Disclaimer: I don't own Dragon Ball Z.

Summary: "Chichi, how are you? I'm doing fine. Gohan and Goten are good, too. It's a lot quieter without you around…" He bites his bottom lip. "I miss you." Son Goku and a vigil by the gravesite of the woman he loves. GokuChichi, oneshot

Here's my first attempt at a G/CC fanfic. It's pretty angst-filled, and goes back to my strange penchant for writing grave scenes. So…yeah. I find myself writing Goku a lot. Which is weird, since Vegeta is my favorite character, but I guess I find it easier to get into Goku's mindset and everything. Vegeta is like a brick wall. Lol. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this!

Fireflies

"Here."

Large hands place several mismatched flowers on the ground in front of him, right next to the granite stone that marks his wife's grave.

"I…brought you some flowers." He starts, rather uncertainly, "I just picked the prettiest ones. I've never been one to bring flowers, but I know you like them. I don't even really know the names of them, but…I thought that it would be something, at least."

The stone stares blankly back at him.

He gulps, and continues, "Chichi, how are you?"

Nothing.

"I'm doing fine. Gohan and Goten are doing better than I thought they would. Gohan has Videl, after all, and Goten has been spending time with Marron. I guess it helps to have someone like that to get over a loss."

Silence greets his ears before the crickets start chiming a song for him.

"It's a lot quieter without you around, ya know." He reaches up and starts to scratch the back of his head in true Son fashion. His eyes are closed and there are traces of tears leaking out of the corners of his eyes. Something between a chuckle and a gasping for air escapes his throat.

He bites his bottom lip, drawing blood that he can taste, coppery and somewhat satisfying as it rolls across his tongue, "I miss you."

A breeze picks up then and ruffles his unruly hair around his face and neck. The rich black color and thickness of his mane is a sick reminder of just how young he must still look. He feels a growl resonate deep in his chest. If he were human, he would've been in the ground before her, and they would be together now.

But if he were human, then the world would have been destroyed by now.

It is a sick cycle. All the what ifs and possibilities whirl through his head, sometimes it seems that they mean to hurt him with each possible conclusion that he comes across. It is also strange; Goku had never been much of a thinker, except when it came to fighting and the happiness of his family and friends, but now he finds himself with more than enough time for quiet reflection, and he uses it to think about what could have been.

He finds himself wishing for little things. Like for people to not age and to not die. That all of his family would be together forever. Bulma is slowly fading, and Vegeta is obviously trying to not let it effect him, but that is in vain. He sees just how much the Saiyan prince cares, and it hurts him to know that the only other one pureblood of his race is hurting. Even Krillin has lost some of his usual happiness and luster as the black hair on his head turned grey and the wrinkles started to appear on his face.

He feels his heart constrict in his chest, painfully, tightly, and he looks at the headstone and remembers why he is here.

"Ya know, today is our anniversary."

Again, the only greeting he receives is silence, with only the few crickets around him chirping their nightly song.

"At least I remembered." Goku says, his tone light and slightly playful, but anyone who heard him could tell the grief he was going through, "I remember when we were first married, and I forgot, and you hit me with the couch!" He is lost in his remembrance now, his eyes and lips both grinning, "I told myself to never forget it, because that was a nice couch and we didn't have a lot of money - also, because I didn't want get you so upset again."

The moon is full and casts its light on his skin as his eyes soften into something resembling an onyx ocean, soft and liquid in their appearance. The nightly breeze ruffles his hair around him and he inhales, taking in the cool air.

"Don't ask why I'm so late," Goku continues, a slight chuckle building in his chest, "I don't really want to say because I think I'm enough of a coward already…well, I think I just told you…but, I was kinda scared. I was dreading it. I mean, the funeral was so recent and I had yet to visit, and…well, I promise I'll visit more often, Chichi!" He finishes that small rant with a laugh, the tone of it sounding like something he used to say to his wife to quell her temper. That very tone reminds him of times past and he feels tears well in his eyes.

"I know we'll see each other again," The Saiyan starts up again, "but that still doesn't ease this…"

His heart tightens yet again, as if someone had reached their hands through his chest and grasped it. He almost gasps at the intensity of it all.

"Is this how you felt when…when I decided not to come back? After Cell, I mean…"

The guilt overwhelms him as he inhales a shaky breath.

"I thought it was for the best, ya know." Goku says, his innocent gaze becoming jaded for a moment, "I thought I was protecting everyone by leaving, by staying in Other World. But I guess all I really did was break up a family. I left you to raise Gohan by yourself and…you were pregnant. I don't think you ever forgave me for what I did…and I don't blame you. I wouldn't forgive myself either."

The wind picks up and blows his unruly hair around his features yet again, this time it was a gentle caress and he almost leans into it. It is familiar, loving, and he can almost feel his wife with him in that very instance, as if reassuring him.

"Heh, thanks, Chichi."

The wind leaves as abruptly as it came, and Goku feels that he is left alone again. Though it was brief, he feels a bit of comfort from the breeze's wispy grasp on him.

For a few more moments, the fighter stares at the stone in front of him, his eyes roaming over the stone, which had taken a pretty gleam now that the moon had moved into a position above it. The light of the moon penetrates through the leaves in the tree below where the body of his beloved was placed.

He looks up, and his onyx eyes see a several flickering lights circling above him, floating as if with no purpose. He reaches a hand up, offering one of them a resting place, which it takes on his curled index finger, knowing there is no danger. Even an insect seems to know that Son Goku is no threat unless threatened.

"Ah, fireflies." He says, a childlike wonder to his voice, "You always thought they were pretty…"

He kneels in front of the grave, eye level with the stone, and smiles at it, in a true Son fashion. He reaches out in front of himself and lets the firefly take its place on the stone, glowing brightly against the granite. "There ya go, little guy."

Even after all the fights - after Cell, Frieza, Buu, and even becoming a father and grandfather - Goku is still a kid at heart.

He smiles at her gravestone and his eyes graze over the simple marker.

Son Chichi

Even now, he feels a swell of pride at her last name. The name that she took from him. He reads the inscription below the name, and sees the delicate carving of a lily below it.

Reaching forward, he gently traces the name of his wife with his finger, his eyes tender and caring. It is an intimate moment, and one would feel very out of place if they walked upon it.

"I love ya, Chichi."

And he smiles at the headstone, as if she was alive and staring back at him.

End.

And there's my first attempt at a G/CC fic. I know there aren't many - at least not as many as B/V - so I thought I'd add this one to the part of the DBZ fandom that celebrates this couple. Haha, so here is my little fic, and I hope that y'all enjoyed it! I would love to hear your opinions and comments on this!

Thanks for reading!