Gokuu sat at the control panel of the ship, in the seat that Bulma would sit in when they were ready to leave Earth and head for Sukuashi. A large number of buttons and switches and gages were set out in front of him, some blinking in preparation for the flight, and others lying still and quiet. No one else had entered the ship yet, and he wasn’t even sure that Bulma knew he was in here, or that he had even come, but perhaps it was good that he was alone.

He had been thinking of what Goten had told him last night endlessly, and it just didn’t seem to make sense to him. He knew that he loved his family, of course he did ---they were after all, his family. But…How could they not see that? Throughout all the years, he had never hit any of them, never, despite his strength, and he had never said harsh words to them, especially ChiChi, whom he had to admit, he was a little more than afraid of. He thought that just being kind to them was maybe enough, and that was what you were supposed to do to be a good husband, and a good father, but according to Goten, he was wrong. Had he not shown them enough love? ChiChi, he knew, wanted romance, but he felt so silly, and so odd doing romantic things that he would just rather not go through it all. Now though, with her gone, he wished that he had brought her flowers, and took her to dinner, and kissed her more often.

It wasn’t the fact that he was wrong, or that he had messed up, that was bothering him. It was the fact that yes, he had messed up, and yes, he was sorry, but it might be too late to tell ChiChi that. If she died in the hands of those Saiya-jins --- or worse yet, decided to be Sukuashi’s instead of his, he would never be able to apologize, or make up for it.

It was so ironic, how if he had been home, and if he had been there with her, at her side, she would have never been taken by them. She would never be in danger, or in fear, because he would have been there, and he would have stopped them, it was as simple as that. But he wasn’t there.

He looked away from the control panel, and out the window at the fresh morning sunlight that was falling on the grounds of Capsule Corporation. It was just that point between winter and spring again, and he loved this time of year. Around this time of year, ChiChi would always begin to plant her garden, rising early each morning to dig up the soft, dark earth and plant seeds. And in the spring, the seeds would turn into green leaves, and then, finally, on that one magical morning, they would begin to bloom, and he had never missed it. The garden at home now, had not been planted yet, with her gone, and now the blooms would open up, bright and beautiful on one particular morning, they would stay hidden beneath the Earth, with no one there to take care of them, or to talk to them when no one else would.

ChiChi sat, kneeling in the dirt of the garden, her gloved hands working rythmically across the earth, watering, digging, and planting her flowers into the the soil. A wide brimmed hat shaded her pretty face, protecting it from the warm sun, and keeping her cooler than she would have been without it. When she came to a weak looking orchid near the end of the third row, she paused and reached out towards it, stroking it’s bright purple petals.

“Little flower, what’s wrong? Have I not watered you enough?” She asked it, and waited patiently for a reply. When she received none, she picked up the water can and sprinkled a little on top of it, scattering droplets all over the petals and leaves of the plant before soaking the roots. “We will try that, and if you don’t feel better then, just call on me.”

Gokuu, who had been watching from afar, smiled in amazement, and strode to her side, standing above her in the bright morning sun with a grin on his face. They had not been married long, and he was still finding out small little things that made ChiChi even more of a mystery than she had been before. He knew she could cook, and he knew she could fight, but he didn’t know that she could look so pretty in the sunlight, or that she talked to her flowers to help them grow. “ChiChi, are you talking to your flowers again?”

She looked up at him with a smile and tipped her hat back off of her head, revealing long, loose locks of dark hair. Gokuu crouched down until he was sitting next to her in the soil, not caring whether he got dirty or not, and picked up her shovel, moving a bit of Earth with it hesitantly, while still staring into her eyes.

“I don’t think they can hear you.” Gokuu added, and grinned playfully.

ChiChi placed her hat on top of Gokuu’s head haphazardly and smiled. “Hai, but they must be lonely. If no one else will talk to them, I will.”

“Wouldn’t you rather talk to me?” Gokuu asked, and removed the hat, placing it beside him next to a row of bright pink flowers.

“Of course I would.” She asserted right away. “But my dear, you aren’t around often enough for me to have a real conversation with."

“Ah, ChiChi, I will have a real conversation with you now. That way you won’t have to talk to the flowers anymore, because you could talk to me instead.” He beamed, at coming up with a solution to her problem.

He lay back in the garden, careful not to squish any of the beautiful flowers and placed his hands behind his head, nodding for her to lay down as well. She looked so beautiful then, with her hair loose and a sprinkle of dust from the earth across her nose. Her cheeks were flushed from from the heat, and as she turned to lay her head on his chest, with her face turned up towards the sky, they flushed a brighter color, but the sweet smile that had appeared on her face was worth all the zeni in the world.

“Gokuu? What do you think will happen years from now?” She asked, and he watched the clouds above them swirl into shapes unrecognizable yet, somehow familiar, bright white in the blue sky.

He thought about the question for a moment, then answered with assurance. “We will still be here.”

She laughed. “In the garden?”

He shook his head and looked down at her with all seriousness. “Not just in the garden, but in the house, and in the forest, and all over. Both of us.”

Her smile fell slightly, and she moved her head to stare down at her small hands, in concentration. “What if you aren’t there with me?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

“What if you aren’t?” She insisted, and flipped over so that she was lying on her stomach, staring into his eyes, one small hand placed on his chest, right above his heart.

“Then I will be thinking of you.”

“The whole time?”

“The whole time.”

And then they both lay there looking up at the sky, and talked for hours and hours, with nothing to bother them but the gentle sounds of birds in the distance, and the warm sunlight falling on their cheeks. And when the atmosphere finally got to them, and they began to feel sleepy, they just stayed there in the garden and slept, content for the moment just to be with one another, on a warm, beautiful summer day.

Now the garden hadn’t been touched in days, and probably more than that --- without him there, ChiChi didn’t seem to interested in taking care of the beautiful garden anymore. So many things had changed since that beautiful summer day that had been implanted in his mind forever, but kept there silently. Gohan had been born, many fights had happened, he had almost died, and then actually died, and Goten had been born, and he had come back, and then he had left his family once again on another mission to save the Earth. And though he loved the life that he had been given, it almost seemed like too much looking back. If only they had known what the future held that summer day, they probably would have stayed right there in the garden forever.

One thing hadn’t changed though, throughout all the years. However far away he may be, or whatever he may be doing, he was thinking of her the whole time. It was her, and her frail life, and her beauty that would make him fight until the death to save the Earth. And it was her that always led him back home again, even when he knew he couldn’t stay.

And it was her that was leading him on a journey to a far away, unknown, harsh planet to fight yet another enemy, and risk his life once again. The strange thing was though, that he didn’t mind at all. Besides the fact that he loved to fight, he also loved the fact that he was doing it for her.

Maybe now she’ll be happy with me?

“Tousan.”

Gokuu turned around, startled, to see Goten standing in the doorway of the control room, not far behind him. He got out of the pilot’s seat and looked out the window at the bright springtime day again, and thought of ChiChi. Goten had grown up to be such a strong, handsome young boy, and he was so innocent and sweet. She had done a good job raising her sons, and he was proud to say that he was their father because of that.

“Bulma-san wants to talk to you right away. It has something to do with Yamucha-san, though she wouldn’t say what.” He said, but his face lacked it’s usual smile.

“Hai. I’ll go down now….” He studied Goten’s eyes, and found worry deep within them, and the anticipation of a lot of danger, and a lot of trouble. “Ah, and don’t worry Goten. We will find Kaasan. And bring her back home safe.”

“You better hope so.” Goten threatened playfully, finally smiling again. “If she doesn’t, we just might starve.”

How much of Goten’s life had he missed? Where had he been the whole time? What kind of a father was he to miss his son’s first smile, first steps, first word. What kind of a father was he that left him time and time again without even thinking of the consequences? Goten was eighteen now, an adult, and he had missed it all. He had tried so hard with Gohan, to be a good father, and to make a difference in his life, but with Goten….He somehow messed up. You didn’t get a second chance with things like this either, a child’s life is only there for so long until they grow up and lose their innocence.

Without hesitation, Gokuu stepped forward and gathering Goten in his arms, hugging him tightly. “Gomen nasi, Goten. I am sorry I haven’t been a better father to you.”

Goten’s smile left again, he pulled away from Gokuu, running a hand through his short dark hair. “When you were there, Otousan, you were great.” He paused. “And I didn’t mean to get angry with you last night, I was just so worried about Kaasan, and I….”

He stopped speaking, and looked down as if he were fighting off tears. Gokuu put a hand under his chin and tipped it up so that Goten could see his eyes again. “I forgive you Goten, if you can forgive me.”

Goten smiled and nodded sharply, his eyes never leaving his father’s. “Hai. I forgive you.”

Gokuu smiled, released Goten’s chin and strode out of the door and into the hallway, and Goten followed quickly behind him, trying to keep up with his father’s stride. And Gokuu thought of ChiChi, as his footsteps echoed through the hallway of the spaceship, and what she was doing, and if she was okay, and if, wherever she was, she was thinking of him too.

Chapter 12
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