Hello there HEbrews and SHEbrews! :D I hope you haven't been waiting too long for this chapter? Hahahaaaaa... Who am I kidding...
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CHAPTER 25: A Girl Named Lime
(Videl's POV)
The sun was shining brightly when I opened my eyes again, and though I still felt gritty, and a bit like I'd been thrown into a bee's hive, covered in honey, and rolled through the desert, I was distinctly aware that my heart was still pumping blood through my veins. I was still alive.
Needless to say, I have seen better days.
My muscles still ached, and from the painful, springy feeling my right arm was sending me, I had probably broken it and at least a few ribs. I sighed, and tried to concentrate on the fact that yes, I was alive, and therefore in good condition, since no one else in this exact situation survived, I thought grimly as my eyes met with those of the mangled corpses besides me.
A sickening feeling filled my stomach.
I should have done something for them…I should have been able to help. I thought to myself, tracing the patterns of leaves falling down the picturesque but lonely tree nearby, barely evoking me from the shadows. Maybe Gohan was right. Maybe I do need help. The latter caught me by surprise; I hadn't really expected myself to believe what he had been trying to preach for the past few months.
But what about you? Gohan's troubled voice and worried silhouette filled my mind; his hand reached out to me.
Me. Videl. Memories of how I saw myself- small, weak and useless -flashed through my mind.
I was certain that if I were there to help Gohan in battle, that the two of us would have defeated the elites and their entire army together.
Those had been the naïve, innocent thoughts of a kid who really didn't understand war.
Maybe I was in the right mind of thinking then, eh? Fighting fire with fire, as the saying goes…two teams against one another. Them. And…
For one moment, I couldn't stand being myself. It was as if I'd given up on Gohan, and was trying to find a loophole so I wouldn't have to do as I'd promised…because I was too weak…because I didn't feel like it anymore. I was playing the devil's advocate.
But what if Gohan does not succeed? What if the elites prove to be too much for him?
And who would fill his shoes?
Who indeed... The only person who came to mind was Gohan's father. Was Goku a man who was Gohan's opposite, counterpart, equal or better? If Gohan couldn't succeed would his father take on the proverbial baton and do what Gohan couldn't?
I shuddered at the mere thought.
Gohan's father…he'd always loved his dad. I couldn't understand that. Wanted to, but couldn't…The love they shared was so pure and innocent yet so intense and natural. I couldn't ever love my father, not like that anyway. How could I, when I didn't even really know him? I didn't love, didn't hate. There was no reason. I tolerated him.
I need a bath. And food. Lots of it. A sudden thought popped up randomly in my brain, as my primal instincts started to take over.
Sitting up slowly, this time expecting the sharp pain and irritated muscles I'd experienced last time, I lifted one arm. Sure enough, my right arm was broken.
Something about the pain told me I probably had shattered the damn thing.
Well. That was certainly interesting.
Standing was a far cry from sitting up, and the effort it took almost wasn't worth it. Almost. I clung to the ground like an uncertain three year old, and took a few moments' time to catch my breath before attempting the short walk from here to the shade. I went slowly, and stopped often, being sure to keep a steady pace, and that my feet were on the ground before I put weight on them. It was difficult to tell; my body was numb from fighting.
I was so relieved when I finally reached my escape from the scorching sun. I tried to lower myself to the ground, but as soon as I bended my knees, something cracked and I was left to fall limply to the ground.
I stayed like that, in an awkward position on the ground, for a few hours before I heard the sound of footsteps heading towards me.
"I found another one, grandpa." An unfamiliar voice called.
My eyes flustered open and I managed to make out the figure of a woman kneeling down next to me.
The next thing I was aware of was the feeling of water over my lips. I closed my eyes and made my lips and throat do all the work as I leaned back. I kind of felt like a baby getting fed, but I didn't care… I was thirsty.
"What is your name?" The kind melodic voice asked softly.
"Videl…" I whispered weakly. I opened my eyes for a brief second, wanting to take a look at my saviour. I was only able to get a glimpse of her interesting combination of blue and greenish eyes before my eyelids got too heavy to support.
The next morning I woke up with a major headache. I was startled though too, when I found the blue/green-eyed girl next to my bedside.
She let out half a chuckle. "This must look so creepy…" She admitted. "Totally like that scene from that vampire movie where the sparkling fairy watches his girlfriend-to-be sleep… And she was actually in to it!" Her voice trailed off. "This is not the case though."
I coughed. "I believe you."
She smiled warmly at me. "Good!" Her hand met with mine roughly, making me cringe; I was still very sore… "I'm Lime by the way."
I nodded. "Thanks for saving me Lime."
She smiled again. "Don't mention it." She shot me a peculiar look. "But you know, I did something for you, so now you have to do something for me…"
I frowned; not having a clue to what she possible could want from me, a complete stranger to her. "Yes?"
"I want information…"
My face relaxed. "About what is going on, right?"
She made a face. "Of course… Grandpa and I are very worried." She sounded stressed. "All the explosions and stuff." She shivered. "Is Cell back?"
I scoffed. "If only."
"What do you mean?" She asked with big eyes.
"This is much, much worse…" I declared and told her the R-rated version of the war. She took it quite well, nodding all the way at my tellings.
"That you need to realize is the there is no guarantee of tomorrow for any of us. All any of us have is right now, today. You must learn to make each single day count as a lifetime, because truly, it is all any of us have..." I ended.
She stared at the floor for a moment before planting a smile on her face again. "We better get you cleaned and healed up then! You have some saving to do." She winked and jumped up. "Let's start with the cleaning."
Not letting me stay dirty for long, Lime had gotten the majority of the dirt off me, and cleaned up the blood. Many bandages coloured my body now too. My clothes were a pair of old, soft and deliciously clean nightclothes, even though they were probably filthy by now. I wasn't caked in dirt, exactly, but I felt like I was. And only a real bath could solve this kind of problem…
It must have taken me half an hour to get across the room; my legs were like jelly. If I was too weak to walk, how could I expect to defeat the elites? I'll get better eventually… I answered myself, uncertain and a bit afraid of the 'when' that implied. But the war is not going anywhere, not for anytime soon though. What if while I walked around here at a snail's pace, the elites went out for half the surviving population? Who would stop them?
Who would care?
Gohan… I reminded myself.
Nervous and not willing to spend the rest of the day in an argument I couldn't win, I pushed the button to open the door, and stumbled into the bath tub. No showers today… I didn't think my legs would hold long enough to fully cleanse myself… let alone get back to bed after that.
So you don't wanna think about the lives you're compromising simply 'cause you're tired, and want a break? The voice in my head was cold and scathing, and difficult to listen to. Leave it to your conscience to annoy you…
Bathing took a lot longer than it should have, but I felt better afterwards. While I was napping in the tub, Lime must have brought a few towels in, for when I pulled back the curtain and made ready to leave, I noticed a change of clothes - more pajamas - soft, warm towels, and a comb. My old sleep clothes were nowhere to be found. I smiled, and dried myself off, listening to the sound of water draining. Lips twitching in remembered filth, I recalled the dirty, brown colour the water had been the first two times I washed my hair, and the light gray after that. It'd taken a long time to lean myself up, and my hair was tangled because of the slow, gentle pulling of the water.
Changed, and comb in hand, I stumbled across the bathroom floor, and opened the door. I wasn't surprised to find Lime waiting in a chair, and ready to help me back to bed. Impartial to my embarrassment at being so weak, and toughened against my pride as ever, she let me lean on her, despite the awkwardness, and half led, half pulled me back in bed in a few short minutes.
Needless to say, my head was spinning.
She took the brush from me and started to ease the tangles from my hair, both slender, long fingered hands working diligently to avoid split ends.
"You look terrible." She noted.
"Hm." I moaned.
I'd forgotten how soothing having one's hair brushed could feel. It was a nice gesture, and worthy of my respect. I leaned against her, content to let her do the work as I half dozed, listening to the beating of her heart.
She was nice to have around.
"You feeling any better, Videl?" She murmured, intent on untangling a particularly vicious knot and not really paying attention to my sleepy replies.
Her low tones were hard to concentrate on at the moment, and I was having a very hard time keeping my eyes open. "Mm…"
"Do you know where your allies are?" She asked softly. "They are probably worried sick about you."
"Yeah…that's great…" I mumbled, trying to remember who my allies were, and what I was supposed to do. Wasn't I supposed to get a new toaster? Why would getting a toaster take two years?
Lightly punching my relatively uninjured arm, Lime frowned at me, indignant.
I yawned. "Thank you very much for the new toaster…" I murmured.
Startled laughter met my ears, a full, ringing noise I hadn't heard for many days. It shocked me into wakefulness, and brought a smile to my face. It was nice to hear someone laugh again; I'd been sure I would never hear that sound again. Another reason to fight for...
And never give up…
"Toaster?" She choked, amusement filling the word. "You must be really out of it. Because a war ain't got nothin' to do with bread and everything to do with fighting." I didn't care how stupid I sounded. I just wanted her to keep laughing, and stay happy. Never mind my dignity.
"… Oh…"
"So have you made up your mind yet? I know it's a little soon, and we've got a lot of time to go, not really but, people are probably so worried about you and that is not a very favourable mindset for someone to have in a fight, you know..." Her voice trailed off. I blinked. That was a long sentence. And spoken at that rate, I'm not surprised I understood half that…
"Uh."
"I thought so." She murmured, happy and relieved to have gotten that splinter out of the way. "So what do you want for breakfast?" My hair was most of the way brushed by now, with only the worst tangles left to work out. "I was thinking maybe a little of everything…" She trailed off, doubtless thinking of the many kinds of food she liked to prepare for breakfast. "You up for breakfast, or do you want to catch some z's first?"
I blinked, weighing my options carefully. "Hair, food, sleep." I decided.
She laughed. "I can see you've got your priorities straitened out!" She chuckled, and leaned over to look me in the eyes, delicately raising one eyebrow. "Although I must admit, I am a bit worried; a hungry person putting off food… What has the world come to?!" She exclaimed dramatically.
"It's come to think that one must be clean to enjoy food." I replied calmly, hoping I'd heard right.
Well, that certainly amused her. I smiled.
After a few more minutes of the hair-brushing crusade, Lime proclaimed my hair in proper condition, and helped me off the bed and to the table in the centre of the room. By the looks of things, she'd planned on my acceptance of food, and come prepared; the table was long enough to seat twenty, and not too wide for her to comfortably reach things. To me, tired, sleepy and not certain I was starving half to death, it looked like heaven.
She disappeared out the door, and a few minutes later, came back, pushing one cart full of food, and pulling another. My stomach grumbled. I didn't bother asking where she'd gotten the carts, or when she'd prepared the food, and simply worried about when I could eat it.
She gave me a look.
I sighed unhappily, and waited the ten minutes it took to set the table, and pull a few more carts into the room. At last, I was permitted to eat to my heart's content, and according to Lime, my mouth expanded to fit roughly the size of an elephant in each bite.
For the most part, I ignored her playful jabs, and just ate, not dropping, spilling or wasting a drop. As a result, I wasn't ordered to wash up after dinner as well as I had before, and simply needed to brush my teeth.
This I did without complaint.
For the next few days, life continued like this. This was my slow, steady road to recovery, and for a time, I knew some peace. I couldn't shake the feeling that this was the calm before the storm, however, and kept a diligent eye out for trouble even as I learned to walk anew, and trained at the lowest possible frequency to keep my body fit.
(Gohan's POV)
Mount Paoz continued to serve as perhaps one of the greenest, most peaceful places on this entire planet. Animals frolicked in the deep forests and birds sounded their calls of happiness, creating the song of life. It was a splendid harmony. However, above all of Mother Nature, nothing of this splendour could be enjoyed today.
I awoke, dazed, with another head-splitting ache in my skull. I shook my head from side to side as I tried to remember what had just occurred. I remembered… Transforming; yeah, that was it. I released a huge amount of power, but from there everything just went blank.
I looked around. Where are Vaughan and the others? The war could surely not be over, right?
I sighed as I sensed the feeling of clashing ki's a few kilometres from here. This day is long from over.
I jumped up, planning on heading back to where all the action was, but stopped in my tracks as I felt an extra breeze that I didn't usually feel. I looked down and grimaced when I was greeted by my stark-naked body.
My hands flew instinctively to my private parts, even though there was no one in sight to witness my embarrassment. One could never be too careful I suppose.
I jumped off the familiar cliff near our house and ran the few hundred metres from there to my home; the residence that presided under the shadow of the mountains and in the light of the shining sun housed us, the Son family members.
I quickly dressed and jumped out of my room's window hurriedly.
There was little reason to waste my newly recovered energy on the road to the battle. There was no telling how long this would take, and it was more likely than not for me to wind up half dead before they gave up.
I reached the bloodied battlefield in a few seconds.
My gaze fell upon my group of friends punching and kicking their ways through the numerous demons that surrounded them. My heart felt shallow and numb. If I knew about the tragic happenings on this forsaken realm, I would never have allowed them to accompany me. I would have left them behind somewhere where it is partially safe. If I teleport them somewhere else, Vaughan would surely trace their ki's and send someone after them…
All I could do was hope they wouldn't lose their fighting spirit.
I darted down towards them but froze when I realized that Videl was missing from the picture.
A feeling of dread filled my heart and my vision became blank. I ignored the battle scene in front of me and blasted off into the opposite direction; remembering the place I had seen her last.
I stopped again as I saw my sister in my peripheral vision. Gomih. She was with Videl last.
"Gomih!" I called and she averted her attention blindly towards my voice, earning herself a punch in the jaw. She quickly retaliated and used her ki to blast the remnants of her opponents to oblivion.
"What is it?" She asked in a slightly annoyed voice.
"Where is Videl, I can't find her?"
She pointed left. "I left her just outside that one village. We were under attack, I had no choice." She added after catching a glimpse of my expression.
"Why haven't you retrieved her again?" I asked agitatedly.
"I have been kind of occupied brother." She sneered. "Besides, it's Videl, she will be fine."
I growled and headed into the general direction she pointed to. 'She will be fine.' I allowed my sister's words to replay in my mind.
Suffering from lack of time would bring me to a disadvantage, but there were few things I could do besides getting out of the vicinity. I was torn between wanting their assistance and needing them to be kept safe, or if I wished their ultimate survival above all else.
With a wry smile, I felt that I finally understood why teenagers, especially I, had frustrated my mother so much. Impertinent young people, who rarely ever think things through or consider how much damage they'll do to themselves… it was a grim thought, and melancholy memories of my mother filled my mind. Now was not the time, however, and I had a serious need of a clear head.
I picked up speed as I flew further out, desperately seeking out the ki of the girl who held my heart in the town that'd been massacred. Knowing what I'd find didn't help any, and if anything, it made it worse. There was little I could do for the injured in times like these, even if that's what I wanted the most. Ironically enough, I had absolutely no idea what had been done, though something told me it would be much like other massacres I'd seen, with the unfortunates left to die slow deaths while I attempted to make it up to them.
I closed my eyes. Videl, please don't be one of them. I begged the sky. I expanded my ki-barrier, desperately searching for her life force, but my mind was confused, especially with the lingering aura of death clinging to each of the millions of corpses below.
I let out an angered yell, airing my bottled up frustration. "Videl?!" I called. "VIDEL?!" My voice cracked under the loud volume of my screech. "Videl…" This time my voice was a mere whisper. I clenched my fists and continued my flight due north. She has got to be somewhere. She just has to be.
What else could I do?
I finally saw life walking about as I reached the little village, practically in the middle of nowhere. I frowned as I saw the sign of a little shop that made something in my memory stir.
Lime…
*flashback*
I flew towards a nearby town, on an errand for my mom to gather supplies. After Cell's attack at Z-TV, most of the people had fled the cities, so it was a bit more difficult than it sounded to fill a simple shopping list. I was still a Super Saiyan and was dressed in my purple gi, but I'd left my cape behind, since it might look a bit stupid on me if they didn't know who I was respecting.
I looked down and saw a young girl, slightly younger than me, reaching to get an apple on a branch hanging over a swift-flowing river. Suddenly the branch snapped, and she fell into the water.
My instinct to protect shot through my bones and I darted down, diving under the water, pulling her out and setting her down on the shore. "Are you okay?" I asked with concern.
Just then, she pushed me away; at that moment I realized that my hand was on her chest. I hid my blush. Gosh; I hope she doesn't think I am a pervert or something. "HOW DARE YOU, YOU FIEND!" She shouted and pointed her right index finger angrily towards me.
"What?" I asked innocently. "For saving you?" She simply made a face and ran off. I have never been so confused in my life.
"GO BACK WHERE YOU CAME FROM!" She shouted back at me. I merely stared at the direction she ran off into. Shrugging, I flew back into the air, not thinking much of it.
After a minute of flying, I eventually stumbled upon a small village situated in the middle of a forest. There was a winding main road that led into it and from it, which in turn led to the main road a kilometre away. Anyway, however you looked at it didn't matter, the village looked quite alright from where I was flying. Several of the buildings I identified as stores while a couple of others were just houses. It was pretty small, but it would have to suffice. Places like this usually sold descent herbs from the forests, so there's bound to be some of the things mother wanted that I could buy.
I descended and landed in the middle of the town, a bit of dust rising as I touched down on solid earth. As soon as I did, I looked up and around me, taking in my new surroundings. I had been around Mount Paoz's borders and had checked out most of the surrounding villages, but this one I had never been too. Surprisingly enough, this village had everything except one thing, people. I raised an eyebrow and began walking through slowly, cautious and all senses on open. My eyes shifted from left to right, taking in one building after another and making sure not to miss a single dark corner. But so far, I couldn't find anyone. I stopped, fingers itching and expression becoming serious.
"I smell Cell in the air…"
I heard a rustle of leaves behind mw and spun around, eyes locking onto the sound. When my gaze was turned down a dark area behind a vegetable store, I saw a black and white cat emerge from the bushes, striding over to mw before stopping. The cat with green eyes looked up at mw, tail swishing about and gaze fixated with mine. I uncurled my fists, sighing in relief. I smiled at her, watching the cat and meow before disappearing in some other direction down the road.
"Shoot," I said aloud, feeling slightly frustrated. "Don't tell me this village is deserted too." I started to walk steadily through the street; no sign of life was apparent. At this rate I'll never get mom's shopping done. This is the fourth village I've been to. Cell must really be scaring people.
Shrugging, I turned around again, turning to the store across from the Vegetable shop. There, I read the sign up above, which said "Herbs and Medicines." Smiling in success at finally finding a store like this, I headed over to it, walking up the steps and pushing open the door. The shop was open, as the door opened with a chime with no opposing locks or signs saying 'Sorry we're closed'. As soon as I stepped into the store, a medium built man with a bald head, dressed in grey slacks, a white T-shirt and wearing an apron appeared in front of me from behind the door I opened. Loading a shotgun, he pointed the weapon into my chest. It didn't surprise me in the least; I just stood there and looked up at the man. I only had to glance down at the weapon once before smiling back up at him.
"Gee…am I not welcome here?" I asked. "Perhaps I was safer outside…"
The man, whose face was once sweating nervously as he poked the muzzle of the shot gun into my chest, suddenly realized who it was he was aiming for and relaxed. He clicked the weapon into safety and pulled it away, laying it across his shoulder. He smiled down at me. "Sorry, I'm very sorry…I thought you were Cell…" He apologized.
I raised an eyebrow. "Huh…Cell?" The man shrugged at me, taking a step to the side to allow his customer to step in.
"You know…Cell: the monster who has been terrorizing this planet, the people and this village?" He questioned. "The vial fiend who sucks the life out of you while you're still kicking," he continued, giving me the brief outline of the story. I waved my hand at him.
"I already know about that. I'm just wondering why this town is so empty, that's all." I replied. The man nodded affirmatively, leading me down one of the isles of his store. As we walked on, I could see the various articles of medicines and herbs stacked on the shelves all around us. There were jars and pots of plants or pieces of plants, as well as flasks, containers, boxes and crates. There were also fridges built up against the walls, making this quite a modern looking place. Along our trek, the shop keep continued speaking to me.
"Well, you see…not so long ago, Cell himself came to this town. A lot of people were caught in his sights, and before we knew what was happening, he sucked those he marked up through his tail. Many of us hid from him, and as soon as he was gone, we were left scarred." The man explained as we came up to the counter. Walking around, the shop-keep returned to his post behind the cash register, and when he did, he sat himself down and looked at me. "The remaining people tried picking up the pieces from then. But as soon as we were back on our feet, he appeared on the news! We became terrified, fearful for our lives and for the lives of our children. So we barricaded ourselves up in our town, coming up with all the weapons we could scrounge. Even the local Sheriff handed out his weapons to us…"
I nodded in understanding, looking down at the counter's surface in thought. After only a moment of thought, I looked back up, my expression still puzzled. ? "So…where is everybody?" I asked. The man scratched his head with his left hand, right hand on his hip.
He sighed. "I'd say they're up at the shelter…"
"Shelter?" I queried. The man nodded. "Yeah…about a day after Cell declared his World Tournament on television, a group of men showed up to help us: a small, fat millionaire with more money than brains and three thugs, one of them a cyborg." His voice trailed off as he recalled a memory. "They built a giant, dome bunker not too far from this village, saying that it would protect us from Cell." He said. He then shook his head sadly, taking out a wet towel and wiping off the dirt on his counter. "Unfortunately it's costing us a lot, resulting in us having to work harder. The men are like oppressors, forcing us to work for them to keep up with the pay-check used for that dome…"
I nodded in agreement, also looking down. "I see what you mean. But…it's also of grave misfortune that that dome thing will never work…" The man looked up at me in surprise.
"Huh?" I nodded firmly as a statement gesture.
"Yeah. I've seen what Cell can do, and I know how strong he really is. I believe you've seen it too on the news, what with his demonstrations." I replied with distaste. "No bunker, bomb-shelter or army will protect you from that monster. He's unstoppable." The man furrowed his brow, propping his elbow on the counter and resting his chin in his hand as he leaned against the desk.
"By what you're saying is that these men are taking advantage of our fear using something that's practically useless." The man said. I just stared, serious expression coming into play.
"If I were you, I'd tell them to get lost." I retorted. The man shrugged, taking up a proper sitting position again and keeping his eyes on me.
"Well, telling them to beat it will be a lot harder then working off the debt." The shop-keep replied. "No one has the proper authority to do such a thing, not even the sheriff. Besides, I don't think we'll be able to tell them to move any time soon, because that mercenary cyborg those men brought with them is really strong! He's the real backbone of those men."
"Don't worry; I can take care of him." I replied to the shop-keeper's explanations of the situation. "By the way, you wouldn't happen to have any of these in your shop?" I asked friendly, pushing my mother's shopping list in front of him. The man behind the counter smiled and gestured throughout his entire store before getting to his feet.
"I've got everything you need in here." He exclaimed and I smiled.
"I'd like to buy all those, please." I stated politely. The shop-keep chuckled and went around with a paper bag, off to grab the necessary articles his customer was out for.
"Of course, son, this will only take a second." He replied. I watched the guy wiz through the entire store, picking out small brown bags of the herbs I needed. Every dice was taken into account, measured and added up. While the service man was at it, I scrounged through my pocket for the money Mother had given me. Moments later, the shop-keeper returned to the counter with a small bag of my order. He checked the cash register to how much I owed him, and when he did, he looked down with a nod.
"That will be 25 Zenie." He declared. I smiled and placed on the counter all the money I had in my pocket; it was a little more than the amount I owned.
"Keep the change." I said; I know it wasn't much, but at least it was something. The shop-keeper smiled and took the cash.
"Of course. Thank you kindly."
"No, thank you sir." I said in return. With an exchange of waves, I turned around to begin making my way out of the store. It was quite a well-supplied establishment here, so I figured I'd come back another time.
While I was turning around from the counter, I suddenly came face to face with a girl. I stepped back in surprise upon seeing how close she was. The brown haired girl with green eyes was staring up at me, tilting her head to the side and blinking. The way she stared at me made me kind of edgy. I blinked, looking back at her while standing at full height. The girl moved around me, looking up and down with her hands held behind her. It is the girl I saved from the river earlier! During the time of her observations, I made notes of her appearance. She looked around 10 years old, a year younger than me, and wore red pants with suspenders, a yellow shirt and had her hair tied back into a pony tail. She stood to about the height of my chest, and from a guy who was hitting puberty; I noticed that she was quite pretty.
After circling me twice, with me her with my eyes, she stopped where she started and stared at me again. "It's you!" She stated, pointing a finger at me. A moment or so later, her curious expression turned into a very, happy smile and she leaned forward up towards me again. This sharp movement made me back away a bit more in surprise.
"Hi there!" She exclaimed.
"Uh…hi." I replied, blinking. The word 'bipolar' flashed through my mind.
"Who are you? What's your name?" She asked. "I've never seen you around here before! Where are you from? Are you here visiting someone or did you get lost? Oh…did you come here to buy things for someone or for yourself? What did you get? Oh! How long are you staying? Are you…"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa." I said laughing nervously, cutting off the girl's bombardment of questions. "Easy there. Could you ask me those questions again, this time slower and preferably one question at a time please?" I suggested while scratching the back of my head. "Gee, I didn't even catch the first ones!" The girl smiled and nodded.
"Ok…so…" She began. "Who are you?"
I nodded back placing my hands on my hips. One of my hands held the bag of herbs I had just bought, and was sure to keep a close arm over it. "My name is Gohan." I replied. "What's your name?" The girl grinned and pointed at herself.
"I'm Lime." She exclaimed in response before holding out a hand to me. "It's very nice to meet you Gohan!" I shook her hand.
"It's a pleasure to meet you too, Lime." I replied politely. The girl giggled and, when we lowered hands, she smiled sweetly up at me, batting her eyelashes.
"Would you like to come out and play with me?" She asked. I blinked, rather surprised by this. However, it soon came as understanding to me since kids around this age still acted this age. When I was five, I was fighting villains who could destroy entire planets with a single blast. Still, since I had plenty of time to kill, I figured I could honour the girl's request.
"Uhh…sure. What do you want to do?" I asked. Lime grinned and gestured for me to follow her.
"Come on! I know this great place by my house!" She exclaimed, leading the way out of the shop. Not bothering to rush, I just walked after her. I was surprised by how energetic she was, her ki clearly showing this. I exited the store, leaving the owner staring after us.
"I must say, those two might make quite the item when they're older…" I heard him say before I was out of earshot. We were literally outside for a few seconds when a suspicious-looking van pulled up.
"Perhaps." The shopkeeper answered indifferently with his arms crossed. "But no one knows that for sure. Especially not you."
"Shut your face you old man!" A shorter man yelled. "We're just gonna take it!" His partner shoved him to the ground.
"Look." The taller man retorted. "We'll trade you for it. You can have free lodging in the shelter with us. You dig?"
"That shelter is a bad idea." The shopkeeper shot back. "I've said that from the start."
"Excuse me." I said politely as I walked into the shop. I held a tone of authority in my voice. "What do you think you're doing, small fry?" The shorter man asked, walking up to me. Ironically, despite his taunt of "small fry", I was still taller than him. I chuckled at the irony.
"I was just picking a few things up for my mom."
"Leave him be, Birdwell." The taller man said with a yawn. "He's just a young punk. Bug off, kid, we're sold out."
"Then what's all this?" I asked, shoving Birdwell to the side while gesturing to all the goods lining the walls.
"Burbon family bought it!" Birdwell claimed. "For the shelter!"
"Stop your nonsense, now!" The shopkeeper demanded; slamming his fist against the countertop. The taller man grunted in anger. "Listen!" He shouted at the shopkeeper. "What's your problem, old man? Are you deaf? We need this! To survive." His voice took on one of those telling a sob story. "Not just us. Everyone! All the villagers are counting on you. Give us the food."
"Why should I?" The shopkeeper asked angrily. "So the Burbon family can make the villagers work for it?"
"I don't think he's getting it." Birdwell gestured to his friend. "I think he needs a little persuasion." He smashed a few bottles on a shelf.
"Stop that!" The shopkeeper shouted, running over to them. "What are you doing?"
Birdwell picked up a pitchfork. "This ought to do the trick." He swung it back over his shoulder. Just then, there was a scream from outside.
"CELL!" Lime's voice shouted with panic. "IT'S CELL!"
"He's back?" The taller thug asked with a shaky fear in his tone of voice.
"Cell's been here before?" I asked with big eyes, immediately getting into a fighting stance, bracing myself.
"Darn right!" The taller thug whimpered, running outside. "I knew he'd be back!" Birdwell went tearing after his partner. They jumped into their van and sped away with extreme speed. I was still on high alert.
What the heck is Cell doing out here? I thought with confusion.
"CELL'S HERE!" The voice shouted again. She turned and looked at us guiltily.
"Ms. Lime." The shopkeeper said with a raised eyebrow. "Where's Cell?"
Lime put her hand behind the back of her head, laughing guiltily. "Now, Lime." The shopkeeper lectured. "How many times have I told you never to lie again?"
"Cell's not here?" I asked, slightly confused.
"No boy."
Lime and I followed the shopkeeper outside, the shopkeeper explaining how the first time Cell had come he'd devoured half the village, including Lime's parents. He'd still been incomplete at that stage, hunting the androids.
"So that's the shelter they were talking about?" I asked, looking up at the domed building I'd spotted earlier from the air.
"Yes." The shopkeeper answered, chopping a block of wood in half with an axe. "The villagers have gone there for protection. Just in case Cell comes back..."
"It won't do them any good." I said as a matter of factly. I imagined Cell coming one night and using a simple energy beam to kill everybody at once.
"You sound like you've seen Cell before." Lime observed; she looked at me from under her eyelashes. She played with her big toe in the sand too. "But you're still alive."
"I saw Cell when he attacked Ginger Town." I answered honestly. "Some friends and I tried to stop him. We would have been able to, but he was too tricky and got away." I sighed. "After that, we tried tracking him down, but he was too quick for us."
"You really could defeat Cell?" The shopkeeper; I detected a tone of hope lingering in his voice. "He was powerful. Even then..."
I scoffed. "He was a lot weaker back then." I said. "I would have been able to defeat him, but he evolved into the form he is now, and he's too powerful."
Just then, the shopkeeper grabbed his back, groaning in pain.
"Gramps, it's your back again!" Lime exclaimed with worry. "Why can't I do it? I'm big enough!"
He chuckled. "You're still a little young, child."
"I can help!" I volunteered enthusiastically, walking forward. The shopkeeper stared at me for a few moments, considering my offer. Finally, he smiled.
"Yes. I'd love your help." He handed his axe over to my hands, gesturing at a pile of wood against the house. I handed the axe back arrogantly.
"Just watch." I said. I picked up the entire pile of wood, threw it into the air, and darted into the sky after them, moving faster than the shopkeeper or Lime could see. Finally, I landed, and the wood stacked itself neatly behind me, fully cut.
"Impressive." The shopkeeper gushed with a whistle. "You really are a great fighter." Lime's jaw had dropped.
"Thanks." I thanked bashfully. Just then, a braying of trumpets sounding from the shelter met with my ears.
"That must be the grand opening!" Lime shouted with a frown. "Come on, let's go see!" She gestured at me to follow.
"Thank you, thank you very much!" A short man said into a microphone to a large cheering crowd. "Now, give yourselves a hand. After all, it's your home! It's so fantastic to see you all pulling together like this. It warms my soul to see such unity."
"Yeah, right." Lime retorted from where we hid, watching intently. She stood up and put her hands to her mouth. "IT'S CELL! CELL'S HERE!" She shouted abruptly, making me flinch.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" I asked, trying to silence her.
The small man on the podium darted towards the entrance of the "shelter". Seconds after he had entered the doors sealed behind him, locking everybody else out.
"So you're the ones." A voice blamed from behind us. Turning around, I saw the two thugs from the store, pointing guns at us. "Mr. Burbon would like to have a few words with you two punks."
They led us to the front of the crowd. "Hey, calm down!" The tall thug shouted. "It was just a joke! A little kid was playing a stupid prank." He pointed to Lime.
"WHAT?" A voice shouted over the loudspeaker. The doors opened up, and Mr. Burbon came out, apoplectic with rage.
"This is her, Mr. Burbon." The tall thug claimed. "She did it."
"Why you little runt!" Mr. Burbon shouted. "You're in big trouble!"
"Excuse me, sir." I said, walking forward. "It was wrong of my friend to lie. We're sorry. But I don't think what you're doing is right either."
"Who cares what you think." Mr. Burbon shot back, getting in my face. "Go home to your mommy, kid."
"And where's your mom?" I asked with a raised eyebrow. "Was she one of the ones you locked outside?"
"That's enough out of you, you delinquent." Mr. Burbon turned to his thugs. "Hey, boys, shut this kid up."
"Just try." I threatened. "You couldn't hurt me."
"That's enough." A voice from behind us shouted. It was Lime's grandfather.
"Don't be fooled, he's just an old man!" Burbon exclaimed. "Get him!" The thugs charged at the shopkeeper.
"Let me help." I stated heroically. "There's too many of them."
"No, I think I can handle this." The shopkeeper stated with determination. He blocked a punch from the short thug, kneeing him in the stomach, and knocking him out of the fight.
"Now you're going to get it!" The tall thug shouted, charging with the rest of the thugs at the shopkeeper. The shopkeeper managed to knock the rest of the thugs out. The tall thug pointed a gun at him, but it was kicked out of his hand before he could fire.
"Oh, why you!" Burbon shouted. He turned to the shelter. "General Tao, come out! I need you!" A tall man dressed in pink robe, with the words KILL YOU written on the back, and robotic eyes and arms walked out.
"What is it, Mr. Burbon?" General Tao questioned with a yawn.
"Just a small task for someone so great..." The mobster said, walking up, smiling. "It's that man and that boy! I want them eliminated."
"Them? Oh, I'd be happy to." He charged at me first, thinking I looked like the easier target. He threw a punch, but I blocked it with one finger, pushing the assassin back.
"You think you're clever." Tao mocked, removing one of his hands. "Let's see you block this!" He shot an energy blast at me, resulting in an explosion.
"All too easy." Tao breathed, reattaching his arm. When the smoke cleared, I was completely unharmed. "What happened?" Tao asked in surprise.
"I happened." I replied cockily, flaring my golden aura around me.
"Wait a second…" Tao's voice trailed off as his eyes fixed themselves on my face. "Hey kid. What's your name?"
"It's Gohan."
"Well, thank goodness. I thought you were someone named Goku."
"Close enough." I replied. "I'm his son."
General Tao jumped in shock. "Not that kid!" He backed away, retreating.
"Hey, what's wrong?" Burbon asked. "You look like you've seen a ghost."
"No, not me." Tao backed away. "You will soon, though, if you fight that kid." He pulled a tree up and launched it into the air. "As for me, I quit." He leapt on top of the tree.
"YOU CAN'T QUIT!" Burbon shouted. He turned to face the angry mob that was confronting him. Paling, he ran over to me and fell on his knees.
"Please!" He begged. "You're super strong! Help me! They're mad! Bloodthirsty!"
"That's because you cheated them." I replied. I raised one hand and shot an energy beam at the shelter, destroying it. "That shelter would have been useless against Cell. If I could do that, think about what he could do."
I approached the angry mob. "Hi, everybody. I'm Gohan. I know that Cell's scary, but instead of expecting the worst, I think we should hope for the best! Cell isn't invincible. Haven't you heard that the bigger they are, the harder they fall?"
"Gohan, hey!" A voice shouted from above, interrupting my speech. It was my dad.
"Dad, what are you doing here?" I asked a little surprised.
"Well, looking for you. Aren't you supposed to be getting stuff for your mom?"
"I forgot!" I exclaimed, scratching the back of his head.
"No you didn't!" Lime interrupted, taking a bag from her grandfather and handing it to me.
"It's been a real pleasure getting to know your son." The shopkeeper directed to Dad. "His power is enormous. Just like his dad's."
"Thanks for everything, Mr. Lao." I said genuinely.
"Beat Cell." Mr. Lao said. "I know you can do it. I know you'll both be there, at the big tournament."
Dad and I nodded before we blasted off into the sky. "You bet…"
*flashback*
The village was just as desolated and quiet as it was when I found it that day… Too quiet to be honest… Perhaps Videl is there…
I gulped as I realized that I was completely vulnerable and exposed here in the sky. They could strike any moment now, and I would never be the wiser.
I knew myself. I would be a sitting duck, helpless to their tantrums, as vulnerable as a child to their parents' chiding. What I needed was time. Without time, and a way to keep the elites out of my hair while I trained and completed my army, we'd all be doomed.
What can I do?
Nothing.
I could do nothing but wait for them to tire of the mockery they called 'battle' and hope they left me in good enough condition to get some work done that formed in my mind. I smiled.
Hope…
That has a nice ring to it. I mused, and finally met up with the two beings I'd never wanted to see, not now, not ever.
Vaughan and Grace…
I was surprised that Vaughan fought his own battles for once, but that fact made a worried feeling settle in my stomach. There was nothing for it but to face them. Where's Rey? I let out a relieved sigh when I sensed his presence back at the intended battlefield. His attention was averted to another strong being that I didn't recognise.
Despite my attempts to remind myself of exactly what they could do when they were so inclined, taking sight of the town was too much for any one person to handle. I found myself transforming before I even caught sight of the duo, but it was too late to employ that tactic; I'd need to spend days like this to actually have made a difference in the amount of energy it saved, and I just didn't have time for that.
It was all horribly familiar; I'd seen this before, long ago. There were bodies all around even now, before the real fighting had even started, and the hot sun baked the air with that all too familiar smell. I knew what I'd find when I caught up with them, and I knew I'd be the cause of an accident so profound I didn't want to think about it. They'd make sure of that, forcing me to relieve my last, possibly most acute defeat at their hands. It was all part of one complex scheme to make me insecure in my skills, my abilities, and remind me why I left the world to begin with, and why all the two could have ruined while I was gone.
They didn't want to kill me. I could see it in their eyes. Their minds were singing torture all the way.
Not yet.
First, they'd show me how very helpless I was.
They'd show me how to forget hope, the way they'd shown so many others…
Well, I thought, looking around with growing despair as I observed the scene. If I fall, there will be another to take my place… maybe not now, or any time in the foreseeable future, but they will be overcome. The realization gave me a small amount of comfort, though I couldn't quite say why. Whether or not they were defeated was one thing, but how many would die before then was quite another.
Already, they'd begun something too terrible to think about.
Taking a firmer stance, I glared harder at my opponents, eyes flickering. Suddenly, the ground around me began to crackle with a fiercer display of golden, electrical currents. The earth began to shake, making Grace raise an eyebrow at my display of power; Vaughan seemed indifferent. Suddenly, golden electricity consumed me and began flickering around my body, shooting outwards and connecting with the four mountain-like landmarks in our surrounding area. The currents moved up and down them, as well as across the ground as the field of power expanded and then contracted. With its concentration into my body, I felt my power rise again, and finally, it hit me.
I was ready.
Bringing myself into a strong stance, I reared my head back and let out a tremendous cry of power, a shock wave exploding out of me, cracking the ground and sending dust everywhere. With that it began. I bent lower and gritted my teeth, groaning in agony as more golden bolts of lightning began shooting out around me. Currents ran up and down my body, sparks flying.
Then, with a burst of golden light, a radioactive, golden glow began to illuminate off of me, followed by a strange loss of gravity. Debris began to rise off of the ground and float around me, caught up in my field of power. In another burst of light, my hair suddenly flashed light blonde, spiking up a bit and stiffening from its previous state.
The lightning storm around me grew with more intensity; more rocks beginning to rise. As my energy rose, flames of energy began coursing out and around me before suddenly, with one last, bellowing yell, I rose up to full height and powered up. Lifting off the ground a couple of feet, my golden aura exploded around me, unleashing a gale of wind and a tremendous explosion of force. Grace was nearly knocked over; Vaughan even lost his footing. He tried holding himself in his present position but slowly slid along the ground from the power output ripping at him. His eyes were torn open, showing his shock.
The winds continued to blow fiercely, but then they all died, leaving a silent wind once again.
My glare hardened on Vaughan. He glowered for a moment, but then a smirk and a cocky expression crossed his face. His own eyes flashed sinisterly, and he threw his hands down to his sides, wings opening as he tensed his muscles.
"Alright then, if you're so anxious to witness my true power, then so be it!" He shouted. With a yell of power, Vaughan floated off of the ground, a large crater being punched into the earth as a golden aura burst up around him. His energy display was incredible too, sending winds hurling in all directions as debris and dust were ripped from the ground and thrown into the air.
Vaughan smirked before his look turned furious and he flung himself into flight across the field and charged at me. I stood where I was, watching as Vaughan approached at an incredible rate. I braced myself for the impact by extending my arms out from me. As soon as Vaughan was close enough I shot my clenched fist forward, but it never connected with him. My fist went through him, but I didn't feel the sensation of blood on my skin, that should be there... It was almost as he was a hologram. Vaughan and Grace started laughing.
"So I thought..." He taunted and darted away from me, looking like he was heading back to the original battlefield.
"What the…" I breathed. I looked down to where Videl and Lime was. They were still safe. With that peace of mind I followed Vaughan. His actions just now confused me. Did he somehow manage to transform himself into a ghost-like figure? If that was the case we were surely doomed. He could attack us, but ours would just go through him.
He must be stopped.
But I was the one who stopped in my tracks when I saw what was unfolding before me. I stared back at myself, residing and fighting in what appeared to be the fifth Super Saiyan transformation. I frowned and stared down to my body.
But I am here; not there?
At that moment Luna backed into me, but flew right through me. Her opponent soon followed and the same happened. I floated over to the nearby cliff and reached out to it. My arm went right through it!
A feeling of panic resided in my system as I stared at the Super Saiyan 5 me on the battlefield, who clearly wasn't me… I frowned. Who was in my body?