Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Ball Z, these characters, and I am not making any personal profit out of this.  So PLEASE don't sue me.

Face the Music

Chi-Chi was at home alone.  She decided that she needed some time to herself, so she asked Bulma if she could have Goten stay at her house.

She was in the kitchen busy preparing a tasty stew for herself.  She stood over the pot on the stove and added the spices and ingredients.  The delicious and tangible scent wafted through the air.  The smell reminded Chi-Chi of the many nights when she would cook meals for her family, and those were happier times.

She continued stirring and thinking.  She directed her thoughts to think over the past few days.  She thought about her life, and if there were some things that she would have done different.  She was a warrior herself, why didn't she continue?  And she also mulled over trivial things, like, her father is the Ox King, then that would make her the Ox Princess.

But eventually, her thoughts would lead up to her husband, Goku.  As always, she would wonder if he ever really loved her.  She weighed the proof and the uncertainties.  He married her, of course, and they have two wonderful boys (how could they have not gotten them?!).  But then again, he married her because he always kept his promise and not for love, and he would always put himself and their boys in danger.

As soon as she realized how distracted she was from her task, she shook away the thoughts from her head.

"I need something to anchor myself in reality," she muttered to herself.  She left the stew she was cooking simmering for a few minutes.  She used that time to look around the house for a radio.

As soon as she found one, she carried it all the way back to the kitchen.  She turned it on and searched for a station.  Since she was far out from the city, she was only able to find the station that her sons always listened to.

Bulma was surprised when she took Goten into her home for a while.  Chi-Chi told her that she needed some time alone, and Bulma replied by saying that it was no trouble at all.

She was worried over her friend's emotional state.  After Goku had left to train Uub, Chi-Chi had been more withdrawn.  She tried to keep up a cheerful front, but Bulma knew that she needed her husband.

"Vegeta!!!  Where are you?!" she called throughout the house.  He was probably in the Gravity Room, training.

She would ask him to run a little errand for her.

Goku flew as fast as he could to get home, after his training session with Uub was interrupted.

Vegeta flew all the way out in the wilderness to deliver a message from Bulma.  He grumbled that it was his woman that put him up to the task.

The message was that he should go and visit his family, he was gone for too long.  He didn't know why Bulma would concern herself with his family, but it seemed like a good idea.  He needed to check up on Goten's progress as a warrior.

He flew all the way to Bulma's house.  Since the message was from her, he thought he would see what she wanted first.

Goku was greeted by Bulma, and Goten.

"Hey dad!" Goten greeted his father as soon as he arrived.

"Glad to see that you made it," said Bulma.

"Hi everyone!  Hey, where's Trunks?"

"As soon as Vegeta came home, he's gone off to knock some sense into Trunks.  Says that he's getting a bad influence with Goten around."

Soon he noticed that Chi-Chi wasn't there to greet him.  "Goten, would you know where your mother is?"

"Well, she's at home, and said that I should stay here for a few days."

"Thanks.  After I visit your mother, I'll spend some time with you, okay?"

"Okay."

"Goku," started Bulma, "before you go, here's some advice.  I think you really should spend a lot more time with Chi-Chi, she needs you right now, and not just rare visits.  Now get going."

Goku arrived at his home, and was greeted by the Ox King.  His nose led him to Chi-Chi, and he found her in the kitchen.

"Chi-Chi, look who's here," said her father.

Chi-Chi turned around and forced a smile on her face.  "Hello Goku, I didn't expect you come and visit me."  Ever, she added in her head.

"Um, well, I kinda got the message," he said and then grinned sheepishly.

Chi-Chi didn't understand what he meant, but she just shrugged it off.  "Why are you here?  I'm sure you want something to eat?"  A trickle of anger managed to seep into her voice.

Ox King heard her tone and left them alone.  Goku didn't seem to notice it at all.

"I just wanted to spend a little bit of time with you that's all.  Bulma told me to."

How could Bulma get herself involved in my personal life?!  After this, I'll give her a tongue- lashing. But she did manage to get Goku to come home.  Oh!  I don't know whether I should hug her or hurt her, Chi-Chi thought to herself.

Goku cautiously waved a hand in front of Chi-Chi's angry looking face.  Chi-Chi snapped out of her trance, but she still seemed angry.

"Why don't you go to Bulma's?  You know Goten is there, and you could encourage him to work on his studies!" she snapped at him.

"Can I come back later?" Goku nervously asked.  He now sensed that Chi-Chi was upset.

"Of course!  This is your home!  Now get going!  Can't you see that your son needs you?!"

Goku, surprised, walked out the door, but stopped and gave her a hurt and confused look before flying away.

Chi-Chi stalked over to the phone.  She dialed Bulma's number and fortunately, for her, Bulma was the one that answered.

"Hello?  Oh!  Chi-Chi!  Did Goku come over yet?"

"Yes!  And apparently he came because you told him to!  Bulma!  How dare you stick your nose in my business!  I thought you were my friend!"

Bulma sounded shocked on the other end of the phone.  "I thought that it would cheer you up.  I'm worried about you.  Like you said, I am your friend."

Chi-Chi sighed heavily.  "I'm sorry for yelling at you Bulma.  I just thought that he would be back for another short visit, and he would leave me all alone, again."

"And I'm sorry for butting into your life."

"Listen, I sent Goku to go back to your house.  Maybe you should talk to him a little more."

"I don't think I should be the one doing the talking."

"I just don't know what to say."

"I think he doesn't know what to say either."  Bulma paused for moment.  "But I think I know of a way to say what needs to be said."

"Okay, and again, sorry for blowing up at you.  I'm sure you would know how I feel."

"I do.  Good-bye."  Bulma hung up on the other end.

Goku arrived back at Bulma's house.

"Hey Bulma, I'm back.  Do you know where Goten is?"

"He's sparring with Trunks in the backyard, I'm sure you'll find them."

As soon as Goku left to find his son, Bulma went to her lab and began to work on a little project.

"It is so simple, a night out for the two of them.  That should set things right between Goku and Chi-Chi," Bulma said to herself.  She looked over what she had for the special night and found out she had forgotten something.  "They need some romantic music."

Bulma got out of her lab and searched around her house for one of her CDs.  She couldn't find what she was looking for until she came to Trunks' room.

She walked over the piles of clothes and books on the floor until she was at his desk.  Beside his computer was the CD she was looking for.

She picked it up and cautiously walked back out of her son's room.

"I finally have the what I need to fix this problem," she said to herself as she made her way back to her lab.

Bulma emerged from her lab and found Goku with Trunks and Goten sparring in the backyard.

"Goku!  I have something for you," she called to her friend.  She then turned to Trunks and said, "Why don't you take Goten to your room and relax?"

Goku stopped what he was doing and walked towards Bulma.  "What is it?"

Bulma took out a capsule and smiled.  "This should smooth things out between you and Chi-Chi. The only way to do that is for you to spend more time with her.  For example, like a date."

Bulma handed Goku the capsule and took him aside.  "Why don't we plan your perfect evening together right now?"

Goten raced Trunks to his room.  It was still in the same messy condition as they left it.

"So you're telling me that you downloaded those new songs off of the internet?" asked Goten.

"Yup!" proudly replied Trunks.  "And they're not just any new songs.  I mean, they're really cool if you just listen to them."

"Where is it?"

Trunks led his friend over to his computer on his study desk.  "I recorded them onto a blank CD.  I couldn't find a cover for it, so I used one of my mom's CD covers.  I'm sure she wouldn't mind."  He reached down and to pick up the CD from where he had left it, but found nothing.

"Hey!  Where did my CD go?!" exclaimed Trunks.

"Does that mean we won't be able to hear the newest tunes from the internet?" asked Goten.

Chi-Chi, mad at herself, started to cook up a storm in order to take her mind off things.  She was so caught up in her cooking, that she didn't notice that the phone was ringing.  Chi-Chi went to answer it, and to her surprise, it was Goku.  She immediately blurted out her apology.  "I'm sorry for blowing up on you Goku.  I guess I should be happy now that you're here."

Goku, with Bulma to help him out with the conversation, said, "And I'm sorry for not being around for you.  So to make up for it, we're going out."

"You're taking me out tonight?!" exclaimed a surprised Chi-Chi.  "That is so romantic!  Where are you going to take me?  Not a fancy restaurant, I hope.  I don't think we can afford that."

Bulma whispered into his ear what to say, and he replied, "Nope, I'm taking you out on a picnic!  So pack a delicious dinner!"

Chi-Chi hung up the phone and happily started cooking the food for their romantic picnic.

In a few hours, Chi-Chi had prepared all of their favourite dishes (and that's a lot!).  She placed the food in a Capsule Corp. food storage unit, which she asked Bulma to make.  She encapsulized it and soon realized that she didn't have time at all to change her clothes.

It was too late, so she was just ready to go to Bulma's and see if Goku was there.  As she opened the door, to her surprise, there was Goku!

He smiled innocently when he saw her.  "Hi," he sheepishly said, "I was on my way to take you out. I hope you packed everything!"

Chi-Chi happily pointed to the food storage unit.  Goku's mouth watered with anticipation.

"So, are we ready to go?"

"Oh!  Um, yeah!  Let's get going!"

Chi-Chi encapsulated the storage unit and put it in her pocket.  Goku took her into his arms and took off into the air.

They flew over many different landscapes.  The stars shone some light and made their course clear. They soon landed in a clearing surrounded by many trees, creating a neat little circle.

Chi-Chi took the food capsule out of her pocket and was about to release it when she finally noticed something.  "Oh Goku!  I forgot the picnic blanket!  I guess we can have our picnic in the grass."

"Don't worry Chi-Chi," Goku said.  He reached into his pocket and took out a capsule.  He pressed top and threw into the middle of the clearing.  In a puff of smoke, a little table with two chairs and silverware set up appeared.  Goku took one of the chairs, pulled it up, and motioned for Chi-Chi to sit.

Chi-Chi gasped.  "Goku, you are so romantic!" she exclaimed as she approached the chair.

"I hope that we can have that wonderful dinner of yours."

Chi-Chi released the storage unit from its capsule form and began to set the still warm dishes onto the table.  She nestled back into her seat, picked up her fork and was about to start on her meal when she saw Goku hastily starting on his.

"Why don't you go back on the internet and try to find those songs again?" suggested Goten.

"Goten, there are like a billion websites dedicated to music out there!  How am I gonna get through them all?" exclaimed Trunks.

"Isn't there a way to retrace your steps through the internet?"

Trunks thought for a moment, and suddenly an idea struck him.  "You know, there is a way I can retrace my steps!"  Trunks turned on his computer and brought up the internet history file.  The file contained the URLs of websites that were last visited the last time someone was on the internet. Trunks entered the URLs into the webbrowser file and soon a web page was loading.

"I can't wait to listen to those songs that you've been talking about!" said Goten.  The page soon finished loading, and they both couldn't beleive their eyes.  "Trunks, did you get the songs from the 'Top of the Charts Downloads Site'?"

"No! I didn't!" protested Trunks, "Bra must have used my computer without asking!"  Panicked, Trunks searched his computer's database and found that the recorder was also used.  "Bra must have my CD!  I'm going to go give her a piece of my mind!"

Chi-Chi just about finished her meal, when suddenly, she heard some soft music being played.  The sound was a guitar imtroduction and a slow pop beat.  She looked up to see Goku getting out of his seat.

Goku reminded himself of Bulma's instructions, Bulma told me that as soon as the music starts, I should ask her to dance.  As he approached her, he held out his hand.

Chi-Chi graciously accepted the hand, and the moved towards the middle of the clearing.  They slowly danced to the beat of the song.

The lyrics, sung by a deep male voice, filled the air:

As the song played on, Goku listened carefully, letting the meaning of the song sink in.

I can't believe that Chi-Chi has always stuck with me even though I would always leave her so I could fight.  Goku held Chi-Chi a little bit closer.  I won't wait until she's gone to realize how much she means to me.

"Chi-Chi..." Goku slowly started.

Chi-Chi's head looked up into his eyes.  "Yes?"

"I just want you to know that, when I was out there fighting to save the world, you and the boys were the first things on my mind.  I fought because, I love you."

Chi-Chi let out a sound which came between a gasp and a sigh.  The words that she had always wanted to hear from him were finally spoken.  She let tears of happiness stream from her face.  "I love you, too," she replied.

The sound of the ending song filled the air:

Trunks angrily stormed into Bra's room, with Goten following behind him.  Bra sat up on her bed. "Hey!  Don't you ever knock?" Bra asked.  In the background, some songs from the top chart were being played.

"You used my computer without asking!  And you also used my CD without asking!  So where is my CD?!" Trunks bellowed at his sister.

Bra looked up at him in confusion.  "What makes you think I used your computer?"

"Let's see.  When I checked on my internet history, it seems that somebody went to 'Top of the Charts Downloads Site', and it wasn't me.  And in here, I can hear the sound of some top songs!"

"Okay!  So I used your computer, and I recorded some songs off that website onto your CD, but I don't have your CD!" Bra loudly confessed.  "And what I'm listening to here is called the radio!"

Goten, watching all of this, was relieved that he didn't have a little sister.

The argument was soon broken up when Bulma entered the room.  "Could you two try to keep it down?  What are you two fighting about?"

"Mom!  Bra used my computer and CD without asking!" Trunks complained.

"You mean the CD beside your computer, which was inside my CD cover?"

"Um, yeah, that one."

"Busted!  Well brother, it seems that two wrongs do make a right!" Bra jeered.

"Shut up!" Trunks retorted.  He then turned his attention back to his mother, "So, have you seen it mom?"

"It seems that I accidentally used for one of my projects."

"What?!  Will I get it back?  Is it going to be okay?"

"Don't worry. It'll come back fine," Bulma answered.  "Although, I wonder what you two used the CD I found for?"

Bra and Trunks just looked at each other.

The next song was ending, and another male voice faded away, singing the chorus.

Chi-Chi and Goku still continued to dance under the stars.

Goku looked at his wife and smiled.  "I guess we really should save tonight, huh?"

Chi-Chi nodded, and smiled back at him.  "I understand.  You have to go back and train Uub.  I wish that you didn't have to, I wish that you could stay here with your family.  But I understand how much training that boy means to you."

"And maybe next time, I'll try to be there for you more often."

Chi-Chi's hand slipped into Goku's pocket and found another capsule.  "What's this?"

Goku took the capsule, pressed the top, and threw it across the clearing.  Out of the smoke was a capsule home.  "This is another way for us to save tonight."  Goku took her hand and led her to the door of the capsule house.

Goku kissed Chi-Chi affectionately as they entered the house.

The End

Additional Disclaimer: My apologies to Sugar Ray and Eagle-Eye Cherry. I also do not own these songs, I thought that these would fit into the story.

Author's Note: I thought that adding the little CD mix-up between Trunks, Bulma, and Bra would add a little bit of comedy into the mix.  As for the end, well, I'll let you the reader use your imagination.  I'm not a lemon author.  C'mon, tell me what you think.