1 MIRAI NO TERROR

By Genesis Nightshade

Chapter Four

Warriors of the Future Past



"What…what do you want?" Bulma asked as she struggled to put some distance between herself and the beast in front of her.

"Oh, just the android…and then maybe your life force for a little desert. You're kind of spunky for a human."

"No!" Bulma screamed.

'I'm sorry…I'm so sorry Trunks…I couldn't do anything…'

Cell Superior approached the android slowly, kicking aside Bulma's robots easily. He picked up Juuhachi-gou and smiled sinisterly.

"Yes. Juuhachi-gou. I'd know you anywhere."

He lifted the android over his head and then opened his mouth wider than Bulma had ever thought possible. He lowered the limp Juuhachi-gou effortlessly into his open mouth.

Bulma didn't watch anymore, but began to slink quietly away. She wasn't going to give the creature the time it needed to finish what it was doing and then go after her. She had learned her lesson about watching villains when she witnessed Vegeta's death. She had been curious about the battle, and now regretted it, since the image of Juunana-gou plunging an already bloody hand through Vegeta's chest was chiseled into her memory. Bulma had almost been killed herself. Lesson: any chance you can get, RUN AWAY.

She stood up on her feet and was about to run when the creature appeared in her path.

"Going somewhere?"

Bulma froze in her tracks, her face glazed over with terror. Cell Superior was less than three feet away, towering over her at about eight feet tall. She tried to scream, but her body was no longer under her control.

'Please…no…'

Cell reached out his hand and grabbed Bulma's arm. She tried, in vain, to pull away. A microsecond later, she screamed out in agony. It felt as if her soul was being snatched away from her body, and it didn't like it very much. After about five seconds, her scream became silent, and she couldn't even stand. The pupils of her eyes disappeared and her skin turned a pale gray. Cell released her arm, and she fell limply to the ground, barely breathing.

"Hm. Good energy. I'll have to come back for more later."

Suddenly he felt a gust of wind as a purple-haired youngster whizzed past him. He quickly embraced Bulma, picking his Kaasan up in his arms.

"What the hell?! What the hell did you do?!" Trunks exclaimed. "What the hell did you do to her?!" Trunks looked up at Cell Superior, and his eyes grew wide. "Cell! I…I Killed you!"

Cell Superior smiled.

"Cell was a weakling."

"Then you're his…his reincarnation…"

"The creature laughed an echoing cackle.

"His reincarnation! No, I am his superior! Cell, the weakling that he was, was only meant to clear the way for me. Then after I absorbed him I would become the ruler of this world and every other world after that! Let me guess…you are the one that killed him, am I correct?"

Trunks ignored the android's question and looked sadly at his mother's gray body, which writhed every few seconds in his arms.

"Chikusho! What did you do to her?!"

"She's had the life temporarily sucked out of her. She'll recover in a day or so, and I'll be back again. She was more refreshing than most.

Trunks couldn't contain himself any longer and his energy began to flare up.

"Monster!"

"Monster? No. I am the savior of earth. I shall rule you all with the principles that Dr. Gero wanted and all that oppose me will be no more. Cell was the fighter. I am the ruler. The one and only King of Earth. And you, Trunks Vegeta Briefs, will be the example of my awesome power when I drain all of your life and take away the supposed hero of the planet."

Trunks slowly set his mother on the ground and began to walk closer to Cell Superior. His aura of energy seemed to rise a foot with every step.

"Iie. You will do no such thing, because I intend to stop you, baka. I've seen your type before…taking advantage of the weak just to get what YOU want. Well that's not going to happen because you didn't anticipate that you'd have to face ME."

Cell laughed again, almost uncontrollably this time.

"What a speech! Well if you say that you can make a baka out of me, then go ahead."

"My pleasure."

Trunks became a super saiyan in a flash and he unsheathed his sword just as quickly. He was glad that his mother had surprised him with the present after he returned from the future. He would have felt naked without it. The new metal reflected his super saiyan glow and he charged at Cell. Trunks swiped at him with his sword, but the swift android moved to the right or left of the blade, preventing all hopes of ending the battle quickly.

Cell laughed again, and then grabbed Trunks's sword with his right hand. He snatched it out of Trunks's grip and Trunks looked on in terror as Cell Superior snapped the blade in half.

"A meager weapon. You really should fight me like a man, Trunks."

Trunks froze.

'Kuso…he's stronger than I am…'

"Don't worry Trunks, your father won't see how you were killed like the weakling you are. And speaking of your father, how would you like to meet him now? I could gladly send you there. Hm…and according to Juuhachi-gou's memories, he cried like a baby right before he got a hand through his chest…how amusing. Are you going to cry, Trunks? Like your father did?"

"You don't know anything about my father!"

"Oh, quite the contrary. I am connected to the androids, and I have a very clear image of your father's death. 'No! Don't kill me! I'll do anything you want!' That's what your father said just before he died."

"Don't fucking say that!"

"You're upset because you know it's true, Trunks. I know that because you're showing your magnificent energy, which I will soon take from you."

"Iie! No!" Trunks exclaimed, and the air around him turned bright gold from his aura. The ground below and around Trunks began to crack and shift like an earthquake was occurring. Meters away, Bulma's limp and almost lifeless body began to roll down a slanted piece of rock and into a crevice. Thankfully, a green blur whizzed past and grabbed the body.

"What the hell is he doing?" Snare asked Videl a he draped Bulma over his shoulder and hovered over the scene below. "Didn't he see his mother? I thought you humans bonded with your parents…"

"So did I." Videl said, not able to take her eyes off of Trunks and his massive energy. Instead of their usual sky blue, his eyes were a cold aqua. The look of a murderer was carved onto his face, and a blaze of golden fire surrounded his finely chiseled body. Videl didn't quite know what to think of Trunks now. A week ago, she would have given her life for him, done anything to please him, but now she wasn't quite sure. Trunks had let his rage get out of control; hurting the ones he was supposed to care about in order to get to a good fight. Videl rubbed her right jaw (it still hurt) and scowled.

"C'mon, Snare. Let's get out of here." She said, looking over to her green companion.

Not able to tear his eyes away from the Trunks, Snare didn't reply right away. Immediately, something came to his memory. He saw through Piccolo's eyes that Trunks was just like his father. He had made such a big deal out of saving his mother and then almost completely forgotten about her. And now he was letting his pride get in the way of his thinking. Yes, Snare had heard when Cell insulted Vegeta, and he knew that Trunks was going to stop at nothing until that creature was dead. It was the same thing that had happened to Vegeta on Namek, and Trunks would share a similar fate. After a few moments, Snare blinked twice and looked at Videl.

"Trunks is going to die."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Everyone turned around as Goku materialized on King Kai's planet. They all looked more than a little upset.

"Kakarott? What the hell is going on?! And you had better tell us the truth!"

"Calm down, Vegeta." Goku said. "We have something serious to discuss."

Yamcha glanced at Tien.

"Goku being serious? Something must be up…"

Goku proceeded to tell them the entire story of what was happening on Earth, or at least what he had felt when he touched King Kai's shoulder. He added in some observations that he had gotten from King Yama and ended by presenting them some startling news.

"You see, I went and talked to King Yama and after careful consideration and some help from Baba, he is going to let four of us go back to Earth and help! We get new bodies and everything!"

His statement was met with resounding cheers, except for Piccolo.

"What's the catch, Goku?"

"It's only for three days, so that means we have to find a way to beat Cell in that time. Also, we can't die or we'll be sent to you know where."

"Ok, but here's the big question." Kullilin said. "Who gets to go back?"

Everyone exchanged glances.

"Problem!" Yamcha said. "Who here WOULDN'T want to go back, even if it was for only three days?"

"We'll draw straws!" King Kai said, and pulled a handful of straws from behind his back.

"I'll do no such thing!" Vegeta yelled. "It's obvious that I should be the first choice to go back!"

'He's worried about Bulma and Trunks…' Goku thought to himself, but he didn't dare speak it aloud.

"C'mon, let's be serious." Tien said, coming to a realization. "The main issue here is who will be the biggest help against Cell. Yeah, sure, I'd love to go back and see a few people-"

"*Cough* Lunch!"

"Shut up Yamcha…But it's obvious that I'm not going to be of much help. I'm going to give up my spot."

They were all silent as they took in what Tien had said. He had always been one of the more noble fighters in the group, and it was expected that he would be the one to rationalize the situation. Vegeta finally spoke up.

"Listen bakas. This whole thing is kuso. It's obvious that I should go, since I'm the strongest one here. Then Kakarott, since he's the next strongest. Piccolo should go since we might need the dragon balls. Then lastly, Kakarott's kid." Vegeta crossed his arms over his chest, waiting to see who would dare to oppose him.

"What about me, Vegeta?!" a voice rang out. "I've had more fighting experience than Gohan and Piccolo!"

They all turned their necks downward and looked at Kullilin, who stood with a look of absolute seriousness on his face.

"Yes, but you're also a weakling." Vegeta said in retort. A smirk accompanied his comment, slinking onto his face like a serpent.

Kullilin responded by lunging at Vegeta, and he knocked the unsuspecting Prince onto his back. Vegeta responded by kicking Kullilin off of his body and then turning into a super saiyan. He hadn't actually expected Kullilin to attempt to follow through with the threats he had been delivering for five years now. Death can do strange things to a person…

"Bring it on, baldy." Vegeta said, taking a left-side fighting stance.

Gohan finally grabbed the back of Kullilin's gi and lifted him up into the air. He dangled his feet in the air and struggled to get free, to no avail. Kullilin reached behind his back to try and free himself from Gohan's grip, but soon realized that his arms were way too short.

"Kullilin, we don't have time for this." Gohan said, getting somewhat impatient. Kullilin finally stopped struggling and Gohan let him down to his feet.

"I'm sorry, guys. I don't know what I was thinking. Vegeta's right. If I didn't make any difference with the androids, then how I can I think I can make a difference now? No matter how much training we've been doing, I can't compete against three super saiyans AND Piccolo." He slumped his shoulders and sighed.

"Don't worry about it Kullilin." Goku said as he patted his friend on the back. "Every battle I've been in, you've been right by my side to help me out. It's going to be strange to be fighting and to look to my left and not see you there."

"Thanks, Goku. Give 'em an Kame Hame Ha for me, ok?" Kullilin gave a half- hearted smile and Goku returned it with his signature grin.

"Ok guys, we need to get going." Piccolo said, breaking up the touching moment between friends.

"Bye guys. See you Kaiou-sama. Wish us luck." Goku said as the other three fighters placed their hands on his shoulders and back. Goku placed two fingers to his forehead and they disappeared.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"What do you mean 'Trunks is going to die'?!" Videl exclaimed, turning to Snare. Sure, she had been hoping that Trunks would get 'roughed up' a bit to teach him a lesson, but she never wanted him to die.

"Yes. Trunks will die. You don't know how to sense power levels yet, but whatever this thing is, it's much stronger than Trunks."

Videl gazed horrifyingly at Snare and then at the golden fire beneath them.

"I'm going to go and help him." Videl said.

"No, I am."

Videl's neck snapped around and she faced Snare shockingly.

"After…after all he did to you, you're still going to help him?"

"Videl, when you guys first found me, I didn't know what was going on. Now that I can tap into Piccolo's memories, I know. Piccolo-san spent half of his life trying to get rid of the bad reputation placed on him by Piccolo- Damaio, and I'm not about to reverse his life's work by leaving right now, no matter how much of a bastard Trunks is."

"But…"

Snare smirked a little and put a finger against Videl's lips to silence her.

"I'll be careful. Now take Bulma-san somewhere and get her medical attention."

He handed Bulma to Videl, who was able to stand the extra weight, even if it made her struggle a bit.

"Come back in one piece." She said, and blasted off in the direction of the next city. Snare watched as she flew off, but was knocked back to reality when a burst of Trunks's energy whipped him in the face. Snare immediately snapped back into battle mode and he began to harness his ki.

Immediately, Trunks felt the increase in power above him, and was momentarily distracted. He looked up at Snare and a scowl reminiscent of Vegeta grazed his face.

"I don't need your help, Namek!"

Snare lowered himself to the ground and stood beside Trunks.

"Listen, I know you hate me because you think I'm going to snap and kill everybody, and I hate you because you're an arrogant bastard, but if you really want to get rid of this thing, then you need my help. Don't tell me that you can't feel his real power. He's hiding most of it, you know. This is just the tip of the iceberg."

Trunks looked at Snare, and his mind raged with the harshest debate he had ever faced. Should he chance an alliance with Snare, the one who was responsible for hundreds of deaths in just a matter of minutes? Yes, Videl and Bulma-san trusted him, but they hadn't been there to witness the carnage first-hand. Trunks had seen the corpses scattered over the ground and heard their futile cries for help. He had felt their pain. But as Trunks looked over at Snare, he was reminded of Piccolo, and what a brave soul he had been. If Snare had inherited Piccolo's memories, then maybe, somewhere deep inside him, that same brave spirit was resting. He smiled a bit.

"You know, this kind of reminds me of a story that my Kaasan told me about Goku."

"Yeah, it does seem kind of familiar." Snare said, remembering a similar scene from Piccolo's memories. "Only this time, neither of us if going to die."

Trunks nodded, and the two of them began to harness their ki again, even though they were both fully aware that it was going to take a lot more than either of them had to take down such a fearsome creature.

"Don't think that the two of you stand any greater chance of beating me…" Cell said, not the least bit worried by the amount of ki that Trunks and Snare were working up. An overconfident grin crossed his face.

Trunks and Snare ignored Cell's comment and charged in a burst of energy.

Cell was able to take down Trunks immediately with one swift blow to the head, but Snare was another matter. His heightened power was greater than that of a super saiyan, and he was holding his own, delivering a barrage of punches and kicks to Cell. Few connected, and those that did didn't even budge the android. Trunks watched from the ground as Snare continued his futile assault.

'The androids are contained in there…the ones that killed Gohan and Tousan…the same Cell that killed me...'

After a few seconds of watching the combat, Trunks charged back in.

In the blink of an eye, Trunks deployed a roundhouse kick at the same time Snare attempted to hit cell with a group of left jabs. Cell ducked under Trunks's kick and grabbed Snare's fist, tossing him through a skyscraper, which sent glass and steel flying everywhere.

Trunks looked down in disbelief and Cell caught him with a right hook to the face. He went spiraling to the ground.

Trunks sat up a few seconds after he hit and looked at the terrifying creature above him.

"I've been an idiot." Trunks said softly to himself. "He's like Perfect Cell…I was no match for Perfect Cell…"

"Ok everyone…" Cell announced from where he was hovering above, "I'm tired of this battle. And since I know not to play cat and mouse like Juunana-gou and Juuhachi-gou did with Gohan, I bid the two of you farewell."

Snare and Trunks, sitting in their separate piles of rubble, looked up with horror-transfixed eyes as Cell began to gather his massive energy. Snare's eyes locked on the villain above them, and he stood up uneasily on his feet.

"I won't die like a coward!" he yelled, and with the last bit of his strength, he summoned up a string of ki blasts, one after another and in a fraction of a second. They all hit Cell's globe of energy, but didn't so much as penetrate. Snare dropped to his knees and looked up at Cell, awaiting death.

"Hey Cell!"

The large beast stopped his ki gathering process and turned around to face the source of the voice. He smiled an evil smile and turned to face the direction that the voice had come from. Both Trunks and Snare stopped watching Cell to follow suit. Trunks's mouth opened wide when he saw four familiar figures floating in the distance.

Three figures surrounded by gold auras…super saiyans. Two were taller; wearing orange gis and one was shorter, with a furry appendage wrapped around his waist. And there was a Namek, dressed in a white turban and cape.

"Gohan…Tousan…Goku…Piccolo…" Trunks said so softly that no one but himself heard it. He couldn't contain his emotion any longer and tears ran down his cheeks. He made no effort to conceal them or wipe them away.

"I can't believe it…" Snare said as he looked up with unwavering eyes. "Piccolo…"

Vegeta smirked and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Get ready Cell. This is far from over."