Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Unlikely Bond ❯ You Again ( Chapter 35 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ or any of the characters! If I did, the anime would never end and GT would have never happened!

Story notes: This takes place ten years after the Buu saga. The only differences I can think of is that the whole thing with the world tournament in the last episode never happened and Goku didn't leave to train Uub. I wouldn't count on anything from the movies being part of this story's time line either, 'cause I haven't seen them all and they usually don't fit into the show's time line anyway. Especially that Broly crap. Vegeta cried through, like, that whole movie! That certainly didn't happen in this story....but, that's a different rant altogether. Hope you enjoy!

PLEASE heed warning in story description!! If you missed it, this story is not for children! It is also not for people who do not like stories that contain elements of violence, strong language, adult situations, references to sex and sexual activity between men and women, and men and other men. Oh, and fictional alien men having babies...'cause that's a'happen' here folks...



The first week of December brought with it an unexpected snowfall. By the middle of the month, the snow had melted away, but the winter air was still frigidly cold and unforgiving, the deep grey clouds threatening more storms with the appearance of the holidays. Those who had the sense stayed in out of the blistering cold. Those who didn’t had their own ways of keeping warm.

Goku pivoted to dodge the kick, hearing the rush of air past his face as Vegeta’s boot came within an inch of his cheek. Trying to catch the prince before he could regain his footing, Goku used his position to launch a punch directly toward the older Saiyan’s face. With an incredibly graceful motion, Vegeta moved with Goku, causing the younger man’s fist to collide with nothing but air.

Frustrated, Goku pulled back. The two had been sparring for several hours and collectively had only landed maybe a dozen good hits on each other. Without the benefit of ki, Goku couldn’t tell if Vegeta was using all of his strength or if he was holding back. The sweat beading on the prince’s forehead could very well be because of his rarely worn winter coat.

Vegeta dropped down and extended his leg, sweeping it over the ground. Goku jumped in time to keep the motion from knocking his feet out from under him, but he stumbled upon landing, unable to balance himself.

Vegeta grabbed him by the forearm and kept him from landing painfully on his backside.

“Thanks,” Goku mumbled, realizing the slip in his equilibrium called the match to a close.

Vegeta didn’t respond, merely pulling his hand away when Goku had regained his footing. Goku sighed heavily, watching his breath leave in a puff of smoke.

“You want to take a break?” he asked. Vegeta shrugged. “I..uh...I think I could use one.” Goku could tell that his companion was not amused by the unexpected end to their spar, but didn’t comment. He followed when Goku took to the sky to find a suitable place to rest in the middle of the ‘nowhere’ they picked to train.

Goku spotted a cave and headed for it. From the outside, the small opening in the rock at the mountain’s base looked as if it would be just big enough for the two to sit comfortably away from the elements. Once inside, however, it was about as big as a good sized living room. Maybe not the living room of Capsule Corp, but of his own little capsule house, to be sure.

The size of the cave in relation to its mouth seemed to trap heat within. Goku pulled off his parka and used it as something to sit on. He stretched his legs out in front of him, watching Vegeta, who stood by the cave opening with his arms crossed over his chest.

“So...” Goku began, trying to encourage some small talk. “Trunks’ birthday is coming up.”

Vegeta turned his dark eyes toward the younger man a moment before turning back.

“Yes,” he replied simply. Goku waited a moment until he was sure that Vegeta had nothing more to add.

“Well...what are you getting him?”

Vegeta’s brow furrowed in what appeared to Goku to be annoyance.

“What could he possibly want? The boy has everything. His mother is remodeling a section of the east wing so he can come and go as he pleases...” Vegeta gave a snort of disgust. “So he can ‘entertain,’ she says...”

Goku gave a small, embarrassed smile.

“I would expect of the two of you, that you would be the one who was less opposed to his ‘entertaining’...” he remarked.

He soon wished he hadn’t when Vegeta’s dark eyes were on him.

“You know nothing about me, Kakkarot. So don’t presume anything about my character,” he warned. Goku frowned.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to offend you...it’s just...I mean, I know I feel bad that Goten doesn’t feel comfortable bringing people home to hang out or…whatever...”

Vegeta gave an amused grunt.

“You wouldn’t mind him bringing home random females to bed? Is that what you are saying?” He shook his head. “I would never have guessed that was in your character, Kakkarot.”

“Not random females,” Goku defended himself. “But I would rather him be at home safe and at least know who he is with.” Goku shifted uncomfortably, partly from the conversation and partly from the sharp ache in his lower back.

“I would rather have my son wait until he has found someone I could approve of to be his mate...” Goku stopped squirming to look at Vegeta. The prince’s tone seemed full of regret. “…Not that I think any of these humans would ever meet my standards for my children.”

“Why not?” Goku asked. “You found a worthy human for yourself...and so did I.”

Vegeta refrained from making a comment, instead snapping.

“Why can’t you sit still!?”

“I’m uncomfortable!” Goku shot back. “And I’m tired!”

“Well, then sleep!” Vegeta answered. “Because I am not carrying your whiney ass home!”

Goku smiled as the prince turned his back on him to stare out into the woods around the cave.

“Don’t let me sleep too long,” Goku told him, stretching out on the part of the stone ground covered by his coat. Vegeta grunted, but didn’t reply.

Vegeta took a deep breath and released it soundlessly, lest it sound like a sigh.

These last several weeks had been quite a challenge for him. But for the first time, in a long time, he felt calm and surrendered. His wife loved him, his children adored him, and that moron on the floor was more than willing to bear him one last child. Vegeta actually smiled at the irony of it all. Life really did take some unexpected turns. He would have never predicted any of this.

What he had predicted for himself once was eternal life and unstoppable power, the ability to destroy his enemies and crush those who opposed him. That would have been a lonely existence, he now supposed. While he had always thought himself a solitary being, Saiyans were social creatures, after all.

That explained why he had never been able to rid himself of Kakkarot. Even when the younger man had kept his distance, Vegeta had sought him out: for battle, for hunting...for sometimes nothing but silence. Kakkarot was the last of his kind, well, had been the last of his kind, until recent events proved otherwise. But now what kept him by the childlike warrior’s side was not his own need for Saiyan camaraderie, but the way the other’s scent spoke to his blood, demanding he protect the clown even though the other was more powerful.

Vegeta gave a casual glance over his shoulder. Goku was already fast asleep. Vegeta turned from the entrance and moved closer to his companion, scrutinizing his appearance. Goku was on his side with one hand pulled up under his head, the other lying on his abdomen. Vegeta tilted his head to the side, crouching down. Maybe if the idiot didn’t wear the huge shirts, he might get to see exactly how much progress the little life inside him was making.

Vegeta stood, shaking his head. It didn’t matter. It was there, and in a matter of months they would meet face to face. And although he would never admit it out loud, he was curious to see the child. A full blooded Saiyan. One that would be no doubt, incredibly powerful.

“Yeow!”

Vegeta whirled back around at Goku’s exclamation. The younger Saiyan was trying to pull himself to his knees, one hand pressed against his belly and the other against his back. He grimaced in pain, his eyes wide.

“What?” Vegeta snapped, trying not to reach out to assist him.

“Hurts,” Goku hissed, pulling one foot underneath himself, but still unable to stand.

“What?” Vegeta asked, even though he had heard perfectly well. “Where?”

“Here...here...” was all the younger Saiyan could reply, but it gave no information to Vegeta since he was holding two places at once. “Vegeta.”

Vegeta felt his heart begin to thump in his chest. He knelt back down in front of him, and Goku held onto the prince for support.

“Ah!...uh...”

“Calm down!” Vegeta demanded, trying to sound unmoved by the other’s exclamation of pain. “I cannot fly you home if you keep squirming! Kakkarot!” Goku lifted his eyes to Vegeta’s. “You are going to have to calm down!”

Goku nodded quickly, the look of pain still obvious on his face.

“Now,” Vegeta began again, in a less harsh tone, “where does it hurt?”

Goku swallowed hard.

“My...my back...here...” he replied, indicating with his hand. Vegeta moved to Goku’s side, pushing the fabric of his shirt up to his shoulders, exposing the expanse of his back. Goku hissed in discomfort as Vegeta placed his fingers against either side of his spine.

Vegeta could remember Bulma having backaches late in her pregnancies, when the weight of the growing child placed too much stress on the structure of her spine. Hopefully, he could find which of Goku’s vertebrae were out of place, snap them back and get the goof ball back to his home before there were any other incidents. Goku leaned on his palms as the prince moved his fingers carefully down, inch by inch.

The younger Saiyan whimpered in discomfort, trying not to ‘squirm’.

“Lower...lower...” he grunted. Vegeta’s hands came to a halt.

“Lower is your ass, you fool,” he spoke gruffly. “So which is it? Your back or your butt?”

Goku’s answer was little more than a whine.

“My back!”

Blushing furiously, Vegeta tugged on the waistband of Goku’s pants until they were low on his lips. His eyes squinted as he looked down at the smooth section of the younger man’s lower back.

At the base of his spine, there was what appeared to be a dark rash. The skin underneath it was actually moving, pulsing and stretching. Vegeta’s mouth dropped open, and the gasp escaped him before he could stop it.

“What?” Goku asked frantically, not particularly comfortable in this position, looking over his shoulder at the prince.

“I, uh...” Vegeta began, “I think that we should return to Capsule Corp.”

“Why? What is it?” Goku tried to turn himself to look at what was causing him such pain. Vegeta got to his feet.

“Come. Don’t worry about that, it’s nothing,” he spoke, taking hold of Goku’s arms. “Don’t be a weakling. I will fly us back.”

“But Vegeta,” Goku replied in a firm tone, “I want to know what you saw. What if it - AH!”

A sharp pain sliced through him, as if someone had just plunged a knife into his back. He stumbled forward, knocking Vegeta back onto the ground and falling on top of him.

“Uh! Get off!” Vegeta grunted, struggling against Goku’s weight. Goku was holding tightly to the smaller Saiyan as the pain pulsed through him. Vegeta frowned as he continued to struggle, uncomfortable himself at the close proximity to his former rival. “Kakkarot! I said...” The words died in his throat as his eyes drew back to the small abrasion on Goku’s back. The skin was starting to blister and swell. Instinct forced Vegeta to pull the younger man against him as Goku buried his face against the prince’s chest and screamed.

The scream echoed in the cave and almost covered the gut-twisting, ripping, gushing sound that warranted the shout. Vegeta remained motionless, clutching the Saiyan against him, oblivious to the blood that splattered against his cheek. He watched in fascination at what had caused such pain.

Goku’s tail.

The furry appendage was soaked and sticky with blood and flesh, flopping back and forth, unable to hold up its own weight. Goku was starting to shiver, a sheen of sweat rising on his skin.

Gently, Vegeta pushed Goku from him, laying him back against the coat on the floor.

“That...hurt...” Goku mumbled, his hands clenched into fists. He couldn’t yet sense the newly regenerated part that coiled and twisted behind him.

Vegeta pulled off his own coat and laid it over Goku’s chest. Next, he removed his shirt and crouched back down, pulling the wiggling, confused tail into his hand and wiped the blood and fluid from the fur. He shook his head as he worked. If he thought that Kakkarot’s scent had power over him before...

“You don’t have to do that, Vegeta,” Goku told him, struggling to sit up. The pain had receded, and he was left with the tingling sensation of newly formed flesh. “You’re going to freeze.”

Vegeta stood and watched as Goku pulled the furry appendage to him and inspected it.

“Wow! I never thought I would see you again!” He gave a short laugh as he ruffled the fur. It was still damp, but less bloody than before. “You were supposed to be gone for good!”

“Quit talking to it, freak,” Vegeta snapped.

“But Vegeta, you don’t understand! This was supposed to be gone forever!” He frowned at the slight residue of blood that covered his hands. “I should go home...take a shower.”

“Don’t you think you should be looked at first?” Vegeta replied coolly, crossing his arms. He didn’t want to give the impression that he actually cared.

“Oh...I guess so.” Goku got shakily to his feet. Sheepishly, he handed Vegeta’s coat back to him. “Here...um...thanks.” Vegeta snatched the coat from him and pulled it over his bare torso. “I can IT us to Capsule Corp.”

“I’d rather fly,” Vegeta answered stiffly.

“But Vegeta, it’s cold and - ” Vegeta didn’t have to say more. He merely turned his scathing glare on the younger man. “Oh...well okay...” He reached down and picked up Vegeta’s soiled shirt. “I’ll…I’ll just give this to Bulma.”

Without another word, Goku lifted his fingers to his forehead and was gone from Vegeta’s sight.

Vegeta let out a sigh. What the hell was the meaning of that? Why would he get his supposedly-gone-forever tail back?

Wanting to see what the woman would come up with as an answer, Vegeta took to the sky and headed back to his home.


“This is freaking amazing!” Bulma exclaimed, pulling Goku’s tail into her hands. Daikkon’s own tail tightening reflexively at his waist upon observing her treatment of Goku’s.

“Um, it’s a little sensitive, too...” Goku mentioned, gently prying her fingers off the sable fur. He pulled the appendage back and held it against his stomach. “So...why do you think it’s here?”

“Beats the hell out of me!” Bulma laughed. “It’s too bad, though. We can’t have you running around turning ape-crazy on us. Not when you’ve got a bun in the oven and all.”

Goku looked regretfully down at his newly grown tail.

“Oh.”

“Ms. Bulma,” Daikkon interjected. “I don’t think removing it would be the best option at this point.”

“Really?” she asked. “Why not?”

“Well,” the young Saiyan shrugged. “It is apparent that his body has regenerated his tail for a reason. His body’s way of normalizing its Saiyan state, if you will. Particularly in this time when he needs to be strong.” Bulma turned and gave the tail another look.

“Hmm...”

“I mean,” Daikkon continued, “if he needs it for nothing else than to help balance his center of gravity, it would be enough.”

“Is that why I’m so clumsy?” Goku asked. “Because my center of gravity is off?” Bulma smirked.

“Believe me, it gets worse.” Goku didn’t looked dismayed, but pleased by the news.

“So it will help me spar better! I won’t lose my footing as easily, and I can train longer!”

“Typical,” Bulma remarked. “Well, we’ll have to discuss it later. Thank goodness we’ve already had the full moon this month.”

“So I can go?” Goku asked. “I’m okay?”

“Yep,” she replied.

“Thanks, Bulma” He leaned down and gave her a gentle peck on the cheek. “Um...tell Vegeta that I will see him tomorrow, maybe.”

Bulma nodded in reply. Goku said goodbye to them both and IT’d home. Bulma and Daikkon turned to each other.

“Well?” Bulma asked.

“Well,” he repeated, “I do believe that his tail will help him in the later months, when he is more greatly unbalanced. But most importantly, I think it will aid him after the birth.”

“How so?” she asked. Daikkon leaned against the desk as he explained.

“A Saiyan’s tail is more than just for the Oozaru transformation. I would say that the transformation was one of its least important qualities.”

Bulma raised an eyebrow as she brought a lighter up to the cigarette dangling from her lips.

“No shit?”

“Uh, no...” he continued. “It plays a large role in biology and in society. Saiyans have scent glands at the base and along the length of their tails. From a Saiyan’s scent, you can tell many things: health, status, intent, fertility...”

“I know Vegeta can tell those same things about humans.” Bulma remarked. “I mean, he knows when people have been here, if I’m sick, if the children are lying to him...things like that.” Daikkon nodded.

“Humans have many more scent glands than Saiyans, from what I have read. Pair that with a Saiyan’s strongly developed olfactory sense, and we can pretty much read everything about a human from scent alone.”

“Yeah, he mentioned that once...”

“Aside from that, we use our tails to communicate,” he explained further. “To show anger, fear, submission, affection.”

“Affection?” she asked, exhaling a puff of smoke. “Saiyans?”

“Yes, especially with our young.”

Bulma furrowed her brow. Vegeta did not have a tail any of the time she had known him, and he put up such a fight when they had to remove Trunks’. She wondered now if that was why...

“Mr. Goku’s infant will find being touched with his tail comforting and will learn from him the subtleties of its language.”

“But Goku wasn’t raised on planet Vegeta. He doesn’t know how to ‘speak’ with his tail.”

“I believe he will learn,” Daikkon assured her. “He is Saiyan, earth raised or not...it is in his blood.”

Bulma shrugged.

“I sure hope you’re right...Well, I will let you get back to whatever it is you want to do. I think I am going to take a bubble bath.”

“Thank you, my lady.”

Bulma smiled at him, stamping out her cigarette and leaving the lab. She made her way through the house and up to her master suite. Once inside the bedroom, she noticed Vegeta’s boots, gloves and coat by the window.

Curiously, she made her way toward the bathroom. Vegeta stood at the sink, washing his hands. He raised an eyebrow at her in question, but remained silent.

“Well, it’s been quite a day, huh?” she asked, moving to his side. “I was just going to take a bath.” She laid a gentle kiss on his bicep. “Care to join me? I can tell you’re pretty sweaty.” Vegeta shrugged.

“If you are going to take a long bath, I need a shower first. I’m covered in sweat and dirt,” he grumbled.

Bulma crossed to the shower and turned on the water, setting its temperature as hot as she could tolerate. Vegeta removed his pants, the one thing he was still wearing, and stepped past her into the rush of water. Bulma quickly discarded her own clothing and joined him inside.

She stood quietly behind him, watching him scrub himself with serious efficiency. Her eyes skimmed over his skin past the scars that covered his back to the one at the base of his spine. The small circular scar was slightly raised from his skin, the whirling pattern in his flesh looking almost like a burn. Her eyes drifted closed as she tried to remember if she had ever seen him with his tail...that was so many years ago...

“Are you through?”

Vegeta’s question brought her back to the moment, and she nodded. She leaned around him and pulled the lever to stop the drain and turned the shower to run back through the faucet. Vegeta moved to the back of the shower, pulling her down against him as they settled back into the rising water.

Bulma settled against him, laying her head back on his shoulder. Vegeta nuzzled her hair affectionately, wrapping his arms around her.

“Goku’s pretty happy about the tail...” she spoke, trying to start conversation.

“Hn,” was his reply. Bulma laced her fingers with his.

“Vegeta?” she began, hesitantly.

“Hn?”

“....Why...why didn’t you ever get your tail back...?” She held her breath as she waited for his reply.

“Because I didn’t have the time or the inclination to regenerate it,” he replied simply. Bulma remained quiet, sensing in his manner that if she asked as little as possible, she would get a glimpse into his past. “After my first battle with Kakkarot,” he continued, closing his hands around hers, “and that little bastard cut off my tail...I returned to one of the bases and ordered them to place me in the regeneration tank. I asked for the shortest possible time in order to get back out and on to Namek. My tail was the only thing left to regenerate. For an adult, it takes a substantial amount of meditation and ki focus to regrow, and I wasn’t particularly patient enough to wait....besides, Kakkarot didn’t have his. It seemed pointless....”

“Why not after then?” she inquired. “I mean, when you came here.” He was silent a moment before responding.

“Pointless...”

“Daikkon mentioned that Saiyans used their tails to communicate...don’t you...miss that? I mean...I don’t know...”

“Why would I need a strictly Saiyan means of communication on a planet of non-Saiyans?” he asked her. “I’ve learned many of your human languages. I think that is sufficient.”

Bulma turned in his lap and look down upon him.

“But Goku is Saiyan...and your child will be Saiyan.”

Vegeta gently pushed her hair back over her ear.

“But his home will be Earth.” Vegeta frowned at the thought. This new child, too, would probably be subjected to the cultural castration that he and the others had suffered. It was a shame...

“I don’t see why you can’t have both,” she replied.

“You speak with more Royal expectation than I do,” he chided her. “Why should this child be any different than my others? Had Bulla been born with a tail, we would have removed that as well, would we not?”

“That’s not fair, Vegeta!” she replied. “I thought it was best for Trunks that we remove it! You never told me that it was important socially for him...or culturally...I mean, you didn’t have a tail...”

“Hush, woman, your point has been made,” he returned gruffly, pulling her back down against him. “I didn’t challenge you.”

Bulma lay against him a moment, before starting a new line of questions.

“What if Goku becomes Oozaru? I mean, that’s possible now that Dende has remade the moon...”

“I can teach him to control it...I was never without my mind when I transformed.” He shrugged. “Or I will destroy the moon...either way...”

There was another bout of silence between them.

“Vegeta,” Bulma began again.

“What now?”

“Could...could you regrow your tail? I mean, if you had the time or inclination now...could you?”

Vegeta grimaced.

“What would be the point in that?”

She leaned up on her elbow and smiled at him.

“I’m sure we could think of something...maybe you could teach me your language?”

Vegeta’s brow slowly raised.

“Think about it,” she finished, kissing him playfully on the chin.

He did. The thought of being the prince of Saiyans, yet divested of one of the most prominent Saiyan features, was painful to him. Daikkon, and now Kakkarot and his child, would be totally intact Saiyans, while he was not...He was a bit jealous now, to say the least.

Kakkarot had not been expecting his tail to regrow and so had been surprised by the sudden, unexpected pain. Vegeta could purposefully attempt to regenerate his, and thus the pain was no concern. But would trying to regain a connection with his birth heritage alienate him from his children who were more grounded on planet Earth? He didn’t know if that was worth it.


Chi Chi had been too buried in a mound of groceries she was unloading to notice Goku’s appearance in the kitchen. So without a sound, he slipped up to the bathroom to shower and dress. He found it quite challenging to find a pair of pants that fit him well enough in the waist that also allowed room for his new tail. Deciding that it was best not to damage the garments that Chi Chi had let out for him, he used a pair of scissors instead to cut a small hole in the back of his boxers, threading his tail through. It wasn’t as if he could keep the new appendage a secret...

Goku stepped out into the hallway and called down to his wife.

“Honey! Can...uh, can you come up here for a moment?”

Chi Chi looked up from her work at the sound of her husband’s voice. She didn’t even know he was home.

Shrugging, she left the stack of canned goods she was arranging and climbed the stairs to their room. Goku was sitting on the side of the bed.

“What’s the matter?” she asked, noting he was dressed in nothing but an undershirt and boxers. What could he have outgrown now? “Are you alright?”

“Yes,” he replied, seeming a bit nervous. “Something interesting happened to me today.”

Chi Chi smiled, trying to encourage him to share with her the day by day wonders of his condition.

“And what would that be?”

With a grin, he pulled his tail from behind him.

“Ta-da...” he sing-songed weakly, watching her eyes grow wide.

Her mouth opened and closed a few times before she found her voice.

“How?”

Goku shrugged and watched her face expectantly. Chi Chi was not overly fond of change, and she’d had more than her share of it the last couple months.

“Daikkon thinks it is my body’s way of ‘normalizing’ my Saiyan-ness...I guess...”

Slowly, his wife crossed to him, reaching her hand out and brushing her fingertips over the soft, dark fur. She was quiet a moment before a slight smile turned her lips, and she spoke.

“It reminds me of Gohan’s...”

Goku smiled widely.

“So...it’s...it’s okay?” he asked. Chi Chi felt her heart leap into her throat at his tender question.

“What do you mean, ‘is it okay’? Of course, it’s fine. You had a tail when I first met you, remember? It didn’t bother me then, and it doesn’t bother me now! What must you think of me!”

Goku’s expression became serious, and he took her hands in his.

“Honey,” he began, in a deep, even tone, “it’s not that I think anything. I just don’t want you to be uncomfortable, that’s all...I...” He took a deep breath and looked down at their hands. “I know how you like things to be calm...and...and normal...and...I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said anything.”

Chi Chi sighed heavily, sitting down at his side.

“No, you probably thought I was going to start screaming or something...”

Goku grinned.

“Well...”

Chi Chi covered her face with her hands in embarrassment.

“Oh, Goku...I’m so sorry,” she said, her voice quiet. “I never meant to become this woman...”

Before replying, Goku wrapped his arms around her, pulling her against his broad chest.

“What woman?” he asked. “The only woman I see is the woman I love.”

Chi Chi looked up at him, one eyebrow raised.

“You thought I was going to yell at you for spontaneously regrowing your tail!” she exclaimed. “How does that make me loveable?” A disgusted grunt punctuated her question. “Makes me sound more like some sort of...harpy.”

Goku leaned his head back and laughed loudly. Chi Chi tried to stop the smile that was tugging at her lips.

“It’s not funny,” she chastised. “It’s true...”

“No, it’s not!” Goku assured her, his chuckles subsiding. “I don’t think you are a harpy! Yelling is just your way of sparring with me, I thought.”

Chi Chi was quiet a moment. She looked up into his face.

“What?”

Goku shrugged.

“Well...” he began, “you really didn’t start yelling at me...or hitting me with stuff...until after Gohan was born. At first I thought you were mad because of all that pain that you felt, but then I realized it was probably because you had to spend all of your time with the baby, and you and I couldn’t spar anymore. I mean, if I couldn’t spar...I would probably yell, too...”

Chi Chi smiled, shaking her head.

“You are too kind, Goku...” she said, hugging him. “Now I can see how you can be friends with Vegeta...you don’t seem to see anyone’s faults.”

“We all have faults, Chi,” he replied. “And I see them. I just try to weigh them against the good. Vegeta has a lot of good in him, honey.”

Chi Chi chose to remain quiet on the subject lest she start a bitter debate with him.

“Well, I should probably put the canned goods away so I can start sewing little tail holes in your pants,” she spoke, patting him on the arm as she pulled from his embrace. “It’s been a long time since I had to do that, you know.”

Goku nodded.

“Thanks.”

As she turned to leave, Goku caught her hand, stopping her. She looked back at him and the smile on his face.

“I think that maybe...sometime in the future...we should spar again,” he told her. “Like old times.”

Chi Chi rolled her eyes.

“Heavens no, Goku! You have become one hundred times stronger than when we were first married!”

“I’ll go easy on you,” he spoke, pulling her back against the bed. She placed her hands on his shoulders and looked down into his face. How she adored that look of pure love in his eyes...

“What kind of challenge would that be for you?” she asked.

He shrugged, pulling her against him. His motion forced her to straddle his thighs to keep herself from falling into him. She gave a surprised yelp.

“Goku!”

“You remember sparring, right, hon?” he asked, laying tiny kisses on her throat. “When we would pack a lunch and spend the afternoon in the glade by the river?” Chi Chi moaned as his large hands worked their way up her back and back down, kneading her soft flesh. “And we would spar...and you looked so beautiful with your hair down and blowing in the breeze...” Chi Chi blushed at the thought. She hadn’t wore her hair down since she was a young girl. She knew he liked it like that; why didn’t she wear it down more often? Goku continued, his voice taking on a deep, husky tone. “...and your skin was blushed just like now...and I knew that I had won...”

“Oh?” she murmured as he continued to nibble along her shoulder. “Who says you won?”

Goku chuckled lightly, kissing her chin.

“I always won,” he said assuredly.

“That’s debatable...” Goku sighed softly against the creamy skin of her throat.

“How long has it been since we made love in the grass?”

Chi Chi’s blush deepened, and she lightly slapped his arm in admonishment.

“Shh...Goten will be home any minute...”

“Hmm...”

Chi Chi submitted to his kiss, her eyes closing and her arms winding around his neck. She could feel a fluttering in her stomach, and her skin grew warm under his touch.

“...I wish we could go right now...” he murmured, his hand traveling up to unbutton her blouse. “...lay naked in the sunshine... pretend we are the only two people in the world...”

Chi Chi moaned softly as he kissed the exposed swell of her breast.

“Like when things were normal...” she sighed.

If she had been paying attention to his tail, she would have seen it bristle at her words. But she felt him tense, and she quickly regretted having said anything.

“I...I’m sorry, sweetheart,” she stammered. “I didn’t mean it like that.”

The couple’s attention was drawn to the door as their son’s voice called to them from downstairs.

“Mom! Dad! I’m home!”

“It’s okay,” Goku replied, smiling weakly as she rose from his lap, quickly rebuttoning her shirt. Goku pulled a pillow into his lap and leaned his elbows on it as Goten appeared in the doorway.

“Oh, hey - I’m not interrupting anything, am I?” He spoke with a hint of panic in his tone.

“Honestly, Goten!” Chi Chi reprimanded. “Your father doesn’t have anything to wear because his tail grew back!”

Goten’s eyes became wide as he focused on his father.

“Really!” he exclaimed. “Cool!”

Goku laughed as his son dropped onto the bed beside him.

“That is totally cool! How did that happen?”

“I dunno!” Goku replied. “It just sort of...shot out. Really painful, actually, but it’s okay now.”

Goten grimaced.

“Yikes...but still, that is pretty neat. I wish I had one...” He leaned over to Goku and whispered so his mother couldn’t hear. “I think it would be pretty popular with the ladies...”

“Whispering in front of someone is rude, Goten,” Chi Chi reprimanded him.

“I’m, uh, pretty sure you wouldn’t have wanted to hear that, hon,” Goku told her. She shook her head wearily.

“Still, though,” Goten continued, “why don’t I have one? Wasn’t I born with one?”

“You were,” Chi Chi replied. “But we thought it was best to have it removed because it causes a...bad reaction.”

“A bad reaction...” Goten repeated, “Like what?”

“In certain conditions, it makes you...kind of forget who you are,” Goku tried to explain. “It’s something in our Saiyan blood that reacts to the moonlight and...well...don’t worry about it. It didn’t hurt you to have it removed. You were just a baby.” He brought his hand to his mouth and whispered back to his son. “You should have heard what the doctor wanted to cut...”

“Goku,” Chi Chi spoke, sternly. “Goten, I think that’s enough talk of tails right now. You need to get started on your homework. You and your father can share more stories after supper.”

“Alright,” Goten agreed, standing up. “But, uh, congrats, Dad.”

“Thank you.”

Goten turned from the room them, leaving his mom and dad alone again. Chi Chi bit her lip, a feeling of uneasiness coming over her as she watched Goku. She hoped she had not hurt his feelings.

“It’s okay,” he stressed, giving her a smile. “I know that you didn’t mean it that way...” He shrugged. “I wish things were back to normal, too...but they really haven’t been normal since...well...since Radditz came...”

Chi Chi crossed back to him and gently touched his cheek.

“None of that really matters as long as I have you,” she told him.

Goku took her hand and softly kissed it.

“I’m yours,” he replied.

Chi Chi smiled at him. She wanted to forget the last several minutes and climb back into his lap and let him take her away. But Goten was home now...and dinner needed to be made.

“You get some rest while I fix your clothing and make some supper,” she instructed. Goku tossed his pillow back up to the head of the bed and stretched out.

“’Kay. Thanks, honey.”

Chi Chi stopped in the doorway, looking back at her husband before she left.

“You’re welcome.” She lingered a moment before adding, “I love you.”

Goku gave a genuine smile that reassured her and lightened her mood.

“I love you, too.”

This chapter is dedicated to Webtester01. I hope you liked it!

A/N: Sorry this update is a little late. My recovery took a few steps backward and no ammount of pain medication actually does a darn of good. Low tolerance for pain and high tolerance to narcotics is not a good combination! LOL! Anyway, I hope you all liked this chapter. I am rather fond of it. Thank you all for reviewing and thanks to my wonderful beta reader, Rowina, for all of her support and caring. You all are the best!