Power, Deception, Lies

Part VI

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"I can't actually tell you much. All I can really say is that I have noticed things going on," Piccolo turned his gaze away from his friends, as though isolating his thoughts and even one break of concentration could lead to devastation.

"Like what?" Videl asked, her cheeks flushing with worry as she placed a hand on her heart, her thin eyebrows curved with showing anxiety.

"Well… Goku, a while ago I did see your wife veering past here, and…"

"You saw Chi chi?" Goku almost screamed in wild excitement. "Where?"

"Well, that's the thing," Piccolo stated, slowly turning his face in Goku's direction. "I saw her go past here on her cruiser bike… so I followed her for a while, because the expression on her face told me that she wasn't going on any ordinary shopping trip. She didn't seem to see me, so I followed her all the way to Dragon Fields…"

"Dragon Fields?" Gohan interrupted, raising a playful eyebrow. "We've been there many times, but we haven't been there since… a long time ago. What could she be doing there?"

"…She got to this grassy area, parked her cruiser bike and then ran around this gigantic mountain, to the actual Fields," Piccolo ignored the interruption. "And so I followed her by the only rocky path that I could obviously see would be the only path any human would take by foot, in case she were to see me by flight. When I got around to the other side she was nowhere to be seen."

"That doesn't prove anything though," Eighteen claimed. "She could've taken another route, although from what you said obviously not another path, along the way. I mean, Chi chi's no ordinary woman. She could've seen you, started quickly yet stealthily climbing up the mountain and let you pass by below her on the path that she had seemingly taken…"

"I'm not finished yet," Piccolo continued, almost glaring at Eighteen for her comment. "I did not see Chi chi there, but certainly I saw something else. As I reached the other side of the mountain- you know that big dark cave that's carved into it? I saw something there, something big… like a human, but certainly too big to be one- come out of the cave. I don't know what it was, and to be honest I'm sure that if I get keen on finding out that I might regret it. But Chi chi's gone, someone or something is roaming around near this area, and most certainly it is the first thing to suspect for Chi chi's disappearance."

At that instant everyone went silent, as they thought about the possibilities of her disappearance. Immediately Marty felt a strong discomfort, a series of scenes like a distant memory flashing before his eyes, and although he did not seem to have come across these scenes before he seemed to recognize them. Marty's head throbbed painfully as these scenes passed his mind… speaking into his engraved pendant and hearing voices come from it in return… picking up a pen, writing false notes with beautiful calligraphy that he cannot remember from whence he'd learnt… leaving them on several desks… a blinding red flash that occurred as quick as lightning, the blood almost thunderously roaring in his ears. He did not remember doing anything like this, but he could see it was his own tender hand that did these things. Immediately in that split second the vision of a familiar-faced crowned man in fine velvet robes pointed a gleaming silver sword with a bronze hilt inlaid with precious stones at him, screaming with a booming eerie voice that 'YOU ARE TO BE PUNISHED NOW!'

"AAAAHHHHHHH!!!" Marty screamed with a shrill fear that no longer denoted his gentleness, falling to the ground. He felt the sky flying away, the hot, hard soil upon his head, the long grass brushing against his arm… and then everything turned black.

* * * * *

"They come nearer…" Frieza mumbled as he stared into a dish of crystal waters, seeing in its reflection the remaining Z warriors who were on the road to Dragon Fields. In madness of excessive brandy consumption due to disrespect and humiliation from his fellow team members he cackled wildly, his widening eyes almost becoming a milky blur as his gaze pierced the crystal waters, yearning for more secrets which were not meant to be spread.

"…Yes, Frieza…" Cell stood beside the shorter, ugly creature, watching curiously at his growing insanity. "…But tell me this… since when have you known how to make pouring water into a dish a way of spying on people's concerns? Believe me, just taking one look at you, you do not look like a mage."

Frieza turned around slowly, facing Cell with darkening milky eyes that were starting to raise the others' concern of his growing madness, and poked Cell on the nose with one of the long, black nails he had not trimmed since he'd gone completely drunk and even a little stressed and insane with the constant goblets of brandy, opposition and cruel jests from the other three team members.

"You didn't think I was efficient," Frieza mumbled slowly, in a rhythm that made it sound almost like a chant. "YOU didn't think I was smart. Well I've got news for you, 'Master Cell the Almighty'…"

Before he could finish, Frieza lost his balance and almost fell over like a drunk who had lost all sense of co-ordination. Stepping back, Frieza kept his head down, a mysterious shadow forming on his face which made him look sinister, and pride gushing through him to know it. He laughed aimlessly again, rambling on to himself about losing his footing, and slowly raised his head once more, turning his eyes back to the leader of the group.

"Frieza, are you okay?" Cell placed a hand on Frieza's shoulder, really worried now at his jesting-victim's behavior. "I haven't seen you this insane since Goku thrashed you on Namek. By the way, you can't exactly lose your footing when you're standing still- that's like saying you can't eat on an empty stomach."

"Shut your mouth, insolent one!" Frieza yelled, his eyes darkening even more as he swatted the hand off his shoulder. "You must never speak of what occurred on Planet Namek again, foolish creature. Now what were we conversing of, before you so rudely interrupted me?"

"How you got that dish of water to show you things," Cell stated flatly, "and let me remind you that you were the one who lost your balance and interrupted our conversation, not me."

"What are you talking about? I never lost my balance," Frieza replied, his words now slurred and almost unclear. "When you and Pilaf and Garlic were going against my claims I stormed off and went to the Guardian's tower, he had this mystical collection of crystal waters there…"

"By 'Guardian' you mean of the Earth? Dende, you mean?" Cell asked, obviously expecting a prompt reply, although Frieza had stopped talking completely and with dead silence was staring through him at nothing, his mouth hanging open. Cell sighed, and snapped a finger in front of Frieza's nose. "Hello, Frieza-"

Frieza jerked his head suddenly, and tried unsuccessfully to refocus his eyes. "Oh, hello, Cell," he slurred. "I didn't see you there…"

Cell sighed again, patted Frieza's head unwillingly and said, "Never you mind, Frieza. Carry on," before walking off into the echoing laughter of Garlic and Pilaf at such a hilarious sight.

* * * * *

"Marty? Marty…"

"Huh?" Marty stirred, blearily seeing five figures standing over him. "What happened?"

Eighteen smiled, glad that the young one was awake. Clearly it was frightening to see his fall and he was so elegant in awakening; a small yawn that was hardly visible, eyes that did not fully open to give him the look of a sad young child who could not cry... it was very hard for the other warriors not to feel sympathy with an expression of such innocence. Eighteen shook her head, reminded herself of what standards he possessed compared to her, and stated "We don't know, Marty. You just suddenly screamed and fell."

"I did?" Marty questioned as Videl helped him to his feet. Videl smiled at the faint pink flush that flooded across his cheeks to break his unrealized standards- it made him look so innocent and beautiful. "How long have I been unconscious?"

"Only half an hour," Piccolo replied, pouting a little. "Are you strong enough to proceed? If you have regained enough energy, we must leave now. More time that flies is not safe for any of us in this situation."

Marty rubbed his eyes a little, ridding himself of the blur, and focused his bleary eyes on Piccolo, belatedly noticing that within the five that stood around him in a semicircle now he was not part of the family he had been unofficially fostered to. "Sorry, I do not know you," Marty said gently, his soft voice and tender expression surprising Piccolo. "Will you tell me who you are?"

"Sorry Marty, we forgot," Goku laughed, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment. "This is Piccolo. Piccolo, this is Marty. He turned up…"

"I know," Piccolo interrupted, narrowing his eyes. "I saw the whole thing, for I was seeking shelter under the trees near your village when the monsoon occurred. Now, if you are finally in a condition where you can ride your cruiser bike without falling off, we really must leave."

"Yes, sir," Marty mumbled in defeat. He stared at Goku, Videl and Eighteen as they ran back to the dirt road to their cruiser bikes and quickly veered away, Piccolo following closely behind. Gohan smiled at the look on Marty's face and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, don't worry," Gohan smiled, relieving Marty's discomfort. "Piccolo's usually like that, even with us. How about we go back on our bike and race to catch up to them?"

Marty turned his eyes to Gohan, and they both smiled teenage boy smiles, naughty and innocent at the same time. Promptly they rushed to the bike, almost crashing into the tree that it was parked next to, and slid away with a turbo velocity that left thick black smoke like bats from the depths of hell behind them.

"Whoa!" Goku exclaimed in surprise as Piccolo suddenly sped up his flight and appeared next to his bike, which was far in the lead. "Don't do that! You just put my heart in my throat. What's the matter?"

Piccolo kept his gaze on the road, maintaining his broody look, irritating Goku slightly at such an attitude. "That Marty kid," Piccolo began slowly. "I don't trust him…"

* * * * *

"They've come," Frieza chanted, looking down into the dish of crystal waters, his sickly sweet alcoholic breath blowing small foul ripples in waters of such purity. "They've come, they've come, they've come."

"Excellent," Cell smirked, looking towards Pilaf and Garlic. "Our toys have arrived. So, who wants to play?"

"May I?" Pilaf suggested, raising an arm. His eyes glinted sinisterly in the dark, and although he was very short in size, the view was still extremely frightening to the imagination. "I've waited for some time to test young Videl's power. I'm hungry for a victim, and being the Emperor that I am, whatever I want, I must get."

"I will go too," Garlic added seriously. "I wish to avenge my father and what had happened to me all those years ago. And what better way to do it then kill the boy who tried to destroy my life?"

"Indeed," Cell agreed. "Both of you must go."

The two little ones smirked with pure cruelty at their leader, gaining another in return, and promptly flicked their capes behind them, disappearing out of the stationary spaceship as their capes followed gently down behind them.

As they trekked down the mountain (on which their spaceship had landed) as quietly as they could, Pilaf suddenly scuttled behind a boulder, beckoning Garlic to join him.

"Garlic!" Pilaf hissed, pointing down into the grassy clearing far below them at six tall figures. "Look! That metalhead Frieza was right after all. There they are!"

To be continued…