"Yuki."
Yuki yawned and stretched out a bit. Someone was calling her name from somewhere behind her, but she was currently too out of it to tell whether or not she was still dreaming.
"Yuki!" The voice snapped at her louder this time. "As much as I enjoy standing around watching you snore the day away, I'm starting to get impatient."
"Mmm?" She opened one bleary eye and looked at the clock. It was currently 10am. Way later than she usually slept, but there was no reason for Cell to get all antsy over it. She let out another yawn. "I'm waking up, okay? Geez… if it makes you feel better, just say last night was sooo amazing that you just drained all the energy out of me and now I have to sleep late. How about that?"
Cell laughed. "A satisfactory answer! Though I admit I'm pleasantly surprised at your use of dark humor."
Yuki's eyes went wide and a chill ran down her spine. She'd worded that last statement really, REALLY poorly. "Don't think I meant it like that. I wouldn't joke about something like that, you ass." She sat up and rubbed her eyes, and noticed she was still naked from the night before. Also in desperate need of a bath. Cell was probably ogling her. With a sigh, she turned around to face him… only to be greeted by the ghostly white face of an armless woman.
"THEY'RE HERE OH MY GOD!" She yelped and jolted back in horror, nearly tumbling from the bed.
"Oh? Well now you've piqued my curiosity. Who are 'they'?"
As she recovered from the near heart attack, her mind finally wrapped itself around the current 'situation'. Cell was there next to the bed with a smug look on his face, standing next to a marble statue. A statue that was a LOT bigger in real life than it looked in photographs, almost as tall as Cell… She gaped at it in shock. "Is that… that's the armless woman statue! Why is there a multi-million dollar statue looming over my bed?!"
Cell smiled. He'd picked up a few 'things' last night. Mostly for himself, but he was generous enough to pick up some things for her as well. After all, it was only polite. Pulling this sort of reaction out of her was just an added bonus.
But… as much as she tried to hide it, it was clear that she was still troubled. At Nicky Town yesterday she'd almost fallen back into that cycle of hers again, but he had the good fortune of his impeccable instincts and was able to divert her attention quickly. Unfortunately for him, it was still something that would decrease her willingness to leave the planet with him in the near future, and that would not do. Now… she didn't seem to understand the symbolic nature of his gift, which was a bit disheartening. But no matter.
"Science is rife with mankind's attempts at achieving a perfection that can be measured objectively. But men use art to find their own personal perfection - a completely subjective experience."
"Yeah okay… that's true and all…" Yuki looked him and the statue over for a moment. He seemed to going somewhere with this, but she wasn't sure where yet. "But WHY is there a multi-million dollar statue looming over my bed?!"
"In the hardware store, you said, and I quote your exact words, 'I'm not moving the insects, you can just deal and hang up your fancy artwork around them or something'."
"You and your damn memory… so what, if I go downstairs, is there going to be Van Gogh and stuff all over my walls?"
"Our walls." He grinned.
"…so one more time, why is there a multi-million dollar statue LOOMING OVER MY BED?!"
"I was kind enough to choose a few pieces for you. This 'armless woman statue' is the Venus de Milo, the Greek goddess of beauty and love." He crossed his arms over his chest, feeling rather pleased with himself as a blush spread across Yuki's face. "You're a very proud woman. If you were meek, I would hardly enjoy you as much as I do. But you do seem to enjoy beating yourself up over your own shortcomings. Apologetically holding out any piece of yourself you consider 'flawed' for all to see, to use as some ridiculous excuse to belittle yourself. It's incredibly tiring to witness."
"I…" She averted her gaze. She never really thought about it in that way, but she couldn't deny he was right. After the visit to Gingertown, she assumed she'd just get over it, but that little feeling of guilt still hung around in the back of her mind. She had no idea how Cell even KNEW about that though. "I'm working on it, okay? I don't know how that relates to a giant stolen statue."
"An interesting legend, though never proven to be true. In the early 1800s, when she was first discovered at Melos, a French ambassador became rather enamored by her and purchased her from the original owners. He sent a navy vessel to retrieve her from Greece. As the sailors hauled her across the shore towards the safety of the boat, they were ambushed by Greek brigands. During the resulting scuffle she lost her arms as the terrified sailors yanked her roughly across the rocky shore in their attempts to escape unscathed. But the ambassador found he still desired her, and angrily seized the statue once it was discovered the original owners cancelled the sale over the prospects of a more profitable one."
"I… think I see where you're going with this…"
"Would you know who she was if she still had her arms? If she hadn't lost part of herself in some chance battle she was unwittingly pulled into?"
"No, everyone likes her for the missing arm thing."
"Hm. A woman made better by her imperfections…" He tapped his chin and looked off to the side, as though he were mulling over some important thing. "In certain areas perfection is relative. As I've said, art is one of those areas. I assumed the idea behind the Venus de Milo and relative perfection would give you peace of mind whenever you see her."
Yuki stared at him in shock, her blush growing hotter. "Are you saying I'm perfect? C-come on, don't go saying stuff like that!"
"I would say you are in some aspects, yes. A flawless being like me would not choose a mate who was subpar."
"Oh yeah? In what way then?"
"Well, you do seem to be perfect at knowing how to irritate me." He smirked and sat down next to her.
"Gee, way to ruin the moment." She shifted and pulled up her blanket a bit. If he hadn't been ogling her before, he definitely was now.
"Hm. Well, if it makes you feel any better, I find you perfectly beautiful." Before she had a chance to protest, he had her pinned down on the bed. "…and so very tempting."
She shot him the most deadpan expression she possibly could. "I just woke up and I need a bath. If you think I'm up for round two, you're gonna be seriously disappointed, buddy. …and I told you to stop saying that stuff about me being perfect. I'm pretty average you know, it's not like I get guys eyeballing me when I walk down the sidewalk."
"Like I said, in certain areas perfection is relative." He leaned forward and kissed her neck. "You are my Venus de Milo."
Yuki blushed as he kissed her. How was she supposed to respond to that? She didn't know any artsy things! "Well… um… then you're my Mona Lisa."
Cell looked down at her with a gleam of amusement in his eyes and chuckled.
"Hey don't laugh! She totally has that same little smirk you always wear!"
"Or perhaps that's the only portrait you know of?"
"No, I know of some other ones! Like that one of the guy with his ear cut off. Besides, I seriously doubt you wanna be throwing any assholeish remarks my way right now."
"And why is that?" He tilted his head curiously.
"Because you wouldn't say anything mean while I'm laying here naked in bed giving you seductive glances."
"You aren't giving me seductive…"
With the absolute most sensual gaze she could possibly muster, she smiled coyly and winked at him.
"…a bold assumption, but you're correct. Well played." He stole another kiss before standing up, Venus hovering weightlessly next to him. With a dismissive wave of his hand, he headed out the bedroom door with Venus floating after him. "Come downstairs when you want. You can see our new collection."
Yuki yelled after him. "By the way, you owe me a new mattress! Since you like ripping them up during sex and all! And a bra!"
She huffed. Apparently he wasn't going to say anything back. But now she definitely needed a bath, and it'd probably be smart to take one before she had to go face whatever insanity Cell had whipped up in the living room while she was asleep. She couldn't believe he STOLE that stuff. Art wasn't something she really got into, but famous pieces like that were supposed to be in museums for everyone to enjoy. Cell probably thought he was the only one 'worthy' of them or something… She yawned and hopped out of bed, enjoying a stretch before heading into the bathroom.
As she popped in one of her old swing albums and settled down in a nice warm bath with a contented sigh, her mind started wandering. Yesterday she got to see an actual Bigfoot. That ACTUALLY HAPPENED. And Cell had been totally wrong, and she still hadn't rubbed it in his face yet so that was definitely on the agenda for today. Especially since she only got to see Bigfoot for a few minutes before Cell got impatient and let him go. And especially after he woke her up by shoving a statue in her face that she thought was a ghost. But he didn't need to know about the ghost thing. He'd make some stupid joke about that time he grabbed her through the window and scared the shit out of her. Even though it was terrifying at the time… she could look back at it now and smile. 'Boo! I'm a ghost!' is what he'd said… what a dumbass.
And then there was last night. She blushed. She couldn't deny it had been nice. Really nice. Nice as in, she would gladly have some more of that later. But no way in hell she'd tell HIM that. He didn't need to know that either, given his tendency to be a dick and use everything she said to his advantage.
Cell turned to look as Yuki came trudging down the stairs, curious to see her reaction. She was moving slowly, obviously dreading whatever silly thing she'd conjured up in her mind this time.
"All right, I'm coming… I can't wait to see how totally pretentious the living room…" Her voice trailed off as she stepped off the stairs. There was ART on the walls. Well, obviously… but it didn't look as bad as she thought it would be. She was expecting like 30-ish paintings stuffed onto the wall like some rich person's library room, but there was only about ten or so, spread out nicely and - surprisingly enough - worked pretty well with the overall look of the room. The strangest thing was that she didn't recognize any of them. Except for the Venus de Milo which was now sitting next to the entertainment center. Art was not something she knew much about, but she at least knew all the big famous pieces, and none of them were here. Which was what she thought Cell meant by 'classical art'. A few of the pieces looked a little familiar in style, maybe Da Vinci? She wasn't really sure…
"You don't seem as angry as you thought you would be. Am I correct in that assumption?"
"It's not what I thought it would be, it actually looks pretty good. …I still prefer the Marvel posters though." A small smile came to her face. "You got really busy after I fell asleep. Ridin' out that post-orgasm high or something, huh?"
Cell laughed. "Once you fell asleep, I took a little trip to some rather well-known museums. The humans were kind enough to leave the buildings in a hurry, giving me all the time I needed to take my leisure in studying the pieces that caught my eye - though I admit they were pieces I already had a good amount of knowledge of. So you could say I had a 'shopping list'."
She frowned at the idea of him chasing everyone out of the museum so he could have it all to himself, but pushed the image out of her mind as she wandered around looking at the things he'd put up. It was a weird array of stuff. She wasn't sure what it was about them he liked so much. "I probably shouldn't ask this because I know you're gonna call me stupid for it and I swear to god if you call me stupid I'm gonna kick your ass. Why don't you have any art I've actually heard of?"
"Oh, I selected a few for you as well. Since you're an emotional creature who wouldn't enjoy these specific pieces in the same way I do." He motioned to the dining room.
She decided to ignore the disgusted way he said 'emotional creature' and turned around to look.
There they were. Stuff she knew!
Cell had STOLEN them, but she couldn't help but feel in awe over all the things she'd only seen in photos. Some of them she didn't know the names of, but they were all tucked away in her mind somewhere… Mona Lisa, The Scream, that thing with the melty clocks, and the painting right over the dining table…
He watched her expressions carefully, noting how particularly enraptured she was over that specific piece. An interesting but expected response. "The Starry Night. As one of the most well-known paintings, I assumed you might take pleasure in having it." He chuckled. She was biting her lip, trying to keep herself from smiling. Most likely torn between excitement and the silly moral dilemma of theft. "It's not a piece I would ever bother with, but… for you."
This was a strange situation Yuki found herself in. Cell was being nicer than usual, and more talkative than usual as well. And she had no idea why. Maybe he was just seriously into this kinda stuff? A murderous man of culture… and he dared to say her mental image of him as Hannibal Lector was skewed. But if he was going to be nice and talkative, she was definitely not going to throw away an opportunity like THAT.
"So, um, what's the difference between these and the ones you put in the living room for yourself?"
"For some, not much. She would fit in nicely with the others." He gestured to Mona Lisa, and then moved back into the living room to stand beside one of the art-covered walls. Yuki fell in beside him. "Most of these pieces are not meant to merely evoke emotional responses. There is a complex mathematical underlying to them. That is something I can appreciate."
"You said art was a subjective experience and science was an objective one. So if you're saying you like art because of something as objective as MATH, then you're totally contradicting yourself."
He shot her a look of dismay. "My SUBJECTIVE opinion on perfection in an artistic sense is the logical underpinning of it. Which makes my opinions both subjectively and objectively PERFECT. Would you expect any less of a being like me?"
"Oh here we go again…" She rolled her eyes.
"I look for things such as proper application of geometry. And I would say that any piece of art worth bothering with would be painted by an artist with a clear understanding of the Golden Ratio."
"Oh yeah? Then what about the Venus de Milo and all that stuff you said about my flaws? You know, my 'relative perfection'? You didn't say anything about geometry and Golden Ratios there."
"As I've said, art is subjective. If I wish to make one exception to the rule, then I'm allowed. You should feel honored that I would make such an exception for you."
"Yeah yeah, you're just trying to cover your ass because you contradicted yourself." She grinned. Now was the perfect time to bring it up. "…like how you were trying to cover your ass when you were wrong about Bigfoot."
Cell scowled and his expression immediately fell as soon as she mentioned the offending creature. Apparently she wasn't planning to let him live it down after all.
"What? Not gonna say anything? Are you pissed off because you couldn't save face? I bet you are. You totally are."
Without a word, he took his spot on the couch, crossed his arms, and closed his eyes. He would NOT indulge her in her silly desire to belittle him.
Yuki leaned over the back of the couch, smiling. He wasn't going to say anything, but she was. She was going to say the one phrase that every male hated to hear. Cell might be a weird bugman, but she doubted even HE could deal with it. She leaned closer to his face and spoke in a sing-song voice. "I toooooold you so!"
His eyes shot open. "You would do well to keep such things to yourself."
So he could be a typical male after all. Her smile grew wider. "I…"
His eyes narrowed in warning.
"…told…"
"Not the brightest of the bunch, are we?"
"…you…"
He continued to sit there, unmoving, boring holes into her with that glare of his. It was a little unnerving, but now she was just curious to see what the hell he planned to do to her. "…SO."
As soon as the word left her mouth, she found herself pinned to the ceiling by some unseen force. Cell stood beneath her smirking. "It's very bad-mannered to insult me after I was gracious enough to give you so much pleasure."
"You are SO FULL OF YOURSELF! I was the one who came on to you! If anyone should be saying that, it should be ME, you ass!" She struggled a little against the force, but it was absolutely pointless.
"Is that so?"
"I was the one 'gracious enough to give you so much pleasure', and if you don't let me down, the only pleasure you'll ever get again will be from YOURSELF."
"How lewd. I would do no such thing."
"Then you're the only guy in the world that doesn't! Now LET ME DOWN!"
"…doing so would imply desperation. I don't get desperate. And I'm not letting you down. Why not relax and enjoy your surroundings? To take pleasure in such fine things in the comfort of your own home… a home worthy of me. Who but you could boast of such an achievement?" He grinned.
"Quit it with your ego crap! I swear to god, you're just doing it to mess with me now!"
"Am I?"
"Hey maybe, just MAYBE I'd 'take pleasure in such fine things' if it was something other than BILLIONS OF DOLLARS worth of STOLEN ART in my living room. Though…" She sighed and slumped over a little. As much as she could slump while being pinned to a ceiling anyway. "…if I still can't find a job by the time I run out of money, I can just sell one on the black market or something."
Cell laughed. He was incredibly surprised that she was still planning for her future here. So blindly optimistic… and he knew she would probably keep believing it until the last moment. But the situation was a lot less amusing now that her hasty decisions threatened to have negative effects against him as well.
"In a few days there will be no one left to appreciate these pieces anyway. Doesn't it seem rather pointless to worry over that?"
Yuki remained silent, refusing to look him in the eyes. She wanted to scream at him. Try to find some way to FORCE him to call off this whole stupid tournament, but he was utterly obsessed with it. Plus the last time she brought it up, he was so mean about it that she pulled out the 'in the doghouse' card. She suddenly felt herself floating downwards, until she was finally sitting on the ground.
"Why so silent? Are you still holding on the delusional hope that I'll change my mind?"
No response. She shot him an angry glare but quickly looked back down at nothing in particular.
He chuckled and shook his head. "How unfortunate. You're in for quite a rude awakening, my dear."
After a few more seconds of silence, she pushed herself up off the ground and stood to face him with a growing sense of determination. No way was she was going to let him get away with saying those things AGAIN. If he got pissed off again and yelled at her for bringing up shit that he deemed as 'none of her business', then whatever. So be it. "You know what, Cell? I might not be strong, physically, but I'm not stupid, and I know I have at least a little bit of influence over you. So don't think for one damn second that I'm going to sit back and let you do whatever you want and be your partner-in-crime. I have literally NO PROBLEM playing dirty and using that influence against you. So you'd better be ready for me!"
Cell's eyes sparkled in delight at the prospect of this new challenge. "In that case, I look forward to whatever fun thing you want to try against me. After all, I seem to have quite a bit of influence over YOU as well. Psychological battle against an opponent like me is a dangerous game that you would be wise not to get involved in. Consider that a warning."
"Yeah well, I'll give you a warning, too! When couples fight, the woman ALWAYS wins!"
"I take no pleasure in fighting with you, but I do love a good challenge. Now…" With a sly smile, he lifted up her chin and kissed her. "If you have no problem playing dirty and using your influence against me, I can think of much more enjoyable ways to put that skill to good use."
But Yuki wasn't fazed. "I AM going to put it to good use - when I kick your ass at the tournament, remember?!"
"Ah right." He tsked and let go of her. "Though I'm not sure why you wish to embarrass yourself live on television like that."
"YOU'LL be embarrassed! If I can't win by playing dirty, then I'll just stand on the sidelines and cheer for Goku, how about that?!" As soon as the words left her mouth, she regretted saying them. Cell's expression immediately dropped and was growing angrier by the second. It was unsettling as hell, and was enough to send chills down her spine.
Without a moment's hesitation, he grabbed Yuki roughly by the collar and yanked her up until their noses were nearly touching. He spoke in a low, tense tone. "You've lost your mind if you think for one second I would allow you to be there during a fight like that. I've told you this once before, so let me reiterate - YOU WILL NOT INTERFERE. Do you understand that? I would rather not use physical force to keep you away, but I will if I must."
As he stood there over her, a little whimper escaped her lips. Cell was giving her a look of pure rage that she'd never seen on him before. Not even on that second day, when she purposely pissed him off so much he'd practically strangled her. Her heart leapt in her throat as the fury in his eyes continued to grow, and she swore she saw that aura of his glowing faintly. She pushed him way too far this time and she knew it would happen. But she hadn't realized just how angry he was going to get.
But no way, no way in HELL would she back down from him, even if that look made her want to run and hide somewhere. They were a thing, and Cell was so incredibly hung up on his need to be the 'perfect mate' that he wouldn't dare physically hurt her. She had NOTHING to fear and she could call his stupid bluff. She ripped herself from his grip and stuck her pointer finger right in his face, matching his narrow-eyed glare with one of her own. "Like HELL you will! You can't tell me what to do, you ass! Why the hell are you so freaked out at the thought of me 'interfering' anyway?! I can look out for myself you know, it's not like I'm going to run into the middle of you and Goku's fight! When he showed up at the arena and you two had your stupid little stare-down, that was enough to scare the hell out of me! I can't even IMAGINE what it would be like to see you two duking it out!"
Cell straightened up. The look of fury on his face vanished and was replaced by an eerie calm. "…my warning still stands."
Yuki watched after him as he turned to leave the house, probably planning to go brood in that default off position of his… but halfway to the door he stopped, frozen in place. She waited for him to say something, but he continued to just stand there, unmoving. After about a minute, her impatience got the best of her and she spoke up. "Why are you being a statue?"
"I'm focusing."
"On what?"
"Goku." He moved to the window and crossed his arms, looking off into the distance.
"What?! Is he out there again?!" She ran up next to him, but couldn't see anyone out there. "I don't see him."
"He's not within visual range. His ki seems to be at resting levels, though he's unusually close by."
"He's chilling out near the arena? What?" She frowned. "How nearby is he?"
"142.4 miles in that direction."
She sighed and rolled her eyes. "How is that 'close by'? God, could you BE more paranoid? He's probably just going about his day to day life or something."
"Any spot within a 10 second flight window is considered close by. And if you consider justifiable worry a type of paranoia, then fine."
"Well you don't have to worry, I'm right here next to you, what's he gonna do to me? Besides, I thought you were pissed at me, why do you even care?"
"I would say he'd do absolutely nothing to you, after all, I have a good knowledge of the way his mind works. But I never rule out any possibility, however minuscule it may be. To dismiss things because they seem unlikely is foolish." His eyes left the window and settled on her. "…I'm incredibly annoyed with you but you're still my mate, so yes, I do care. Don't mistake my annoyance for hatred."
She smiled. "Well, I doubt anyone would dare to come in the house with you standing in the window looking all pissed. I'm telling you, you're the perfect home security system."
She left Cell to his Buckingham Palace guard impression and threw some waffles in the toaster. She had no idea why he was so uppity about Goku being over a hundred miles away. After all, the guy didn't seem so bad. On her first day out at the arena, he even tried to 'save' her. Not only that, but from the stories Cell told her about his 'rise to perfection', Goku seemed to be a pretty nice and honorable guy, going in to save his friends and all.
Plate in hand, she plopped down on the couch and switched on the TV to some 60s-era Batman. Everyone said it was the worst superhero show ever, but she could not get enough of it. As she sat there, she imagined Goku and Cell fighting each other in the same corny way Batman fought the villains. It was horrible and wrong in every way, but at the same time… it was an amazing thought. A huge grin spread across her face as she glanced over at Cell. He was still looking out the window, eyes locked on some spot far in the distance. It couldn't be helped, she guessed. He was going to stand there, and he would continue to stand there until Goku moved on from whatever thing he was out doing. Probably taking a nice stroll through the woods or something… Apparently Yuki's day would involve nothing but sitting on the couch.
After about an hour of silence and Batman marathoning, Cell finally spoke up. Barely, but it was enough for Yuki to hear. "I meant no offense. I apologize for assaulting you."
She laughed. "What? You didn't assault me, you just shook me and bitched a lot."
"Fine, then I apologize for 'grabbing you roughly in a non-sexual manner'. How about that?" He looked over his shoulder at her and smiled.
"See, now that sounds more accurate. I accept your apology then… I'm sure it was just your dramatic over-the-top way of telling me you're afraid I'll get hurt."
"…I'd rather not limit myself by keeping ki blasts away from your general area. It would be hard to keep my full focus on the fight."
"Uh-huh, suuuuure. I bet you just couldn't focus cause I'd be tempting you with my come-hither looks, right?" She winked.
"You do that regardless." He turned back toward the window. "By the way, if that drivel on the television is what you consider a real fight, then I may have to give you a little demonstration of true skill later."
"Watching you maneuver around like some karate master? That'd probably be a sexy thing to see."
"Then I most definitely have to give you a little demonstration of true skill later."
"Hey, speaking of later… is Goku still out there? I kinda had some plans for later."
"He is. What sort of plans?"
She wandered into the kitchen and dropped the plate in the sink. "So I was thinking today I could go out to my mom's place and pick up all my old stuff. Remember, back in Gingertown when I got the keys out of her purse?"
"Asking me if I 'remember' something is unnecessary. Just assume I can recall anything that's ever been said or done in my presence."
With a sigh, she leaned against the counter. "A NORMAL girl would have problems with her boyfriend never listening to what she says. But I get the one that can creepily quote me verbatim."
He frowned. "Normal? Is this neglect a widespread problem?"
Yuki frowned back. Cell looked really, REALLY confused. Present-day stereotypes probably went right over his head, lumped into the same category as pop culture references. "Um, yeah, I guess. There's a reason that guys never paying attention to their girlfriends is a stereotype."
He tsked and turned back to the window. Did she know that from experience? It made him much happier in his decision to go out of his way to kill that last idiot she'd been with. Not that it hadn't made him happy regardless. He'd have to remember later to hunt down her other past lovers. Perhaps present their heads to her on a silver platter? Or make it a fun little 'couple's outing'. The possibilities brought a smile to his face.
"It's a wonder humans manage to stay together at all."
"Well… the divorce rate is pretty high these days."
He chuckled. "And yet you're lucky enough to have me. You would do well to remember that."
"Yeah, OKAY." She rolled her eyes. "Cocky, much?"
"Well, I-" He paused and his smile fell as he let his focus snap back to the Saiyan problem. "…strange."
"What's strange? What's he doing?" Expecting to see absolutely nothing again, she ran over to the window. This time the sky was a little darker, and far off in the distance she could see a halo of light. It reminded her of the glow of Gingertown she could see every night from her little nook in the forest. But there was no city in that direction… "Whoa. Is HE doing that?! Is that like you making an aurora?"
"He's expending an enormous amount of ki. There's no reason for him to bring himself to this level of power so rapidly, and not this close to my arena. Not yet, anyway."
Yuki tore her eyes away from the strange sight and faced Cell. He looked like he was on high alert, but more curious than anything. "Is… it a power higher than yours?"
He laughed. "Not even close. A bit disappointing… I hope he has more than THAT hidden away, or else this tournament is going to get very boring."
She gulped. If Goku could give off that kind of power from a hundred miles away, it was terrifying to think of what it looked like up close. And if Cell was stronger, it was even more terrifying to think of what he could do. Maybe his warning about not hanging around during the fights was a good idea after all… "Well… maybe it's a coincidence he's so nearby? Maybe he's shooting up his power or whatever because he's training. I mean, you DID want him to."
"In battle, it's foolish to play a strong hand so quickly. A fight is not merely about raw power. Without strategy, pace, and focus, even the strongest can fall to a subpar opponent. These are the things an experienced fighter concentrates on while training, and Goku is no amateur. It's no coincidence he's nearby, but… I can't ascertain the reasoning behind his actions."
"You look kinda freaked out. Is not knowing what he's doing bugging you that much?"
"I couldn't possibly care less about how Goku chooses to spend his free time. But I'd rather he not spend so much of it near my arena."
She looked out at the halo curiously. Cell was obviously talking about all the times that guy popped in and out to see what was going on, but… that's all it really seemed to be. Just a curious superhero having a couple looks to make sure everything was on the up and up. Cell didn't really seem to care at all about Goku himself, except for the fact that he was worried about HER. Was he still worried?
"Hey… at least he's not hanging out right next to us taking some weird interest in me again, right? You shouldn't worry so much!"
With a cold, hardened expression set on his face, he moved for the door and threw it open. "I think I'll go have a little CHAT with our good friend there. Perhaps politely inform him of the fine line he's close to crossing."
Yuki's eyes went wide and she ran over to the door. "What if he doesn't listen?"
"…then I'll violently inform him of it." And with that last chilling statement, Cell took to the sky, heading straight for the offending Saiyan.
As Cell disappeared into the distance, Yuki sighed and shut the door. What the hell was wrong with that Goku guy? Didn't he realize how pissed off he was making Cell? Why would a hero willingly want to rile up a villain like that? But he was a good guy, so he had to have some kind of good motives. Though she wasn't sure what kind of good motives followed 'powering up in the middle of nowhere'. With another, more dejected sigh, she fell down onto the couch. She kept forgetting that Cell was the bad guy, and that even if Goku's motives were good, they weren't good for Cell. And if he really saw her as Cell's partner-in-crime, they weren't good for her either. After all the years she spent idolizing superheroes, now she had to FEAR their attempts at saving the day. How the hell had she gotten to this point…?
"Sorry it took so long!"
Yuki screamed and jumped up in a panic, knocking over the coffee table in the process. Goku was standing in her fucking living room.
He threw his hands up. "Ah n-no, it's Instant Transmission! It's like teleportation, it's fine, really!"
She backed away, shaking, until she stupidly backed herself right into a corner. The strange yellow-haired man was standing right next to her now, smiling. He was… happy? Probably because he finally had his damn chance to kidnap her and try to pry information about Cell out of her. And Cell had been a FUCKING LIAR, saying he 'knew Goku's mind'. He didn't know shit!
"OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD…"
"W-why are you… Hey, do you remember me?"
Yuki's mouth fell open, but she couldn't speak. She was frozen in place. She didn't know ANYTHING about Cell's weaknesses! What the hell was she supposed to tell them once he whisked her away back to the Hall of Justice?! Would they even believe her?! Horrible mental images of torture and interrogation rooms flew through her mind. "D-don't… please…"
Goku looked a little confused. "You don't really understand the situation, do you? What has he been doing to you? Is there something you know about him?"
She'd been right. It was information about Cell they wanted… She looked toward the front door and tried to pull herself together. No way was she going down without a fight, she was gonna make a break for it. "L-look out behind you!"
"Huh?" Goku spun around to look.
Yuki ran for the door, a faint glimmer of hope shooting across her mind. She couldn't believe that worked! He actually fell for it! If that was Cell's greatest enemy, the world was totally fucked.
"We don't have time for this, Cell's on his way back, he'll be here any second!"
And just as she reached for the door handle, she felt Goku's hand grab her by the arm, and the entire world faded away around her.
Cell had been less than a second away from reaching Goku's location and giving him a possibly-violent piece of his mind when the Saiyan's ki signature suddenly vanished… only to reappear again at his arena. He spun around mid-flight, eyes wide with surprise. "W-wha…"
It had been a diversion.
Without a moment's hesitation, he picked up speed and headed back as quickly as he could. He growled. He would have Goku's head on a PLATTER for this. And if he was foolish enough to do anything to his arena, or his home, or Yuki… Goku would have much more than his own head to worry about. Yuki… the idea of anything happening to her was enough to claw ribbons into his self-control… and his sanity. Her distressing ability to be his weakness was rearing its ugly head, but now there was absolutely nothing he could do about it.
As soon as he reached the house, he shot through the front door, ripping it off its hinges.
No Yuki.
There was an overturned coffee table… possibly signs of a struggle? Everything he knew about Goku told him that he would never attempt such a thing, and yet… he did.
He stepped outside onto the arena, shaking, trying as hard as he could to expand what little focus he had left on locating Goku or any of his bothersome friends. Nothing. They were ALL suppressing their ki, HIDING from him. Holding his mate HOSTAGE. But Goku could possibly still be nearby. With a voice loud enough to echo for miles around, he called him out. "GOKU! RETURN HER NOW OR I WILL KILL EVERYONE YOU KNOW AND LOVE!"
There was no reply.
For the first time, a strange fear began to take hold of him in the silence. And as he stood there running through every possible option he had, it slowly wrapped itself around his mind before finally breaking down in pieces. With a terrifying scream, his aura flared out around him, growing brighter and brighter as his composure crumbled away. Soon the ground itself was shaking and tearing apart, and his screams peaked into a primal roar that echoed into the distance, striking fear into anyone unfortunate enough to be in the area.
With a murderous gleam in his eyes, he spread his wings and raised himself into the air, slicing through the sky in a deadly fury. His target was a familiar one - the best way he knew to reach Goku and the others. The news station.
If Goku wanted to play a game, then so be it. He would match that half-wit's game with one of his own.
At the center of all sitcoms is the horrible misunderstanding.
Since I had some filler before the 'Great Abduction', I finally got to throw in artsy Cell :D 'Slightly cultured Cell enjoying the finer things' has been my headcanon for years and it is beautiful in every way. If he won the tournament, he would've totally capsuled the Louvre and taken it with him as a souvenir, and nothing anyone can do or say will convince me otherwise. I'm glad I got to use it.
Yuki's been kidnapped/saved by our dense hero Goku, and Cell is now on the verge of absolutely losing his shit (if he hasn't already, anyway) What things will Yuki experience on her trip away from the Dark Side, and what will Cell be doing back at the news station? Find out next tiiiiime, ON DRAGON BALL Z!