Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ If You Came Back from Heaven ❯ One-Shot

Once again, the inhabitants of the planet would live to see another day. The world... no, the entire universe, had been saved from certain destruction at the hands of evil, and it was all thanks to one man. One not-so-bright, yet eternally wise and ever heroic man. One man who had not once in his life known defeat, and still managed to remain humble and dedicated to becoming even stronger still. One man whose very essence radiated of hope and purity. One extraordinary man... Son Goku.

'My husband...'

Her husband, who had been dead for almost eight years, had come back to them. Of course, Chichi had accepted that it would be a short reunion, for he had only been given twenty-four hours on the physical plane. She had, at first, been shocked to find out that he was being allowed to come back, no matter what the timeframe he was given. Normal people didn't come back to life, after all, though Chichi should have known that the idea was a moot point with regard to her husband. After all, Goku wasn't just any average human. He wasn't human at all... genetically, at least, although that had never really mattered. Goku was a Saiyajin by birth and ability, yes, but in his heart and spirit, he was as human as the woman who stood in front of the sink washing dishes now. Still, he was on a first name basis with every major god figure in the afterlife, for Kami's sake! Even they knew that when someone's in trouble, call Son Goku. He will always save the day... and he never disappointed them. Chichi was sure that there were very few of any race that could make such a claim, so as a gift to him for his saintly existence, he had been given his freedom for a day among those he had left behind.

She had been a nervous wreck, though she wasn't sure exactly why she had felt that way. Perhaps it was the thought that his return, even for just a day, seemed almost too good to be true. Maybe it was the fear that death may have changed him somehow. Of course, to her immense relief, both worries had been proven to be completely invalid. He had kept his word, just as he'd always done before, suddenly appearing before the entire group who were anxiously waiting. Everyone seemed caught between laughter and tears, just as Goku's own wife was. Chichi could not believe that he had not aged a day, though she shouldn't have been surprised. Saiyajins seemed to have an internal fountain of youth compared to humans, as both Goku and Vegeta proved incontrovertibly. The only difference that she could see, of course, was the golden halo that hung over his head. Figures that one little detail would be the one that would break his wife's heart in two. The halo... a constant reminder that after those few precious hours, he would have to leave... again. And this time, he wouldn't come back.

He had come back to participate in the World Martial Arts Tournament once again, this time with his eldest son, Gohan, as well as his life-long friends and comrades. At the time, he hadn't known about his youngest son, whom he'd never met until he arrived at the arena. He had been looking at Chichi, telling her that he had missed her with the sweet smile she loved so much when something caught his eye. Chichi still felt her stomach tighten with the mixed emotions as her mind replayed the moment Goku had laid his eyes on the mirror image of himself hiding behind her legs for the first time. To see the myriad of emotions that flashed over the man's childlike countenance... shock, bewilderment, realization, excitement, and then there was the joy. The pure and uninhibited elation at the sight of Goten, who quickly got over his own nervousness to run into the arms of the father he'd never met...

The father who was destined to leave once again, and much too soon...

Chichi shook herself back to the present while fighting the tears that had come into her eyes. Someway, somehow, he had managed to do the impossible and save them all. How a simple tournament had turned into a interplanetary struggle to survive was still a mystery to Chichi, but she no longer cared about the what's and why's. How could she? It was that battle that had given Goku back his life. For the second time, her loving husband was alive and well and back at home with the family and friends that had missed him so much. How could one regret anything that could make such a miracle come to be?

For Chichi, it only capped a life with Goku that, in her mind, was full of miracles. The first, and the one she held closest to her heart, was meeting him when they had still both been children. It amazed her that after everything he'd seen and done since that day, the boy who'd grown over time to become one of the most powerful beings ever in existence really hadn't changed much. He was still so incredibly sweet and innocent, naive to a fault at times, and utterly unique in every way. She had not known on the fateful day when she encountered the, in her young opinion, very cute boy for the first time that her life would never be the same again. She could not have comprehended the immense impact he would have on her life. Knowing him, first as the girl he rescued, then as his wife, and finally as the mother of his children, had been an adventure all its own. How many women could say that their spouse was the sole protector of the entire planet? That their love together had created not one, but two children that wielded incomprehensible power while retaining the sweet and honest spirits given to them by their father?

How many women could claim that they had been widowed by that same man - a man who was loved so deeply and truly that it could make even the most jaded of women weep - not once, but twice?

That fact no longer mattered, not really. What matter was that he was back. He was alive once again, and he was with his children and his wife.

Chichi knew that in her mind. Still, her heart could not help but feel overwhelmed with so many mixed emotions... so many questions...

"Hey Chichi!"

Chichi almost dropped the dish in her hand as the cheery voice pierced through the silence of the kitchen. She drew in several long steadying breaths before turning to face the man that was smiling brightly from the doorway. "Kami, Goku, you scared me!"

Goku's smile turned into a thoughtful frown, his dark eyebrows drawing together. "I'm sorry, Chi. I didn't mean to... hey, what's wrong?" he asked suddenly, making his way purposefully into the room to come face to face with his wife.

Chichi quickly averted her gaze as she plastered on a small and hopefully convincing scowl. "N... nothing," she managed out, relieved that her voice didn't waver more than it had. "I'm fine. Where are the boys?"

"Oh... they're at Capsule Corp.," he explained. "Bulma suggested that they stay there for the night... I'm not exactly sure why she was so insistent, though," he admitted slowly, rubbing the back of his head.

His mind went over his conversation with his long time friend once again. In truth, his sensitive ears were still ringing from the tongue-lashing he'd gotten from his fiery friend when he'd questioned her offer. It had seemed as though the very thought of him having his family together his first night home was preposterous to Bulma. Goku, of course, was completely clueless as to why that would be. For him, it made perfect sense that everyone be together, just as they always had been. It didn't help matters that Vegeta had seemed quite amused with the entire thing as he stood perched against the wall, telling his own wife that she shouldn't even bother trying to explain it to 'the hopeless baka', as he'd called him. Goku didn't know what bothered him more: Bulma's anger at his near refusal, or the fact that Vegeta had not argued at all with his wife at the suggestion of keeping the boys overnight... as if both knew something he didn't. Of course, that was nothing new to the younger full-blooded Saiyajin, so he had finally just shrugged it off and accepted the curious offer. But now...

Chichi stifled a chuckle despite her tormented thoughts. Leave it to the blue-haired genius to pick up on something like that when Chichi's husband wouldn't... 'Thank you, Bulma, I owe you one...'

Chichi's silent gratitude was abruptly halted and her breath caught in her throat as Goku's calloused hand came up to cup her face. Goku ran his thumb gently over her cheek, wiping away the single tear that had streaked her pale skin during her earlier reverie. "Why were you crying?" he asked softly as he applied just enough pressure to bring her face even with his own, his eyes quietly searching her glistening onyx orbs.

"I...," she began, finally allowing herself to return Goku's intent stare, "I guess everything's finally catching up," she stated slowly as a new barrage of crystalline tears formed in her eyes. "You're alive again, and you're really going to be able to stay... you've come back to us... you've come back to me..." Suddenly she was on him, wrapping herself around his broad torso as far as her slim arms would go and burying her face into the orange fabric of his gi. "Thank you," she cried into his chest, her body wracked with sobs of both newfound happiness and pent up grief. "Thank you for coming back to me..."

It took a moment for Goku's brain to catch up, but when it did, he returned the embrace as firmly as her fragile human body would allow him to. He ignored the immense confusion he felt as he let his hand move in lazy strokes along the middle of her back. "C'mon, Chi," he soothed softly as he rested his head on top of hers, "of course I came back to you. Where else would I be?" His comment made her cry even harder, which in turn perplexed the tall Saiyajin warrior even more. What had he said that could upset her so much?

For as long as he'd known his wife, she had been one of the strongest people he'd ever encountered. It wasn't necessarily her physical strength, although she possessed far more than the average woman on the planet, but more her mental resolve and unwavering spirit that made her seem almost indestructible to Goku. He'd seen some of the most powerful beings in the universe cringe under her scorching glare or her razor sharp tongue, himself included, on several occasions over the years. When her mind was made up, it was as if the strongest energy shield was erected around her. There was no breaking it down... there was no way to beat it. Son Goku may have been unbeaten in battle against the enemies that threatened the existence of mankind, but facing his wife on the home front was an entirely different story. That was her element, and she ran it with an iron frying pan (A/N: Sorry, couldn't help myself ). Of course, being that Goku was less than domestic when it came to matters of the house, he had gladly given over all duties and responsibility of it to his wife. His expertise was in fighting... protecting. She had always been the caregiver of the family, and at the same time she was the immovable foundation of the Son clan. Without her, Son Goku was sure that everything would have quickly fallen apart. She was his rock... steadfast and virtually unbreakable. Sure, he'd seen her volatile temper flare or her eyes suddenly burst forth with tears on a whim, but normally it was a short-lived reaction due to something insignificant. Those moments had always passed quickly, and she had never... not even once, shown the sheer desperation that radiated off of her at this moment. This was a side of Chichi that Goku had never seen before, and frankly, he had absolute no idea what to say or do. How could he, when he couldn't understand why she was like this to begin with?

Goku held his wife for several more minutes as he silently debated how to handle the woman in his arms. Finally, he decided on the direct approach. He waited until he could feel the tremors of raw emotion within her body lessen until they had become soft, albeit still constant, sobs before finally daring to speak. "Chi...," he whispered against her hair. "please... don't cry. Tell me what's wrong, and I'll fix it. I promise. I just don't understand why you're so sad..."

"I'm not sad, Goku," Chichi muttered from her spot against him. "In fact, I'm happier than I've been in... in a long time. It's like a dream I never want to wake up from."

"But... you're crying, and... oh Kami, Chichi, I don't know why!" he finally cried out, his own strength withering at an alarming rate.

Chichi couldn't help but smile, even though he couldn't see it at the moment. She could hear in his voice how very much he wanted her to be happy, and that knowledge helped to fight off the rest of her tearful tirade. But how could she explain it to him? How could she make him understand it all? Then came the answer, for it was one they had used many times during their marriage. Chichi knew that Goku was not the brightest bulb in the pack, no, but he had an uncanny ability to read people's feelings and emotions within their eyes. He had done it with almost everyone he knew, most notably and surprisingly, the impenetrable Saiyajin no Ouji himself. This was how she had explained things countless times in the past. This is how she would make him understand now... through her eyes. For her husband, they would speak volumes in comparison to what any words could. This was the language he understood best, so she pulled back just enough to set her gaze steadily on his and let pour forth every tattered and torn emotion with her heart and mind.

"Oh Kami..." he whispered as his throat constricted painfully with the startling revelations her eyes provided him.