A/N: So here I am getting myself inspired to write a Dragon Ball fic, after reading such gems like: Standing Outside The Fire by See Jane Conform, If I Could Turn Back Time » by Enula, All That's Left Behind » by Secretsquirl, and Makafushigi Adventure » by RisanF I feel that I have gathered enough courage and inspiration to finally embark on my own Dragon Ball story. Dragon Ball, both anime series and manga are for me personally one of the greatest memories of my childhood, when I was 10 year old and up to 13 I simply loved Dragon Ball for its humor, action and adventurous plot. I got pretty disappointed when my two favorite characters Goku and Bulma didn't end up together at the end!? Everything was hinting at a romantic reunion between these two, but unfortunately Goku got tricked into marriage pretty quickly. I am making this my personal vendetta! Lol Just kidding, I am just trying to compensate for what I feel should have happened so for everyone at who is a Goku/Bulma fan I hope you will be enjoying this. The story takes place two weeks after Goku has married Chi-Chi, and seemingly settled down, but something is still nagging his naïve consciousness, and feeling certain emptiness inside, he is willing to risk it all just to feel complete again. If you have any idea about the specific stories I've mentioned then you'll pretty much know the basic plot lined up in this story, although I promise you it is going to be as original as it can get. I also highly recommend you to read the stories I've mentioned (If you haven't already).
Disclaimer: Dragon Ball and its characters are the property of Akira Toriyama.
Goku's Will
Prologue - The world's strongest man
Goku breathed heavily as he saw Piccolo take to the air and flee from the scene. The entire arena had been transformed into rubble, Goku raised his stance and dropped his arms to his sides looking over his shoulder and noticing all of his friends running to him to cheer him up, and the victory over the evil Piccolo Jr. had finally come!
"Goku you did it!" Chi-Chi jumped in his arms, encircling his neck with her arms, and planting a kiss on his cheek. Goku looked surprised and laughed sheepishly as he always would forming a high pitched grin belonging to a child, and not a grown up warrior?
"Well are you gonna say it or what!?" Bulma fired at the ring announcer. The look on her face was not of shy nature and she was getting impatient by the minute. The ring announcer looked around in awe and shook his head violently, noticing Bulma still holding her arms to her waist.
"Wow! I am proud to announce that Goku is the winner of this 23rd Tenkaichi Budokai … Or what's left of it?" He looked around in confusion. Still Bulma wasn't pleased yet. She looked at the announcer with an evil smile on her face.
"Didn't you forget something?" She asked and crossed her arms.
"Goku is the world's strongest man!" The announcer yelled frantically.
"Now that's more like it." She said and took a few steps towards him.
"But I don't like the way you stare at me, hiding behind those sun glasses of yours? I know what you men always think about!" Bulma slapped the announcer on the head, making him fall to the ground, pretty much bewildered.
"What did I do wrong?" He said and sighed. Bulma ran towards the group that encircled Goku, and forced her way through to Goku and gave him a big hug. She could no longer get her arms around his shoulder, since he had gotten much broader and physically mature. Goku's face turned red, and as she released her grip he put a hand behind his neck and laughed in his boyish manner.
"Goku after all these years you have become the best… I couldn't be happier for you!" Bulma said with a beautiful smile on her face.
"Gee, thanks Bulma! I gotta hand it to ya! You know when to squeeze hard!" He said and laughed vigorously, holding to on side of his chest.
"Oh my poor Goku you are hurt from all of your exhausting battle, you need to rest as of now!" Chi-Chi ordered and the others just looked at her with widened eyes.
"I guess ya right Chi-Chi but I'm starving can't we eat first PLEASE!" Goku replied with a hopeless expression on his face making Chi-Chi fall over from the remark. The other just started laughing; they all knew Goku's character all to well to get surprised by his enormous appetite.
"Come on lets celebrate this, lets eat out I'm buying!" Bulma proclaimed, and everybody cheered to this news.
"But Goku let me clean you up first, you look like a mess." Chi-Chi started to guide Goku to the changing room just outside the shattered arena.
"No problem Chi-Chi I can do that myself." Goku said and broke free from her grip.
"Are you sure?" She asked concerned.
"Yeah! Of course you guys can just wait up for me at the hotel!" He blinked and waved to the others.
"But don't take all day long, because I'm getting hungry myself!" Oolong said irritated. Bulma walked up behind him, with an evil expression on her face.
"I might just ask the chef to make us pork chops tonight… Wouldn't that be a treat?" She had an evil smirk on her face, everyone laughed at her joke, only Oolong didn't find it that amusing. Back at the hotel the others were preparing for the fun evening they were to spend together celebrating the defeat of evil and their hero Goku. Yamcha slipped in his jeans and yellow t-shirt and combined the look with a pair of sneakers. Tien wore his traditional robes, and so did Chaozu, Krillin found his old tux and wore it with great confidence. Bulma sat on the edge of her bed and thought about the past, when she met Goku. Her thoughts drifted away fro a moment.
"Are you a girl?" He asked with a puzzled expression and looked at her.
"Yes and a handsome one if I may add." She said wiping some dust of her short skirt.
"Yeah I guess. You are curvy I guess you don't look as much like me?" He was so young, she thought of it, and how the time had quickly passed them, he was now a grown up young man, with features that would make any girl blush.
She awoke from her daydreaming, and walked to the bathroom, she opened a drawer and took a long towel, she then started the warm water, as she entered the showers she once again thought of Goku, and it was sickening her. He was in many ways her best friend he would never judge her, yet he would never protest if she had anything bad to say about him. She felt like she was drowning in guilt that she might not have treated Goku all to well, she sighed and closed her eyes, not wanting to think about it anymore. 'I'm going to be just fine!' she thought and released those thoughts. Short after she could hear a knocking sound just outside the bathroom, she froze in a moment and regained the control over her body. As she stepped out of the shower, she looked in the mirror she brushed the steaming moisture away and looked at her own features then she smiled. She was more confident, when she finished drying her hair and body she slipped in her underwear and walked to the entrance and placed her head gently on the door and could hear some footsteps it sounded like somebody was walking in circles. As she crouched and took a look through the keyhole she saw Goku his hands behind his back walking forth up and down. She noticed he was dressed a bit differently than before, he wore a black t-shirt and his usual orange Gi pants and boots, she noticed his never changing hair and his black fabric wristbands, but something was worrying her. His looks were not awkward his wide shoulders, together with his strong arms formed a V shape upper body, and as the black t-shirt seemingly bounced off his strong stature Bulma parted her lips slightly. She admitted to herself that she knew how attracted she was to him, but she would never make any move on him, she wouldn't dare to destroy the special bond they had.
"Come on! Bulma are you in there? The others are waiting outside?" Goku knocked once more, only this time the vibrating door punched Bulma away as she landed on the soft carpet.
"Just a second will you!" Bulma rushed to the drawer and picked her favorite skirt, it had a blue color and was made out of silk, it was pretty short, and showed off her excellent figure, and she knew that all to well. She picked an orange tank top and put on her white sneakers, she combed her hair that went down to the mid section of her back, and pulled it back and tightened it together in a ponytail, she put her makeup on, and sprayed some of her expensive perfume on her neck. As she opened the door she saw Goku turning his gaze towards her and moving closer to her. She had a concerned expression and she her twitched eyebrows and looked a bit sad.
"I'm sorry I made you guys wait." She said with a hoarse tone and smirked at Goku. He leaned towards her and sniffed around. She looked surprised at his approach and took a step back, so he wouldn't lean at her.
"No worries Bulma. Say what's that smell?" He looked confused and searched her eyes. She found herself staring back into his deep brown eyes. But quickly snapped out of it, she smirked confidently at his remark.
"Well do you like?" She said with a supreme attitude almost sounding cocky for a second there.
"You bet! And you look great Bulma!" He said innocently and giggled as he always does. Bulma couldn't believe her own ears, did he just make a compliment about her looks, he was always polite, but she rarely ever heard him make a comment about how she looked.
"Well thank you… you look…" She stopped in mid of her sentence. She parted her lips slightly but didn't finish what she had started. Goku only looked at her, and scratched his head.
"Huh?" He looked at her with his innocent expression. She formed a small grin on her face, seemingly out of ideas. She then asked:
"You look better after that fight." She said and sighed for a moment.
"Yeah I'm ok. It's just when I touch one of my ribs it kind of hurts, but it's nothing serious!" He put his hand behind his back and began laughing sheepishly.
"Well that's good news." She said and smiled warmly, she noticed he had grown in height as well, she no longer looked down at him; he was slightly taller than she was.
"Can we go and eat now! My stomach is screaming for some food" Goku stroke his stomach as it made a loud sound.
"Thi-hi! You'll never change Goku. Let's go!" She locked the door to her suit and looked at him with a bright smile, she was so happy to have him back and to enjoy his company, she had missed his personality. Goku jumped up from joy and hurried down the hall, making a turn to the right. Bulma only shook her head and laughed as she followed the hungry hero.
Goku had picked a restaurant casually without thinking he only was looking forward to the food he would cram in his mouth. They chose a big round table; Master Roshi came close to Bulma almost ready to grope her at any second.
"That's my Bulma! Always there to cheer me up!" He said while getting closer to her. Bulma noticed him, and closed her eyes for a second her expression of rage almost priceless. SMACK! Roshi flew back on his behind, blood running down his nose.
"Ouch!" He said while noticing his glasses were broken from the powerful slap.
"Bulma you should think of starting training with us, you obviously are a hard hitter!" Krillin said amused, only to have her turn around and preparing to hit him.
"I didn't mean to make you angry!" He said while fleeing from her grasp. The other just laughed at the incident, Goku took a seat, and Chi-Chi who wore a tradition dress sat next to him, and took at hold of his arm and squeezed it. Goku looked at her with a puzzled expression and looked away to see Bulma having a small conflict with Roshi and Krillin.
"Hey Bulma, don't let them tease you, here sit right here!" Goku smiled and clapped on the chair standing right next to him. Bulma took his offer and sat next to him. Now Goku sat in between two gorgeous women, but he hardly cared, as a waiter approached and took their orders, Goku ordered dozens of dishes and when they arrived he took one bowl at a time devouring everything in his sight. Bulma noticed it, and couldn't stop laughing silently at the display, her own table manners were nothing compared to Goku's munching, as she took another bite she risked to spit it out of pure laughter. Chi-Chi was taken by surprise, and urged Goku not to eat that fast, or he might explode, but Goku just nodded and ate. When he was finished he emptied four glasses of water, and tapped his own stomach in pure joy and satisfaction. Tien broke the short silence.
"So Goku what are your plans for the future?" Goku looked at him with an odd expression. He was about to open his mouth, but Chi-Chi quickly interrupted him.
"We are going to get married!" She said with an overjoyed expression. The others looked surprised by her statement.
"Eh… What?" Goku turned to look at her with a puzzled expression. And the others began laughing.
"No Goku! You'll like it; I'll cook the best food for you, everyday!" Chi-Chi said and blushed by the embarrassment while the others were laughing.
"You mean breakfast, dinner and snacks in between!" Goku's expression lightened up, he clenched his teeth and made a bright goofy smile.
"Of course! I will take care of you Goku." Chi-Chi said and blushed for a moment while looking at him.
"Sure! I'll do that marry thing with you!" Goku said and laughed sheepishly, the others couldn't stop laughing at his naïve and silly remarks, Bulma altough did not laugh. Her expression was more serious, she looked at them both, they were both huge opposites, and she couldn't believe what Chi-Chi had planned for him. But as she rose from her seat and took her glass, she did something unexpected.
"I will like to bring a toast to Goku and his engagement to Chi-Chi!" The others played along, thinking Bulma was just kidding.
At the end of the evening the group continued to the outskirts of the city near a grassy plain, where they sat down and started talking about the years they knew each other, and it became apparent that after this tournament things would certainly change. Tien and Lunch were inseparable, Krillin and Yamcha would take a break from martial arts and would go out see the world, Goku was stuck with Chi-Chi who held tightly to his hand and wouldn't let go. Bulma knew this all too well, and she had considered her fathers offer to work at Capsule Corp; her days of adventuring were certainly coming to an end. Bulma sat on a small hill not far from where the others were, and looked up at the bright sky that filled with stars, the light reflected down to where she was sitting and she observed the sky, she noticed someone standing behind her, as she looked over her shoulder she noticed that it was Goku, he had a silly smile on his face, and sat beside her, he brought his legs up to his chest, and wrapped his arms around his knees, he looked up at the sky, and turned his gaze at Bulma. The look of his face showed concern towards Bulma.
"Where is Chi-Chi?" Bulma asked with a soft voice.
"She's down there talking to Lunch. Bulma is there something wrong?" He tried to look her in the eyes, but she just evaded his look. He then moved closer to her, and looked up at the sky.
"You know…" Bulma said quietly. Goku turned to face her once again, this time she didn't evade his look.
"The sky is so beautiful tonight…" Her voice was almost hoarse.
"Yup…" Goku nodded.
"Remember how we used to do this every now at then on our first dragon ball hunt?" She said and looked at Goku who leaned back and stretched his legs out, and used his arms to support his weight.
"Sort of…" Goku said and inhaled the scent of the flowers around them.
"Those were times…" She said and slowly lied down on her back, the grass was soft and dry; she looked up at the sky and sighed. She turned her head to see what Goku was doing, he also lied down with his arms behind his neck and he noticed her. She quickly turned to look away, but it was too late.
"Bulma I'm so sad when I see you like that… Come on tell me what's wrong?" His light voice with a childish tone, send shivers down her spine. She looked at him with vulnerable eyes, she felt as if tears were welling up in her eyes. She dismissed that feeling quickly and lifted her upper body and looked down at Goku.
"Haven't you noticed how much we have changed over these past 5 years?" She asked him. He looked at her with widened eyes, and smirked.
"Well you haven't changed a bit!" He said with a smirk. Bulma took his remark both positively and negatively, she closed her eyes, and smiled. It was a bittersweet smile.
"I don't know if should I take that as a compliment?" Her voice regaining some strength. Goku only giggled.
"I don't think we have changed Bulma, we're just older that's all!" He said and laughed sheepishly.
"You haven't changed a bit Goku, you are still the same little boy that I met for five years ago. She said with a teasing smirk, Goku's expression changed as if he was annoyed by that remark.
"Hey that's rude!" He said, a sad expression formed on his face.
"But it's true. Do you know what you have agreed to?" She asked him with a concerned expression.
"Eh… Aha! You mean with Chi-Chi? Yeah! I've agreed that she will cook me food all the time!" He said with a goofy laughter. Bulma looked in despair.
"Do you know what a marriage is?" She asked and looked serious. Goku straightened up and met her with the same attitude.
"Sure, it's when your friend cooks dinner for you… All the time!" He said and stood up, and stretched out. Bulma looked at him like he was making no sense; she followed him to a small tree.
"Goku, marriage is when you take a girl and show your love to her, by living together and supporting each other for the rest of your lives." She put a hand close to her lips, seemingly concerned about Goku. Goku watched her in the corner of his eye, and turned to confront her head on.
"Hmm that's not what Chi-Chi said?" He asked her with a puzzled expression. She only looked down in denial and regret; she knew he was too young, and too innocent to even comprehend what she was telling him. But what was she doing, she was ruining their friendship by questioning him, she knew it was not her place to alter anything, if Chi-Chi wanted him so badly then she would get him, and maybe he would mature more from this experience, no matter how she thought about it she would not get involved with Goku emotionally, she would let him go and discover the world with his own eyes, and maybe he would then understand. She wished that he would.
"Its better that way Goku…" She turned and walked away from him. Goku quickly followed and took a hold of her hand, he looked like he was tricked or even left behind, his expression sad and determined at the same time. She froze at that moment, his strong hand held hers with a gentle touch unknown to Goku, he wasn't the same… she knew that, and she never felt him touch her this way. She turned to him, her knees were soft, she could collapse but she simply looked at him while tears ran down her cheeks. She didn't let go though, and Goku was not sure of what he was feeling or thinking in that moment, where he held her hand.
"Bulma don't go!" His voice as fragile as it always was, now seemed determined. He looked her deeply in the eyes, almost looking through into her soul. He wanted an explanation.
"Goku you know we are best friends?" Her voice trembled.
"Yes I know and that's why I can't let you be this sad." He pulled her closer and encircled his strong arms around her; his hug was gentle considering the huge amount of strength he actually possessed. She had never felt such sensation hit her, her heart was hurting, like a hundred of needles were stabbing it, she rested her head on his muscular chest, and found comfort in his embrace.
"I don't like to see you hurt…" He blew gently in her ear. She looked up at him, and pushed herself away from his grip, running to the others while wiping away her tears.
"I don't understand!" He said confused.
"It is better this way!" She said with a trembling voice and returned to the others, soon after Yamcha would offer her a ride home, she accepted willingly and parted with the others before leaving with Yamcha in his hovering car. She saw that Goku followed the car, but it took off before he was able to say anything.
"Babe… what's wrong?" Yamcha asked while he was driving.
"Just take me back to the hotel, I'm leaving right away, I need to go home to Capsule Corp." Yamcha knew something was wrong with her, but he followed her orders, and after he left her at the hotel he drove back to the others. Tien was about to leave with Lunch, and Chaozu.
"Good bye my good friend, and till we meet again, I hope you will be able to keep up with me in the near future." Tien smirked and left.
"I know I will be counting on a rematch pretty soon!" Goku said with a smile on his face. As everybody left only Chi-Chi and Goku remained, she insisted that he would follow her to her village, and prepare for the wedding that would take place the next day. Goku only nodded and followed her.
The next day Goku and Chi-Chi got married, everybody was happy for them, only Goku felt alone, none of his friends were invited, and he couldn't understand why Chi-Chi had kissed him on the mouth, he did nothing to return the kiss. But she said it would be all right. Goku didn't know what he was getting himself into, but in that moment he enjoyed the food he was offered.
A/N: So what do you think? And I know I might get flamed for this pairing, but that's ok! The Prologue got longer than I had expected, but now I'm really interested in seeing how people react to it, I will have the next chapter out in no time… I hope Hehe…! And be aware that the rating for this story is going to go from K-M because I have plans of brutal bloody battles and so on! Oh and please R&R Until next time… take care! ;-)