Cell's power was shrunk, he had reverted back to his original form, and Goku had just suddenly vanished. Piccolo counted the number of strange things that had just happened. He figured out that Goku must have used his instant transmission, but where did he go?

Cell wasn't feeling too good. One of the very things that he was supposed to absorb, was just kicked out of him. The android was lying on the ground, and she wasn't looking very appetizing at the moment. He saw Gohan, who was glaring at him. Gohan had already decided that now was Cell's time to die.

Cell charged at Gohan, but he was far, far too slow. Gohan just slammed him into the ground before he realized what was going on. Cell got back up, and realized that he was defeated. He tried to attack Gohan several times, but he discovered that he was too powerful to defeat. Cell tried anyway, and he charged at Gohan. Gohan knocked him back away, and was wondering why Cell didn't just give up.

Suddenly, Goku came back. Piccolo turned around, and realized that Goku was holding Ichidou. Piccolo didn't want to look at the body…

Cell came back at Gohan again, and tried to hit the boy. Gohan just knocked him back, without even wasting any real effort.

Goku gently lowered Ichidou's body to the ground, he stood back up. He looked…peaceful. It looked like Ichidou would at least get a break from his suffering. Soon, Shenron would bring him back, and everything would be alright.

Gohan was still dominating Cell at every turn. The android couldn't possibly touch him now. At a loss for what to do against the invincible pre-teen, Cell did the only thing he could think of.

Piccolo looked down at Ichidou. He had never seen Gohan dead, either Gohan. The only thing he could think of, was that he didn't want the other Gohan to ever look like that. Those scars, the sad eyes that were now closed, the Gohan he knew would never become that. He would never have to.

Cell began to swell. "I have won!" The android announced. "I have activated my self destruct mechanism." Gohan moved. "Don't attack me, boy, you'll only bring it on faster."

Piccolo looked at Goku, who appeared to be thinking, hard. "What are you…" he said. Goku turned around, and smiled his idiot smile.

"I'm sorry, Piccolo, it's the only thing I could think to do." He said. He put his fingers on his forehead.

"GOKU, DON'T!" Krillen shouted, but Goku was already gone.

Piccolo looked down at Ichidou. At least he wouldn't have to watch his father die, a second time.

"Sorry, Gohan…" Goku said. "I should have been stronger. Tell your mother I love her, and that I'll miss her very much…" he smiled at his son.

"DAD!" Gohan said. "Don't die!" He cried out.

"I'm sorry, Gohan, but I have no choice." He touched Cell, and chuckled. "Sorry, Cell, but you still lose."

And with that, Goku vanished. Gohan's screams couldn't follow him into the afterlife. They couldn't reach them as Cell's swollen body detonated, as the hero's last thoughts strayed to his son. Yet, despite the fact that Goku couldn't hear them, he still knew. He still knew that his son was mourning him already. He loved his son very much, and was very proud of him. Goku's last words were an apology to King Kai…

Gohan collapsed. His tears came flooding out. He should have killed Cell, he should have destroyed him, he should have blasted him into dust and erased him from the surface of the earth. He didn't, and now his father was gone. The dragon balls could always bring back Ichidou, but they couldn't bring back Goku…

Gohan slammed his fists impotently into the ground. He struggled to think of what to do. He heard Krillen coming up behind him. He felt Krillen's hand on his shoulder, helping the boy to his feet. He heard the stifled sobs of his friends. He smelled his sweat, mixed with blood, both his and Cell's. He tasted the stale iron flavor of his own blood in his mouth.

He would never hear his father's voice, happy, wise, and strong. He would never feel his strong hands guiding him, or gently carrying him like he used to when Gohan was a little ball of hair and a tail. He would never again see his father smiling proudly at him. He would never taste the senzu bean enter his mouth as his father came to save him again. He would never smell the fish being roasted over the fire, when he took him fishing. All of this was gone, gone forever. His father was gone, and it was his fault.

Yet Gohan lived, and Goku did not. Gohan questioned the wisdom of the divine beings of the universe, the one's that decided who lived, and who died. Then, Gohan remembered with bitter irony, that his father had surpassed even the gods themselves. So Gohan dragged himself to his feet, and managed a weak smile for Krillen. Even though their victory was assured, no one felt like celebrating.

Suddenly, Krillen saw something out of the corner of his eye. It was android Eighteen. Apparently she was alive. Gohan's gut reaction was to kill her. His dad wouldn't have, his father would have helped her up, and tried to make her a good person, like he'd done to everyone. Gohan realized that the only person that had ever disappointed his father was himself. Gohan had failed to save the world, and his father came down, sweeping from the heavens, to save him once again. This time, however, Goku wasn't coming back.

Suddenly, a cloud of dust kicked up. Gohan turned around, and felt the ki first. He was enraged, disgusted, and had never felt more ashamed in his life. Cell, however, felt good, very good. He had managed to survive his own suicide. In fact, he managed to become perfect again. He shot a blast, a rather insignificant blast, in the direction of Piccolo. Cell was disappointed to discover that the namek, was indeed, still alive. Oh well, time to kill everyone else.

The cloud of dust scattered, and everyone's living nightmare stepped out. "Hello, everyone." He grinned. "I'm back." He looked at Gohan, scowling. "Your father screamed for mercy seconds before he died." Gohan glared at Cell. "Thanks to a really good regeneration ability, I'm stronger than ever."

"You mean like you're going to?" Gohan asked, the rage in his voice. "You've killed too many people today…" he said, charging at Cell.

Gohan came flying at Cell, while the rest of them retreated to the sidelines again. Gohan punched Cell square in the face. Cell stood there, taking in the full force of the blow. He slammed his fist straight into Gohan's head, slamming the half-saiyan into the ground.

"I'm a lot stronger than I was, Gohan…" Cell said as he planted his foot squarely in Gohan's chest. "Every time you blew off my head, or took off one of my limbs, I grew a little bit stronger." He started to push his foot down onto Gohan's chest. "Now, I'm stronger than you. I will snap…" He pushed down harder, causing Gohan to scream. "Each…" He kicked down again, getting even more screams out of Gohan. "Of…" He did it again, causing Gohan to start crying. "Your…" he said, crushing Gohan's chest again, Gohan began to black out. "Ribs!" he said, and with that, snapped his ribcage. Gohan coughed, trying to retain consciousness. He blacked out…

Suddenly, Cell was sent halfway across the field, flying through several mountains. He flew on for more than five miles. The android didn't see it coming, and neither did anyone else.

Gohan felt a small object enter his mouth. He felt someone reach down and slowly help him swallow the senzu. He felt the warmth of renewed strength enter his body. He felt his snapped ribs reform, his cuts and abrasions vanish, and his vitality return. He lie there, allowing the healing process to over come him. Time for round two, he thought.

"Thanks, Piccolo…" He got no answer. He allowed himself a few seconds of rest. From the sound of the hit, Cell wouldn't be back for at least a few minutes.