"Chi-Chi! Um... Sorry. Some things came up, and it didn't occur to me to let you know I was coming. I apologize for that." Raditz, the proud and dignified planetary conqueror who had slaughtered planets while laughing, kept his head down and apologized to his sister-in-law, trying to hide his embarrassment.
After all, he didn't know what had happened just a moment ago. Why was he staring blankly at a human he'd barely met today? Most of all, why did his heart feel like it was racing, as if he were about to transform into Ozaru?
"This is Launch, someone I met on my journey across this planet. Launch, this is Chi-Chi. She's the wife of my younger brother, Kakarot, and the mother of the boy you saw earlier, Gohan," Raditz said, quickly introducing the two women and trying to steer the conversation away from himself.
Chi-Chi noticed this. Raditz's mannerisms were stiff, but he was much politer than when he first arrived on Earth. According to her, he had been rude and savage with no manners.
'It seems he's finally civilized himself!' thought the witch, pleased by the apology and tone of her brother-in-law, who was no longer shouting and making erratic gestures while speaking. Aside from his wild hair, which no human means could tame, the man looked presentable.
'And he brought a woman! Has he settled down? I need to gather more information!' It's all for the protection of the family. Yes, that's my purpose," Chi-Chi told herself as she figured out how to handle the conversation she was about to have with Launch.
"Welcome home, Launch. It's a pleasure to meet you," Chi-Chi said as she approached Launch and shook her hand. The blue-haired woman returned the gesture and seemed a bit shy at first, but then she loosened up.
"Thank you for letting me visit, Mrs. Son! I never thought the hostess would be as beautiful as you. If you hadn't told me, I wouldn't have thought you were the hostess or a mother, but rather the eldest sister of this household," Launch said, flattering her effusively and making the witch feel increasingly comfortable with this stranger.
She liked being praised and recognized for her beauty. It was a habit she'd picked up from spending so much time with Bulma. After that brief exchange, since they weren't close enough for more intimate greetings, Chi-Chi sat down facing the two visitors.
"So, how has your journey around Earth been, Raditz? Did you eat everywhere?" the witch asked, interested in the stories her husband's brother had to tell.
"Well, I came across things I'd never seen before in the universe, or things that are rarely seen. Since I've been on missions for so long, I've never stopped to watch videos for entertainment. Here, they call them movies.
Some are interesting; others, I don't understand at all. Were you guys really attacked by a giant monster that spat atomic rays from its mouth? That monster is depicted well. It must have been inspired by something real," Raditz said, expressing interest in the topic as it had really caught his attention.
"HAHAHAHA! No! It's fictional. Almost all movies in theaters and on the internet are fictional, and the ones that claim to be based on real events take a lot of liberties in their portrayal," Chi-Chi replied, laughing not at Raditz but at the humor of the situation since she remembered that he was a recent visitor to Earth.
The Saiyan at least had some context regarding certain earthly matters. However, she recalled a story that Tights, Bulma's older sister, had told her about an alien ex-boyfriend who got scared after watching a movie about space wars. He believed that Earth possessed a planet-destroying weapon.
"Well, when I was a kid, I used to believe that movies were real, so I can relate," Launch said, reminiscing about her childhood. She was sure that she wasn't the only child who believed that back then. Kids sometimes took movies as if they were real.
"Hey! I used to believe some movies were real, too. But when I started training in martial arts, the monsters that had scared me as a kid no longer did, because I knew I could defeat them." Chi-Chi smiled as she showed off her delicate fist, which glowed red for several seconds.
'Kakarot, your wife is really tough,' Raditz thought, carefully savoring the vague death threat he felt when his sister-in-law unleashed her energy. The interesting part? The woman wasn't as strong as he was, but she was undoubtedly one of the most dangerous beings on this planet. Or at least, that's what the Saiyan fervently believed.
To Raditz, the fact that Chi-Chi could keep Kakarot, possibly stronger than Raditz himself, under control meant she must have a secret method or unknown power.
On top of that, Saiyans generally preferred women with strong personalities, falling into two extremes: very strong or very gentle. When Raditz thought about that, a vague image of Launch appeared in his mind because she seemed to embody both extremes.
"You know, I never thought Raditz would bring a friend as beautiful as you so soon. How did the two of you meet?" Chi-Chi asked, looking at Launch and hoping to learn more about their relationship.
By this point, she was already conjuring up elaborate fictional scenarios in her head, a habit she'd had since childhood. After all, judging by the way those two interacted, whether at the beginning, when she caught them staring at each other in silence, or throughout the rest of the conversation, when they exchanged furtive glances, it was clear that something was going on between them.
Chi-Chi had picked up on those subtle cues. As a witch, she was an expert at noticing details that others normally overlooked. She realized those actions weren't intentional. They were spontaneous signs of something budding. That's why she wanted to gather more information about the state of the Saiyan and Launch's relationship.
"Um... I think Raditz would be better at telling that story, don't you think?" Launch really didn't know how to answer that question without mentioning the crimes of her blonde self. She hadn't actually experienced these crimes, but she knew about them from videos and the Saiyan's stories.
Raditz panicked when the conversation turned back to him, but soon summoned his courage. He had been on the brink of death countless times. Surely he could tell a simple story! He knew he could! He just had to leave out a few details.
"Um...we met at a pizzeria, you know? I've traveled the world, seen all sorts of things, but the food on this planet drew me in the most. I've rated it as the tastiest I've ever had in my life." Raditz steered the conversation toward food, which made him realize that he still hadn't eaten that pizza, causing his stomach to growl.
Chi-Chi reacted even worse to the sound, looking at him in disbelief, jumping to her feet, and running toward the kitchen.
"Tell me about it later! I have to finish cooking! Son Goku! If you don't come back with enough food, you'll have my attention!" she exclaimed, going back to preparing dinner and leaving the Saiyan and the blue-haired girl alone in the living room.
"What a clever trick," whispered Launch. She thought that what had happened was the result of a plan Raditz had devised quickly, so she was amazed by the Saiyan's cunning. This feeling was evident in her expression.
"What? Oh, sure," said Raditz. He didn't quite understand what Launch had said, but seeing how she seemed to be thinking well of him, he instinctively felt the need to take credit for it, even though he didn't understand what was driving him to act that way.
"But what will we tell her when she brings up how we met again? I can't tell her that my 'other self' with different hair robbed a bank and took you hostage. I'm unaware of any of that!" The woman complained in a low voice, feeling annoyed by their situation.
Before, when she had memory gaps and found herself in strange situations, she was passive, especially since no one told her about her situation. Besides, she could always avoid danger.
Now, however, she lamented the fact that her blonde counterpart was unusually wild and clearly a repeat offender. Unlike her, the blonde was conscious during the personality shift, something she was incapable of.
'Now more than ever, I hope Bulma can find a way to resolve this situation,' thought Launch. She believed it was time to stop getting caught up in uncomfortable situations like the one she was experiencing and that perhaps there was something more to her sudden interest in personality separation.
The blue-haired woman glanced at Raditz sideways. He was thinking of a version of the story of their first meeting that they could both tell without leaving out any details. He occasionally chimed in with his own comments, and the woman felt her cheeks grow hot. She had blushed just from looking at him!
"Are you okay?" Raditz asked in a low voice. He looked somewhat concerned at the redness on the blue-haired woman's face. Although he understood the physiological response of blushing, he thought he might have offended Launch earlier.
"I-I, um..." I think your idea is fine! I'm just embarrassed that we have to hide part of the story. I feel like we're not being completely honest," Launch said, steering the conversation toward the topic of the story Raditz had edited. This caused Raditz to scratch the back of his neck.
"We're not lying. We're just leaving out certain details that are irrelevant for now. In the future, we can be more open about it, but for now, let's stick to telling a coherent story. Give me your ideas.
You know, I wrote the mission reports for the missions I participated in with my teammates, so I'm used to organizing details." Once again, Raditz couldn't help but act on autopilot, this time showing off his literary skills.
"That sounds interesting. Can you tell me about your adventures in space?" Launch felt that this topic was much better than the previous one, so she jumped right into it with her question. Raditz then began to organize what he wanted to tell the blue-haired girl.
...
When Goku arrived home with his son on his shoulder and a T-Rex tail in his hand, he heard laughter coming from the living room. As he opened the door, he saw his brother chatting with Launch. She was laughing, and it seemed like he was explaining something to her.
"So, Nappa, the bald guy I told you about, realized that the beautiful, red-skinned alien woman really wanted to spend the night with him to get pregnant by him because she thought he was perfect for the job.
Apparently, her species reproduces by injecting their offspring into living bodies. Luckily, my partner decided to back out, feeling that he didn't want to be a father, even though he was the oldest in the group," Raditz said. Although it didn't seem like a joke, Launch found it quite funny, which is why she was laughing.
"I still can't get over the fact that Vegeta shook hands with an alien, and what he was holding was its member! HAHAHAHA! Your bald friend avoiding getting impregnated is a little less funny, but it's on that level." Launch laughed and rested her hand on the Saiyan's shoulder. He didn't seem uncomfortable or on guard by such an intimate gesture.
Just as Goku was about to say hello, he felt something terrifying lock onto him. As he stiffly turned toward the kitchen, he saw Chi-Chi holding a ladle with a few grains of rice stuck to it.
"You're finally here, honey~," Chi-Chi greeted him softly, but Goku trembled because he knew he'd been gone too long, and his wife was angry with him.