Chapter 7: Reading
When they landed that night Kale took out the book and read some as the sun began to set.
"Kale, what's that?" Megan asked, pointing at the book.
"It's a book about… my past." Kale accepted it now after reading the first 3 chapters.
"What? It's about you?"
"It's complicated. It's about this girl like me. She's related to me also, I think." Kale said, putting the book down. It was too dark to read anymore.
"Kale, why'd you live at the orphanage?"
"My parents died in a car accident when I was a baby."
"Oh… that's sounds like what happened to my parents. But I wasn't a baby, I was a little older."
"Yeah, I remember when you started to live at the orphanage. You were so little."
"Well, I'm not little anymore. You should have seen me fight those demons! I wasn't as strong as you, but I kicked and hit as hard as I could!"
"I bet you did, kid." Kale remembered that night.
That voice…
XxX
Kale read more of the book by firelight as the night grew on.
XxX
About ten years ago the military found out that Saiyans were living on earth. It was ordered for us to inform the world about ourselves, and not wanting any trouble we complied. I didn't like it, and neither did Vegeta. We thought that if the army knew all about our powers they would use that against us. So far they haven't, and I hope they never do.
XxX
Kale didn't like the sound of that.
XxX
The worse thing to ever happen to me had to be when Android 21 died. I don't mean his defeat at the Games, I mean his final death.
There I was, facing Kooler. I couldn't move, and a blast came right at me. 21 jumped in the way and took the hit for me. He sacrificed his soul for me. At the time I was still under the hold of the illusion, so I didn't realize his soul was destroyed.
Later when I was fighting Drazark, the wizard that put me in the illusion, he killed Goku. Vegeta couldn't fight anymore, and no one else stood a chance. 21 came to me.
XxX
"I'm sorry, but I just can't get up." I said.
Then there was a light, and everyone took notice to it. It was forming next to me, and soon it took the shape of a humanoid figure. I thought I was going crazy, but the others saw him, too.
"Cell?" Vegeta said. It was Cell, but he seemed different. He was glowing, and he was transparent.
"Cell, what's going on?" Cell helped me up as I asked him the simple, yet complicated question.
"I sacrificed my soul to save you, Katie."
"Then you really were in the illusion with me."
"Yes, but I was killed in the illusion, so my soul was destroyed."
"But you're right here." I said. Tears were forming as I spoke to him. He was holding my hands, not having let go since he helped me up.
"This is all that's left of me."
"No, it can't be. You have to be-"
"Its true, but I have enough strength to give you two last gifts before I'm gone."
"Cell, I'll never see you again, will I?"
"…No." I started crying.
"You've done so much for me over the years, but now I'll never get to repay you."
"You don't owe me anything, Katie. Just knowing you has been enough."
"Cell, please don't go."
"I don't have a choice." He took his hands away and an energy came out from each one. He motioned to his left hand; "This one is to help you fight Drazark."
"And the other one?" I asked, looking at it.
"You'll find out later." He said as the two energies went to me, I held them and they disappeared, seemingly absorbed into my hands.
"Cell, you just can't leave me. You can't!"
"I'll never leave you, Katie. Besides, you still have the runt."
I laughed, but then I stared crying all over again. He reached over to wipe a tear away, but his hand went right through my face.
"Cell?" I reached out to touch him, but my hand went right through him, "No, Cell, please-"
"I'm sorry. I have to go."
"Where?"
"Wherever I go, I'll be close to you." he smiled at me.
"Cell!" then he vanished.
"How touching." Drazark said sarcastically. I clenched my fists tight, and blood started to drip from my palms. My side was burning from the previous cut, but I was numb with anger and grief.
"Shut up right now. That's two of my friends you've taken now, and I won't let you live to take another."
"Yes, indeed. Cell, was it? He was only a machine, I'm surprised he even had a soul." Drazark laughed.
"You are to never say his name! Never! He was more than a machine, he had a soul more real than yours." I looked right at Drazark, my eyes harder than ever. "You're worse than Frieza, you're worse than Roxx, you're worse than any enemy I have ever fought. At least they had a heart, somewhere, but your heart is a black hole. The only joy you know is killing. I will not let you live!"
My Ki went through the roof, surpassing anything I had ever felt before.
"This is for Goku and Cell!" my energy exploded, and I felt something different. I had transformed, but into what?
What's happened to me? Is this Cell's gift?
"Katie, is that you?"
"I think so." I felt so weird, so inhuman. I wasn't Saiyan, either.
"You look like Cell." Vegeta said with wide eyes.
Closer examination proved true. My skin was green, I had a pair of black wings on my back, and my tail was retractable with a needle at the end. My eyes had turned pink, but my hair was still black. I looked like a female Cell.
My senses were changed as well. It's hard to explain, but it was mechanic. My vision was as if I was looking through the Saiyan Scouters, and my other senses were heightened as well. I felt a power flowing through me, like I was more than one person.
"I wonder if this is a fusion of some kind?"
"It is. I can communicate with you for only a short time, so listen carefully, Katie."
"Cell? Where are you?"
"I'm not really anywhere, I guess. But you have to listen. I don't know if you'll ever be able to do this again, but this is my gift. Our bodies have fused together. It's called Android 22. You have all of my abilities now."
"Thank you, Cell."
"Goodbye, Katie. Thank you for being my friend. My best friend."
XxX
I used Cell's gift to defeat Drazark. I was never able to transform into that again. The other gift was, as I later found out, Codie, my son. He was Cell's good side, reborn.
I never saw Cell again. At least, not the real one. I saw Codie transform into copies of Cell, I saw Cell's evil side in HFIL, and I met him in the Darkling universe, but I never saw my friend again. It made Codie's death that much more hard for me because I truly lost 2 people, a friend and my son.
XxX
Kale put the book down. So far everything was exactly as the other book had explained. Why was this one so special?
"I see you found my book…""Who said that?" Kale stood up, on edge. Megan and Icarus were sound asleep.
"You don't know yet? The voice laughed. "Your assumptions are right. I am Katrin and Katie. Look in the back flap…"
Kale did, and there was an old, folded up piece of paper. He took it out.
"Read it…"Gokua – Goku
Vejita – Vegeta
Kirai – Mirai
21- Cell
Iceman- Frieza
Colder- Kooler
Aries -Hercule
Sammy -Pan
Savanna -Videl
Justi -Gohan
Goten
Baby -Bebi
Monk- Krillen
Pipe- Piccolo
Katrin – Katie
The list had the names of everyone in the stories.
"I don't-"
"Open your eyes, Kale! It was real, all of it! You are descended from Kanji Briefs, my oldest son. I am Katrin, your great-grandmother."
"But how? How is it all real? How are you communicating with me?"
"I'll explain everything at the Lookout. You have Saiyan blood running through your veins Kale, use it! And stay away from Fort Daito."
"What's there?"
"My worst nightmare."
The voice stopped, and Kale sat back down, looking over the list again.
They were all real? All those fights… all of those people… even Roxx?