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Chapter 6
Yesterday was long. I had warned Cell before we started, but minutes turned into hours and hours went past midnight again. He quickly learned how easy it was to get hooked watching YouTube videos. He saw his fight with Goku but then wanted to backtrack, next his fight with Trunks, Vegeta after, until we made it to the earliest episodes of his arrival. Not entire episodes, mind you, just the scenes that were major points to the series. He seemed to enjoy reliving the battles he triumphed over, but had no major interest in what became of him at his tournament. He already knew he was going to die, so what was the point in looking deeper? I let it slide and figured if he ever wanted to see his explosive end he knew where to go.
Today had caught me off-guard. I went about my usual routine and eventually made it to the main room to see what he was up to, only to find him cross-legged on the far side of the room in front of the fireplace. I stared at first, thinking it was just a relaxed pose, but when he never opened his eyes or acknowledged my presence I realized it was probably a meditative pose, then took note of the similarities between his and Piccolo's pose. I looked around the room and saw nothing else out of the ordinary so I left quietly and hoped he came out of it eventually so we could talk more. I still had some questions that were bothering me from days ago but never really found a good window to ask. The dogs stayed at my heels now that their curiosity was sated, much to his relief, and they went about their usual pastimes. I felt it was quiet enough in the house to head to the basement for some mind-clearing of my own.
The basement was designed to be the main entertainment center with the sound system and TV. I grabbed the controller sitting on the couch and fired up the system, pulled YouTube up on the screen and pulled out my yoga mat. It wasn't long before both pups had followed me down the stairs and brought the chew toys to keep themselves entertained while I pulled up my video. I got in position and hit play on the controller, then finally let the past four days finally melt off of my shoulders.
Yoga is worth it. When I started I wanted to cry over my weak wrists and knees, but after a few weeks I realized how much they just needed the exercise much like a normal muscle group or cardio workout. The balance is a nice benefit and having a strong core made me feel like I could take on the world some days. I noticed my figure change ever so slightly from it too, and while I still didn't have chiseled abs I still had the figure I wanted, and I have kept it since. After my body was used to it, my mind came around as well, relaxing and staying in tune with steady breathing and gentle motions. So even after all of the physical activities I do, the yoga still gets worked in, and I can happily tell anyone it's worth it and should be encouraged. The 40 minutes passed by and even after the video was done I lied there, enjoying the feeling of my body recovering and energizing. The dogs were at the end of the mat, paws stretched out so that they were just barely on the mat, making sure I knew they were there. I sat up and was immediately greeted by the social pair. After I rolled my mat back up we headed back up the stairs for a drink. Once I had an iced tea in my hand I lightly stepped around the corner again to see if anything had changed.
Nope. Still a statue. I sighed and figured today was going to be a quiet day for me. Bugger.
So instead I finished my tea and grabbed the dogs' leashes and collars and decided today was a good day for a walk. After my session I felt I could easily do a couple miles with them. We started out from the backyard and headed for the tree line and walked by the broken branch. I couldn't help but think that if Balla hadn't shown any interest in this area that I may not have found him for months. Possibly not even until fall when the leaves would be out of the way. Knowing now that he may not have ever moved in that entire time because of his armor made me feel even more for him. Though he would probably never tell me himself, he had to be a bit thankful that he took the help I offered.
Which brought me back to the question he asked me yesterday. Why did I show him everything he wanted to know? It was glaringly obvious and very detailed for me, but I would only ever tell him I wanted to and nothing more. Truth be told, I wanted him to agree to let me help him. I wanted him to say he wouldn't hurt anyone in return. And I was beyond thrilled when he agreed to it all without hesitation.
For most fangirls of the Dragon Ball franchise, the most popular characters were usually between the powerful heroes, Goku and Vegeta, or their sons because of the cuteness blended with their power. For anyone else with different tastes, Piccolo filled that role. It was common and I understood and appreciated the fandom.
For anyone that had more refined, particular taste, Cell was the perfect fit. No pun intended. He had the power to make you cower before him, the techniques to leave your mind-blown, and then the class and voice to do it all in style. Even though it took several stages of evolution, his body even turned out better than the other warriors, even when it was covered in armor. Now that I've had the embarrassing honor of seeing the armor off, I can shamefully say it tops everything I have ever seen, magazines or in person.
I quickly dismissed the thoughts from my head and focused on the trail ahead of me as the dogs dragged me through the trees. While I had no problem admitting Cell was my pick from the series years ago, I found myself really hesitating to even hint it over the past couple of days. The idea that a human female found him appealing would either make him laugh or probably downright offend him. Worse yet, he even seemed to be the type to pick on anyone that might admit it. I could picture his reaction to it so easily it made me shake thinking of it. 'I am designed as the ultimate warrior; I was not designed to be 'attractive'.'
Well, if Dr. Gero was trying to make him unattractive, he failed miserably.
We got through the woods and found the first post dividing my property line with the neighbors, but the post really wasn't necessary. Once we were out of the woods there was a long stretch of farm fields across the land. We found the small path along the farmland and followed that towards the back half of the property. The walk was refreshing and was going to take a good portion of the day so I didn't have to constantly worry about disturbing the meditation. Honestly I knew nothing about it but I didn't have the nerve to ask just yet. His personality, while very dynamic, still confused me. I knew I had to think of most of what he said from his context and try to think like someone who believed himself to be the ultimate lifeform with no equal. So basically, think like a deity. Since I was a 'live and let live' type of person and would prefer peace to conflict, it goes without saying that was easier said than done. So the only thing I could muster so far was respecting him as a guest and let him come to me if anything came up. I felt it safer than most of the other ideas I've had.
We made it to the other end of the woods and cut back across when we hit the farm fields on that side. My property was boxed in from the one side and the back side with the farms, but the other end was mostly open fields where the horses could graze and stretch their legs. Beyond that was the next chunk of woods, but it was only unused hunting property, so there were never visitors. That made this a very quiet road to live on. I searched for a long time for something like this to open up on the market, but it was worth the wait. Trotting over the few logs laying in the way we stepped out of the woods and came out on one of the many fenced fields across the property. I could see the house from here, but my attention was redirected to the horses meeting us along the fence line. They were a nosey pair as we walked along the fence, constantly poking their heads over to see if I had brought any goodies. I put my hand out but only to rub their noses as we reached the end of the fence. The dogs kept pulling me along, knowing the path we usually took and not letting the horses distract them.
We made it back late afternoon and the sun was leveling with the land, bathing it in a golden glow. Holding the leashes I leaned up over the fence, enjoying the view. The horses and dogs got their dinner for the night, so they were distracted for the moment. Figuring dinner sounded good I wandered back to the house with them on my heels again. First thing I checked when I stepped in was the main room again and saw the exact same scene that was there this morning. Remembering that he said he had no need for a drink I figured food was going to be the same answer, so I made the rest of my night around dinner and relaxing in the basement with the dogs.
The next morning came around and I woke the same way I've always been; tails wagging and noses poking at my face despite the covers being thrown over me. The fact that I covered up more than normal told me it was a cold morning. Great. June was right around the corner and we were still in the low 50s. Grumbling as I pulled my feet out from under the warm covers I made sure to grab a comfy sweater and some socks to keep warm. Heading down the hallway again with the pups at my feet again was routine and getting my latte started seemed necessary today, but I felt the need to look around the corner again figuring I would see the same thing again.
But I didn't. In fact he wasn't even in the room. I felt my chest tighten at the thought of the reasons why he would leave. The only one that made sense was that his power had returned.
"Oh hell." I looked at the laptop on the couch. How long before I opened it up to headlines across the news sites screaming 'Monster attacks major cities' or 'Military crushed by flying monster'? I tried to relax, telling myself that he had agreed that this world would be unscathed. I turned back to the dogs and they just looked back at me, heads tilted and tails wagging. The machine beeped for me to brew my drink and after hesitating for a moment, grabbed out a mug and filled it. After stirring in a few ice cubes, I took a small sip and looked out the window…
…and nearly dropped my mug.
He was standing out in the backyard, arms crossed for sure even though his back faced me, still dressed in the grey pants but no shirt. After realizing he hadn't left I regained some composure and ended up staring again, taking notice that his tail was missing. So that left him almost completely human-like. The only detail left was his feet, and even they could easily be dismissed as a smooth boot. Not sure if the recent change was positive or not, I decided to sit down with my mug and enjoy the warmth before heading out for the usual chores. As I sipped my drink, however, I found my nerve starting to waver.
What possessed him to change location? Especially with it being colder than normal? From here I couldn't say for sure if it was a meditation pose again or if he was just standing outside for seclusion. Another thought crossed my mind; if he was the ultimate creation, the weather shouldn't make him flinch no matter how drastic the changes were. So while I was in here being a pansy to the cold, he probably didn't even notice let alone care. And I was hesitant to go outside if he was going to stand right in the middle of my path. Did he choose that spot intentionally? It was starting to feel that way.
I finished my drink and set the cup aside, still hesitating to step outside. I didn't like it but I held my head up high, pulled the hoodie over my head, slipped the shoes on and went out back, keeping the dogs in the house as I closed the door. Each step towards the paddock felt like a lead weight as I got closer and closer to the still figure in my path. I kept my resolve strong and, with bated breath, stepped slightly aside and past him, straight to the barn doors. My pulse roared in my ears, reminding me that there was pretty much a self-proclaimed god standing in the open, but I ignored it and continued my chores. 'Self-proclaimed god or not, horses still need to eat.'
I locked the gate behind me and headed back up the path to the house, once again walking past the statue in my way. I only glanced as I walked past seeing his eyes closed and face stoic; I doubted he even sensed me walk by. Unless that was how meditation worked and he knew what was going around him at all times. I really couldn't say. But I did find it odd he switched from a sitting position to a standing one today. Great, there was another set of questions tacked onto the list I had building up. I may have to start writing them down to keep track.
With today being a bit chilly for my taste, I kept myself indoors for the day and flipped between playing with the dogs and browsing life on the laptop. I zipped through my Facebook page, a few other sites I had accounts on, and then finally pulled up YouTube just to check the updates there. There wasn't much today, but I let my eyes scan over a particular parody series I was fond of and smiled. 'If Cell knew something so ridiculous was being made at their expense, he would probably lose it and threaten their lives…' I laughed a bit at the thought of him showing up at an anime convention just to tell the group to stop making a mockery of him.
I kept to myself for much of the day, catching up chores and maintaining the little cleaning that needed to be done. Huge advantages of a new home: it comes to you clean and stays that way easily. I had pulled my phone out of the bedroom once I realized I'd forgotten it and found a few texts waiting for me a few hours late.
"Hey hows the new guest doin?" I thought on how to answer that for a moment before looking to the next one. "Mall and food this weekend if ur up for it" I went ahead and shot back my responses.
"Guest is fine. Clothes are good, thanks again. And Friday? Got a time?" I slipped the phone into my pocket of my sweats and headed back to the main room. By the time I sat back down I felt the buzz and pulled it back out.
"Np, happy they fit and was thinking Saturday, class doesn't end til next week" I shot back my response after remembering he was finishing up at college this year.
"Sounds good. Who's driving?" I wanted to laugh. I already knew the answer, but I still liked seeing him beg.
"Can I drive your car?" There it was. I dare say he enjoyed my car as much as I did, and it wasn't even his dream car.
"Of course. Come on out whenever. I'll be ready." And with that the date was set. I looked forward to it. It was a hectic past few months so we didn't get a chance to hang too much. He was in a rush to finish his last year on time to graduate, so he had tacked on more classes than he normally could handle.
The evening rolled along slowly and only when I saw the sun glowing through the back window did I even notice it was getting late. Getting dinner for me was priority and the dogs happily waited for scraps to be tossed to them. "Spoiled brats," I laughed as each of them got some sort of treat from me.
I looked out the window as I cleaned up the dishes and noticed the statue still out back, never moved from his spot. Resisting the urge to ask if he was going to call it a night, I put the dishes away and called the dogs to bed.
Morning came around again, and I felt the cold seeping under the blanket this time. 'Seriously, summer is coming. Why is it so cold!?' my head screamed at the cold air getting to my feet and realized that the dogs had ruffled the blankets so much that it pulled it up over my feet. Shuffling them back under, I stayed in bed for a bit longer than normal. It was too cold to roll out just yet. Awake and warming back up, my mind started to wonder about today's new experiences. What spot would he pick to meditate today? Or was he even going to? Ugh, I had more questions than solutions in my head now, but it still felt surreal to me. I continued on with my normal life despite taking him under my roof. As if it wasn't a big deal.
My eyes snapped open. Of course it was a big deal! This was literally just a waiting game for him. He will simply wait until his power returns to him and he will find a way back to his own world to either die in battle or find a way around that fate, though I still doubted he would be able to avoid it. He clearly enjoyed fighting too much to pass up the power of real competitor. I wondered if he had realized that yet. And the idea that this entire world-switch was nothing more than a temporary setback seemed out of place to me. He was going to be here just long enough to get his power back and go back to his own world to be killed and prolong the story. It was depressing to think about, but I didn't let it bother me just yet. Not until I knew more of what happened.
Curiosity got the best of me and I rolled out of the bed with the fluffy mongrels in tow. I wanted to ask my questions before I forgot them, but I didn't want to be pushy either. Deciding I would figure out how to start the conversation after feeding everyone, I slipped on some soft socks and pulled out the warmest sweater I owned. The dogs took off ahead of me again and I pressed on a bit faster than normal, getting them fed and heading to the end of the hall for my latte. Switching the machine on and getting my mug out I instinctively turned to step into the main room and see if anything had changed today. Just as I took my first step, he was suddenly in front of me and I threw myself back to keep from bumping into him.
The fluffy socks I had on were suddenly the worst choice I could have made as soon as I felt them slip on the tile and I felt my feet go out from under me. A tiny yelp slipped through my lips and I went straight down, slamming my rear into the hard tiled floor. My arms were splayed out to help break the fall, but it still smarted just a tiny bit. I looked up from my spot to see him cross his arms over his chest and a lightly amused smirk came to his lips.
"And here I was led to believe yoga helped develop balance. I must have been mistaken," he chuckled at my unfortunate luck.
I huffed and crossed my arms over my chest, mocking his pose, and retorted, "I have phenomenal balance! These socks just don't agree with this tile…" I felt the excuses were just humiliating me more, so instead I just sat there and glared back up at his grinning face. "I swear it feels like you did that on purpose…" Suddenly what he had said sank in and a dumbfounded look crossed my face. "How did you know about the yoga? I was in the basement…" He uncrossed his arms with a light snort and placed his hands in an odd formation, like they circled around each other.
"Meditation is not a means of being distracted; I have been fully aware of the past two days and your motions around the area. If anything, my senses are more acute in that state." Well I guess that answered whether he noticed me walk by yesterday. Hell, he probably knew where all we walked then too. My memory was jogged for the moment and I decided to pose a few of my questions as I clambered back to my feet.
"Oh, so worrying about distracting you was useless... So what was it for? Trying to figure out something?" I caught myself before getting too much out, "If you don't mind me asking, that is…" Instead of responding, he stepped past me and towards the back door where the dogs waited for it to open. I grabbed my mug and followed behind as he stepped out back and the pups took off past him. I caught myself gazing at his smooth back as I closed the door behind me. He took a few paces out before turning back to me.
"Do you have any other questions you wish to pose? I feel it would be best to get them all in the open as I believe all of the answers will tie together now." I took one more step before I thought them out.
"Yeah, a couple, just gotta jog my memory here…" I sipped my latte, enjoying the warmth it provided. I thought back to when we make our agreement. That statement came back to mind.
"Okay, a few days ago you said that our world proved your purpose still had value, does that have anything to do with this?" He nodded once for a response. "Okay…did it change when you found out how the tournament ends?" I eyed his face very carefully unsure of his reaction. He shook his head no for that one, but then chuckled aloud.
"Let me start from the beginning. You've given me much to think about, so it's fair I share what I may have figured out." I let my shoulders relax then and let my mind focus on him rather than the questions I hoped would come to me later. "Our first encounter was a terrible start and I apologize for that. If I hadn't been stubborn I would have learned more sooner and I regret that." I shrugged my shoulders in a 'no problem' fashion, but let him continue, "After you showed me the video I made assumptions too quickly and I also apologize for my reaction. However your departure let me dwell on a few possibilities, so take back your apology; that route was for the better." I immediately jumped on that.
"Now hold on, that was your choice to make, not mine. I should have let you get the last word in." He sighed in a light frustration, so I apologized again. "Sorry, it's just how I am."
He straightened up again before he continued, "By the time you showed up the third time I had already formed several possibilities and needed more information to use deductive reasoning to see which one was the most probable, which is why I was so persistent with needing your assistance." Okay, so maybe some of this was starting to come together, but what did it have to do with his purpose? "While I was not thrilled knowing my armor broke off so easily, I was less enthused with the fact that my power continued to 'elude me', as you put it the other day. And it looks like it will continue that way for now. The meditation was to see if my power had been taken away from me or if it just needed to be awoken somehow." He paused, and I let the story sink in for that moment. He had just spoken more in the last two minutes than the entire time he had been here, so it was a bit of a moment for me. I gripped my mug a bit tighter.
"What do you think happened?" I asked almost too quietly. He breathed in deeply before his face set into a bit of an unsure look.
"I can't tell for sure. Meditation can only look so far because you're only searching within yourself, but that was why I changed locations and stances for the second day. I was replicating my pose at my arena with the idea that if my power was still with me it needed a familiar mindset, one I did not have while in your home. As the past days have proven, it is not returning to me in that manner." So he has been worrying about his power for the most part; that I could understand. But why hadn't he talked about the truth about his future? Or is he still dealing with the fact that he will die? I didn't dare ask.
"You seem contemplative, Miss Erika. Are you unsure of my speculations?" I shifted my feet, changing my position, but more out of habit than discomfort. I shook my head at first, but my voice did make its way up.
"I'm just wrapping my head around how calm you are staying over all of this. How things literally changed in the blink of an eye and yet you've managed to think this much through…" A light grin came up on his face after all of the seriousness and it was refreshing to see.
"I would credit that to my design of perfection." I smiled at the smug confidence that saturated that comment. I had figured he would start bragging at some point. I took another sip from my warm drink, noticing it was getting cool too quick. The gears started turning in my head again and I looked back toward him.
"You still haven't answered my first question." He crossed him arms over his chest at this point, and the look on his face changed a bit from smug to more devious.
"Even with all of the concerns I had for my power, I was also curious about the existence of this world after I realized I was not in mine anymore. Granted the idea that this world created mine was not something I could have predicted, the fact that it exists and I am here to witness it means something else entirely. It means my purpose as a stepping stone to Goku's story has altered. In what manner I don't know of, but as long as I live in this world the future of my death has at least been postponed." I held my breath, letting that sink in.
'He might live.' That detail alone could have had me dancing in the middle of the yard but I kept my excitement down. There would be repercussions of his life continuing in that world too, other than the glaring point that he would still want to destroy the planet. Another question suddenly brewed up in my thoughts as that last bit sunk in. "Does it bother you that we use your world as entertainment?" It was how I rationalized their world's existence. Not that we created it but somehow have used it for our own purposes. A loud sigh escaped him and I swear I could feel the irritation from him.
"As angry as I would like to be over the idea that my future is already determined by this 'creator' your world has, because this much has already changed, I believe that world is out of the creator's hands now." He seemed to make that the final thought he wanted to share as he turned away from me, sighing as his head dipped down again. I looked into my cup and saw a bit of the chilled drink was left, so I dumped it off to the side and set the cup in the grass and headed toward the barn to get the morning chores out of the way. I passed by him and he didn't move, so I figured the conversation was done for the moment. He didn't ask much from me, so I figured I was safe for the moment. I wasn't sure if I was ready for personal questions yet.
I was mistaken. As soon as I returned and passed through the gate he turned back toward me with a questioning look on his face. Here we go.
"I do not believe you have told me entirely why you helped me. If I'm to get to the bottom of this situation, I would ask you be honest with me." I felt my heart skip a beat from that. There was no way I was going to tell him the whole truth and I honestly didn't believe him being my favorite had anything to do with his current predicament. But I did fear lying to him. Well, not lying, just leaving out certain truths. That wasn't the same thing, right?
"I already told you, I wanted to." I was shaking ever so slightly, but I kept my bearings a bit. His face scrunched up a bit.
"And why, pray tell, would you want to help someone that would destroy another world simply because he could?" his tone was deeper, warning me to reconsider. I wanted to worry about the other world. I really did. But I just couldn't bring myself to tell him what he wanted to know.
"You promised you wouldn't touch my world. That's all I cared about, so I don't worry about what you learn now." Perhaps if I seemed a bit selfish he would take that and leave it as it is.
"You could have saved both worlds and left me there." Why in the world was he giving me all of these ideas? Was he really that stunned I offered any help at all? I shook my head and dropped my shoulders in defeat.
"I couldn't just leave you there." That almost felt like too much truth. I walked by to head back in the house. But he fell right in stride with me, definitely putting my nerves on edge.
"Why couldn't you leave me there?" He stepped in front of my path and I felt tiny under his looming frame. My eyes went straight to the ground, terrified to make any eye contact, but still kept my stance.
"I wouldn't have left ANYBODY there," I stressed. "Now, please. Stop." I felt my fists clench, waiting for his retort. He loomed over me. For a moment I worried he would push again, but his eye twitched a bit and he turned back to the house ahead of me.
"I will get my answers, one way or another. You would do well to remember that." I put my hand to my chest, realizing how long I had held my breath and my fast my heart was racing.
'That was a little intimidating…just a little…' my mind raced, but my feet still managed to obey and head back in the house behind him. Somehow I managed to keep my distance the rest of the day. I couldn't read why he was so bothered by my help. I stuck with my original plan and let him keep to himself with the notion that if he wanted to get information from me, he knew he was intimidating enough to come after me.
I hoped that day wouldn't come soon.
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