Alone with Everybody
By Butterflygirl
Chichi was almost on the point of emotional collapse when the knock came on the door. Gohan had been out for hours, and Goten had had no idea of what it had been that girl had sensed. She hadn't seemed the type to be trying to elope with her son, but…
The door was flung open in front of Will's eyes and her eyes forced themselves closed against the onslaught of the light on her retinas. She shuffled inside, Gohan still limp against her torso, and sighed in relief at having brought him safely home.
"Where were you?" Chichi asked, then her eyes fixed on her son, lying still in the girl's arms. "What happened?!" she asked in terror, but letting go a gasp of relief when she saw he was breathing.
"I don't know," Will managed, staggering out of the way as the door was shut behind her. "Something attacked us. Something strong. Where shall I put him?" Chichi showed her Gohan's bed and she dropped him the last few centimetres before slumping, exhausted. Chichi stared at the floor, and saw footprints etched in muddied blood where the girl had walked.
"What's wrong with your feet?" she asked, frowning at the mess. Will looked downwards and winced. "My shoes wore out and so did my feet, it would seem. It was a long way." Her eyelids flopped and she pulled them upwards with an effort, and began to hobble towards the door. "I'd better go home," she mumbled, reaching weakly towards the door handle. "I'll leave you all to sleep. Say hi to Gohan from me when he wakes up."
"Stay the night," Chichi offered, looking kindly at the worn out girl. "You're Will, right? Gohan told me about you." The look on the girls' face turned to panic, and Chichi realised how devastating that revelation had to be for her. "Don't worry, I won't tell anybody," she reassured her. "Sleep on the couch. It's the best we have to offer. You should have better really." The girl had picked him up, despite her apparent weakness, and walked miles to bring him home. The couch was the least she should give.
"Thanks," Will whispered, and moved to lie on the couch, asleep before her head hit the cushions.
^^^
"What happened?" Gohan asked when he woke up, seeing his little brother staring at him intently from the bed next to his.
"You got attacked. Will brought you back. She's still asleep on the couch," Goten told him actively and pulled at his hand.
"Will brought me back?" Gohan whispered, and wondered at the information. She was barely strong enough to throw a rock at any reasonable speed, even for a human, but still she had walked all the way back with him limp and useless over her shoulder?
Swinging his legs over the side of the bed, he started as the information came back to him. What happened to the Cell Junior?! His mind screamed, and he walked quickly into the sitting room, to look down at her sleeping face. It was so peaceful that he thought she might be dead, except that her chest was rising and falling normally. Those entrancing eyes were closed now, and she was curled into the foetal position, arms held tightly to her torso.
"What is she?" Goten breathed, looking over the arm of the couch. "She's not human, is she?"
"No, Goten, she's not," Gohan told him, placing a hand on his brother's head and ruffling his hair. "See? Like Piccolo." He pulled back her hair to show the pointed ear, as Will's eyes flickered open. He retracted his arm hastily.
"Gohan?" she asked drowsily, and he placed a hand on her arm.
"Look, thanks-" he began, before she winced in pain. Frowning, he grabbed her hand and pulled back her sleeve, showing huge maturing bruises that ran from her wrist to her forearm, black and purple and excruciatingly painful if he was any judge. They stood out darkly against pale, near translucent skin.
"Will, that's a fracture!" Gohan nearly yelled as he looked at her arm, running his fingers lightly over the uneven place on her limb.
She pulled away, dragging the coarse fabric over the markings his unconscious body had left. Quickly, he grabbed the other sleeve, revealing more bruises, and the neck of her top slipped as the sleeve shifted, uncovering even worse wounds on her shoulder. She recoiled from his fingers, covering the welts and standing, before gasping and sitting down again hurriedly. Looking downwards, Gohan saw the state of her feet- they were torn to ribbons. Almost literally.
"Why did you do all that?" he asked viciously, staring straight into her eyes. "Goten would have brought 'kasaan there eventually. Why did you hurt yourself so?"
Because I think I love you. Will had dragged herself through hell last night, the only thing keeping her going the thought of getting Gohan to help. The only thing persuading her it was worth it the shifting of his chest as he breathed deeply. His hair against her skin. Her pain was nothing compared to what would happen now. She'd seen him with Videl; they were destined and she was doomed. One thing she had found in this new wealth of knowledge was a species memory that had surfaced in her emotional turmoil. The main fault of her species was their loyalty, to the point of excess. They only fell in love once in a lifetime, and those not loved back often died early deaths from their impulsive confusion. Which meant that she would die earlier than she had suspected, even in her most pessimistic moods. Because Gohan was falling for Videl, and the feeling appeared to be mutual. "How was I supposed to know?" Will replied bitingly. "I know next to nothing about you or your family." The whole thought process had taken only a few seconds, the realisations and emotions running through her mind at lightning speed.
"What happened to the Cell Junior?" Gohan asked now, getting down to business and sitting down beside her. Will clamped her hands in her lap and put on her 'reporting' face. "I destroyed it," she whispered, and realised how stupid it sounded. "I…did something I can't explain. Somehow, I created an image of myself as an angel. The thing thought I was an angel, an almighty creature of Kami, and expected destruction. Then I shot light at it." She stopped, and realised her hands were shaking. "It was only light. It didn't destroy anything else. It wasn't any kind of energy except light. And its expectation of destruction meant that it disintegrated." She sighed, a breath of resignation. "It was a cowardly way to kill. All I did was trick its mind. I'm too weak to be any use to anybody."
"Well, you were useful to me," Gohan told her with a grin. "You saved my life!"
Will smiled weakly. "You go back to bed now. You're too hurt. I'll walk to the village and get a cab."
"I won't hear of it!" Chichi exclaimed from the background. "You can't walk with your feet in tatters. But she's right about one thing, mister- you get back to bed now! Goten will fly her back on Nimbus." She turned to the girl "And we need to bandage your feet…"
Gohan trudged back to his room, and stole another look at Will as she walked out of the door, his little brother on her heels.
^^^
When Will got inside, she collapsed against the front door, having waved goodbye to Goten, and made sure nobody could see her through a window. Finally! Then she screamed in pain, and fell to the floor.
# Will? # Gohan had heard an animal cry of wordless agony, and he was in her mind, probing her for answers. She hadn't realised that her psyche had been flung wide open. Slamming closed the contact, she started to cry helplessly both with her injuries and the bittersweet pain she felt at the entrapment her very species had brought upon her.
By Butterflygirl
Chichi was almost on the point of emotional collapse when the knock came on the door. Gohan had been out for hours, and Goten had had no idea of what it had been that girl had sensed. She hadn't seemed the type to be trying to elope with her son, but…
The door was flung open in front of Will's eyes and her eyes forced themselves closed against the onslaught of the light on her retinas. She shuffled inside, Gohan still limp against her torso, and sighed in relief at having brought him safely home.
"Where were you?" Chichi asked, then her eyes fixed on her son, lying still in the girl's arms. "What happened?!" she asked in terror, but letting go a gasp of relief when she saw he was breathing.
"I don't know," Will managed, staggering out of the way as the door was shut behind her. "Something attacked us. Something strong. Where shall I put him?" Chichi showed her Gohan's bed and she dropped him the last few centimetres before slumping, exhausted. Chichi stared at the floor, and saw footprints etched in muddied blood where the girl had walked.
"What's wrong with your feet?" she asked, frowning at the mess. Will looked downwards and winced. "My shoes wore out and so did my feet, it would seem. It was a long way." Her eyelids flopped and she pulled them upwards with an effort, and began to hobble towards the door. "I'd better go home," she mumbled, reaching weakly towards the door handle. "I'll leave you all to sleep. Say hi to Gohan from me when he wakes up."
"Stay the night," Chichi offered, looking kindly at the worn out girl. "You're Will, right? Gohan told me about you." The look on the girls' face turned to panic, and Chichi realised how devastating that revelation had to be for her. "Don't worry, I won't tell anybody," she reassured her. "Sleep on the couch. It's the best we have to offer. You should have better really." The girl had picked him up, despite her apparent weakness, and walked miles to bring him home. The couch was the least she should give.
"Thanks," Will whispered, and moved to lie on the couch, asleep before her head hit the cushions.
^^^
"What happened?" Gohan asked when he woke up, seeing his little brother staring at him intently from the bed next to his.
"You got attacked. Will brought you back. She's still asleep on the couch," Goten told him actively and pulled at his hand.
"Will brought me back?" Gohan whispered, and wondered at the information. She was barely strong enough to throw a rock at any reasonable speed, even for a human, but still she had walked all the way back with him limp and useless over her shoulder?
Swinging his legs over the side of the bed, he started as the information came back to him. What happened to the Cell Junior?! His mind screamed, and he walked quickly into the sitting room, to look down at her sleeping face. It was so peaceful that he thought she might be dead, except that her chest was rising and falling normally. Those entrancing eyes were closed now, and she was curled into the foetal position, arms held tightly to her torso.
"What is she?" Goten breathed, looking over the arm of the couch. "She's not human, is she?"
"No, Goten, she's not," Gohan told him, placing a hand on his brother's head and ruffling his hair. "See? Like Piccolo." He pulled back her hair to show the pointed ear, as Will's eyes flickered open. He retracted his arm hastily.
"Gohan?" she asked drowsily, and he placed a hand on her arm.
"Look, thanks-" he began, before she winced in pain. Frowning, he grabbed her hand and pulled back her sleeve, showing huge maturing bruises that ran from her wrist to her forearm, black and purple and excruciatingly painful if he was any judge. They stood out darkly against pale, near translucent skin.
"Will, that's a fracture!" Gohan nearly yelled as he looked at her arm, running his fingers lightly over the uneven place on her limb.
She pulled away, dragging the coarse fabric over the markings his unconscious body had left. Quickly, he grabbed the other sleeve, revealing more bruises, and the neck of her top slipped as the sleeve shifted, uncovering even worse wounds on her shoulder. She recoiled from his fingers, covering the welts and standing, before gasping and sitting down again hurriedly. Looking downwards, Gohan saw the state of her feet- they were torn to ribbons. Almost literally.
"Why did you do all that?" he asked viciously, staring straight into her eyes. "Goten would have brought 'kasaan there eventually. Why did you hurt yourself so?"
Because I think I love you. Will had dragged herself through hell last night, the only thing keeping her going the thought of getting Gohan to help. The only thing persuading her it was worth it the shifting of his chest as he breathed deeply. His hair against her skin. Her pain was nothing compared to what would happen now. She'd seen him with Videl; they were destined and she was doomed. One thing she had found in this new wealth of knowledge was a species memory that had surfaced in her emotional turmoil. The main fault of her species was their loyalty, to the point of excess. They only fell in love once in a lifetime, and those not loved back often died early deaths from their impulsive confusion. Which meant that she would die earlier than she had suspected, even in her most pessimistic moods. Because Gohan was falling for Videl, and the feeling appeared to be mutual. "How was I supposed to know?" Will replied bitingly. "I know next to nothing about you or your family." The whole thought process had taken only a few seconds, the realisations and emotions running through her mind at lightning speed.
"What happened to the Cell Junior?" Gohan asked now, getting down to business and sitting down beside her. Will clamped her hands in her lap and put on her 'reporting' face. "I destroyed it," she whispered, and realised how stupid it sounded. "I…did something I can't explain. Somehow, I created an image of myself as an angel. The thing thought I was an angel, an almighty creature of Kami, and expected destruction. Then I shot light at it." She stopped, and realised her hands were shaking. "It was only light. It didn't destroy anything else. It wasn't any kind of energy except light. And its expectation of destruction meant that it disintegrated." She sighed, a breath of resignation. "It was a cowardly way to kill. All I did was trick its mind. I'm too weak to be any use to anybody."
"Well, you were useful to me," Gohan told her with a grin. "You saved my life!"
Will smiled weakly. "You go back to bed now. You're too hurt. I'll walk to the village and get a cab."
"I won't hear of it!" Chichi exclaimed from the background. "You can't walk with your feet in tatters. But she's right about one thing, mister- you get back to bed now! Goten will fly her back on Nimbus." She turned to the girl "And we need to bandage your feet…"
Gohan trudged back to his room, and stole another look at Will as she walked out of the door, his little brother on her heels.
^^^
When Will got inside, she collapsed against the front door, having waved goodbye to Goten, and made sure nobody could see her through a window. Finally! Then she screamed in pain, and fell to the floor.
# Will? # Gohan had heard an animal cry of wordless agony, and he was in her mind, probing her for answers. She hadn't realised that her psyche had been flung wide open. Slamming closed the contact, she started to cry helplessly both with her injuries and the bittersweet pain she felt at the entrapment her very species had brought upon her.