Work Text:
She awoke clinging to her husband's warm, strong, naked body under the vulnerable protection of the blankets. ChiChi inhaled the sweet scent of his skin as she carefully shifted to snuggle closer to him. It was what she had always wanted: to be close to Goku, and now that she could enjoy that beautiful dream come true, she wasted no opportunity to stay as close as possible. She felt like fire, where their bodies made contact.
"Goku," she whispered.
ChiChi didn't need to see his face. Just looking at his back and remembering the moments they spent the night before made her feel happy to be able to wake up once again by his side.
The first thing Goku felt when he opened his eyes, welcoming the new day, was an electrifying shiver run down his spine, just by the simple fact of feeling ChiChi's slender arms clinging to his body. The petite girl held herself close, so close that the warrior was able to feel each of her slowed breaths colliding softly against the back of his neck.
He had to control himself.
He always had to when ChiChi got too close. The sensations her touch still felt strange to him, and in a way, he disliked feeling that way.
He rolled over on the bed, causing ChiChi to release him, and immediately found himself face to face with the woman who was now his wife. Her large black eyes greeted him with a special glow, a glow he only detected when he was seeing himself reflected in them. For a fleeting moment, he wondered if her eyes also had that gleam in them when she gazed at her own reflection.
"Merry Christmas, ChiChi," he said with a smile. It was all he could manage to say to escape his wife's mesmerizing gaze.
ChiChi smiled with her whole body as she listened to him.
"Merry Christmas, Goku," she replied sweetly. "We're going to do something really fun today that I think you'll like."
It was the first Christmas they had spent together and ChiChi could have sworn that even the fresh wind that hit her skin hard was different. The sun's rays filtering through the snow-covered trees, the harmonious sound of the animals roaming nearby, and the scraping of branches clashing in the swaying wind created a spectacle full of magic that the woman with the long dark hair had never experienced before. Even the white that enveloped the mountain seemed brighter than the view she had enjoyed in her father's castle all her life.
Her life before Goku.
It was him.
The tousle-haired warrior had changed everything.
They had had a great and delicious dinner at her old home, in the company of her father, but the time had finally come for them to be alone. She waited anxiously, with all her hopes on the outstretched palms of her small, pale hands. She felt that they would not fit, that she was incapable of holding them all, and that little by little, one by one, they would vanish. Because it was so hard to please him. Goku never seemed willing to do normal activities, like an ordinary couple, all he wanted to do was train and anything else that didn't involve hitting seemed boring to him.
But this time it would be different. She was convinced of it, because, she longed for it so much that it seemed impossible for the opposite to happen.
"Come on, Goku!" She urged him. "The river is still far away."
Almost unconsciously, her hand moved back, seeking the cool touch of her husband's hand. When she found it, she held it tightly, entwining her fingers with his, like pieces made just to be joined together forever. Even through the fabric of the pink gloves ChiChi had chosen, she could feel how cold his hands were, for he had steadfastly refused to wear gloves as well, yet it was not unpleasant to feel, quite the contrary. One way or another, touching Goku always burned, and she loved that feeling.
They walked like that, holding hands, sinking their footsteps into the snow; leaving traces of footsteps that told stories and a trail of illusions, until they finally reached their destination.
"What did we come here to do, ChiChi?" questioned a visibly confused Goku. "The river is frozen, we can't swim."
"I told you we didn't come here to swim," she paused, paying attention to the mist she had expelled as she spoke. "Let's go skating!"
She released his hand regretfully, to be free to pull out the two pairs of skates she had been carrying in a backpack on her back. Goku had no idea that artifacts like those in his wife's hands even existed, but he said nothing. Actually, what they were doing didn't excite him at all, but ChiChi seemed to be very excited about the activity so he smiled and accepted the pair of skates she was currently offering him.
When they were finally both ready to start skating on the natural rink that until a few months ago was the river where Goku used to fish or swim with his wife, they both entered the slippery ground, treading very carefully, but ChiChi quickly noted that she was familiar with what she was doing, however, Goku had never done anything like that before and things were getting out of control. He was sure that at any moment he would fall and the idea didn't seem like fun at all.
"Goku, if you don't move, you're going to fall!" ChiChi scoffed as the warrior seemed to want to tame the ice with slow steps.
ChiChi was touched by the scene. It was like watching a baby learning to walk, venturing its first steps into unknown and sinister terrain before his innocent eyes.
"Are you sure this isn't dangerous?" he questioned without looking at her. His gaze was downcast and all his attention was on the ice beneath his feet. He suspected that if he dared to divert his attention to the woman watching him at that moment, at least for a second, he would end up falling.
"Of course, Goku," ChiChi assured him as she moved closer so that she could offer her assistance and make sure he stayed on his feet longer. "Even if you fall, the ice won't yield to your weight; it's a very thick layer and can withstand anything."
"I would do it with a Kamehameha."
"That would destroy the whole mountain, not just the ice!" she smiled. The thought of the incredible strength her Goku possessed filled her with pride and made her feel even more fortunate to be able to enjoy his company.
Goku smiled as well. Not only because of his wife's comment, but because he had finally noticed ChiChi approaching to help him. But that minor distraction cost him his first fall.
It didn't hurt, but it burned. It was freezing where his body was making contact with the ice and Goku had never felt a more unpleasant sensation than that.
"Hold my hands," ChiChi asked when she was close enough to him, struggling not to scoff at how the strongest man on the planet had fallen in front of her eyes.
He hesitated for a moment, before agreeing to her request and clinging to his wife's slender hands to help him to his feet. Despite the thickness of the garment covering them, he could feel their fragility and all the strange sensations that invaded him every time he felt her too close began to appear, distracting him from his task of standing on the slippery floor that seemed to be made of glass, almost as fragile and white as the skin under the pink gloves. But this time he didn't fall. Holding on to ChiChi was proving more than effective in getting him to take his first decent steps on the track.
They stayed that way, holding on to each other, facing each other, twirling and enjoying each other's company. ChiChi's dark hair danced in the wind, mesmerising the warrior watching her. Her cheeks were red and the steam coming out of her mouth hit Goku's face, who was beginning to think this was fun, but then it happened...
They let go.
Goku turned his back to her, to skate for the first time on his own. He felt so happy.
"Look, ChiChi, I can do it on my own now!"
But there was no answer.
Goku was the only one standing on the ice.
For a moment he did not know what was happening: why had his ChiChi, his beautiful princess, suddenly disappeared? That sweet woman who had given him so much joy in such a short time; the one who had transformed his life, making him happier, had vanished from one moment to the next, just like the vapour of the cry for help that he didn't hear.
"ChiChi!" he cried out in anguish.
His voice, desperate, tore at the beautiful white landscape that had accompanied them and that had witnessed what happened when Goku released those frail, slender hands, turning it into something dark.
It also tore at her, who, where she stood, could hear him; so full of pain for not finding her.
"ChiChi, please," Goku wanted to step forward, but the slippery ice prevented him, "stop joking!"
What else could it be but a bad joke? It was the least amusing thing in the world to the desperate warrior. But his wife was not capable of that, she would never joke in such a situation. He began to feel a pressure in his chest that increased as the seconds passed and ChiChi did not appear in his field of vision.
With awkward movements, Goku got rid of the skates that were getting in the way of his progress on the ice. He thought that perhaps, without them, he would be able to stand more easily and he was right. His steps began to become steadier; painfully steady thanks to the freezing water that seemed to dig razors into the soles of his feet, but he finally made it back to where he had been with her, turning around on the ice, one last time. So close to where his fall had been....
"No, no, no, no," he began to mutter, "it can't be possible."
As he got closer, things became clearer; not only because he was beginning to understand what had really happened, but because he was able to see it. Water. Where there should have been a block of ice, firm, thick and resistant, there was only liquid. The track had become the exact spot where he fell. His weight fractured the river, and that wound had not been able to support ChiChi's light weight.
He could see her through the ice, as if he were looking at a porcelain doll in a glass case. Her hair loose, floating like an aura around her face, her eyes closed, as if she were enjoying a pleasant nap; feet and arms outstretched, making her look vulnerable. A delicate doll sinking; saying goodbye even without saying anything.
It was the most beautiful and saddest thing Goku had ever seen.
ChiChi struggled desperately to return to the surface. She was strong enough to beat the current that tried to drag her away from where the ice gave way to her weight, but her body was unable to withstand the low water temperature and within seconds, all her muscles had gone numb. She felt heavy, as if she were tied to a giant boulder that was dragging her to the bottom. She couldn't feel any part of her body and before long she couldn't even keep her eyes open. She needed Goku to come and help her.
What was taking so long?
"I'm going to die here," the words came into her head the moment she could no longer be able to hold her breath.
The spiky-haired warrior froze for a moment, watching ChiChi's body being dragged deep into the river by the currents swirling around her. As the seconds passed, she drifted further and further away, and Goku quickly realised that if he didn't hurry to get her out of there, he was going to lose her forever. He didn't care about the cold, or the clothes; or the possibility of getting lost in that dark abyss with her.
Goku's body withstood the low temperature and thanks to his great strength, he had little trouble reaching his wife. He grabbed her arm, pulling her to him and clinging to her body so he could return to the surface. It was like holding a rag doll.
"ChiChi!" he called out to her, in an attempt to get her to react, but to no avail.
He hugged her small body with all his might, rocking her, as if he had lost control of himself just seeing her in that state. She was almost as white as the snow around them, her skin looked like it was made of ice and she didn't react to anything. He needed her to open her eyes and smile; he needed her to scold him, to even hit him; he needed her to be okay, to be saved, because without her, what would become of him?
"Come on, Chi," he ran a hand over his wife's face, stroking it, to remove a lock of dark hair that had stuck to her skin and kept him from getting a good look at her beautiful face. "Stay with me. Come on, ChiChi... Open your eyes, please."
He didn't realize he had started to cry until he saw drops falling on her cheeks. ChiChi was leaving and he felt like he was losing everything.
"Damn it, ChiChi, wake up!" He raised his voice in a pain-filled scream, "Don't leave me...."
He wouldn't let her small body touch the ice; he kept her on his legs, while he bore the brunt of the simple fact that he was still there, in that white hell with the frozen clothes. He was shivering and needed to get warm.
That's when he understood: ChiChi wasn't going to wake up unless she got warm. And he had a way to do it.
He summoned the flying nimbus and climbed onto it without any problem to fly back home. On the way, he shielded her from the air with his own body and at the same time began his work of giving her energy to return her body to its usual temperature.
"We'll be home soon," he placed a fleeting kiss on her forehead, "you'll be fine. I promise you'll be fine."
Goku left the nimbus in a hurry as soon as they descended near the entrance to the small circular dwelling and entered it as quickly as his steps would allow, heading for the couch closest to the fireplace. He laid ChiChi down on the comfortable seat with the utmost care, as if she were made of glass.
His hands trembled as he built up a little energy to make the fireplace light more easily and the moment the flames were ready, Goku returned to ChiChi and got rid of her wet clothes and then proceeded to do the same with his. He took a blanket and covered himself with it while clinging to his wife. He sat in almost the same position as when he had pulled her out of the river, but this time, cosy in the warm fire emanating from the embers.
"Come back," he pleaded again.
Goku gradually expelled energy as he rubbed ChiChi's body with both hands in an attempt to speed up his work. She was still alive, he could feel her, and though her breathing was slow, the warrior clung to the hope that came from listening to her small, slow snorts.
"You said it wasn't dangerous," he pressed his face into ChiChi's neck, muffling the pained tone of his voice. "It should have been me."
He blamed himself for falling, for fracturing the ice block, for letting her go, for not taking enough care of her. Memories began to swirl in his mind; memories that came like arrows, making him bleed where the image of his ice princess remained. He felt guilty about so many things... He was not a good husband, not the man ChiChi deserved. There were times when he wouldn't even allow her to come near him, because feeling her awakened something inside him that he didn't understand, and somehow made him uncomfortable to the point of wanting to avoid her at all costs. How many times did he make her feel bad? How many times did she think he didn't love her?
He was a fool. The dumbest fool in the universe.
"I want you to stay with me and keep making me feel all those strange things," he pleaded with a lump in his throat. "I promise I'll take care of you and be a good husband, but please, ChiChi, stay with me!"
He had no strength left. He had given up all his energy to her, so much so that his arms had almost no strength left to hold her. He dropped to the ground, taking care not to hit ChiChi.
"It's the only thing I can do," he thought, giving up. "Forgive me, ChiChi."
He closed his eyes, dejected.
"Goku…?"
An answer. A light breath of air hit the warrior's face, making him flinch. He opened his eyes immediately, to meet ChiChi's sweet, beautiful face. Her black eyes staring back at him. Alive. Her cheeks slightly flushed.
"You're back," he whispered. "We'll never ice skate again," he hastened to say.
ChiChi laughed and tears began to flow immediately. She pounced on her husband and wrapped both arms around his neck, not caring that they were both completely naked.
This time Goku didn't feel strange and for the first time, his lips found their way to kiss her first.
END.
Together again
ChiChi could tell even before she saw him.
It was his smell.
When she knew he was coming back for a day she was so happy..., she didn't even know that happiness of that magnitude existed, but things hadn't turned out the way she imagined. Mainly because they didn't get a chance to be together, but what hurt her the most was that his scent wasn't there anymore. Goku was dead and even though she had him in front of her, it was as if he wasn't really her husband. She didn't find that warmth that his body gave off whenever she got too close, the natural scent that enveloped her when he was near, and even though she could see his smile, she knew he wasn't really there. He had gone away and would never come back. But even after those painful thoughts, the hours of anguish over what had happened in the fight, he had returned.
It was his smell.
Then she heard his footsteps. Strong. Present in the real world. He was really walking in her world again, she knew, because she could smell him from where she stood, contemplating him. She wanted to stay calm; she didn't want everyone around her to see how happy she was to see him back, because it felt so private, so intimate, something that belonged only to the two of them, but the closer she saw him coming, the harder it was to contain herself.
That's when Goku smiled and Chichi couldn't take it anymore.
She ran.
She ran until she collided with his body. Oh, how she had missed that feeling! The warmth. It felt alive.
"You're really here."
"What are you talking about?" His smile grew bigger. His words contained too much joy. "I've always been here."
"No," she answered flatly, "you weren't mine, you were still part of the other world.... You were no longer mine," she repeated.
"ChiChi…" Goku whispered. The woman's slender, delicate hands clung tightly to his clothes while her face sunk into his chest. "Look at me."
She looked up. She was crying and the image of her husband was a little distorted because of the tears gathering in her beautiful black eyes.
"I was always here with you."
♡