Chapter 3 "Only questions"

Mina had to take a break because she was too exhausted to continue driving home. It had only been an hour, and she was done for the day. Considering talking to Cell, she tried her best to overcompensate her fear and to put on a smile, so it drained too much of her energy to constantly think about what to say. She needed to stop provoking him if she wanted to stay alive.

Staying alive... their conversation became better and better every time, but...

Mina thought her behavior was awkward. She didn't try to imagine what he might think of her... first not remembering the day of his tournament right and then her loud music... She was a clumsy creature. Unbelievable. That is the thing her parents never liked about her.

Luckily, a resting place was easy to reach, and she stopped her car there. It was abandoned. With her water bottle at hand, she searched for a nice place to sit. The temperature and lack of water made her dizzy. Because of this devastating news lately, she lost her appetite and she didn't drink enough. Her Bottle was almost empty, but she still had a long way to drive home. That could become a problem later.

"Spit it out!"

He had been so impatient with her... so harsh...

Why was it important to her, what he thought of her!? That doesn't make any sense!

She scolded herself, "He is going to kill you, you idiot!".

He's a murderer and nothing matters to him.

But wait...

Why did he stop her from throwing the capsule?

Where did he look all the time?

Why did their visit accumulate more and more questions?

...

Mina felt like she had to start from zero.

What was going on?

"I'm only keeping you alive, so you can witness my victory, and after that, I will kill you."

Cell was good at casting fear, and it made her sad, that he was such a malicious creature. But if he was different, then he wouldn't be himself...

Until now, she was doing great.

"Why do you need to know that? Be happy and go home."

From now on, she shouldn't talk to him anymore. He was too dangerous, besides, she didn't know who he really was

"Ts. Why are you here? Death wishes?"

Or how he really could be.

He was tolerating her very much, but that attitude could turn easily into a direction, Mina didn't want to think of.

What is going on?

Mina wasn't afraid.

Scaredy-cat Mina wasn't afraid.

Scaredy-cat Mina drove miles to visit a 6 feet green monster.

What was she doing with her last days!? Instead of talking to him, she should talk with her parents instead.

...

...

Cell talking to her these few times was more than her parents had talked to her in 2 years.

What was wrong with them?

No.

Mina had to kit the relationship with her parents now. If her parents let her, when no, then that's it. There was nothing more, Mina could have done, to make it better.

Her dream of financial freedom only served her to impress her parents, but she couldn't finish even that. She wouldn't have the time, nor the resources, to finish her goal. Everything turns south, but her parents wouldn't even give her a call. How sad...

Almost crying, she thought about her life 'til now.

No friends, because of too much work.

Only work, but almost no free time.

No family, because she did everything wrong.

What exactly did she do wrong? What should she change about herself?

"Why are things the way they are!?" she screamed in agony.

"Awww, are you going nuts?"

Mina's heart arched from pain. The woman from earlier had scared her to no end.

She looked horribly. Her clothes were torn and her face was covered in blood.

"Is everything ok with you?" Mina asked carefully. The woman looked at her, thinking, but claimed everything is fine. "What happened to you?" Mina knew that Cell wasn't very patient if someone didn't approach him with the respect he demanded. The woman scoffed at first but smiled then, "Well, I wasn't as lucky as you." She walked over to Mina and sat down next to her. "I lied to you. Cell didn't train me. I thought he would if I ask him to, but he declined." "Why did you think it would be a good idea to walk up to him?" Mina was very curious about this woman." I don't know. I thought he would need someone to talk to, but turns out, he doesn't want one." The woman was shaking a bit. "Do you need a doctor?" But the woman scoffed again at that question." There is no doctor. Everyone is on their own. The end is near." Mina fell into a deep hole of fear. She got goosebumps and her stomach ached. To say it by herself didn't have the same impact as hearing it from someone else.

The end was near.

Oh, good god.

Mina was afraid to no end.

But what was the problem now? She had a somewhat nice conversation with him. What could happen? Mina thought one could still talk to Cell and that nothing was doomed yet.

No, don't let yourself get dragged down by others!

Mina remembered, that she didn't know the stranger's name, "I think I didn't catch your name?" The woman looked surprised. "Oh! My name is Mori, nice to meet you!" They shook hands. "My name is Mina, nice to meet you." Well... the stranger wasn't that crazy after all...

More like... very nice. Mori looked embarrassed but asked anyway:" Could you give me a ride? I'm too exhausted to fly." Odd. It doesn't take that much energy, to drive or fly somewhere... Wait... how did she get her? Mina didn't see how she got here...

"In which direction do you want to go?" "Up north." Mina didn't feel like it was a good idea. She hadn't seen anyone since Cell's announcement, and Mina liked it that way. She was afraid to get robbed or worth, but Mori was hurt. Maybe they could compromise? "... actually... n... no... The world is full of danger." The only response she got was Mori's laughter. "You know what Cell did to me? He kicked me into a cliffside, and I'm still alive! I'm much stronger than the average human!" "Ohhh, that's why you thought Cell would train you!" "That's right!" It was very interesting... "May I ask who trained you?" Now Mori looked proud:" Sure! It was the turtle hermit! But he can't show me anything anymore. I'm way out of his league!" Mh... did Mori claim that, because she thought she was that good, or because she actually was? Mina didn't know better. "But, if you're that strong, why didn't Cell want to train you?"

"Well... well, I... I called him names, and he kicked me into a cliff. Stupid, I know." What did she expect? It scared Mina because not too long ago, she had the same attitude. Always bitching and fighting. Always a provoking response at hand. Until she met the wrong person...since then, she changed that about her. Thinking was one thing, saying it out loud was another... especially regarding the person.

"That's not nice... I mean, he wasn't hostile towards me." Mina never wanted to provoke him. Mori rose an eyebrow:" Yeah, tell me what you two are up to!"

Hello?

"We are not up to anything! He wanted to kill me but didn't, then we meet again, and he said something along the line of a mix-up. I don't know the meaning behind that, so I wanted to know and asked him why he didn't kill me. He doesn't have any regrets about killing others, so I needed to know."

"Well, maybe he has a crush on you," Mori said with a dirty grin and Mina flushed. "I don't think this is near the truth." "Well, I asked him about you, and he said it wasn't my business. If there wasn't anything going on, he would have replayed with there is nothing, or he isn't interested. But he said that it wasn't my business." She smiled like she knew what was going on, but Mina thought that wasn't possible.

Cell wasn't interested in anything else than the fight.

He was the perfect fighter, and Mina couldn't imagine him or anyone else interested in a relationship with him.

The question wasn't if he could, but if he wanted to. And as long as he wasn't interested, no one should bug him about it.

"I don't think that anyone would want that kind of attention from a 6 feet green monster." Mori looked salty, "Aha. And all the anthropomorphic humans? Our king is a dog, for fuck's sake! Why is it ok, to be in a relationship with a furry, but not with Cell? Is it because of his looks? Please! Your superficial. And if he wasn't a murderer? If he wasn't born in a lab? Would you think differently about him?" Mina felt bad because she didn't look at things from that angle. Mori continued:" And also what you are saying is very hurtful! Imagine someone said that about you!" Mina didn't think anything about it, and it saddened her, that she had the audacity, to say something like that out loud.

Mori wasn't bad at all.

Mori was fine!

Silence. Mori shivered on her whole body, and Mina wasn't sure how to help her.

"But what if something happens when I drive home alone?" Mori clenched her fists.

"'I am there for you! Let's work together. This isn't a normal society anymore, where you can go to a grocery store. Only the strong will survive!"

Mina was a bit excited. That would mean, they would spend time together as long as possible. They didn't have to be alone in these horrible times. But she didn't know Mori.

Could she trust her?

But there was also a much bigger problem...

Cell.

Mina didn't know how to tell her, "Mori, I would love to spend my last days with you, but... you know..." She stopped for a moment. Should she tell her? Was she even right in thinking that? "... Cell could appear again. And I don't have a clue what he is up to. He could kill me next time. And you provoked him. If he sees you, you're done." "That... could be true, but I apologized to him!" Mina had to intervene, "Just because you apologized, doesn't mean he forgave you. Besides that, you can't apologize. You can only ask for forgiveness." Something Mina's father had told her so many times.

Mori was saddened by that, " It doesn't matter! Just let's make the best out of the situation and stick together! We don't need to die alone!"

Dying alone was one of Mina's worst fears.

Mina couldn't get rid of her concerns, "But...what if...what if something happens-" Mori interrupted her with an impatient tone, "Nothing will happen! I will be there for you! I'm strong!", all of a sudden, Mori looked pissed, "Besides, I don't think Cell will do you any harm!" Not again.

"Listen, I don't think that Cell cares for me. He doesn't kill me, because he doesn't vision me as a human. His goal is to kill every single human, and if he doesn't kill me, then I'm nothing more to him than an animal. He doesn't care if I'm dead or alive-" "That's not true. He has to like you because you are still alive!" Mina had enough, "No, he let people get away, to kill them later. He will kill every single human at his own pace!" The discussion got louder." I wasn't too far away from the two of you, and I heard him laugh! You can't tell me, that you don't spark his emotions!"

Mina had to take that in.

He did laugh because of her. Doesn't matter if he laughed with her, or because of her, he wasn't emotionless around her.

His smile...

Mina was irritated. What should she think about that? No. She shouldn't consider something like that, because her mind was fogged in loneliness. Cell wasn't friendly nor a friend.

She didn't want to talk to Mori about that topic again.

Mori swallowed a lot and Mina gave Mori her water bottle, her last water.

They should leave soon.

"Ok, let's work together. I suggest we stay at my home because it is hidden very well."Mori smiled at that. It seemed that she liked that.

Mina was filled with excitement. Looked like she made a new friend.

She looked back to the moment when they met at Cell's ring. Mori had been so aggressive, but now, she was like a different person... Why had Mori been so salty at first?

Mina wanted to know, "When we meet in Cells arena, why had you been so angry at me?"

Mori stopped smiling, "I thought you were Cell girlfriend, and you wouldn't let me talk to him, because of jealousy." That made kinda sense. Mori couldn't know that there was nothing between her and Cell, "There is nothing between me and Cell. He had to tell me again, that he wants me to watch his tournament and after his victory, he will kill me."

Mori looked puzzled, "Well, looks like you caught his attention!" What does she mean by that? "I don't understand what you mean by that! I never did anything that would catch his atte-" She stopped mid-sentence. She did. She caught his interest by talking about the former champions Son Goku and Tenshinhan. After mentioning their names, Cell was much nicer to her. Did Mina send mixed messages?

Mori stopped with her nonsense, "We should leave. Can we make a stop at my home? I need a few things. It isn't far away from here. Just half an hour." "Sure, just tell me the way."

They hopped in Mina's car and they drove off.

Mina was sour because she gave in. They're driving for two hours now and Mori continued to tell her, again and again, that it isn't far anymore. So much for only half an hour.

Mori looked like she felt better. She didn't shiver anymore, but Mina was still worried.

They should have gone to see a doctor...

"Don't worry Mina, we are almost there." Mori seemed happy.

"Hopefully, if it takes any longer, we will need 'til tomorrow to head back to my place. But e also could hang out at your place." Mori said, with sadness in her voice, that that wouldn't be an option anymore. Mina thought that it had to do with Cell.

"I'm so sorry. It looks like it takes more time driving here, than flying." "It's ok." Mina didn't want to start an argument with Mori, but couldn't stop thinking, that it was rude of her.

Half an hour, what a joke. Mina was concerned because the capsule car capsule car's battery needed charging, and she didn't have the cable with her. Moreover, what was wrong with this woman!? Doesn't she drive a car? Of course, it's way faster flying there! Moron. Mina was starting to grow tired. She was exhausted from everything. Lack of food and water, talking to Cell, driving around for hours... It was too much for her.

They approached a small city... or what was left of it. "Finally!" said Mori in a weird tone, and she looked out of the window, with a concerning hectic. What was going on? "Is everything ok?" "Hu? Yeah, everything is fine! I'm just looking around. We can use everything useful now." That's true. "There!" Mori pointed somewhere, "There's a grocery store!" Water...

Now, slowing down, Mina looked around. The groceries store was in a bad shape. Everything was broken. Mina didn't think twice, parked in front of it, and got off the car. She wanted to lock the car out of habit, but saw, that Mori had difficulties, exiting the car. "Do you need help?" asked Mina worried, but Mori said tired:" Is it OK for you, if I wait in the car?" "It's ok. I won't take long." Mina wanted to turn, but Mori asked, "Wait, can you turn on the air conditioning? It's a little hot." "Here you go." and Mina gave her the keys, "Say, do you need something special?" Medicine maybe... Mori looked to the shop behind her and said:" The question is if there is anything left..." That was concerning. Mina also thought about the battery, "Do you know if there is a cable for the capsule car somewhere? I think with how much energy is left, we will barely make it home." Mori didn't think twice, "No idea. I don't drive a car, I can fly." "Yes, but also an airplane does need fuel or energy," said Mina impatiently. "No, you don't understand. I can fly on my own." Strange. A lie again? "Really? Show me." Mina tried her hardest to not sound doubtful. Mori barely made it out of the car and looked up to the sky, "Give me a sec, I need to concentrate because this is really tiring."

Mori closed her eyes and no one said a word. Only now did Mina notice how silent the city truly was. Nothing happened regarding Mori.

Mina felt like an idiot. Why did she have to believe her- She couldn't think till the end, because Mori started to levitate a few feet off the ground. "That's amazing!" Mina couldn't believe her eyes. That was happening. It was possible. "Now you're astonished, right?" Mori sounded so proud but also, Mina couldn't ignore the other tone she had noticed so many times...

Mori flew back to the ground and sat exhausted down in the car again. "Wow, how does it work? Can everybody learn to fly?" Mina was curious and Mori answered in a weird tone, "No, only special people can learn it, like my family for example." Only special people? What does that mean? Does one need to be royal? Mina had so many questions. "We should find shelter..." and Mina had to agree, "Yes, great idea, but I have to take a look at the grocery store." With that, Mina turned and walked inside.

There wasn't anything edible left, and Mina had a hard time thinking about water.

She stepped through every aisle, but every shelf was empty. Mina thought that, maybe, in the back of the story could be the rest of the stock.

Flying... Mina imagined it to be wonderful. Did Cell also count to these special people? He was able to fly too. Doesn't matter. Don't think about Cell!

Mina looked around. There weren't even water bottles left... All of a sudden, she heard a car engine being started. She ran as fast as she could to the entrance, but the only thing she saw, was her red car vanishing behind the next corner.

No.

No.

That's not possible. Mina waited frozen in place if Mori would return.

But it didn't seem like it.

Mina didn't feel anything. She just kept looking in the direction her car had vanished.

Why did she trust a stranger?

Because Mori was a woman?

Because she had been injured?

Because Mina felt compassion?

She couldn't believe that Mori abandoned her that easily. She shouldn't trust anyone anymore.

And now? No car. She was stuck. Her stomach ached horribly, when she noticed, that her purse was still in the car. With her identity card and driver's license. Things, that had her name... and address on it... "Oh god, please no!" Mina cried out in panic.

But what could she do now? She wasn't even able to walk back to Cell because it would take too long. Her only chance was to find a place to stay overnight. Mina looked around. Almost every building was destroyed and there wasn't a car anywhere to be seen. No one would leave his car behind. Everyone was afraid of Cell and wanted as far away as possible.

Mindlessly, Mina started walking in a random direction and searched for anything useful.

The situation not only made her sad, but also she felt embarrassed. She thought Mori could be her friend. Slowly, her emotions started to take hold of her. She started to cry uncontrolled. She hadn't felt that bad in a long time. Even her first meeting with Cell wasn't that bad, compared to this.

Destruction everywhere. Mina had calmed down a bit, but still crying and only could feel hatred for herself. How stupid had she been? Why did she have to trust a stranger? Everything was awful and Mina wished to talk to someone. Cell... why had he been so truthful to her? Or did he lie too and would kill her before his tournament, when she wouldn't expect it the least? She didn't know what to think.

She could cry tears anymore, she needed water so badly.

She didn't know for how long she had been walking around, but when she came along an aircraft hangar... she ...

saw her car.

...

Was that her car!?

Unfortunately, the hangar was fenced around. Mina had to know if it was her car, and she ran as fast as she could around the fence to the entrance. Getting closer, she identified it as hers and saw, that it was charging energy from a cable coming from the hangar's wall. Did Mori leave with her car to charge it here? NO. Don't excuse her misbehavior. If she was a nice person, she would have told her, or they would have driven here together. Everything needed to be fast-paced now. "Mori left you for good, you idiot!" thought Mina and threw the cable to the ground, hopped in her car, and saw that... the keys were there. She started the engine and drove off.

She couldn't believe how lucky she was. Mina looked at the passenger's seat and her purse was also there!

Tears formed in her eyes and she started to cry again, but this time, out of pure joy.

She turned up the volume and enjoyed her music. Hopefully, she knew the way back home.

Of course, she didn't and was lost. Exhausted from her emotions, she had to take a break.

Standing on the side of the road, she looked up to the sky. Dusk settled in. That day, was pure agony. She thought about Cell. He hadn't lied to her, or did he? Will he?

She looked to the ground and, from the corner of her eyes, saw herself in the mirror. When inspecting it, she looked totally screwed. Her mascara was all over her face, but sadly, she hadn't had anything with her, to fix the mess.

Mina wanted to sleep in her car, but couldn't. She was afraid that Mori flew around and searched for her. The capsule car didn't have the best color for hiding...

What now? She tried her best to calm down. The only thing she wanted most was to drive home. Why did everything need to be this difficult? There was only one thing she could think of, and she continued driving.

The street sign, she crossed, told her that she was on her way to Cells arena again, but it didn't matter to her. She wanted to pass by and wouldn't bother him. His smile... Cell seemed to be very patient with her...

It took longer than she expected, but she was determined to continue.

The evening star was already visible, and it got darker by the minute.

She had to turn on the car lights and slowed down. His arena had to be close.

She didn't know what to say to him if he was there.

The arena was in front of her now, and she couldn't see Cell. He probably wasn't there. How handy...

She stopped her car and stepped out. Was he here? She yelled his name

...

but no answer.

She took a deep breath in. A break was what she needed right now. She breathed out.

No one would come here... perfect. She walked up to his ring and sat down. The stars were visible flawlessly, even though the horizon still had a tad of red. In just a few minutes, it would become bitch black. Mina leaned back and searched for Ursa Major, but instead of the star system, she saw something floating in the sky. By looking closer, she recognized Cell. "Cell, come down here!" "You are here again!?" Oh boy, he sounded sour.

"I did a huge mistake and came back here by accident." He didn't buy it:" By accident, sure." Why did he have to sound so grumpy!? That didn't help at all. "I'm so sorry! I only wanted to take a break here and then move on, ok?" Cell seemed to be patientless this time." I don't understand why you're here again. Can't you take me seriously for once? I'm going to kill you. Didn't I make myself clear?" Mina tried her best to stay calm:" Cell, I believe you when you tell me that you will kill me, but then, there is nothing to lose anymore. If you want to kill me, then nothing matters anymore, because everything is already doomed." "Mh...you're playing with your life-" She interrupted him sharply, "No, You play with my life! I would prefer to chat with you instead of talking about my death all the time! I can't change your mind, and that's why I can do whatever I want! Not only that, but I will enjoy my last days!" He sounded annoyed, "You want to chat with me? What do you want to chat with me about!?" Why did he have to ask that in a disgusted tone? "Well, I don't know, maybe you like cacti?" "Cacti!?", Cell says irritated, "Why would you think that?" She answered truthfully, "I dreamed about you buying cacti." "Why do you dream about me? What is wrong with you!?" He lost it, and he raised his voice, but Mina was offended:" Excuse me!? I can't change what I dream about, that's my subconscious decision. You know what? It doesn't matter; I don't want to start an argument with you!" "Why is that important to you? I don't get it" The frustration combined with irritation didn't make Mina concerned. She was too exhausted to think straight." Because we got along pretty well until now." He lost it, "Got along pretty well!? I will KILL you after my victory. How many times do I have to repeat myself!?" "You don't have to tell me, I already know!" and she started sobbing, "To be honest, I can't stop thinking about anything else anymore! Why do you want to kill me? I haven't done anything to you!" She cried loudly and sank to the ground. Cell didn't say anything. She continued, "I could have been home already! Why is everything the way it is? Why meee? What did I doooo!?" She noticed, that she screamed at him and tried to calm down. "That's not fair!" was the last thing she could nag about because Cell was getting tired of her, "What is unfair about me killing you after my victory? I will kill you like everyone else- " He couldn't finish because she screamed at the top of her lungs, "Because you're giving me a chance!" "Are you serious!? I WILL kill you after my victory, don't make me repeat myself!" "Because you don't know if you will be victorious!" She heard her echo again and again until it faded away completely.

Cell didn't say a word. In the darkness, she couldn't see his face and wasn't sure how he felt now. "You're skeptical about my victory?" He sounded outraged, but "Yes." was all she could say. Mina turned to walk back to her car, but Cell wasn't finished. He took her hand and hold her up in the air, close to his face. "Don't you understand how powerful I am?"

"No" Mina was done. She couldn't think anymore. She said it without thinking about the consequences. Cell calmly said"Why not? You saw the destruction I left behind!" "Thanks to Piccolo, I experienced far worse!" She became dizzy and couldn't continue like that.

Everything seemed brutal.

No hope.

No water.

No food.

No happy emotions.

She whispered, "I want to get over with this! Kill me!" But he didn't. "I don't want to make it this easy for you!" and that made her giggle:" Oh, so you're up to chat with me now, or?" She didn't know why she said it. It didn't matter if she was a pain in the ass now. She couldn't change her future.

He would kill her.

She noticed him breathing in deeply, "You know what? You could have stayed home!" and he let go of her hand. She was unconscious before she hit the ground.