Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Thorns Of The Rose ❯ Perfection ( Chapter 8 )

~*Thorns Of The Roses*~

By Shasta

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Disclaimer: I a'int sayin' nuthin'!

(Shasta is seen dancing on a table, a bottle of sake in one hand as she shakes her funky groove thang to imaginary music)

Shasta: Whoooo! I'm so damn happy!!!!

Cell: And why is that?

Shasta: *in a squeaky voice* My bro's moving out soon and I get to keep the computer!!! NOW I CAN SURF THE NET ALL DAY!! WOOHOO!!

Cell: *sweatdrops* I don't blame him for moving.. having a sister as insane as you is enough to make anyone move out…

Shasta: Oh, shut up Cell! You're as much insane as me!

Cell: Since when am I insane?

Shasta: Since you discovered Jack Daniels mixed with Pepsi Twist…A.K.A The Lemon Zinger ©…

Cell: *eyes widden* LEMON ZINGER?! WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE-------EEEEEEEERE?!?! *glances around for any J.D or Pepsi Twist, drooling lustfully*

Shasta: *sweatdrop* Yeeeesss…*to readers* Well, chapter 8 is finally here! And there is soon to be some lemony goodness! ^_~

Cell: Pepsi Twist has lemon in it..

Shasta: Not THAT kinda lemon, you baka! *smacks him with a frying pan*

Cell: OW! *rubs his head and grumbles*

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Chapter 8: Perfection

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Emerald green eyes slowly flickered open, pupils dilating against the bright light of the sun as warm, golden rays cast a warm glow on the forrest clearing. Sarah let out a slow yawn, stretching her muscles and cracking her tired bones as she slowly sat up…

..well, that's what she INTENDED to do, if it were not for the fact that a rather large, beefy arm was wrapped around her waist. A sigh escaped her lips as she struggled to wiggle free, which in turn only made Cell tighten his grip. She turned to look at him, lying on his side on a bed of leaves, eyes closed shut with a small puddle of drool tricking from his mouth.

Sarah had to giggle. He was adorable in his sleep! A smile crossed her face as she remembered how she has confided in him the previous night. Although she told him about the abuse she suffered as a child, she left out one major event….one that plagued her dreams and thoughts every single day… She never told him the full extent of the abuse… the rape which had left her sore and bleeding, an emotional wreak for months and even years after…an event that she relieved time and time again in her sub-concious mind..

<No…don't spoil a nice morning…> she told herself, shaking the thoughts from her head. Slowly leaning over Cell, she gently rolled him onto his back, freeing her waist. He let out a snort and rolled over onto his right side, curled up in a foetal positon.

With a soft smile, she leaned towards him and kissed him gently on the lips, an almost-ghostlike kiss. Sapphire blue eyes slowly flickered open to gazed up at her. A soft smile crossed his lips as he returned the kiss, deeping it as he ran a hand through ebony black hair. Sarah sighed into the kiss, her finger tips tracing circles on his chest plate. He responded by wrapping his arms around her, pulling her close to him as he trailed sweet kisses along her neck.

Sarah tensed at this and quickly pulled away. Cell shook his head and pulled his knees up to his chest as he sat up, glancing at her as she got up and walked towards the edge of the lake. "Sorry….I guess….I got carried away…"

The raven-haired female, still with her back to him, let out a soft sigh that was visible in the cold morning air. "It's just…………..never mind….." She sighed again and lay down in the tall grass, closing her eyes shut. She wanted to tell him..but she was scared of his reaction…would he think of her as a weakling for not fighting back? Would be be disgusted? So many questions ran through her head…

At that moment, she felt several familiar ki signals heading towards the clearing. Cell had sensed them too as he stood up and dusted himself off, casting a wary glance at the raven haired teen.

"I'll..see you later.." he whispered, before powering up and taking off into the forrest at full speed. Soon, Trunks had landed in the clearing, accompanyied by Vegeta, who was standing with his arms folded and a nasty glare on his face.

The lavender haired teen rushed towards Sarah, tilting her chin up as he inspected her for injuries. Sarah pulled away, pushing him back slightly as she gazed upon him. He was covered in dirt and grim and his eyes were sunken in from lack of sleep, but they were alert and wary as they met Sarah's own.

"Did he hurt you?"Trunks said slowly, failing to hide the guilt in his voice as he remembered all too well what had happened the previous night..

"I don't need you worryin' over me. I'm strong enough to take care of myself and if you must know, I did'nt encounter Cell at all during my time out here.." the raven haired hybrid spat, her eyes narrowing as she returned Vegeta's glare.

The Saiyen prince snorted and glanced towards the trees to his left. "That's a lie, onna…I sensed Cell's engery signal a moment ago…as if he were in this very clearing…"

Sarah felt her heartbeat elevate, but she kept her face neutral, forcing herself to maintain a look of supprise.

"Really? I could'nt sense a-" she started, but before she could finish her sentence, Vegeta had powered up to Super Saiyen and flew through the foliage, not caring if he destroyed any trees along the way. Alarmed, Sarah raced after him, closely followed by Trunks.

She followed Vegeta untill she came to a large cliff-face, were he had Cell cornered at the edge. The android, however, remained calm and stood with his arms folded over his chest. The Saiyen prince yelled out and began to rain punch after punch on Cell.

The android had put up a decent fight, but it was not enough to please Vegeta, who had soon given up after slamming Cell into the cliff-face. He growled and held the android up by his neck, never loosening his grip. Sarah had a sudden urge to go help him, but she kept it well hidden. She did'nt want to attract attention… She was suddenly snapped out of her thoughts at the sound of Vegeta's hoarse, throaty voice as he began speaking to Cell, laughing mockingly.

Sarah strained her ears to hear him..

"Hmmph! You call this strong? You are nothing more than a weakling in your newest form. You might as well go and absorb Eighteen. I could use a challenge. In this form, you are no match for me, android." Vegeta taunted, releasing his grip on Cell's neck, causing him to fall flat on his butt on the tall grass. The android gasped for air and rubbed his neck as it stung were Vegeta had practically strangled him.

He looked up with his sapphire eyes, a smirk flashing across his face. Something about that look on Cell's face unnerved Sarah, but she quickly shook it off as she watched Cell pick himself up off the ground.

"If you insist.."Cell stated cooly, glancing around the clearing. His eyes suddenly widdened as he caught sight of someone he never expected….Android Eighteen.

A loud scream came from the bushes and before anyone could comprehend what had happened, a bright flash of light caused everyone to sheild their eyes.

"SHIT!!" Sarah heard Trunks yell as the light slowly died down. She unshielded her eyes and almost screamed in alarm at the sight before her. It was Cell, but he did'nt look like the Cell Sarah knew.

His features were more refined and chiseled. He actually had a nose and his face was chalky white. His head crest rested neatly attop his head, the sun glinting off the round sphere in the centre of two points on the helmet-like crest. Two purple stripes ran up from his jaw, stopping just under his eyes, which were now back to their original magenta colour. His armour was different too. It was jade green and spackled with black, black shelling covering his chest and shoulders.

His hands, also chalky white, were equipted with 2 inch long black nails that looked sharp and deathly. His tail was near completely hidden under his grasshopper-like wings, the stinger end only just visable from a small gap between his wings. He was no longer fat and chunky, but well toned and muscular. He was also much taller, too. Around 6 foot or so, not including the head crest.

He clenched one chalk-cloured hand into a fist and stared at it, messmerised. "Perfection.." he breathed, his voice miles away from that of his 2nd form. It was soft and velvety, almost English-sounding and it was as smooth as silk. Sarah stared, wide eyed at Cell's new form, hardly daring to believe what had just happened. She was vaguely aware of Trunks screaming profanitys at Vegeta and his 'insolance', as Trunks so lightly put it..

A loud scream came from Vegeta as he lunged forward, aiming a hard kick to Cell's neck. The android did'nt even flinch. He simple looked at Vegeta, as if he were bored and punched him hard in the stomach, hard enough for the Saiyen prince to be knocked out of Super Saiyen status. He fell to the ground on all fours, clutching his stomach as he coughed up crimson blood.

Cell turned to face Sarah and Trunks, his eyes glinting for a moment as they met Sarah's…He smirked and turned back to Vegeta. "You said you wish for a challenge, hmm? Very well…. I propose a tournament to be held in exactly 9 Earth days from now. Train well. You'll need to if you wish to match up to my power."

And with that, Cell took off towards the horizon without so much as a backwards glance…

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Emerald green eyes stared absently into the cup of tea, reflected in the steaming, brown water, small ripples breaking the surface as the hands that held the cup trembled slightly. Sarah let out a deep breath and placed the tea cup down on the wooden table with a low thud. A sigh escaped her lips and her hands reached up to run through her hair in the sheer frustration she was suffering.

She was confused…Cell had acted so differently… like he was a whole other person. Sure he looked different, but the raven-haired teen wondered…had he changed inside too? Why was he holding the tournament? Had'nt he already succeeded in achieving perfection?

So many questions ran through her head, but she did'nt feel up to debating them right now. It was 5 hours since Cell became perfect…5 hours since he announced the tournament and already, Vegeta was busy trying to blow up the Gravity Room in the grounds of the Capsule Corp manor. She could hear the faint explosions from her seat in the kitchen and it did nothing to calm her worries. She knew Vegeta was strong.. she had seen him turn Super Saiyen…. And he posed a threat to Cell.

Sarah's heart ached dully in her chest at the thought of Cell being killed… she shut her eyes and tried to shake away her fears, but it was hopeless. She could'nt help but worry…

Getting up from her seat, she made her way out of the kitchen and upstairs to Trunks' room, were Bulma had placed all the spare clothing for her. She pushed open the door, expecting to find the room empty, but instead, she found Trunks lying on his back on the bed, looking at her with those timeless blue eyes of his.

"Hey…"he said quietly, sitting up and bringing his knees to his chest, which was bare to the world. Sarah sighed heavily and sat down beside him on the edge of the bed, staring back at him with hurt in her eyes.

"Listen, about last night…..I……I got kinda scared.."she started. Trunks placed a finger on her lips to silence her and stared deep into her eyes.

"Gomen nasi….I appoliguise………………………& #8230;…..you….you've raped….haven't you?"he said quietly. Sarah turned away from his gaze and closed her eyes, taking in a sharp breath. She let it out slowly and turned to look at him. A slow nod and the misty look in her eyes was all Trunks needed to see to know she was being truthfull. He gave her a weak smile and placed a comforting arm around her shoulder, pulling her close.

She responed by resting her head on his shoulder, her arms absently placed around his waist.

"I can't let go of all of this pain……I..I kept it locked up inside of me for so long…"she whispered, closing her eyes and nuzzling against him. Trunks' arm slowly massaged her shoulder as his other arm snaked around her waist in a comforting hug.

"Maybe….maybe it would be best if you let it out….I'm not forcing you to, but you can confide in me.."

Sarah smiled and kissed the top of his head. "Thanks…..I guess you're right..It's time I told someone…"

It was a night just like any other at the Anderson household…a night of suffering…of torture…of abuse…but tonight was different…it was also a night of death…

Sarah had witnessed it with her own emerald eyes, once so innocent and carefree, now scarred by years of pain…she had witnessed Jason's wrath…how he had rained blow after blow on Dru's head…how he relished the sickening crack of her skull…drank greedily of her blood like some feral beast…he was a monster…an unholy one at that…and it was only a matter of time before he came for her…

She had hidden inside her wardrobe that night, in the hopes of escaping the 'abuse before bedtime'. She had heard his footsteps on the landing, heard his ragged breath in the still of the night…

It scared her right down to her soul..to the very core of her being…she wanted to escape… to break away from the torture…but alas, tonight she would not be so lucky…

Jason flung open the wardrobe door, a gnarled hand fisting her hair as he dragged her out, throwing her onto the bed. She had quickly learnt that fighting only resulted in more pain…she remained motionless, her body frozen in fear…watching as he unzipped his jeans…she clenched her eyes shut, not wanting to think of what was to come…

A seering, red-hot pain shot through her entire body, her very skin on fire…she screamed louder than she had ever done in her life…her pain reflected in her screams, which echoed in the night…

It ended several hours later…he left her naked and bleeding on her bed, relishing the pain etched upon her chalky face…

"You are nothing more than a weakling…a worthless bitch…just like Dru.."his words cut deep into her mind…and she would carry them with her…for the rest of her days…

"I finally escaped several months later….a teacher saw my scars during gym class….she suspected what was going on and called the police. Up till now, I lived in the orphanage again…It was a tough life, but at least it was better than living with….HIM.." Sarah said, her voice barely above a whisper, tears beginning to form in her emerald eyes.

Trunks held her close, resting his chin on the top of her head. "That took courage…."

"Mmmm….." she sighed and brushed away the tears that threatened to fall. Getting up from her seat, she walked to the balcony and pushed open the double doors, letting the cool, night air sooth her feverish skin, blowing her ebony locks into her eyes.

"It….feels…less burdened now that I've confided in someone…."

Trunks got up and walked towards her, placing a hand on her shoulder. She turned around and looked deep into his eyes, a small smile gracing her lips. He smiled back and slowly leaned towards her, as if to kiss her.

She pulled away and walked out onto the balcony. "Sorry….but…….I think I need to be alone.." she whispered. She raise one hand to wave goodnight and slowly levitated up off the ground several feet.

"Where are you going?" Trunks asked.

"For a night-time flight, I guess….I don't know if I'll be back or not, so don't wait up.."

The lavender haired teen nodded slowly. "Be carefull.."

"I will…I just need…to be by myself for a while…."

And with that, the raven haired hybrid took off into the night, soon nothing more than a speck on the distant horizon….

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To Be Continued

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