Gohan didn't know where he was. He looked around. It was somewhere dark, just surrounding black. "I don't see my space pod anywhere," he said aloud. "I'm not on Namek either…and why don't I have any injuries?" He looked down at his perfect Piccolo outfit. Suddenly, something opened up beneath him and he was falling into Namek's sky.

He saw a cliff and desperately clung to it. "Wait, I can fly can't I?" He let go of the cliff, just floating in the air above what seemed to be Namek. But then something knocked him sideways. It was a black figure. Gohan sat in the air, trembling, watching the figure grow. Suddenly it lunged and caught on to Gohan.

He couldn't free himself!

More and more of these dark things clung to him, dragging him downward. The ground caved in to black nothingness and he was falling again. "Dad!" He screamed.

Meanwhile, back in the real world, Gohan seemed to be having a nightmare. He was in a Namekian hut, tended to by Dende.

"Dad! Dad!" Gohan tossed and turned in a fit from his dream. Goku and Piccolo, who had been sitting in chairs across the room from his bed, were startled out of their seats. Krillin, who had actually been dozing off, was unsettled the worst and fell completely out of his chair.

"What is it? What's going on?" Goku was the first to react.

"He's having a nightmare," Dende said, also panicked. "If he keeps this up he'll reopen his injuries. Lanlay!" He called for his mentor while trying to calm the sleeping Gohan down.

Moments later, Lanlay appeared. "Sorry to keep you waiting, Dende, I was tending to an elder-" he stopped short when he saw what was going on. "We have to wake him up immediately," he said.

Dende, still holding onto Gohan, looked back at Lanlay. "But what if he hasn't had enough rest?"

"Rest is hardly rest when you're fighting something," Lanlay said, "And the last thing he needs is to be doing just that."

Dende looked back at Gohan. "Gohan, wake up! Gohan…"

Back in his dream, Gohan was just barely above the pool of black creatures when he heard something or someone calling his name. "Who's there?" he called.

"Gohan!" the distant voice answered back.

Gohan looked confused. "Dende?"

And all of a sudden, everything was gone and he was looking at a hazy reflection of something green. Sure enough, it was his friend Dende. He blinked; trying to open his eyes more and focus whatever and whoever else was in the room.

He was on a bed in what appeared to be a building; and his dad, Krillin, and another Namekian besides Dende were all standing above and around his bed.

There was an awkward pause in motion and dialogue, where no one said anything, but just looked at Gohan, and Gohan back at them. "Where am I?" Gohan finally broke the silence, sounding small and almost scared.

"You crashed on Namek," Krillin explained gently, "It's a miracle that you even survived. Dende and Lanlay here have been taking care of you for the last two days," he gestured toward them.

Lanlay nodded, as did a more hopeful Dende. "We're so happy," he began to get a little teary eyed.

Gohan looked at his father. "Dad?"

Wordlessly, Goku took a step and hugged him, carefully avoiding very injured spots. "Come on. Let's leave them to talk it out," Piccolo stood up from his corner. Gohan hadn't even known he was there until now since had been so quiet. "Piccolo…" he watched him leave. Krillin shrugged to Lanlay and Dende, and then all three of them followed Piccolo out.

Goku let go of the embrace a second later, though his hands were still on his son's shoulders and he was still eye level with him. "I'm sorry, Gohan. I never wanted this to happen to you in a million years. Why didn't you tell me?"

Gohan blinked, and then tried to sit up a little more. Goku ended up helping him.

"Well I tried to, Dad," he said, "When I was at Bulma's I tried to call you. But you were always so busy I just thought I…" he trailed off and Goku cocked his head.

"…I just thought you didn't need me anymore." He finally finished.

"What? Of course I need you," Goku consoled. "Who else am I going to take fishing with me?" He ruffled his son's hair, but Gohan ducked away.

"We don't go fishing anymore." He looked down at his small fists clenching the bed sheets. "We never do."

Goku frowned, his eyes trained on his only son for a few more moments. "We don't, do we?" He asked after some time.

Gohan just shook his head and lowered it some more, so that his face was hidden from view. Small droplets of water fell from his face and splattered on the sheets.

"Hey." Goku said just as gently. He put his hand under Gohan's chin and lifted it a little. "Hey, look at me."

Gohan reluctantly met his father's eyes as he blinked back a few more tears. His small nose sniffled.

"I'm sorry I've been neglecting you, Gohan. I didn't know what I was doing was all these years was making you so upset. But now I see I'm missing out on some of the best years of our lives together. From now on I'll try to stay home more often. With you and your mother."

Gohan's eyebrows knit and his bottom lip pouted slightly. "You promise?"

"I promise." Goku stated confidently. "No more tears, okay?" He smiled a little.

Gohan sniffled but smiled as well. Unexpectedly, he hugged Goku full on, even though it hurt.

Goku received him semi-surprised, but with relief and gratitude.

"I'm sorry too," the 7 year-old muttered.

"I'm proud of you, Gohan. Don't forget it." Goku replied after a moment's time.

Krillin sighed contentedly from a window not too far from the two. Oblivious to father and son, Krillin and Piccolo had watched the entire scene pan out.

"Isn't that sweet?" the martial artist continued.

Piccolo regarded the scene with a grunt and turned away.

Krillin noticed and turned around. "Where are you going?"

The walking Namekian didn't look back. "To find Dende." Once he was out of earshot though, he added in, "The sooner we get off this monotonous planet and into some real action, the better."

Krillin, meanwhile, turned back to the window with a smile. "Goku, you really are something." He commented under his breath. The young man frowned slightly though,

But I can't help wonder why Piccolo's been acting so weird now, he thought, as the two figures before him embraced tighter than before.

And suddenly, he knew.

Goku shut the door quietly.

Gohan was sleeping again, after another healing session with Dende. Even after his son had fallen asleep, the Saiyan father had stayed to make sure he wasn't having anymore nightmares.

He wasn't.

Smiling now, Goku was about to leave when Krillin flew down. "Hey, how is he?" he asked.

"Doing just fine now," Goku beamed, hands on his hips. "Lanlay and Dende said he'd be able to join us on our way home in three days."

"You mean you're not using Instant Transmission?" Krillin frowned, hands in his pockets.

"Well that's the thing- Lanlay said it might mess up his injuries if I did that. It'd be much safer for Gohan if we waited. But if you want, I could take you and Piccolo back and then come back for Gohan when he's ready."

"Not so fast," a gravelly voice came from behind. Goku turned and Krillin looked over to find Piccolo landing.

"What is it?" Goku asked innocently.

Piccolo frowned even more than usual. "I have some business to take care of here. You and Krillin can leave; I'll stay here with Gohan."

I think I know what this is about, Krillin thought, exchanging glances with Goku. But he didn't say anything.

Goku returned his confused glance to Piccolo. "Let's just all stay then. It's not that the Earth is in trouble, is it?"

Piccolo turned angrily away. "Pffft."

Goku cocked his head, obviously not understanding why Piccolo was acting strangely. But something inside him gave it up to just the nature of his friend and he dropped it.

"Well I'm going to the village to get something to eat now. Krillin, are you coming?"

He turned to his friend.

"No thanks, I just ate," Krillin lied, taking his gaze off Piccolo for a second to talk to his best friend. "And I'd be lying if I said I could keep up with your eating habits, Goku." He chuckled.

Goku laughed and rubbed the back of his head. "I guess that's true…" he said sheepishly.

He put his hand down. "Well I'll see you two later then. Let me know if anything comes up," he waved, taking to the air.

"Will do!" Krillin waved up at him as Goku blasted off.