A glint of sunlight sprawled shadows over the South Desert, tall, rocky spires standing a silent guard over a scene where moments before a young Saiyan boy had been thrown into the thralls of adulthood. But the boy's father was there now, certainly to make things better, the child thought, though his gut feeling seemed to betray him.

            Goku blinked slowly, his eyes painstakingly fixed upon the Saiyan before him as to never allow any sudden movements or attacks. His friends Tien, Yamcha, Chaotzu and Piccolo were gone from the Earth and sent to the other world; Krillin had definitely seen better days, shy from his death long ago, and Gohan…

            Goku strained internally to get a feel for the son he had not known for a year, whom Piccolo had taken under wing to train and advise in the matters of life. His boy had changed so much from the crying, wailing infantile 4 year-old he had left after his demise. Strong and trained, yet bewildered and inexperienced, Gohan felt dark to his father, regardless of the happy looks he knew were being cast at him.

            And Vegeta's words were still ringing in the thin desert air…

            Still smirking venomously, Vegeta stared at the pathetic trio before him; had his words hit a nerve in Kakarot's body? The prince chuckled under his breath.

            Krillin's lips parted in the parched air.

            "Uh… Goku?" Krillin's unspoken question was quite clear, the man's posture wavering slightly. Could Gohan really be stronger than his father, whom had spent the last year training with the gods?

            Goku kept his eyes on Vegeta, his expression unreadable to even the experienced warrior foe he faced.

            "Daddy?" Gohan frowned, narrowing his eyes and stealing a glance at Vegeta – who the boy found suddenly staring at him, causing a sudden rush of memories of hatred and anger to flood within the boy. Shifting from naïve and wistful, Gohan's presence grew even darker to his father.

            "Krillin, Gohan, please go back to Roshi's house." Goku finally stated, a dry whirl of wind ruffling his black hair, which was as poised and tense as he. Goku may have had a child's mentality in some things, but the worldly experiences department was well stocked in his spirit; if Gohan and Krillin would return to Roshi's, Bulma would surely know what to do. Already Goku's mind was racing forward to after the uncertain battle with Vegeta – how would he gain his friends back from the other world in Kami and Piccolo's absence? Bulma would know…

            And regardless of whether what Vegeta had said was true or not, Gohan would only be a burden to his father.

            "Come now, be a good sport Kakarot. Let the boy have some fun." Vegeta spat, wearing his inexplicable smile of delight. "Or would you rather not allow your son to reach his potential and prove his worth?"

            Gohan's heart sank at the latter phrase Vegeta spoke, confusion splaying across his face. Piccolo would have surely let him stay and help, if not at least watch; why wouldn't his father? The boy reached out and felt his father's presence – strong, sure, and focused it was; but when Gohan prodded further, he found it to be… lesser than his own, at least in sheer strength.

            The boy worked up his courage for not the first time that afternoon.

            "Dad…" he began, his voice pitch sounding more assured, less childish, or at least he hoped. "Let me stay, I can help."
            Goku felt his heart tear between the two truths, causing him to look down at Gohan's face, his mind hoping Vegeta would not be as dirty as he may be and take a sneak attack in his loss of focus; the prince did not move.

            Gohan did feel far stronger than Goku would have ever imagined, especially for his age; indeed the boy felt as strong, if not stronger, than his father, at that very moment. With the three of them – Krillin, Gohan, and himself – Goku felt certain that Vegeta could be given a good fight…

            Yet Gohan had no experience in battle, would not know what to do in so many instances; sheer power was not all that mattered.

            And what if Gohan were to die? Goku would never be able to forgive himself.

            "Please?" Gohan muttered, turning to stare with a determined face at Vegeta.

            Krillin knew the look that had suddenly washed over Goku's face, pulling it back up with a confident smile back toward Vegeta. The bald, short man sighed and slid into the best battle stance he could manage.

            "Alright then." Goku smiled, sliding into a real battle stance as he lowered his center of gravity and felt his power. Stealing a quick look at his son, whose face beamed with a mixture of delight and willpower, Goku grinned even wider. "Just don't let me down, son." The man added, patting the boy's head.

            Gohan grinned his father's grin and flushed, as Krillin rolled his eyes before focusing with a set jaw at the Saiyan before the trio.

            Vegeta unfolded his arms and curtly laughed.

            "Very well then, it looks as if I might get more than a warm-up after all!"

            'And when the opportunity comes, I can show that Saiyan brat where he belongs…'

~*~*~

            Kami paused in his walk toward King Yemma's office, the quartet of Earth's defenders – save Piccolo, who felt his other half's sudden change in demeanor and stopped – nearly walking into his unexpected halt.

            "What is it, Kami?" Yamcha asked, his face furrowed beneath the shaggy mane of hair that encompassed his figure; the old god wore a rather out-of-place frown and glazed eyes that the human had never seen him sport before.

            Behind him, Yamcha felt similar feelings of mixed dread and apprehension at the god's pause before the great King Yemma's residence in the other world. Piccolo stood, arms folded, and prodded Kami's mind.

            'You feel it too, eh old man? Gohan's power is more than even I expected…' Piccolo pressed.

            Kami nodded, just noticeably, causing Tien, Chaotzu and Yamcha to only grow more curious.

            Turning to face the warriors he needed to lead to the Judge's office, Kami let loose a heavy sigh; he had to tell them what was going on, they deserved that much at least.

            "Goku has arrived to join the fight." He stated, watching the trio's faces wash warm with delight; Piccolo continued his unreadable stare, as if daring the god to continue what he knew to be likewise true; Kami complied with another sigh.

            "And Nappa is dead." He added cautiously; Tien's face expressed sheer happiness at the news of his killer's demise.

            "I knew Goku could do it!" Yamcha laughed above the delighted cheers from Chaotzu, only to be interrupted by Piccolo's harsh snap.

            "Tell them the rest, Kami."

            The trio of humans fell silent and looked from Piccolo to Kami, its mood lessening and gaining discomfort; Kami avoided eye contact with any of the fallen heroes.

            "It was not Goku who killed Nappa, but rather Gohan, and he, his father and Krillin now stand waiting in the way of Vegeta." He continued heavily; the men before him slowly looked to one another for explanations of Gohan's power, while Piccolo put on a slightly smug face. "But I fear the battle they face is more than the price of Gohan's loss."

            This latter statement caused only more confusion in the ranks of the deceased, save Piccolo, who mentally checked Kami with an internal 'humph.'

            "Enough of that, though." Kami stated irritably, turning around and reinstating the march to Yemma's palace with a quickened pace, everyone behind him suddenly lurching forward. "I must get you to see King Kai so that you may train under him as did Goku. I fear this is but the beginning of the tide of darkness the Earth shall face."

            Piccolo hung at the back of the somber group as they paced forward, his senses extended, strained, to the living realm and the battlefield where he had just died. His normally dark face flashed a flicker of a smile.

            'Get him kid; for me.'

~*~*~

            Gohan stood silently beside his father and father's friend, Krillin, feeling his chi as Piccolo had taught him. The thought of the Namekian only gave the young boy further energy and focus to his physical being. Goku's body began to brim with his as-of-yet untold power, the air about him simmering from a force other than the hot desert sun. Krillin felt his regained strength, thanks to the half of a Senzu Goku had given him, though he knew it paled by mountains compared to the two to his left.

            The man ground his teeth and sighed.

            'Well, I suppose I'll at least be able to train under the gods when I die…' he thought gloomily; his thoughts were suddenly interrupted.

            Vegeta's sappy smirk flashed into a look of delightful determination as his entire being flickered, the dirt beneath him exploding into a small crater. Krillin had no time to sense the combatant's chi, let alone see him, before he was sent flying several meters with a painful snap; the man had only a millisecond's reflex to spin his propelled body upright and land his feet with a shattering crunch against the boulder Vegeta had aimed him at.

            "Sheesh!" Krillin yelped, his footing slipping as he crouched at the base of the cracked boulder and mothered his shoulder, a massive bruise already forming there.

            Gohan and Goku split apart, the after-force of Vegeta and their departure making the ground shift and slice in on itself where they had been.

            The prince gleefully kicked off of the ground and spun about, throwing his body at Kakarot, willing to test the Earthling Saiyan's strength; Goku barely saw the oncoming attack, glanced at his already-fallen friend, cursed inwardly, and summoned forth more energy than Vegeta's scouter had previously seen – all in the same instant.

            "Kaioken!" Goku screamed, his body becoming enflamed by red light as he shot with clenched fists at Vegeta. The Saiyan foe caught the incoming punch with a left-handed parry, slapped Goku with his right fist and then kneed him in the stomach, causing the hero to flinch and lose focus of his energy.

            'Ai, he's strong!' Goku barely had time to scold himself and register his thoughts when Gohan inexplicably crashed into the semi-distracted Vegeta's back, slashing doubled fists into the small of his neck.

            Vegeta gawked and flew forward in the air several feet as Gohan crashed onto his feet on the ground, wincing at the force he had jolted into his hands. The bad man had barely been moved by that attack, whose power would have up heaved Nappa previously.

            "Nice try, boy!" Vegeta laughed as he spun about to thrust out a hand to deliver a ki blast – though the corner of his eye gave him too late a warning as Kakarot's red-glowing body flashed into his side and crashed him to the ground with an explosion.

            Goku groaned and flipped off of Vegeta, setting himself on the floor meters from the newly formed crater where Vegeta now lay. Gohan flung himself towards his father and landed beside him, spreading his feet and crouching into an awaiting battle stance.

            "I'm impressed, Kakarot; you managed to knock the wind out of me." Vegeta chuckled, standing up in the crevice made for him and staring at the father-son duo. A gloved hand went to wipe a smudge of dirt from his cheek and then clapped against the other hand, seemingly in a bored fashion. "I suppose I shall have to use my full power now."

            Gohan blanched for a moment, but stretched out his senses to prod Vegeta's figure; was the Saiyan telling the truth? Beside his son, Goku stared at Vegeta and took deep breaths, already winded from that exertion of Kaioken times two. King Kai had told him his foe would be strong; he had felt a terrible strength from Vegeta already; yet Goku's attack had been twice that of his normal strength, and had barely done enough damage to knock the Saiyan into the ground and away from his son.

            'I shouldn't have left Gohan stay…' Goku kicked himself, though it was too late; Vegeta flashed with white energy, his hair bristling as did his energy.

            Vegeta had no clue how it was that Kakarot managed to double his power like that, though he knew his scouter and the slight damage he had sustained did not deceive him. Perhaps Gohan's sudden strength could now be warranted; Vegeta had to be more careful, so that he might defeat these low-level Saiyans without too much strife and then depart to Namek and wish for eternal life. Kakarot was beginning to appear as dangerously surprising as his son, and Vegeta needed to put him in his place.

            Gohan growled and focused the anger he knew to yet reside within him, his body flaring with strength, as Piccolo would have shown him; Vegeta was cause of more pain than just the demise of the boy's mentor; the bad man gave Gohan a sense of dread and confusion, a lack of self-definition… "You killed my friend… why should I forgive you for that?" – Vegeta's mocking words were already haunting the boy…

Unknowing of his son's internal chaos, Goku prepared his Kaioken attack again, feeling only partly guilty for what he may need to do against King Kai's orders; Vegeta was strong, and worse-yet, had already targeted his son and brought the child enough heartache. The boy's father would do whatever it took to keep Gohan from facing death – the boy's own or anyone else's –anymore…

            "Time to bow to your prince, Kakarot." Vegeta laughed, kicking aside his brooding thoughts and flashing forward at full might; the desert turned into a blur of dust, Gohan's face frozen in its combination of fear and determination – and Goku's face mirroring the grim look of a true warrior that Vegeta now wore as the hero prepared his Kaioken x3 attack.