Chapter 35: To Arms, To Arms

We rode the great beasts of Planet Vegeta for a day, a night, and then another day. The hot sun beat down on us with no relief in sight, but at the speed we were moving the breeze kept away some of the heat. We stopped plenty of times to rest, but I could have kept moving without stopping, as could Yael P'reel. I wanted to get this fight over with as soon as possible.

Cell didn't say much, but I figured that was because of Mirai and Gohan. They were my family, and I had no idea how they acted around each other while I was facing the Vegetian gods. I decided to ask.

I rode up beside Gohan. Cell was in the front, leading us to the castle, and Mirai was behind us at the time. Gohan, I had noticed, never took his eyes off of Cell. I could understand that, the Cell he fought all those years ago killed Mirai, Goku, absorb thousands of innocent people plus two androids, and kidnapped me. That was hard for Gohan to get over, and I couldn't blame him, though I loved Cell, I couldn't blame Gohan for hating Cell, no matter what form he was in. At least he didn't hate Codie.

"Gohan?"

"Oh, hey Katie. How are you doing?" he asked.

"I'm fine. Say, how did you guys fare with Cell while I was gone?"

"We did okay, I guess. Then again, he was barely conscious for the first few hours." Gohan said, finally diverting is gaze from Cell to me.

"He was attacked by a beast called a Ki-sucker. I killed it, but it nearly killed Cell. I had to give him some of my Ki so he could survive."

"Like my dad did with Frieza?"

"Nothing like Frieza." I replied.

"I didn't mean-"

"Its okay if you did, he is Cell after all." I said, looking up at him. He looked so noble, so good, it was hard for me to remember the evils Cell had committed in his younger days; both Cell's.

"After he recovered a bit he was… odd. Compared to the way I remember Cell, anyway."

"He's more like the Cell I remember. You know, he wants to help us. I'm not forcing him or anything."

"Why? I don't get it." Gohan responded.

"He can see now that his mate is living a life of self-destruction. He wants her to stop before it's too late, and I am the only one who can stop her."

"I see. He stayed with the Ayokii most of the time."

"I think that they may be his favorite animal. He was in awe when we saw a wild Mirna a few days back."

"That's what your animal is?"

"Yes, the goddess Mirean changed her from an Ayokii. She said she gave her back her pride."

"And you really have control over your Oozaru form? I remember that the times I changed, I never even knew I changed."

"I figured it would be a good idea to have control, just incase I needed it. It's a good thing I did."

"Yes, it was. I hope you really got the power, or else we may be in real trouble."

"You mean you came with me, even though you're not sure if I had the power?" I asked, shocked.

"Yeah, of course. You'll always be Aunt Katie to me, no matter how strong you are."

"Thanks Gohan, I needed that."

Yael P'reel didn't like it, but I made her slow down so I could speak to Mirai. She wanted to run at top speed, and I couldn't blame her. Running has a sense of freedom that even flying lacks. When you fly, you use and then lose Ki, but when you run, you're only limited by your strength, and with Sayjins and Mirna, that limit is very high.

"I don't think your Mirna liked that you slowed down. What's up?" Mirai asked.

"I just wanted to talk to you. How'd you do with Cell while I was gone?"

"Fine, I guess. We never really talked. He stayed with the Ayokii mostly."

"That's what Gohan said." I replied.

"Then why'd you ask?"

"Because I only knew what he told me, I didn't know how you were."

"He isn't the Cell I remember." Mirai stated.

"No, he isn't." I let the restraint go on Yael P'reel and she ran up to match with Cell's Ayokii.

"Hey Katie, how are you doing?" he asked.

"Fine, how about you? That was quite a scare you had with the Ki-sucker."

"You admire me so, but you didn't see how I froze when that thing grabbed me." Cell said, lowering his eyes, "I had a perfect opportunity to hit it, kill it even, but I froze."

"When I was growing up as a Sayjin, I had a fear that made me freeze… turned me evil once, too."

"You, scared? Or admitting to fear-"

"I know, I don't admit my fears easily. My friends all know already. Now it's your turn." I said.

"Are you sure? Do you consider me a friend?"

"Yes, I do." I looked up into the sky as a flock of Vegetian birds flew over head. The reminded me of cardinals, "It was called the Darkness. It was the servant to Roxx. It haunted me from the day I returned to the dimension I was born in. It was a horrible mass of dark energy… it was what scared me to the point that I let Babi-Dee turn me Majin. Then later, when I went to fight Roxx, I faced it again. I was walking down a dark hall with Vegeta when it attacked. I froze… it nearly strangled me to death. If Vegeta hadn't… well, the point is, he transformed into a SSJ and the light energy scared off the Darkness temporarily."

"What happened to the Darkness?" Cell asked.

"I faced it again later, while Roxx was torturing me. I was able to destroy it." I recalled, shivering in the memory.

"I'm a coward… I have lost my honor."

"I don't think so. You were brave enough to fight for your life." I said.

"Yeah, I did… I did… hey, there it is!" Cell said, stopping.

We stopped and looked. The castle was just like King Vegeta's castle, only bigger. As we stared, another flock of Vegetian birds flew overhead.

"And I think she's ready for us." Mirai said. I looked up above the castle where Mirai's gaze led. Up in the sky was a large, dark, winged form.

"That's no bird…" Gohan said.

AS22: it's a bird… it's a plane… no, its-

Cell: Superman?

Katie: no, wait, Supergirl!

AS22:(coughs) no, it's the anti-Angel!

Katie/Cell: ooohhhooohh…

AS22: R&R!