LEAPING MOUNTAINS
written by State Hopper
CHAPTER FIVE
(Flash backs written in Italics)
The bull was at home when I returned, fixing a roast beef sandwich. He had been training or was about to, it was always hard to tell as I noticed animated-characters never retained that glow in their cheeks. With a sound in lament I placed my bag upon the table before retrieving some milk from the refrigerator. He glanced at me and gestured that I pass him a saucer. "You know" I handed it to him "That was fairly rude of you to just up and leave like that, no excuse or nothing." He grumbled something in his throat and cut down on the bread. "I thought you were going to spar with Goku anyway, wasn't that why you were there?"
"Well I wasn't, so maybe you could just mind your own darn business."
"Where the heck did that come from?"
Vegeta sighed "stop talking." Watching him briefly tear at the bread, I simply left for the bedroom. I didn't know how else to answer.
MEMORIES OF CELL.
"I still don't entirely trust you Eighteen, but I'll help you..." she stared unspeaking "You could have escaped ages ago."
"It is too dangerous" 16 retorted, "the risk of being seen is too great"
"Trunks and Vegeta will keep him busy, so don't worry about that." From my position Cell had become a plaything, he could not even hope touch Vegeta. Skimming across the surrounding waters he tore ruthlessly into a neighboring island, sending it apart with explosive power. Vegeta was god, or thought himself as much with the body of a mountain and ego just as high. Cell was over whelmed. The two proceeded to hover about three hundred meters above the earth, Trunks was presently situated off to the right, I could barley make him out. In a bellow of words everything went silent, Eighteen stepped backward and I understood the feeling of 'deadening freedom'. "Oh no..."
"Vegeta, would you rather not fight a complete me, to test your powers at their fullest?" Cell demanded.
"Hmph, you would still be no match, believe me... so fine I'll fall into your trap. Go! Become complete" Clenching my teeth a voice ripped through the air.
"Father no! That's your only weakness, don't be a fool!"
"Shut up boy, I didn't ask for your opinion on the matter!" Vegeta went quiet for a moment, but it wasn't because he was thinking, he was wishing "I'll be waiting for you Cell, the complete you" I bit my lip in an attempt not to scream, but my calls would be the end of us. Swooping down from his position, Cell quickly slammed to a halt.
It was Trunks.
"Even if my father lets you go, I won't!"
Swinging around I looked Eighteen dead in the eye. "There's a cave about six miles east of here, it's beside a creek and oak tree with a large knot. Go to that cave and wait, it's well hidden and will offer you the needed protection, we will fetch you when this battle is won, but you must stay there" She stared on silent. "Go! Now! You're the only one who can bring us down" I pushed her on. She didn't say anything, but only cast a glance toward her red headed friend. Watching her fade into the distance Sixteen spoke with his head anything but complete.
"If we stay here Cell will believe that Eighteen is still with us. It is best." Up above us Trunks let fly at Cell, the monster soon finding himself the pip to an even larger crater, yet unfortunately Vegeta was to be the greater enemy. Engulfed in smoke Trunks doubled up with pain and impact, Vegeta's determination to test himself the only concern. Cell was out of sight, and Trunks knew all too well what was next.
He was solid, so much larger than I'd ever thought to imagine."What do we have here?" He collected me at the scruff of my neck "Humph. Just a mere human..."
"Let her go!" Trunks bellowed in from above. I could see the blue of his body, I could see... Vegeta holding him back. I was a dead weight. It was coming. Their voices were dull, though I knew Trunks was screaming. With the drop of my head an explosion lit up the rock, the soil offering little mercy in my decent.
"You shall not succeed Cell" Sixteen retracted his arm. Pressing my cheek into the dirt, heat wavered out across the plain.
"Hah! Just try it tin man" Sixteen didn't stand a chance, I knew this, we all did especially him. Flying forward the mechanic man was quickly swiped aside, one arm making clean work of Sixteen's down fall. Tumbling to the Earth, I watched as the cyborgs giant limb's grated at the soil in attempt to rise.
"No, leave it" I croaked into the dust "you can't win... let the others take care of him." Lowering an alien appendage, Cell attacked at the air with a devil's grace. In one foul swoop I was lifted into Cell's line of sight.
"Where she is?" I couldn't answer, there was nothing I could say. "Hmph... you're fairly stubborn for such a pathetic, weak thing." In a crack his fist shot against the left of my face. The power and pain incredible, it felt as if my very bone had been pulped. Hitting the earth, I lay amid the waste of an ever growing shadow. I watched through a haze of tears and dust as Trunks finally struggled from Vegeta's release, growing closer and closer until eventually ...
"Not today Cell!"
"Son of Vegeta, yes I see... another pestering Saiya-jin" Cell regained his footing "I killed you once, I can do it again."
"This is where it ends Cell" I knew he'd win I knew Cell's fate was immanent, I knew we'd soon be home.
"Ardin take Sixteen and go wait with my Father, this'll be over pretty quick." Leaning against the wall, I nodded silently to the orders. I was not sure as to what Cell would have been thinking, I don't know if he realised just how strong Trunks was. Retreating to a greater distance, Vegeta wasted no time in a bitter and somewhat physical confrontation.
"How dare you meddle with matters that don't in any way concern you!"
Tuggng my wrist from his grip, I backed up "If I'd let Cell become complete that would've been the end of it. How can you argue that!"
"The end of nothing! When this is over woman, you'll wish you'd never opposed the likes of me. You'll wish." He subsided. I didn't answer him, I had nothing to say, he knew how his attitude disgusted me as mine disgusted him. During this time Trunks and Cell had begun their battle. Punch after hit after blow, it was almost impossible to follow. I didn't belong there, I was lucky to still be alive.
"Trunks power is by far superior" Sixteen spoke from some way behind me, his green armored suit a little less than perfect. Trunks... he fought for Earth, and yet his death arrived slowly almost methodically, at least that is my memory. I don't know how it happened, how he let one get by, he was simply better than that. I watched as it sliced through his left side, liquid mounting inside armor that fell apart in the wake of a familiar red disk. I could hear Cell's callous laugher biting furiously at the air and I could see him, Vegeta, hovering some way above us.
Slamming into the Earth, Trunks's mouth gaped from both pain and shock. I had wanted realism for so long, it'd been my nightly wish and yet in that moment the reality of Trunks situation sent acid climbing up my throat. Looking down into his eyes, I watched as the blue started to dull and wind pick up.
"D-don't cry..." he stammered.
"Trunks, Please---" I begged.
"I know you love him... Dad, it's obvious, trust in him, he'll not let you down." he smiled through a splutter"I know he won't. I understand now." Attempting to pull Trunks closer I heard his teeth clench "I'm not angry... wish me back okay." With a loss of breath and shoddy lowering of his chest I watched him die, lying outstretched beneath his father.
Dog-earing my book at page number thirty-nine, the doorbell dulled it's tune. The time was just past three PM and I hadn't done a thing. Beside get a start on 'Yoshi's Story' a book I had been meaning to pick up for absolute months. Tying back my hair, I ambled down the hall in my most comfortable clothing. Basically that meant a sweater four sizes to big and pants baggy enough to hold both Piccolo and I. Sliding across the front door, the shadow of my visitor loomed over head.
"Goku?" I bumbled, swiftly arriving at the conclusion that he had come to see Vegeta. Who was presently doing push ups in the gravity chamber. Shaking my head at being rude I gestured my visitor inside. Goku didn't say a thing, but only dipped his head on slipping off his boots. Usually he was a bundle of keyed up words and amusing gestures. I felt tiny in his precen. Being constantly around someone of Vegeta's stature that would only be expected. "You want that I should get him for you Goku?" We paused at the hallway's end.
"Sure, though I wasn't actually here to see Vegeta, but sure..."
Quirking a brow, I walked through to the kitchen "Well I will let him come up by himself. He would know you're here anyway." Popping open the coffee container I retrieved two cups from the shelf."So, what are you here for then?"
"Well it's kinda embarrassing."
"What could be so embarrassing?"
"Well it's what you said about opening the tournament..." he rubbed his neck "I've never done public speaking before" Laughing a little at this, I set down a tin of assorted biscuits.
"I never suspected you as the shy type Goku." I handed him a saucer. "Well, it isn't compulsory. The announcer will just open the tournament instead, if you don't want to talk that is. No worries."
"Oh," he looked at me "Well that sure makes me feel much better."
MEMORIES OF CELL.
The grounds were quieter, with fewer birds than before. Gohan and Goku were still training in the gravity chamber, entirly none the wiser. Landing back upon the marble steps of Kami's look out, Piccolo, Tein, and Mr. Popo gave expressions of gratitude toward Vegeta. No body mentioned what had happened, what we had left there. Vegeta accepted their gratitude with an arrogant turn of phrase, not a single word about the fact he'd openly gambled with our lives. I walked away, I was ready to cry. Sitting at the foot of Kami's structure a pair of boots graced my lower view.
"Happy now" I wiped my cheeks, regretting that he'd seen me cry. "If only you'd killed Cell when you had the chance, it's your fault Trunks's dead! How dare you treat me like that!"
"You're the one who got in the way!" he bellowed back, as I regained my height. "He was helping you!"
"You don't even give a damn do you..." with a sneer his boots twisted down Kami's large white steps, "he was your son."
"I didn't ask for a son! I shouldn't have to protect either of you," he shot back at me. "You're old enough to look after yourself."
"That's the thing. I wouldn't think twice about protecting you."
He huffed "like you'd ever need to."
"Stop it! Damn it I care for you but you've changed. You changed in there."
"No" his shoulders tightened. "I've returned. You changed me."
TO BE CONTINUED...
REVIEWER RESPONSES;
Son Ai - Hey thanks man, well I was going for interesting so cheers. Uhm about THE KILLERS ARMS, I am trying real hard to get out chapter four, but I am sooooooooooooo stuck for a starting point, so if you can give me any ideas EMAIL ME! Thanks.
Clicka - Thanks for the Mary Sue comment, I hate MARY MARY Sues, which is a pain cause I get black listed fairly easy, I try so hard not to. I love Vegeta as a character, I try to write other anime but I can never get it right, so I stick to DBZ, (it is my fav anyway) some people say Vegeta is far too generic to be interesting and that he lacks depth but damn I think he is the deepest character in the entire series, look where he started off! Blowing up a Planet. That's gotta get inside you head . Thanks.
Naomi SSJ - well that was Trunks reaction, hope it wasn't too weak, but it's Trunks, comeeeeee onnnnnnnnn... besides I think in the long run he kinda got his own back, Vegeta an't the best husband. Thanks.
Kale - You'll see about Goku and yes this is around the time of Buu, it's a week away... and yes Vegeta is in that frame of mind, it's been a long time coming. I hope the eight year thing managed to break the monotony a bit.
Blue - (Wolfs Rain right? luvvvvvvvvvvv it) I hate swearing in fics, I love it when people use fairly loyal Funimation dialouge (cough funImation fan cough) it makes it more real I think. Plus swearing is over rated, it just gets irratating after a while when you read that Vegeta has called Bulma a "F-ken B-h W-E from C-T Ville" for the ninth time in the last two paragragphs. (Okay actually that would be pretty funny, but you kinda get my point right?) I am aware she is making her way through the cast, haha but it IS eight years later so Trunks was a longgggggg time ago, and okay I will try and bring the kid into it more, he an't so bad. Thanks for the in character comments. Thanks.
