Notes: Sorry for the delay. I'm afraid the trials of a Senior, maintaining 3.7 GPA and applying for scholarships kind of overwhelmed me. This chapter is shorter than the last, but necessary for the next one to build upon, thereby bringing (egad) plot development. I hope that Goku is in character, I'm strictly averse to bashing and that you enjoy the chapter.
Disclaimer: Dragon Ball Z and its characters are the property of Akira Toriyama.
Chapter 8: Konmei
"My name's Goku. What's yours?"
They were simple words to a more than simple question and yet Faye was dumbfounded. A man, one who looked as though he could break her in half like a matchstick, had inexplicably appeared out of thin air in the arena where the homicidal android Cell had nearly killed her…and he wanted to know her name?
It had to be some kind of cosmic joke. Much like the fact that Faye was somehow connected to Cell and that fate of the world depended on his defeat and-
Faye closed her eyes and took a deep breath. If she had learned anything from her unpleasant association with Cell, it was that nothing would be accomplished if she lost her head.
Finally opening her eyes, Faye glanced up at Goku guardedly only to find him staring curiously at her.
"Uh…here, let me help you." He spoke genially and with inhuman quickness, grasped Faye's hand and pulled her upwards.
Slightly overwhelmed by the fact she was suddenly standing and by a feeling of vertigo, Faye pulled away from Goku and stepped backwards.
"Thanks." She muttered, still in the semblance of a daze. "But why are you here, exactly?"
Goku's eyes narrowed, the grim determination returning to his face. "I came to see Cell." He responded seriously. Then his expression abruptly became darker. "But what are you doing here? Cell hasn't resorted to kidnapping innocent people, has he?"
A prickling on the back of the neck made Faye answer faster than she normally would have.
"No-no," She waved her hands wildly as she spoke. "I wasn't kidnapped, I came here on my own."
"On your own?" Goku's face became an expression of bewilderment. "But why?"
Half expecting to find Cell breathing down her back, Faye shrugged uneasily. "He turned my town into an all he could eat buffet. Later, I saw his little debut on television and came looking for revenge"
"And you're still alive?" Goku's eyes widened. "How is that possible?"
Faye stiffened at the inquiry. Great, she thought warily. The question of the hour. How the heck am I supposed to explain this? Goku looks like he could lift a few mountains easily and could probably give Cell a run for his money. I guess that leaves two options. Either tell him the gory, unbelievable truth…or lie through my teeth.
As she gazing at Goku's expectant, almost innocent face, Faye sighed. The human conscience…it's a bane to all existence.
"Actually," She began slowly. "The reason I'm alive is because I was somehow bonded to Cell. He hurts, I hurt and he heals, I heal. You get the general idea. So if you're looking to kill him, I certainly was, and want to avoid being reduced to a smoking pile of ash, you'll have to kill me."
Though her tone was matter-of-fact, Faye all but shivered with apprehension. Her previous, suicide/murder attempts no longer appealed to her and the memory of how close she had actually come to death at Cell's hands haunted her.
"Sorry, but that isn't an option." Goku responded.
Now it was Faye's turn to blink. "What do you mean? I'm offering a relatively simple and quick chance to get rid of Cell, the homicidal android from Hell! How can you not take it?"
"Because it isn't right." Goku replied surely. "I don't know how all the stuff you mentioned happened, but you're an innocent person who shouldn't have to die in order for Cell to be killed. Besides, it would be an awfully big letdown after all that time we spent preparing to fight him."
"We?"
"My son Gohan, Piccolo, Kuririn, Tenshinhan, Yamucha, Vegeta, his son Trunks and I. Though if you ask Vegeta, he'll beat Cell on his own while the rest if us stand around watching." Goku laughed at what was obviously an inside joke, before trailing off abruptly.
Faye looked around tensely. "What is it?"
"It's Cell. He probably sensed my ki and is coming back."
Again simple words, with serious connotations. All remnants of amusement fled from Goku's form as he became solemn, most likely concentrating on something Faye could never hope to imagine.
And on top of her newly acquired Cell worries, Faye simply couldn't figure out Goku. How could someone so naïve, so…good, survive with, aside from homicidal androids, the murderers, thieves and lunatics that existed? What was it that made him willing to protect the life of someone he didn't even know, when he had the temptation of an easy victory before him? And why did he care?
There were too many questions and not nearly enough answers. All in all, it was giving Faye an excruciating migraine. She followed Goku's skyward glance and felt her breath catch in her throat.
"He's coming." She stated obviously, curious over Goku's reaction.
"I know. Which is why we should leave and get you somewhere safe."
"Leave? And where would we go? He'd find us in no time!"
Goku shook his head. "Not where we're going. You'll be safe, at least for a time. But you have to trust me."
Without meaning to, Faye laughed. "You come out of nowhere, granted it's something no normal person can do and you want me to just 'trust you?' "
"Look, I understand that you're worried, but we don't have time for this." Goku argued urgently. "We should get out of here while we still can."
"How?" Faye inquired suspiciously.
"All you have to do is touch me. As long you do that, I'll be able to teleport both of us out of here."
With the image of a furious Cell in mind, Faye let out a sigh of dejection. I know that somehow, I'm going to regret this.
She walked forwards and placed a tentative hand on Goku's shoulder. "This isn't going to hurt, is it?" She asked worriedly.
Placing two fingers to the center of his forehead, Goku gave a slight smile. "You won't feel a thing, I promise. It happens so fast that you might not even notice we've moved."
As her stomach clenched unpleasantly and her palms began to sweat, Faye shuddered, mentally preparing for the departure. "Great…"
~*~
Cell streaked across the cerulean sky rapidly, unseen by the human eye and caring little nonetheless. His only thoughts were of retuning to his arena as swiftly as possible and of situation he would find after doing so.
Under one arm, he carried one arm a vast array of provisions, not allowed his impatience to overshadow his forethought. It had taken much longer then he had expected to find the food, with many nearby cities and towns left vacant by humans with foolish notions of escape. Most of the food he had previously located had been rotten and mold-covered.
Because he did not eat, Cell could have cared less about the food's condition. But knowing Faye, she would either starve or make herself ill simply to spite him. Merely the thought of the wayward human made Cell burn with hatred. To be reduced to such a demeaning position…once he found who was responsible for his plight, he would first learn the reasoning behind their actions and then tear them into pieces one body part at a time.
This raging hate coupled with his dismay over the prospect of seeing Son Goku. He had sensed his ki a moment prior and was beginning to find the righteous Saiya-jin to be tiresome. At least Vegeta's long-winded rants had provided Cell with slight amusement, especially when he ended up beating some of the arrogance from the Saiya-jin Prince shortly after hearing them.
Yet Faye's unexplained appearance would no doubt raise questions and the last thing Cell needed was Son Goku learning his weakness. For even if the Saiya-jin was too soft to end Faye's life, were the situation to become too desperate, someone else probably would.
As he finally caught his first and final glimpses of Goku's vibrant gi and Faye's dark ensemble as they vanished, Cell mentally swore. He had arrived too late, thereby letting Goku either learn the truth or make his own assumptions. And with no idea where he had teleported to…
Cell growled with fresh frustration. An idea came to mind, however, before he could enact it, his body began shutting down. Loosing his grip upon the food, Cell struggled to remain in the air. Ultimately, without knowing the reason, the bio-android lost consciousness, falling to the dusty, barren ground in a heap…
