A/N: this is my first fanfic and I'm excited! I honestly have no idea how faithful I will be to updating, but it's weird for me to think that anyone is actually going to read my stories, lol. I don't own DBZ, obviously. And I plan on taking this through to the end of the Majin Buu Saga, though I won't promise. I'd love reviews and I know that this chapter is mainly nothing new to a DBZ lover, but it's where I chose to start! Pleeeease let me know what you think, any advice, questions, comments, thoughts, comments, complaints, encouragement, whatever!

Chapter 1

A Spark

This battle had gone on long enough. Gohan was flaming in both rage and pain feeling nearly blind from all the things attempting to war against him, including the Cell monster before him. The green being launched a massive blast of energy straight for the severely wounded half saiyan who appeared to barely be holding onto his life, and his arm according to it's limp position. Gohan's hair glowed golden blonde and blood dripped down his body. There was no part of him left unharmed. But a Saiyan would hardly be stopped by wounds, especially one who fought from his heart and not from his pride.

The blast fired towards the young boy at an incredible speed with a brilliant light leaving Cell's hand and flying forward in a beam of evil power. Gohan's friends did their best to remain standing at the blast and the earth all around them quaked and trembled with fear of her destruction. Gohan watched the beam come for him without fear. He felt something rising from within his weak physical body as energy seemed to fill his body out of no where. And suddenly he had his own energy blast roaring towards the monster who caused his father's death. Images of him flashed through his mind along with the many scenes of pain inflicted on his closest friends. The fire of the cruelty of Cell fueled Gohan's risen passion to destroy him.

Their energy blasts met and warred with one another. Gohan felt weakness pang his chest as his fear of failure simmered before him. The ground was quivering beneath the power exploding on its surface and Gohan, the last hope began to look upon defeat as something nearly inevitable for him. He'd never really came through before in his life, he always seem to let those who needed him down. Why would this time be any different?

Gohan's friends flew away from the overwhelming winds flying through the air from the awesome power. Krillin held the female android that was recently spat up by the "perfect" Cell. Yamcha and Tien had Trunks in the care and Piccolo was flying alone. A sudden intensified gust threw them from their flight patterns as the stopped to watch the change in atmosphere. Fury filled each of them as they watched their fate radiating in blue energy beams before them, while they themselves seemed helpless. Or were they?

"This must be hard for you with all those wounds. I'm sure this makes them BURN!" Cell projected towards the boy, making himself heard. The insect shot out his final weapon of energy towards the damaged young Saiyan boy who stilled seemed to desperately be clinging to his kamehameha wave. Cell's side of their connected energy beam grew tremedously appearing to quickly overpower Gohan. "And now this, is where you, END!"

Gohan cleched his jaw and let a few sounds of agony release themselves from within him, but he refused to let go. He just couldn't let go.

"What's the matter with you Gohan? You already have all the power you need! Just bring it out!" Goku spoke directly to his son from other world, the place Gohan's father was now supposed to call home. Goku was using the powerful King Kai as a tool to speak to his son, directly to his mind. There wasn't a chance he would leave his son to this alone.

"I...I can't. I can't keep this up for much longer." Gohan could barely manage his words to be audible as he grunted them out by force. "I just can't hack it, Dad. It's too much for me to handle. I'm just a kid! I haven't changed...not at all."

"Will you stop attacking yourself! I don't know where you got it in your head that there's something wrong with you, cause there's not! You saved my life and our friends' lives so many times! And you're going to do it again. Right now!"

Cell was listening over all the sounds blaring around the battle. The air was whooshing, the mountains falling, the ground cracking, and pieces of earth floating as earth cried out for mercy.

"What on earth are you mumbling about? Chanting a little prayer before you die?"

"Let it out Gohan. Do it NOW!"

At his father's command a sudden bright light auraed from his hand as pure power sought after it's victim. Cell taunted in response firing back enough energy to make Gohan's last effort seem meek in comparison.

"Gohan, if anywhere in your mind you're holding back because you're worried abou t the planet, forget about it! All the damage you do to the earth can be fixed by the dragon balls!"

"HA! I can feel you slipping!"

A power surged like a small light around the two warriors battling with their energy. And soon a voice cried out, "MASENKO HA!" and an energy beam fired from Piccolo to the Cell monster. His attempt appeared to fail, but was soon reinforced when Tien, Yamcha, and Krillin joined the Namekian all firing at Cell with anything they could possibly muster. Gohan watched as his friends tried relentlessly to help their friend's son whom they'd watched grow up before their eyes these last few years. He wanted them to be careful, but as Cell shoved them away all Gohan could see was their pain. His jaw dropped in fury and in a moment of Cell's distraction he let out the beginning of a final effort with a loud, "HA!"

His friends rose once more, all staggering to even remain standing simply trying to do whatever they could for Gohan and Goku. They attacked. They distracted. And the fell once more. Only to repeat the process several times.

"Gohan! Raise it higher! You can win this one!"

Gohan began slipping as his friends fell to the ground for the final time, unable to get up once more. Goku continued encouraging, desperately trying to speak courage into his son on earth, but it seemed there was no affect other than the willpower to not let up what he was presently shoving forward.

Then suddenly a large ball of glowing yellow energy descended from above Cell, catching him completely offguard. Vegeta had kept his distance as he loomed over the scene, grasping ever so tightly to his prideful title as the Prince of all Saiyans, but this had gone on long enough. Vegeta's energy quickly changed Cell's focus as Vegeta's power was much stronger than the other Z fighters, even accumulatively. Cell attempted to brace himself, but it was too late.

"NOW'S YOUR CHANCE!"

"AHHHHHHH!" Gohan lunged forth every emotion he could fathom through his one usable arm and he was suddenly fueled with the fire of blinding passion once more. He walked his beam forward. Step. By. Step. He slowly engulfed his enemy and sent his soaring into space, entirely disintegrating along the way.

It was over. Cell was dead.

Gohan let his energy fall from his body as he lost his transformation from a Super Saiyan and as his hair fell to black his body fell to the earth. His friends approached the young defender of the earth, their wounds fresh and sore yet they felt little pain as the looked at the trashed boy smiling on the ground. Gohan had begun weakly laughing pure joy as the triumph set into his mind for him to grasp.

"Ha. look at him. Guess saving the world can take its toll on you." Piccolo spoke confidently.

Piccolo, Krillin, Tien, and Yamcha laughed together already joking about the day's events. It was time that they took their dear friend's son to the guardian of the earth for a proper and thorough healing from the young Namekians seemingly magic hands. Yamcha stepped forward to lift the boy despite his own wounds and the boy fell asleep quickly in his arms. Tien went back to wear they left Trunks and grabbed him also. Krillin had desired to bring Android 18 along as well, persisting past his blushing cheeks to say that she was also a victim of Cell. They took to the sky leaving Piccolo and Vegeta behind alone. Piccolo looked up in the sky respectfully at the once apparently evil Saiyan, sending him a thank you, in his own choice of words. Vegeta was nice about it, but refused any help or offering of emotion and flew away as quickly as he could.

Piccolo readied himself to leave as well when a random blip of energy struck his keen sensing ability. It was small, obviously human, but there was something powerful about the tiny spark of energy. He assumed it had been unnoticable surrounded by all the immeasuably more powerful energies. Piccolo searched his mind to pinpoint where he needed to look for this newfound spark. His head turned slightly to the right and he set out.

A ways away from the fighting area, he found a semi-crushed limosine. He assumed it was the one that Hercule Satan had arrived in at the beginning of the Cell Games. The spark was definitely here somewhere. But a car? Then there was a movement. The trunk of the car was bent out of shape but scarcely cracked open and Piccolo swore he saw movement inside...

Easily ripping the trunk hatch from the car Piccolo discovered a barely conscious little girl. She seemed so absurdly out of place, he had no idea what to think! But she had been obviously startled and affected by the events that occured around her today. She opened her eyes weakly for a moment to look up at the green man. Her blue eyes contrasted wildly to the blackness of her mangled hair. Against Piccolo's normal behavior, he reached down and grabbed the girl as she closed her big eyes and fell into unconsciousness. Piccolo chose to bring her to Dende at the lookout as well. Her spark intrigued him.

It reminded him so much of Gohan.