Redemption's Side

Disclaimer: Dragonball Z and all its characters © Akira Toriyama, BIRD STUDIO/SHUEISHA, TOEI Animation. Licensed by FUNimation Production, Ltd. All Rights Reserved

Disclaimer 2: All fictional character © Eileen Ayling Setiawan (author) and any aliases she assumes (H-san, Hina-chan, etc…)

Author's Note: This takes place after the first part of Masshiro na Yuki: Pure White Snow, my fanfiction about Kinoko, the female Saiya-jin. It's a filler of sorts.

Author's Note 2: This was inspired by vege-chan from deviantArt. Go visit her!!


HIS SIDE

Chapter Eight: I Hate My Life…



"His Side": This is the true beginning of Cell/Seru's story. We will begin with "his side" of the Redemption. "His side" is possibly going to be the longest (duh! Main character!). Let us traverse into Cell's redemption!


The airship landed in the middle of the ring, setting its two passengers down onto the ground, then once again leaving to wherever it had come.

"Welcome back!" said the announcer into his microphone. He waved the two over. "Come here! Come here!" Aisu walked over, dragging an annoyed Cell behind her.

"You two were wonderful!" said the announcer. The crowd agreed with a load roar. Aisu giggled, waving just to see what the crowd would do. It managed to get louder, if that was possible. Behind her, Cell scowled. It was too noisy, much too much noise.

"Now, as you probably heard, your battle has come as a tie!" said the announcer, grinning at the both of them. "Do you have anything to say about this?"

The announcer pushed the microphone to Cell, who looked away. Aisu chuckled.

"What Seru-san is trying to say, is he'd like a rematch one of these days. Ne, Seru-san?"

Cell looked incredulously at Aisu, who smiled back at him with a challenging, but non-concerting, smile. Cell sighed inwardly. He had to admit this girl was daring, if not foolish and annoying. The announcer interrupted his thought processes.

"As winners of this year's Tenkaichi mock rounds, we would like to award you something to show our appreciation of your time here."

Two monks emerged from the entrance into the arena, each holding glass cases in their hands. Through the glass, Cell could make out an object of some sort, a pendant? It was not until the two monks had reached the trio that Cell realised what it was. Just as he had assumed: a pendant. A medallion, with a fist emblazoned on the front and arched words reading "28th Tenkaichi Budoukai" was handed to both of them. Aisu thanked the monk who handed her the prize, whilst Cell merely grabbed it half-heartedly.

A pendant? All that, for a useless, metallic spheroid?

"Furthermore, we would like to give our thanks to the two winners of the Tenkaichi Budoukai mock rounds. It was an honour watching you fight!"

The crowd cheered and applauded for the two fighters, a scream going around. Cell then noticed Goten, Trunks and Pan heading towards Aisu. It was his turn to leave.

Turning on his heels, Cell made a quick departure. It was lucky for him the four were too preoccupied congratulating and thanking to notice his leave. His head was pounding for some strange reason. And he was beginning to feel the wear on his body. He scoffed under his breath. The human body was weak, no matter what any scientific textbook said.

As he entered into the grounds outside the stadium, he could still hear the crowds ringing in his ears. He gave a quick sigh, heading towards the docks. Maybe he could sneak onto another ferry.

As he continued on his way, hands stuffed in his pockets, looking sullen, the familiar voice of Jaena interrupted his musings. He gritted his teeth, turning to the ogress. She had managed to disappear during Cell's time in the tournament, and Cell believed that she had left him for good when she did not bother to comment on his final fight. It seemed he was wrong.

"I thought I got rid of you for good," he responded to her greeting.

Jaena flared up, a red glow engulfing her in anger, which died almost as instantly.

"I will ignore your boorish comment, because unlike you who was getting beaten up (by a girl, I might add), I found you a job, a place to stay, and a school to go to."

Cell went silent, registering her words. Only three words could sum up his thoughts and disbelief.

"What the Hell?" he stated bluntly, giving a blank stare to the ogress floating just metres from his shoulder.

She nodded, an almost mischievous grin plastered on her tiny visage.

"Once you get to the mainland, I'll show you," she said curtly, turning around and vanishing.

Cell opened his mouth to say something, but was stopped as he heard the crowd coming in from behind.

Ah shit, he thought. He made a quick retreat to the docks. He did not want any of their congratulatory remarks. It only made him feel more… human.


Once Cell reached the docks, he looked at the man standing guard at the entryway. The ticket man from before, or at least, the man that looked like the ticket man from before. As Cell approached, he could see the man's expression change from bleak earnest to delightful interest.

"Ah, if it isn't the man from the mock rounds! Seru, I believe?" questioned the man, looking at Cell with a mixture of awe and interest.

Cell made a quick sound of acknowledgement, peering around.

"Well, sir, would you like to board the ferry?"

Cell's eyebrows rose. This man was letting him on?

"Sure," said Cell hesitantly, still suspicious.

"Ticket?"

Cell sighed, louder than he wanted to.

"Oh, you don't have a ticket?"

Cell remained quiet, looking to the mainland.

"It's okay sir," said the man, leaning in, a little too in for Cell's sake, and whispering. "I'll let you go this time."

This idiot doesn't even remember me… thought Cell, shrugging and walking onboard as the ticket man moved out of the way for his passage. Whatever, as long as I get off this godforsaken island…

Like before, Cell stood at the bow end, leaning over the railings, his back turned to where the passengers boarded. He hoped no one would notice who he was.


As he reached shore, he glared back at the crowd, who waved him off the ferry. He was glad to be away from that place. All the harassing and the grabbing, their voices ringing in his head. The ferry ride was a long one, made equally longer with their jabbering. As he traversed the path into the city, Jaena appeared by his head, causing greater irritation to the already irritated young Cell.

"What?" he snapped towards her, causing a passer-by to stare strangely. Before the passer-by could register who Cell was, he had turned, pacing away, still looking irritated.

"I merely want to inform you of your residence on this planet," said Jaena matter-of-factly, still floating around Cell's shoulder as he strode forward, looking very secretarial.

Cell gave an irritated sigh. "Fine, hurry it up," he snapped, his head looking towards the floor, but his eyes darting up towards her.

She gave a sheepish smile. "It's at Satan City," she said shortly, expecting Cell to know what she had just said.

He stared blankly. "So?" he asked bluntly.

"So? Satan City is miles away from here, near Son Goku's house," she explained. She motioned to the vast expanse of city. "We're in the Western Capital."

Cell's stare remained blank until it finally registered. He had been fed all of Earth's locations, as well as the powers bestowed upon him, during his incubation. The Western Capital was located northwest of Papaya Island where the Tenkaichi Budoukai was held each year. It was a pretty long journey, which allowed Cell to realise why the ferry trips seemed so dauntingly long. He then realised…

"How am I supposed to get to this friggen' city if I can't even fly?! That's practically on the other side of the world!" he yelled. Many people saw a young man yelling at air about flying: a strange sight indeed.


Several hours, and more irritation on Cell's part, later, Cell was on an airship thanks to some tweaking and adoration by growing fans to Cell's stunts on the big screen as he fought at the Tenkaichi mock rounds. Jaena had actually been thankful that Cell had disobeyed her ("But if you do it often, it will go against your final evaluation," added Jaena matter-of-factly), but was more than happy to watch her charge suffer.

Right now, they flew aboard a cargo ship towards Satan City. He sat wedged between a pile of boxes marked "Fragile" and a caged dog, who, when not barking, would be trying to lick and bite Cell through the bars.

He growled, wanting to rip the tongue out of the mutt's throat. Except with Jaena keeping constant watch, and having already been bitten twice by the dog, Cell knew that was an impossible dream. Instead, he amused himself by thinking of twisted ways to get out of this horrendous nightmare.

When they finally reached ground, Cell was happy to get away from the cargo bay. He had dog drool over the right side of his face and on the collar of his shirt. He could feel it soaking through.

Disgusting, he thought, thinking of the similarities between that dog and Goku at feeding time. He let his mouth give way to an amused smirk.

"Well, here we are!" motioned Jaena to the expanse of city ahead. "Well, let's get going, huh? I'll give you directions, just follow what I say." Jaena perched on Cell's shoulder, then, as loud as she could in his right ear, she yelled: "STRAIGHT!"

Cell cringed at the pain in his ear. Growling, he swiped her away, causing her to go flying off and spiralling into the distance. Still angry, he strode forward as the cargo men waved their mock Budoukai champion goodbye.


When Cell arrived at his lodging, he looked upon the building with disgust. In front of him was a well-worn building, with shutters hanging off the last remnants of its rusty hinges, a front door that remained slightly ajar from years of neglect, and dirt and abrasions scuffing the once brick-laden building. Rubbish cans lay to the side, flies buzzing around as they fed on the decaying food and other such refuse. Cell looked into the alleyway, the smell of pungent urine mixed with trash hitting his senses. He scoffed in disgust, looking to the building once more.

"Welcome home!" exclaimed Jaena's voice.

"You're not serious, are you?" asked Cell, shooting Jaena a withering look.

"I don't see what's so wrong with it. You're only going to be here until you complete 210 good deeds," stated Jaena.

Cell grit his teeth, highly annoyed. If it were not for the fact that a bum was staring at him from the alleyway, he would have probably retaliated verbally. Instead, he whacked Jaena away and stalked into the building.

I hate my life… he thought, grabbing hold of the handle of the door and pulling. The door did not budge. Cell then pushed, still nothing. He then jangled the doorknob. Nothing.

All his attempts led to nothing.

Why won't this fuckin' thing -? he thought, violently shaking the door.

"Hey man," came the drunkard's voice. Cell turned, seeing the homeless man walking towards him. "You gotta push and jerk, man."

"What?" snapped Cell.

"Like this," the drunkard grabbed the door handle, pushing it in and than jerking the handle up. The door slid open with ease, groaning in the drunkard's wake.

The drunkard gave Cell a yellow-toothed, wide grin, Cell smelling the alcohol on his breath. Cell swallowed back the urge to retch, a strained smile appearing on his face to force back the vomit-reaction. Cell then walked inside, leaving behind the drunkard who stared after him.


Reaching the appointed floor that Jaena had prearranged for him during her time as a "human" ("Oh, it was the best thing!" she had gushed), Cell trudged towards the door. He looked upon the room number, than turned to look at Jaena.

Jaena shrugged.

"It was the only one left," she said nonchalantly, floating off Cell's shoulder and towards the door. She stood on the doorhandle. "Well?" she asked, tapping her high-heeled shoe on the soiled bronze knob.

Cell growled, jamming the key into the handle violently and turning it as forcefully as he could. A click resounded as Cell unlocked the door. Taking out the key, the door swung open with a creaking of hinges and Jaena's loud "woah" as Cell forcefully pushed the door open.

"Does everything creak in this building?" muttered Cell, looking around the room newly appointed to him. His brow cocked at the sight.

When Jaena said a "one room apartment", she literally meant a "one room apartment". The bathroom, bedroom, kitchen and lounge room were all in one room. The bathroom was separated by the rest of the apartment via a single rotting wooden partition.

The smell was not very pleasant too. Cell's human nose wrinkled in disgust as he turned his head away. Meanwhile, Jaena reappeared before his eyes, causing Cell to look towards her cross-eyed.

"You know, I'm really getting sick of you pushing. Me. AROUND!!" she yelled, her hair now a flaming red colour.

Cell scoffed, walking into the room. The smell was better than hearing her rant, although half of him knew there was no easy way of getting away from Jaena. She could disappear and reappear wherever she wanted. As Cell walked inside, Jaena followed after him.

"DON'T YOU RUN AWAY FROM M –" the last of her yell was cut off as Cell slammed the door in her tiny face. Jaena went flying back several feet. At the same time, the number of Cell's apartment was revealed. It read 66, but the second six promptly fell loose, twisting on its focal point to form a nine.


Cell looked around, seeing a dingy bed in what was supposed to be the bedroom. In another corner were a stove and a pathetic excuse of a kitchen sink that looked more like a bathroom sink. He then realised as he saw the showerhead above, that the kitchen sink was actually a bathroom sink. He turned his head, seeing a red couch… or at least he thought it was red.

Could be blood… wouldn't be surprised, he mused, crossing his arms.

He walked to the window situated near the bed and looked out.

Talk about getting kicked when you're down… he thought again, seeing the more "prosperous" side of town from where he stood. The mayor's office was visible, as well as a number of different mansions. What made things even more grating was the sounds he could hear far below him in the city street slums. Police sirens seemed to sound every few minutes or so, cats screeched in the alleyways, followed by loud clashes as if someone had knocked over a trashcan. He looked down, seeing the polluted streets of Satan City among the faintly glowing street lights and wondering why he even wanted to take over this dump…

"Because you're an evil bug! Yes you are! Yes you are!" came Jaena's voice in his ear, talking in a baby-like tone.

He figured she possibly meant to do that. Cell swiped her away with a wave of the hand, sending her flying into an unknown location, somewhere between the kitchen and the lounge room. He then looked to his bed.

"I should've destroyed the place when I had a chance," he mumbled, walking towards it and sitting down. The bed creaked and lowered precariously under his weight. Cell looked at it warily.

"Don't worry bout it!" reassured Jaena, suddenly appearing on the bed head. "It's perfectly safe."

Cell looked at her suspiciously. Shouldn't she be… angrier? Swinging his legs onto the bed, Cell sat down, most of his body weight supported on his two scrawny human arms. He then carefully lowered himself down, the bed sagging even more. Taking his chances, he relaxed, his entire body weight supported by the bed. It sagged even more, but remained in an upright position.

"See?" said Jaena, twisting and disappearing.

Cell sighed, moving his knees up to his chest and placing his elbows on his knees, head leaning between the two. He stayed in that position, wondering why this had to happen now? He was actually growing content in his position in Hell, despite those stupid mutants and Changelings. Frieza? Was he a man or a woman? By the looks of it, Frieza seemed neither. Were all Changelings like that? Sitting upright, he looked at the ceiling, face twisting in disgust at a brown spot, where it looked as if water had seeped through the plaster and wall paper… er… ceiling paper. Cell twisted around, grabbing the pathetic excuse of a pillow and lifting it. He tried not to yell, the human part of him accelerating in heartbeat as something small, brown and crawly skittered away from its hiding spot under the pillow.

He looked at the pillow, turning it over several times to make sure it was not contaminated. He then thought better of it and positioned it against the wall, using it as a backrest. Leaning on it, he propped his legs out, one crossed over the other, his head leaning back on the relatively clean wall. In this position he laid there, eyes closed and arms crossed, relatively comfortable until…

BADUMP

Cell opened his eyes, wondering what that was. It sounded as if something huge had just collided into the wall.

BADUMP

It came again, causing Cell to sit up and look to the wall behind him. The sound was coming from the other room.

BADUMP. BADUMP

BADUMP

Two short bursts and another slow one? What the Hell was going on here?

BADUMP. BADUMP. BADUMP. BADUMP.

The pace was getting more rhythmic. Now if only Cell knew what was going on. The sound was irritating him. He had had a long day and the idiot next door was ruining a relatively good night's sleep. On his knees, Cell placed both palms on the wall, pressing his ear to the wall.

Among the thumps he could hear a voice, continually screaming, over and over. His face twisted into one of confusion.

What the Hell was going on in there?

Did that man torture people?

Pressing his ear to the wall again, his hypothesis was proven incorrect as he heard the voice yelling words analogous to 'yes' and 'Oh my God'. Cell growled in frustration, tempted to hit the wall yet knowing that would lead to it possibly crumbling beneath his fist. He sat down, cross-legged and cross-armed on his bed, the annoying bumping sound continuing on and on. As it started to slow, Cell was just about to get back in his position against the wall when…

DRIP

Cell stopped, looking up.

DRIP

Water fell from the brown stain above, falling onto his forehead, the liquid seeping down his face. Cell reeled backwards, wiping it from his face. He looked at it his hands, then looked back up at the ceiling. He saw as the drops come raining steadily down onto his bed, turning the already murky white covers a brown.

It then accelerated with a sound of groaning pipes.

DRIP

DRIP

DRIP

DRIP

DRIP

DRIP

DRIP

Cell grabbed his pillow, moving it to the end of the bed and leaning it against the wall there. He watched as the brown stain started to move as the liquid seeped through the thin covers.

You have got to be kidding me, he thought, staring intensely at the covers. The thumping once again resounded, causing Cell to look towards the wall with a look of total disbelief on his face.

With a scream of frustration, Cell fisted the plaster wall, yelling at whoever was in there to stop. This only managed to make the plaster in the brown stain above to become loose, followed by…

CRASH

Plaster and a heap of brown liquid came raining down on Cell's bed, a steady stream of brown flowing out of the pipes. The smell he had smelt earlier intensified to an all-time reek. Cell scoffed in disgust, jumping off the bed and bringing his pillow with him. He watched as his bed was consumed with the brown stuff.

"I did say the bed was okay… but your neighbours are more than willing to change that," came Jaena's voice in his ear. Just as he was about to swat her away, she disappeared with a vanishing cackle. She was enjoying his torture.

Growling, he went to look out his windows, seeing the expanse of city lights and rolling buildings before him. With a deep breath, he yelled at the top of his lungs:

"SOMEBODY KILL ME NOW!!"

With that yell, everything seemed to go quiet, as if a calm had come over the entire city. A calm before the storm.

Before Cell knew it, a rotten piece of fruit had hit him square in the face, followed by a man telling him to shut up. Several other pieces of fruits and vegetables were thrown at him, with others also yelling at the young teenager to shut up. Some even threw bottles at him, causing Cell to back away from the window as glass shattered around it, many of those throwing bottles too drunk to aim.

Cell growled, clutching his pillow to his chest as he looked out the window. His apartment smelled, his bed was completely dirty and the neighbours were all idiots. Sitting on the floor, he lay spread-eagled, looking at the ceiling.

"Why couldn't that last bottle've been a gun?" he asked to nobody in particular.

Jaena, as his "conscience", answered the question for him.

"Don't be silly," she said, floating above his head, looking down at him in pink pyjamas. "Guns can't kill when they're thrown."

Cell growled, turning so that he wasn't facing her. Looking at the bottom of the bed, he could see the dust bunnies that had built up over time, as well as other unmentionable things. Closing his eyes, he could think of only one thing on his mind:

"I hate my life…" he mumbled, sleep overcoming all of his senses.