Chapter 25: Reality Check

Present time: 16 years after the defeat of Drazark

Location: Kai Planet

"So that's what happened to me in the alternate time?" I asked Supreme Kai.

"Yes, all of that. Do you see why it went that way?"

We were sitting in a field, Supreme Kai, Old Kai, and I. They had asked me here this morning, and I had spent all day watching my alternate future self. I couldn't believe all that had actually happened.

"Goku wasn't there, and I didn't have my Angel Sayjin abilities."

"Yes, but there is more. You needed Mirai No Trunks' love, and without that your Inner Light was never born."

"So he really meant that much? Just one person?"

"Isn't Goku just one person?" Old Kai asked back.

"Yes. But I still don't see why you showed me all of this."

"We have to do this by regulation for the Angel." Old Kai said.

"Yes, the council has laid down a law. You must choose now: to give up your powers or keep them and become a Kai." Supreme Kai explained.

"So that's it. If I become a Kai, then I'll be immortal, but I won't be able to see my family again, right?"

"Well, yes." Supreme Kai said, scratching the back of his head.

"Then the choice is simple. I'll bind my powers. With Roxx and Drazark gone, I'm sure it'll be safer to give them back to the council. If they aren't here then no one will come to earth looking for them. That reminds me, what happened with Roxx? In the alternate time, I mean?"

"What do you think happened?" Old Kai asked.

"Whatever it was, it wasn't good."

"Exactly. Follow me, Katie. We'll go ahead and bind your powers now." Supreme Kai stood up and headed down the hill, and as I followed, Old Kai cleared his throat to get my attention.

"If there is anything you wish to get done today, then I advise you to do so. Anything important you might want to tell someone." He put extra emphasis on the 'important', then turned and went back to meditating.

I nodded, not quite understanding, and caught up with Supreme Kai. He was standing by the lake, at the foot of the plateau where the Z sword use to reside.

"First, you need to transform into your Angel form." Supreme Kai instructed.

So, I did. I thought of all my friends and family, my 26-year-old son, Kanji, my 22-year-old daughter, Andy, and my 16-year-old son, Codie Allen. I thought of Mirai, and all he had done for me, and all I had done for him in the alternate timeline. I knew we'd all be safer this way.

And I transformed into my beautiful Angel form, and mentally said goodbye to it.

"Now, this is the Z Crystal," Supreme Kai took out a beautiful crystal, about the size of a tennis ball, and held it up, "You must hold it and will your power into it." he held it out to me, and I hesitated.

"What if it's needed again? What if Angel power is needed again?"

"Then the rightful Angel will get his or her power, just as you did."

"…Alright, I'm ready." I took the crystal, and held it in both hands. As I began to concentrate, it lifted itself out of my hands and floated there in front of me. I concentrated, like when you try to make a Ki ball, and moved energy from inside of me into the crystal.

Soon you could see my Angel powers flowing into the Z crystal. I had to close my eyes to keep from losing focus.

"Goodbye, Katie. It was fun while it lasted…" that was my Inner Light, leaving me and going to the crystal.

I felt myself change back to normal, and then the crystal floated back into my hands. I opened my eyes and saw a light shining out of the Z crystal.

"There. It's done." I said, handing the crystal back to Supreme Kai.

"Indeed it is. Good job, Katie. You were a great Angel."

"Thanks."

I headed to the top of the plateau and sat there to think. What did Old Kai mean by telling someone something important?

I think I know.

"Codie, can you come here for a second?"

"Mom? Where are you?"

"On the Kai planet, just find my Ki signature. Oh, and bring my black scrapbook, I have something to show you."

A moment later Codie showed up with my scrapbook and I patted the ground in front of me. He was wearing his green gi, training with his grandpa today apparently. He sat cross-legged and waited for me to speak.

"Codie, I want you to know your dad and I love you very much. No matter what I'm about to tell you, okay?"

"O-okay." He seemed a little nervous.

"You know all about Gohan defeating Cell, right?" he nodded, "But there is more to the story. Cell wasn't just an enemy, he was my best friend."

"What?" he asked flatly.

"The best friend I ever had was Cell. He helped me in HFIL when I lost faith in myself. He helped me defeat Roxx, and he helped me defeat Drazark."

"Mom, why are you-"

"Please, Codie, don't interrupt me. I'll explain everything. Cell was programmed to love me, you could say, but once he saw that your father and I were truly in love, he left it at that.

"Drazark trapped me in an illusion and Cell sacrificed himself to save me. If I died in the illusion, I died in reality. The same went with a soul, and Cell's soul was destroyed."

"I never knew." Codie said.

"We never told, and only your father and I know what I'm about to tell you. When Cell helped me defeat Drazark, he gave me two final gifts as he said goodbye. The first one was power enough to defeat Drazark, a transformation I have never been able to duplicate. The other I didn't find out what it was until a few months later. It was a baby, a reincarnation of Cell."

"Mom?" he didn't know how to ask.

"It was you, Codie. You are Cell's son. Your eyes are his eyes."

"But how? Did you and Cell…?"

"No, he placed his soul into me, and it made you, I guess. He knew if he stood a chance of being reincarnated, I was going to be the best mother, and the only mother who wouldn't freak-out at having Cell's son. Your dad, Mirai, knows, but loves you just the same, okay? We both do."

"And only you and dad and I know?"

"Yes. Here, look here." I opened the scrapbook to a picture of Cell and me, taken after the defeat of Roxx. I was hanging on Cell's back holding up the 'V for victory' and smiling like a fool. Cell was just looking annoyed on the surface, but looking closer in his eyes you could see a smile hidden.

"That's Cell, huh? My father…" Codie wasn't mad at all about this secret. If anything, he seemed glad to know.

"I thought you'd be mad." I admitted.

"Mad? No. Now I know who the guy in my dreams is." He stated.

"Excuse me?"

"Ever since I was small I've seen him in my dreams. His memories, I guess. They were never scary or bad, always happy, and of you."

"Codie." I sighed.

"He really loved you, and he's glad you're happy with the runt. He must mean dad, right?"

"Yeah, he does." I felt tears run down my cheeks, and I quickly wiped them away before he saw.

So we talked about Cell for hours. I explained about Cell being my favorite villain, and about having to fight him. Codie hung on every word. Overall we decided to keep this between Mirai, him, and me. No one else should know because they'd freak. I knew it was true, that's why I kept it secret so long, but now he knows, and he feels complete. Perfect, you might say.

I teleported us home, and Codie took the scrapbook up to his room to look at more pictures of Cell. I wanted to talk to Mirai alone.

"Codie just ran by, what'd you do to him?" Mirai asked in a mocking tone.

"I told him about Cell." I said truthfully.

"I was wondering when that was going to happen."

"You really are the best." I said, hugging him.

"What'd I do?" he asked, mocking again.

"Any lesser man would have been angry."

"Well, technically you weren't unfaithful to me with Cell, and Cell really did love you. I witnessed that the days before his soul… anyway, technically Codie has a right to know whose soul is him."

"That was really bad grammar, Mirai." I laughed. Then I suddenly felt weak and fell to my knees.

"Hey, what kind of training did you do to make to tire out?" Mirai asked, kneeling down.

"It wasn't the training. Supreme Kai told me he had to bind my powers. I don't have my Angel powers anymore."

"What?"

"I figured I should go ahead and give them up than face the alternative." I shrugged.

"What was the alternative?" he asked.

"Becoming a Kai and never seeing you again, love."

"Oh, I see. But that couldn't have taken all day, right?"

"Right," I said as he helped me up. Actually, he carried me to the couch, though I did protest, "Hey!"

"Oh, you know you love it." he remarked.

"Yeah, well, anyway, he showed me the alternate future. I saw what happened to me in your time."

"Oh boy."

"Oh boy is right. That was amazing. You went through so much… I didn't even know…"

"But now you do." he sighed.

"Yeah. I'm not mad at you in any way."

"No, really?" he looked surprised.

"Never." I laughed, remembering I actually said that in the alternate time.

"Now you see why I came back to you. Mom theorized that history is written one day, one moment at a time. So when I went back to my time it hadn't changed yet."

"I'm glad you came back. I saw how miserable I was without you then."

"But I was there." He said.

"Yeah, but… I don't know how to explain it. I guess we were different then as we are now. You love me and I love you."

"Our memories define us?" he chimed.

"Yes, but that's not all, I've realized. It's just the major factor."

"So, Sayjin Paladin Katrin, what's next?" he asked, snuggling closer. He looked ready for bed, if you know what I mean.

"Peace." I replied.