Goku glared at his fingernails. They were too long and had cut his face when he'd unconsciously gone to push the hair out of his eyes. He brought a finger to his mouth to bite off the offending nail then paused and lowered the hand again. He wasn't supposed to bite his nails. He couldn't remember why, but he knew it was bad.

He sighed and rubbed his knuckles against the little cut on his face, trying to wipe the blood off. He then hugged his knees and stared out through the stone bars at the dim sky. He wished he could see the sun now.

Konzen glanced up to see Goku paused in his drawing and chewing on his thumbnail. 'Don't do that,' Konzen grimaced in disgusted irritation.

Goku looked innocently at him from his seat on the floor, surrounded in scrap paper and crayons. 'What, Konzen?' he asked with a confused look crossing his face.

'Don't bite your nails. It's disgusting,' Konzen sighed irritably.

'But they're too long,' Goku frowned down at his hands.

'Then file them like a halfway civilized person.'

Goku looked back up at him, still frowning uncomprehendingly. 'What's that?'

Konzen sighed and got up, pulling a drawer open and retrieving a file as he left his desk and unfinished work behind. 'Come here,' he said, in a voice he was sure sounded very annoyed, and sat on the edge of his bed.

Goku hopped up next to him with a spring reminiscent of a frog. Konzen grabbed one of his hands and took a few swipes at the nail on his index finger before growling in frustration. It's extremely difficult to suddenly mirror an action you've been doing for years; like trying to tie someone else's shoes. Especially when that someone else was squirming and fussing.

With an irritated sigh, he caught Goku's waist and pulled the boy into his lap. Goku thankfully stopped fussing as Konzen sanded down his nails. Konzen could see an irritated red on the tip of his finger where the file must have caught skin at the other angle.

'Hold still,' he commanded softly as he went back to work on Goku's nails.

And Goku was still. Quiet and uncharacteristically subdued as he watched his nails slowly disappear. He leaned back against Konzen's chest, smiling broadly and gazing up at him.

It was such a little thing, but Konzen felt a warm, quiet joy stir in his chest. He reminded himself that he was supposed to be annoyed, but all that seemed to have gone. His mind drifted to Tenpo saying that he'd never seen such a cheerful face as Goku's. He really seemed to radiate an aura happy contentment.

He finished with the first hand and let it go, about to pick up the other when Goku beat him and put his little hand into Konzen's palm. Konzen found himself smiling faintly as he started on that hand. It was so odd that Goku made him smile. Kanzeon had said that he'd changed. Had he? He never smiled before. And he never felt the fluttering carefree feeling that Goku brought to him.

Was it really a change, or had he always been this way but could only show it to Goku? He'd finished filing Goku's nails. He let the second hand drop and felt his heart sink just a little.

Goku examined his hands and then smiled meltingly at Konzen. Konzen couldn't help but smile back. Then Goku caught his arm and clung to it, leaning again back against Konzen. Konzen smiled again and wrapped his arms around Goku, pulling him into a tight hug and letting the warm, perfect joy wash through his soul.