Disclaimer: All characters belong to Akira Toriyama. I’m not making any money off of this.

Just One Cut
By Maria Cline

Chi-Chi stood there as she opened the package. She couldn't believe that she was doing it. She had no choice. "Mom?" Goten asked as he came in.

She closed the package and turned around. Goten, her sweet but slightly lazy thirty year old son stood there. Every day, he would look just like Goku if Goku wasn't a twelve-year-old. "Yes?" She asked.

"What's in the package?" Goten asked as he tried to look in.

"Something for myself." Chi-Chi answered truthfully. "Don't you and your father have some training to do?"

"Yeah, but we're on a food break."

"Your snacks are on the table in the capsules."

"Great." Goten said as he got the box of capsules. "Are you okay?"

"Sure. Go on."

Chi-Chi got up with the package and went upstairs. Goten shrugged and flew off.

*****

She stared at the knife for an hour. It had a light of its own with a golden handle and an white silver blade. It looked like a somewhat beautiful but ordinary knife but she knew better. From what she learned about it just one cut will do it.

"Just one cut." She said as she stared at it some more. Once she did it, there's no turning back. However, it was a much feasible alternative to the hell she's going through now. After Goku sacrificed his ability to go Super Saiyan to bring back all of the Evil Dragons' victims, things had been quiet. Unfortunately, every day, it felt like pain. Seeing her husband as a mere child while she's old enough to be his grandmother. Every night of sleeping in the same bed but not sleeping with him is also getting to her. Sometimes, he would sleep on the floor because he could tell that his presence bothered her. It was getting too much. He even started going to school instead of training just to see what it was like. Oddly enough, he was doing excellent in it since he did have fifty some years of experience.

It was too much.

*****

Goten and his father were fighting as usual. Goten was in Super Saiyan mode while Goku was in Kioken Twenty mode. Goku couldn't go Super Saiyan anymore but he could still power up by either going ape or the Kioken attack that he had managed to relearn. Despite the obvious age difference and the fact that a Kioken is much weaker than Super Saiyan, Goten was getting his butt kicked hard.

Goku flew under Goten's legs and grabbed his neck. "Gotcha!" Goku laughed as he wrapped his legs around Goten's chest.

Goten spun around at superspeed to see if he could shake him off. Goku started to feel some dizziness but he didn't show it. "Yeah! Go faster!" He said as he tighten his grip.

Goten shook his head as he flew up and flew back down backwards toward the ground. The two crashed in the ground and Goten got up. Goku was still lying there with images of Dragon Balls circling his head. "Ooh... look at all the pretty Dragon Balls."

"Dad, you're too much." Goten said as he picked up Goku and reverted back to normal mode.

Goku cleared out the images and laugh. "Not bad." He rubbed his arm. "Ouch, that Kioken attack can be sore."

"Are you sure that you want to fight me without the Super Saiyan power?"

"Yes." Goku said as he brushed himself off. "I may not be able to go Super Saiyan now but I won't get soft."

Goten nodded. "Is Mom okay? I mean, she's been acting a little off lately."

Goku pondered. "I guess. She had been going to Frying Pan Mountain to get some old stuff of hers and she had been preparing some paperwork."

"But haven't you noticed her leaving the house every day for some reason?"

"Yeah, I noticed. But I have faith in your mother. She'll do the right thing."

*****

"Just one cut." Chi-Chi said as picked up the handle. She knew what she had to do.

**Flashback**

Young Chi-Chi was clearing away the debris caused by Master Roshi's super powerful blast. A great deal of the treasure was still in tact fortunately. In the rubble, was a knife with a golden handle and white silver for a handle. Curious, she knelt down to pick it up.

"Chi-Chi!" Her father bellowed as he ran to her. "Don't touch it!"

The girl got up. When her father uses that tone of voice, he is usually worried about her. "Why?"

"It's a magic knife." Ox-King answered as he carefully picked up the knife and placed it in a box. "It's very dangerous, especially for someone your age."

"Okay, Daddy."

**Flashback**

Chi-Chi sighed. "Youth." She muttered as she smiled. She put down the knife and got out a list. Ever since the plan came to her, she had been carefully making a list to see what she needed to do. "Let's see... Goku's school plan... Mortgage paid off... money invested... bills paid off until Goten should know what he's doing..." She had to get everything ready now.

*****

Goten and Goku exchanged blows again. They were both in normal mode this time and was having a ball. The phone rang as Goten landed.

Goku shook his head. Goten had always carried that phone with him ever since he discovered the joys of girls. He even had a special phone made that is could withstand a nuclear explosion and the rigors of Super Saiyan training.

"Hello? Oh, hi Paris! Nope, I'm just sparing with my dad. Uh huh... tonight? Sure!"

Goku rolled his eyes as he sat down next to a tree. Goten's phone calls tend to be long and confusing. It wasn't like he had no idea on what's going on. It's just that some things shouldn't interrupt a good spar.

As if on cue, rain slowly began to fall from the sky. Goku stood in the rain as it fall. It felt good and natural.

*****

A faint pitter-patter echoed in the house. Chi-Chi laughed. Rain was a good sign. She had always loved the rain for some strange reason. When she was a little girl, she had prayed for rain every day so the fire around her castle would be extinguished. Rain was a good sign. She glanced at the knife. "Just one little cut." She said out loud. She lay down and got the knife out. Slowly, she reached out and cut her hand in a slow fashion. Fear began to fill her. She started to wish to talk it to her family but it's too late.

"Please forgive me, Goten, Gohan, Goku." Chi-Chi muttered as she blacked out.

*****

Goku watched the rain fell when he felt a strange feeling. Shivers crawled up his tail. "Chi-Chi!" Goku screamed as he flew toward the house.

Goten glanced over to see his father racing to the house. "Dad! Wait up!" Goten flew after him.

Goku bashed through the doors and went into the bedroom. The sight that was before him shocked him. "Oh... Chi-Chi." He muttered as he went to the bed and wiped the small amount of blood. Goten stood at the doorway and his jaw dropped.

"Oh man."

*****

Gohan, Pan, Videl, Goten, and Goku were sitting on the couch dumbfounded by the events. "I can't believe she did that." Gohan said as he shook his head.

"It was her decision." Goku reasoned, "I wish she told me about it."

"Oh boy." Pan said as she lay back. "I hope Grandma's okay."

The doctor came in and the group stood up. "How is she?" Goku asked the doctor.

"She's fine. Just a small cut, nothing to worry about. She's awake now."

"Great!" Goku rushed into the room where his wife lay.

Gohan went to the doctor and asked, "So, there's nothing wrong at all?"

"None. She's just asleep."

*****

Chi-Chi slowly opened her eyes. Her head spin but it worked. The magic knife worked.

"Why did you do that?" Goku asked as he sat in a chair next to the bed. "Why didn't you tell me that you were planning to do that?"

Chi-Chi sighed. "Because, I was sick of being old. I can't stand having a husband who's young enough to be my grandson. Are you mad at me?"

Goku frowned a little and then grinned. "No way! I was just worried about you but since you're okay I'm glad. Are you going to school with me then?"

"Oh course! I haven't had the advantages Gohan had when I was a little girl the first time! How do I look?"

"Okay, I guess."

Chi-Chi glared. "Okay, you guess?! I've never felt this good in years!!!" She jumped off of the bed and started to run after Goku.

Goku fled the woman laughing. "Well, that dress isn't good for a twelve-year-old girl!"

Chi-Chi looked down at her dress and crossed her arms. "So? I'm getting some new clothes anyway!" Chi-Chi began chasing Goku who started to jump all over the place.

"Missed me!" Goku yelled out as he stuck out his tongue.

"Shut up! I'm just getting used to this!" Chi-Chi screamed as she got out a frying pan and chased him again.

Pan peeked in the room to see her grandparents making a ruckus and she sighed. "Great, now I got two grandparents who's younger than me.

*~*~*~*

Fin?

Bulma’s Hideout