Living Without You
Warnings: Not a citrus, but it is romantic. Goku + Chi Chi, also some sad stuff although I doubt any tears would be a threat to you.
Disclaimer: I don’t own or make money off of Dragonball Z.
Picture: I have a picture for this!!!!!!!!! But it’s for the NEXT part (you hear that? The NEXT part so if you want to be surprised instead of seeing the picture then wait until the next scene.)
Setting: -DON’T READ THE SETTING IF YOU WANT TO BE SURPRISED- In GT, I know Goku dies (Even though he always visits against rules) before Chi Chi in GT, but I switched it for the soul purpose of this story so don’t be mislead. Gohan has long since moved out and now Goten is the only child still living in the Son house.
"Hey Dad!! Breakfast is ready!" Goten called up the stairs, having gotten up before Goku making breakfast.
Goku rubbed his eyes and stumbled down the stairs as usual. "You made breakfast again? You really don’t have to you know, I could’ve cooked if you wanted," Goku mentioned.
"Nah, I didn’t sit through hours of cooking lessons in HomeEc class for nothing! Besides, you’re never up before me," Goten said, setting the table.
"Sorry, I guess I do get a lot more sleep now that there’s nothing but quiet in my room…" Goku trailed off.
Goten remained silent, turning away from his father to the remainder of the food silently. "Um… well, how did you sleep?" Goten said, trying to start useful conversation.
"Yeah… I guess, it was long." Goku sighed, with slow success of stuffing his face at the same time. "Did you?" Goku asked his son who was now sitting down as well.
"Yeah, I had some really cool dreams! About… Paris-chan…" Goten said, starting to get a dreamy look on his face. (Paris is Goten’s girlfriend in DBGT.)
Goku sighed again, having just finished his first helping of food. "I wish I could say the same…" Goku trailed off again.
Goten snapped out of it and shook his head. "Ready for seconds?" Goten asked cheerfully.
"No… I’m not that hungry," Goku said standing up to leave.
"Look at all the rest of the food I made! You have to eat something more! You always used to have at least fourth’s!!!!" Goten mentioned, voice raising slightly.
"Used to," Goku said, turning to the stairs.
"Would you please sit back down and eat some more!?" Goten said as politely as possible.
Goku looked at his son’s polite smile, then at the three chairs around the table, two of which that had been used previously. Goten noticed were his father was looking. "I’m not hungry…" Goku stated again, turning for the stairs.
"Dad please."
"I’m not hungry."
Goten slammed his fists down on the table, shattering a few dishes. "DAD! YOU CAN’T BE LIKE THIS FOREVER!!! FACE REALITY!!! LIFE GOES ON!!!! YOU CAN’T KEEP LIVING IN THE PAST!! MOM IS GONE AND THERE’S NOTHING YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT!!!!" Goten screamed, eyes watering. He slammed his fists down a few more times. "There’s NOTHING you can do about it! Just FORGET ABOUT IT!!!!" Goten yelled looking up to his father’s angry face.
"Goten!… You don’t understand. How can you? That’s all there is to it, you don’t know how I feel! You DON’T know how I feel!!! Don’t you tell me to forget the past!! Do you know how much it hurt’s to look at an empty chair that was never, never empty before!? Do you know how much it hurts to wake up alone with no one lying beside you to have woken you up earlier!? Do you know how much it hurt’s when there is ABSOLUTELY NO ONE TO MAKE YOU WILLING TO DIE FOR THEM!!? NO!!!! And Goten I am your Father!! And do you know why!!?? Because I loved your mother!!! That’s why!!!!" Goku yelled, slamming his fist into the wall behind him leaving a hole the size of his hand.
Goten was now crying slow, thick, hard tears watching his father loose control.
"I’m sorry Goten… I’ll fix that wall too, later," Goku whispered as he turned away exiting to the stairs up to his room.
It hurt Goten to see his father so upset, but even more because he was the only one to yell at. He was constantly being used as a replacement for a stress reliever, like one of those little stress balls with the smiley face on it in a doctor’s office. That’s what hurt the most. He picked up the phone and dialed Trunks number, hands quivering as he held the receiver to his ear.
"Hello? Capsule Corporation. Trunks speaking," Trunks answered.
"Hi…" Trunks heard Goten speak.
"Hey Goten! How are you!?" Trunks said cheerfully.
"My… My Dad…" Goten said quietly.
Trunks sighed, closing his eyes. This was the tenth time this month that Goten had called regarding problems with his dad. "What happened now?" Trunks asked as comfortingly as possible.
"I got mad and told him to forget the past…" Goten went on, repeating every single word his dad had yelled at him, up the very last detail of creating a hole in the wall.
Vegeta was listening on the other line.
"Awe Goten, I’m sorry, is there anything I can do? Do you need to come over?" Trunks asked like any good friend would.
"No, that’s okay. I just needed to tell someone," Goten said, even though he really wanted to.
"Well… okay, but if you ever need someone to talk to you know I’m here for ya’ pal," Trunks said in his usual voice.
"Thanks Trunks," Goten said, wiping his tears.
"You know, you can talk to your brother too. Gohan always did have a soft spot for you," Trunks said, trying to encourage Goten.
"Yeah, well thanks for the suggestion, I should go now," Goten said, hanging up the phone before Trunks could even say goodbye.
Trunks sadly hung up the phone. "Poor Goten," he whispered, his mom quietly standing in the doorframe behind him unnoticed.
Bulma had known Goku since he was just a little kid. Knowing him had coincidentally caused them to meet the whole Z gang over time. Which had also caused her to meet Vegeta, which had also let her bear her first beautiful child. She didn’t know what she would do if Goku hadn’t ever met her. She had witnessed his whole life and how he matured. She knew how much Goku hurt right now. She knew it must be hard for Goten, but Goku was her main worry.
Trunks got up to leave and gasped when he turned around to find his mother and her sullen expression. "You heard?" Trunks asked softly.
She nodded, Trunks moved to walk out the door, but she stopped him. "Trunks…" she started.
"Yes?"
"I just want you to know… that I know you must feel really bad for Goten and how his dad has been treating him… But you can’t be mad at Goku," Bulma said, looking her son in the eyes.
"But mom, Goku is constantly yelling at Goten, when he just tries to help him!" Trunks exclaimed.
"Yes, but you don’t understand like I do. Goku and Chi Chi were together longer than your father and I have been. His first and only love, passed away before him because of his Saiyajin blood. He is the strongest warrior in the universe with the biggest smile I’ve ever known. And now, he doesn’t even train anymore. He’s a Saiyajin! Saiyajins live to fight, and he’s so depressed that he won’t even be what he’s supposed to be. I mean, he doesn’t even eat all that much now! Vegeta’s even worried about him! The worst part is that me and Chi Chi have both already been wished back and this time it's for keeps. No more enemies, no more evil Saiyajins, just the rest of our human lives. And all those years of caring for Goku and Gohan and Goten finally took her life. They were her life and she was Goku’s and that’s what she died caring for.
"One day I’m going to do the same, and it will be for you, your sister, and father. And then maybe you’ll understand. But until then, don’t you ever question Goku’s actions," Bulma said, patting her son on the back.
"Mom."
She stared at her son’s sad face. "Oh! Don’t look like that! Go to work already!" Bulma said, playfully slapping him on the back as he stumbled out the door. She sighed as she closed the door. "Oh Goku," she sighed.
Vegeta sat quietly up in his room. He had been listening in on Goten and Trunks conversations for the last few months. He was upset that Goku never came to spar with him anymore.
"Kakarote, what in god's name are you going to do? What ARE you going to do?" Vegeta said impassively, shaking his head.
Goku had also listened to the conversation. He knew Goten always called someone after he was yelled at to relieve the stress. He didn’t know why he always listened, it just made him more upset than before any way.
"Things will work themselves out…" Goku said to himself like he said everyday. It was something his grandfather had always said long ago. But things weren’t getting better, they were getting worse.
"Who am I kidding!!?" Goku yelled, clenching his fists. "Things are never going to get better!! What am I doing filling my mind with this nonsense!?" Goku yelled again, falling backwards with a sigh onto his bed. "Oh Goten… I’m sorry," he said as he fell asleep there.
"Hi Onichan!!" Goten exclaimed with some actual joy as he opened the door for his brother.
Gohan walked in respectively and sat down at the table with Goten. "So Goten, first tell me what happened, word-by-word, exactly, even you," Gohan said, folding his hands and twiddling his thumbs in worry.
Goten explained the whole thing just as it happened. Gohan shook his head.
"What?" Goten asked.
"First of all, never say 'forget the past'," Gohan said, his eyes meeting his little brother's.
"Why? I was just trying to help him move on," Goten said truthfully.
"I told the same to Mom, when Dad died the second time. She did the exact same thing, except she only cracked the wall," Gohan said, almost smiling at the memories.
"Really?" Goten said in interest.
"Yeah, right before you were born, Dad sacrificed himself for the planet, and said it was for me and mom too," Gohan said, face stiffening at that certain memory.
"It’s amazing how similar Mom and Dad are to those things."
Gohan sighed.
"Were… not are," Goten whispered.
Gohan sighed a second time. "It’s small things like that you have to be careful not to say around Dad. If he ever does get over this… if, it won’t be from words. But to tell you the truth Goten, I don’t know if he ever will," Gohan said, getting up. Goten bowed his head.
"I’ll go talk to him myself," Gohan said, going up to Goku’s room.
Goten watched him walk up the stairs calmly. He always did have a small envy for his brother, who always had the right words, right grades, and right behavior most of the time.
Gohan opened Goku’s bedroom door. "Dad?" Gohan asked, scanning the room with his eyes only to find his father asleep face first on his bed with a very loud snore. One thing he recalled his mother always mentioning in their fights. He walked over and sat at the end of the bed shaking his shoulder lightly. Goku mumbled something he couldn’t understand. Gohan frowned and shook him again.
"But Chi Chi, I don’t want to wake up…" Goku whined in his sleep.
Gohan laughed, and at the same time found it hurt a small space in his heart that his Dad was even dreaming of his mother. He shook Goku again, this time causing Goku to wake.
"Huh?… Oh, hi Gohan." Goku yawned sitting up.
"Hey Dad, can I talk to you?" Gohan asked.
"Oh. Well, I actually don’t feel to much like talking," Goku admitted.
"Well I need to talk you at least," Gohan said, taking a deep breath.
"Okay, shoot," Goku said, leaning back in listening position.
Gohan explained Goten’s behavior and misunderstandings about him and his situation. "I think you should talk with him." Gohan finished.
"Uhh!… Words only do wrong," Goku said with a large sigh.
"Well then we’ll all talk together. Me, you, and Goten, let’s go down stairs. We should clear this up a little," Gohan said, leading Goku down to the table.
"A little." Goku sighed.
Goten was a little surprised to see Goku downstairs so soon, but kept quiet and sat down with them all. Goten sat quietly, not planning on saying anything soon.
"Now Dad, why don’t you just explain why it’s so hard to move on. I think we all know you loved Mom, but we need to see things from your prospective," Gohan said professionally.
"You sound like a psychiatrist," Goku mentioned.
"Eh hem, uh, thanks… I think," Gohan mumbled, then urging his father to go on.
Goku’s face softened as he prepared to speak. "I know I brought you into my room on… that morning… and said she had passed away in her sleep. But I lied," Goku said softly.
"What!?" Goten and Gohan asked in unison.
"She talked to me awhile first," Goku said mellowly.
"What’s she say?"
"I was getting to that." Goku cleared his throat. "She told me… She told me, "Good-morning... Good-morning, Goku. Did you sleep well?' She asked me in her usual morning cheer.
"I told her I had slept well and she smiled at me. I noticed she looked a little worried in expression. I asked what was the matter.
"'Goku, do you still love me?' she asked. I told her that was a silly question and that I had never not loved her.
"'I’m not as young and pretty as I was before. I’m sorry,' she said sadly to me. It made me frown.
"'You shouldn’t be sorry. I think you’re just as pretty as you ever were, age doesn’t make me love you less,' I told her. She smiled again then.
"'Will you always be here for Goten?' she asked. I told her 'Of course,' and wondered why she was asking so many odd questions.
"'Goku, will you always remember me?' she then asked, I knew something was strange, I could feel it in the air. I just knew something about her was different.
"'You know I will,' I replied unsurely. And then she said, 'I won’t be able to make breakfast today for you Goku. But I love you.' She said it so smoothly that I wanted to cry. I knew what she meant. Her eyes were watery with tears. I told her 'Goodbye,' and kissed her one last time. And the she said goodbye.
"She was still so beautiful. That’s when I went to get you two," Goku said with a weak smile.
"Dad," Gohan said, although never finishing his thought.
Goten felt sort of bad now, even though he still believed his Dad should try to go on.
Goku walked back upstairs leaving the boys to their thoughts.