The darkness of his own mind was overbearing. Goken wrapped his arms tighter around himself, biting into his lower lip with the little strength he had left. As needles of the cold painfully pierced into his skin, he closed his eyes tightly, silently begging for the torture to end soon.

He could feel the presence of the Firebird, grabbing at his consciousness, wanting to absorb it as his own. Goken promised himself that would never happen, but keeping that promise was the hardest part. The pain of the Firebird's fury erupted inside him, torturing him to surrender himself. The demon wasn't going to give up trying to absorb Goken's consciousness. With the rising pain, the cold seemed to get worse too, draining more of his endurance. Goken gasped for air, hoping to find a new source of energy in breath, but there was none.

Trapped in the back of his own mind, with darkness blinding him, the cold freezing him and the Firebird's presence crushing him, and without the strength or energy left to defend himself, Goken endured, holding on by pure will. He knew that if he ever gave in, his consciousness would belong to the Firebird.

As the pain reached it's climax, when Goken thought he was about to lose himself, a warm light began to spread and the darkness started to reside. The warmth very slowly wrapped around his body and he started to let go…

A chill made it's way up Goku's spine as he registered the fading form of a human body lying before him. It was the form of a young boy lying on his side, arms wrapped around his stomach and curled slightly into a ball.

The child was familiar. The immediate recognition made Goku want to reach out and embrace him. My son… I'm so sorry out first meeting has to be under these circumstances.

"Goken?" Goku said, but didn't expect any response. He was almost unconscious. His presence in the afterlife could only mean that on earth, he was… "Answer me, Goken!" Goku nearly screamed.

Goken opened his eyes slightly. Oh god, if he gains consciousness in the afterlife, that means he would die in the physical world.

"Who… who are you…?" the boy asked with a weak, wavering voice. His eyes opened slightly, to reveal brown eyes, unlike Goku's. There was so much he wanted to tell the boy; about his purpose in life, about his parents, about his father.

"You don't belong here," Goku replied, ignoring his question. "You are needed on earth."

Goken blinked his eyes, taking in his surroundings. "Where am I?"

"You don't belong here," Goku repeated, more urgently this time. "Not yet, anyway."

Goken seemed to ignore him, as he tried getting up. But his Goku would not allow it. He grasped Goken's tightly, making him wince in shock and pain. "Can you still feel the Firebird?" he asked.

Goken nodded. Thank god, so he's not completely dead yet. "Yeah," he said, "it hurts a lot. But not so much now cause…"

"I want you to fight it, Goken," Goku said, not wanting him to finish the sentence. He knelt down beside the boy and placed his hand on his forehead. Goku's fingertips began to glow and he said, "This is just so you've got a little more energy to fight the Firebird."

"But I…"

"You may not be a Saiyan. But you are my son nonetheless. And that means you don't give up when the world is depending on you."

"Your son?" Goken asked, eyes widening. "Just who are you -" But he didn't get an answer to his question. He was returning back to the physical realm, back to his personal hell and his mission to overcome it.

* * *

There were no more tears to cry. Chichi had dabbed away the remaining moisture from her face, adjusted her shawl around her shoulders, and now sat on a makeshift mattress in her room in Kamisama's Palace. Her hands were wrapped around a cup of hot tea, it's heat singeing her hands. But the pain was nothing compared to what she felt inside.

What's the worst that can happen? She asked herself, searching for hope. Either we destroy the Firebird and Goken dies… Chichi cringed at the thought and went to consider the alternatives, or the Firebird will absorb Goken and kill us all… Death didn't seem like a favorable alternative either. The instinct to cry tried making itself known in Chichi's mind again, but she knew it would be pointless. I can sit here and cry all day, or I can do something about it. But what?

Her train of thought was broken by a soft knock on the door. "Come in," Chichi said controlling her voice so it wouldn't tremble. Bulma entered, rubbing her bare arms for some heat.

"It's cold in here at night," she said smiling sympathetically. "I brought you a blanket." She held it inches from Chichi's lap.

"Thank you, dear," Chichi said, accepting the lump of blue warmth gratefully. Bulma's usually optimistic eyes sagged a little at the sides. Her mouth wrinkled to form words to tell Chichi, but stopped midway. Chichi was didn't need her to say anything to know something was wrong.

"What's the matter?" she asked.

"Huh?" Bulma was caught off guard, unaware Chichi had picked up on her emotions. "I'm sorry, it's just that… well…"

"Please Bulma," Chichi said, being direct with her friend. "I don't need anyone keeping secrets from me anymore. I want t know what's going on. Tell me what their plan is."

"Oh god, I'm not sure if I should," Bulma said as she bit her bottom lip. The poor woman's been through enough. Chichi's fixed gaze into Bulma's eyes were unwavering. "Chichi, they're going to take down the Firebird."

"Oh thank god," Chichi breathed, much to her friend's surprise. "How are they going to do that?"

"If Goken can hold off the Firebird for a bit longer, we will have a chance to destroy him. But… but that means we'll kill Goken too."

"Kill…Goken…?" The tears came back, replenished by a new source of sorrow. Bulma hugged Chichi tightly. "I'm so sorry," she whispered into Chichi's ear. "But the life on this planet outweighs… Gokens…" Bulma cursed at herself mentally while Chichi cried harder, understanding the truth herself."

"I know," she said, choking back more tears, "It's just that… I don't want to lose my son. And with Gohan in the hospital that the Firebird attacked, I might lose both of them."

"We'll find out soon enough," Bulma said. "Vegeta and the others are on their way to the Firebird's location. They're going to take out the Firebird and search the city for survivors. If Gohan is alive, they'll find him. Besides, that boy's one tough cookie." She looked into Chichi's eyes and smiled, hoping that little good news was enough to calm her a little. "He's grown up now, Chichi. And if anyone can survive through this, I'm sure he can."