Gazing out at the full moon shining radiantly in the sky from his window, the elderly man lamented at the notion that his grandson might never be able to witness such a sight.

He breathed a tired sigh, allowing the thought to fade into his conscious. Letting his mind cloud with such morose thoughts was admittedly quite a poor way to retire for the day. This was hardly something new though, far from it. Lately, such thoughts had increasingly begun to find their way into his mind.

He supposed worrying about what the future held in store for his grandson wasn't completely irrational after all. He had already come to terms with the fact that he wouldn't be around to shield the boy forever. Someday, circumstances would force the lad to grow up and face the world head on. Sometimes though, he wondered if it was the world he was protecting from his dear grandson.

Heh… The thought was shoved aside with a scoff no sooner than it had intruded his mind. The child might have been unruly when he first found him abandoned in the wilderness, violent and dangerous even. Enough so, that he had often found reason to wonder if adopting the child was truly the right decision.

The only thing that had kept him from casting the infant aside was the fact that he was too kind for his own good. The boy hadn't made it easy either; amidst countless days of kicking and screaming, a single innocent giggle had proved enough to melt his heart.

There was that… and then there was the boy's combat potential.

The kid had been violent, yes, but even at his tender age, the old man was hardly a pushover himself. For the first time in ages, he'd had to struggle. In a fight with a toddler, no less. Such strength and from a bud so young, yet to blossom had filled him with great visions of what he could achieve with adequate training and the proper upbringing.

And even though neither had explicitly realized, in the fourteen years the two had spent together, the old man had come to love the boy as his own grandchild; a candle of brightness amidst the bleak, solemn life of the woods. The dolt even referred to him as 'Grandpa' now, which never failed to warm the man's heart.

However, wished as he did to credit the boy's shift in demeanour to his upbringing by his grandfather, it was impossible to deny that a major part of it owed to that fateful day.

The day, their lives would change forever.

As always happened when the man mused over such matters, his thoughts inevitably veered to the opposite extreme. Though his strength still far surpassed that of his young grandson, that gap would no doubt be overcome in short order, and the old man was already at a loss when it came to devising new and effective training regimens for his young protégé.

As he left the window, he parted with his hat, setting it on the floor beside him and slipped onto his futon. His eyes began to droop as the sound of leaves rustling in the cold breeze took over, and he had one last thought before falling asleep. Perhaps, it was time to give up the ghost, and let his master take over his grandson's training? He cracked a smile at the thought. He hadn't seen the Turtle Hermit in a number of years, but he wasn't sure if the time was ripe for a reunion yet. His grandson was young still and there was still life in those old bones of his. There would be time later for a formal introduction, and a transfer of student to master. There would be plenty of time. At least, so the man hoped.

Unbeknownst to the elder however, his grandson was having a very different night. The child had already been sleeping in his room for some time now, until he was roused by the call of nature. Shivering, as he left the warm embrace of his quilt, he hurried outside and dropped his pants by the nearest tree. The child sighed contentedly as he relieved himself, puzzled as to why he'd needed to get up at all. He usually slept soundly all night, having already finished his business before going to bed. Why then, was today different?

Pulling his trousers back up and re-tying his sash, he giggled to himself. "Much better!" As the boy worked his way back to his house, he suddenly realized that although it was nighttime, it was a lot brighter than usual today. He surveyed the area for the source of illumination, gradually curving his eyes upwards towards the moonlit night sky. "Woah!"

The child marveled at how big and bright the moon was. That must have been what his grandfather called a 'full moon', something that the old man constantly cautioned him against looking at. Staring at it now though, he couldn't understand why. Despite his grandfather's assertion that a terrible monster came out during the full moon, the young man heard nothing but the usual serene sounds of the night. And besides, the moon was so pretty like this. What possible harm could come from something so beautiful?

As the monkey-tailed boy turned back to face his house, he considered going to his grandfather's room and sleeping with him. He liked resting his head on his grandfather's lap, though lately, his grandpa had been chastising him to stop doing it, claiming he was getting 'too old', much to his shock. His grandpa didn't look a day older than he ever had.

As the thought passed through his mind, he felt a surge of pain rush through his back. Suddenly, he felt his entire body grow stiff. Almost instinctively, he turned and looked up at the moon again, a feeling of familiarity coursing through his veins. His tail, which had remained idle at his side thus far, began to sway back and forth in a precarious motion.

And then, everything faded into nothingness. The boy fell asleep, unable to remember anything from the night before when he woke the next day, to find his life changed forever.

The old man had barely begun to drift off into the colourful world of dreams when the world suddenly exploded around him. As he swiftly propelled himself free from the heap of rubble that had once been his house, he feared the worst had happened and that his grandson was injured, or perhaps even… He beckoned the boy's name with desperation but to no avail, for he received no answer. Then came the roar of the beast.

His eyes widened with anticipation.

All he needed was a single glimpse at the monstrorous giant ape, stomping at what was once their home, to realize that his worst fears had come true.

The last time this had happened, the geezer had gotten lucky. He'd managed to hold out for a few hours when, miraculously, the moon waned and with it, the monster ceased to be, in it's wake lying his innocent little grandson, unclothed. But this time, he knew he wouldn't be so lucky. The moon was still high in the horizon and the night was long.

The monster, now alerted to his presence by his shriek, turned to face him. His blood-red eyes reflected the face of the man who was once its grandfather as clear as crystal, who braced himself for what was to come. The exchange that followed was intense, but short-lived. The old man sprang, dodging and weaving through the monster's assaults, a feat far harder this time than it had the time before. Perhaps it was just the creature who had grown stronger… or maybe the old man's age was finally beginning to catch up with him.

After dodging another smash, the man back-flipped until he landed on the spot where his grandson's room had once stood. He began to pool his energy within himself, still torn about the best course of action. Of the two substantial attacks at his arsenal, one would almost certainly mutilate the creature while the other who outright kill it. He might have been having trouble keeping up with the creature, who despite its enormous size, still moved as fast as any other fighter he'd ever faced; but his strength still eclipsed its own if he put his all into it— at least, the man hoped.

As he positioned himself to attack, the old man felt his foot catch on something on the ground. Glancing down, he saw the ragged remants of his grandson's clothing. A wave of emotion came crashing down over him along with the realization of what it was he'd been about to do; just one more second, and he'd live to regret it forever. His mind raced back to his thoughts from earlier that night, and it all came crashing down on him.

There was no more time… Not for him.

As he let the energy he'd gathered wither away into little wisps of blue light, he looked bac up at the gargantuan creature as it made it's approach, roaring in anger at being denied its kill. His jewel-red eyes locked with the old man once again, but something was different.

This time, he didn't see his reflection. He saw his grandson.

Gohan was out of time. But for his grandson, an entire future lay in wait; one that was full of life, adventure, and he hoped friends and mentors to guide him along the way. Would he really be able to live with himself if he robbed his grandson of all of that?

The elder man crossed his arms behind his back as he faced the giant ape which now stood just before him. As it lifted its foot, a tear formed at the corner of the martial artist's eye. He wouldn't be there to witness it in person, but he just knew amazing things were in store for his grandson. Deep within, he could sense it, feel it.

As the monster ape elevated its foot high into the air above him, he closed his eyes and wished for that with all of his heart. "Live, Son Goku."

A moment of intense pain, and then, nothing. He ceased to exist in the world of the living.

And just like that, the wonderful story of Son Gohan had reached it's natural conclusion.

The story of Son Goku however, had not even begun.