Priorities

Chapter 1: The Awakening

The heart virus cursed Goku with nightmares about the slaughter of his loved ones. Every punch, kick, or ki blast given to one of them sent a wave of hell throughout the hero's body. Over and over his heart was forced to bear the pain of loss and hopelessness. If only they could hear his screams of warning and panic. If only he could convince himself that none of this was real. That it was all one big bloody hallucination. Unfortunately, the once praised hero was incapable of even accomplishing that because his sense of reality was so twisted. How could he possibly hope to save them without an inkling as to what was real? If only there was someone to help him. Like Chichi. Surely she could make sense of all this. She could guide, speak, and relax him better than anyone but right now it seemed his sole companion was insanity. And with no one else to lean on, Goku felt truly helpless.

'How did I end up this way?' He often retraced his steps and wondered where it all went wrong. Although his moments of peace where limited he just had to know the truth. The first thing he recalled was fighting that clown looking android and then loosing consciousness. Afterwards, the saiyan vaguely remembered Gohan's voice. The boy seemed to be speaking to...Yamcha? The details were muddy but it didn't matter much because all he wanted was to see his son's face right now. It didn't matter whether it'd be the last time or first of many. What was really important was seeing his son's big eyes and happy face. 'Gohan, my son. My boy...' And that was the last thought Goku had before slipping into another dark and demented nightmare.

Then finally, after what felt like months, the man could finally see the light at the end of the tunnel and it sure was blinding. 'Am I...dead?' The saiyan half joked. Mustering up the little bit of strength he had left, Goku rubbed his onyx eyes and pulled himself off of the sweat drenched futon. "Damn, I must've been out for a real long time." He attempted to stand but upon feeling the blood rush to his head, the warrior stumbled. He felt like a baby deer or perhaps a child learning to take their first steps. 'Child.' He thought nostalgically. Remembering the days when Gohan was beginning to walk.

When he gained his balance, the man decided he needed to be alone for awhile longer. The earth and the people he cared about were still in trouble and coincidentally they were the most distracting. Not only that but surviving a life threatening disease was surreal and quite frankly Goku wasn't ready for all the excitement. So out the window he went, not giving much thought to his still fragile body.

~~

Son Goku, though raised in the woods, couldn't think of a time where he felt more like a wildman. His spiky hair was greasy and slightly matted yet whenever a gust of wind swept by a feeling of refreshment cleansed him. The sunshine kissed his skin ridding him of the pale, sickly color he wore for so long. But the best part was the rollicking blue sea. Whenever a plan needed to be created or a simple idea needed some nurturing, his mind simply lost itself within the monotony of the ocean.

With care, the recoverer knelt by the shore and scooped a large handful of water. When it came time to reunite with Chichi he wanted to look at least half decent. The very thought of her made his stomach leap in excitement but he withheld his emotion. Right now, Goku needed a plan.

'First off, let's see if I'm really back to normal.' A smile of arrogance graced itself onto his boyish features. The saiyan could feel a small pool of strength welling inside him. No longer was he weak and sick. He could already feel it. There was a level...a level beyond. 'Just a quick warmup oughta do it!' No sooner had the idea presented itself, Goku began his stretches. Then the fighter began to throw fluid punches, kicks and ki blasts at the monsters who tortured him in slumber. "Hmph." He stifled a laugh when he envisioned his enemy crumpling into a bloody heap. Yes, it seems even the most gentle of hearts have dreams of revenge. But who could blame him for the hells he witnessed?

For his final trick, the Hermit student decided to practice the ol' Kamehameha. The wave started out small but as his thoughts deepened, the blast of ki grew and grew. The idea of a level beyond blindly kept him captive. 'The only way to achieve more power is by surpassing super saiyan.' Yet another challenge. However, Goku wasn't worried. Another limit meant another thing to be learned which ultimately resulted in the improvement of his near perfect skills. With a look of determination, he continued to nurture the idea. 'I mean, if saiyan's are as limitless as Vegeta boasts then it should be possible. Not easy, but definitely possible,' He mulled. 'And I'm gunna have'ta bring Gohan with me...we could definitely use his help. He's weak now but if I can just bump him up a level or two we'll have a chance! Plus, it's been awhile since we trained together. It'll do us both some good.'

As the blue blasts of energy accumulated, his attempts to stay undercover slowly unraveled. 'If only he believed in himself as much I did then he'd really progress. Yeah...I'm gunna have'ta unlock his potential and the rest should be smooth sailing!' With eyes sparkling in hopefulness, another controversial thought came to him. 'Maybe one day he'll even surpass me...' If Gohan could become stronger than his old man, Goku wouldn't be the strongest anymore but the proudest. 'Besides,' came his realistic side 'if the battle goes south I'll just swoop in and save him. But that probably won't be necessary...I know he can do this.' Perhaps this man's hopes were too high. This was his very own flesh and blood after all. Was it really safe to throw him into battle like this? No, but battle was never safe and this boy could be their only chance. Regardless of Gohan's age, Goku had to take a small risk and believe in him. He even contemplated telling the boy his plan but decided against it. Gohan, as sweet as he was, would panic and doubt himself then have the whole Earth plunge into death. Most importantly, the saiyan just wanted his little family to be stress free. Time was limited and all he wanted was peace, even if it was only for a week. Amidst his deep pondering the world fell silent, save for the crashing waves upon the shore. Until..

"Goku-sa!" He could hear her voice now. Like an echo in the dark, a whisper hidden among the breezes. It was so surreal that the man couldn't believe she existed until he physically held her. She cried a bit and said a few words that made his heart fill with guilt.

"I'm sorry I worried you."

She brushed away his apology, thinking about how unnecessary it was. "Are you sure you're okay?" All that mattered was his health. Goku on the other hand was more concerned with her happiness.

"See for yourself!" He delicately grabbed her by the waist and studied the princess at arms length. She had this beautiful glow, the most genuine smile and the loveliest eyes. To top it all off, she was the same beautiful woman who nursed him back to health.

For a brief moment they were no longer bound to the responsibilities of parenting, training, being a hero or princess. They were simply husband and wife sharing a moment of joy. However, the second he blinked, the man felt disappointed to see Chichi flying at least twenty feet in the air.

"Oops, I guess I overdid it." Goku scratched his temple awkwardly but held no fear. As quickly as she slipped away, Chichi was back in her love's arms. "Hey, it's okay I got you."

"You're crazy." She breathed with relief. In that moment, she wanted to kiss, hug, cuddle and love him. Yet deep inside she knew he'd go running to the front lines.

"It's really good to see you." Goku wanted to express himself but was cut off by Master Roshi. Great, it was question time but at least he was prepared.

After a mere five minutes discussion, his companions were vaguely aware of what was to come. 'That wasn't so bad.'

"But before I head out I'd like to freshen up a bit."

"After what you've been through, of course." The old man headed back to his home earning the couple some privacy. Chichi grabbed Goku's hand and lead him inside.

"I got you an extra set of clothes sweetheart."

"Ah, great! I'm sure those smell a lot better than these ragged ones I'm wearing!" Goku chuckled and so did his wife. It was good having him back.