Three hundred and fifty measly Zeni, that was how much her life was worth. Natsu glared at the numbers displaying on her scouter, smearing blood away from her lips. Sure, she'd failed the mission, but she'd hoped they'd at least take into account her current state. Violent cuts and bruises peeked through the remains of her tattered gi. Her left eye was half-closed from the punch that Recoome landed on her. At her feet lay a broken katana, the splintered steel glinting in the sun.
(The afternoon heat pressed uncomfortably against her skin, but it was the light reflecting in her eye that made her finally move.)
"Worthless piece of—" she snapped, kicking up a cloud of dirt. She dug her hands into her hair in frustration, grinding her teeth together. She took deep, steadying breaths, with her heartbeat still hammering in her ears.
Inhale. Exhale. Inhale.
She'd failed another mission. One more in a long line of failures. The reward wasn't even enough to cover a new set of clothes, much less food and expenses. She'd have to dig even more into her savings, money that was supposed to go to her parents. There was no denying it anymore. A year ago, she could handle six-star missions with ease. Then things changed and suddenly the same missions became much harder and she had to move down until—
[five]
[four]
[three]
—she admitted to herself she couldn't keep doing this alone. Not anymore. And she knew the exact moment when things had changed, though admitting that was much harder than admitting she needed help.
(She was made of ash from that moment on. Vulnerable and ephemeral.)
And it was because of that Moment (one that robbed her of her sleep and haunted whatever scraps of dreams she had left) that she had refused to find another team. Natsu dragged her hands over her face and groaned. What could she do when she didn't have a choice? The lower level missions weren't worth it. There weren't enough hours in the day for her to grind those for a semi-decent sum. Her parents needed that money, even if they tried to convince her otherwise. The price of water on their planet had gone up again.
Unless…
She peeked through her fingers, focusing on nothing in particular. She didn't have to join a team and she didn't have to do the missions alone. Not if she stuck to the mentors. Patrollers wouldn't do, they'd ask too many questions. They'd try to get attached. Though her choices would be limited to a few for several reasons. She'd have to look at the roster once she returned to Toki Toki City.
Patrollers crawled over the city like ants when she arrived, docking her time machine into the station in front of Hercule's statue. Natsu tensed as she exited and pushed her way through the crowds. She always spent as little time as possible around the city, with most of her time spent either on missions or in her room. There were few faces that would remember her, but a whole lot more she didn't want to see again.
But all of them would always gawk whenever she walked by.
In the silence of her room, she leaned back and sagged against the door. Here, at least, she could let her guard down.
She peeled off her gi and tossed it aside, along with her undershirt and the rest of her clothes. Under a steady stream of warm water, Natsu scrubbed all the sweat and dirt from her body. While she would've loved to soak for a bit in the tub, she knew she had to get back to her missions. Besides, she didn't like spending too much time alone with her thoughts.
Once she finished, she wrapped herself in a towel and stood in front of the mirror. Her reflection stared back, fragmented and in pieces where she'd struck the glass.
(She hadn't dreamed of repairing it since, even though it stood as another reminder of that day. Something inside her was afraid of moving it and seeing the glass that still miraculously held together finally shatter to pieces with a single touch.)
Not many people would still recognize her from before. She'd cut her hair short since then and dyed it white. The skin on her left cheek scarred, leaving it ridged and discolored. It went from her temple down to her chin and caused her eyelid to droop slightly. Natsu pressed the tips of her fingers under her eyes and stretched the skin down, groaning over the bags that had developed. A year of sleepless nights gave her a haggard appearance. One she wasn't sure she'd ever be able to get rid of.
She reached for the capsule box she kept beside the sink, pulled out an energy one and tilted its contents into her mouth. The liquid seeped into her tired limbs, making her body feel light and strong again. Her fresh cuts and bruises were still there, however, something that only a Senzu Essence capsule could heal instantly. Natsu had only two, both acquired by sheer luck, but preferred to save them for more dire circumstances. Walking out to her dresser, she pulled out a red tank top and pants to wear. They wouldn't provide much protection like the tailored outfits from the shops, but they'd have to do.
Natsu clipped her holoport — a cylinder-shaped portable computer about the size of her hand —to her belt before going back outside.
The Quest station was thankfully not too busy when she arrived. She looked at the list of available partners, ignoring all the patrollers on there. That left only the mentors.
Two names caught her eye. The very reasons she'd joined the Patrol in the first place.
Son Goku and Vegeta.
Her chest felt tight. Some time ago, she would've jumped at the chance to fight alongside them. But things had changed.
[no, she'd changed]
Their names, in turn, further eliminated those who were associated with the two. The Namekian, the half-Saiyans, and the humans. Unfortunately, that meant Eighteen and her brother, Seventeen, were out of the question too. Of course, Ginyu and his men weren't an option either. She didn't think she could face her old mentor without breaking down. She removed four more options simply for their incompetence.
One more name caught her attention, but for another reason entirely.
Her hands began to shake. For one split second, she couldn't think straight. The world around her tilted and spun. She gripped the counter for balance. Suddenly she was there again, surrounded by fire and blood. Natsu wanted to scream, to run away and hide in her room. But her legs wouldn't stop shaking. Black spots danced in her vision.
He was there again, looming over her. Just as it had happened before.
Sometimes, in those tired moments when sleep tried to claim her and the sky was still ink-stained and quiet, she dreamed of it too.
(It was always the same.)
(A sickly green aura, her fear strangling the last of her resolve.)
[The left side of her face burned.]
A scream pierced the air and it isn't until a heavy hand clamped down on her that she realized it came from her. She blinked and suddenly she was back in Toki Toki City. Faces hovered above her. She was on her back now, her chest heaving with ragged gasps of air. Her eyes were wide, frightened, darting around from face to face.
"Are you alright?" The person whose hand had gripped her asked. He was an older man, with a thick white mustache. Concern tightened around his eyes as he looked over her. His gaze lingered on her left cheek.
Natsu tried to steady herself again, taking deep breaths.
She was here. [breathe] In Toki-Toki City. [breathe] She was safe. [breathe]
Physically, at least.
Natsu pushed his hand away and sat up. "I'm fine," she snapped. It shouldn't have sounded so curt, but she couldn't afford to have him or anyone else start questioning and prying. Natsu stood up, dusted herself off and stormed away from the group without so much as a glance back.
She sat in one of the empty benches nearby while waiting for her trembling to stop. She hadn't had an attack like that in months. Though, she also hadn't expected to see his name as an available partner. How could the Kai allow that? Or even Trunks. Surely, they wouldn't let someone so dangerous around. Even though the timeline had been different, there was always the possibility it could happen. Except—
She had forgotten one very crucial detail.
No one but her knew what happened.
She'd never told anyone.
[silence was compliance]
She couldn't.
[silence was compliance]
Not when her own hands were just as dirty.
Natsu dug her hands into her hair, rocking back in forth. She couldn't think about such things. Not here, in full view of everyone. And she still had missions to work. Her parents needed the money. She tried to remember the remaining list of partners in her head. She couldn't go back to see the actual list. Didn't want to face another possible attack.
Bardock? No, he looked too much like Goku. The Buus? The tall one and the short one were strong, but also frightening. The fat one, maybe. Beerus and Whis? They were way out of her league and much too indifferent. Besides, something about Whis unsettled her deeply. He was far too knowing.
In the end, she stood and walked back to the PQ station having made the safest decisions she could. Now all she had to was wait for her partners to be ready.
[tick]
Of all the creatures Cell had to partner with, he abhorred the Majin the most. Though Gohan did come at a close second. The two were waiting on a grassy islet near a cliff for the Patroller to arrive. Cell was doing his best to ignore the creature's incessant babbling about its need for sustenance and other such nonsense. Why anyone would choose it as an ally was beyond him.
[tock]
He would not be here, if he had any choice in the matter. Wouldn't waste his valuable time training worthless children. Though he supposed doing this was better than rotting in that wretched earthen Hell. He shuddered at the thought of those mind-numbingly, saccharine angels and their endless parading. At least the training provided him with both an outlet for his power and the chance to grow stronger. During a mission, he'd witnessed firsthand the immense power gap between himself and Goku. The Saiyan had reached new heights, even achieved the power of a god.
It was almost shameful how much his own power now paled in comparison.
[tick]
Summoning him here wasn't his choice nor was it to train these naïve patrollers. They'd coerced him and that fact concerned him the most. To keep them in line, the Kais bound their existences to a random patroller. It was to ensure no one would attempt to go on a rampage and end up accidentally sending themselves back to Hell (though if they asked, he would say he agreed out of revenge). Of course, the heroes had no need for such measures.
He imagined the Kais conspiring with Enma Daiō and laughing at his predicament. Over having him effectively "leashed". They probably thought he deserved it.
The thought made his blood boil.
[tock]
This was absurd. Where the hell was that patroller? They were wasting time he could put to better uses. Like finding who he was bound to. The Kai had been scarce with the details and he contemplated just snatching her up by the ankles and shaking the information out of her.
He could have, if he didn't care about going back to Hell. She didn't even reach to his waist.
The others didn't seem too concerned about it, especially after the Kai assured them that the patrollers weren't in danger during the missions. But he knew better than to trust the Kai.
[tick]
A disturbance in the air made him look up. A time machine appeared in a flash of brilliant light, touching down on the grass behind the two fighters. It seemed the patroller had finally decided to join them. The machine powered down and after a few seconds the cockpit opened with a hiss.
"Finally! Buu hate waiting," the Majin said as the patroller inside climbed out onto Namekian soil.
She ignored it completely, brushing past both of them on her way to stand at the ready. And Cell couldn't help but stare for a number of reasons.
(one: the girl was tiny, taller than the Kai at least, but not by much. and she was a Saiyan, from what he could tell, though she looked much too small to be part of such a warrior race)
(two: he wasn't expecting someone so hollow-eyed and scarred)
(three: there was a pull)
[tock]
The girl had positioned herself in front of them as they awaited the mission start. And for the split second it took Cell to process everything, he couldn't move. As soon as the girl had been in close proximity, he'd felt it. Like an invisible pull that ebbed when she moved away. This had to be it. The patroller the Kai had bound him to.
He thought of the Kais again, laughing over their choice.
He would make certain to slaughter her in front of them for their insolence once he was freed.
She would not survive if he left her alone. Not with that power level. Unless she was hiding some untapped well of energy, though he doubted that was the case. The mission she'd chosen was beyond simplistic.
The girl took off at the start, holding a Dragon Radar in her hands and scanning the landscape. Cell and the Majin took flight with her. She'd been silent since her arrival, ignoring them completely. This wouldn't do, especially after wasting his time waiting.
"I suppose you have a plan for this mission," he said.
The girl didn't turn to look at him. "Sure. Find the Dragon Balls; kill anything that gets in the way. Simple."
She said it with such certainty that he started to doubt his earlier appraisal of her. She spotted the first Dragon Ball just as he felt a couple of ki signatures heading their way. It was the perfect opportunity to observe just what she was capable of. What the Kais had burdened him with.
With the Dragon Ball under one arm and Frieza's soldiers closing in, the girl turned to Buu. She pointed towards the approaching fighters with her free hand. "Buu!" The Majin turned to her. "Those guys over there? They stole the pudding I was going to give you as a reward for today."
Cell quirked a brow ridge. Pudding? That was her incentive? It seemed pretty obvious she was lying.
It shouldn't have surprised him that the creature fell for it. Steam billowed from its pores and it charged at the soldiers at full speed. She swiveled to him now.
"You can teleport, right?"
"I can," he replied.
She tossed the Dragon Ball to him without so much as a warning. He caught it easily.
"Take that to the time machine while I find the rest. Teleport back to me when you're done. It'll be faster that way," she ordered before flying off.
He had to admit he was a little impressed by her confidence. Perhaps he had misjudged her. After all, she did know how to control the Majin. He touched two fingers to his forehead and warped to the time machine, depositing the Dragon Ball. Curiosity had overwhelmed his offense at her barking orders to him. He wanted to see just how she fared.
He felt more power levels heading her way and teleported back. She'd found another Dragon Ball, it seemed, which attracted more of Freeza's soldiers. The Majin was doing his part and fighting his share, but even it couldn't handle them all. The girl caught sight of Cell and hurled the Dragon Ball towards him.
"Take it, I'll find the others!"
Of course, he didn't move. Instead, he followed her at a more leisurely pace. He wanted to see her fare against the soldiers.
He frowned when he saw the extent of her strategy. She wasn't attacking. Instead, she dodged every one of their attempts to attack. One of the soldiers managed to strike her with a ki blast when she'd backed herself into a corner. The girl wasted no time flipping back onto her feet. She ducked and weaved from their punches and kicks. He would've been more impressed if she'd done it all with a purpose. The girl was dodging out of desperation, relying on luck.
Her luck ran out when she vaulted right into the laser of another soldier. It struck her arm, pushing her back a bit. She threw out a few ki blasts but the men swatted them away.
She was agile, no doubt. But she was weak.
She would definitely not survive on her own.
Cell appeared behind her, grabbing her by the collar as she was about to move. He tossed her behind him with no effort. "Stand back."
He widened his stance and brought his hands aside. Energy glowed bright blue between them.
"KAMEHAMEHA!"
The ensuing blast vaporized the enemies before them and collided with a cliffside in the distance. Earth crumbled and fell to the ocean waters below. As the dust cleared, he straightened and angled his head to face the girl. She was on the ground, staring ahead with a dumbfounded expression on her face.
Pathetic. The Kais didn't respect him at all, if this is what they saddled him with.
"Need I remind you that we're on a time limit?" he sneered when she still hadn't moved. "Perhaps you're in need of a watch?"
This seemed to snap her out of her daze. Her eyes snapped up to meet his gaze for a brief second before she pushed herself up. "R-Right."
"Take the Dragon Balls back to the ship and we'll take care of the soldiers, understood?"
She nodded and quickly went to retrieve the one he'd discarded to fight. Cell didn't watch her leave as he intercepted more soldiers coming her way. He ordered the Majin to fight and focused on defeating their opponents. The soldiers went down easy under his power. He kept his senses alert in case any of them approached the girl alone. After the third Ball was deposited the girl announced that the mission was over.
(It did not escape his notice that the Saiyan kept glancing his way.)
When they arrived back to Toki Toki City, he cornered her. With his back to the sun, Cell's body cast a long shadow over the tiny Saiyan. She immediately looked up, her brows furrowed.
"What?"
This part he had to handle carefully. She could not find out the power she had over him and his very existence. So he had to be convincing. Especially when there were other patrollers with more power than her for him to notice. Like Kel, the future warrior, whom Cell had trained before Kel moved on to much stronger mentors.
(Even now, it brought a bitter taste to his mouth admitting so.)
"Your performance out there was egregious. I'm genuinely surprised you're still alive," he said with a scowl. Her mouth dropped open in offense. Cell pointed to her exposed arms, covered in old and fresh lesions. "And all those wounds say it's a common occurrence."
She looked down at her feet and mumbled, "Yeah."
"But you Saiyans don't stay weak for very long do you?" Cell crossed his arms, raising a fist to his chin and pretending to think it over. "I've decided. I'll choose you."
"Huh?"
"I've decided to be your mentor," he repeated, pronouncing each word more carefully. "We'll make it a game. I'll see how much I can train an imperfect being such as yourself. Provided you can keep up, of course."
"Mentor…" she said softly and looked past him with unfocused eyes. For a few minutes, she was completely silent and lost in her thoughts. Then she snapped her gaze back to him with narrowed eyes. "Wait, I know you aren't offering out of concern. So, why?"
He closed his eyes and chuckled. "Perceptive. You're right, I couldn't care less what happens to you. But I do admit, I'm bored and am looking for a challenge."
"So you'll...make me stronger?" she asked.
"That all depends on you. My training will be rigorous and I expect you to keep up with it if you're to be my student. I won't hold back just because you're unprepared," he warned. "Of course, no amount of training will give you the perfect power that I possess."
The girl snorted. "Can't be that perfect if you ended up losing."
He gripped her face tightly and yanked her forward so that they were face to face. She yelped at the sudden movement, her eyes wide.
"And I will not tolerate any disrespect, Saiyan," Cell added, his voice low and venomous. He punctuated his words by digging his claws into her skin. "You have ten minutes to prepare before we start training. Understood?"
(There was something in her eyes then. A spark that looked familiar. He wondered if it was her Saiyan genes calling out to his own.)
"Yes," she replied and he let go. Cell turned away, walking to his spot beside the statue. "And it's Natsu, by the way!"
"Five minutes," he called back and ignored her protests as he waited.
This was only a temporary solution to his predicament. He'd have to find a way to undo whatever sorcery the Kais had done. In the meantime, he would train the girl and force her to grow stronger. Besides, training with a Saiyan had its advantages. He could rise to new levels, much more than if he trained alone.
The thought would hopefully make the upcoming weeks bearable.
When he defeated all those Freeza soldiers in one blast, she couldn't help but stare. What was a struggle for her was nothing more than a tiny nuisance for him.
And in between searching for the Dragon Balls Natsu watched him. All she could catch were glimpses (they were on a mission, after all), but it was enough.
[turning, lunging, striking]
Each of his movements flowed together with a vicious grace.
She didn't think her heart would beat again for anything other than fear. When he chastised her performance, she knew. If Natsu had been strong, she might've stood a chance back then. She might have saved them.
(She was vulnerable like ash. But Cell was like a tree, so solid, deeply rooted and immovable.)
She lacked [needed, wanted] power. And if Cell was willing to help her, then Natsu would gladly take the chance. So she accepted his game. Even if he would end up breaking her down until she was nothing.
You can't break what was never whole in the first place.
Then he walked away, leaving her with more scars and 600 more Zeni to her name.
A/N: I originally uploaded a previous version of this fic around this time last year. However, I wasn't happy with how it progressed and therefore I began reworking on it. This fic will update sporadically as I'm also juggling another fic rewrite, a short story that I plan to submit for an anthology, and my original novel WIPs. Hope you guys like this self-indulgent fic!