A/N: Here's chapter four, for your reading pleasure. Happy holidays!


Chapter 4: On the Run

"Alright, ugly, let's dance!"

"I believe I told you my name, my dear."

"I never said I was gonna use it," Bunny smirked.

"Ah, a smart mouth…" Cell chuckled. "Well, soon you won't be so cocky."

"And what's that supposed to…"

Cell charged at the unsuspecting girl, his knee burying itself in her stomach. Bunny doubled over, gasping in surprise and pain. The monster quickly raised his arm, slamming his elbow down on her back. In less than three seconds, Bunny had been floored an now lay sprawled out on the pavement, face down. Cell reached down to grab the back of her shirt, but suddenly Bunny rolled on her back, her eyes glowing.

"You little brat!!!" Cell howled in pain as the girl shot lasers from her eyes, which drilled directly into his. She backflipped to her feet, pulling her palms to her side.

"KAME…" Bunny began to chant, gathering a ball of blue energy in her hands. "HAME… HAAAA!!!"

She fired the attack, confident that it would hit home now that the creature was blinded. However, at the last moment, Cell jumped up and landed on all fours like an animal.

No, not just an animal… a predator, flashed through her mind.

"Nice try," he glared with eyes that looked completely undamaged. But Bunny had burned them right out of their sockets! She knew she had!

… Hadn't she?

Bunny swallowed a lump in her throat, nervously eyeing the monster. Slowly they circled each other, the tension in the air so thick it was almost tangible. Suddenly, Cell lunged at her. Bunny yelped and leaped out of the way, his tail crashing into the ground where she had stood only a split second earlier. He whirled around with an extended hand, his black fingernails swiping her face. Bunny cried out from pain, instinctively reaching up and leaving an opening in her defense. Cell landed a spinning kick on her chest, sending her flying into an empty school bus. She got back to her feet, her head reeling from blinding pain.

"What are you doing?!" Tsuru yelled from the sidelines. "Fight back!!!"

"What does it look like I'm trying to do?!" she panicked, franticly dodging Cell's tail. The stabs came faster than a rain of bullets, and Bunny found herself struggling to keep up the pace. She wanted to call out for her parents, then realized that they hadn't even been born yet.

For the first time in my life… I'm alone… was the last frightened thought that entered her mind, before the inevitable happened and Cell's deadly tail jammed itself in her shoulder.

"NO!!! TURTLE GIRL!!!" Tsuru panicked, not because of her impending demise, but because the boy knew he would be next.

"Well, I suppose that was it then. Farewell, my dear… or should I say hello?"

It was as if the entire world around her stopped in that single instance. Bunny felt herself slump against the battered school bus, slowly sinking down to the street. Her vision blurred as her energy was drained away, and there was nothing she could do to stop it. She could hear Tsuru yelling at her to move, the monster laughing… and suddenly, something inside her snapped. There was screaming, a deafening explosion. Words in a cold and vicious tongue that sounded like no language she have ever heard. Next thing she knew, Bunny found herself back on her feet, no sign of the monster or his deadly tail. In front of her lay only a stretch of barren wasteland that was at least thirty meters wide and seemed to go on all the way to the horizon. As if an enormous blast had plowed right through the deserted town, destroying everything in its wake.

"Whoa…" she gawked, rubbing her eyes. "You weren't kidding about that attack of yours, Tsuru! Nice work!"

"I… I didn't fire yet."

Bunny blinked, turning around to face her rival.

"But then who did?"

"You don't remember? At all?!"

"Remember what?"

Tsuru didn't answer, but just stared at Bunny like her head had just spontaneously burst into flames.

"Come on, crane boy! What am I supposed to… EEEEEEK!!!"

Bunny screamed and fell flat on her butt when Cell suddenly emerged from the rubble behind her, murder in his snake-like eyes.

"Oh, crap! Oh, crap! Oh, crap!!!" she panicked as the monster loomed over her and raised his tail. "TSURU I DON'T CARE IF YOU FINISHED CHARGING OR NOT! FIRE! FIRE! FIRE!!!"

Just as she was about to be impaled by the lethal syringe a second time, Tsuru aimed his index finger at the monster, a confident grin on his face.

"Chew on this! SUPER DODONPA!"

A bright red beam fired from the tip of his finger and struck Cell dead-on, exploding on impact. Bunny was blown away by the sheer force of the blast, landing right next to her rival.

"The name might not be much, but I think it's safe to say it did the trick," Tsuru smirked, folding his arms. Bunny followed his gaze, her muscles going limp with sheer relief. Right where the monster had once stood, now only lay his bloodied carcass and severed head, two dead pink eyes gazing up at the sky but no longer seeing.

"I think… I think I'm going to be sick," she shuddered.

"Well, at least it's dead now," Tsuru said, walking over to the creature's remains. "I'm going to destroy what's left of that thing, and then you're next, turtle… AAAAARGH!!!"

The normally so cool and aloof crane disciple let out a startled cry when the lifeless eyes suddenly sparked with new energy and looked straight at him. Cell's severed head floated up, the exposed tissue of the neck rippling and pulsing before their eyes. Suddenly a new upper body sprouted into existence, which in turn quickly grew a new set of arms and legs.

"Wha, wha, wha…" Bunny stammered, her teeth clattering and pupils shrinking to the size of pinpricks. Her entire body was shaking with fear and Tsuru wasn't doing much better.

"O-Oh, Kami…" he kept uttering. "Oh, Kami… Oh… Oh…K-Ka…"

"Thank you children for the warm-up," Cell chuckled, flexing his new muscles. "I found it quite entertaining."

"W-Warm-up?!" Bunny squeaked.

"He's b-bluffing, turtle girl!" Tsuru protested in a high-pitched voice. "S-Stand tall! Don't let that t-thing m-mess with your head!"

"Actually, I've only been using about ten percent of my full power. I do like to give my prey a sporting chance, it makes it all the sweeter when their eyes fill with fear as they realize they were already doomed from the start."

Oh no Bunny whimpered, her body feeling like solid lead. What have we done!? Why didn't I listen to grandma Bulma? We never should've even entered that damned lab in the first place! I'm never going to see my parents again…

The monster poised his tail to strike and lunged at the horrified duo, but as they were about to meet their fate, a sandal clad foot kicked Cell out of the way. A young woman landed gracefully on the streets, familiar brown eyes looking at the shocked teens.

"You two better run," she warned. "I'll try to keep him busy."

Bunny didn't hear a word she said, but just stared at the redheaded woman. Their savior felt like her mother, sounded like her mother, but only looked a few years older than herself. And more important: she wasn't even supposed to be born yet!

"What are you doing here…?" Bunny uttered, her brain still not believing what her eyes were seeing.

"Come on, snap out of it, kid! Both of you need to get out of here right now before Cell recov…"

"Ah, Kameko, how bold of you to seek me out on your own," the creature rasped as he got back to his feet. "Foolish, but bold nonetheless. Just let me finish my lunch and I'll be right with you."

"Leave them alone, Cell, they have nothing to do with this!"

"You would deny them a chance to become part of perfection?"

"I didn't know 'perfection' looked like a cockroach that has been hit in the face with a sledgehammer," Bunny heard Tsuru snicker next to her. The monster hissed angrily and dashed at the bigmouthed boy, but Kameko managed to grab his tail and flung him into an abandoned building.

"Hurry up!" she ordered. "Get out of here before he sees where you're going!"

Bunny hesitated, question upon question still racing through her head. Tsuru was less eager to stay, grabbing the girl and flying away at breakneck speed.

"Hey, let me go!" she protested, trying to pry her hand free. "I need to help my mom!"

"Listen, you dimwitted twit!" he snapped back, keeping a firm grip on her wrist. "I understand you don't want to leave her behind, but you're not letting that thing get his claws on you again! Besides that, your mother will be fine, otherwise you wouldn't have been born. So stop worrying about her and start worrying about yourself instead, got that?"

"Uh… thanks?"

"Save it, turtle girl. I just don't want that creature to torture you into telling where I am or who my father is. We'll figure out what's going on later, but right now we need to keep our heads, make a strategic withdrawal and regroup! Besides that, if you're going to die, it will be at my hands and my hands alone."

"You just don't know how to quit when you're ahead, do you, crane boy?" Bunny sweatdropped, then sighed. "But I guess you're right, we better get ourselves to safety first and then think of a… hey! Hey! HEY!!! EEEEEEK!!!"

Bunny began to scream from the top of her lungs as Tsuru ascended while still holding her hand. They had been flying just above the streets, using the buildings for cover, but apparently the boy had other plans.

"We're far enough away now, Cell won't see us if we fly through the sky and it'll be faster than zigzagging our way out of here!"

"I DON'T CARE! PUT ME DOWN!!!" Bunny shrieked hysterically, trashing in his grasp. Feeling her powerlevel increase along with her panic, Tsuru quickly let go of his rival before she would turn her frustration on him.

"You're hopeless," he sighed exasperated, glaring annoyed at the terrified girl. "You can FLY for Kami's sake! Why on Earth are you so mortified of heights!?"

"I wish I knew," she muttered, hugging herself. "Do you think I'm enjoying this?! I've had this phobia for as long as I can remember."

"And it's going to be your undoing if you don't man up and get over it."

"Wouldn't that be 'woman up'?"

"Grammar Nazi."

"Sexist."

"Wimp."

"I know you are, but what am I? Wait, don't…! EEEK PUT ME DOWN!!!"


"What room number did we get again, turtle girl?"

"653," Bunny answered as they walked through the halls of the only hotel in Nutmeg Town. "I still can't believe I agreed to share a room with you."

"Trust me, Roshi, the very thought of even sleeping in the same building disgusts me," Tsuru said coldly. "But if we spend the night apart, chances are neither of us will live to see morning. We'll take turns standing guard every three hours, it's safer that way."

"Define 'safe', crane boy," Bunny glared. "How do I know you won't kill me in my sleep?"

"Don't flatter yourself," Tsuru scoffed. "As if you're so strong that I would need to stoop to such a pathetic strategy."

"I wouldn't put it past you," Bunny muttered, but opened the door to their room anyway.

"You get first watch, turtle girl. Don't screw up," Tsuru said, flopping down on the queen-size bed. Bunny opened her mouth to protest, but her rival had already fallen into a deep sleep. Muttering obscenities under her breath, the girl entered the bathroom to wash up and take care of her injuries.

She turned on the faucet, splashing some cold water onto her face. To her surprise, it didn't sting. Bunny looked in the mirror above the sink, her eyes widening slightly when she could find almost no trace of the gashes the monster's sharp claws had left on her cheeks and nose. Her eyes travelled down and rested on her shoulder, the bleeding hole left by the creature's tail now little more than a superficial bruise. She had always healed fast, but this had to be a new record. Tsuru wouldn't be surprised since was used to her quick healing abilities by now, but he had once remarked that it was impossible to recover at such a rate, even going as far as calling it inhuman. Then again, what did he know!? Her father recovered even faster than she did and he was perfectly normal!

"Crane boy's the weirdo, not me," she grumbled while brushing her hair. "His dad is half machine for Kami's sake! Stupid ass Tsuru with his stupid comments getting on my stupid nerves…"

She left the bathroom, letting herself slump into a comfortable armchair next to the only window. The crane school disciple was still vast asleep and Bunny doubted if even the monster of Nicky Town himself could wake the boy up. It had been an eventful day to say at least, and the fact that they had left their own timeline in the middle of the night, wasn't helping either.

Bunny turned her head to the side, moving the curtains and letting her gaze wander the streets below. Why did the only free room in the entire hotel had to be on the sixth floor?! Well, as long as there was a wall that reached above her knees and a thick sheet of glass separating her from the outside world, she could keep her fear of heights in check, even if it was only barely.

The girl rested her elbow on the windowsill, her fingers brushing the glass. Rain was pouring outside, but Bunny knew the bad weather was not the reason the streets of Nutmeg Town were deserted. Death itself stalked the night, a nightmarish creature that moved through the shadows like liquid quicksilver and only left its victims' clothes behind. It were fearful times, when not just children were afraid of the dark or the very real monster that inhabited it. The truth was that you were not the least bit safer in bed than you were outside, and the adult side of you knew this. However, everyone has a small part that never grows up, and that inner child still believed that if you hid under the covers, clutched your favorite stuffed animal tightly to your chest and stayed very, VERY still, perhaps death's cold embrace would pass you by.

Bunny looked up at the sky, her gaze resting on the moon. It shone bright enough to illuminate the streets below and it would only be a few more days until it was full. She had only seen Earth's moon in photographs or old movies. It had been destroyed in her timeline, but it seemed that in this one, someone had gone through the trouble of restoring it. Perhaps they had even used the magical dragon balls Bunny had heard so much about from her grandma. She knew that travelling through time could corrupt the timeline, but at least this particular change had been one for the better. It made the night look just a little less frightening.

Bunny yawned, rubbing her eyes. Her thoughts drifted off to her mother, or the younger version of her at least. What was she doing in the past? Why hadn't she told Bunny about her journey? So many questions…

I wonder if dad's younger self is here too, was the last thought that surfaced in her mind, before her eyelids grew heavy and then fell shut entirely.