a child, it was the only time she felt as such, and because of that it had always proven one of her favorite times of the year. Now.... It was just another disappointment.
One of the comforting thoughts that she had when in the uncertain stages of her pregnancy was that she and Goku would be able to spend this time with their baby. But now her hopeful aspirations seemed but a cancerous jest, and she mentally chided herself for ever allowing her mind to concept what a happy time it would be had everything turned out right.
She shook her head and tried to rid her mind of the visuals that were haunting her consciousness. She had enough problems now without thinking about could-have-beens.
Such as the fact that there was an enormous stack of bills in front of her, bills she couldn't hope to pay. In fact, there was so much debt that it was an unspoken certainty that there would be no Christmas at all this year.
She knew Goku felt obligated. He had been all over the world, but no matter where he went, Christmas was a big deal almost everywhere. And she knew that he, as well as herself, had looked forward to it this time around. But now there was literally nothing to expect, except for disappointment. It was so unfair. This was going to be their first Christmas together and they couldn't even afford a single, solitary thing for each other.
And though she knew that it was wrong, there was a nagging in the back of her mind, that it would be nice to get something.... Anything, really. Just a tiny thing to remember this Christmas in a good light, so that she wouldn't be forever doomed to remember it with nightmarish recall. She shook her head. That was greedy, and they couldn't afford it.
Chichi sighed heavily as she sifted through the mail. Every return address that she read corresponded to some place to which she and her husband owed money. She had tried to forget the bills that they were going to receive when she had secluded herself for so long, but now they were right in front of her. It was enough to drive a body mad.
"How are we ever going to be able to pay all of this?" She groaned to herself as she ripped open another bill. Heretofore she had only been able to open the smaller debts, such as electricity and heating, but had avoided all of the letters from the hospital. She didn't even want to think about how horrendous those were liable to be.
She snapped up from the exultation of her sadness when she heard Goku come through the door. His clothes were soaked and his wet hair hung low in his face. He looked really cute then, she thought, but didn't have enough gusto even in light of his appearance to voice her comments.
"I didn't know it was raining that hard." She attempted a half smile, but it didn't grace her lips.
"Yeah. It's been rainin' so long I don't know when it's 'gonna quit." He drawled in agitation as he flung his wet jacket to the floor. She eyed it disapprovingly.
"Please, Goku, don't give me any more work than I already have! Pick that thing up right now and hang it out to dry." She grunted exasperatedly.
He cocked a brow, but picked it up anyhow. He wasn't about to remind her that it was raining out. She'd just get angry.
"'Whatcha got there?" He asked as he pulled out the chair opposite from her.
"Mail." She laid her head in her hand.
"You okay?"
"No.... No I don't think so."
Goku pulled his chair closer to her and laid his hand on her own.
"Hey, we're 'gonna make it."
His reassurance was a double edged sword. It made her feel better that he was there for re-encouragement, yet at once it made her want to gag from the potency of his words.
"How can you say that? We're so far in debt I can't even believe it...."
"Once I find a job it'll be easier, but you don't need to worry because it'll just make you feel worse."
She lifted her head to look at him.
"But right now, groceries are a luxury, and two of these bills have to be paid at the end of this month!"
He tightened his grip on her hand.
"I know. But if they have to cut off some stuff, we'll just do without. I didn't have no electricity when I lived up here all of those years, 'an I was just fine."
She sighed deeply. He was right, and she knew it. Doing without seemed like it was what they were going to have to do, since no other option was presenting itself.
Goku decided to change the subject once he saw how deeply she was being effected by the conversation.
"Well, what else did we get?" he asked, She noted he suddenly had too much interest in the mail, so she tried to pull herself from her slump. He always found interest in such simple things when he was trying to make her feel better.
"Well, we've got a bill for the heating, a letter from the hospital, something from Dad, something from Mira..."
"Mira?!" Goku asked, a little too attentively for Chichi's liking.
"Yeah...."
"For both of us?!"
She looked it over. "Well, it says it's just to you...."
"Well, then it's mine, right?!"
Before she could say another word he had snatched it from her hand. She really didn't mind the fact that he wanted to look at his own mail, but she minded terribly the fact that he wanted to look at his own mail from another woman. She tried to push her jealousy aside as she delved into another letter.
"Looks like we owe more than I thought to...."
She stopped and looked up. Goku wasn't even in there anymore. She felt her blood start to boil.
"Fine. Let him go somewhere and be alone with Mira's HANDWRITING!"
She was contemplating how she should vent her frustration when Goku emerged from the other room.
"So what did Mira say?!?!" Chichi hissed through gritted teeth. Goku stopped. He knew he was in trouble now.
"Uh... Well.... 'Nothin really...."
"OH? WHAT IS IT THAT SHE SAID THAT YOU DON'T WANT ME TO KNOW ABOUT, HUH?!"
He gulped.
"She just wanted to say.... uh.... Merry Christmas?"
"I thought we agreed to wait until Christmas DAY to open our cards?" She growled vehemently, jerking the top to a letter completely off.
"Well... You said it was a letter...." He countered in his defense, rubbing his neck.
Chichi sunk back in her chair, utterly and completely agitated. She knew he was keeping something, and it made her MAD that he was. She could tell, she knew him too well. When he was keeping something, he rubbed his neck, when he was nervous, he scratched his head, and when he was lying, he fingered his collarbone. She knew his body language, and right now, it was plainly betraying him.
She glanced down at the envelope she had just destroyed, and pulled out the content.
"What's that?" Goku asked innocently, sitting down once again. She noticed that his clothes didn't squish when he did so, and it was only then she realized that he had changed. Maybe he didn't run off solely for the fact of reading Mira's letter. Not that it helped her temper any.
She glanced over the card she held in her hand.
"It's an invitation, of sorts."
"Of sorts?"
"It's for one of Dad's 'party's' that he throws every year. We'll probably be the only ones there, truthfully." She looked over it thoroughly and scoffed. "It's also for Friday night. He really should learn to get his invitations out sooner. We could have had something planned for Christmas Eve."
"But.... We didn't."
Goku regretted his words as they caused tears to well in her eyes.
"I know.... But we could have...."
He laid his hand over the back of her neck and fiddled with a few strands of her hair that fell between his fingers.
"Come on, please don't cry..." He pleaded so achingly, that she just cried harder.
"Oh Goku..."
She flung her arms around him and cried. He held her tightly, unsure of what else he could do. Even though it seemed ages ago, it was times like this he realized that it had only been a month since their son had died, which caused wounds to still be fresh, and happy occasions, painful.
***
"Hey Chichi, I'm headed out. I'll be back in a few hours." Goku called across the house as he opened the front door. To his dismay, the sky was threatening again. He almost gritted his teeth. It didn't seem as if this rain would ever end.
Chichi stepped out from the den, holding evidence of stitchwork in her hands.
"A few hours? Goku, there's not that much to get..."
"Well then... I'll try and be back sooner."
"Just be back in time to get ready to go to Dad's. It doesn't reflect good on us when we're late."
He nodded. "What time do I have to be back?"
"Um... I think the invitation says it starts at eight, but I don't remember."
Goku plodded to the table and picked up the letter. "Yeah, it's at eight. So I'll be back around.... seven thirty?"
Chichi's face screwed up in disbelief. "No! You'll be back by six thirty! It's going to take us at least an hour to get there, and you need time to get ready."
He sighed internally and laid the letter down. As he did, he noticed an untouched envelope among all of the torn ones.
"What's this?" He asked, holding it up so she could see.
She groaned and leaned against the door frame. "It's a bill from the hospital... I just couldn't open it, Goku."
"We need to."
"I know... I just... Couldn't."
"Then I will, okay?"
She didn't answer, so he tore off the top and pulled out the contents. She bit her lip and looked at the floor.
"How much?"
His response didn't come so she looked up. He was reading over it in prestigious detail.
"It's not a bill."
She started. "Then what is it?"
He bit his lip then. He hesitated a few seconds before answering.
"It's a reminder that you have to go back to the hospital next month for... for your surgery."
She rubbed her temples aggressively, but her words were dry and still.
"So soon? I thought they.... They would've given us more time...."
Goku listened to the words she didn't say. He knew she wasn't so upset about the fact that she was having a surgery or that it was so soon, but because of what the surgery was for. He dreaded it, too. He didn't want her to have it, and maybe that was selfish, but with every fiber in his body he didn't want her to. He knew the doctors had some big, fancy word for it, one that he couldn't remember at the moment. But it was solely for the purpose of making sure that she was never able to be pregnant again. He knew she wanted children, as badly as he did, and to succumb to this procedure would be like finally admitting their defeat. He wasn't sure they would have agreed to go through with it if the doctors hadn't insisted that she would be at a greater risk for death the second time around. By eliminating the ability to reproduce, they were saving her life, in a sense. But it still didn't make things any easier.
"Hey.... I've 'gotta go."
Goku turned then and left the house. He hated to leave so abruptly, but he couldn't stay there a second longer to talk about it. It was bothering him far more than he would admit, especially to her. He knew that if they didn't do something, at the rate things were going, she'd be pregnant again soon. That's what hurt so bad, the fact that they still could try. Even though if she became pregnant tomorrow, he'd die from worry.
He also knew that they could adopt at some point in time, but it wouldn't be the same. The sensation that he felt when he held his own child in his arms and when he saw the outcome of two lives woven so perfectly together into a solitary object, made him want to feel it again. Just for a moment, without the conditions of reality dancing in front of him, without the ache of pain and the smell of death.... He longed for it, and by allowing this surgery to occur, he was giving up that dream forever.
He wondered, momentarily, how it was that the conception of a new life could be considered such a devastating thing.
If only it didn't threaten to end an old one that he loved more than himself.
***
"Oh my gosh... Look who's here!" Bulma whispered with subtle disbelief, elbowing Krillin hard and quick to the ribs.
Krillin choked on his food, and wondered not for the first time why it was that he repeatedly hung around someone as spastic as Bulma, especially when doing something as strategic as consuming food when it was obvious she was going to spontaneously find a way to nearly kill him while he did so.
He swallowed and gained enough of his wits to interrogate.
"What?"
"Isn't that Goku and Chichi right there?" She pulled him to the window, nearly causing him to knock over the table in the process.
"Yeah, I think it is!"
A moment of silence passed between them, until Bulma unceremoniously grabbed Krillin by the shirt and hoisted him into the air.
"IF YOU UPSET EITHER ONE OF THEM, SO HELP ME I'LL KILL YOU!!" She screamed.
Krillin straightened himself and retaliated. "ME?!?! YOU SHOULD WATCH YOURSELF, YOU SLIP UP ALL THE TIME!!!"
Bulma threw her shorter friend into the wall where he stumbled, yet gained his footing.
"ME?! I NEVER SLIP UP!!!"
Krillin sighed deeply and placed his hands on her shoulders.
"Look, we're both just a little... What's the word?"
"Tipsy?" She added sarcastically.
"No.... Not unless fearless leader over there spiked the green tea again." He sneered and motioned to Master Roshi, who was at the moment inhaling dangerous amounts of sake and babbling incoherently about exercise programs.
Bulma rolled her eyes.
"What I'm trying to say, Bulma, is that... Well, I think we're all just a little nervous about those two. But if we're at each other's throats like this all night we're not going to make them feel any better."
"But Krillin," She added, "We're always at each other's throats. If we're not tonight, then they're going to know something is wrong."
"Well, don't act strange, just be nice, and don't mention anything unless one or the other brings it up, okay?"
Bulma shrugged. "Alright. But YOU talk to Roshi or else he'll ruin the whole thing."
"I don't know.... I think he knows better than that. But I'll talk to him anyhow, if you'll prom...."
"Well, hey, you two!" Bulma interrupted, nearly clamping her hand over Krillin's mouth as Goku and Chichi both entered the room.
"Hey, I didn't know ya'll were 'gonna be here." Goku drawled with a genuine smile.
Bulma mocked a dramatic pose. "Well, a party wouldn't be a party without the magnificent Bulma Briefs, now would it?"
Goku chuckled dryly and scratched the back of his neck. "No, I guess it wouldn't!"
Bulma immediately noticed that Goku wasn't as cheery as he usually was, and despite the fact that she always tried to retain from affections towards him while his wife was around, she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek. He awkwardly placed his hands around her waist, as if he wasn't quite sure of how to hold her. He'd always held her that way, and she wondered how Chichi put up with the same embrace, since it seemed so unnatural. But then, of course, she'd always craved assertive men, maybe it wasn't the same with Goku's wife. Or maybe he just held her different altogether.
After she pulled away, she grabbed Chichi by the arm and walked with her across the room, making idle conversation and avoiding Master Roshi at all costs. She felt that, being a woman, she could entertain Chichi better than anyone, and since Goku and Krillin were best friends, he'd just naturally know what to do.
Krillin was watching Bulma as she walked away when Goku chimed in,
"If you took a picture, it would last longer."
Krillin flushed so red he nearly turned purple, yet he tried to pretend as if he were ignorant of the whole ordeal.
"I 'dunno what your talking about, you crazy idiot."
Goku smiled, but Krillin knew it was a forced expression.
"Come on, man, you've liked her since we were kids."
"Oh? I'm the man here, Goku, you're the kid. And besides, I only like Bulma as a friend."
Goku rolled his eyes, "But what about the time that you told me that you wo-"
"THAT WAS THE LONELINESS TALKING, MAN!"
He scoffed, "Sure."
Krillin turned another shade of red before decided to change the subject.
"So, have you been keepin' tabs on old demon-boy?"
Goku started so that Krillin thought that he'd perhaps forgotten about whom he was speaking.
"Piccolo? Come on, I know you haven't forgotten about him." Krillin asked.
"Oh yeah... Piccolo." Goku murmured quietly, "'Naw, I haven't. I 'probly should, though."
Krillin threw an arm around his friend's shoulders, rising on his tip toes to do so.
"That's okay, bud, you can't expect to do everything."
"Yeah... I guess so." Goku muttered. Krillin noticed for the first time then, that Goku wasn't doing as bad as he should have expected, but not as good as he actually did. Even when Bulma had prepared him to believe that Goku might be a complete wreck, he secretly knew he'd be okay. But he just didn't seem to be the same. And though his better judgment called against it, as well as Bulma's threats, he inquired lowly,
"You okay?"
Goku stared for a moment but answered his friend's question.
"'Atchally, not really. But I'm better than I was."
Krillin ran his hand across his slick head, unsure of what to say now that they were on the subject which he had at first tried to avoid.
"How's Chichi doin'?"
Krillin cringed slightly as Goku didn't answer. He didn't know how he knew, but he knew that something was wrong.
"She.... She's gettin' somethin' done to her next month." He fumbled with the words, "It's 'sposed to make it.... So that she won't be able to have kids again."
Krillin's eyebrows raised so that they nearly hit his tattoos. His mouth dropped open in several questions, all that he avoided giving volume for situations sake.
"I know it's good for her 'an all...."
"I.... I know what your thinking Goku, and I understand it." He finally interrupted, wishing that he could say more than he was.
Goku looked at him in a downcast manner, but lifted the corner of his mouth in an appreciative manner.
"Thanks. I knew 'ya would"
"S'okay. 'Whaddya say we get somethin' to eat before Yamcha and his boorish appetite consumes every edible thing in the vicinity?" Krillin joked his oldest friend, hoping in some way to make him feel better about his situation.
"Sure." Goku emitted, halfway laughing and sighing at once.
***
The silver moon drifted tiredly behind the large trees of the forest before being completely engulfed behind the black clouds that rolled to and fro across the December sky. Goku set foot on the overgrown lawn of his front yard before setting Chichi down on the same terrain. She staggered sleepily to gain her footing. He couldn't blame her, it was late, far later than they ever stayed out, and the time was weighing on both of them.
They walked tiredly into the warm house, letting the scent of pine and firewood invade their senses. Goku was so tired that he hardly noticed the fragrance. He didn't know what it was about the event that fatigued him, but he was definitely worn out. His body felt as if it was going to shut down on him completely if he didn't get to bed immediately.
He trudged groggily into the bedroom, having only stopped momentarily to bolt the door. As he walked through the frame to the small room, he saw that Chichi was already asleep on the bed. He could only imagine how tired she was. She never went to bed without getting ready.
He sat on the edge of the bed and removed his shoes. As awful as his dress attire was making him feel, he didn't even have the strength to take it off, so he let it be as he loosened the tie around his neck. He stood to his feet and slid Chichi underneath the sheet before assuming his place beside her.
As much as he had wanted to sleep before, he found himself straining his eyes open to look at her. Before finally surrendering to sleep's seductive endearments, he leaned over and kissed her sleeping lids, wishing that the emotion placed into his action could be enough to replace the disappointment of the morrow.
***
Chichi felt her groggy form being jostled slightly as the low, orange light from the lamp on the dresser filled her sight.
"Hey, wake up."
She heard his voice rising over the pounding rain outside of the house. She slowly rose from her pillow, glancing to the window, where the water fell in torrents.
"What time is it?" She yawned, glancing at Goku with a slight irritation.
"'Kinda early."
"Why did you wake me up so early?" She yawned again.
"Well, your 'sposed to get up early today."
She had to think for a moment before she recognized subconsciously that this very gray and rainy morning was the most anticipated day of the year for most. If it were up to her, she'd have gone straight back to bed, but she knew that whether they had a Christmas or not, he'd already decided to disregard that and act as if things were going to happen as usual.
It wasn't until she placed her feet on the floor that she realized that the fabric of her dress was bunched awkwardly about her knees. She hadn't even remembered that she'd fallen asleep with her best dress on. She glanced at Goku, who was still wearing the same outfit as he wore the night before. He must have been as sleepy as she was to have gone to sleep in that outfit, since she knew how much he despised dress wear. Though it looked somewhat informal now, since he had removed his outer jacket and his white shirt was completely unbuttoned, exposing his solid chest and stomach. His black pants also lent to his sloven appearance as the rode lower than usual around his waist. All of this was topped off elegantly with a loosened tie that hung lopsided down his back.
Though she was a very compulsive person, she had to admit that his sloppy manner made him look very intriguing. She leaned over and kissed him firmly before she managed to stagger to her feet. Sometimes she just couldn't control herself from touching him, especially when he looked that good.
He followed her into the living room, where they both sat down on the couch. She curled her legs beneath her and leaned against the arm of the furniture as he came to rest beside her.
For longer than comfort allowed, there was silence. Absolutely nothing was said between the two as they watched the fire lick the wood savagely in the fireplace. Both knew what the other was thinking, but dared not say a word until the other one spoke. A sadness filled the air, one uncharacteristic to even their situation.
"He should be here now." Chichi though sadly, "Right here, between the both of us. This would be bearable then...."
"Chichi?"
She was pulled from her thoughts quickly at Goku's beckoning.
"Mm?"
"I.... I know what your thinkin' right now, but.... It's 'gonna be okay."
"Do you know that for sure?" She asked unconvinced.
"I 'dunno how to answer that, but I know one day, it won't feel like this."
He managed to glance at her quickly. She was looking at him with a sort of disbelief.
He sighed. "I know because I felt it once, too."
She was so shaken with the amount of conviction that his words held that she was ready to believe him on the spot.
"When 'Grammpa went missin', right after he was killed, I didn't know where he was. I looked for him every day for a real long time. I looked everywhere. But I finally had to deal with the fact that he wasn't 'gonna come back. Ever."
He twisted his wedding ring about as if it were the most interesting thing in the world, but he couldn't hide from her the fact that what he was saying meant a lot to him.
"I had never been alone in my whole life that I could remember. But then, I didn't have no one left in the world. If anythin' happened, I had to take care of it all on my own, and if I was lonely, no one was there to keep me company 'Grammpa always had, but he couldn't take care of it then 'cause he was gone."
His confession made her feel deeply for his plight. She snaked her arm around his waist and drew closer for support, should he need any.
"'An now that it's just you 'an me up here, I don't want anythin' like that to happen again. So I want you to know that your surgery is 'gonna be okay, and I'm good with it as long as it's 'gonna make you better. So don't worry about me, 'cause I know you are."
Chichi smiled sadly and laid her head against his shoulder. She had been worried, and even a little bit paranoid that he might not want to stay with her after this whole ordeal was over. But now she knew that he wasn't going anywhere, and that he wasn't angry about not being able to have children.
Something about his confession made her feel extremely loved, but the sadness was still there. She knew it was with him as well by the way his eyes looked so weary. She decided to change the subject.
"Thanks." She said, patting him on the arm, "But let's say we get to this Christmas thing, huh?"
She reached for the stack of cards that they had been sent. It was the only thing they had to open on Christmas, but at least it was still something. She tore open the first envelope and they read it silently.
"Look at this, Goku." She smiled sadly, holding it closer for him to see. It was a hand-drawn card of a Christmas tree that looked for all the world like the scraggly pine that was sitting across the room, only on a much grander scale.
"It's from Keiko, isn't it adorable?"
Goku looked over it before laughing dryly, "Yeah, I guess so."
Chichi made over the card as long as she could before moving to the next one, which got an equal amount of praise. He knew that she was drawing out the process so that the event would last longer. And he couldn't blame her. Besides, cards never got enough recognition in the first place.
After all of the cards had been read, she sat there and looked over all of them again before setting them down.
"That was really nice of everyone to send us all of that." She said, trying to maintain a fair dosage of pep in her voice.
"Yeah, it was." Goku added for lack of something better to comment on.
Another elongated silence passed. Neither wanted to move, so they simply didn't.
"It'll be better next year, Goku, I promise." Chichi sighed with remorse.
"'Naw, this is great, I promise. It's the best Christmas I've ever had."
Chichi was about to scoff until she realized he might be truthful. Chances were he'd never had a Christmas before.
"Well, I've got a Christmas dinner to be making so I should probably better get started, 'doncha think?" She said with a dry enthusiasm.
"Wait...." He grabbed her arm before she could get up, "I.... Well...."
She glided back down to her chair, a look of surprise on her face.
"Goku, you didn't...."
"Well.... I couldn't just not get you anythin'. It's Christmas, 'ya know. Everyone's 'sposed to get somethin' today." he drawled, rubbing his forehead nervously.
"Goku! I told you not to! We didn't have the money.... And.... And I didn't even get you anything at all!" She protested, but he noted she wasn't angry. He was glad she wasn't, he had thought she would be.
"It's okay, I've got a 'lotta stuff anyhow. I didn't need anything, really...."
Chichi sat, stunned speechless. By all of her normal standards, this didn't even qualify as an aspiration. She had no clue that he was even thinking about getting her anything.
He reached beneath the couch and pulled out a square shaped object and handed it to her
.
"Sorry I couldn't get you anythin' more than this, and sorry it's not wrapped." He said, but the smile on his face at her expression showed that he was really not sorry for anything at the moment.
She took it from him clumsily, unsure of exactly what it was until she turned it over. Her eyes instantly filled with tears the second her mind was able to identify the object.
It was a wooden frame, rudely carved but elegantly considering all the detail. Everything was articulated, right down to the veins on the leaves. But the picture itself was what made her breath stop.
There was a picture of a picture of their son, only moments after his birth, to fill the vacant spot in the frame. His dark eyes were exactly as she remembered them; Wide, attentive and exact replicas of Goku's own. His wild black hair settled in an unearthly shape, yet one that was more adorable than she had remembered even when she held him in her own arms. His eyebrows, nose, forehead, skin, mouth, dimples.... Everything about him that had grown fuzzy over the past month came rushing back to her in a second's notice. There was only one thing about the picture that she couldn't relate completely to her baby.
That being that, if only for a brief second as the picture was taken, he didn't look to have any pain in his body whatsoever. He almost seemed to smile, though it wasn't possible.
Minutes passed before she could speak, and even then all she could was capable of was whispering between sobs. She wrapped her arms so tightly around Goku that he thought he was going to pass out from lack of oxygen.
"Where.... How.... Did you get this?!" Chichi finally forced the words from her mouth.
Goku eased away from her, but she still held him closely.
"I asked Mira a long time back if he had got his picture taken, 'cause I knew a lot of babies did. She said she had taken one right after he was born, but she didn't know if she could get it because of medical reasons and stuff. But she wrote me a few days ago and said she found a copy and that we could have it."
Chichi felt feint all of a sudden. She had jumped all over him for that very same letter all because of her jealous nature. If only she had known....
"I'm so sorry, Goku."
He smiled and rubbed her head playfully.
"Don't be. If you weren't so jumpy I'd think that you didn't care." He knew one day he'd regret those words, since he wasn't at all comfortable when she was so paranoid. But he didn't doubt the truth to them, either.
"Thank you so much, Goku.... I can't tell you how much this means to me."
He smiled again.
"But.... I didn't even get you anything at all. I can't believe it, I should have.... I really should have...."
""Nah, s'okay. " He laughed, "Besides, I kinda like this, too. If it'll help any, you can just think of it as sorta to both of us."
She kissed him then, as she hadn't kissed him before. It wasn't just because he was incredibly romantic in that moment and probably never would be again, and it wasn't just because the gift meant so much to her –and that it certainly did– but because she knew that from now on, when she thought about this first Christmas with him, it wouldn't be in a painful light. Rather, in one illuminated beyond any other.
"Goku?" She asked, running her fingers across his open hand.
"Yeah?"
"I.... I don't know if I've ever said this to you before.... But I love you. I love you very, very much."
She thought he would laugh, or smile. But he did neither. In fact, he was still and silent for a long moment.
"I'm really glad you said it," He began, "'Cause you really haven't before. Just once, but I didn't think you really meant it when you said it."
She was a bit surprised. She didn't know he had been keeping up. And she couldn't even remember when she had said it.
"I don't remember when I did, really...." She admitted bashfully, hoping that the moment hadn't been prominent in his mind.
"I do. When we first found out you were pregn'nt, you said it in Mayo's office. I was 'kinda mad that you hadn't told me you couldn't have kids and that it was 'gonna make you sick if you tried, and you said you hadn't told me 'cause you loved me."
She paused. Maybe she had, that was so far back and there had been so much pain in between that she couldn't even remember correctly. She was amazed he did.
"I'm sorry I got mad." He said. She nearly laughed at how he was apologizing now. She remembered clearly he had asked for forgiveness then, as well.
"It's okay, you had the right to."
"I was just.... I 'dunno, upset you didn't tell me. 'Cause I was angry mostly at myself for puttin' you in that position, even though you didn't know yourself."
"That's in the past now, so don't even worry about it." She smiled and wiped a tear that threatened to fall, "So what do you say that we get to that dinner, huh? I'll have it ready in a little while."
"Sure, that sounds great to me."
As she got up from the couch, she felt his fingers still interlocked with hers. She looked back and he smiled.
"Merry Christmas, Chichi."
She leaned down and kissed him gently.
"Merry Christmas, Goku."
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A/N: *Sigh* Call me a big, fat sellout, but I just had to do something extremely corny with this chapter. Heck, it's CHRISTMAS, if you can't be corny then, when CAN 'ya be corny? But seriously, if this chapter was at all TOO corny, let me know. Once again, sorry for the lateness. Chapter Eleven should be up sometime soon. Thanks for reading, and Merry Christmas to ya'll, even if it is about eight months too early. And a special shout out to my bestest bud this side of Vegetasei, Loopy Apple-Hiney. You know who you is ~_^
PS. *Also meant for Loopy Apple-Hiney* HA!!!! I GOT MY CHAPTER OUT THE SAME TIME YOU DID, SO..... *Sticks fingers in ears* BOOOOO-YAAAA!!!!!