Gohan hated that he asked that question, it was a perfectly justifiable one to ask, just an incredibly difficult one to answer. Goku, covering the slash across his chest, looked surprisingly patient for someone who seemed like they could fall unconscious at any moment.

"Goku, can I answer that when we get to Korin's? I need some time to think of how I can explain that to you." Gohan waited for an annoyed response from his father.

"That's fine Jack. Besides, I don't know if I would listen very well...I'm just so thirsty, I can't think straight."

Gohan looked worriedly at his father. "Hold on Goku, we're almost there, just a little bit longer okay?"

Goku tilted his head so he could get a good look at the ground. "Yeah..." He could tell the forests below were part of the land of Korin. "I remember...when we first came to Korin's tower...and I climbed it to get the sacred water...I was so surprised that the guardian was a kitty...he said he wouldn't train me if I kept petting him."

Gohan could hear his father's voice grow weaker, but he tried his best not to panic. He busied himself by glancing around the area, and just as he'd hoped, he could see the tower's outline coming into view. "There! Goku, look, can you see the tower?"

Goku further shifted his body, he smiled when he saw the marbly white pillar far in the distance. "It's been three years since we've seen him. I wonder if he's still-" He suddenly grabbed his chest and winced, more blood was leaking out from the wound which prompted Gohan to flip him back over, leaning Goku towards himself.

"Still just as fluffy..." Goku said weakly.

Clearly, this wound was far more serious than Gohan first thought because if his voice weakening wasn't enough to cause panic, then the amount of blood leaking out his wound sure was. "Please stay still Goku." He said caringly. "Once we get there we'll get you a senzu bean and you'll be good as new."

Goku, trying to minimize the bleeding, relaxed as much as he could. "Mm-hmm..."

Gohan continued observing the wound until he set foot on Korin's observation deck where he wasted no time with introductions and hastily made his way down the stairs.

"Korin, did you find any beans?" Gohan asked as he touched the stone floor. He looked around but surprisingly, there was no cat to be seen. "Korin?" he called.

With a loud creak, the door of a large wooden wardrobe opened and Korin stepped out. "Yeah, yeah I've got em'. Two to be specific."

Gohan sat Goku up against the wall by the staircase, a poor move that sent more blood spilling from his chest. Korin quickly flicked one senzu bean over to Goku and the other over to Gohan, who placed it firmly within his sash belt.

Without a second thought, Goku stuffed his senzu in his mouth and swallowed it whole. He lifted his hand up to his chest, gliding his fingers over the gash, feeling the wound already beginning to close. When his body seemed finished with the healing process he pounded his chest triumphantly. "Good as new!" he exclaimed, rising to his feet.

Goku walked over to Gohan and placed a hand on his shoulder. "So Jack, now that we're here could you tell-...wait." Goku walked over to the window and peaked his head over the side, it was suddenly pitch black outside. "It's not nighttime yet so why is it so dark?"

Like an alarm, something sounded in the back of Goku's head. "Did someone summon the dragon?!" he exclaimed.

Korin dropped his staff and hurriedly waddled over to the window and stood next to Goku. "Something isn't right!"

Korin felt the dragon's energy hundreds of miles away, he searched diligently for kis nearby but Gohan's fluctuating energy became too distracting. "Jack, I can't sense them with your ki like that, what are you doing?!"

"Sense? Sense what?" Goku asked concernedly.

Korin looked back, Gohan looked like he'd been turned to stone. "What's wrong?! Who is over there?!"

Gohan was in utter disbelief. There were four power levels near the dragon. Three were good and one was evil, and Gohan was familiar with all of them. He sensed the malignant, cancerous, and deathly ki emanating from King Piccolo; it was overwhelmingly strong compared to the rest of the powers terminating from there, and it was continuing to grow stronger.

He felt his heart sink.

Like a wick burning out, he felt Master Roshi's ki fade slowly, and then all at once. Next came Chiaotzu, who disappeared immediately, and without a trace. As for Tien, his power level had been subdued, by what, Gohan didn't know, but somehow he was still alive.

Gohan angrily clenched his fists, he didn't know any of this would happen, but he should have been there to stop it. He should have been there for them like he should have been there for Krillin. He couldn't help but hate himself even more now for running away. He knew, from the deepest part of himself, that if he hadn't run, at least Master Roshi and Chiaotzu would still be here.

"I-it was Master Roshi...and Chiaotzu," Gohan said. He could already visualize the oncoming look of pain that would soon plague his father's face; the image he created in his mind was already heartbreaking and caused Gohan's guilt to grow even further. "Piccolo...h-he just killed them."

"W-what?" Goku asked, his voice filled with hurt and confusion.

"Are you sure, Jack?" Korin asked.

Gohan turned away to hid his face, he didn't want to cry now but the temptation felt overwhelming. He answered the question with a nod, any words said would probably just drive him closer to tears. He couldn't get the mental picture of Master Roshi out of his head. The gentle old hermit who he had entrusted with his secrets three years ago had just suffered the worst of all fates.

"What are you guys talking about?" Goku asked, walking in front of Gohan. "Jack, please tell me what's going on!"

Goku could see Gohan's face, he had closed his eyes to lower the risk of this turning into another crying fit and was repeatedly clearing them of any tears that formed. "Korin and I c-can sense energies from v-very far away." Gohan paused, trying to muster the strength to continue to speak clearly. "Master Roshi and C-Chiaoztu were just killed by Piccolo."

The reality began to sink in for Goku, his instinctive reaction was to push those softer emotions down, he'd have to deal with them later because now was the time for action, and he couldn't feel anymore enraged. "That monster won't get away with this!" He stated. "Jack are you strong enough to beat him?"

Gohan opened his eyes, he could see how much his father wanted to go right now, for the two of them to go claim their vengeance immediately, but he couldn't do it. "I am Goku, but I can't fight him."

"Why not?!" Goku surprisedly asked, suspicious of his refusal.

"Because Goku, I don't know how it will change things in the future. I can't have too large of an impact or I might change something too important and risk the dragon not being able to send me home." Gohan hesitantly said, worried about how his father would take in this information, and expecting some hurtful criticism.

Goku quickly turned to Korin. "Master Korin, is there any way for me to become strong enough to beat Piccolo? Any way at all?"

Korin grasped his staff and lifted it from the ground, grunting as he straightened his back, his tone had noticeably changed from just a moment ago, he was much grimmer than before. "There is one way," He said. "Ultra divine water."

"Ultra divine water?" Goku asked.

Korin walked around the two boys, heading towards the staircase that led down to the lowest floor of the tower. "Follow me." he said hoarsely.

Goku got directly behind Korin and followed him closely as they descended the stairs. Once they reached the bottom floor, they could see hundreds of pots stacked on top of each other, some neatly and others very haphazardly.

"Most of the time, my pots are used for storage. I've done some basic magic on a couple of them, like the pot that allows me to see into the future, but this one..." Korin said as they reached a circular clearing with a single pot sitting in the center. "This is something else."

He gently lifted the lid off of the pot and a rush of cold air came whistling out.

"This place appeared within my pot over two hundred years ago. I'm not sure where it is, but it is colder than anywhere else on Earth, no matter what season, time of day, or year. I journeyed inside once and was there for what I believe to be nineteen hours. Throughout that time I searched through a maze of ice, hoping to find what had caused that place to appear in my pot to begin with. But I found nothing. The only thing I found was a table and a tea set sitting within a dark room. I entered cautiously, which is when a voice called out to me. It said, 'Sit and drink from the ultra divine water if you dare. For only the pure of heart will survive to experience its power.' Now, I know I am not pure of heart, everyone's got their vices, but I was tempted to drink it. I got near it and sat in the chair only to lose my nerve and leave as fast as I could."

"Do you think the voice was telling the truth?" Goku asked.

Korin nodded. "I do."

"Then it's worth a shot." Goku said, placing his hands on the pot and preparing to lift himself into it.

"Hold it, Goku!" Korin said, pulling Goku by his shirt off of the pot. "You're really going to go in there by yourself? At least take Jack with you!"

Goku looked towards Gohan, who quickly turned away. "I-I'd just get in the way." he said.

Goku made it a point to walk out in front of him. And although Gohan was trying to avert his eyes in every way possible, Goku knew the meaning behind that look. He looked like he was trying and failing to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders, being crushed by its unbearable burden. Goku stuffed him in between his arms. "Jack, stop feeling so guilty, I hate seeing you like this. It's not your fault that you didn't know about Krillin, and us losing Master Roshi and Chiaotzu has nothing to do with you either."

"But, Goku- I-"

"No." Goku said, tightening his hold on Gohan. "No more blaming yourself. You're trying your best to do what's right, and that's all anyone should ever ask you to do."

He rubbed his back affectionately. "You can't be everywhere at once Jack, no one can. The best thing for you to do now is to come and help me so I can defeat Piccolo. After that, we'll collect the dragon balls again and bring everyone back. I promise."

In the forest, after he had fled from the tournament, Gohan selfishly prayed he'd be held like this once more; and hearing his father's voice and reassuring words was more than he could have hoped for, or what he believed he deserved. He relaxed his head, resting it on Goku's shoulder. His soft, genuine, honest words were like an antidote for all ailments, even the guilt he now carried for Roshi, Krillin, and Chiaotzu's deaths.

He now knew, almost beyond a shadow of a doubt, that his father truly was incorruptible, all-forgiving, and absolutely good. If he can forgive him for all of his failures, and all of his lies, and all of his shortcomings now, then who's to say that he wouldn't in the future? A small piece of him doubted this logic, despite its solidity. Perhaps he'd feel differently if he knew who 'Jack' actually was; if he knew he was his son. Gohan pushed these doubts away and out of his mind, he'd buy into the idea that made him happy for now, even if it might not be the truth.

"Thank you, Goku." Gohan whispered. "Thank you. Thank you. Thank you."

"I'm here for you, always." Goku said with a confidence that would make anyone believe his words were written in stone. "Now let's go get that water."

Gohan's spirits had been lifted beyond measure. "Right." He said with a smile.

They both uncoupled and looked towards Korin, who they'd hoped would have some further instruction.

"So you're both going?" He asked rhetorically. "Good, because once you enter, you will climb out into a large cave, you need to stay very close after leaving it. You'll find that the longer you're in there, the more confusing everything gets."

Goku nodded and placed his hands on top of the pot, eager to hop in.

"Before you two enter there's one more thing I must tell you: You know how I said I thought I spent nineteen hours in there? Well, when I eventually climbed out, three days had passed. So, once you enter, be quick because the time distortion could be worse. I haven't ever gone back in to check."

Gohan silently gulped, it was stressful enough that they needed to get this water soon, but now that he knew time would go even faster outside, it worried him more. Still, he remained confident that his father would lead them the right way.

Goku, with his hands still on the pot, turned his head to Korin. "Thank you, Korin, we won't let you down."

"I know." Korin said. "Now climb in there and stop wasting time. You've got a demon to beat."

Goku lifted himself and dropped in legs first, an echoed 'oof' could be heard when he hit the ice.

Korin tapped Gohan's back lightly, nudging him towards the cold opening of the pot. "Go on kid. He'll never make it alone."

Gohan gripped the sides of the pot and jumped in. He fell into complete darkness, and when he looked up he could see the opening of the pot drift further into the distance until it became so small, he lost sight of it entirely. He felt a shift in gravity, what was down had just become forward, and his head, along with his back, slammed onto the floor made of solid ice.

He groaned and felt the back of his head with his palm. Everything felt okay, a little pain but no blood, just a little bump where his head hit the floor. He sat up and looked around, wherever he was, it was pitch black and ridiculously cold.

He tried to sense for his father's ki, but despite his best efforts, he couldn't focus in on him. It felt like there was some interference with his senses, like an irritating hum sprouting from nowhere and everywhere at once. Whatever it was, it made ki searching unbearable, so he quickly stopped.

"Goku?" He called out, his voice echoing against the unseeable environment.

Gohan heard his father's voice echo as well. "I'm here...where are you?"

"Hold on." Gohan began charging up his ki to provide some light. "Can you see me?" he asked.

A response reverberated."No. Can you see me?"

Gohan focused his ki a little bit more, and felt the hum return, although it was much more bearable. He looked around and was surprised by how effectively he lit up the area. It seemed to be much brighter than when he tried the same thing at Gero's laboratory. He glanced around the room and noticed the walls were made completely of ice, he nodded, that would explain why it was much brighter in there, light bounces much better off of ice than dark metal walls. He looked towards the ceiling which confirmed his suspicion, he was inside some sort of cavern, as evidenced by the wavey yet smooth roof structure.

Gohan spoke clearly at a volume just above his normal speaking voice. "I can't, but stay where you are. We're in a cave just like Korin said so once I find you, we need to stick together."

In front of him he could see two paths: The one on the left bent at an angle, and the one on the right went straight. He waited to hear his father's response, he'd make his decision based on where his voice sounded like it was coming from.

"Okay, but let me know if I can do anything." Goku said, his voice sounding more distant than before.

Gohan tried his best to pin down where his voice was coming from, but it was so distant it was nearly impossible to tell. He tapped his foot anxiously on the icy floor, he didn't know which way to take. He walked up to the left passage and looked around the corner, after the bend it seemed to go straight, like the other path, but in a different direction. He backed away from the left passage's entrance and stepped into the right.

For some reason, he felt a sense of foreboding from this direction, it made him uneasy and he quickly went back into the left passage without a second thought. "Goku, can you hear me any better?" he asked.

A significantly louder voice met him. "Yeah, you sound like you're getting closer."

Gohan continued forward and found that, although he hadn't lowered his ki at all, his light wasn't reaching as far as before. He ran his fingers along the walls as he passed them, they were still ice, but they weren't white like the walls before, they were black, clouded by some unknown material.

He could see the archway at the end of the passage and started into a jog to get there faster. When he passed it, his footsteps echoed much louder than before, perhaps, this portion of the cavern was much larger than the previous.

"Jack?" Goku said, startling Gohan as he appeared from the dark. "You're glowing! How are you doing that?"

"It's something you can do with your energy Goku, but it requires a lot of focus and training." Gohan said, his voice echoing off the cavern walls.

"That's so cool!" Goku said. "You'll have to teach me how to do that."

"Maybe sometime Goku, but right now we've gotta get a move on. If we're here too long we might not be able to get back in time to stop Piccolo."

Goku agreed and the pair began circling around the chamber-like room, looking for anything of value. It didn't take them long to find a small sliver of ice, that angled upwards in the form of a steep staircase.

The two began to climb, expecting it to be a short path to another floor, but it continued on for far longer. To Gohan's surprise, that humming noise he had been hearing for quite a while now had begun to intensify.

Step after step the humming grew louder and the walls grew darker, absorbing more of Gohan's light with every passing second.

Goku walked near the edge of the slim staircase, attempting to look over the side. "It's kind of weird in here isn't it Jack?"

Gohan crossed his arms and was surprised he even needed to do so, his ki had been able to keep him warm for years, but in here, everything just seemed to drain the warmth from him. "It's not nice, that's for sure."

Goku got closer to the stairs' edge and was now practically walking on top of it. "No, like, doesn't it just feel weird to be in here? And that humming, it's driving me crazy."

"You hear that too?"

"Yeah. It makes me feel weird. I don't like it at all."

"What do you mean by weird, Goku?" Gohan asked.

Goku stepped away from the edge, choosing to stick closer to Gohan as they climbed further. "Well, I've never really been afraid of the dark, Grampa trained me to be okay in lots of places, but this isn't like any place I've ever seen before. There's no wind, or birds, or animals, or people. Just walls, the dark, and that grumbly humming."

Gohan couldn't believe it but it sounded like Goku was expressing genuine fear. He could only count a handful of times that emotion was even applicable to his father.

"Are you scared, Goku?" he asked.

"Maybe." Goku paused. "I don't really know. Are you?"

"No, but I was when we weren't together." Gohan motioned towards the wall behind them. "Back the way I came, there was a passage that went straight and I don't know why, but something told me I shouldn't go that way. It made me feel uneasy."

Gohan squinted, just at the edge of his vision, he could see the end of the staircase; he would have felt relief had the humming not grown even louder when they reached the top. He looked over at Goku, who seemed bothered by it, but nowhere near as much as him.

At this volume, the gurgly hum sounded more like screeching, it was now bordering on the line of causing pain. Gohan covered his ears and lost focus on his energy.

Goku immediately took notice that something was wrong. "Jack are you all right?"

Suddenly the screeching quieted a little. Keeping his ears covered, he lowered his ki further, inadvertently dissolving any light they had, but also quieting the noise.

He uncovered his ears when the screeching had returned to the hum. "Goku, I think if we focus our energy the hum gets worse."

"But I haven't been using any energy at all and it's louder than it was at the bottom of the stairs."

Gohan nodded, although Goku couldn't see it. "Right, I also think it's a way of telling us we're heading in the right direction, either that or the wrong one. But since we've climbed all the way up here, do you want to look around for a passage?"

"Yeah, I don't like the noise, but going back down all those stairs would be a big waste of time." he said.

Goku searched for Gohan's hand and held it when he found it, placing his other hand out in front of him and onto the curved icy wall. "I don't want to lose you so I'm going to hold your hand while we search. I'll feel with my left, you feel with your right, okay?"

Gohan placed his right hand on the wall. "Okay."

The two walked counter-clockwise, following the wall as it curved circularly. As they walked, Gohan felt a small indentation in the wall, something his father was likely to miss. "Hold on." He said, exploring the linear cut across the ice. "There's a small dip in the ice, it feels like the side of a door."

"You want to try and push it open?" Goku asked.

Gohan stepped back and placed his right hand against the wall. "Yeah, ready when you are."

"One, two, three!" Goku said, pushing the ice to the side, in tandem with Gohan.

The large ice block scraped the floor as it was forced to the right side. The pair stepped through the doorway and into a tunnel, in the distance, there was a bright light that hurt their eyes as they adjusted to it.

The two began walking towards it, still holding hands, and as they approached they saw that where the tunnel ended, there was no roof; that light they were seeing was daylight. The two quickly reached the end of the tunnel and peaked their heads out into the warm light of the sun, warm being relative considering they were in the freezing cold, but still, it was nicer than the darkness of the cavern.

Out in front of them, they saw a long jagged bridge made solely of ice. Gohan let go of his father's hand and walked to a piece of the bridge that jutted so he could look over the side. Goku joined him and they both stared into the endless foggy abyss below them. Gohan, having satisfied his curiosity, stepped away and looked back towards the cave. It looked microscopic in comparison to the massive glacier it was carved into. Gohan looked upwards, far above the cave, trying to find the top of the ice wall, but it was so tall it reached even higher than the clouds. This place certainly was like nothing he'd ever seen before, in fact, he'd even go as far as to call it surreal.

Goku grabbed his hand again. "C'mon Jack, let's go." he said caringly.

Gohan nodded and the two began taking their first steps across the bridge.