Title: See You In Hell
Rating: T
Pairings/Characters: Cell/Gohan (can be taken as a pairing or not), Cell Jr.'s
Disclaimer: I don't own anything Dragon Ball Z, characters, etc., all belong to their respective creators.
Warnings: angst, hurt/comfort, some gore & violence, elements of torture, spiders, Hell
Summary: Gohan visits Cell in Hell to try and convince him to seek salvation by returning to Earth as a weapon for good. Cell is unimpressed by this foolishness, refusing to accept pity and help from the Saiyan who beat him and destroyed his perfection.

A/N: Dark take on what Hell was like for Cell. Can be interpreted as a pairing or not. Frieza got off too easy in his Hell. I had Gohan about age 11-12 at the start of this (I'm not sure what his age is in actual canon at the Cell Games!)


Only six days ago, the fate of the world hung in the balance. To Gohan, it felt like yesterday. He couldn't sleep; whenever he did, his dreams were filled with images of Cell's face and sounds of his malicious laughter. He did his best to behave as if all was back to normal, but the turmoil he had rolling around inside him would not relent.

He couldn't explain it, for he himself didn't know what it was, but there was a nagging obsession over something about Cell. Was it the DNA they shared that made him feel some sort of obligation to him as a form of camaraderie? Was it the initial lack of grand destruction and domination thirst (save for Earth's annihilation) that Cell should've shared with Frieza's DNA that had Gohan believing there was a glimmer of optimism for him to be redeemed? Cell's motives were different, albeit not morally sound, and for whatever reason, the gentle soul inside Gohan had him convinced if presented with an ultimatum, perhaps Cell could be persuaded.

After researching on his own and not telling anyone his plan, Gohan found himself in what appeared to be a purgatory holding area of Hell. He was provided coordinates from the helpful staff members tasked with keeping order to locate the android. As he flew through the barren land, he was already second-guessing his decision, questioning his sanity for what had possessed him to come.

He felt Cell's presence long before spotting him, and he stopped, his heart pounding unbearably fast and his skin beginning to feel clammy. The memories flooded him all at once, the whirlwind of emotions ranging from blinding anger to crushing despair he'd felt during their battle all currently stirring within him.

I don't know if I can do this….What am I doing here?...

Furrowing his brow determinedly, he pressed on.

He can't hurt me here….He won't….

In a few short minutes, he saw the familiar tall, green figure that had been haunting his dreams. The smaller, blue versions of the android were playing roughly with one another in a manner most would consider outright fighting, but these children were delighting in testing their strength against each other. Cell was off to the side, arms crossed and staring at the empty horizon, occasionally glancing over at his creations with what appeared to be a hint of pride in his eyes that Gohan was intrigued to see.

Leisurely, he began walking towards the group, silently observing in amazement how normal these "children" seemed to be, how they looked just like any other siblings wrestling and having fun. It was a far cry from the ruthlessness they showcased during their time on Earth.

Cell was the first to notice his presence, raising an eyebrow and turning around to face him. Taking note of their father's action, the Jr.'s stopped and gazed in the direction he was staring. At first, they didn't recognize him; without his spiked blonde hair and glowering eyes, he seemed so non-threatening. His energy, nonetheless, was still enough to resonate with them. In a flurry of panic, they screamed and flew away. The reaction pained Gohan, for it was like actual kids fleeing in fear.

"You've left quite an impression on them," Cell said almost amused, yet Gohan heard the underlying bite to it that signaled he was heated. The Saiyan was taken aback by this, considering how nonchalant Cell had been when he witnessed their deaths on Earth. If Cell was genuinely concerned about their well-being, perhaps there was a chance….

"I'm….sorry…." Gohan managed to mumble shyly, bowing his head as if he'd been scolded.

"Is that what you've come all this way to say? Hmph. Pathetic."

"No, I-"

"Come to gloat then? I assure you, I've had my fill of you already."

"Cell, I…." Gohan swallowed, suddenly feeling very small and very much in over his head.

Cell humored him, waiting patiently without another word for Gohan to find the courage to explain why he was here and what he wanted.

"I….I've come to offer you a second chance."

A beat passed before Cell laughed bitterly, causing Gohan to blush sheepishly. "A second chance? You must be joking. What in that silly little head of yours possessed you to conceive of such a thing?"

"I….I just…." Gohan paused, took a deep breath to gather his thoughts, and finally met Cell's piercing gaze. "You were made as the ultimate weapon. You want power more than anything else. Instead of being a weapon for evil and chaos, use and amass your power for good. You can still be the perfect being. I can bring you back with me and we can fight and get stronger together rather than be enemies. I believe there is something in you that can change. Just like 17 and 18. You don't have to follow the orders you were programed to do. You have free-will. You can be so much more than what you were designed for."

"What makes you think I won't betray you the minute I get to the surface?"

Gohan fumbled in his mind for an answer. "Well, I….I guess I don't know that you won't…."

The android closed his eyes, and Gohan anxiously waited for a reply. It was impossible to determine what Cell was thinking, if he was being swayed whatsoever. The young boy was impressed by his own words, though was cautious to let himself believe they made any sort of impact.

After a long moment, Cell gazed at him directly, his eyes and expression devoid of any emotion.

"You waste your time, Gohan," he said quietly, causing Gohan to gasp slightly. "Whatever personalized Hell awaits me in these coming days, so be it."

Gohan's eyes widened. "But-"

"I will not take pity or charity from the likes of you. Now excuse me. I need to go find my family."

"Cell, wait!"

Gohan reached his hand out as if to stop him, but the android had already taken flight and was traveling in the direction of his scattered children. Determined to give one last attempt, Gohan gave chase. It was fifteen minutes before he caught up to him. He discovered him sitting cross-legged on the ground with one Jr. in his lap, one on his shoulder, another tugging at his arm, and the rest engaged in a tussle like when Gohan first arrived. A small smile was written on his face, and the Saiyan was enamored by its authenticity.

He's already changed. I can see it. Why is he so stubborn?

Gohan steadily advanced towards the family reunion, and rather than leaving this time, the Jr.'s cowered behind Cell and under his wings.

Rolling his eyes in annoyance, Cell stated crossly, "I'm not interested in hearing more of your valiant drivel. I will not be saved by you, Gohan."

"You want immortality, right? To have your name known throughout the universe? Infamy? The way it stands now, you'll be forgotten. Lost to history. Nothing more than a distant memory." He could tell his words were leaving a stronger impression this time from the way Cell's eye twitched and his jaw seemed to tighten. He was striking the right chord. He came to stand right in front of the android, practically eye-level with him even with Cell seated on the ground, and rested his hand on his shoulder. Cell flinched. "You can change that. Instead of saying your name in fear, you can have people in every corner of the universe praise it. Everyone would know it."

"I admire your tenacity, kid, but you are mistaken about me."

Despite the statement, Gohan could sense he was conflicted and silently seething about this. "Please allow me to help you redeem your soul."

Cell snarled. "Enough. I will not entertain this anymore. Leave."

They stared at one another for a lengthy moment – Gohan willing him to change his mind and Cell refusing to accept the resurrection being offered to him. He'd be damned if he accepted anything from a Saiyan, let alone the son of who he was tasked with killing. His perfection had been lost; there was no point switching sides when he'd already been proven to be imperfect.

Gohan sighed, somehow feeling more defeated than ever before. He couldn't understand why this was so important to him, why he felt so strongly about granting the android another chance. He was foolish, and he was embarrassed that his heart had led him here, had led him to care about Cell.

He squeezed Cell's shoulder, causing the android to shudder from the touch, and murmured, "Okay. I'm sorry I came."

As Cell watched the young boy turn and walk away, his head down in sadness, he couldn't decide if he was infuriated, disappointed, or regretful. Either way, he hated whatever these feelings were and hated the fact Gohan was able to stir them up just as he did when he was alive.

Abruptly, Gohan paused and glanced over his shoulder. "Maybe I'll see you again one day," he commented with a smile.

Before Cell could reply, the Saiyan shot upward and flew away.


Six years had passed since he'd been here. Almost every day since then, he continued to think about Cell in one way or another. No amount of meditation, studying, or training could block out the thoughts. The Earth was in a state of peace, with occasional incidents here and there, but nothing that amounted to the level of terror the android had caused. Chatter of The Cell Games and what had transpired faded for the most part, leaving Gohan feeling the weight of his emotional scars even more as he dealt with it on his own.

Again, he didn't know what possessed him to return. Would Cell even recognize him? It was a silly question, for he knew he would.

Instead of being present on the open plane of Hell, the android had been confined to one tailored to torment him for eternity. The area was dark with a reddish hue tinting the skyline. It was completely empty, stretching out in all directions to infinity like the Time Chamber. Straight ahead, there was a dull glow illuminating something, and Gohan began his trek. As he got closer, his stomach churned from hearing the screams of agony from the lone figure present in this vast wasteland. The screams would fade to choked, exhausted sounds of struggling before reverberating throughout the space once more.

At last able to discern the scene awaiting him, Gohan gasped in horror and stared in disbelief. Cell was strung up spread-eagled in what resembled a spider's web, the threads stained purple with his blood. With no set time-interval, an invisible blade would sever part of his body: an arm, leg, finger, wing, ankle, hand. The current one sliced him in half at the waist. Within seconds, the large spider apparently responsible for the web retrieved his detached lower half to feed on, and Cell's body soon regenerated. His eyelids were seemingly forced to remain open, and Gohan let his gaze wander from this disgusting image to follow the line of sight of the android. Projected in front of him was the entirety of The Cell Games from start to finish: from the moment the ring was built until Cell's obliteration. It replayed over and over again, changing from each person's perspective who was present, including Cell's own. While his body was carved into pieces and involuntarily regenerated, he was obligated to relive his fall from perfection.

He was panting heavily, the energy to restore himself clearly taking a toll, leaving him constantly exhausted. Gohan's heart ached for him; regardless of the atrocities he had committed, witnessing the extreme punishment in-person was overwhelming that it nearly had him in tears.

"Cell," he began softly, coming to stand in front of the web.

Cell's eyes strayed downward to see who had spoken his name. At first, he wasn't sure who it was; the darkness of the area made it difficult, though it didn't take long to confirm. He smirked. "Gohan," he rasped, his voice hoarse and weak. "Apparently things can get worse here."

He shrieked as he was split open diagonally from the shoulder down to his thigh. His hungry companion soon emerged to devour the piece of him that his head wasn't still attached to.

"I've named her Gohan since she insists on taking everything from me, just like you," he spat.

The Saiyan couldn't contain it any longer; everything about this was breaking his heart.

Cell cackled at the sight of tears on his visitor's face. "Don't cry for me. You sent me here."

"I tried to save you!" Gohan shouted angrily. "You did this to yourself! If you just would've listened-"

"Still have your temper, I see. And your misguided righteousness. Tell me, why did you come here again, hm? Prove once more that you're better than I am? You're perfect, Gohan. I am not. Is that what you wish to hear?"

"No!"

Another slice interrupted their discussion as Cell wailed in pain. His breathing became heavier, uncontrollable whimpers escaping his open mouth. Gohan glanced away while the spider feasted.

"You don't have to be perfect, Cell!" he eventually retorted. "You can be so much more!"

"Ha! And what makes you believe that? Your innocence is unbecoming of you after all these years, Gohan. Grow up."

Gohan balled his hands into fists, his expression furious. "Look, I can't explain it, but….I….I want to believe there is good in you. I….care about you….You could help so many people…."

Cell stared at him, his features softening almost imperceptibly, yet Gohan noticed. "You can't save everyone, Gohan," he said quietly. "You would do well to learn that."

"Cell, please-"

"You can't save me."

"No! I will not accept that!"

The android chuckled. "You don't have a choice. This is my fate."

"Why are you being like this?! You're giving up?! Please, I'm begging you. Please reconsider." Realizing he had one more card up his sleeve, he went on, "They're forgetting your name. People on Earth – they're forgetting The Cell Games ever happened." He saw this had an effect, for Cell's face softened yet again. "Soon, it'll be like you never existed. So while you're here being lunch for some other beast, you've lost everything you hoped to gain in notoriety after death. You can change that. You can be a weapon for good. Fight with me. Get stronger with me. We can be perfect together, fighting alongside one another instead of against each other."

The emotions that only Gohan could agitate within him flared up, and Cell was incensed by the sudden urge to weep from such nonsense being spewed at him. It was a sign of weakness, a sign of imperfection. He hated it.

"Gohan," he managed to say, his voice feeling as if it was trapped somewhere in his constricted throat. "Stop."

Refusing to stand idly by a second longer, Gohan blasted the web away with a boisterous yell and caught Cell's freshly regenerated body in his arms. Too drained to protest, the android was entirely limp as Gohan cradled him securely and sped away upward. Thankful for the ability to close his eyes again, Cell rested his head against the Saiyan's shoulder and sighed.

"So foolish," he whispered, yet the hint of a gentle smile quirked his lips upward.

Gohan grinned. "If you prove me wrong, I'll just send you back here."

Cell chuckled. "I expect nothing less than to see you at your full power, then."

"The same goes for you."


A/N: The web and spider idea was inspired by Gohan's line in Dragon Ball Z Abridged: "I'm not done ripping the wings off this butterfly."