Choice to be Different

Chapter 7:Once Games End

When Goku and Goten returned home to Mt. Paouz that night Chichi took one look at her son's tear-stained face and swept him up in her arms. "Goten-sweetie, what happened?" she cried.

"We... Mr. Lizard, poor, poor Mr. Lizard!" Goten managed before bursting into tears again.

As she comforted her youngest Chichi glanced at Goku. Her gaze demanded an explanation.

"We were playing a little rough," Goku said quietly. "There was an accident with one of Bunny's pets."

Chichi winced. This wasn't the first time that there had been an accident due to Goten's inhuman strength. Goten never meant any harm. He and Trunks were both good about watching their strength when they were thinking but when they got excited things just happened.

Chichi had begun teaching Goten martial arts when he was tiny, when she was still stronger than her son. Chichi had wanted to make him aware of how strong he really was and teach him to moderate that strength. Mostly it had worked, but mostly wasn't good enough if he was ever going to be allowed to play with children who weren't part Saiyan.

Goten felt his mother draw away from him. He curled up into a tight ball and started crying even harder.

Chichi sighed and hugged him to her. She knew she never dealt well with reminders of how alien her children truly were. She couldn't help but see that alienness as a threat to her family, fearing that their inhuman abilities would take her boys away from her just as they'd taken her husband away. It had always been hard for Chichi to understand it: Goku was completely Saiyan but his abilities had never seemed so far beyond what was humanly possible when they'd been younger. Occasionally Vegeta had made attempts to explain it to her, once and awhile his explanations were actually sincere rather than being cracks about ' third-class excuses for a Saiyan.'

For Chichi Vegeta's comments about different growth patterns had never really sunk in until she'd seen the fifteen-year-old Goku looking at a picture of his son at age eleven. It was only then that it really hit her that Gohan had been more physically mature at eleven than Goku was at fifteen.

Once Goten had calmed Chichi sat him down so she could make eye contact while she talked to him. "Goten, I know you don't mean any harm. I know you just get excited but you have to be careful."

Goku fidgeted uncomfortably. It didn't seem fair that Goten was in trouble again. "Chichi," Goku said hesitantly. "I talked to him."

"You did?" Chichi blinked. "Well, I guess we don't need to belabor the point. Goten, just remember to be careful okay?"

Goten sniffled and scrubbed at his eyes. He nodded.

"I suppose you two are hungry?" Chichi asked rhetorically.

Goten turned slightly green. "Huh-uh Mommy," he said.

"We already ate," Goku said.

"Poor Mr. Lizard," Goten sniffled.

"You didn't," Chichi said.

Goku shrugged. "If you're gonna kill an animal it ought to be for food."

"And it was one of Bunny-san's pets?" Chichi asked.

The boys nodded.

Chichi grimaced. "Goku, I hope you told Bunny-san what happened to her pet. Trunks doesn't deserve to face thatalone."

"She's going to be that upset about her pet?" Goku asked worriedly.

"She's going to thatupset about you eatingher pet," Chichi said.