Gohan proceeded to have one of the most awkward dinners he could remember. And he'd had dinner at Capsule Corp. once after walking in on Bulma and Vegeta in a similarly compromising situation.

Afterwards he'd escaped to his room, pacing up and down as he tried to make sense of what had happened. What had happened?! He'd completely lost all sense and control – not that this was the first time that had happened. But Videl had always known when and where to draw the line, keeping their interactions strictly PG-13. Acia though, Acia had had a look on her face that he couldn't explain. Curiosity, surprise, enjoyment, some other strange emotion he couldn't place. Why had she done that? They barely knew each other. Gohan couldn't even work up the nerve to ask her about her family like he'd planned; she always seemed so aloof and it was more than a little intimidating. So why would she do this? Was she trying to torture him?

Maybe, he thought, maybe this was some sort of cry for help on her part. It wasn't that surprising if you thought about it – she'd been left by her parents with an uncle, who, let's face it, was disinterested at best and hadn't even wanted to take her in in the first place. Gohan could always find something good to say about anyone, but he had to admit that Vegeta's parenting skills could use some work. A lot of work. And who knew what her own parents were like? They may not have been any better.

Maybe this was her way of looking for some warmth and affection, love even.

Gohan was not one to reject a wounded creature when he found one. No, he was one to cuddle the creature, feed it, tend its wounds, build it a nest somewhere warm and safe, and sneak out to care for it behind his mother's back.

And given how his mother and Acia were getting along...

The next day, Gohan took advantage of Goten's playdate with Trunks to get some alone time with his new houseguest.

"Listen, we really need to talk about what happened yesterday."

They were sitting outside in the grass in the field where Gohan usually trained with Goten. Acia was stretched out, propped up on her elbows, her bare feet nestled in the blades. She looked at Gohan, who was sitting up across from her, through her bangs – had they grown out a little since she'd gotten here, Gohan wondered. Was that even possible?

Focus Gohan, focus.

Acia gave him a curious look, her dark eyes sharp and bright in the midday light. "Do we?"

Gohan cleared his throat self-consciously. "I – I obviously don't know much about you and what your expectations might be, but here on Earth we…" He paused, trying to find the right words to express himself.

Acia didn't have time for that. "What?" She was starting to lose interest in this conversation, and it was only about 10 seconds in. The only reason she'd even agreed to coming along with Gohan was because she'd been under the impression that they were going to spar, but once again that was clearly not going to happen.

She glared at him. Trunks and Goten had insisted that Gohan's strength and ability rivalled Goku and Vegeta, and although she'd dismissed that particular claim as the hyperbole of hero-worship, it was obvious that Gohan was at least third in line behind the two older Saiyans. But you wouldn't know it to hear him talk. How hard would you have to push him, she wondered, before he finally grew a backbone and asserted himself?

"We can't just do stuff like that!" Gohan blurted out, his brow shiny with the sweat of rising anxiety. "Here we go on…on dates and build a relationship before we, before things get se – physical."

Acia raised a brow. "That's not true. What about…," her eyes shifted to the side slightly as she tried to recall the phrase, "friendship benefits?"

Chi Chi was right about one thing, life at Capsule Corp had definitely introduced Acia to a set of moral values that were not embraced in the Son household.

Gohan's face burned. "I…we…that's not something we…"

"Whatever." Acia got up, brushing grass from her dark leggings. Stretching, she said, "I'm bored again. Take me to the Lookout."

"Oh." Gohan stood up, not sure how to proceed. This was not how this conversation was supposed to go.

Catching the look on his face, Acia sighed. "I understood your point."

"You did?" Gohan wasn't sure he understood his point.

"Yes. Perhaps you prefer males…"

"WHAT?"

"…or you have a relationship like the one you referenced earlier. Or there's some other reason. To be honest, I don't particularly care to know. The point is that you don't want me to approach you again. That's your loss, of course, but…"

"WHAT?"

Acia shrugged. "Well, it wasn't particularly enjoyable for me."

Gohan sighed heavily with exasperation. "That wasn't what I was trying to say at all. And I'm not interested in men! N-not that there's anything wrong with that." He felt his hand move instinctively to the back of his head. "But I'm not."

Acia crossed her arms. "So what was your point?"

"I just – I thought you might like to go on a date!" Why is this always so hard?

Acia's expression changed from one of annoyance to one of surprise. "Oh." This was an unexpected development in her life, and she had a feeling that this was probably not a good idea.

On the other hand, she'd seen enough of Mrs. Briefs' soaps to know that dating involved food – at the man's expense.

A few days later, the two teens sat down for their first date (Acia's first date ever) at one of the few places in Satan City that hadn't banned the Son family. The two Saiyans gorged themselves in silence for a good 30 minutes before Gohan was finally full enough to take a stab at conversation.

"So, um," he began as Acia started on her fourth bowl of rice, "I've been meaning to ask, your dad and my grandpa are brothers, right?" She nodded. "So, did he ever talk about him? Your dad, I mean, about my grandpa?"

Acia put her chopsticks down carefully. "Yes, sometimes." Usually when he was drunk, she thought to herself. Her father preferred not to dwell on memories of their decimated planet and dead families, but her mother was the exact opposite, determined to pass down every detail of a world that once was to her only child. It was mostly her mother's memories that she drew upon now. "Bardock was very well-known among our people."

"Bardock," Gohan repeated, trying out the unfamiliar name on his tongue.

"Yes. He was a great fighter and was really popular among the warriors of the third-class. He developed quite a reputation working for Frieza…"

Gohan's face fell. "He worked for Frieza?"

Acia shrugged. "Everyone worked for Frieza. Anyway," she continued, "Bardock was very strong and very popular." She smiled suddenly, memories of her parents' playful banter coming to her. "Father likes to say that he was all muscle and no brains, but mother says it's just because he's jealous. Bardock was much older than my father, so he was already something of a hero by the time my father joined Frieza's army."

Gohan waited patiently for a moment, but as Acia returned to her rice it became clear that that was all she had to say on the subject. "What about my grandmother? His wife? Do you know anything about her?"

Acia shook her head. "Not really. My father didn't like her very much. I think she got him into some trouble. Or she got Bardock into trouble. I'm not really sure; he didn't talk about it." She paused, then added, "He always said she was the reason Raditz turned out so weak."

Gohan's eyes widened. "You knew Raditz?!" His voice was suddenly much louder than was appropriate.

Acia stared at him, surprised at this sudden change in demeanor. "No. I only ever heard about him, and your father."

Gohan paused, his mind drifting back to what was still one of his worst memories, despite everything he'd gone through since. "Raditz came for my dad," he said quietly. "He tried to kidnap me. My dad died trying to save me."

Acia felt an annoyingly familiar lump form in her chest. Guilt, again. She hadn't even done anything this time! "Well, my father always said he was an idiot," she said in a feeble attempt at comforting. Then her brain caught up with her ears. "Wait a minute, your father died?!"

"Yeah," Gohan gave her a sheepish smile. "It's kind of a long story. But, um, is there anything else you know about our family? What's our last name?" That was something he'd always secretly been curious about.

"Last…name?"

"Yeah, you know, like a family name." When she still looked at him with confusion, Gohan clarified. "For example, my name is Gohan Son. My dad is Goku Son. We're the Son family. You know what I mean?"

Understanding registered. "Oh, you mean a clan name?"

"Yeah, okay!"

"I don't know," she said simply, returning her attention to her meal.

"What?! How can you not know your own name?"

Acia stared at him incredulously. What was he talking about? "Of course I know my clan name. I just don't know yours. Or rather, I don't know your father's."

"But…aren't we from the same clan? If my grandfather is your dad's brother?"

"What does that have to do with –," once again, Acia found herself replaying the conversation in her mind. Goku Son. Gohan Son.

She really should pay more attention.

"We don't get our clan names from our father's family, we get them from our mother's. So I know my father's clan name, but I don't know your father's because I don't know his mother."

"Really?" Gohan was surprised. Then again, he thought, it makes sense. It would explain why Vegeta had never protested the fact that his children were both Trunks and Bulla Briefs, even though he and Bulma had tied the knot nearly a year before Bulla was born.

"So what's your clan name then?"

Acia rubbed her temples. It occurred to her vaguely that maybe she was this annoying when she asked the Earthlings about their social norms and practices. Still though, this should be obvious. "Vegeta."

Impossibly, Gohan's eyes widened even further. "Huh? Wha…"

"A clan name," Acia said slowly, "derives from the place a person is from, where they are born. The mother usually gives birth in her home territory, so she passes on her clan name to the child. For example," she continued, since the look of complete incomprehension had not yet left Gohan's face, "my father, and your grandfather, were both born in a place called Ter-khader. That's where their mother is from, so that's their clan name."

"And your mother was born…"

"The royal family is different. They belong to no one territory and so they cannot belong to one particular clan. They belong to the whole planet and all its people."

"But still," Gohan pointed out, "shouldn't your mother have taken on her mother's clan name? I mean, Vegeta was the name of the king right?"

"Yes," Acia said. This, she had to admit, was where things got a little complicated. "But the same rules don't apply to the royal family. When the king acknowledges a child, they become a part of the royal family and so must take on the royal name. They can't be part of the royal family and have a clan name at the same time, because then how could they be impartial as rulers?"

"So…your dad didn't…acknowledge you?"

"Of course he did!" Acia seethed at him. "But he's not the king! Only the king passes down his name. In every other circumstance, the mother does, regardless of whether the father wants the child or not."

"Oh okay," Gohan said, leaning back. "I think I get it now."

"Good."

"Man, I always wanted to know what our last name would be."

"You don't know your mother's clan name?"

"Hey!" Realization sparked in his eyes. "You're right! I guess I would be Gohan Ox."

Acia smirked at him. "I would stick with Gohan Son if I were you."