No warnings to speak of but any anime characters referenced in this story belong to their respective owner…not me.

When it Rains

By: Kaineko

Chapter 05

"Thanks for meeting me Ian. It seems like ages since I last saw you." She said though it had actually only been a few weeks.

"I was glad you called. I'd been looking forward to seeing you again." He said.

Chichi smiled across at the man she considered to be a friend. She'd met him a while back, at an art exhibit and they hit it off immediately. He seemed able to stimulate her intellect far more than anyone else ever had and she really enjoyed his company.

~Flashback~

The painting was supposed to be a powerful and moving piece depicting the topic of dominance and submissiveness in a relationship between a man and a woman. But to Chichi it was utterly strange and disturbing. It showed a man asserting his dominance by brutally victimizing a woman, presumably his wife. The bad part about the whole thing was that all of his paintings were about the same subject and always depicted some man controlling and brutalizing an utterly defenseless woman.

"So what do you think? Really?" Someone asked her.

She turned toward the man standing next to her that she hadn't noticed before.

"Honestly…I think it's one of the most disturbing things I've ever seen…And in extremely poor taste." She said.

The man smiled, flashing the most perfect set of white teeth she'd ever seen. "I have to agree with you. The way he portrays women as the eternal victim is so blatantly misogynistic that it's sickening. His view of reality is completely skewed."

Several people around them, including the artist himself, turned and stared at the two. They were at a premier of one of art society's most revered new artists…highly touted for his 'accurate depiction of the state of roles between the sexes'. That's the only reason Chichi had attended. Had she known what this was really all about she never would have come.

"I'd be careful not to offend if I were you. I don't think he takes too kindly to open criticism of his talent. And I use the term talent loosely." She quipped.

The stranger laughed. It was a deep rich melodic sound that felt like heaven against her ears. "Please allow me to introduce myself. I'm Ian Mori." He said and kowtowed slightly in a gesture of greeting.

Chichi returned the gesture politely. "Nice to meet you. I'm Chichi Son."

"So," Ian said, "are you in the field?"

"The field?" She asked.

"Are you an artist?"

Chichi got a wistful look. "No…I'm just a lover of art."

"You say that in such a disappointed way."

"Well, I would love to fancy myself a connoisseur…but that just isn't the case." She said.

"Oh, I see." He said.

"So what about you? Are you a critic, buyer, or something?"

"Me? No. I'm just a lover like you."

A man standing just behind them butted into the conversation. "Just a lover of art. So what gives you the right to criticize something that you know absolutely nothing about?" The man said in a thick accent from who knew where, but definitely far from Japan.

The two turned toward the man, realizing that he was the aforementioned artist.

"I never said I know nothing about art. You just assumed from the context of a conversation that wasn't directed toward you." Ian said in defense of his position.

"I have every right to defend my work. I resent being censured by a novice."

"I don't have to be an art critic to realize that your work is not only second-rate, but your viewpoint is warped and sadistic at best." Ian said watching in satisfaction as his face turned red with anger and embarrassment. It seemed everyone within hearing distance was watching the exchange intently. Chichi, being one that never bit her tongue, found it all amusing. She completely agreed with his viewpoint.

"Now, if you'd kindly excuse me, I'd like to return to the lovely conversation I was having, before you joined." Ian said, turning his back to Chichi and effectively silencing any further discussion.

"Listen, I hope I don't sound forward, but would you like to leave this distasteful exhibit and grab a cup of tea with me?" He asked.

"Well I don't know…" Chichi hesitated. She'd just met him, but she liked him already. He had a fire that was appealing, but would it be a good idea to just leave with some strange man or should she turn him down? He seemed nice enough, but that didn't make him safe.

As if reading her mind he added, "There's a great little café about two blocks away. We could leave our cars encapped and just take a nice stroll. What do you say?"

She thought about it for a few minutes. It was the middle of the afternoon, still daylight outside; there shouldn't be any real danger. Besides, she was beyond ready to leave, but she still wasn't ready to return home. It would be several more hours before Goku made it there, and she already had the meat for dinner thawed. "Okay, let's go." She said.

They left the museum and walked through the surrounding neighborhood, taking in the sights, sounds, and smells. The people were interesting characters, filling the area with a diversity that Chichi wasn't accustomed to. Every corner seemed bustling with life…so unlike her quiet, lonely mountain home. Only a quarter of an hour later, they arrived at a nice café that served an assortment of coffee, tea, and light food. They sat talking, completely losing track of the time as the hours passed. Chichi had never felt more alive than she did now. Ian's friendly demeanor and easy conversation lent themselves well to his overall charming persona and he turned out to be quite the gentleman. She found herself thoroughly mesmerized, and by the end of their meal she was reluctant to leave. It wasn't surprising that when he told her of another upcoming art series, and invited her along, she jumped at the opportunity.

It wasn't until later that she started thinking about the ramifications of her new friendship on her marriage. Goku had never been the jealous type, but somewhere in her mind she would like to think that her husband would be insanely jealous if she had a male friend. She'd always believed in being appropriate, and was sure that having a male friend wouldn't be seen as proper. She also felt a bit guilty that she could enjoy spending time with a man other than her husband, but the fact was that she had enjoyed herself. Pushing the thought from her head, she had to focus on getting dinner ready. She'd stayed out far later than she'd expected to and she didn't want to explain why dinner was so late.

Later that day Goku came home. She frowned disdainfully at his appearance. He'd been sparring with Vegeta again, and his torn and dirty clothes were a testament to the intensity of their spar.

"Hey Chi, something smells delicious." He said standing behind her at the stove and trying to sneak a peek in one of the pots she had cooking. She smacked his hand to shoo him away.

"Not with those dirty hands. Go get ready for dinner." She said more annoyed than she usually was.

Goku could tell she wasn't in the best mood, and figured that he'd done something wrong again. But for the life of him he wasn't able to figure out what.

"Okay." He said but as he turned to leave, he caught the whiff of several foreign smells on his wife.

"Did you go shopping again today?" He asked.

"No."

"Where did you go?" It was strange that she'd gone out without mentioning it this morning. Normally she made a big fuss about having to go to the market so often, or having to shop for new gis because he'd destroyed so many. Maybe something had upset his wife while she was out and for once he wasn't the cause of her eternal irritation.

Chichi swallowed nervously. She hadn't told her husband she was even going anywhere that day. How could he know? "What makes you think I went somewhere?"

Goku smiled faintly, fingering the sleeve of her shirt. "I can smell it on you. You smell like coffee and cigarette smoke. It's really strong…in the fibers of your clothes and hair." He said matter-of-factly. Not noticing the guilty look on his wife's face.

Damn her husband's keen animalistic sense of smell. She'd forgotten that he would be able to smell things that she'd come in contact with or strong scents that she'd been around. He would have even been able to pick up Ian's scent if she'd touched him.

"I went to an art exhibit today…in the city. Afterward, I stopped by a little café for a bite." She said as nonchalantly as she could.

"Oh, that sounds nice. Well, I'm going to take a shower. I'll be down in a few minutes." He said; his attention already on something else.

Chichi watched him retreat up the stairs, a bit resentful of her husband's cursory curiosity. 'It figures his interest in my day would only be fleeting.'

After that, Chichi began passing time with her friend pretty regularly. She'd never cheated on Goku, not even when he was dead, and she wasn't about to entertain the idea now. Yet they still spent time talking and really getting to know one another. To her delight, she found out that he liked many of the same things that she liked. It was almost uncanny how much they had in common. The kinds of food they liked, the types of movies they enjoyed, and the topics of conversation they agreed on. Ian had an excellent ear for listening, and often times she felt that she could unload her problems on him. The plus was that he always offered her sound advice, and for that she was grateful.

It was always with reluctance that she left him after they spent time together. And she always remembered to shower after she'd been out, not wanting Goku to find out about her friendship. It was something that she wanted to keep to herself, and she felt it would be cheapened somehow if it didn't remain her little secret. It just felt good like sneaking chocolate while you're on a diet.

Every now and then, she was hit with a wave of guilt. But she always rationalized her new relationship by saying that she and Ian were only friends. Nothing was wrong with having a friend who just happened to be the opposite sex. After all, Goku's best friend was Bulma.

~End Flashback~

Ian's smooth, melodic voice sliced through her reverie like a knife through butter, bringing her thoughts back to the present. "So Chichi…what's been going on with you lately?"

"A lot of things." She said smiling nervously. "For one I decided to move on with my own life and start living for myself. I left my husband yesterday." She said matter-of-factly.

Ian became somber, silently contemplating her words for a few moments. The clanking of dishes and the murmured snippets of other conversations kept the silence from becoming uncomfortable. "Well, I can't say that I'm happy your marriage ended, but I can say that I'm glad you finally took my advice. It really was way overdue." He said.

Chichi was thankful for her friend's support. "At first I thought it would be too difficult to leave and start over, but as I thought about it I realized that it was truly what I needed to do to keep myself sane. And I don't regret my decision. I'm just relieved the whole charade and false pretense of happiness has ended. I can't tell you how glad I am that you helped me see the situation for what it really was. I'm glad you helped me realize what I was missing out of life." She said thinking that it was ashamed that Goku wasn't more like Ian. Maybe then it could have worked out.

"I'm glad that I could help. A special lady like you, needs someone that appreciates her, and from the way you described him, it's apparent that he never did."

"You're right. I never had any of his attention. It was always one thing or another, but never me." She said trailing off because she was starting to get angry all over again. "Anyway…that's enough about that. I'm trying to put it behind me and move on, so let's talk about something else. What's been going on with you lately?"

Ian shrugged his shoulders. "Oh the same old stuff…nothing unusual." He said lightheartedly. "I just happen to have two tickets to Masaka's new play are you up to it?" He asked knowing that she was a big Masaka fan.

Chichi's eyes lit up. "Definitely. I've been wanting to go for a while. I can't wait."

"Great. I'll pick you up on Saturday at 7."

Chichi smiled. It was nice to be around someone that was interested in the same things she was interested in. Her life was already starting to look up.

***

That afternoon, Trunks sat at his desk leafing through an overwhelming stack of papers. It really was no more than usual, but he just couldn't seem to focus long enough to complete the documents. His thoughts kept wandering down the hall to his mother's office. He had gone along with Bulma at lunch, agreeing that maybe he was just being paranoid, but something about Ian still didn't feel right. He'd met him again that afternoon in a meeting to introduce him to everyone else, and the man still didn't sit well with him. Trunks had always relied on his instincts, but unlike now, they rarely disagreed with his logic. Rationally, there wasn't one thing that Trunks could pinpoint that the man had either said or done to provoke his suspicions, but yet and still he had. Ian, as an overall package seemed phony.

Reaching over a shorter stack of papers, Trunks found the intercom and pressed the button to ring his secretary.

"Yes Mr. Briefs."

"Get Thomas Ragland on the phone for me." He said.

"Yes sir." Hinako said before severing the connection. A few minutes later the phone in his office rang and Trunks picked it up.

"Hello Thomas, this is Trunks Briefs."

"Ah Trunks…it's good to hear from you. What can I do for you today?"

Thomas was one of the foremost detectives in West City and he and Trunks had worked together on a few occasions. He'd been a crucial factor in helping them crack down on several employees that were selling top-secret Capsule Corp. technology to the rivals. "I need some info, sort of a background check of a new employee."

"A background check huh. Well you know that's not normally my thing. I'm more of a surveillance type guy. Besides doesn't your human resources department usually handle stuff like that before you hire someone?"

"Usually, but this isn't a run-of-the-mill background check. I need something more…thorough."

"More thorough? Sounds intriguing. Do you suspect something?"

"Well maybe. Something just feels wrong."

There was silence on the line for a few moments. Trunks assumed he was thinking it over. "You've whet my curiosity Trunks, as usual. Fax me the information and I'll get right on it."

"Great. I knew you were the man to call." He said before hanging up.

***

Goku sat reclined against his rock on the banks of the same stream from earlier that day. It was hard, but smooth and cool against his back. Several fish and bones littered the banks of the river, paying testament to his completed dinner. The few leftovers would have to serve as his breakfast in the morning, and satisfy his hearty appetite. At some point he'd have to go shopping to stock up on some of his main staples like rice, eggs, and milk, but he was in no hurry. That had always been Chichi's thing, and the mere thought of it made him cringe. He'd eventually venture off to a grocery store, but in the meantime, he'd continue to fish or hunt to sustain himself.

Everything around him had become stiller and considerably quieter. The valley was more calming and serene with less noise, creating a relaxing environment. He was alone now but Vegeta had hung around for a short while after their spar had ended, before he finally left. That was several hours ago, and now the day was transitioning into late afternoon.

Goku smiled faintly as he remembered Vegeta's ostensible reluctance to leave him alone. The prince's concern…now there's a concept that seemed completely foreign...was obvious even to Goku. He had seemed genuinely concerned about Goku's feelings. Though he hadn't explicitly invited him to Capsule Corp. for dinner, Goku had known the invitation was there. Of course, the Ouji tried to hide it, but his normally stoic, uncaring mask seemed to be ill-fitting today. The prince just couldn't seem to stay in character. Every gesture that he made spoke volumes of his true feelings even though he remained tacit. Goku could see the gesture for what it was…a silent offering of strength…the prince's own strength to help crutch him against the storm of his life. Vegeta's story about Saiyan bonding, their intense sparring match where he'd been forced to concentrate only on the blows that were being thrown, and the little fact that the prince had remained for so long after the spar ended.

The younger man recognized these signs, even if Vegeta himself hadn't. And in many ways he was truly grateful to have such a good friend. Yes…most definitely a friend. Goku had been correct in his presumption about their relationship. He and Vegeta had become more than just reluctant allies over the years. A strange feeling of euphoria welled up within him from somewhere unknown. It seemed completely inappropriate given the current state of his life, but it was there nonetheless. But why was it there? Why did he feel such elation at the prospect of having Vegeta as a friend? For a long time the desire had been there, to share something deep and profound with the enigmatic Prince of his lost race. It had always lingered on the outskirts of his conscious awareness…but he'd never truly been aware until now.

He shifted and lay down in the cool grass, staring up at the stars. Now that it had become so apparent that their relationship was taking a shift, he didn't know what to think of it. His delight had grown considerably at the realization of the change in his status in Vegeta's eyes. At the same time his fear grew exponentially. Now that he had gained some revered place in the Ouji's life, how long would he keep it? How long would it be before he said or did something that would cause him to lose face in the Prince's mind? Could he really live up to his expectations of a friend? Goku already knew that they had to be high expectations since there weren't many that the prince actually called friend. To be placed in such a high position, higher than any pedestal his friends had ever placed him on, was both a gift and a curse. If he fell from such a height, he'd surely never recover. The damage would be far greater than anything he'd ever sustained.

He sighed disheartened as his short-lived happiness deflated to nothing more than dull disappointment. He pushed the slightly confusing thoughts of Vegeta from his mind to be contemplated later. He remained motionless, listening as the familiar sounds of diurnal animals slowly changed to those of their nocturnal brothers. His thoughts wandered to many different places, but he kept finding himself thinking back on what Vegeta had said to him earlier. He wondered if it really were true…maybe he hadn't been meant for Chichi. At first they seemed to have a lot in common. They were both skilled fighters, and in the beginning that was all that really mattered to Goku. But as the years passed, the commonality of their interest began to wane. Goku's love of fighting increased drastically, while Chichi's did just the opposite. Soon they looked around and found that they really didn't have anything in common anymore. He thought about all their years together. Had any actually been good? He'd always thought so. For the most part, he did whatever he wanted. He never really took her ranting and fussing to heart, thinking it was just her worrying about him. But perhaps that was the problem. He never took her seriously. Now it was too late, he'd driven her away and somewhere deep in his heart, he knew it was for good.

Goku shifted a bit, fighting to keep his weary eyes open. He'd barely slept the night before, and it was starting to catch up to him. Overwhelmed by fatigue, his eyes slipped shut and he allowed his body to relax to the sound of the nearby stream. Within minutes he was fitfully asleep under the evening sky…though his mind was still awhirl with a cacophony of thoughts.

***

'Family Dinner at Capsule Corp'…what a joke. Even the name the onna had given the little event was laughable. There was no one there but the two of them, and occasionally Trunks. When the boy had been younger, she'd insisted they all eat together at least once a week to keep each other 'informed' of what was going on in their lives. At first Vegeta had wanted absolutely no part in it whatsoever. He'd refused vehemently to participate in some idiotic familial bonding ritual that was so asinine it bordered on foolish. Sharing his life in such a way was just something he wasn't used to doing, and there was no reason that he could see to start now. But to the woman's credit, she was smart. Smarter in fact than most. She'd watched Vegeta for a while and noticed something that most people never had. The fact that the seemingly wild, impulsive, carefree Saiyan was actually a creature of habit. No one had ever been insightful enough to notice how truly regimented his life was. His routine, though perfectly structured and coherent in his mind, appeared just the opposite to everyone else. He usually did things like eat, train, shower, and sleep at set times. It was just that those times differed depending not only on the day of the week, but also on the week of the month. He'd always kept the same schedule, even through dramatic shifts in his life. Bulma of all people had noticed and exploited that knowledge to her advantage in many things…the family meals being just one.

At first he thought it merely coincidence that these family meals were going on at the same time that he took his meals, then he realized what the onna had been doing. Pissed off to no end, he thought to spite her by deliberately taking his meals off-schedule. But he always seemed to return to what was familiar, and eventually gave up trying to fight it.

So there Vegeta sat, eating a fairly decent catered meal…emphasis on catered being that Bulma's endless creativity somehow deserted her in the kitchen. Bulma was sitting across from him, and Trunks was MIA as usual these days, which was just as well, though without the boy's presence he suffered through Bulma's incessant chatter alone. At this particular moment he could care less about the latest news on Capsule Corp or their new line of whatever. Only one thing was on his mind. Kakarrot…the man that had been an enigma to him for all the years they'd known each other. But what was really more puzzling was his feelings for the baka. That was the thing. The fact that he had feelings for the other man and he knew that they didn't involve murder or defeat. So what did they involve? Thinking about their conversation from earlier he remembered Kakarrot's nearly tearful declaration that he was no longer hitched to that sadistic bitch. Even now memories of the plethora of feelings that had flowed through him threatened to overwhelm his senses, and they were merely memories. He'd felt elation and relief and some weird emotion that he just now realized was hope, all rolled up into one tangled jumble of incoherence. Then he looked at Kakarrot again. Looked at the sheer pain and feelings of abandonment etched in those normally happy features…marring the beautiful face of a man that had known too much pain and loss in his life, none of which he'd ever deserved. It was then that the Ouji's heart tumbled. He'd been a bit sarcastic with the other man…but he hadn't meant to hurt him. He'd never meant to compound his pain…pain that Vegeta hadn't been aware of at the time. He was just being his usual callous self. And how he'd regretted it afterward. He told Kakarrot about Saiyan mating rituals in an attempt to ease the other man's pain. He'd told him that he wasn't meant for chichi as she was not meant for him. But none of it seemed to have helped.

Later, when they sparred he'd been unrelenting in his battle tactics. He pushed and pushed Kakarrot, pummeling him with blow after blow. It wasn't out of sick pleasure that he threw himself into the fight so wholeheartedly; it was out of necessity. He wanted to take Kakarrot's mind off his troubles and force the other man to concentrate on their battle. He had succeeded somewhat…the other man had fought with the intensity he was known for and Vegeta had relished every single agonizingly pleasurable minute of it. But it was over all too soon…much time had elapsed, blood had been spilled, bruises had been formed and the two warriors had been spent. They sat on a river bluff afterward in silence. Vegeta had stuck around, perhaps a bit longer than had been necessary. He wondered if Kakarrot would come to Capsule Corp to eat with them today. But the other warrior had made subtle hints that he would not come. Maybe it was because of yesterday's incident, or maybe he just wanted to be alone. Whatever the reason Vegeta had respected his wishes. Truth be told, he'd needed to get away from Kakarrot. His confusing emotions were too much for him to handle now, let alone when he was in the other man's presence. He needed to purge himself of the weakness that feeling anything for Kakarrot was causing.

"…was Goku today?"

Vegeta looked up, startled from his reverie by the caustic sound of Kakarrot's earth name. The very man that had just been occupying his mind. Pink rushed to his cheeks and he felt like he'd been caught doing something he shouldn't have been doing.

"What was that onna?"

"I said, 'How was Goku today?' Was he feeling any better?"

Vegeta contemplated the question. The answer wasn't just a simple yes or no…it was both. Yes Kakarrot's sudden nausea was gone, and physically he was fine, but emotionally…well he was a wreck.

"Actually I think he's feeling better as far as whatever was wrong with him yesterday." Vegeta answered leaving the rest unsaid. He really didn't want to elaborate any further or get into a discussion about it. One thing he knew for sure…things were about to change. He could feel it in his Saiyan sixth sense. But what he didn't know was would it be a change for the better.

***Several Weeks later***

The calm gray of dawn and a still mostly sleeping sun greeted Gohan as he landed noiselessly outside of his childhood home. The spring mornings were still a little cool and his above average body temperature caused a white puff of steam to curl from his lips as he sighed. Sunrise was always later in the mountains simply because of the high altitude and vast shroud of trees. Some say the gods made there homes in the mountains. Gohan knew it to be false by virtue of his acquaintance with the earth's god, but he could see why people thought so. Breathtakingly beautiful was the only way to describe his surroundings with its dense lush foliage, and unspoiled vistas. One day he was going to move back here.

He hadn't been to visit in a while, his hectic work schedule keeping him extremely busy. Too busy in fact to talk to either of his parents in what seemed like ages. But for the past few days he'd been trying to phone them only to receive a recording saying that the phone was temporarily out of service. Earlier that week a strong spring thunderstorm had swept through the mountain district and it wasn't uncommon for their utilities to fall victim during bad weather. But as the week progressed without restoration of the service, he got worried and decided it would be best to just go up there and check on them.

He noted that things had certainly changed since the last time he visited. Though the house wasn't down right filthy, it wasn't nearly as immaculate as his obsessive mother normally kept it. He scrunched his nose at the scent of stale air that permeated the room. He was certain that the windows hadn't been opened to air the house in a while. Many things were out of place, and some of Goku's dirty gis lay in various piles around the room. The curtains were drawn blocking out the daylight and the only light visible was coming from a table lamp near the couch. Gohan began to worry a bit. His mother was always up at this hour and she was a notoriously clean person. She'd have to be sick, or dead to let her house get in this shape.

The demi-Saiyan walked through the house searching each room for any sign of either of his parents. If his mother was feeling under the weather, then she'd probably be in bed he figured climbing the stairs. When he made it to their room he was surprised to find that it too was in disarray but there was no one inside. He continued past the room checking each door as he proceeded down the hall. When he reached the bathroom at the end of the hall. He looked inside the slightly ajar door, relief flooding across him and soliciting a sigh.

***

The rapidly cooling water in the over-filled tub lapped up around Goku's nude form, some splashing messily over the sides with his every subtle movement. His head was resting awkwardly against the back tile wall and his legs were locked against the other end to keep him from slipping down under the water. His eyes were closed to the sterile light flooding from the overhead fixture, and his breathing was low and steady. This was the scene that Gohan walked in on.

It was immediately apparent to the demi-Saiyan that his father was asleep, but what wasn't apparent was why in the bathtub, and where was his mother. He stepped fully into the room and called his father's name several times to rouse him from slumber. Goku groaned and stirred, causing more water to splash over the sides and almost into Gohan's shoes.

"Dad…Dad. Wake up. You're spilling water all over the place." He said.

Goku mumbled a bit before opening his eyes and staring unfocused at his son. It took him a few confused moments to realize where he was and who was standing in front of him.

Gohan immediately noticed his father's dark, weary eyes. Goku was slightly pale and shivering from the cold.

"Gohan, what are you doing here?"

"I came to see about you and mom. I haven't been able to get through to you in a few days. What's going on? Are you feeling okay?" He said, once again looking at his father's pallid complexion.

At the mention of Chichi, realization dawned on Goku and woke him up fully. He hadn't told his sons that Chichi had left him and apparently she hadn't either. He sighed audibly and stood up unplugging the drain. He knew that he had to discuss this with Gohan, he had a right to know. But this wasn't exactly a conversation he wanted to have while sitting naked in uncomfortable tepid water.

"I'm fine, just give me a minute to get dressed. We need to talk." He said stepping out as his son stepped back to give him room.

Gohan didn't like the sound of that at all but he didn't push for details. He just nodded and left to go wait in the living room. He needed to know what was going on though he had a feeling he wouldn't like it. Goku dried off before going to his room and getting dressed. A few minutes later, he descended the stairs into the living room to find his son sitting in a chair waiting anxiously. He sat on the couch across from Gohan and paused for a moment to think of where to begin.

The young man's nerves were becoming more and more frayed by the minute. Something major was going on and he couldn't imagine what. Hundreds of scenarios flowed through his head, each one worse than the last until he couldn't take the suspense anymore. His father's silence and his own pessimism proved too much for the young man's patience.

"Dad, what the hell is going on? Mom's not here, I haven't been able to get through in days, the house is a wreck, and you look like shit." He blurted.

Goku was taken aback for a moment. Did he really look that bad? He hadn't really noticed. He'd been pretty much on autopilot for weeks and his sleep deprivation was reaching a critical point. Since he hadn't thought of a more tactful way of broaching the subject he decided on the straightforward approach.

"Your mom…Gohan…Chichi left me."

"What! When?! What happened?!"

Goku swallowed past the lump that had formed in his throat. "A couple of weeks ago. She said I wasn't a good enough husband…that I never put her first in my life or gave her what she needed. Maybe she was right. I guess I could have been a better husband. I feel like such a failure." He said dejectedly.

The younger man was shocked into silence. He wasn't naïve to the fact that sometimes marriages fail, but he never thought his parents' marriage would end. Of all the scenarios that popped into his head, that hadn't been one of them. It just never crossed his mind that it was even a possibility. Maybe if he had been able to look at their family with an unbiased eye, he would have seen it coming. But now that he thought about it, his parent's personalities clashed significantly. His father was the always-happy free-spirit type, and his mother was a more serious, everything-in-its place type of person. But they always seemed to love each other, and they never let on that they were having serious marital problems.

"I guess I was just blind to the fact that you two were having problems dad. I mean…I just never saw this coming."

"If you were blind to it then I was blind, deaf, and dumb. I never realized things had escalated to this point. I always assumed everything was fine. Guess I was wrong."

"Well…where is mom now?" He asked, wondering why someone hadn't told him about this sooner.

"I don't really know. She made it perfectly clear that she didn't want anything more to do with me, and I didn't think it wise to push her."

"Well it's strange that she hasn't called me to at least tell me what's going on, and I talked to Goten just 2 days ago, I'm sure she hasn't told him either."

"Don't worry about it. She probably just needs a little time to get herself together. I'm sure she'll contact you when she's ready." He said trying to reassure his son.

A few minutes of silence lapsed as Gohan once again looked around the disheveled room. "How have you been holding up dad? Have you been eating okay?"

"I've been managing. My diet pretty much consists of fish and wild game. It's been pretty bland but it'll suffice. I wouldn't mind having a bit of variety, but I haven't had a chance to go grocery shopping. I just haven't had the desire or the energy."

"No energy? Why not?" Gohan asked knowing full well that his father could generate enough energy to power all of Japan.

"I haven't really been sleeping well since all of this started." He said not wanting to elaborate any further. He didn't want to tell his son about all the disturbing dreams that kept him up in the middle of the night, or the fact that some nights he wasn't able to go to sleep for fear of something dark and evil that he couldn't even define. He really didn't think it had anything to do with Chichi's departure, but the fact that they coincided seemed unlikely to be, well mere coincidence.

They continued to sit in silence, thinking about their family situation when suddenly everything went dark. The only exception was the few streams of light that filtered in through cracks in the curtains. They looked around a bit confused until Gohan felt a low ki signature from outside.

"What just happened?" He asked getting up and walking out the door with Goku behind him. They noticed a white hover van parked in the yard and a man in a blue uniform with the words 'East District Electric' printed on the back. Gohan looked at his father, "You forget to pay the light bill?"

"Well…uh, I guess Chichi always did that too." He said sheepishly.

Gohan just shook his head as the man approached them. "It didn't look like anyone was home. Which one of you is Son Goku?"

"That's me."

The man gave him a piece of paper. "You must pay this amount in full before power can be restored."

Gohan took the paper from his father's hand and studied it. "It says that this bill is several weeks past due. Dad did you get any prior notice of this?"

Goku shook his head negatively. But the man spoke up. "The collection department has been trying to reach you for over a week, but they couldn't get through. We'd much rather not have to come way up here…it's completely out of the way. But your bill is quite a bit past due, and we couldn't contact you so we really had no choice."

"Your phone is probably disconnected for the same reason dad."

"The phone is disconnected too?" Goku asked.

"You mean you didn't notice?"

"No…I mean…I don't really use it often." Goku said now realizing how much he'd actually been on autopilot.

The Electric man cut into the conversation. "If you pay it at the office by 2 pm, I'll come back up here and reconnect it today. That way your refrigerator isn't off for too long and your food won't spoil."

"That's not really an issue since there isn't any food." Goku mumbled.

The man just shook his head. It was the times like this, that he really hated his job. This guy seemed to be going through some things and this is like kicking him when he was down. He was just glad they hadn't become violent. He'd had quite a few run-ins with people who were less than pleased to see him.

"Sorry about this Mr. Son." He said before walking back to his air van and taking off.

The older Son was incredulous. Chichi had left him in a pretty bad predicament. She could have at least caught the bills up, or told him about them before she left.

"Come on dad. Let's go to the city and I'll pay this for you." Gohan said.

"No, I can pay it myself." Goku said walking back into the house.

"With what dad? You don't have any money."

"Actually I do have quite a bit of money saved up from my tournament days. How do you think your mother provided for you when I was dead? I put that money aside just in case something ever happened to me, you all would still be taken care of."

Gohan averted his eyes from his father's face ashamed that he'd always thought that the money they lived off came from his grandpa, or Bulma. He never thought that Goku had any money, since he was the most altruistic person in the world.

The demi-Saiyan watched as his father rummaged through a desk drawer and pulled out his wallet. He checked to make sure his debit card and ID were still there before sliding it inside his pants pocket. They walked back out of the house in silence and took off toward the city.

***

Goku glared at the woman sitting across the desk from him. What she was saying just couldn't be possible. "I'm sorry but could you repeat that?"

"I'm sorry Mr. Son, but your credit card has been declined. Do you have some other method of payment?"

He ignored her question, "Does it say why it's been declined?"

She shook her head, "It just says 'contact the bank'."

Gohan took out his wallet and gave the woman his credit card. "I'll pay the bill." He told her.

"Gohan, I know that the money should be there. I don't understand what's going on."

"Don't worry about it dad. When we leave here, we'll go to the bank and find out. But in the meantime, let's just take care of this so they can reconnect your power."

Goku agreed.

After paying, they left the electric company and headed toward the East District Bank.

It was only several blocks away so they arrived in just a few minutes and signed in. A few minutes later the same young woman that had helped Chichi weeks ago, approached them with a solemn look on her face. She had immediately recognized the name on the sign-in ledger, and she pretty much knew what was coming.

"Mr. Son…please come this way." She said ushering them into her office. They sat across the desk from her and she said, "What can I do for you."

Goku gave her his card. "I just tried to use this but it was denied. Can you tell me what's going on?"

Marian pulled up the account on her computer and looked it over. "Well Mr. Son, I'm showing that this account has been closed."

"Closed?! Why?"

Marian took a deep breath before continuing. "It seems that there was a co-owner on the account…Mrs. Son."

Goku nodded glancing at Gohan. He could already tell what she was going to say, and he was having a hard time believing it.

"Well, she came in here nearly 3 weeks ago and withdrew all the money."

"She what!!" They both exclaimed in unison.

Marian shrank back from the volume of their combined voice. This was precisely why she didn't like closing accounts without both parties present. It was deceitful and wrong, and there was always hell to pay.

"How much money was in there, dad?"

"I'm really not sure, but I know it was quite a sum. Chichi had been using it for a while, but there should have been enough to take care of all of us from now on."

"Actually, over 2,000,000 Zeni." Marian added.

Gohan's face drained of color. "You mean you just let her close the account without dad's permission?"

"I'm sorry sir, but bank policy states that both account holders don't have to be present to close the account. Each person, in essence has dominion over the account."

"Damn! I wish I knew where she was so I could give her a piece of my mind." Gohan exclaimed, livid with incredulity.

Goku was understandably shocked beyond words. His wife, who he'd trusted with his life, had taken everything from him. He wouldn't have cared if she took half…hell she could have taken 2/3 of it, but she had taken everything with no thought about how he was supposed to live. Why would she do something like that? Had he really been that bad a husband to her?

He stood up solemnly. There was nothing more the bank could do for him. "Well thank you anyway Ms. Ellis." He said before walking out of the office. Gohan stood up to follow him until he was stopped by Marian's voice. She gave him a slip of paper with an address on it. "This is the address she gave for her new account. But please don't say where you got it from." She said.

He took the paper and glanced at it before slipping it into his pocket. "Thanks." He said and left.

***

Gohan pinpointed his father's energy signal heading back toward the mountains. Without regard to who was around on the street, he took off flying in the same direction. A few minutes later he caught up to his father but he didn't say anything. They just flew on to the house and landed in silence. Gohan knew his father was upset, but his silence was unnerving.

"Dad…are you okay?"

Goku had been in a stupor since he left the bank. His son's voice helped bring him back to reality. "I'm okay Gohan. Don't worry about me, I can take care of myself."

"Are you hungry? I could run to the store for you."

"No, I'm fine. Don't you have work or something?"

Gohan looked at his watch. He normally went in early, but he could pretty much come and go as he pleased. "That's not a problem."

Goku wasn't trying to push his son away, but he really just wanted to be alone. It was still early in the day, but he was already exhausted. "Gohan please…just go on with your day. I'll be fine…I'm sure of it."

The younger Son could tell that his father wanted to be alone so he decided not to push the subject. "Okay dad. I'm going to get your phone turned back on sometime today. If you need me for anything, just call."

Goku nodded and watched as Gohan left. He made his way back in the house and up to his bedroom. Maybe he could just catch a short nap and when he woke up he would figure out what to do.

***

Trunks had just stepped out of the shower when he heard his cellphone ringing from the other room. He raced back into his bedroom, hoping that it wasn't something work related that would interrupt his plans to spend the day with his best friend.

"Hello."

"Hey Trunks…Tom Ragland here."

"Tom…I'd been wondering what was taking you so long. You're not getting rusty are you?" He quipped.

"Not on your life…I'm still the best around."

"Yeah, so what did you find out?"

"All the information you sent me checked out. Everything about this guy is genuine."

"Is that so?" Trunks asked still disconcerted by Ian.

"This guy is like a boy scout or something. He pays his bills on time, never cheats on his taxes, and he even volunteers at the local children's center every other weekend. Yep, his background is squeaky clean."

Trunks mulled over the information. He didn't think anybody could be that good…except Goku. Maybe his mother was right about him being overly paranoid. "Okay. Well, thanks for checking. Send the bill to me personally, and I'll take care of it." He said before they hung up.

***

Gohan flew back into the city, but instead of going to his job, he went to his brother's apartment.

He knocked on the door a few times fidgeting impatiently until Goten answered and let him in.

"Hey Gohan. Shouldn't you be at work already?"

"We need to talk." The older man said, pushing past his brother and into the apartment.

Goten noted the serious tone in his brother's voice and sat down on the couch. "What's going on?"

"Its mom…"

Goten immediately thought the worst. "Is she sick, or hurt…what is it?"

Gohan pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance. "No, nothing like that. She left dad a few weeks ago and cleaned out their bank account."

"She left him…why? And what bank account, they don't have any money."

"That's what I thought, but Dad said he put all of his tournament winnings in an account to take care of us if anything ever happened to him. Goten…there was over 2 million Zeni in there."

"You're kidding right. I mean mom always made it seem like she was struggling to take care of us when we were kids."

"I know." Gohan agreed.

"Why do you think I spent so much time at Trunks' house? There was no shortage of anything there."

Gohan nodded.

"Why did she leave him anyway? I didn't think they were having any problems."

"Neither did I, but apparently she wasn't happy or something. I really don't know the details."

An uncomfortable silence filled the air for a few moments. Gohan gave his brother time to let the information sink in.

"Well where is she now? I should've been suspicious when I didn't hear from her for a whole 2 weeks. One of her favorite pastimes is calling me and laying on the guilt trip about not visiting her." Goten said.

"Yeah, me too. I found out that she lives in the Lakeland area now." He said taking out the paper with the address on it.

Goten gasped. "That's one of the richest neighborhoods in the city…are you sure?" He said looking at the paper.

"Positive. I'm sure she can afford it with a 2 million zeni bank account. Anyway, I think we need to go pay her a little visit and find out what's really going on."

"Good idea. Just let me get my shoes on." Goten said.

A few minutes later the two Sons left the apartment heading toward their mother's new home.

…Tbc…

A/N: I don't know about you, but I still don't buy Ian as a genuinely good guy. And what about poor Goku. It must have been pretty embarrassing to find out about his pilfered money like that. Ooh, and what will happen when Gohan and Goten confront Chichi? You'll just have to wait until next time. And don't forget to review.

Kaineko@hotmail.com