Chapter Text
Summer fled the valley in what seemed like one swift leap, stealing up the mountain and leaving a swath of gold, crimson, and orange in its wake. A thick blanket of silence covered the forest, above a thicker layer of leaves covering the ground.
Silence was becoming a pervasive part of ChiChi’s life. Their little house on the hill was once full of boisterous children and huge meals, laughter and scolding and love. Now, emptiness seeped through the cracks of her front door, whispering like fog gathering at her ankles. She could never quite make out what it said, but its presence drained what filled her heart, leaving her hollow instead.
How can you be alone when someone else is there, sharing your food, your time, your home?
Goku had always come and gone, training and eating and leaving her a little colder with every lopsided smile he spared her at the door. It seemed unlikely he would ever grace that door again. In the deepest part of her heart, she harbored a bitterness for his selflessness - something reserved for the planet as a whole, with none left for her. She wondered if there was something wrong with her, if she was a bad wife. Of all the people she missed, Goku was somewhere in between the first on the list and not even making the cut. ChiChi was guilty of many things, her expectations of him being the most obvious. She married someone she didn’t know, and expected him to fill a mold fit only for a man. For that, he was blameless, and she was grateful for his efforts. Especially the ones that gave her their sons.
Gohan, bless him, he’d taken a gentler route. West City University welcomed him with open arms and a full ride scholarship-- something ChiChi would never allow him to pass up, no matter how much he hemmed and hawed about leaving her and Goten alone on the mountain. It would seem that he got his wish with Goten, anyway. When he wasn’t training with his brother, her youngest was attached at the hip with Trunks, sparing and eating Bulma out of house and home. She was lucky that Bulma was the understanding type. Regardless, it was… good that he kept busy. Goku was untouchable in death, and what child didn’t want a superhero for a father? Goten studied as hard as she could expect him to, which admittedly wasn’t much. She secretly cherished those moments, chiding herself for babying him. But what could she do? Those were nearly the only times she ever saw him these days. Bulma refused any offer of compensation for the time he spent in her home, but she couldn’t resist homemade sweet buns or the occasional pickled herring she’d send with Goten on weekend trips.
Goten was getting older, following his father’s footsteps. Gohan was grown now, strong and independent with a bright future and a feisty young lady to keep him on his toes in the big city. Goku was… gone. And he had been. But what had it meant when he was here ?
That was starting to hurt less. She wasn’t feeling so guilty about it lately; she just felt guilty because she should .
Autumn wind rattled against the loosely shuttered window in the sitting room, knocking it open and startling ChiChi. Her eyes drifted from the abandoned laundry she’d been folding to the window. She tossed down a torn gi and wandered to the window. The cold licked along her fingertips as she reached for the latch and shut it once more.
“Would it kill yah to knock?”
Piccolo didn’t falter, shutting the heavy oak door softly behind him. “Would it kill you to lock the door?”
ChiChi returned to the pile of clothes without sparing him a glance, but her posture was friendly. They didn’t need as many words. It seemed that Piccolo was the only person she truly couldn’t harp on. “It’s just me up here now. Nobody is sniffin’ around this place anymore, and you know it.”
Per their ritual, his shoulder pads were left by the front door, which clicked when he locked it. ChiChi rolled her eyes but thanked him with a smirk anyway. “Didn’t know you were comin’ by today, I would’ve made some of those little carrot buns you like. Is it something urgent?” A pair of pants thwapped as she flicked them before folding them into a neat little stack.
He didn’t respond immediately, instead surveying the living room as with an air of familiarity. She wouldn’t be surprised if he felt it too, the emptiness. It was driving her crazy, that was for damn sure.
“How long?”
ChiChi huffed. “Am I supposed to guess what that means?”
“How long since anyone has been back?” His mellow tone masked something simmering. Dark eyes bore into her face, but she didn’t look up. “How long have you been standing there folding that same basket of clothing?”
“It’s…” She gave pause, drawing one of Goten’s shirts to her chest. “Why would you ask somethin’ you already know the answer to? You like torturin’ me?”
“So it is torture then, being here alone?”
“I get that solitude is your thing, Piccolo, but humans are social creatures. I just… I wasn’t ready to say goodbye. Goodbye to all of it.” ChiChi rattled a sigh before steeling herself. “It’s uncomfortable, but I’ll live. ” For good measure, she finally met his gaze and supplied a firm smile. Too firm, from the way his scowl deepened.
He finally approached her, taking a lotus position on the floor where they could comfortably talk. With his height, he was eye-level with her chest, which seemed to put her a little more at ease when he attempted to broach difficult topics. Come to think of it… why was he bringing this up? He begrudgingly missed the brats, that was for sure. It was apparent to anyone with eyes that she did as well. Was it nostalgia?
Why doesn’t he just say, ‘Oh, ChiChi, I just came by to reminisce! Remember that time I kidnapped Gohan as a toddler? Wow, good times.’ That might turn out better for him in the long run.
That would probably break his promise to Gohan, however. Upsetting his mother was the opposite of what Gohan had asked of him. With all his free time, the Namekian was tasked with consistently providing company and aid to ChiChi - without her knowing it, if possible. Kami knows the woman would have a meltdown if she thought she was being pitied. Curse the kid and his theatrical puppy dog eyes.
“There’s more to living than housework and reading the same romance novel every night, you know.” Piccolo smirked, barely evident but obviously teasing.
ChiChi had half a mind to throw a sock at him. “I’ll have you know that Oasis, My Heart is a timeless classic, and well worth the read. It’s somethin’ to do, at least.” The sock ended up folded with its match, making a neat pair. “Actually, I’m thinkin’ about startin’ a garden soon. Somethin’ close to the house, small enough I can haul the crops to the market myself. I don’t have the labor to take care of the fields anymore, may as well sell ‘em…” She mumbled on, snagging another shirt and folding it with a practiced if not mindless ease.
Piccolo nodded, silently agreeing. “You should train until spring then. To keep your strength up, at least. Tending a small farm by yourself would be a strain, I can imagine.” She wouldn’t be doing it alone, of course, but she didn’t need to know that.
“Train? I’m sick of the word.”
“I could… train with you.” He sounded gruffer, as if the words caught in his throat. She shook her head, lips quirked.
“Did Gohan put you up to this, Piccolo? You know how he gets, you shouldn’t--”
He cut her off hastily, nearly biting his tongue. “So I’m not allowed to be nice, then, is that all? Forgive me for trying to distract you from your misery.” Maybe a little too cutting, but it sparked that righteous ember in her eye that he was relieved to see still smoldered.
“Just who do you think you are to tell me how I’m feeling, you pompous green jerk!” The wadded shirt emblazoned with ‘Rascal #2’, a apt gift from Bulma, struck him square between the antennae. “I’ll train when I damn well want to, just like I’ll fold these damn clothes as many times as it takes!”
“Don’t you think once would be enough?”
“Alright, smartass, meet me outside. I think training should start now.”
Piccolo responded only with a rare, toothy grin. Feisty ChiChi he could handle, she was the norm. He wasn’t ready to admit that it was Sad ChiChi who truly unnerved him.