A Wonderful Life
By: SomeRandomPerson648
Chapter 53: Realizations, Part 1
A/N: Hey guys! I'm back from updating a chunk of the story! Currently I've updated Chapters 1-12 but stopped in order to actually progress the story and give you guys some content. And sorry if the pages look a little weird, my device has been acting up as of late. So for now, enjoy!
Within a deep dark environment stood a confused Android 21, looking through the black mist that surrounded her. She couldn't remember how she got there, only that when she came to she was surrounded in pitch black darkness, she could barely even see her hands in front of her
"Hello? Is anyone there." She yelled as she walked in a random direction, although as she did it felt as though she was in an infinitely spanning field of nothing. Her walking had direction but it felt as though she was aimless. Many minutes passed with no real change, that was until she encountered what seemed to be a distant fire. Now with a place to go the woman sprinted towards the light to find that it was a quaint little campfire
Beside the campfire was Cell, sitting on a log facing away from her, but what was worrying were the figures that laid on the ground. At first glance they looked inanimate, but with more observation they were actually lifeless bodies and small piles of cloths. That was weird, what would Cell be doing here?
"Ah 21...you've finally arrived..."
"Cell? Where are we? What's with all these..." 21 began but stopped upon thinking a bit more. Did Cell...kill all of these people?
She observed a little more and realized the bodies weren't just any ordinary civilians or strangers, they were instead members of the Dragon Team. People like Goku, Vegeta, Gohan, Bulma, 18, and many more laid on the ground, and there were even some recognizable outfits that laid next to them
"It's nothing you should worry about...unless you're against me too." He said creepily as he slowly stood from his seat and turned to look at 21. There was a deep ominous feeling that sat inside 21, it was like a hatred was being directed towards her from inside of Cell. It was similar to the look he gave Cell Black in fact, only less angry and even more malevolent
"What's going on? Why did you kill these people!" 21 demanded as she took a battle stance, but rather than feel powerful she felt weak and sluggish like she was falling asleep
"Because they were my enemies, and it seems you've made yourself one as well...I knew I couldn't trust you." He said as he walked forward. As he did 21 slowly began to lose strength, her vision flickered and her body became heavy and slow, but it wasn't from Cell's influence, rather a strong fatigue with her that took hold
"Don't worry. I'll be here when you wakpe up."
With that 21 fell to the ground asleep, unsure of what was happening anymore
21 awoke again to the sound of a voice as well as the tugging of her heart, almost as though someone or something was pulling at her soul
"21? Are you awake?" The voice of Cell asked. From within 21, the soul began asking the same
When she came to she was immediately shocked by the sight of Cell and, as a reflex, pushed herself away from the Android
After she took a few seconds to catch her breath she realized that she wasn't in the nightmare anymore. In fact Cell, opposite to the Cell in her dream, looked at her with a mix of confusion and hurt, did she do something to offend him? It wasn't until 21 took a moment to realize that she instinctively pushed herself away from Cell out of fear that her heart sank. She did it again didn't she? She got scared of him...
"O-oh sorry I um...didn't see you there. You um...surprised me." She excused herself, and yet Cell's pained expression only became worse
"I see... I'm sorry for startling you then."
There was a short silence that filled the room before 21 finally noticed that Cell was wearing what seemed to be an aplron of sorts. It was all white with the lines 'Helluva Cheif' stitched on it, did...did he make that?
21 laughed awkwardly a little bit as she pointed at the apron. "What made you wear that."
Cell wore a fake smirk as he looked at his own joke of an apron. "Ah... I thought it would be a change of pace to wear one...something less... me." He said with an odd inflection on the 'me'. "Right. Breakfast is nearly ready." He stated before walking out of the room quietly
Once Cell left 21 wore a frown, things took a sharp turn. She clearly offended him again, something that she'd only over done once before. With the fake smile, the hurt expression and the cold exit it was clear that what 21 did cut him deep. They had established a while ago that Cell wasn't exactly a 'good person to begin with' so to speak. She learned to accept that side of him as much as she could because he was still growing as a person
And yet she couldn't help but think back to the expression he wore in both the dream and a couple of days ago in Whis' broadcast. The burning fire in his eyes, the blank yet readable expression...the bodies that surrounded him...
"Is Cell really who I think he is?"
The thought came back to haunt 21 again. Before she couldn't imagine such horrible acts come from Cell...and then he fought Cell Black. She tried to scrub away the thought but simply couldn't. The horrific descriptions of his battles with the Z team, what she saw first hand with his doppelgänger. It all made sense in a way...and she hated it. It put things into perspective in a way, since now she could image Cell brutalizing his enemies, just as Prestina had described
"I-I shouldn't think of this, I hurt him enough by thinking he was going to hurt me. I hope he didn't get too offended." She thought as she got up from bed
The soul inside could listen and understand her thoughts, including the ones about her dream, but argued a case for Cell
"You're right, there's no way he'd hurt me. I'm his friend, and he'd never do something like that to a friend." 21 agreed, in fact she was well aware that she was his only friend, and for your only ally to mistake you for an enemy is very cold
"...unless you're against me too."
"He knows I'm his friend...right?" She wondered, to which the soul responded with a resounding 'yes'
"Right! No need to worry!"
21 thought before throwing away the whole line of thought, it was worrying enough that she still had doubts about Cell even after they talked about what happened before, it felt like she was breaching his trust in a way
As 21 changed there was still a lingering feeling of dread that filled her. She knew that he'd never hurt her...but at the same time she felt a doubt as she thought about Prestina...a former friend of Cell
That same morning the Briefs family and their permanent guests ate their breakfasts as per usual... without Vegeta this time
Breakfast itself wasn't the same, not because Vegeta's presence brought anything of value to their conversations, but because his absence was what brought silence. Everyone ate their food quietly and awkwardly, even the two Half Saiyans seemed to force themselves to eat. The worst one off was Bulma herself, who had dry red eyes with heavy bags under them, clearly she was going through a lot with the new changes. Her movements were also slow and sluggish, often she stared plainly at her oatmeal and coffee. Everyone could tell that she was going through a lot, but Adult Trunks was one of two people at the table who truly knew what was going on
"It's about father isn't it, she found out." Was the only reasonable explanation for him, after the fight between the two Cells there was definitely enough for there to be questions
The other was Prestina, who already knew of everything through her mind reading. She tried not to pry too much but even then the general atmosphere was very cold. For her she couldn't stand this form of tension and conflict, there was no real 'fix' other than to let things pan out. She didn't like that
"I'm going to my room." Teen Trunks declared after putting away half as many plates that he usually eats, there was no response
Time crawled by and yet the only thing heard through the silence was the chewing of food. Eventually Prestina finished her food, followed by her Chocolata, leaving Adult Trunks and Bulma all alone
The air got heavier and more tense for the time traveler, he could feel a chill in his back for some reason. Trunks himself wasn't at all used to the silent treatment either, he only ever got it once by his other mom for sneaking out
Was that it? Was he in trouble for something? Surely he was just thinking too much. Eventually Trunks wordlessly gathered his plates, set them on the sink and headed back to his room, he was sure that Gohan was waiting for him by now
"Trunks...could we talk for a minute." Trunks froze in place at the door and crep back into the kitchen. So he was in trouble wasn't he? For what?
"...Sure..." Was his response. Bulma continued to blankly stare at her plate full of food as she tried to find the right words, until she gave up again
"Did you know? About Cell and your father?" So that's what it was
"...Yeah. I knew." There was a nervous silence between the two, not sure as to how Bulma would react to the information. But by her scary amount of stillness, it could be guessed that she probably didn't think too much of it
"Why didn't you tell me?"
By this point Trunks heart started beating quicker. Even though he expected the question he still couldn't answer her. Why didn't he ever tell her? Was it really just to keep the peace? To keep a little secret could've been detrimental to their relationship? Deep inside he did know what the answer was but he was very hesitant to respond. How would her mom feel about him after that? That he kept a secret from her like like his father? There was no good answer, so... he might as well answer honestly
"...After I found out myself..." he began, "I never saw him the same way. I know that he's changed and all but... Knowing that he did that, that he lied and ruined Cell's life under our noses... it changed how I saw him. I just... I didn't want that to happen to you too."
silence
...
...
After many moments of silence Trunks wordlessly left the room. He didn't know what else to do, what he could do anymore. There was no fixing a mistake that he never made, only in fixing the one he did
He was helpless all over again
Bulma continued to sit on the table, not exactly digesting her son's words properly. She felt numb, her hand held the spoon in front of her but it still felt as though it wasn't there. Her eyes burned, her head hurt, her heart ached and her stomach was twisted in a knotIn the end she grabbed her oatmeal and threw it in the trash, plate and all
Elsewhere in the outskirts of a village raged an epic spar between the Saiyan Goku and his time displaced son. With nothing better to do both father and son agreed on a sparing match, just for the sake of having one. Gohan was intent on reconnecting with his father while Goku was excited to see his son's power
After no time at all the two battled far above the sky in Super Saiyan, yet surprisingly Gohan's form was comparable to Goku's, which was far stronger after he became a Super Saiyan God. The Hybrid Saiyan chased after the Saiyan at full speed, dodging and weaving through any ki blasts that were sent his way. That was until Goku disappeared with no trace. Strange, he was that fast. So maybe...
Without time to react Goku appeared inches in front of Gohan to punch him in the chest, knocking the wind out of him. Gohan looked up to see a high kick aimed at his face
Gohan remembered the same high kick launch him backwards when he was a kid. As he flew his dad casually flew in front of his face with a smirk before grabbing him and tossing him far into the sky. When Gohan recovered he saw yet another fist directed at his face giving him no time to recover. The blow launched him backwards all over again
Surprisingly, Future Gohan found himself experiencing the exact same events. It would've been more heartfelt if it didn't hurt so much, guess things don't change sometimes
Future Gohan recovered from the toss and, like muscle memory, held out his palm to snatch Goku's follow up attack. Seeing his opportunity he delivered a vicious kick to his father's face and blasted him with a quickly fired Kamehameha
"Ow! Guess the same move won't work on you either huh?" Goku commented as he rubbed his sore chin, he remembered using that same assault on Gohan when he was younger, guess this one expected it too
"I've grown a lot since then dad, in fact I'm surprised I still remembered." Gohan joked, he definitely felt his age by now, its been decades since the last time he sparred with Goku
"Well even if you are from a different time you're still my son, we've both grown a lot."
Suddenly, there was another voice intruding on their conversation. "Interesting battle, it's a shame I have to cut it short." Both father and son turned to see Cell, floating a small distance away from them
"Cell? What are you doing here?" Goku wondered, though with less hate and shock in his voice than anyone else would typically respond with. Gohan visibly tensed up when he saw the Bio-Android and with good reason. He was willing to give 17 and 18 a pass for having changed, but Cell was a different case. Unlike the twins who were entirely different people from the ones he knew, Cell was...still very familiar. He spoke with the same tones and inflections that the other Cell did when he traveled to the past. It was uncanny how similar the two were
Cell noticed this reaction but kept his stoic expression. It was harsh enough that 21 mistook him for an enemy today, but now someone else had too
"Is it something about me today? Or is it still about Black." He wondered to himself
"Actually he's with us, we summoned him." Another voice spoke as Beerus and Whis were soon floating behind Cell
"Beerus? Whis? What's going on."
"I'm here to collect you Goku, I have an important task for you regarding Cell Black." Beerus responded nonchalantly. "You and Cell will be accompanying us on our investigation." Whis added
"O-Oh, I didn't know it was that important." Goku stuttered, this was pretty sudden news for him, he was starting to enjoy his sparring match
"Dad, we can pick this back up once you're finished, I'm sure Trunks is still waiting for me too."
"Right! Then I'll be with you in a sec, I have to tell Chi-Chi." Goku regarded Beerus before flying towards his house
"Don't make me wait any longer than I have to!!" Beerus shouted in frustration
"Speaking of which I've neglected to tell my students of my absence. Perhaps I should tell them." Cell said before regarding Gohan. "If you would like I could take you to Capsule Corp, I have business there."
Gohan eyed the man suspiciously, never letting go of his Super Saiyan form. The harmless smirk and the nice words didn't change anything. In fact, they resembled more like the other Cell than anything. "No thanks...I'll get there on my own."
Cell, looking a tad defeated, simply brought two fingers to his head and teleported away, leaving the three alone
"Hm, what seems to be your problem?" Beerus pondered, forgetting the fact that both Cell and Goku were now making him wait
"I um...he reminds me of another Cell, one that's eviler and harsher. I can't trust him." Gohan responded earnestly and honestly
"Hmph, something as screwy as time travel would have that effect I suppose. The same faces, but not the same minds."
"Yeah...guess so."
Inside of a room within Capsule Corp were both Prestina and Chocolata, watching T.V. Seeing as how Cell was a little late they decided to stay inside their room and wait for him, unmotivated to do much of anything after breakfast. The tension between Bulma and the rest was so high that even the two sisters needed a second to themselves, especially Prestina. She took to wearing a large baggy hoodie and baggy sweatpants with a loose fitting shirt underneath to feel warm and cozy again, it didn't matter that they would have to change once Cell arrived. Chocolata mirrored her sister as well, not because of her own worries but because she thought she needed to be with her sister for a while
The two laid in bed and stared at the T.V motionlessly, though Prestina paid no attention to what was happening in it
To her Bulma's attitude was scary. Bulma was always kind and motherly but also optimistic and hopeful at times, which was the complete opposite of how she acted. To her it was like the life had drained from her mind and body and was left with a husk of herself. It was a new sight that she never wanted to witness. Seeing someone so...tired made her want to look away, or at least pat her on the back comfortingly. She had no proper response at the time and in thinking about the situation was certain that there was no correct response
Rather than down herself further she sighed and sunk deeper into the covers of the bed
"What's up sis? You look a little down." Chocolata wondered, she didn't fully understand the extent to which seeing Bulma affected her
"Nothing, I'm just worried for Bulma. I've never seen her like that. And her mind...it was so...blank." Prestina explained slowly as her sister gave her a light hug
"Don't worry, I'm sure things'll go back to normal soon. Bulma's just... working though a few things." Chocolata spoke as the two hugged warmly, it was nice for both of them to have a bond so strong
Just then there was a light knock on the door, but both sisters understood who it was. The two got up and as Prestina opened the door Chocolata started to grab their training outfits
Prestina opened the door to see Cell, standing far above her. Upon seeing her he was startled for a second, and then inspected the dark, messy room. "Am I interrupting something?"
"No no, we were just waiting. We'll be out in a sec." Prestina responded and tried to close the door, only for Cell to stop it with his foot
"Actually I came to speak to you two about that." He said as Prestina creaked the door further. Chocolata perked up at hearing the line and walked next to Prestina, staying just out of sight of Cell
"I've been summoned by Lord Beerus and am postponing today's training. I simply came here to inform the two of you." He said before looking around. "And I also came to ask...where's Vegeta?"
The question seemed to stun Prestina for a second, it seems that Cell didn't sense Vegeta anywhere around and wanted to ask. Or maybe it also had to do with his fight with Bulma, both were probably correct
"I-I..." She stuttered before sighing, there was no point in not telling him. She knew that he was a little curious to hear since he was there too when they fought
"...Bulma and Vegeta fought pretty badly. Next thing we know he got kicked out and was sent to live in another house on the outskirts of West City. I haven't seen him in all day and I haven't sensed him either...he must be taking things as hard as Bulma. She's... pretty heartbroken."
Upon hearing this Cell averted her gaze, which Prestina found very odd. She was almost sure that he would smirk or smile when he heard that Vegeta was in pain. But instead he looked very uncertain, like he didn't know what to think. The reaction urged Prestina to ask something that she normally wouldn't
"Are you...happy...to hear that?"
It was an odd question but one that got the point across. Cell seemed to ponder it, taking serious account within himself as he turned away from the door
"...I don't feel... as I hoped I would." He responded. The response surprised both Prestina and Chocolata. Prestina could also sense the mixed emotions from within his mind as well, seemed he was being serious after all
"But that is none of your concern. Farewell." Cell said before he suddenly teleported away from the two of them, leaving the Majin sisters to wonder
Prestina wordlessly shut the door again and walked over to her bed and sat down, taking a moment to digest everything. Cell clearly wanted this to happen, he was so giddy when the fight broke out that she was sure she could hear him laugh in the night. So...why didn't he feel that way anymore?
"Wanna lay down some more?" Chocolata urged her. After feeling her skin crawl and her mind stop Prestina pondered the offer, until she looked out the window and saw the bright sunshine covered up by the blinds and curtains
"...Actually...I have a better idea..."
Shortly after breakfast Bulma wandered back into her private lab where 21 and 16 worked on the Time Machine. With the fuel being synthesized it was only a matter of time before they could collect the fuel needed for a two way trip into the future and back. For the time being 21 poked and prodded the machine with 16 as well
Her mind was still on her recent dilemma with Cell. Breakfast was normal but there was a faint sense of guilt that she felt as they ate. She apologized again but it was clear that Cell wanted to forget about it. She knew it was wrong to doubt him but her mind just couldn't stop thinking about his fight with Cell Black, it was a brutal beatdown that truly displayed Cell's other side, especially the part where he tore off his limbs. Though she tried to forget it at the time her small dream was a cold reminder that sort of pieced things together for her in a way she didn't like
There was a certain extent that 21 believed what she heard from Prestina and Chocolata. She couldn't disregard them like they were strangers and much less could she ignore their claims. But the fight between the two Cells was an eye opener for her. Somehow in some way the idea of Cell being a cold killer was sort of...believable
Although 21 had her own problems to deal with she immediately set them aside once Bulma stepped into the room. The woman looked miserable, she lacked sleep and was going through caffeine withdrawals as well. The last time they talked Bulma cried in her arms for a solid ten minutes before she left, and now she was standing there, blankly staring at a clipboard
16 was of the same mind as well, both not-exactly mother and not-exactly son looked at each other and back at Bulma. It was hard to think of her own personal problems when someone was having it harder than she was. Surely she could postpone her thinking in order to help Bulma
"Um...Bulma? You don't look too good. Do you need a minute?" Asked 21, with no response
"If you are tired then I suggest you take a rest Mrs. Bulma." 16 advised, also with no response
The silence only spoke volumes. 21 continued to contemplate what she could do to help the scientist who was clearly out of it, yet she couldn't think of anything that could help. Talking was clearly not an option at the moment
"I-Is she okay?"
"No. Bulma spent her time grieving yesterday. She didn't sleep yesterday either." 16 responded
"Poor Bulma..." was all she could think. In looking at her she was reminded of Cell in a way, but far more depressed. Even though she didn't directly suffer from Cell's years of pain the effect was still the same, only to a smaller degree. Vegeta was no longer someone she could be around
And just like Cell 21 was determined to help
It was then that she got a bright idea, surely if she couldn't at least talk things out then maybe she could...let her rest?
"I think we should send her to her bed. Do you think she'd mind." 21 asked the soul within her, who agreed with the plan in mind
The Android simply walked over to Bulma and allowed a white light to emit from her chest into Bulma, who absorbed the white energy
"I'm sorry but you need to take a rest, 16 and I will take it from here." She said, receiving no response from the woman. Wordlessly Bulma walked out of the door and towards her own room where she would take a nap...by force if needed. Surprisingly there was no resistance as Bulma allowed her body to walk her back to her bed
"What was that?"
"The soul took over Bulma's body. She should be fine now after she gets some rest...I think." 21 responded with a hint of nervousness. "She will be alright...maybe."
"There is no reason to doubt yourself 21. Mrs. Bulma is only tired, a short sleep should help her refocus." 16 answered
"I know but... seeing her go through something so heartbreaking doesn't sit right with me. I know that she should be fine but...I just need to find some way to help in any way I can."
"I see. So you feel obligated to help others."
"...I suppose so. I don't want to see anyone I care for suffer when I have a say in it. I have to do what I can to make sure everyone is alright." She affirmed. Her biggest goal was to help those around her, it was the entire reason why she decided to travel with Cell in the first place in fact
"Just like Cell?"
Images of the man in question flooded her mind, but not negative ones. Rather, she remembered instances of when Cell was there for her instead of the other way around. When he taught her how to fly and use ki, when he fought beside her in battle, when he saved her soul from breaking apart... when he stopped her from sacrificing herself against her evil self
She cared for him just as he cared for her...it was only right for her to return the favor
"...Exactly like Cell..."
A/N: Hey again guys! So I decided to stop updating chapters for the moment in order to give you guys some new content, I myself was starting to get anxious over what happened next
As for updating things have been going pretty well. Originally my mindset was to update as much as I can to update and continue the story, which was all well and good until I realized that I was skipping a but too much
In a sense the main things that were missing were clear thoughts and meanings behind actions rather than just skip to the next action. I tended to set an action and rather than add some significance I just went along with it
Secondly, Prestina. I've sorta neglected her character development from the start, rather than characterize her the way I wanted I just made her do things that didn't go well with her character, if that makes any sense. I needed to give her proper character, which meant changing her role in the fight between Cell and Trunks/16
I'm grateful for 'GymNatty321' for bringing that up, as harsh as he was. OCs need proper attention, and now I've seen that
Other things have changed but quite frankly Chapters 1-12 look much more different than before. I would like to apologize for making you all wait so long for another update but my revisions were sorely needed
Anyways that's about all, Part 2 will be made in another month or two, but until then, I'll see you guys later!