Disclaimer: I don't own Dragonball Z, or any of the characters mentioned hereafter. Nor do I own the song my title is derived from, Art Of Life by X Japan.

Summary: A father's love, A mother's hate, These two will clash, For it is fate.

'thoughts'
"Speech"

Chapter 1: Mitosis

Chapter Start

It had been a slightly cloudy and greyish day, up until around ten minutes ago that is. When one of the most amazing spectacles ever seen on earth had cleared the sky of any traces of clouds. But now, now only a brown tinted light filtered its way through the dust and dirt that had been kicked up into the air by the same event that had cleared the sky.

The lay of the land had also drastically changed since the way it was this morning. It was now pockmarked with holes and ditches, scars that spoke of the vicious battle that had recently been fought. Where there once stood a stone platform, with a spire on each of its four corners, there was now a crater. The crater lay in what had once been a sprawling field.

And on the edge of this field were six beings. The publics only chances to glean the knowledge of what had happened here.

They were all unconscious, and completely oblivious to the state of the land around them.

As the dust began to settle, one of these six people only just began to return to the world of the active.

Hercule Satan, lying flat on his stomach, with his brown Gi made browner by the dirt, and afro made grimier by the same, was this person.

With a loud, moaning groan he raised himself onto his hands and knees. Hacking and coughing to get the dirt out of his throat that was lodged there.

Raising to his feet, but still bent over, hands supporting his weight on his knees, Hercule continued to cough the final remnants of the dust from his system.

Finally able to breathe normally, he stood to his full height, a height well above the normal man. And being of his stature in society, he was often asked of his opinion, and he gave it at great lengths. So when he stood fully, what happened to his mouth was a rare, and by some considered miraculous, event.

He was struck dumb.

Well, he was sort of struck dumb, he still had the ability to talk, it was just that he was too amazed to talk.

Amazed by the sight before him.

Him being amazed at something was also a rare event, considering the fact that he was in the top five wealthiest people he had seen many wondrous places and buildings, and lived in one of the most beautiful ones of all.

But it was not exactly the beauty of the place he gazed on that had struck him dumb, for it was hardly beautiful. It was the strength and power that had wrought this places new face that had left the large man speechless.

The power needed to create a crater the size of the one infront of him was of a formidable amount, and with him being the only one to have a hint of what happened, for the others were of less durable mind and body and had succumbed to unconsciousness long before he, he knew that such a power had come from two beings locked in a battle to the bitter end.

He knew not how it had happened, nor if it was truly a bitter end, but he realized that the great evil must have been defeated, for he was still alive.

Cell, the overgrown grasshopper from hell, with his monstrous power and people absorbing abilities, was defeated.

The main question running through Hercule's mind was, 'How?' He, the world champion, strongest fighter in the world, and all around great guy, had been decimated when he had fought the bug, how could anyone have defeated the bug when the strongest of all had fallen to it?

But there were those others, the people who had flown in, and that boy. It was the boy, it must have been, he was the last one Hercule saw fight the bug.

Where were they now? Where were the saviours of the world?

Behind him, another couple of the people were starting to rouse, climbing there way back to the plain of awareness they were accustomed to. Their coughs and gags went unnoticed by the Martial Arts Champion of the world.

"Wow Mr. Satan sir. That must have been some fight you gave Cell."

Hercule just stood there, gaping at the scene before him, unknowingly ignoring that reporter in blue.

"Gave Cell the good ol' one two, huh?"

Mr. Satan turned to look at the reporter, with his mind still focused on the power that he now knew existed, and gave him a small nod with a zoned out expression.

"Way to go Mr. Satan! I knew you could do it all along, no mere stomach cramp could stop you! Come on Jeremy, we have to get back to the station and report this!"

"Coming! Just let me grab this stupid camera!"

The cameraman and reporter hurriedly gathered their equipment, before slinging it on their shoulders and running off into the distance, where they had parked the networks van at a safe place.

Fifteen minutes later, Hercule sat with the same zoned out expression from before, as his personnel helicopter descended to retrieve him from the battle field.

The woman and his two students had not stopped gushing over how great Mr. Satan, the now saviour of the world, was. And they happily recounted the whole 'tale' to the pilots, who, upon hearing it, quickly added their praises to the three's.

Hercule, lost in his own world, gave them a curt nod before sitting in his seat in the back, cape wrapped tightly around him, staring out the window as they flew their way back into town.

My father was back. He had gone off to fight that mean ugly thing. But now he was back and everything was ok, just like he'd promised it would be.

I watched anxiously from the side of the landing pad as the helicopter slowly drifted in for its landing. I had wanted to go, I had told my father that I could help him fight Cell, I was a fighter too, like him. He wouldn't let me though, he had said it was too dangerous for a young girl like me.

But he was back, he always kept his promises.

He was climbing down the small ladder now, I ran over to him, breaking away from the woman's grip on my shoulders, and jumped onto his back wrapping my arms tightly around his large neck.

He laughed and easily pulled me over his head so that we could look at each other face to face. I again wrapped my arms around him.

"Daddy! You're back! I was so worried, but I knew you could beat him, I just knew it!"

My father's eyes took on a slightly glazed look, slowly he shook his head, no? My brow furrowed at this, what did he mean no?

"Cell's gone right?"

My father nodded at this. My face lit back up immediately.

"Then you beat him!"

With this I hugged him harder, resting my chin on his shoulder and closing my eyes, telling him that that subject was over now.

I heard him give a slight sigh, before walking over to the woman that had tried to hold me back earlier.

I raised my head and twisted in my father's arms so that I could see the woman he was approaching. I told her the great news before he could.

"Mommy, mommy! Daddy beat Cell!"

"That's great dear."

My father embraced my mom then, with me still wrapped around his neck and in his one arm.

I smiled, for I was happy.

End Chapter

Author's notes: Ok so how was it? This is a story of firsts for me, new style of writing, and absolutely no plans or clues as to where this is going to take us.

The next chapter of this should be coming out relatively soon. That could mean a week to a month... ya.

For anyone worried about my other story 'The Hated'... Don't. I'm just having a bit of trouble getting words down the way I want them. The third chapter will come out eventually... it's already a good bit longer than the first two.

Review if you want, no one's making you and I won't be offended if you don't.