Chapter 32: And The Winner Is…
But like on the show, Gohan blocked the shot. The brightness of the blast hurt my eyes, but when it was over I saw shock on Cell's face as he saw that all three of us were alive.
"That's impossible!" he said as Gohan got up. Gohan's left arm was barely attached, and his Ki was so low I thought for sure that he'd lose hold of SSJ2.
"Katie, get Vegeta out of here. I'll stop Cell. Somehow. Go!"
"Be careful." I said as I helped Vegeta up. I got us out of the immediate area and helped Vegeta to a sitting position.
"Katie, I'll never get the chance for a rematch with Kakorot, will I?" he asked calmly. I knew what he meant, he thought we were all going to die, and that would mean he'd be sent to the HFIL.
"Yes, you will. Be ready, Gohan may need us." I sat affixed onto the fight. Cell was powering up a Mega Ki blast I couldn't identify, but recognized as the final blast. This was it.
Trunks, you will be avenged. Your father and I are going to help Gohan.
It looked like Gohan was talking to himself, but he was talking with Goku via King Kai.
"Dad, I can't. My power is less than half, and my left arm is useless… the pain of loss?"
"Prepare to die!" Cell blasted at Gohan, but he was willing to fight back.
"Ka-me-ha-me-ha!" Gohan shot out his one handed Kamehameha and I shot up onto my feet. Vegeta did as well. We both took off to different places and got ready to help. We were both weak, and at our current power levels we couldn't try to transform, but we got to opposite sides of Cell and blasted, keeping him distracted for a moment. Then I backed off, and Vegeta did, too, as Gohan's power quadrupled in power. I swear I saw an image of Goku behind Gohan, but it had to be the light playing tricks on my eyes. Goku was dead, and his spirit wasn't allowed to leave Otherworld.
But it had been there on the show.
Cell screamed in pain as he was ripped apart. My SG didn't go off, so I knew he was dead. I fell onto my butt as the skies turned back to blue, and then I felt the awesome power of SSJ2 fade as Gohan collapsed, gasping for air. I got out a Zinzu bean and gave one to everybody. That would keep us alive until we could get to Dende's Lookout and he healed us.
Except for Trunks.
I walked away from the crowd and knelt next to Trunks. They were celebrating Cell's defeat, but the knowledge I had of the future was keeping me from getting excited. I knew Trunks would be back, and I knew Goku would remain dead on his own terms. But the pain I felt from losing Trunks was so great. It had to be because of our Bond.
Vegeta walked over and stood behind me.
"We still have Dragonballs, Katie. You said so yourself."
"But it hurts so much."
"I know, I know. Even when you know they come back, losing someone you care about hurts."
"Vegeta, you take him. He's your son."
"No, I'm going. Without Kakorot, I have no reason to fight anymore." Vegeta took off. Tien lifted up Trunks and the others took off. I slowly followed behind the others. I was being selfish. I should have helped Gohan to the Lookout. I shouldn't be so sad that Trunks was dead, because he was coming back. It was something else.
Cell. I had been with him for over a week, and I got to know him. No, I didn't like him, but I respected him. He was capable of things I never imagined he could do. First, there was that whole spirit thing he did, but there was also the compassion he showed towards me. He saved me, and he never tried to hurt me until the Cell games began. He respected me, too. He would have been a great ally.
And the soul thing he did. What was that?
"So this is your concept of your soul?" I didn't think of my soul as a maze, but it made sense. The tomb and the labyrinth were both parts of my past. They were both built with the thought of confusing anyone who entered one. And they are both filled with darkness.
If my destiny is toward the light, then why does darkness follow me?
All light has a shadow, I guess. Yin and Yang, good and evil. You can't have one without the other.
We reached the Lookout and were healed by Dende, who was now the Earth's new Kami. We gathered the alternate-Dende Dragonballs (those are the ones with two wishes) and began the wishing. First we wished back everyone Cell and the androids had killed, but Goku interrupted that.
"Sorry guys, but it would be best if I stayed here. I've had a good life, and besides, trouble seems to follow me around."
"No, it doesn't, Goku! Garlic jr. didn't come for you, and Frieza came back for all of us!" I screamed.
"I'm sorry, but I've made up my mind."
"Fine." I said as I turned away from, uh, you know what I mean.
But Trunks, Android 17 (who wasn't there at the moment, but off somewhere else. I figured it was the place Cell absorbed him), Piccolo, and all the others were back. Then Krillen wished for 17 and 18 to become human, but it didn't work. Instead, the bombs were removed. My mood improved when Trunks came back, it was because of our link that I felt so upset.
It was a few days after the Cell Games and Trunks was going to go home, into the future.
"Trunks, do you have to go?"
"Katie, you know I have to. Maybe mom or I will think of something and be back soon, but I can't stay here. And we both know you're needed here." I turned away from him as he continued. "Sometimes the right thing to do is the hardest." He turned me around and we kissed. And it was a great kiss, I didn't want to let go, but we had to eventually. He walked over and hugged Bulma good bye. Vegeta, well, he just shook Trunks' hand and said something to the fact that he was proud of him. Trunks jumped into his time machine and started it up. He waved to us all as it started to take off, and he stared at me as he disappeared.
Goodbye, lover. Hurry back, this has to work. It will hurt too much if it doesn't.
