Author's Comments – Hey all! Sorry this chapter took a bit longer. Things have been pretty hectic. Anywho, I apologize slightly for this chappie. I don't think I'm very good at writing fight scenes, so it's a bit short, but I did my best! ; I hope it's alright. I should hopefully get Chapter 5 out sooner after this, considering this was a bit of a hurdle chapter for me. Anywho, that's about it, so I hope you enjoy!

"And now I know who you are,
It wasn't that hard
Just to figure you out."
- Nickelback

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Chapter 4 – Actions
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The rough dirt hurt her knuckles, but she didn't care. He had ignored all of her efforts, totally refused to listen to her pleas. More stubborn then a damn mule, he had stayed rock solid in his decisions. She hit the ground again in frustration, looking up as she heard Gohan land only a small distance away.

"Zoa! Thank goodness you're alright!"

She got up as he hurried towards her, looking her over for bruises. "He didn't hurt you, did he?"

"No…" She glanced over as C stalked forward towards them. "Gohan, I really don't think-"

She let out a startled yell as Gohan went flying backwards, C's fist making impact with his right cheek. Gohan hit the dirt, jumping up and rubbing the side of his face, a shocked look on his face.

"Man, this guy doesn't waste any time, does he…?"

Zoa lunged forward, grabbing C's arm and shouting insistently. "Please! You don't have to do this!"

He wrenched his arm out of her grasp and gave her a cold glare. "YES, I do. Don't get in my way."

With that said, he hurtled his body towards Gohan. Gohan however, was prepared this time, and threw a quick bolt of Ki at the incoming android. C deflected it easily, and the two took to the air, swinging punches faster then Zoa could even see.

She watched helplessly from the ground, shielding her eyes against the sun, and straining to make out what was happening. She wasn't anywhere near the level those two were at; her eyes couldn't always keep up. She quickly pondered her options. If she didn't think of a solution quickly, one of them was going to end up dead.

Gohan grinned as his hair flashed golden, electric sparks of blue lighting crackling around him. If he's not going to waste any time, then neither will I. "I hope you don't mind," Gohan began, his voice taking on a rather cocky tone, "But I have other things to do this afternoon. So I'm going to finish you off as quickly as possible."

C grinned back, clenching his hands into tight fists. "Oh? Then shut up and fight already."

Gohan wasn't about to disappoint.

Zoa pulled at her hair. She had no idea what to do. There was no way she could talk C into stopping this madness. And he wouldn't give up until he was dead. But Gohan-

She jumped to the side as someone crashed into the ground only a few feet from where she had just been standing. Dust and debris flew everywhere, the bits of rock showering around her. It was C. Gohan landed only a moment afterwards, turning to her. "You should get out of here. It could be dangerous."

"Gohan! Please just-"

He wasn't listening either. He dodged a blast, and it sailed past him, erupting somewhere on the ground a short ways away. Flying forward, the two grabbed each other in an arm lock, Gohan overpowering C and throwing him into the nearby cliff wall.

Zoa cringed, protecting her face with one arm. Gohan was man-handling him. It was barely even a contest… Apparently, C was no more powerful then the previous Cell had been, and even though Gohan was somewhat out of practice, but he was in good health, had had a week to prepare, and had the power of the Super Saiyan 2 transformation at his disposal. Also, Zoa had noticed that despite the clever kidnapping scenario, C really hadn't seemed to have planned this little excursion too well before hand.

Zoa awoke from her thoughts as a large blue blast suddenly ignited against the wall. When the dust cleared, she saw that C was barely breathing, struggling unsuccessfully to get up. It was already over. Zoa frowned. For someone who had been so adamant in his plans to fight, C's eyes no longer seemed to hold the same resolve. However, it didn't seem like the bitter look of defeat. More… questioning. Perhaps… a reevaluation of motive…?

Gohan loomed over his fallen foe, shaking his head in a scolding sort of way. "I warned you. But don't worry. I'll finish you off quickly."

"Stop!"

Gohan frowned in confusion as Zoa rushed forward and threw herself in-between them. "Gohan, please don't do it! He's not like the Cell you fought before!"

C coughed, straining to look up at her, his eyes barely open. "Stupid girl… I lost. Let him finish me…"

"No!" She shook her head. "I'm not stupid. What happened to your unyielding desire to destroy us all? Why just fall down and wait to die? Because you're weak? I don't think so. I think you just stopped finding your reasons for doing this to be good ones. Am I right!?"

He said nothing, his eyes closing slowly. A few minutes of silence passed, and they didn't open again. She reached forward and placed two fingers on his neck. "He must have passed out… He's still breathing."

Gohan stared quietly at the scene for a while before the powerful aura around him dissipated and his hair returned to its normal dark ebony hue. He walked forward, his eyes driving into her; not in a hard or angry way, but in a very confused one. "Why do you want him alive? After all he's done? With all he planned to do??"

Her cheeks flushed slightly and she looked down towards the ground. "I… Well you see, I spent this whole last week with him. And there was just something about him… He never hurt me, and he really didn't seem like a bad person… I just thought that maybe there was a chance he could, you know… Decide that he didn't want to follow in his father's footsteps."

"…You really think there's a chance of that?"

"…I do. Please trust me."

Gohan still seemed skeptical, but considering how easily he had beaten the android, the fact remained that would be able to stop him at any time if Zoa was wrong… And her instincts normally seemed to prove to be right. But something inside of him was still a bit worried…

"Fine. But if you're wrong…I'll have to."

"I know." She smiled. "Don't worry. And thank you."

He nodded, placing his hands on his hips as the next problem came to mind. "Um… What are we going to do with him in the mean time…?"

She considered the question for a short while before making up her mind.

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"Are you out of your MIND?!" Piccolo roared at Zoa, the teenager shrinking back slightly as he did so. "You brought this psycho HOME with you!?"

"Piccolo, please trust me! He's not evil! And I want to give him the chance to prove that!"

Piccolo growled, pacing back and forth beside the bed where the injured android was resting. "Zoa… I swear… This had better be more then just some bizarre form of Stockholm syndrome. Do you realize-" He stopped suddenly, shaking his head and standing quietly for a moment. Gohan remained meekly in the corner, deciding it was better to just stay out of the conversation for the time being.

His temper in check, Piccolo took a deep breath and turned again to Zoa. "I'm sorry, I want to trust you. I do. I just really hope you know what you're doing."

She nodded, turning to glance at C. Yeah… So do I.

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Note – 'Stockholm syndrome' is a syndrome where a captive falls in love with their captor.