Chapter Thirty-Six: Pure and Total Desperation…In the Name of Love

"The creature that terrorized dozens of villages over the past few days continues his reign of terror. The King has issued commands for the military to gather its forces to track down and eliminate this creature. So far, all attempts have fail—"

With a click, the TV flashed to a black screen and the young girl watching stood and stretched.

"Papa, they're still talkin' about that creature."

"Now, don't you worry any, Pumpkin. That monster isn't getting anywhere near you."

Rolling her eyes, she scoffed, "Papa, I'm not a baby anymore. I'm ten years old!"

"Aw, I know, you're a big girl but you just leave this to your ol' Dad! That slimy thing is gonna rue the day it crawled out of its slimy shell!"

Raising his arms for emphasis, he turned and stormed down the hall, toward his training dojo, leaving many stunned servants in his wake but several began to cheer and shout. Their echoes of encouragement were only feeding a flame. The smaller girl rolled her eyes but managed a small smile. She supposed he had a right. After all, he was the World Champion.

Every so often, she would wonder if the other World Champions acted like her father did, feeding off the fame. There were times, like now, where she found her father's constant bragging very annoying. Her mother had been a martial artist herself and though the girl remembered very little about her, she knew the woman would have been violet with rage and humiliation that her husband was promoting himself as much as he was.

However, on the other hand, the girl pondered as she made her way toward her bedroom, who had emerged as of late to challenge her father? He had conquered everyone he fought, hand to hand and fair and square. Had he not some right to take credit and be proud of what he could do? So few people had that kind of bravery anymore though she doubted her father's at times.

Then, of course, there was the fact that she didn't mind the props that came with her father's fame.

Having a lot of money was not a bad thing.

She flopped down on her bed, looking over everything she had. There was nothing she couldn't ask her father for. She had lost count of all the trinkets and toys she had. Being only ten years old, she still had quite the healthy love for quite a few toys, namely quite a few dolls, which she mainly displayed on her shelves. She wasn't one for the fancy pretty dolls but she liked ones in odd poses, especially those that seemed to mimic those of martial artists. They had made a lot of her father, given his promotion of his success and she had every single one, courtesy of gifts from Papa of course.

She sat down at her window seat, moving from her bed and pondered. School was still in session but Papa had become so paranoid lately that she had been let off of it for a bit. He said until he beat this monster.

She bit her lower lip but smiled. Maybe Papa could beat it but the creature was pretty elusive. It struck and ran. That was weird. If it could wipe out whole villages like that then why did it always run! It was infuriating. Her father would track it down and make it regret being such a coward though!

How did it do what it did though?

That baffled her entirely.

First a village in the mountains, then one by the sea, then one on of rice fields, then one in the plains and lately, growing closer and closer to the big cities. She wasn't afraid, at least that's what she told herself. She could defend herself just fine! Papa let her spar with him and he said she was getting good! Still, something that wiped out entire villages and disappeared without leaving too many witnesses, if it left any at all, was something to be concerned about.

It was its randomness…and its speed.

How did something dart all over the world like that? Not even a super jet like her father had could do that kind of thing! How was it possible? It had to be some kind of trick .Papa told her all the time about deceptions and things that fakes liked to use but she could not for life of her figure out how it was possible. People were talking about new inventions in Capsule Corp coming out with high speed jets but even those speeds weren't close to what would have been needed.

Fidgeting, she stood up and started to pace around her room. She didn't want to sit here and do nothing! Her father was out getting ready to go after this monster with everything he had! The King was readying the military and damn it, just because she was a kid didn't mean she couldn't do anything!

And if anyone said it was because she was a girl, then she'd gladly slam them into the ground!

She frowned, looked down at herself. She was wearing her casual clothes, loose fitting. Just right for tracking down a monster! She ran out of her room, jumping down the stairs, taking them two at a time before grabbing her shoes by the door and slipping them on her feet, hopping up and down on one foot as she fastened the straps.

"Miss! Miss!"

She groaned inwardly but didn't stop her motions but did reply, "What is it, Akurei?" she inquired of one of her father's many servants. She tied her right shoe as the black haired elder woman inquired of her,

"Miss, where are you—"

"I can take care of myself!"

"I did not mean to imply you could not-"

"Then don't worry about it. If Papa is gonna do his part, then so am I!"

That said, she tied her other shoe and without giving the older woman a chance to say another word, Satan Videl ran out the door and down the path. Unfortunately, she surmised that finding the creature's path would be all too easy.

OOO

With a huge splash, the water directly in front of their boat erupted into a huge geyser. Seventeen stopped the boat, shifting his eyes skyward as his sister stretched.

"Well, looks like we get some exercise again, sis."

Eighteen looked at their opponents. That same annoying and arrogant Saiyan but he looked different now. Well, not truly looked different as much as he felt different, if such a thing were truly possible. She remembered well enough snapping his legs at their last meeting. The look in his eyes now was still that same arrogant bastard but he had a different kind of confidence to him.

Before hand, she regarded him as one would a small child; thinking that nothing could conquer them with little to back it up aside from the fact that nothing or very little ever had. Her data banks listed Vegeta as the Prince of the Saiyan race. Even without that knowledge, she would have known simply by the way he acted. She had seen such behavior before, from those she had encountered before…before when she had been—

She shook her head.

In any event, he carried himself like so many other spoiled, rotten little brats had.

That snotty, upheld posture gave that much away. The way he carried himself said that he truly believed himself to be superior to anyone and anything. Eighteen had seen the look before appear on his face but seeing it now made her frown. There was a different way in which he carried himself. It was no longer simply because he believed he was entitled to the respect but rather there was a look there now that said he intended to earn the respect by force if need be.

It reminded her of how a hawk looked at a mouse and she had ever intention, with great pleasure at that, to wipe that grin off his smug face. That much aside, she was really getting tired of all these delays. Her brother was the one so intent on destroying Son Goku, because, to him, it was a big ol' game and that was just like a boy.

Android 16 was different, he seemed to be like a mindless robot on a mission which Eighteen supposed he was. Half the time, she and Seventeen forgot he was even there. Even now, he was sitting there, silent, unmoving, his eyes filtering over the coming fighters. When he didn't spy Son Goku, he shifted his eyes away to rest on the ocean surface.

Seventeen rose to the air, as did Eighteen, sizing up their opponents. The one who called himself Vegeta was grinning, a twisted and anxious grin. "It's time for you Androids to go back to the trash heap you crawled out of."

Eighteen eyed him, "Oh, like you did to us, last time?" she asked, cracking one of her wrists a little. "Let's make this quick then. We don't have all day to play with you."

Trunks narrowed his eyes at them. "it won't be so easy this time!"

"No?" Seventeen asked. "You mean we might actually break a sweat this time?"

Vegeta scowled, a twisted and cunning grin. It was a maniacal look, the one of someone who got a sick pleasure of seeing someone fall. Trunks found himself shuddering with both disgust and a bit of anticipation when he saw it and the fact he felt both was enough to make his heart pound. How could he feel pleasure at that kind of look?

Because you want to see the Androids fall.

True enough but—

These aren't your Androids…you are AVENGING NO ONE.

Trunks narrowed his eyes, setting his sights on Seventeen. Maybe he wasn't avenging his time but he was avenging those already lost in this time. And he was making sure that Cell that Son Goku told them about would never achieve his full power but wiping out these two. He already didn't know if they were strong enough to defeat these two. They were so much more powerful than in his time and there was a creature in this time that would absorb both their powers? The thought was enough to make his heart shudder.

"Oh, so do it."

Vegeta charged at Seventeen's challenge. The black haired Android hovered, smirking but his smile quickly turned to pure stunned shock when the Saiyan's punch connected and he felt blood bubble up in his mouth as he went plunging into the ocean. He rose quickly but found himself crashing into the water again as the force of a small planet crushed through his torso and ripped through the ocean like through tissue paper.

Waves of foam erupting out of the water like bombs were lit underneath made Eighteen change her position slightly as she felt the weight of a thousand pounds slam deep into the arch of her back. She let out an involuntary cry of pain but her speed saved her and she corrected her course, swinging out at her opponent.

The one called Trunks caught her swing and slung out at her, shattering away at her lower jaw. It was rare for her to get such a hit, especially since not even yesterday, these two had been groveling at her feet! What happened in such a short amount of time?

A punch to her face, erupting blood in a spew like a fountain brought her sharply back to the present. She caught the next punch shot at her but found the force behind the blow significantly stronger than it had been before. She strained and sent her opponent spiraling toward the ocean below. She lit up twin blasts into her hands and unleashed them without a second thought. Missing her target by inches when he dodged, the blasts collided into the water, driving deep down, tearing apart the ocean floor. In a pillar of foam, pieces of shattered rock and dead sea creatures shot toward the sky.

Eighteen charged downward, into the water, sending Trunks deep under the water. She was not immune to needing air but she was hoping the water could slow his reflexes some. By whatever means he had done it, the warrior's speed had surpassed her own.

Trunks was initially shocked by the cold water but he quickly righted himself, grasping Eighteen's arm and with a sharp throw, sending her smashing into the ocean floor. He dove after her with a speed only achieved by someone driven by a deep passion. His fist connected with her stomach and previous bubbles of air cut from her throat. She felt blood swell up and swung out her fist, letting out a blast when she felt it connect. The force pressing on her stomach vanished and she rose up.

Trunks righted himself and charged Eighteen again, throwing out a Burning attack at her. His attacks were slower down here but it was still fast enough for her to barely dodge. The rocky cliffs behind her erupted into splinters and shards, raising down small boulders, some as small as hail and some the size of small cars.

Trunks took full advantage of it and charged her again.

Eighteen ducked under Trunks' original assault, springing up towards the surface. She would need air before too long and she didn't have a lot of time. Trunks' hand grasped her around the ankle and he drove his fist into her stomach again. Eighteen didn't quite understand him, not just because of his power upgrade. To her, it was his eyes that drove into her so much.

Oh, she hardly expected him to look at her with joy but his eyes were different from the Saiyan Prince's. The Saiyan Prince always looked at her with contempt and with an almost maniacal glance, of one who took great joy out of every challenge. To him, she and her brother were nothing more than another challenge. He was so like her brother in that sense. Big babies both of them, just interested in the next game.

Then, there were this one, this Trunks' eyes.

So full of hate, they were. Not like those who had driven her and her brother from their presence but so much deeper. It was like she had committed a heinous crime that she was unaware of. It was such a sharp contrast from Son Gohan's eyes. That young boy's eyes, though he had only looked at her intently once or twice, were permanently branded into her mind. So full of pity and sadness.

She wanted none of it! None of this hate, nor the damned pity.

She struck out at Trunks but he caught her other arm, faster than even she could process. He swung her around, slamming her body into one of the falling bits of rock. She felt pain cut through her body, blood rising underneath from the still faint human veins that pumped blood. Rock cut into her back and deep into her skin, ripping apart her clothes.

Trunks had every intention of ending it right there when he felt the weight of a thousand pounds suddenly plunge into his chest. His grip on Eighteen was lost and as he slammed into the ocean floor, she made for the surface when the water erupted, far more than any of their previous attacks had done.

The ocean floor was split widely, leaving what resembled an elevated island, with deep gorges around it. The water spilled into these deep gorged as it spilled back down from the air, leaving what a deep dry patch in the middle of the ocean. Another blast from the sky sent the ocean floor splitting upward in a small mountain, as the earth crumbled and rose to the command of the ki blasts.

Trunks groaned and pushed the weight off his chest, finding it to be his father. The elder man was still only a moment then cursed and spat as he stood up. Trunks glanced around, trying to take into account what had happened. One moment, he had been fighting Eighteen under the water on flat ground and now suddenly, he was standing on a small mound of rock risen out of the ocean by tearing apart the ocean floor. He glanced upward, then flashed his ki up, his hair standing back up into Super Saiyan golden.

It all made sense now.

He had been fighting Eighteen.

His father had been fighting Seventeen.

His father had been overtaken and thrown at him and Seventeen had not followed.

Because he could not.

Not with a wicked green tail about his neck. Not with a deep throaty laugh punctuated by Seventeen's futile curses and attempts to escape. Not with a creature clutching his limbs tight with a strength even denied to Son Goku.

That creature had to be Cell.

Eighteen shook her head, clearing her eyes then followed her eyes to Trunks'. She looked upward and—

"Seventeen!"

What the hell it was, she didn't know but she knew it had a nasty green tail curled around her brother's neck.

Her brother, as bothersome as he was, was all she had left and she was not about to lose him to an overgrown cockroach. She didn't know what it was, nor did she care. She had been damned into this Android existence but for now, she would use it to get back the one thing that kept her stable, her one remaining rock in this hell of a world.

"Seventeen!" She charged the creature as he brother struggled and it smiled at her.

A twisted, evil, and corrupt smile.

"Yes, come and join us, sister…"

OOO

Gohan paused then kicked the covers off. He slipped out of bed slowly, easing his feet down slowly. He jerked them back up into bed initially because the floor felt like ice. He paused though and gently eased them back down. Pushing aside the violet curtain slowly, he paused, looking over at his father's own bed. He could see the dark shape within toss slightly then settle back to sleep.

Gohan let out a sigh of relief. Daddy was pretty adamant on him getting enough sleep lately. Gohan admitted that he would have preferred to just lay in bed. Every step he took sent rockets of red hot pain through his muscles. Every day was a painful struggle but he liked it. He thrived in this environment, learning from everything Daddy did.

But that damned voice. Lately, it was coming more often and not always as a voice either. Sometimes, it was the entire form, the one that looked like him. He never came like that when he was around Daddy though which only fueled Gohan's belief that he was losing his mind entirely. He was thinking about it more and more lately.

Opening the fridge, Gohan pondered the sweet dumplings a moment then shook his head and retrieved a dragonfruit instead. He broke the hard shell with his bare hands then sat down, thinking. He took a bite, letting the sweet juice settle in his mouth a moment. He sighed as he took another bite. The sweet fruit didn't help ease his mind any.

He was doubting that voice, that figure. They said they were his hidden power, at least that was what they had said when he'd woken from that coma to go fight Nine and Ten. Gohan didn't know what to believe. If they were truly his hidden power then why did they seem to focus so much on his emotions? They knew exactly what to say to irritate him. Also, why did they always refer to Daddy? Always talk like Daddy was their Daddy? Gohan shook his head. He didn't understand it.

He also felt a ki when they were around. He didn't know if it was his own ki or not because he was not a good judge of his own ki. He could focus on and knew all his friends' ki but he couldn't judge his own. Still, why would a hidden power have its own ki? Wouldn't they just be a part of his own ki?

It was all so confusing!

Gohan stiffened then, feeling that ki again, outside. Why was it back again? And why did it never come in here?

Gohan stood, threw away his fruit shell and then walked to the edge of the small building, gazing out into the white nothingness. Ice cold snow and frost had started to coat everything. Daddy said that it did that at "night" here, because the temperature changed so drastically. That wasn't what Gohan focused on though.

His eyes set on the small form standing out there.

Full of anger and irritation, he powered up and charged, slamming his fist into the figure's face before it had a chance to say anything.

The figure fell but quickly stood back up. He smirked,

"Why not use that passion when you train?"

"Shut up! Why don't you leave me alone?"

"I've told you why-"

"The hell you have!" Gohan spat. "You keep talking about Daddy dying. If you're my power inside, why do you care?"

The figure froze, narrowed his eyes. He'd struck a nerve.

But…you couldn't strike a nerve with a spirit or ki, could you?

Yet he had. Gohan stared into those dark eyes and then focused on his curled fist which he had taken great pleasure in plowing into the figure's face. Taken aback by what he saw, his mind started to do a thousand back flips. This made sense…but then, if this wasn't his ki or power then what…

He swallowed, more confused than ever.

"You're not any power of mine."

"Oh, and how did you come to that conclusion, Son Gohan?" The usually strong voice faltered and Gohan met its eyes. Raising his curled fist, which he had plowed into the figure's face, he pointed to the faint dots of red.

"Because ki and spirits don't bleed."