AS22: This chapter always gets to me… sniff… R&R!

Cell: save me!

Katie: shhh! You'll give it away!

Chapter 39: Embrace

I stood and took in air that was badly needed, and so did Katrin. Nothing seemed out of place until I tried to feel her Ki. I realized there was a local Ki that was missing. Before there had been 8 others watching the fight, and now only 7. I looked over to the other, and counted them off.

Vegeta, Kakorot, Raditz, Gohan, Goten, Trunks, Daimoa… no…

I fell to my knees, in my rash act of slapping away the Ki ball, I had hit someone. The tears started to fall as I got back up and walked over. No one seemed to sense what had happened yet, not even Katrin, until I stood right before the fallen form of the Emperor.

"How could I let this happen?" I asked aloud. I fell to my knees and could only stare. The eyes of the others fell to my gaze. Katrin screamed.

"No! No! Cell! Cell, get up, no!" she fell to her knees, holding herself as I turned back to Cell.

"It's my fault… it's my fault… I let him die again…" the tears blurred my eyes and ran down onto my chest. There was a hole right in the middle of Cell's chest, where the heart would be.

'He doesn't have to die…' a voice said.

"Cell!" I felt her power fluctuate. At this rate she could blow up the planet unintentionally. But in my own grief Katrin was only a side note.

"Why isn't his body regenerating?" I asked, ready for anyone to answer.

"I don't know…" King Vegeta said, staring at me as I faced him.

"Perhaps…" Raditz began. He was the scientist, and one of earth's rulers. He'd know, "He wasn't strong enough to regenerate from a wound like that." Everyone was quiet except for Katrin, she was howling and screaming.

We both loved him, but I'm dealing with it better.

I thought as I got up and walked to her.

Cell in my universe was much stronger when he did the regeneration at the Cell games… this one wasn't strong enough… he hadn't absorbed so many people before he got 17 and 18… and he didn't fight against SSJ2 Gohan… and he hasn't fully recovered from the Ki-sucker…

I got to Katrin. Her tears were flying off her face as she thrashed about. I grabbed her and pulled her close, into a hug.

"Let me go! You killed him! You killed him!" she started to calm down, but continued to beat against me, "You… you… I killed him. I killed Cell…" she was crying now, and together we slipped to the ground. As I held her, she decided to hold me too.

"It will be okay. I've lost my mate twice before, and I've lost my children. By the grace of the Kais I got mine back when I defeated the evil that killed them."

"I couldn't let him know… I couldn't let anyone know… I hear things, he knew that… they told me that love was okay… but I couldn't let anyone know that I… I…"

"Care? Its okay, Katrin. Love isn't weakness, no matter what. King Lios did some awful things to you, but you can leave that in the past. Look to the future, restore the universe. Don't rule like a tyrant, rule like a caring person that I know you can be."

"I can't do it without him… he's the only thing…"

"Shh… I know. I lost my Cell, but I won't let you lose yours."

Without any warning her Angel powers faded away. She became mortal again. I held on to mine, I wasn't done yet.

I held her a bit longer, letting her calm down. I knew a few minutes wouldn't be enough, but it was all I could give her for now.

"Vegeta, take her." I called. He looked shocked, but I could see the same heart behind his dark eyes that my Vegeta had for me. They had a similar bond. He came over and held her as she continued to cry. I walked over to Cell.

"Haven't you done enough damage?" Dark Gohan asked, stepping between me and Cell's body. Katrin's power level erupted to incredible heights, blowing King Vegeta away. She needed Cell.

"Let me pass. I'm going to help." I said, pushing Gohan out of the way.

I knelt down and placed my hands over the wound. His thick purple and green blood oozed onto my hands as I pressed onto the hole.

Please, let some of my gift from the gods pass to him… let him live!

I started to give him my life energy. Cell once told me that I was immortal in this form, that Roxx couldn't kill me, that I had control over life itself. If I could will myself to return to life back then, surely I could pass that on to others. So I passed, pushed my Ki into his body. Willing him to regenerate once more. The perfect android would live again. It was too late for Gohan, his body faded from this plain, and hopefully back to our Otherworld so he could be restored by Purunga.

I kept pushing, and I sensed his Ki returning to normal levels. I kept at it as it became higher and higher. He opened his eyes, and the closest darklings sighed in relief and joy.

Cell sat up and saw the blood on my hands. He looked to his self and saw the drying blood on his chest.

"Did I just… die?" he asked.

"Almost, but I couldn't lose you again." I said, hugging him. I pulled back from the confused android, "Go on, there's an Empress who needs her dragonfly back." I said. He stood up, a little shaky at first, and walked toward her. In a way, I felt like I was losing him again. We wouldn't go home together happily ever after, but he and Katrin would, and as long as he was happy, I was happy. Cell told me that after my trial.

King Vegeta stood up and backed away. Katrin held herself until Cell took his tail and lifted her chin up to meet with his eyes.

"Cell?" she jumped up and grabbed him like she'd lose him again, "You were dead! Your heart… you weren't breathing…"

"Breathing is over rated, my love."

I felt my heart break as they kissed. I didn't know if I was happy or sad or angry, but it was the right thing to do. I felt my Angel Sayjin form fade away. I guess I was done.

"Light and darkness have embraced… both are equal… both no longer feel damned… the universes are no longer in danger…"

I looked and saw the others were trying to find the mystery voice, so it wasn't just me.

"That sounded like… Goldeer." I said, still looking about.

"The father? But… I thought…" King Vegeta was at a loss for words. Most of us were, "How do you know his voice?"

"I… met him, to get my Angel powers back. I met all of the Vegetian gods." I said, scratching the back of my head. Now that Katrin wasn't on a rampage, the others were calmer as well.

I looked over to Cell and Katrin. Katrin was crying and Cell just held her. Our eyes met, and his smile showed his appreciation.

You don't have to thank me… we're equal now…

Cell had saved my life, both this Cell and the one from home, and now, at least, I could save him. I couldn't same my Teela-h'reth before, but I could now. My heart still felt heavy though as I watched.

"So… what are you going to do now?" it was Kakorot who came to talk to me first out of all the darklings.

"Go home, I guess. Your cousin will be fine now, I can see that."

"How do you know?" Raditz asked.

"I know like I know your childhood nickname was radish-head. Didn't Nappa call you that?"

"I haven't heard that in a long time." Raditz laughed. I walked over to Katrin and Cell. Katrin looked at me with a tearful smile.

"I… I don't know what to say. Thank you isn't enough. You've shown me what really matters to me. My son… I can't get him back, and I can't steal someone else's to replace the pain. I have to get over the pain another way."

"I know you can do it. You need to let your people know you've changed. I want you to rule the universe, sister, but not as a tyrant. Rule like you use to before you lost your child."

"I will. This seems to be ending too quickly for my liking, but you have to get your family and return home. The longer you remain in this universe, the more damage it will cause."

"Just promise me you'll be a good ruler again. Someone I know wanted me to give you this back." I took off the pendant and handed it out to her.

"My angel pendant." She said as she took it from me. She held it out like she had found a lost treasure, "My uncle… where is he?"

"I don't know, but I think he's still on the planet. Talk to him. I bet he'd like to see his sons as well."

"It won't be easy cleaning up all of this." Cell said.

"I have to fix it, I don't have a choice." Katrin said.

"I couldn't have said it better."

Cell and Katrin caught each other's eye, and before I knew it, a fairy-tale ending kiss was taking place. My heart felt much heavier as I watched the kiss. But I reminded myself that they were in love, and that I was only a visitor here. I helped the love grow stronger.

Cell turned to me and kissed me on the forehead then.

"Thank you, Katie. You saved my mate. You saved us all."

I turned and faced the group. They weren't my family, but yet they were. They seemed to want to thank me, but they didn't know how. I nodded to them in understanding, and then I turned to Katrin and Cell one last time.

"I'm going now. There isn't anything else I can do here."

"Good luck in your universe, Katie." Katrin said. I smiled and nodded, then I teleported to the rebel base.