TIME FRAME: TWO YEARS BEFORE THE ARRIVAL OF RADITZ; GOHAN IS 2 YEARS OLD.

"Hey, Gohan!"

The small two year old turned from his finger painting on the kitchen floor and lifted his eyes up, his pacifier still clutched tightly in between his teeth. His small brown tail waved slightly behind him as his eyes focused on his father, holding up that small video camera of Mother's again, gazing at him through the eyepiece. "Say Hi Gohan!" The father waved at his child from behind the device, kneeling slightly so to get a better angle. This was a new thing to him, this video recorder though he found he really loved that he could watch something happen and then watch it again later with this thing! Especially with his tiny child. Gohan found something new to do each day and too often Goku found he was missing the tiny things, even if he was trying to catch them. This thing meant he could at least catch some of them, if ChiChi had this thing with her.

Since ChiChi was out at the store, it was his turn to play with it!

Sparked to attention by his father's enthusiastic voice, the boy beamed, letting his teeth cling to the rubber still and lifted one hand, deeply drenched in green paint to wave back at Goku before settling back to his picture. He certainly was doing a number on his clothes but Goku couldn't get mad about it. Clothes were there to get dirty, after all! He suspected that ChiChi would not think in that manner though so he might need to give the kid a bath before she got home. After Gohan was born, ChiChi went nuts getting all kinds of clothes for him every chance she got and she always loved to gush over "how cute he is!" No argument from the father on that however, she and Goku had selected Gohan's present outfit together:

Gohan's green slacks were decorated with paint and Gohan's white t-shirt (or what used to be white in any event) was decorated with kanji of weapon names and pictures, though cartoonish, of different creatures doing martial arts moves. In the center was written: Don't Mess With Me-Mommy and Daddy are Martial Artists. Much as ChiChi had not wanted to encourage the martial arts, Goku had pleaded with her because, well, it was true. "Let 'em know that they'll be in for some hurt if someone messes with our boy!" he'd declared and the Son matriarch had not had any recourse for that other than a smile.

But at present moment, you could hardly read the words because Gohan looked like a rainbow had exploded over his front as he wiped his paint drenched hands over his shirt, pants and face before looking up at his father who had knelt down so he could zoom in on his son's face.

Gohan giggled, still keeping a firm grip on that pacifier with his teeth. Daddy looked funny through that weird device.

"Do somethin' little man!" Goku coached, keeping that view centered on his son's cheerful face.

Gohan frowned, thinking, sticking one finger into his mouth, but keeping his pacifier locked in-between his teeth. "Wha' I do?" He inquired finally, his small brown tail swaying back and forth as he pondered his choices.

Goku grinned like a cat, thinking "Tell me 'bout yourself, little man!" He finally decided on. Gohan had a ridiculously cute voacabulary right now and if Goku could get ANY of that permanently, he was going to!

"But Da-ie knows!" the child giggled. Daddy was silly. Daddy and Mommy knew everything about him so why did he need to tell them?

"Well, tell Daddy so he doesn't forget." The father countered and then pouted, sticking out his lower lip, glancing around the camera, "Please, little man?" He puckered his lip out a little further.

The boy covered his mouth to muffle his giggles at his father's funny face, thinking but said, after a moment to consider, waving to the camera. "Hi'a! I Son Gohan!" He was quite proud of that name and it was one of the few things that he could say without a lisp that came with learning so many new words.

Goku squealed and seeing his father's enthusiastic response, Gohan went on, "I t'is many!" he held up two chubby fingers. "Ma'ie teach me!"

Goku grinned again, savoring each little word that came out of his son. "Hey, Gohan, where do you live?"

"Mount Po'u!" he replied, giggling. Daddy knew that he couldn't really say that word but it was fun to try. Always made his lips buzz!

"Who lives with you, little man?" Goku prompted again.

"Ma'ie, Da'ie! Gra'pa 'ive close and b'ing me toys!" The young boy announced proudly and set his art aside to grab both his feet and rock back and forth.

"Who lives around the house, little man?"

"Ani'a's!" the boy squealed and fell to all fours and paced about like a big cat, growling and shaking his head back and forth before turning back to the camera, going "Nya-Nya!" adding emphasis on the cat sound by stretching out his own brown tail.

Goku covered his mouth but kept his eyes on his son, catching all this on camera. The boy sat up and thought a moment before setting his arms in front of him and moving his legs so they were slightly arched up, like a frog.

Which was exactly what he was imitating. "Gggggerrro, Ggggggerrrro!" The boy pushed himself up, bouncing around the room, making Goku stand and turn to keep his son in view. The boy finally stopped and grinned up

"An' there 'oggies too!" he said, lifting his head to the ceiling and going "Aw, aw aw awoooe!"

Gohan grinned at his father once he finished his howl and then started scratching his arms and wrapping his brown tail on the nearest arm chair and lifting himself off the ground, going "Uki, uki, uki!"

Goku laughed out loud. "Well, a little monkey you are!"

"'Onk'ie live in yard!" the boy announced, lowering himself back to the ground. He giggled, sitting on his bottom, his tail swishing behind him. Goku grinned and adjusted the focus. Gohan thought some but didn't seem to come up with any other animals but certainly looked like he was enjoying himself. Goku sure was! The Saiyan pondered a moment then snapped his fingers, saying,

"Say, little man? Can you sing?"

The boy nodded firmly. "Uh huh!" Mommy did a lot of singing, especially at night and once or twice, Gohan could convince his father to do the same but he loved to sing. Daddy always had a lot of songs and rhymes that he said he learned from all kinds of friends all over the world. Daddy didn't usually sing them but he would love to tell Gohan about them. Gohan had memorized a lot of them already and when Daddy said sing well, that was right where his mind went.

"Well…can you sing for Daddy?" Goku added a half pout to his request. Much as Gohan used it on him and ChiChi, Goku was fully capable of returning it.

The boy sat there a moment, chin in hand. His tail lifted half off the ground then twapped back down several times, the boy was so deep in thought. Then he grinned and jumped up "Me know! Me know!"

"Oh, what are you gonna sing, little man?"

The boy rocked back and forth on his feet a moment then started, standing up and clasping his hands behind his back as if he were on a large stage. He dug his left socked toe into the ground as he chanted:

"Wabbit on Moon, wha' 'ou 'eap for? Gohan 'eap too, 'eap soon! Fo' the fu' b'ight moon!" he declared, though his pacifier made him a little difficult to understand. Goku was an expert at it by now though. He set the camera down a minute and clapped his hands together.

"Yay!" Funny, when Gohan was first born, ChiChi had said that he would find himself clapping and making a big deal over the smallest thing. Goku had not believed her but it was definitely true. Anything his son did, he was going to praise.

Gohan grinned, mimicking his father's applause. He paused a moment then stretched his hands into a cup like form and placed them on the end of his nose and stretched it out, imitating a long snout as he sang:

"'Itt'e e'ephie, 'ou 'ong, 'ong nose! Yes, my Da'ie 'ong nose too!" he sang, happily using his hands to imitate a nose moving around, "Itt'e, e'ephie, who you 'ove bes'est in world? I 'ove Da'ie bes'est in world! YAY!" Goku applauded with his son, never taking the focus off his son's face. The toddler was of no shortage of songs and he made that firmly known. Goku ate up every second of it. Gohan had an excellent memory and the father found himself beaming with pride when his son would shift into a rhyme or song that they had talked about. He knew several of them he had taught Gohan after talking about some of his adventures for bedtime stories. As Gohan began his next piece, the father's grin only widened. Gohan had a lot of trouble pronouncing "l" and that sound dominated this song, making his version of it even more precious.

Gohan had tired with standing and had flopped on the floor. He first sat up but then seemed to get an idea. His small little grin broke his cheeks and with a cheerful 'umph' he had rolled to his belly and let his tail stick straight up and started to deliberately move it in a firm pattern back and forth, keeping a rhythm with his new song: "' 'Ick 'Ock C'aw." He slurred, his new teeth and the always present binky making his pronunciation of 'clock' completely unrecognizable by anyone but said Father and Mother. "'Ick, 'Ock, Caw! Gra'pa c'aw! 'Ick 'Ock C'aw. Aww 'ay 'Ong!" Goku smiled and while he kept filming his son, he swayed back and forth some himself, singing along with his son.

"Little child hand," Gohan lifted his left one high. "Big grown up hand." Goku lifted his own right hand and pushed it gently against his son's, relishing, for a moment how utterly small his child's fingers were. All five of them could curl around his thumb. "Hello, how are you?"

Gohan chimed in his part of the rhyme. "'Ye-'Ye, see you soon! 'Ick Ock C'aw."

Gohan giggled out loud then reached down into his art supplies. Goku picked up the camera, focusing again as Gohan picked up a paintbrush, unused as of the moment and placed it against his ear so the bristles rested by his chin. "He'o, He'o!" the boy cooed. "Uh huh, uh huh" He carried on a rather lengthy conversation for a two year old and Goku caught the name of Rus which had recently been what Gohan stated was the name of a dragon that came and played with him. Apparently, 'Rus' had been all over the world today and had stopped three giant bears from taking all the candy from lots of boys Gohan's age. His son carried on with his talk like there was no one else in the world.

Finally satisfied, Gohan set his brush down and now regarded his father with a face that could melt a glacier as a terrible rumbling shook the atmosphere and Gohan grabbed his stomach. "Da'ie, Gohan tummie hun'gie!"

Goku smiled, turned the camera off and took his son's hand. "Hungry, are you?"

Gohan nodded. "Uh huh! Da'ie make 'ummies fo' my belly!"

"I think Daddy can do that." The father responded, picked his son up, ignoring the paint getting all over him and ventured into the kitchen.

ChiChi returned from shopping, her father in tow, laying their bags in the living room. "Goku? Gohan?" She announced her presence as her father closed the door behind them. She caught the remains of several unfinished art projects on the floor and if they were not so adorable, she might have been angry over how much scrubbing it would take to remove that paint from the wood. Bending over, she scooped up the several half finished paintings and drawing, before hearing from the kitchen the wonderful sound of her two boys, along with the smell of rice balls:

"'Et 'ake rice bawws! Use ou' 'ands!'Ake 'hem 'oun! 'Ake them 'oun! 'O 'ake 'ice bawws? Da'ie an' me!"

Creeping around the corner, taking care not to be seen, she nearly melted at the sight.

Father and son, standing by the counter, with Gohan tip toed on his tiny stool, and in nothing but his socks and his diaper (she caught sight of his soiled-painted ridden clothes tossed in the corner) pounding out the rice snack to the distinctive beat and rhythm.

Goku turned and leaned over a bit, nuzzled his son's nose with his own.

"Let's eat the rice balls, Gohan." He sang with his son's tune, inserting his son's name to make it more personal. "Very good taste. Juice and sweet. Juicy and sweet." With each phrase the father would rub his belly. Goku looked down at the plate as they finished up and gave his son a open mouth look, one of faux surprise as Gohan moved the last of the balls to a bowl. He held the plate up, turning it over. "Who ate all of them? Who will eat them all?"

Gohan beamed, biting into one that his father offered before stretching his gummy hand up and offering his father his own version, which truly looked more pancake than ball but that mattered not to the father. " 'Ou and me, Da'ie, 'ou and me!"