Fragmented rays of light peaked through the window's long flowing drapes, invading the sanctity of Goku's dark bedroom. In sync with the autumn sun, the rays lifted further and further, finding new ways to exploit the gaps between the thick sheets of cotton. Bending and stretching, they slowly made their way across the room until they had reached his closed eyes. There, they gently attempted to wake him.

Breathing in deeply, he squinted and turned away from the light. For a moment, he thought he had escaped the day's irritating silent alarm and could go back to his desperately needed sleep, but it was already too late. Groaning, he sat up on his bed, fully clothed in his gi from the night prior.

He could smell breakfast being made and briefly believed he had the energy to stand, even pushing himself up with his arms, but he very quickly realized this morning wasn't going to be so easy. Plopping back onto the bed, he placed his head into his palms and exhaled loudly. Was he really so tired that he couldn't even get up for breakfast? Since when did that happen?

"Goku... you awake, sweetheart?" he heard as Chi-Chi moseyed down the hall.

Reacting to her soft familiar voice, he suddenly found the energy he needed to lift himself up.

"Yeah, I'm here!" he exclaimed with a smile as he appeared in front of the doorway.

"Good," she replied, smiling back. "I just finished making you a very special breakfast. Come sit with me!"

Leading her husband into the living room, Chi-Chi pulled out his chair and quickly ushered him to sit down. Just to her left, she noticed the baby straining his head to look at the two. She would tend to him in a moment, but for right now, she needed to make everything perfect.

As she buzzed around the kitchen, plating dish after dish for him, Goku rubbed his eyes and looked over at the infant in his crib. He felt a twinge of guilt at how little time he had spent with him, especially since he was already a few months old. There was just so little time in the day and it always seemed to fly by so fast.

"Here you go!" she stated excitedly, carefully placing the multiple different dishes around where Goku sat. "I made everything just how you like it."

He looked down at the array of different delicious foods at his disposal. There were warm, buttery pancakes, fluffy eggs, stuffed peppers, crispy bacon, smoked ham, and countless other small treats at the edges of the table. Usually, this overwhelming variety would send him into an absolute frenzy as he stuffed his face with as much as possible, but for some reason, he hardly wanted any of it. Thankfully, just as he lifted his fork, Chi-Chi placed a hand on his.

"But before you eat, we have to talk." she stated, her tone shifting from bubbly to serious and concerned.

"I know that the dragon balls are back and that they give you a better chance at finding him, but I need you to stay home today." she paused, lovingly placing her other hand on top of Goku's. "It's been three months since we brought our son home and we still haven't named him. How much longer do you want me to wait?"

He frowned as he looked up from his plate of pancakes. "I'm sorry Chi-Chi... he just means a lot to me."

"I know he does," she replied, squeezing his hand. "And that's not what this is about. I want you to keep looking for him, just not today. Can you do that? For me?"

Nodding silently, Goku agreed and watched a heart-warming grin spread across Chi-Chi's face. He could take a single day off, couldn't he, for that smile? Over a year straight, every single day, of trailing only a few seconds' worth of a minuscule ki signature, of chasing someone who clearly didn't even want to be found.

Yes, he could take one day off for her. It's the least he could do.

Suddenly, his insatiable hunger returned to him, and anything sitting on the table became fair game. One after another, the plates were magically wiped clean as the Saiyan slid their contents into his mouth. He only stopped when Chi-Chi sat back in her chair with their son.

Loosely wrapped in a bundle of vibrantly colored woven quilts, the little boy was silent as Chi-Chi cradled him in her arms. With wide, dark brown eyes, he looked over his mother's beautiful face, taking in every detail he possibly could; his hungry infant mind eager to familiarize itself with the new world it was born into.

"He's perfect isn't he?" she mused, already knowing the answer to her question. "I feel like any name I come up with wouldn't be good enough."

Turning to Goku, she asked, "Did you want to hold him? Maybe something will come to you."

"Me?" he hesitatingly replied.

Stunned by her question, he felt a tight pain settle in the center of his chest. He had never been the worrying type, but ever since the tournament, and the hazy mess of a battle after it, he had grown more and more anxious.

Even though he knew Gero was defeated, he couldn't escape the feeling that something wasn't right, and when he couldn't find the friend who saved them, that feeling intensified. He had been so busy, scrambling all over the globe looking for him, that he had missed every milestone of her pregnancy; and yet, here she was, still trusting him with their son. Trusting him to be gentle with something so inconceivably fragile and precious. Why? What if he messed up? What if he wasn't careful enough?

Looking concernedly toward her, Goku rejected the idea. "I don't know if-"

Ignoring the uncertainty in his voice, Chi-Chi rose slowly from her chair. Once standing, she passed the baby to him with both hands, like a priceless golden treasure, but easily let go when she was sure that he had him.

Pursing his lips, Goku glanced back and forth between the baby and her, still unsure if he was capable of being gentle enough to hold him. Eventually, he rested his eyes on Chi-Chi hoping to find some comfort in her reassuring gaze, but she could only help so much.

"It's all right." she said soothingly and with a smile. "Look at him."

Shaking with nervousness, Goku looked down at the bundled infant he was trying so hard to be careful with. It was the first time he had seen the entirety of his face. His large, peachy cheeks. His thick strands of black messy hair. His round little nose. He couldn't believe it, everything was perfect, just like she said.

And then, he looked into his eyes. Those wells of dark brown that magically changed to deep amber in the sunlight. In an instant, he felt all that anxiety and uncertainty slip away, and it was quickly replaced by a feeling of completeness and contentment. Even his trembling ceased.

For some reason, he felt like he had seen those eyes before. Like he had seen his baby's eyes so many times before. But he couldn't place where.

His thoughts again dissipated when the little boy smiled. He waited in a trance as the infant wiggled his arms free from the quilts and reached out for him, opening and closing his hands constantly.

He recognized that too. Somewhere. Somehow. But he still couldn't place it.

"Wow," Chi-Chi said, in awe. "I haven't seen him like this since we went to your grandfather's."

The mention of his grandfather immediately captured Goku's attention, pulling him away from the mental image of his son's opening and closing hands.

"You two went to Grampa Gohan's place? When?" he asked, confused.

Before she could respond to him, a burst of unexpected laughter filled the room as the small baby boy reveled in her husband's words.

Both immediately puzzled by the infant's hearty giggle, Chi-Chi and Goku turned toward each other. Grabbing her chair, she swiftly scooted her way to his side so they could experience his strange response together.

"Say that again, Goku." she prompted, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Grampa Gohan?" he repeated, unwrapping the baby from his quilts and holding him up by his arms.

Again the boy laughed, but this time he laughed louder and harder, closing his eyes and flailing his body as he fell into a fit of giggling and chuckles. Soon, his laughter spread to both his mother and father, and all three shared in the happiness that came from saying the old man's name.

"Gohan! Gohan! Gohan!" Goku repeated again and again until eventually, they had gotten all the enjoyment they possibly could out of the name.

And that's when the baby opened his eyes and gazed back into his father's.

Frozen, Goku gazed back. He knew those eyes, he could feel it in the deepest part of his soul. He knew them. And that name, Gohan, the way it made him smile, the sound of his laughter, it all felt so familiar. Studying him, he put every part of his mind to work analyzing as much as he could. It was on the tip of his tongue, he could feel it. He was so close.

"Oh my goodness!" Chi-Chi cried. "Goku!"

His concentration fracturing for a second time by the sound of her voice, he turned to her defeatedly.

"What?" he asked in a lowered disappointed tone.

She gripped his arm tightly, her eyes wide and full of panic. "Your grandfather's dragon ball! I brought it with us to his hut yesterday and left it there!"

"What?!" Goku screamed in horror, quickly standing from his chair. "Why?!"

Taking the baby out of his arms, Chi-Chi began pushing him towards the door as she angrily explained.

"He liked it, Goku!" she replied frustrated. "What was I supposed to do, take it away from him?! I guess I didn't notice that he dropped it when he fell asleep!"

Speechless, Goku merely looked at her as she struggled to move him toward the door.

"Goku what are you waiting for?!" she yelled. "Call the flying nimbus! Go get it so your friend doesn't!"

Snapping out of it, Goku nodded, "Right...Right!"

Turning away from her, he opened the door and quickly ran outside. He could already feel his heart begin to pound. He just hoped that he hadn't already gotten to the ball.

"NIMBUS!" he cried, cupping both hands around his mouth.

Quickly, the trusted cloud appeared from the skies above, just as it had hundreds of times before. Needing no instruction, he merely stepped aboard and the nimbus darted off in the direction of his grandfather's hut.

By the time the pair got there, Goku's heart was beating out of his chest and that tight anxious pain he was so unaccustomed to, settled in once more. Dropping from the cloud, he quickly collided with the ground and rolled to lessen the impact. Using his momentum, he easily sprung back onto his feet and did not worry about any divots he may have created during his landing. What was happening now easily trumped that in importance.

Swinging open the wooden double doors, he began to rummage around the small interior, hoping to find the dragon ball. Starting with the dresser, he threw open every drawer and thoroughly searched through the old, neatly stacked gi's and training gear. Finding nothing, he then quickly moved on to the two sleeping mats on the other side of the hut. Flipping them each over a few times, he looked underneath and around them until he was certain they weren't hiding anything. After that, he searched underneath his grandfather's old wooden writing table, and even behind the curtains, before reluctantly accepting that the hut was empty.

Without bothering to close the doors, Goku exited his childhood home. Despite the fact that the ball would have most likely been inside, he held out hope that the grounds surrounding it proved more fruitful. Like an eagle, he began to scour the circular clearing, and although it was only an area of a few dozen feet, he looked over it, again and again, to be absolutely sure it wasn't there.

His search having turned up nothing, he breathed in deeply and calmed himself. He needed to be smart about his next move, panicking wasn't going to get him anywhere. Taking a few aimless steps in various directions, he looked up and down the grounds for more places to check, and, by sheer luck, something caught his eye. Off to the far right side of the clearing, he could see the overgrown path he frequently used before training with Kami.

Turning towards the old trail, he briefly reminisced about the countless times he traveled down it with his grandfather. He shook his head disappointedly at the sorry state it was in; worn down and covered with weeds, it was an absolute shame, to say the least. Kneeling to get a closer look at the overgrowth, he noticed that some of them had been trampled, like the trail had recently been used. Hunching further over, he looked intensely at the broken weeds and noticed that there were small footprints sprinkled along the path.

Filled with a resurgence of hope, he ambitiously began following the prints and scanned the path as he traveled along it. He didn't want to miss a thing, and if there was even a sliver of a chance that his friend hadn't gotten to the ball yet, then he would.

The task was a gruesome one, but with every little irregularity and obstruction he observed, his confidence grew and he was able to search faster and faster until he entered a part of the forest he recognized instantly.

Pausing, he looked to the sides of the trail. The stones that lined it were green and mossy, and beside them were the familiar oak trees and bamboo shoots he had been seeing his whole life. Taking a few steps up the inclining path, the trees began to thin and the unforgettable, flower-filled plain came into view.

This was his grandfather's spring.

Further up the trail, he could see the ancient, smooth-barked apple tree resting upon its hill. But to his surprise, he could see something more. There was just a little bit of blue peaking out from behind that old tree and he could sense a familiar ki resting there.

His heart in his throat, he recognized that energy. It was him. The friend he knew so well and loved like family was just up ahead, only feet away from him.

Despite his overwhelming nervous excitement, he cautiously and quietly placed each step with care. After nearly a whole year apart, the last thing he wanted was to scare him off.

Ignoring the falling leaves, the serene waters, and all the other wonderous beauties of the spring, he focused only on walking silently toward the apple tree. But, when he was just about to come around the side, and greet that nameless boy, he stopped. He could hear a faint whimpering come from the other side, and that alone was enough to make him freeze.

Why was he crying? Was he lonely, or did he need to be alone? It had been so long since he'd really seen or talked with him that he couldn't be sure of which it was. Bravely, he gathered his nerve and announced his presence as he came around the tree.

"Hey," he said warmly as he stepped into view. "...What's wrong?"

Startled, Gohan gasped and looked up at Goku for only seconds before looking away. Haphazardly, he began to stuff the dragon balls lying around him back into his satchel which was already packed to the brim with papers.

"I-I'm sorry, Goku..." he said, sniffling. "I shouldn't be here. I- I'll leave."

Crouching down to bring his face to the same height as his, Goku gently reached for Gohan's hand.

"What are you talking about?" he asked with a smile, hoping to brighten the mood. "This is grampa's place. You're always welcome here."

Gohan looked up at his father for a brief moment before freeing his hand and turning back to his satchel. "I should go, Goku... It's dangerous for me to be here."

"Dangerous?" he replied, worried. "Jack, you already-"

Realizing his mistake, he paused and waited for Gohan to correct him, but he didn't. He just kept trying to find a way to fit everything back into his bag.

As he frantically put away the dragon balls he had collected, Goku caught a few more glimpses of his face. To say he looked tired would have been hopelessly inaccurate. He looked like he hadn't gotten any true rest in years. Like he had been on guard so long that he no longer knew how to relax. But beyond that exhaustion, in an even deeper place, there was also an unbelievable, oppressive amount of fear and sadness that had gripped him like cancer.

After a few more moments of silence, he saw the boy reach for the four-star ball and hesitate. Suddenly all that fear vanished, and a deep sorrow filled the void. He couldn't describe it, but the sorrow was so deep, so dark and paralyzing, that it felt inescapable.

And to know it was coming from him, the person he had connected with more than anyone else in the world. Who he knew was selfless and giving, caring and thoughtful, strong and intelligent. It was too much to bear.

He again grabbed his hand.

"Jack," he said, this time on purpose. "Please... talk to me."

Tears streaming down his face, Gohan easily ripped his hand away from his father's and looked up at him angrily, his eyes brown and dark beneath Goku's shadow.

"That's not who I am!" he said sharply. "And I won't hurt you again."

Finally getting the four-star ball into his satchel, Gohan stood up and turned to walk away.

Locking his arms around him, Goku pulled Gohan in close and refused to let go. After all the time they had been apart, he couldn't let him leave. The goodbyes they said at the lookout were already painful enough, and with all that sorrow he carried, letting him leave now would destroy him.

He rested his head atop Gohan's, and tried to assure him, "You could never hurt me."

Stunned by his father's persistence, Gohan was briefly incapable of escape; but, by quickly shifting his arms up, he found his leverage and began to push away from him. It was like tearing away a piece of himself but, somehow, he was managing it.

"If you knew who I was, you'd know that's not true." he said, tilting his head up and looking into his father's eyes. "I've hurt you more than anyone."

Just as those words left his mouth, he had gained enough distance to escape Goku's shadow and his dark brown eyes transformed to a deep amber in the sunlight.

Suddenly, he was free and the drastic change in force caused him to back into the apple tree's smooth bark, breaking the line of sight shared between him and his father. Regaining his balance, he saw tears begin to form in Goku's eyes. Terrified that he had hurt him, Gohan began to search his chest for injuries.

"I'm sorry, Goku! I-I didn't mean to-" he trailed off, feeling for where he might have caused harm. Did he hit him? Was it an accidental kick? Maybe a cracked rib, or worse, a fractured one? Before he had the chance to determine what was wrong, he was again enclosed in another embrace, but this one was different. This time he wasn't being trapped, he was being cradled, removing all need to stay upright.

Afraid of doing any more harm, Gohan allowed himself to be held for a second, just until he understood what was going on. Confused, he was motionless as Goku moved him a few inches away from his chest. There was just enough space for him to see his father's lips tremble as he battled to keep his composure.

"Goku?" he asked, his tears continuing to spill down his cheeks. "D-did I hurt you?"

Petrified, he waited anxiously for him to answer.

"Do you remember when we first met?" Goku asked, his voice shaking. "I found you in the forest, and you were screaming for your dad. Screaming...like he was the only one who could help you."

Gohan gazed up into his father's eyes which were now quickly filling with tears.

"When you woke up, and you hugged me, I knew I had found something that I was missing. Something I lost when grampa died." he paused, clearing his throat. "At first, you were my friend... but I knew you were more than that. And even though I called you my brother, I never felt like that was enough. I didn't know why, but it wasn't enough...to tell you how much I loved you."

Unable to resist the temptation, Gohan began to wrap his arms around his father in an attempt to ward off his tears but was quickly peeled away. Slightly taken aback, all he could do was look up at him in confusion as he waited for his next words.

"Now, I know why," he said, smiling as the tears finally began to roll down his cheeks. "I know who you are."

Gohan's lips began to curl and small squeaks left his mouth as all of his remaining defenses broke down.

"You're my son," Goku stated with absolute certainty before bringing him back to his chest and holding him with as much love and affection as possible. "You're my little Gohan."

His cheek against his father's gi, Gohan tried to shake his head.

"No... I-" he stopped and gritted his teeth with as much conviction as he could muster, all to try and delay the inevitable for a few more seconds. "I... I'm not..."

"Everything's all right now." Goku said soothingly, gently caressing his hair. "You don't need to be strong anymore."

Resting against his father's chest, Gohan returned his loving embrace. After years apart and years of loneliness, he wondered if it was really over. Was the lying and hiding of his true self finally over? Did he really love him after everything he put him through?

"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry!" he repeated at every break between his sobs.

Repeatedly circling his hand along Gohan's back, Goku tried to comfort him as much as possible.

"Let it out, Gohan. It's okay." he assured in a soothing voice.

Catching his breath for a moment, Gohan held even more tightly onto him.

"A-are you disappointed?" he asked. "In me?"

So unbelievably shocked by that question, Goku couldn't help but let out a short, quiet nervous laugh before resting against his son's temple.

"I'm more proud of you than anyone else in the whole world." he stated with unmatchable confidence in his voice. "But let's not talk now, okay? Right now, I need you to get everything out. Everything that's been hurting you. Then we can talk."

Incapable of responding, Gohan nodded and continued to sob and shake, helpless like a toddler, as he held onto him.

Carefully, Goku lifted him and waited for him to readjust his grip. When Gohan had firmly grabbed his shoulders, he placed one arm underneath him and one arm around his back, bringing him as close as possible. He could feel his gi already begin to soak up his tears, and he knew more would come, he just hoped he was enough.

"I love you, daddy..." Gohan whispered through his whimpering, hoping he could hear him.

And he could.

He heard those words. Those words confirmed, with absolute certainty, what he already knew; and with them came the memories of all the stories he had told him. The stories of loss and heartbreak. They all made so much sense now.

'Jack' lived and grew up in Mount Pouzu because that's where Gohan did. 'Jack' looked just like him because Gohan did. 'Jack' ate just like him because Gohan did. 'Jack' knew about his tail because Gohan did. 'Jack' knew everything about him because Gohan did.

Suddenly, a new, frightening realization hit him. 'Jack' lost his father because Gohan did.

The battle with the beetle-like monster that he saw in the bookkeeper's icy cave, rushed to the front of his thoughts. The man he saw in the smoke, with the orange gi and golden hair, the man who vanished to save Gohan, was him.

The root of all the suffering and pain that his son had been going through for years, was him.

"I love you too, Gohan." he responded, kissing the top of his head.

Closing his eyes, Goku then placed his face against Gohan's and shared in his sadness. Now that he understood everything that he had gone through, and everything he was still going through, he could do nothing else. He held him, just like he would his newborn, and sat against the apple tree, trying to absorb as much of his pain as possible and free him from it.

As the minutes passed, he began to notice Gohan's cries die down, and his ki settle. He knew it wouldn't be long before he fell asleep, but in his eyes, the sooner it happened, the better. He had been neglected and alone for far too long; he deserved that rest and so much more.

Out in front of him, he could see dark clouds appear on the horizon. It was clear a storm was coming, but nothing could remove him from his son.

The heavy rain clouds floated over the spring and the rain began, but beneath the apple tree, Goku wrapped him in his orange gi and held him beneath his chin. He'd keep him safe and warm no matter what nature had planned.

Looking out into the fields and mountains surrounding them, he hung over Gohan and ensured that not a single drop touched him. It had thoroughly soaked his hair, and his weighted blue vest, but he didn't care. Nothing could bother him.

In fact, he felt a subtle happiness while being in the rain. He enjoyed the feeling of the droplets as they fell onto his shoulders and slid off with ease. The beautiful pitter-patter sound they made as they landed all around him. They even provided a spectacle for him to enjoy as they collided with the lake nearby. Each with its own style of lightly tapping the water's surface before exploding with energy and excitement. There was so much to admire that he lost himself in it, and time passed quickly.

Soon the storm grew weak, and the bonds between the clouds broke easily. In the new areas of space, the autumn sun's rays found their way through and mixed in a harmonious symphony with the rain. It was so breathtaking that he considered waking Gohan so he could experience it, but that wasn't what he needed. Right now, he needed rest more than anything else.

Using the tree as leverage, he slowly stood up from his sitting position, still holding Gohan closely with one hand. With the other, he grabbed the satchel and swung it over his shoulder. Once he was sure that it was secure, he set his free arm back over his son and began to walk.

With no particular direction in mind, he wandered about the spring, now taking in the changes of the season that he ignored when he first arrived. He wanted to experience as much of it as possible with him, even though he was the only one awake to see it.

Eventually, he turned back towards the path when he noticed the evening's soft, golden light replacing the day's bright and vibrant qualities. It would be night soon and he knew exactly where they could go.

The pair arrived as darkness began to set in Mount Pouzu, and immediately Goku spotted the doors he had left wide open during the storm. He stepped inside his grandfather's hut and saw that both of the mats were filled to the brim with rainwater that had found its way in through his carelessness.

Stepping over to the dresser, Goku sighed as he realized that he had left every single drawer open. Closing them one by one, he noticed in the second to last drawer, that there was a small green blanket, neatly folded and dry. Using his free hand, he grabbed it and quickly sat in one of the less damp corners of the room.

Shifting Gohan away from himself, he made sure the boy could rest his head as easily as possible against his shoulder. Checking over his work, he smiled when he saw him sleeping comfortably and peacefully in his arms. He then released a few of his fingers on the hand carrying the blanket, quickly unfurling it and wrapping it around him. Carefully folding the corners over themselves so that they hugged him firmly, he knew It wasn't perfect, but as long as it kept his son warm, then it was enough.

Resting his head against the dark stone wall, he looked up at the ceiling. He knew the morning would be difficult and that he would have to ask a lot of questions he didn't want the answers to, but he knew it would be worth it. To make his son happy, and to see him smile was worth any price.

"We'll get you out of this, Gohan." he said. "I promise."