Life With You

Part 32: A New Life: Part One

Goku's second memorial happened at her father's kingdom. ChiChi wanted it to be lowkey but with her father nothing is lowkey. The memorial was held in the same room of the castle where she and Goku married. Everyone from the village attended. It was packed to where it was standing room only with the rest of the citizens outside her father's castle.

Unlike the memorial with Goku's friends, ChiChi felt welcomed. There were so many bows and kind words from her father's people. It was almost overwhelming. They all had such high praise for Goku and offered so much support. After the memorial, Gyu-Mao invited ChiChi and Gohan to stay at his castle for a few days to unwind and be pampered but ChiChi thought it was best she and Gohan go home. She wouldn't mind staying but Gohan was bothered. Gohan was grateful to the condolences from the villagers. He spent a lot of time with children who attended but something in the last hour bothered him. He was oddly close to her. He didn't want to leave her alone and ChiChi thought it was his way of saying he's tired and want to go home.

It was nightfall when they returned home. The house was eerily quiet. ChiChi and Gohan carried in food and meals prepared by the villagers. "With everything we brought back, we won't be hungry for meals for a while."

"Especially for rice," Gohan chimed as he carried a bag of rice that was almost his size.

"And produce." ChiChi opened the large box of vegetables one of the farmers gave her. "It'll save some money I would've spent at the store."

While ChiChi began putting items away, Gohan brought in the rest of the food. "This is the last box." Meat was stored in this one. "I'll put this in the freezer chest."

"Thank you, Gohan." Gohan's mood was brighter. It changed when they left her father's castle. Now they were home, ChiChi wanted to know why. "Was the memorial too hard on you, Gohan?" Gohan turned to her puzzled. "You didn't want to stay when Grandpa offered his castle for a few days." There was that frown again. Something did bother Gohan. "Is it Grandpa?"

"No." Gohan turned away and resume placing meat in the freezer chest.

"Then what is it?" She waited but Gohan didn't answer. "Gohan, please don't keep things from me. It's you and me now. We shouldn't keep things from each other."

"Gohan, what are you doing?! Finish it! FINISH OFF CELL!!!"

"Gohan!! You're the only one who can finish it! Do it now!! Don't let it get desperate! We don't know what it will do!!"

Gohan shut his eyes at the painful memory. His mother could never know. He saw what she did to Krillin. What if she kicks him out of the house? What if she doesn't forgive him?

"Gohan?" ChiChi called again. "What is it? Please tell me."

He couldn't tell her about Cell but he could tell her what bothered him at the memorial. "Does Mr. Kaifun love you? Did he and Mrs. Niver hate Dad because you married him?"

The peppers in ChiChi's hands slipped back into the box. How did he know about that? "Where did you hear this?"

Last time Gohan saw Kaifun and Mrs. Niver, he was with his parents on his way to Grandpa's castle. Mrs. Niver said mean things about his father and slapped him. Dad had to hold Mom back from fighting the old woman. Gohan overheard talks from other adults that implied Kaifun and Mrs. Niver didn't like his parents. He didn't spend time with Mrs. Niver but Kaifun was always kind to him. Gohan figured the stress of the Cell Game caused them to react out of frustration and fear. Kaifun was so kind to him but since that incident, Gohan had suspicions about him.