The Warrior of Pure Heart | Dragon Ball Z

02

02

"Chi-Chi! We're back!" She heard Goku's voice pronounced aloud from the hall, startling her a little.

"I'm coming!" Chi-Chi answered from the room, where she was finishing bandaging her injured hand. She had also placed a paste made with medicinal herbs that served as an antiseptic and pain reliever at the same time, which Goku used to use when he hurt himself training. It smelled very strong, but the bandage hid it well.

Out of mere reflex, she tried to hide her hand behind the long sleeve of her shirt as she left the room and headed for the dining room. She didn't want Goku to notice the bandage and have to explain what she had tried to do; she was embarrassed just thinking about it.

Goku and Gohan were already sitting at the table when she entered the dining room. She was not surprised to see her husband happily gulping down each plate, but her child, sitting in his respective chair with his head bowed, barely took small bites.

"Gohan?" Pronounced Chi-Chi with fervent concern and quickly approached the little boy, kneeling beside him. She immediately noticed that his clothes were damp and a little dirty. She then gently took the boy's face and turned it towards her. His eyes were red; it was clear that he had been crying. "What happened to you, my little love?" She pronounced anxiously, covering the boy with her arms.

"It looks like he was playing with some forest animals," Goku said, still half a bite not swallowed, "and he almost fell down a waterfall."

"A waterfall?" Chi-Chi exclaimed in alarm. "Gohan, how many times have I told you not to stray too far from the house?" She added right after with that firm and hard tone that made both father and son tremble with fear.

"I'm sorry, mommy..." the four-year-old boy pronounced with a small voice, lowering his eyes in embarrassment. "Forgive me, please..."

Chi-Chi sighed, letting out much of her anger on it. It was hard for her to stay mad at Gohan as soon as he made that sad puppy face, in addition to the fact that Chi-Chi knew he did not do it with bad intentions or the desire to disobey. He just wanted to accompany his dad in his training.

"Well, the important thing is that you're okay," she said slowly, taking the little boy in her arms to sit in the chair and place him on her lap. He pressed her face against her chest as if he wanted to hide it. "But you're very nervous," Chi-Chi pointed out, running her fingers sweetly through his dark hair. "Maybe it's better if you stay here with me today."

Pronouncing that suggestion, she looked toward Goku, waiting for his opinion. It took him a while to notice that she was looking at him, and when he did, the warrior hurried a little to finish swallowing before speaking.

"Okay, if you think that's for the best," he replied as another rice bowl approached. "Although it's a pity, I hoped to introduce Gohan to Master Roshi and the others."

Chi-Chi understood that. It was almost absurd that Gohan was already four years old and Goku's friends didn't know him yet. Was it partly her fault? Had she been too overprotective of her son during his early years, not letting him leave her side for a moment, afraid that anything would happen to him? Well, if she considered that when she turned her back on him, he had gone into the woods and almost fallen down a waterfall... maybe she was a little overprotective, but it didn't hurt.

"I... I'm fine, mom," Gohan uttered between small sobs, pulling his face away from her so he could look at her. "Really. I want to go..." he added right after, running his little hands over his eyes to wipe away any trace of tears.

"Oh, my little Gohan," Chi-Chi pronounced slowly with a small smile, once again running her hand through her hair.

"What happened?" She heard Goku pronounce it suddenly. "Did you cut yourself cooking?"

Chi-Chi turned to him and noticed that he was looking right at the hand she had placed on Gohan's head, her bandaged hand.

Out of mere reflex, she pushed it away, hiding it behind her back.

"Oh, yeah," she lied with a nervous smile, then quickly changed the subject. "What do you think if I better go with you?"

As soon as Gohan heard that, his eyes shone joyfully. Chi-Chi wondered if it was because he was glad that she was going with them or simply because it meant that he could go on the trip he had been promised.

"Fine by me," Goku replied between bites. "But didn't you say you had many things to do today?"

"Well, I guess I could do them when we get back," Chi-Chi replied calmly, shrugging. "If you both help me a little, of course..."

"Sure, as you want," Goku agreed, and a second later, he left the last of the dishes on the table and stood up quickly. "So, shall we go at once?"

"Yeah!" Chi-Chi and Gohan pronounced in unison, raising a fist in the air in encouragement.

And a few minutes later, the whole family was already mounted on the Flying Nimbus, Goku sitting in front and Chi-Chi behind him with Gohan on her lap, starting the trip at full speed toward the Kame House. The sun was shining brightly, but the weather was actually quite nice.

After spending so much time in the mountains, seeing new places was something inhospitable for Gohan, and he looked everywhere with his little face full of curiosity while his mother held him firmly so he wouldn't get too close to the edge of the cloud. Chi-Chi took the time to explain and point out everything they saw, especially when they left the mainland behind, and only the blue sea could be seen below them. They had the good fortune to even pass close to a pod of whales that raised part of their bodies to the surface, spouting water into the air. Some of those drops even touched the faces of Chi-Chi and Gohan, and they both laughed with joy.

"It had been a long time since the three of us walked together on the Flying Nimbus," Chi-Chi mentioned between laughs, leaning her body forward to rest her forehead against her husband's back. "But maybe we should think about acquiring another means of transportation soon, don't you think, Goku?"

"Another transportation?" Goku asked, confused, turning to look at her over his shoulder. "Don't you like the Flying Nimbus?"

"The Flying Nimbus is fine. But we must think about the future when the family gets bigger," Chi-Chi mentioned, outlining a little nervous laugh. Her cheeks also took on a notorious rosy color.

Goku didn't seem to fully understand her comment.

"You mean when Gohan grows up?" He pointed out, looking distractedly up at the sky.

"No... or well, yes. But I am talking more about when we could have more members. You understand me, right?"

"I'm not sure," Goku laughed, apparently somewhat amused. "But if it's what you want, we can find something. Perhaps Master Korin can give us a bigger cloud.

"Oh, Goku. You're so witty," Chi-Chi pronounced between laughs, patting him on the back. The warrior, however, evidently still did not understand.