Chapter Two: Goodbye, Leonie; Hello, Mari Suzette

Leonie wanted to say more, but she was shocked to find out that her voice was no longer her own. Instead her voice sounded, as if it belonged to someone else, like a woman who sang wonderfully on a regular basis.

What was happening to her voice? To her? To her world as she knew it?

"Cell? Who is Cell?" Terry asked her worriedly, interrupting her anxious thoughts. And Terry seemed to be strange too, acting as if Leonie was a stranger, instead of his co-worker.

Leonie replied shakily in her new, odd voice, "He's—no, this can't be happening! This can't be!"

As Cell walked towards her, Leonie felt something thick and plush brush against her thigh. She hurriedly reached down to feel it.

To her shock, a soft, furry, golden monkey-like tail greeted her fingers.

"I have a tail?" Leonie squeaked.

Strangely, enough, the terrified Terry only now noticed Leonie's discovery. "Oh, my! I thought there was something odd about you! No-no offense, or nothing, but I have to go now—bye!" And with that Terry fled the restaurant with the other frightened customers.

Leonie was about to join him when she heard her bald, fat boss, Mick, screaming. Cell was holding Mick's throat in one hand and the throat of a waitress, Imelda, who wasn't that much older than Leonie. Cell had stabbed the tip of his tail into Mick's back, and he was leisurely absorbing Mick into his tail. In front of Leonie's horrified eyes, Mick was screaming, as his body shrank and deflated. She cried in horror for him, even though she had never liked him very much. She knew it was already too late for her boss, as Cell finished his meal.

Cell slurped, licking his lips, as he prepared to sting Imelda and consume her the same way he had done with Mick. Imelda turned her face towards Leonie's direction and screamed, "Miss, help me please!"

"I-I can't!" Leonie sobbed in horror, looking away down at her feet in terror. To her surprise, she found out that she was no longer wearing her worn, white sneakers, but shiny, white leather boots with gold toes!

"HELP!" Imelda screamed again.

And before Leonie knew what she was doing, she screamed at Cell, "You let her go! Now!" And she unwittingly shot a ki blast at Cell's tail, stinging it. Her ki blast was small, but it was enough to cause Cell considerable pain.

Leonie was shaking in her new boots. "Oh, no! Where did THAT come from?"

"You're dead, lady!" Cell hissed, as he marched towards her angrily still holding Imelda's neck.

Leonie was crying openly. What on Earth was happening to her? As the tears rained down her face, she fell backwards. This time, she managed to steady herself, but she shrieked when she saw a wave of golden hair whip against her cheek. She seized her hair, staring at it in shock as Cell came closer and closer to her.

"Help me, please!" Imelda screamed in pure terror. Cell became annoyed with her screaming and flung her away from him into a booth. He then wasted no time in leaping at Leonie, lashing his deadly tail at her.

"GET AWAY FROM ME!" Leonie yelled, and again, before she knew it, she was cupping her left hand, as if she were about to grip a stick. Then, as if by some outside force, her right hand and wrist forcibly pushed their way in between her left index finger and thumb. And then the palm of her outstretched right hand spread out fully, like a flower blooming, and inadvertently, she screamed her next words:

"FLOWER POWER SHOWER ATTACK!"

As if she was watching from a distance, Leonie saw Mari Suzette's main attack burst forth from her right palm. It was a giant, golden five-petal flower of ki that flew at Cell. In Leonie's story about Mari Suzette, the ki flower was supposed to fall upon the enemy, cling to him like a jellyfish, and then rain numerous and quick bolts of ki into his body from the "center" of the "flower". When the attack was completed, the Flower Power Shower Attack was supposed to disintegrate any enemy into a pile of ashes, or at the very least, burn him severely, so that he or she would eventually die soon after.

Unfortunately, Cell dodged the first Flower Power Shower Attack, so Leonie decided to try another one on him. Her second attack shot at Cell faster than lightening, and had it reached the monstrous android in time, it might have caused it serious, if not permanent damage.

But it didn't. Instead, at last minute, Cell grabbed Imelda by her arm and before the waitress could react, the android flung her directly into the path of Leonie's Flower Power Shower attack.

"NOOOO!" both Leonie and Imelda screamed, as Imelda was engulfed by Leonie's Flower Power Shower attack. The giant flower of ki swallowed Imelda whole and burned her into ashes within seconds. After a few terrifying minutes, the ki light faded, and Imelda was a pile of charred bones and ashes.

"NO! I'M SO SORRY!" Leonie screamed and sobbed, even though she knew it was too late for apologies now. Not feeling so brave, she sank to her knees and began to sob wildly. She and Imelda had only been acquaintances, never really close, but the shock that she had taken an innocent life struck Leonie to her core.

Cell chuckled, as he came closer to Leonie, deciding whether or not he was going to have her for his next meal. He licked his lips, as he casually brushed his tail against her quivering, terrified form. Leonie was in such terror and shock that she did not bother to move. The tip of Cell's deadly tail danced along Leonie's spine, and then it drew away slowly, preparing to return to sink itself into its victim.

With one swift movement, the tip of Cell's tail dived towards the end of Leonie's trembling spine, about to insert itself. Cell made slurping noises, delighted to have such a powerful victim for his next meal.

But suddenly, with one swift movement, Leonie, still frightened, seized Cell's thick tail in her hand and twisted it hard, so hard that she actually made Cell scream in pain. Abruptly, with a new speed and strength, she arose to her feet and rapidly yanked Cell's tail so hard, that Cell slipped and fell down onto his back.

Cell hissed, calling Leonie an obscene name, as he struggled to free his tail from her tight grip. Before Leonie knew what she was doing, she was swinging Cell around in the air by his tail, as if she were spinning a towel. She whipped Cell's body through windows, shattering them. A rain of fragments pelted the two opponents, as Leonie continued to fling Cell into tables and counters, and yes, more windows.

Finally, Leonie flung Cell at the counter, and Cell slid into a pile of various pies. He landed on his head behind the counter, and he was now covered with the pastries. His feet were swinging in the air, as he shook off two blueberry pies off of them. He pitched a cherry pie off of his tail, and it plopped against the register, blanketing it with ripe, juicy cherries.

Cell abruptly curled into a ball and thrust himself through the counter. He rolled towards Leonie and bowled her over before she could react. Leonie screamed, as Cell's enormous girth crush her ribs and her right cheekbone. If she had not laid her head to her side, Cell's body would have completely crushed her skull.

Clutching her side, Leonie tried to get up, but Cell had arisen faster than her, and he leapt upon her, seizing her throat in his meaty hand. Leonie grabbed his wrist and tried to yank him off, but even with her newfound strength, Cell was immovable.

He used his free fist to punch her hard in the stomach repeatedly. Leonie was now crying openly, as she fought against the stranglehold on her neck. Cell's grip was too strong, and Leonie felt herself grow weaker with every punch.

Desperate, she bit hard into Cell's wrist, but her bite was equivalent to a mouse biting a hippopotamus and was just as effective. Cell merely stopped punching her stomach and settled for socking her in the face. Leonie emitted one final, loud cry, before submitting to a series of low, soft sobs.

Finally, her sobs were starting to annoy him. He spat at her, and surprisingly, allowed her to live for now.

"You're pathetic!" he hissed at her. "Not even worth wasting my time. I'll deal with you another day. Right now, I have some more…succulent victims to attend to. I figured you've been punished enough for trying to be the hero! I can't believe that you're actually a Saiyan! I'm glad that Dr. Gero didn't put any of YOUR genes into me! Well, got to fly! Farewell!"

And with that, Cell shot a ki blast through the ceiling of the Greasy Spoon, and flew through the hole his ki attack had made. Within seconds, he was out of the diner and into the stormy, raining skies above.

As the rain poured down upon her, Leonie continued to weep loudly, burying her face into her hands. Cell was right. She was pathetic. She couldn't even save her boss and fellow co-worker from that beast. Never before in her life, had Leonie hated herself more than she did until now.

She was the only one left in the diner, at least as far as she knew. And then, slowly, as the rain mercilessly beat down upon her body, realization hit her. Cell had called her a Saiyan. He thought that she was a Saiyan.

Frantically, Leonie arose to her feet and hurried into the ladies' room to look in the mirror. To her horror and shock, she did not see a short, fat, freckle-faced red-haired girl staring back at her.

Instead, she saw a gorgeous blonde with violet eyes, tall, busty, yet slender, yet muscular-and beautiful! Or, she would be, if not for the mussed hair and tearstained face. And her ordinary clothes were gone, for she was wearing her lavender body suit and gold armor!

She had become Mari Suzette! If it had not been for the horror that she had just endured with Cell, Leonie would have been delighted, ecstatic. But she had failed to destroy the monster, and two people she knew had died because of him--and her.

Mari Suzette would not have failed. Mari Suzette would have easily either destroyed Cell, or sent him running. There would have been no excuse, since the Mari Suzette in Leonie's story was supposed to have been a Super Saiyan before her pod had landed on Earth. A Super Saiyan should have been able to destroy Cell easily, especially one as supposedly powerful as Mari Suzette.

The "real" Mari Suzette would have been looking down on wretched Leonie Caroline Wells for being so weak and so foolish into trying to save the day. Leonie knew instinctively that she was not worthy of being Mari Suzette. However, since she had put on that pendant…

Speaking of her pendant around her neck, where was the kind old man who had given it to her? Frantically Leonie called out for anyone who might respond to her voice, her new, melodic voice:

"Hello, is anyone still here? Hello! Somebody, anybody!"

No one responded to her, not even her last customer. But Leonie did hear piercing screams and cries of terror nearby her. The sounds of pain and fear echoed throughout the run-down neighborhood where Leonie worked. Cell was back on his killing spree once more.

"SOMEONE HELP US!"

"NO, PLEASE DON'T HURT ME!"

"NOOOOO!"

Listening to the petrifying screams and cries, Leonie shook and trembled. No time to look for her benefactor. He had probably fled a long time ago anyway (she hoped). Shakily she stumbled out of what was left of the diner, and into a strange world, a neighborhood that she no longer knew.

Screams and cries continued to fill the air, but Leonie, feeling terrified and tired at the same time, could not bring herself to go towards Cell's direction. She was certain she could feel his ki signal, but she could not will herself to move towards him in time. And he seemed to move so very fast. She couldn't even reach his current destination in time, before his ki signature would move on to another area.

She could run much faster than before, but had been afraid to attempt to fly. Every time, she ran, she saw piles of clothes on the street, dresses fluttering through the air, belts whipping along the sidewalk. Shoes rolled and tumbled along the gutters, and underwear and bras sailed through the gathering winds.

So many clothes—but no people were wearing them.

Leonie's throat choked with sobs, as she kicked clothes along through her mad, aimless pursuit of Cell. The increasing winds did not help matters any, as they shoved numerous clothing into her path. One time, a billowing red prom dress slammed into her face, entangling her in its seemingly numerous strings and sequins. She tripped over shoes, scurried around toppled, crumpled vehicles, and tried her best to dodge the rainbow storm of garments pelting her along the way.

An hour passed, with her coming no closer to Cell than before. It was now deathly quiet, with the screams lowering to a minimum. Not even the sounds of dogs barking, alley cats meowing, or traffic was heard. But as before, Leonie saw clothes on the ground, always more clothes, those of people who had obviously been alive just recently.

Knowing there was no real hurry anymore, she stumbled further down the sidewalk, struggling to maintain her balance because of her new tail, she gasped in shock when she saw a blue double stroller that contained a pair of pink, lacy baby dresses and sunbonnets. A green, frilly dress, apparently belonging to the mother lay crumpled on the sidewalk, pooling around a pair of shiny black pumps. A red leather dog's collar rested on the concrete in front of the stroller. Leonie buried her face in her hands and sobbed openly, horrified that Cell would even suck the life out of babies and dogs. But then, surely, he had done that in the Dragonball Z series too.

What would Mari Suzette do in this case? She would have never allowed things to go this far. She would have hunted Cell down within seconds and, at the very least, beat him to a bloody, green pulp. She would have saved this entire city five times over. She wouldn't be standing on the sidewalk crying and cowering, like Leonie was doing right now.

Leonie caught sight of her new appearance in a storefront window. On the outside, she was Mari Suzette, but deep inside, she was still the same old Leonie Wells, afraid, weak, meek, and insecure. Was she really Mari Suzette, or was she still Leonie who just happened to resemble a good-looking Saiyan female?

Could she, in her new form, really defeat Cell--ever? Was she stronger than he was now, or could he still destroy her? Could she finally be the woman of her dreams and win Trunks's heart over, like Mari Suzette had done so quickly and easily?

Leonie's heart felt a bit lighter now, for surely if Cell now existed, then Trunks had to exist as well. She didn't know how she got here, but she figured since there was no going back, that she might as well make the most of her new life.

But first, she had to go check to make sure that her mother was okay. Even if she and her mother didn't always get along, Leonie knew deep down that Sasha cared about her, even though Sasha rarely showed it. And Leonie had always wanted for her mother to approve of her and love her, but that dream had seemed as unrealistic as her wish to be Mari Suzette. Nevertheless, Leonie had to make sure that Cell didn't get to her mother.

She made a tentative leap off of the cracked concrete beneath her feet, and to her mild surprise, she was able to stay in the air. Yes, she could fly! Just like Peter Pan…Goku…Vegeta, and…Trunks!

She slowly levitated into the air, still uncertain of all her new abilities. She floated around in the air above the streets for just a few moments when suddenly, a short bald man with six dots on his forehead and no nose zoomed past her in an orange blaze.

Leonie panted. Could it be who she thought it was? No way! But then if Cell existed now, then…he had to exist too!

Before she thought, she cried out one name:

"KRILLIN!"

Krillin came to a screeching halt in mid-air when he heard a strange, harmonious voice call out his name. He turned around and looked in the direction of the caller. He couldn't see her that well until he slowly flew closer, and his jaw dropped when he caught a full glimpse of her.

A blonde Saiyan? With purple eyes? And a blond tail? Who was she? What was she doing here? Where had she come from? Was she related to Goku or Vegeta?

The former monk was uncertain whether to come to the odd girl, or continue looking for Cell. Finally, after a few moments of thought, he decided to cautiously approach this newcomer. She could be a new Saiyan, but then she could also be a new android. As nervous as he was, Krillin knew he had to determine whether this stranger was friend or foe.

He flew towards her, as the girl hovered in mid-air, looking at him in astonishment. Krillin chuckled to himself, as he came closer. She was rather cute, even if she was the weirdest looking Saiyan (assuming that was what she was) he had ever seen. And like Yamucha, Krillin was vulnerable when he saw a pretty face.

"Hello there!" Krillin called to her. "May I ask who you are?"

The girl was hesitant to reply. Finally, slowly, she answered, "I'm Mari Suzette. Are you looking for Cell?"

"Yeah, I am," Krillin replied uncertainly, "but just where did you come from? And how did you know my name?"

Leonie wasn't sure how to answer Krillin's first question. She had already lied when she told him that she was Mari Suzette. But was that really a lie? She probably wasn't even really Leonie anymore, but she still felt guilty for not telling Krillin who she really was--or really had been. Now Krillin wanted to know where she came from. What could she tell him?

Could she tell him the truth on how she got here? That she was once a fat, freckle-faced, pimply waitress with no career plans, no future, and no fighting skills? Leonie was basically an honest person, and the deception she had already begun was starting to prick her conscience.

But then why not tell Krillin Mari Suzette's story? She was, for all purposes now, Mari Suzette, so why not be that wonderful, heroic Saiyan heroine? What harm could really be done? Even if she couldn't defeat Cell on her own, perhaps she could be of some help. And as long as she wore the butterfly pendant, she could do and be anything that she wanted to be. Besides, Krillin and the other Z fighters would not want to be friends with her, if they knew that she was just a weakling human, instead of a super strong Saiyan warrior? No one in her former life cared for her; why should the Z fighters?

She took a deep, weary breath, braving a properly sad smile. She decided to modify Mari Suzette's story a bit. "I just got here," she fibbed. "You see, I haven't been on Earth for very long, and…"

She started to weave Mari Suzette's incredible story to the first Z fighter she ever met. She just hoped that she could pull off an act convincing enough to persuade Krillin into believing that she was truly her Saiyan avatar.