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Chi-Chi peeked out the window. It was early evening, and the Harvest Moon Feast was in full swing. One of many celebrations that her father held for their subjects, a way to spread the treasure he had once hoarded.
Usually, it was her favorite time. The entire kingdom coming together outside the palace with music, games, contests, good food, hayrides, and to top it all off, a huge bonfire. It was a mark of peace and prosperity that seemed impossible many years ago…
All thanks to the boy who had saved Fire Mountain from the enchanted fire. A boy who Chi-Chi mistakenly believed wanted to marry her. Someone she hadn’t seen in nearly twenty years.
Until tonight.
“Do you see him?” Her father’s voice came up behind her, making her start her start.
“How do you know he’ll even be here?” she asked. “Master Roshi just said he’d pass along the message. That doesn’t mean he’ll come.”
“No harm in trying,” Ox-King pointed out cheerfully.
She took another anxious glance out the window. “Why did you invite him?” she burst out. “What were you thinking?”
“That an old friend was back from the dead, and that it would be nice to catch up.” His tone was all innocence. “Nothing wrong with that, is there?”
“It’s been too long,” she muttered, more to herself than him. “I can’t face him…”
Ox-King shook his head in exasperation. “For the past seven years, I’ve listened to you cry about how much you regret what happened. You said over and over that you wished you could have done things differently. And now that you finally have that chance, you aren’t even gonna try?”
“Dad, I don’t know what you think is going to happen, but I’m telling you, it’s too late.”
“Never too late to clear the air and be friends again. But what do I know?” He shrugged and walked out of the chamber. “I’m just a silly old man with silly ideas…”
She stared at her reflection in the mirror, smoothing down the front of her amber gown. Her long black hair was plaited elegantly down her back, while rubies adorned her neck and ears. Age barely made a mark on her, despite being in her late thirties. She looked every inch the princess tonight.
So pretty, the subjects sighed about her. It’s a shame she’s still unmarried.
Visions of that fateful Tenkaichi Budokai danced before her eyes. Tracking down Goku. Finding out that he not only forgot his promise to marry her, but also that he didn’t even know what marriage was in the first place. That humiliating moment when he offered to marry her anyway. Turning him down and leaving the tournament without a backward glance…only to have him show up in her kingdom the very next day…
“Stop it,” she told herself firmly. “That was a long time ago. You’re the Princess of Fire Mountain. You’re over it, and you’re over him.”
He probably won’t even come.
***
But she was wrong.
Her heart stopped when she saw him wandering about the buffet table. He had the same wild black hair, wore the same red and blue gi.
“There he is! Goku!” Ox-King boomed out, waving him over.
“Dad, no,” she hissed, trying to stop him. It was too late: Goku had spotted them and was already approaching.
Up close, he was no longer a boy. His body had broadened with more developed muscles. The youthful roundness of his face was gone; his features were chiseled into something more masculine. Those treacherous thoughts made her blush. After all these years, he was still so handsome. It wasn’t fair.
“Hiya, Ox-King!” he greeted her father with his familiar grin. Then his eyes fell on her, and he froze. His eyes widened and his mouth dropped agape. “Chi-Chi?”
You remembered me this time. The butterflies in her stomach wouldn’t allow such a catty remark. Instead, she retreated behind her most cordial smile. “Hello, Goku.”
“Hi,” he echoed, looking dazed.
The butterflies in her stomach changed into pterodactyls.
Oblivious to the tension, Ox-King seized Goku him in a massive bear hug that he clearly wasn’t prepared for. “Welcome back to the world of the living, m’boy!”
“Um, yeah,” Goku replied awkwardly. “It’s been a while.”
“Far too long!” Ox-King boomed. “We owe you all our lives a million times over, saving us from Majin Buu!”
“It wasn’t just me,” Goku pointed out. “Everyone helped give their ki for the Spirit Bomb.”
“I couldn’t believe it when we heard your voice asking us for help! Master Roshi said you wouldn’t let them wish you back after Cell.”
“Earth was in trouble so Old Kai gave me his life and—”
“Well, it sure is good to see you again!” Ox-King interrupted. “Anyway, I’m judging the crop contest, so I’m sure Chi-Chi will be more than happy to give you the grand tour.”
Chi-Chi’s face went redder. “Dad, I’m sure Goku can find his own way…”
“I insist!” He nudged her forward, ignoring the death glare that she sent him. “Show our guest a good time!” With that, he walked off leaving the two of them standing in awkward silence.
Chi-Chi was fuming. Show him a good time, indeed! Now she knew what her father was playing at. It was another stupid matchmaking scheme! She was too old for this nonsense—and with Goku, of all people! Oh, she was going to chew him out for this later…
“You look nice,” Goku spoke up.
“Thank you,” she replied, nervously toying with her necklace.
“Was I supposed to wear fancy clothes too?”
“No, no. I just have to dress like this because I’m…you know…the princess.”
More silence.
“So…” He shuffled his feet. “How’ve ya been?”
“Fine.”
“Oh.” He winced at the edge in her voice. “That’s…that’s good.”
He was nervous too. She could tell by the way he was rubbing the back of his neck. Something inside her softened. “How have you been?”
Her gentler tone seemed to set him at ease. “Well…I found out I’m an alien.”
“I know. Master Roshi told us.” Despite herself, she laughed. “It sure explains a lot.”
“Yep,” he laughed back. “Other stuff happened, but…it’s a long story.”
Her father was right, she realized. It was long past time for them to bury the hatchet.
Giving him a more genuine smile than before, she replied, “Tell me all about it.”
***
People were staring at them. Partly because of Goku piling a mountain of food on his plate. But Chi-Chi was all too aware that most of the attention was on her. The gossips went into a tizzy anytime she was around a man, and Goku was her would-have-been fiancé. Kami knew what thought seeing them together.
So instead of taking her usual place next to her father at his grand table, she and Goku wound up sitting in the grass, a good distance away from speculative gazes and whispers. She had a feeling her father wouldn’t mind.
Goku’s enormous appetite hadn’t changed; he was more occupied with eating than anything else. Yet in between bites, he told her all his escapades. A lot had happened to him over the years: teaming up with Piccolo, going to Planet Namek, fighting Frieza, gaining new powers, nearly dying from a heart virus…
Chi-Chi listened to it all in fascination. What would it have been like to go with him, on all those adventures? Fighting all those enemies and traveling to other places—even other planets? Oh, that would have been marvelous…
Of course, she wasn’t really the adventuring type anymore. She was an adult with responsibilities, not just to her father but her whole kingdom. Oh, she was still fond of martial arts, but her desire to see the world had long been watered down by duty.
“I saw Cell Games on TV,” she told him. “I saw you there…you looked so different!”
“That’s my Super Saiyan state,” he explained.
“Really? You looked like a delinquent!” She made a disgusted face. “What did you do to your hair? It was all spiky and yellow!”
He laughed. “It goes back to normal when I change back.”
“Thank goodness. Your regular hair is so much nicer…” Catching herself, she blushed. “I mean, it was just so freaky. But I still knew it was you.”
“You did?” He was surprised. “How?”
She pointed at his gi. “You’re the only person I know that wears that. Besides, I knew that if anyone could beat Cell, you could. Not that phony Mr. Satan,” she added, scowling.
“Aw, he ain’t so bad,” he replied easily. “He helped us fight Majin Buu.”
“And stole all the credit, again,” she snorted.
“I don’t care about all that,” he said, lifting his shoulders. “As long as Earth is safe, it doesn’t matter.”
“Hmph. Well, anyway, I saw you there…but the TV cut out before we could see the rest of the fight. Dad went to see Master Roshi to find out what happened, and he told him that—” Her voice cracked. A lump rose in her throat. “That you died.”
She didn’t think it would affect her so strongly. Not when it had been years since they saw each other. But when her father broke the news, she it sent her through a whirlwind of emotions. Shock, sorrow…and most of all, regret.
“I’m so sorry.” The words came out in a rush.
“Sorry?” He furrowed his brow. “What for? You didn’t do anything to me.”
“Yes, I did!” She shook her head. “I was so awful to you at the tournament. And when you came to the palace…” She cringed, remembering how she tried to make the guards throw him out. Thank Kami her father stopped her. Still, the hurt on Goku’s face when he left haunted her for quite some time.
Goku only shrugged. “It’s okay.”
“No, it’s not,” she insisted. “It was wrong, I know. It’s just that when you proposed at the tournament, I knew you didn’t really want to, that you felt sorry for me. And I was so embarrassed! I came all that way to find you because I thought we were soulmates. You don’t know how many times I imagined when we’d see each other again, how romantic it would be…”
She sighed ruefully. “I wanted real love, not pity. So when I found out the truth, I felt like such an idiot—in front of all those people, no less. I thought I could at least keep my pride by turning you down…then you defeated Piccolo and became the big hero, which made me feel even worse. So when you came to the palace, I just…I overreacted,” she finished lamely.
She would never admit it out loud, but part of her wanted to humiliate him the way she thought he humiliated her. Yet as time went on, she became painfully aware that she had no one to blame but herself for her problems. She was so fixated on the idea of romance that she projected them on the first boy she met—a boy she barely knew. It wasn’t his fault he couldn’t live up to such impossible expectations.
Really, she should have known better. What sane person tries to get engaged to someone they barely knew?
“I’m sorry, Goku,” she said again. “I’m really sorry.”
“It’s okay,” he said softly. “I’m sorry too. I mean…you said no. I should have just let it go instead of chasing after you.”
“I still can’t believe you did that.” If she hadn’t been so furious at him, she would have been flattered.
“For what it’s worth, I didn’t propose to you because I felt sorry for you.”
“I know,” she nodded. “You wanted to keep your promise.”
“No,” he argued. “I mean, I did want to keep my promise, but…”
“Goku, enough,” She raised her hand, stopping short his explanation. “We were just kids. Neither of us knew what we were doing. It’s over and done with, so let’s just move on.”
“Oh.” His face fell ever so slightly, but he quickly recovered. “Okay.”
“Good.” Briskly, she gathered all their empty plates for the trash. “Now, do you want to walk around? The Harvest Moon feast has other things besides food, you know.”
“Sure!”
***
Once the awkwardness finally evaporated, it turned out to be the best Harvest Moon Feast she could remember.
It was nice to spend it with someone other than her father. Someone to watch the crop contests with, or play bobbing for apples, or just have fun with. Goku, who hadn’t been to any festival, took in all the sights and activities with a childlike fascination that Chi-Chi couldn’t help but find endearing.
He might be a grown man, yet he wasn’t a hardened warrior. He was still that same lovably naïve boy.
Old feelings she thought were long gone began to swell.
She tried valiantly to keep them at bay. It’s not a date, she told herself. It’s just two old friends hanging out.
At some point in the evening, they found themselves taking a hayride together. With the whole cart to themselves, they sat on top of a mound of straw. She was all too aware of how close he was; she could practically feel heat radiating from his body.
Clearing her throat, she brushed some straw from her gown. “So…what’s it like being back from the dead?”
“Kind of weird,” he admitted. “Last time, I wasn’t dead that long, but now…now Bulma’s with Vegeta and Krillin’s with Android 18…” There was faraway look in his eyes. “Everyone’s got their own family.”
“But not you?” she couldn’t resist asking. “You don’t have…anyone?”
“Nope.” He glanced at her sideways. “What about you?”
She shook her head. “Dad tried to get me married off a couple times, but…” She bit her lip. “They didn’t want to marry me.”
He frowned. “Why not?”
“I…I kind of scare men off,” she mumbled, her fists clutching clumps of her skirt. “They think I’m weird.”
“Why?”
“Because,” she explained, and it pained her greatly to admit this, “they marry someone who’s pretty, but not strong. The second they saw me pick up a boulder or break a table or fight off a bunch of thieves, they get freaked out. And…” Her cheeks burned with the old humiliation. “My temper scares them.”
“That’s stupid,” he stated flatly. “I saw how strong you were at the tournament, and I liked you just fine.”
“Thanks.” She gave him an appreciative smile. “It’s funny. I used to think I’d get married and have a huge family.” A wistful sigh. “But maybe it just wasn’t meant to be.”
“Actually…” He hesitated. Conflict creased his face, as if he wasn’t sure he should go on. He glanced back at the cart driver, then lowered his voice. “Remember when I told you about Trunks coming from the future?”
She nodded, wondering where this was going.
“Well…in that universe…I had a son.”
“You did?” She was stunned. “And…who was his mother?” she asked, trying to sound indifferent.
He just stared at her. At first, she didn’t understand. Then understanding came with an earth-shattering jolt.
“Me?!” she gasped.
He nodded.
The shock was so great that she nearly fell out of the cart. Goku caught her by the arm just in time.
Her senses were reeling. “We…we were married?” she asked faintly.
“Yeah.” His hand stayed on her arm.
“H-How?” she stammered.
“I guess in that timeline, you said yes,” was his simple response.
For a second, she thought it might be a prank. But no, Goku wasn’t a liar. Everything from his serious face to his steady, gentle touch made it clear he was telling the truth.
She took a shaky breath, struggling to absorb the revelation. “We were married,” she repeated, as if to really confirm it. “And we—we had a son?” She swallowed. “What was his name?”
“Gohan.” That faraway look was back in his eyes. “After my grandpa.”
A son named Gohan. She tried to picture him: first as a sweet little boy, then as a man. Tall and handsome like his father. The three of them living together in a cozy little house somewhere far away. The kind of simple, family life she once dreamed of having.
“Trunks said he was the one that trained him,” Goku explained. “The two of them fought the Androids after everyone else was killed.”
“He was a fighter? Always risking his life just like you?” She frowned. “I wouldn’t want that.”
Goku chuckled. “Trunks said you always tried to keep him out of fights. You wanted him to be a scholar.”
“That sounds like me.”
“But after everyone died, he couldn’t stay out of it anymore. He and Trunks fought the Androids, and…” He stopped.
“What? What happened to him?” Even as the words came out of her mouth, a cold feeling crept into her stomach. “He died?”
“Yeah,” he mumbled, looking away. “The Androids killed him.”
“And you died too,” she said slowly. “From the heart virus.”
With his reluctant nod, her fantasy shattered. Of course. Of course. She should have known it was too good to be true.
“But that it was in that timeline,” he clarified. His hand, she only now just noticed, was still tight on her arm. “Not here.”
“Yes.” She took a deep breath and expelled it shakily. “Then things did work out for the best.”
“What?”
“Us not getting married. It was a good thing. It saved us a lot of pain.”
“Hold on, that’s not nothin’ to do with it!” he protested. “Trunks said we were happy—”
“Until you died,” she cut in ruthlessly. “And our son died. And I would have been left alone.”
“In that timeline, yeah.” He looked thoughtful. “But that’s not the only one. I die of the heart virus in that timeline, but not in this one. So maybe… maybe there’s one that’s different. One just like this one, and we’re married.”
“Cell still killed you, remember?” she pointed out.
“I’m not dead anymore!” he reminded her.
“That doesn’t mean we’d still be married. You didn’t know you were coming back, you chose to stay dead, what makes you think—?” She broke off with an incredulous laugh, covering her face with her hands. “This is ridiculous. That wasn’t even our life.”
His Adam’s apple bobbed in a hard swallow. “It could have been.”
There was an intensity in his gaze. She felt her chest tighten with—she couldn’t name the emotion? Was it longing? Regret? Hope?
Quickly, she shook it off. “You wouldn’t have been happy with me, Goku.”
“Says who?” he demanded.
“Oh, come on. You like to train and go flying off whenever you feel like it. If you wanted to settle down and have a family, you would have done it by now, just like Krillin and Bulma.”
“Chi-Chi—”
“And I wouldn’t have been happy with you,” she stated with more conviction than she felt. “Not with you always risking your life. Even if it we were happy in that universe, it didn’t last. If we really were meant together, we’d be together. But we’re not.”
His shoulders dropped. “Yeah,” he said quietly. “I guess you’re right.”
His hand slid off her arm, and she suddenly felt colder.
The cart came to a halt. They were back at the hayride’s pickup point, where a line of people waited for their turn. Chi-Chi picked off her skirt and quickly got off, pretending not to notice the disappointment on his face.
***
They didn’t talk much after that. Not until the bonfire pit in the middle of the square had been lit. They stood there for a while, watching the flames climb high into the night sky. Most people started to leave. The vendors and staff were already cleaning up.
“Well…” Goku spoke up at last. “I had a great time.”
“Me too,” Chi-Chi replied. She meant it, but it came out stilted and formal.
“It…it was nice to see you again.”
“You too.”
Firelight glowed over them, making her gown shine a brilliant gold. It illuminated every plane of his face and brought out the olive of his skin. Again, she was struck by how handsome he was, and had to stifle the sudden longing in her heart.
It wasn’t meant to be.
“Guess I…I’d better get going.”
“Yeah,” she jumped in. “It’s getting late. I’ve got a ton of things to do.”
“Right.”
Sadness washed over her. She knew she’d never seen him again. Perhaps it was better that way. They had such different lives now. Why waste time brooding about what could have been? Especially now that she knew it didn’t work out.
It wasn’t meant to be.
“Take…” Her voice cracked just a tiny bit. “Take care of yourself, okay?”
She hadn’t taken more than a few steps when his voice stopped her dead in her tracks.
“It wasn’t just the promise.”
Confused, she turned back to face him.
“When I proposed to you. It wasn’t just the promise. I wanted to marry you.”
“Goku…”
“Let me finish.” His face was set in determination. “Even before I knew who you were…I can’t explain it, but I felt something. And when I did know, it made sense somehow. You were the only girl I met who was as strong as me or could ride Nimbus like me. Promise or not, marrying you still felt right. Like it was supposed to happen. Because I—” He blushed. “I thought you were special. That’s why I tried to see you after the tournament. To tell you all that. And when you wouldn’t talk to me, I was sad, but it was your choice. So I let it go.
“But I never stopped thinkin’ about you. I wanted to come see you a buncha times, especially after Trunks told me everything. I even…I even flew up here before the Cell Games.”
“You did?!” She didn’t think anything could shock her more than his earlier revelation, yet this floored her. “I never saw you.”
“’Cause I chickened out.” He smiled apologetically. “Thought you hated my guts.”
“No, I didn’t!” She felt a fresh wave of regret. “If I’d known…I would have talked to you.”
He shrugged. “I didn’t know what was gonna happen with Cell, and I didn’t think it was fair to dump all that on you. Figured it was too late, anyway.
“But I came here tonight because…” He faltered, then squared his shoulders and took a step closer to her. His eyes were on her face, filled with an intensity that made her heart pound.
“What I wanted to say…” His gaze softened, tinged with sadness. “Even if it didn’t last, if all that bad stuff still happened…in another life, I would’ve liked being married and having kids with you.”
She couldn’t speak. Tears pooled in her eyes.
“That’s all.” Giving her one last heartbreaking smile, he turned to go.
She wasn’t sure how or why. Maybe it was simply impulse. Or maybe that silly romantic dream she had all those years ago never truly died; it had simply been lying dormant inside her heart, waiting for his words to awaken them.
Either way, when she saw his body rise in the air, about to take flight, she knew she couldn’t let him go. Not again.
“Goku, wait!”
Running forward, she caught him by the ankle and yanked him back to the ground. Before he could say another word, she took his face between her hands and pulled him into a kiss. Although he was startled at first, his body soon melted into hers, his warmth sheltering her from the night’s chill.
Unbeknownst to them, Ox-King stood watching at a distance, a satisfied smile on his face.
Things that were meant to be would eventually be. Sometimes, however, fate needed a little push.