Chapter 067 - Goku's Sacrifice

The wind blew briefly as a strong gust flowed over the dusty ground of the wasteland, the ground battered, cracked and trampled under the immense pressure the battle had dealt it. The fight had taken a turn for the worst for Cell who had now come to realise the power he was up against, the power he himself had been so eager to antagonise and awaken. He should have heeded Gohan's warnings but perhaps it was the Saiyan genes mixed in with the DNA of Freeza that had given him his assuredness that Gohan would be of no threat to his power but would provide a challenge. He had been right in thinking he'd prove to be a challenge; the boy clearly outmatched him at every turn. A couple of punches and kicks had caused damage Cell never imagined he'd suffer, especially from a Saiyan child such as him! It had been so much Eighteen had somehow been forced from his body and now lay in a wet puddle of spit and vomit underneath the towering android.

The now regressed Cell stared at Gohan, eyes wide and bloodshot. The young boy before him looked just as deadly and serious as ever, unimpressed by his opponent's regression or about the emergence of the female android. "... I guess that's it for you then," he muttered wryly.

Nearby a sceptical and anxious Corset swallowed the lump threatening to suffocate her, still shocked by Eighteen's appearance but still coming to terms with Gohan's attitude change. He was no longer his normal self, replaced by some sort of bitter, cruel and overconfident boy. What would Gohan do now; would he continue to toy around with Cell and endanger the planet or would he finally put an end to this? Corset feared the former was more likely and for good reason.

Fear had clearly gripped Cell now, his body trembling slightly from the transformation but the onlookers were aware he'd been doing so since he'd realised just how tough Gohan was. "... I won't... accept this!" Cell snarled defiantly. His body suddenly began to bulge again only this time it wasn't because of muscle.

Stunned, a confused Corset watched alongside the others as Cell's body began to inflate like a balloon, quickly towering over Gohan, twice as big, then three times as big... four times as big...

'What's he doing?' Corset was clueless, although she didn't like the feel of how wildly Cell's ki was fluctuating!

"What's Cell doing?" Yamcha babbled flabbergasted.

"No - he can't!" Goku gasped.

A peculiar smile had appeared on Cell's fattened face as his bulging eyes peered down at Gohan.

"Everybody say goodbye! I'm going to self-destruct in sixty seconds! I'll die but so will all of you - the whole Earth will die along with me!"

"What?" Gohan gasped; for the first time he lost his cold expression, seemingly more human for a brief moment.

"S-Self-destruct?" Vegeta repeated.

"It's too late to apologise and grovel: even I can't stop it now!" Cell jeered, body still inflating.

Corset stared horrified at what she'd heard. Fear of dying quickly gripped her once again; this time she knew no matter what Gohan did it wouldn't be of any use. Cell was serious. Sure when Cell had fired that Kamehameha, Gohan was able to retaliate back with one of his own. How was he possibly supposed to stop this?

"No! I won't let you!" Gohan growled, readying himself to attack-

"Stop!" Cell was quick off the mark. "I wouldn't do that if I were you, I'll explode the instant I'm hit! You'll still die but just a little sooner!"

It was hopeless. Even Gohan knew this now, finally standing down in defeat. The boy muttered something under his breath and fell to his knees, slamming his fists down hard on the ground in frustration and regret.

"Thirty more seconds..." Cell announced with a cackle of laughter. The breeze from earlier slowly picked up with every passing second though it was not strong enough to knock any of the fighters from their feet. It felt hot like a furnace as it brushed past Corset's cheek, energy radiating from Cell's body, his ki becoming ever more unstable and volatile.

"N-Now what? We have to do something," Yamcha stammered, "There has to be a way!"

"There's nothing we can do; Cell's beaten us even if it cost him his life." Piccolo growled, "The Earth is finished!"

"N... No..." Corset muttered, not wanting to believe it. She had no choice; whether she wanted to believe it or not the Earth was about to be obliterated. Her mother, brother and grandparents would die, all the innocent lives on the planet would be ended because no one was able to stop this manic from self-destructing. She clenched her fists in frustration and anxiety, glaring at the boy before her who'd resigned to slamming his fists down on the ground and crouching on his knees. Her angst quickly turned on him. He was supposed to have been the one to defeat Cell and he could have easily done so at any time. He toyed with his opponent as if it were a game, forgetting the Earth's destiny depended on them. He'd let Cell turn the tables on them.

Gohan had doomed them all... and Corset couldn't believe he'd been capable of such a thing. This was not the Gohan she knew.

Ten more seconds...

"... What is it, Goku?"

Krillin's voice made Corset take her attention away from Gohan and over to Goku; a little taken back when she saw the light but sad smile on his face which then left her feeling puzzled.

"... I've been thinking..." Goku smiled, "... and I can't come up with any other way to save the Earth..."

"What?" Several of the fighters gaped almost in unison.

"No, don't," Trunks spoke out, "I think I know what you have planned Goku. You don't have to do this!"

Goku raised both hands; one to his forehead and the other with a light wave.

"Bye guys."

"... You're kidding, right Goku?" Krillin choked.

Corset had cottoned onto what Goku was planning; before she could even say anything to try and stop him from doing anything, Goku had vanished and had teleported between Gohan and Cell, muttering something to Gohan. He turned to his son briefly and gave a half-wink before turning back to face a nervous Cell.

In a flash, he and Cell vanished.

"NO, COME BACK!" Gohan cried dashing to his feet.

"GOKU!" Krillin screamed.

Corset desperately latched onto Goku's ki, finding it for a split second before it suddenly vanished. It was no where on Earth, he had transported Cell to somewhere far, far away before Corset could no longer try to work out his location. Where his bright burning ki had once been was now nothing, a void of emptiness. For a couple of seconds Corset attempted to find Goku's ki, desperate to find any trace of it. Quickly her frantic searches came to a stop as the fact slowly sank under her skin, quieting down the voice that demanded she find his energy.

Goku was gone.

The wind had died down considerably since the two warriors had vanished, now a light breeze picked up every-so-often dragging dust across the barren wasteland. Silence had gripped those standing upon the dusty rocks as everyone came to terms and began to grieve for their lost friend and comrade.

Corset stared at the same spot where Cell and Goku had once been; now all that was left was a small crater from where Cell's large and heavy body must have been pushing down against the ground. A shaking Gohan kneeled on knees and elbows just before it.

She didn't know what to feel. Cell was gone, he was finally gone... but so was Goku. Her mentor – the man who'd happily taken her into the Room of Spirit and Time, the man who'd believed in her abilities as a fighter, the man who'd helped her become who she was now – was dead. Her eyes began to sting and grow hot, the tears forming and turning her vision blurry as she continued to watch Gohan; the young boy suddenly reared up and screamed for his father, sobbing as he slowly fell back down. Her heart was torn; the anger and fury she'd felt towards him for not finishing Cell off vanished, now replaced with empathy and sorrow. He'd just lost his father... but he'd just lost his father because he hadn't done what he was supposed to have done. He hadn't finished off Cell and had instead played around, letting the android grow desperate and put them all into a corner. His father had come to the rescue and sacrificed his own life.

The guilt Gohan must have been feeling... the regret... and the grief...

Without much more thought her feet began to move, breaking into a trot towards him. Once she reached him she simply stood by him looking down, unsure of what to do. She didn't like seeing people upset and had always felt a need to try and make them feel better. She didn't know what to do right now; what could she say to him?

A hand reached out and rested on Gohan's back; it wasn't hers.

Krillin had come over.

"It's over... You and Goku did it together..." he mumbled gently.

"... It's my fault." Gohan sniffed through muffled hiccups and hisses. "I could have killed Cell... Dad didn't have to sacrifice himself... I got too arrogant... It's because of me!"

"You didn't know he was gonna blow up the Earth," Corset frowned, "you're not to blame, Gohan..."

"... Look... If it wasn't for you then the Earth wouldn't have been saved," Krillin replied softly. "In the end, Goku was content... He was really proud of you..." He rose to his feet and put both his hands on Gohan's shoulders, "Come on, let's go home."

Gently he and Corset helped Gohan to his feet, Corset looking at the sniffling boy as he rubbed his eyes with his arm, unsure of what else to do. She was quickly left to support Gohan by herself as Krillin rushed off ahead towards Android Eighteen; for a moment Corset looked at the regurgitated fighter. She wondered if she was still alive, what had it been like to have been absorbed by such a monster as Cell... She felt empathy for the android despite what she'd done. She'd badly wounded her father and had attacked Corset after all... Yet being taken by force in the way Corset assumed she and Seventeen had been... She couldn't help but feel compassionate; it must have been a terrifying ordeal...

"... Father..."

Gohan's small mumble brought Corset's attention back to him; she looked at him in concern. "... I'm really sorry Gohan..." she mumbled. "... Let's head over to the others and then go home, ok?"

She stepped forwards.

A sudden, strong gust almost knocked her head over heels. She and Gohan both were pushed forwards buffeted by the winds which were now forcing them to walk further ahead and back to their group of friends, many of whom had been preparing to leave the area. She could barely glance backwards, eyes unable to stand the sudden stinging, watering at the edges and almost blurring her vision.

Something was brewing behind them; a powerful force.

She couldn't hear any voices if anyone was speaking; the energy she felt terrified her. Dust billowed from just behind them; electricity dancing through the charged air as something appeared. Something had emerged with a ki that seemed very familiar to her and yet it was unlike anything she'd ever sensed before!

'It can't be!' She denied horrified.

A flash of yellow light shot past her in an instant, almost too fast for her to register.

Her eyes followed it, head turned against the wind as her vision was almost compromised by her wildly dancing hair.

Trunks was struck; the yellow beam of light pierced straight through him like a knife in butter.

It felt as if her own heart had stopped. Corset's wide eyes stared, fixated on her brother as the force of the hit pushed him off his feet and onto his back. Her breath hitched in her throat; she would have screamed otherwise but instead her jaw was left gaping open.

Trunks crashed to the ground with a heavy thump.

Corset's eyes stayed pinned to the young man.

"... Who did I hit? ... Ah, Trunks..."

Indeed that was his voice. Cell.

Corset turned to face the monster, fear and disbelief written all over her face. He was alive. He was alive? He was standing before them. He hadn't died; why hadn't he died? Self-destructing was supposed to have killed him; even he'd said that! Goku was nowhere to be found; he hadn't teleported Cell here. How had Cell returned? How had he suddenly regained his final transformation without Android Eighteen?

Cell chuckled as he stared down the startled fighters before him, "... You seem surprised to see me..." He went into how he survived the explosion. It was part of his design; as long as there was one cell which still remained, he could regenerate. He'd grown stronger because of his Saiyan genetics and his near-death experience. His cells had tasted perfection; he'd regenerated into his final form despite Android Eighteen's absence. He'd absorbed Goku's Instant Transmission technique and had teleported back to Earth...

He'd killed Trunks.

"... Goku didn't beat me – He only made me stronger!" Cell spat with a smirk.

'... Stronger?' Corset shivered, eyes still wide and heart still pounding from the shock.

She was almost caught off-guard as Gohan released himself from her grasp. With a sudden bellow he revved up his energy preparing to stand off against Cell once more. Corset glanced over to him briefly before turning to her brother. Absent-mindedly she left Gohan and Cell and wandered over to him, stopping at his side. Her nose wrinkled in fear and concern; Trunks was still moving, or at least his muscles were. He was still alive. That meant he was in pain; the wound from Cell's beam had blasted straight through his chest and was bleeding heavily.

He began to move a little more as if trying to sit up, suddenly violently jerking upwards and throwing up a bucket load of blood to the other side. Corset stared at the crimson puddle. Her brain wasn't registering what else was going on around her. Her brother's ki flickered and faded before her eyes; she watched him as his body gave into the wound and died.

Trunks was gone.

For what felt like forever she stood trembling, unaware of Gohan challenging Cell to battle. All she could see was her brother dead and sprawled across the ground. Her eyes stung with the heat as they watered, overflowed and leaked. The same old thought came to her mind.

She'd let someone else die.

The bolt forwards from her father almost went unnoticed along with the howling yell. It was only until the first attack struck Cell that she registered her father's attack, gasping when she saw what was going on. Her father charged up his energy and rapidly fired powerful energy blasts down to where she assumed Cell was standing. It was hard to tell because the spot was now engulfed in a thick plume of dirt and smoke. Her father's ki was draining fast with every attack; each blast directly on target as the enraged prince attacked like a madman.

'... What's he doing? ... Is... is he... attacking... because of Trunks? ... Is my dad actually defending one of us?'

The mere thought set her off further; her silent weeping turned into slightly noisier hiccups. Even if it wasn't true, the potential possibility that her dad – her dad of all people – was attacking because one of his kids had been murdered was incredible.

Vegeta's attacks stopped for a short period of time before resuming; the ground trembling under every precise and compacted attack as it struck, coating the impact zone in thick clouds of dirt, dust and debris. Quickly fatigue overcame him; Vegeta's attack came to a halt.

Nothing could be seen through the dust; it wasn't clear whether Cell was injured or still alive...

"That nut! What's he thinking?" Krillin growled not too far in front of her.

Corset's eyes stayed peeled on the centre of the pale brown cloud, still leaking though her hiccups had quietened down somewhat. Her brain just felt frazzled with the amount of horrible information she'd had to absorb in the past fifteen minutes. Would Cell be alive or dead?

To their horror Cell emerged through the smoke unscathed and drawing one arm back. He was already inches from her father. Suddenly Vegeta was slapped down to the ground with a swipe, tumbling and crashing to the ground with a heavy thud, disturbing some loose dust and dirt. From where they stood Corset could see him twitching as he lay crippled on the ground. Panic gripped her and her heart was already thumping from her brother's death but she couldn't find the energy to move.

"Vegeta –DIE!" Cell bellowed, tossing down a dangerously compact energy beam towards the vulnerable fighter.

Before her brain registered she needed to move Gohan shot forwards; his speed clearly superior to hers yet even so it wasn't enough. He'd just made it to Vegeta's side before the blast made contact, the two warriors suddenly vanished in a blinding flash of light, engulfed by smoke from the exploding attack.

The wind was terrifyingly strong and grains of dirt stung her body as it hit, yet Corset desperately tried to see through it all. Her emotions were on a high, her brain felt so frazzled she couldn't sense anyone around her, barely able to stand as the wind knocked her back, Corset falling to her knees. In the frenzy she grabbed onto Trunks' hand and tried to keep him close to her.

"Where are they?" Krillin cried as the commotion died down. "Can anyone see them?"

Through the clearing dust Corset's eyes fell on two figures; both flat on the ground. Her eyes widened in fear; neither were moving and both seemed severely weakened from the attack! She wanted to run to them; she wanted to scream. Did this mean two more of them were down? Had Cell just taken out four of their five Super Saiyans? She was the only one left! Goku's death was in vain, Trunks had been murdered, now Gohan had sacrificed himself to save her injured father.

What was she doing?

"Gohan!" Piccolo roared.

In the corner of her eye she saw Gohan slowly moving, rising to his feet. His arm was at an unusual angle; on closer inspection it was heavily bleeding at his shoulder and looked out of place. His ki had been severely weakened by the attack, nowhere near how high it had been before Cell had attempted to kill her father.

"He's hurt!" Krillin realised. "Vegeta that idiot...! The Dragonballs could have brought Trunks back to life!"

Trunks... She checked and looked down; he was still there lifeless and pale...

Oblivious once more as to what was going on around her as thoughts dashed through her mind, she rose to her feet. She felt a mess inside; emotion swirling through her body, emotion directed towards her loved ones and emotion directed towards the monster who'd taken them away... She'd done nothing. She hadn't stopped Goku, she hadn't stepped in to save Trunks, she hadn't tried to stop her father, and she hadn't been fast enough to help Gohan. All that training and still she couldn't save anyone. She hadn't changed. She'd let them down.

She needed more strength.

Cell landed a couple hundred metres from Gohan and Vegeta seemingly pleased with the outcome of his latest attack.

She needed to stop this before someone else needlessly died. She needed to stop being scared and step forwards.

Something felt as if it was going to erupt inside her.

Corset's body trembled, eyes wide and pinned on her dead brother. Her rage and fury for Cell collided with her hatred for herself and in a sudden wave of overwhelming emotion she screamed, her ki violently surging through her. The sudden noise had startled and surprised many of those around her as they turned in shock. In a single moment the ground below her feet broke and floated skybound as her hair bolted even higher above her head, her ki swelled to higher levels, her small muscles growing a little more prominent.

In the instant it had consumed her, it was gone again.

Corset collapsed onto her knees gasping desperately for air, back down to her Super Saiyan form and looking exhausted. Tears streamed down her eyes, emotions running high inside of her. Trunks was gone, Goku was gone, her father and Gohan were both injured and there was little she could muster as of this moment.

They were all going to die by Cell's hand and she hated it.

"... Did... Did I just see that...?" Krillin spluttered eyes wide with disbelief as he looked down at the exhausted girl, leaning close to the ground exasperated and drained. "Did you just... just do what Gohan did?"

His words may have well have been asked to a brick wall; Corset was too tired and dizzy to hear straight. Her head felt heavy, slowly she shifted her body weight between arms; both of which shook under the strain. All her muscles ached, her emotions were running wild inside of her. She felt like a total mess and didn't know what to do.

"... Don't we have any more senzu beans?" Piccolo's loud bark rushed through her consciousness.

She glanced forwards; Gohan was on his feet staring Cell down. Her eyes crossed to the monster; widening when she recognised the stance he was in.

The Kamehameha.

Cell was about to fire a Kamehameha!