Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Thorns Of The Rose ❯ Torment ( Chapter 4 )

~*Thorns Of The Rose*~

by Shasta

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Disclaimer: I a'int sayin' nuthin!

Shasta: Whoo! 9 reviews! I feel so loved! ^_^

Cell: Hey, don't forget that it was I who helped you get those reviews.

Shasta: *rolls her eyes* Sure, whatever…*turns to the readers* Thank you very much for all your kind words of praise! They really mean a lot to me!

Cell: *hands the crazy cat-girl an Oscar*

Shasta: *gasps and clings to the Oscar* YOU LOVE ME! YOU REALLY LOVE MEEEE!!!

Cell: -___- ; Just get on with the damn fiction, you baka!

Shasta: *waps Cell over the head with the Oscar* Oh, shut up, ya dumb cockroach! I'm getting to it! *turns to readers again* Well, here's chapter 4 for your enjoyment. Now, read on and don't forget to review!

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Chapter 4: Torment

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A young girl ran swiftly down a long, winding corridor, her bare feet slashed to ribbons on the broken glass littering the floor… but she thought nothing of the pain. All she wanted was to escape…to escape from her nightmare…

The footsteps behind drew closer, louder…he was gaining on her.

"Relax, Sarah…I'm not going to hurt yooo--oooouu…" a ghostly, rasping voice echoed in the darkness. Tears began to stream from the girl's emerald green eyes as she struggled to get away, her ebony black hair billowing out behind her as she ran…

The darkness seemed to consume her, trying to drown her in an endless sea of black…but she kept on running…

The corridor melted away, consummed by the darkness…the footsteps behind her ceased into nothing , the silence unnerving.

Breathing hard, Sarah slowly took a step forward…she felt thin cracks begin to form beneath her bloodied feet…the sound of glass splintering echoing in the silence…

The floor shattered beneath her, sending Sarah plummeting down an endless black hole, screaming for help…but no-one could hear her…

"Sarah….?"

"Sarah!"

"SARAH!"

Emerald green eyes slowly flickered open, vision blurred in the dim light. She was vaguely aware of where she was, her vision slowly sharpening to show Trunks leaning over her, looking worried.

Sarah slowly sat up, shaking her head. She had endured a nightmare….a memory of her past..

She shivered and pulled her legs up to her chest, bowing her head low as terrified sobs wracked her body. She felt Trunks place an arm around her shoulder, pulling her close to him.

"Hey….what's wrong?" he asked softly, the hand on her shoulder reaching to stroke her hair soothingly. A soft whimper escaped the young girl's lips as she turned her head up to look at him. Her face revealed all her fear, her pair and her sorrows. She could'nt hide it any more, not when it plagued her dreams, never letting her forget her past and move on..silent tears trickled softly down her cheeks, leaving tiny, wet tracks on her deathly pale skin.

"…B…..Bad dream…" she whimpered, nuzzling close to him in an effort to calm down. Trunks' brow furrowed and he gazed deep into her eyes.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Breathing hard, Sarah looked up into his sapphire blue eyes, full of concern and worry. She wanted so much to tell him of her past…to let it out…but she could'nt do it. Something inside of her was preventing her from pouring her heart out…

She shook her head slowly and swung her legsover the side of the bed. She stood up and wrapped her arms around herself. Without looking at Trunks, she walked towards the balcony, pushing the double doors open and letting the cool night air slowly calm her spirits.

She looked up into the moonlit sky, the stars twinkling brightly against an inky black canvas…

<Why can't I forget..?> she thought sadly, feeling fresh tears trickle down her face……

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The next morning…..

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Sarah yawned slowly, stretching her muscles. By some miracle, she had managed to sleep through the rest of the night without a single new nightmare.. The memories of what happened the previous night came flooding back and she suddenly felt like a complete idiot.

<Man…getting upset over a silly little dream? Hmmph….Trunks must think I'm such a loser…> she thought, but there was no kidding herself. The dreams were'nt silly.. they were very real.. memories from her past that she kept bottled up inside.

<Don't think about it..> she urged herself, shaking the thoughts from her head. She sat up and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes, another yawn escaping her lips.

She turned to her right, expecting to see Trunks staring at her, but instead, that side of the bed was empty, the sheets strewn haphazardly over the edge. Brow furrowing in confusion, she got out of bed and pulled on a robe Bulma had loaned her. She exited the room and walked downstairs, wondering what he was up to, when a deliscious smell hit her nose.

Her mouth began to water and she felt her stomach growl in antisipation. It felt like an eternity since she last ate…

Racing downstairs, she rushed into the kitchen and took a seat at the table, watching as Trunks, his back to her, was busy stirring a yellow, lumpy subtance in a pot with a wooden spoon.

"Hungry?" Trunks said , sounding casual but their was a hint of concern in his voice. Sarah nodded and propped her elbow up on the table, resting her chin on the palm of her hand. She watched as the lavender haired teen spooned some scrambled egg onto two plates, handing one to her as he sat down opposite at the table.

"MMM! This is yummy!" Sarah exclaimed with a grin on her face as she finished the last morsils of egg and toast. Trunks, who was sweatdropping to some degree, took her plate to the dishwasher and sat back down at the table a few moments later.

"Hey….Sarah?"

"Mmmm?"

"You can always talk to me if somethin's bothering you…" Trunks eyes darkened slightly as he said this, staring deep into Sarah's own green pair. She suddenly tensed again, insecurity rising up in her chest again. Turning away from his gaze, she glanced up at the clock. It was 12:34 am, which suprized Sarah in the very least, giving that she was usually early to wake…

"Uh…thanks…"she said timidly. Before Trunks could press the subject any longer, she quickly asked what he was getting up to during the day.

"I'm planning a trip to the past to check up on a few things. It's rather difficult to explain….but I'll try.." and with that, Trunks began to tell her of his visit to the past timeline and how he had warned the warriors of that time about the androids and saved Goku's life by giving him the remedy for the heart diease he was destined to contract. He was about half way through his story, when a loud bang from the basement shook the entire house.

"What the-?!" Sarah began. Trunks sighed and shook his head. "Most likely it's Mom working on a gas powered toaster oven or aomething.."

The two teenagers got up from their seats and walked out of the kitchen, down the hall to the adamantium lab door. Bulma poked her head out, looking rather singed but smiling none-the-less.

"Hey! The time machine's powered up and ready to go!" she exclaimed proudly, wiping soot off her nose. She motioned for Trunks and Sarah to follow her down into the laboritory. Upon doing so, the teenagers were greeted with the sight of a huge, domed-top contracption. It was at least 10 feet high and 5 feet wide. The base was a soft yellow colour and bore the Capsule Corp insignia on the side.

It stood on 4 long pikes, perfectly balanced as it towered over the two teens. Sarah stared up at it, fascinated. She glanced sideways at Trunks, looking impressed.

"I take this is the time machine, right?"

Trunks nodded. He turned to Bulma, who was grinning like a Chesire Cat. "When can I test out the new mods?"

Bulma placed a hand to her chin, looking deep in thought. "Well, the device is fully refueled and stocked, so whenever you're ready… why not take Sarah along for the trip? I'm sure she'd jump at the chance to meet Goku…"

The lavender haired teen gulped and glanced up at the time machine, a hint of crimson flashing up on his cheeks.

"Won't that be kinda cramped? There's only enough room for one in there…"

Bulma smirked and playfully elbowed her son in the ribs. "She can sit in your lap!"

Words could not describe how red Trunks' face had turned at that comment….

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Meanwhile….

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A soft whooshing sound echoed around the forrest clearing. A dark green contraption with a frosted glass dome on top landed softly in the thick grass, 4 long, spider-like 'legs' spreading out to cushion the machine. The whooshing soon died down as the engines shut off. A low hiss resounded as the dome top slowly opened. Cell hopped out of the capsule, a smirk across his dark green face. He looked around at his surroundings, consulting the control panel inside the time machine to verify his arrival in the correct timeline.

He smirked again, sensing a large group of high energy signals nearby. "This just too easy…" he said out loud, eyes narrowing to slits as he identified each of the energy signals…

Yamcha, Tien, Piccolo……yes, they would make perfect snacks after his long journey…

Taking to the air, he surrounded himself with white ki flames and flew off in the direction of the nearest city. Landing on a deserted rooftop, he stared down at the street below, waiting for his prey to let their guard down..he watched as Piccolo surveyed his surrounds, looking confused and somewhat wary. He suddenly glanced up, seeing Cell on the rooftop. The android smirked and levitated down to the ground.

"I suspected there was a monster on the loose.." Piccolo said calmly, looking unimpressed. Cell took a few steps forward, smirking confidently. Piccolo may be strong, but he was nowhere near a match for Cell.

"You are either very brave to stand up to me….or very foolish, Piccolo." Cell retorted calmly. His tail swished eagerly behind him as he walked towards the Namek untill they were face to face.

"Who are you?" Piccolo queried, eyes narrowing to slits.

The android smirked, folding his arms over his chest.

"My name is Cell."

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"Goodbye, Trunks, Sarah! Have a safe trip!" Bulma yelled as she watched the time machine slowly rise into the air. The two teenagers waved through the glass bubble top before a loud whooshing noise and a flash of light indicated their descent into the tunnel of time.

Sarah shifted uncomfortably in Trunks' lap, making a mental note to kill Bulma when she returned from the past. Yes, slow, burning death was to come to the blue haired 'genius'. Sarah hated being in confined spaces too long, and althought having Trunks with her was somewhat comforting, it did'nt help to have to use his lap as a chair. With a sigh, she gave up and rested her head on Trunks' shoulder.

He blushed feverishly at this and mumbled something or other. "I'm not making you uncomfortable, am I?" Sarah said, looking up at him. Trunks gulped and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"Not at all…"

Sarah chuckled weakly and stared out of the glass onto the endless sea of colors. She was reminded for a moment of her nightmare, but unlike the dark tunnel in her dream, this was fully of psychodelic colors that seemed to swirl together like something someone high on acid would only see.

"Ummm…I probably should'nt be asking this…but…do you…have a boyfriend?" trunks asked, blushing to such an extreme he looked as though his face was on fire. A snort came from Sarah and she looked at him with amusement.

"Are you kidding me?"

Trunks shook his head in disagreement. Sarah sighed and closed her eyes for a moment. "No, I don't have a boyfriend and for your information, I don't intend to get one. Love is a weak emotion…all it brings is heartache….and pain. Love is meerly another excuse to bleed."

Trunks looked at her as she said this, his eyes searching hers. He could tell she had suffered a great deal in her life-her eyes told him. He was about to ask her about her past when a bright light began to glow at the end of the tunnel.

"Brace yourself.."Trunks yelled, gripping the controls tightly as the light consummed the time machine… with a thunk, it landed roughly on the grass of a forrest clearing, bounced several times and finally fell to it's side, the glass shattering instantly.

Trunks opened his eyes to see where they landed and was greeted with the sight of Sarah lying under him, looking pissed.

"GET THE HELL OFF ME!!" she shrieked, pushing him away roughly. She wiggled out from under him and stood in the tall grass, brushing her clothes with her hands and shaking the debris from her hair. She growled low put her hands on her hips as Trunks climbed out of the machine, looking embarrassed.

"Gomen! I did'nt mean to…um…on top of you….it..it was an accident.." he stammered, turning red in the face. Sarah glared at him, her eyes narrowing to slits.

"Try that again and I'll kick you so hard in the nutsack you'll-" She was suddenly cut off as her eyes focussed on something in front of her. Her mouth fell open slightly and her eyes widdened as she stared in shock at a large machine built just like the time capsule she and Trunks had arrived in.

The only differences were that this machine was dark green in colour and somewhat more sinister looking.

"Holy shit.." Trunks exclaimed, staring up at the green time capsule in shock and awe. He took a few steps forward and surveyed the machine, flicking it with his finger. A loud chink could be heard as he did so, confirming that the contraption was real. He was about to lift the hatch and inspect the inside when he felt Sarah's ki spike. He turned around, startled to see a faint red aura around her body, swaying softly in the wind.

A soft growl escaped her lips as she glanced towards the horizon, were a large city was just barely visable.

"Cell…" Sarah's eyes turned black for a split second. A small purple ki ball formed in her palm. Clenching her hand around it, it turned into a long purple ki blade, razor sharp and letal.

Trunks was about to question her actions when he felt it…that unmistakable evil..the high ki wave…it was slowly rising as the android powered up and this deffinately was not a good thing…

Taking to the air, the duo followed Cell's ki signature to to the city, tracking him to downtown Orange Star City. Landing on a nearby rooftop, the two teenagers watched as Cell squared off against Piccolo, throwing punches and kicks in a blur of power.

Although Sarah hated the android with a burning passion, she had to admit his fighting style was somewhat graceful. It was like watching poetry in motion as he landed blow after blow on Piccolo's body, not even breaking a sweat. All too soon, the mighty Namek had fallen, lying on the ground at Cell's feet. The android smirked and held his tail high, ready to strike. The stinger lunged forward, spearing Piccolo in the arm, earning a blood-curdling scream. With a dry sucking sound, the android began to absorb the Namek's life engery, feeling his own ki grow stronger.

Just as he was about to finish Piccolo off, however, a HUGE crimson fireball flew out of nowhere and slammed into Cell, causing him to drop Piccolo and stagger backwards.

"What is the meaning of this?!" he yelled, looking up into the sky. Hovering in midair, dark red flames surrounding her body, stood Sarah. She look almost demonic as her eyes turned completely black, her ebony hair swaying eerily behind her. She held her hand out in front of her, white flames swirling within her palm. With a shrill scream, she summoned upon an enormous white ball of ki and flung it straight at Cell, who only just dodged in time.

"TRUNKS! GET PICCOLO!" she shrieked, her voice deep and demonic. Trunks nodded and turned super saiyen. In a flash, he grabbed Piccolo and landed on top of a nearby rooftop. The Namek groaned and looked up at his rescuer, one eye closed in the pain coursing through his body. He smiled weakly and muttered a thank you before turning his attention to the ground below, were Sarah was busy pounding Cell into the tarmac.

"Impossible! How did you find me?!" Cell yelled, dodging a round house kick to the head. The raven haired teen smirked and formed a crimson ki blade in her hand, holding it meer centimetres from the android's throat.

"I have my ways….I know what you're planning and I cannot allow you to put the fate of this world in perail." Sarah growled, pressing the blade firmly against his throat. A tiny trickle of dark purple blood seeped from a small wound she had inflicted.

A growl escaped Cell's throat as he curled one of his legs underneath her, kicking her off forcefully. She was flung backwards, but managed to land on all fours in the nick of time. A loud shriek escaped her mouth as she ran towards him, blade held high above her head. However, Cell was much faster and quickly countered with a ki blast that sent her crashing into a nearby building.

"SARAH!" Trunks yelled in alarm, racing to her aid. Cell gripped the girl by the front of her shirt, pulling her to her feet. He locked her in a full nelson and smirked, his tail ready to strike at any time.

"Come any closer and I will kill her."

Trunks growled low in his throat, a hand reaching up to grasp the hilt of the sword strapped to his back. The android was quick to notice this and responded with a swift drop kick to the Saiyen's head, which stunned him for a few seconds, allowing Cell to make his escape. He cackled evilly to himself as he took to the sky, becoming nothing but a blur as he shot towards the horizon, a screaming Sarah held hostage….

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"So, this thing feeds off the androids?" A puzzled Goku said, staring at the lavender haired teen from the future with a bewildered look on his face. He had just be pleasently supprised by Piccolo and the strange boy from the future turning up at his front door. After inviting them in for some tea, he was told of how Cel had come to this time to absorb the androids.. "…And he's taken a hostage..a girl named Sarah who was created just like he was..I think he's planning to use her to get to Dr.Gero's lab…" Trunks explained, his face darkening.

Goku took a long dreg from his tea cup, rubbing his chin in thought. "Man, that's a bummer…is there any chance of defeating this guy?

Piccolo shook his head. "No…even with my power at it's maximum, I was still no match for this…Cell..We are not to under estimate his power."

Goku sighed and turned to Trunks, smiling weakly. "Looks like we'll need your help, Trunks..if this guy is as powerful as Piccolo says, it's gonna take everything we've got to defeat him. Our best bet is to make sure he does'nt absorb the androids..but how are we gonna do that when we don't know where they are?"

The lavender haired teen leaned back against the couch, a sigh escaping his lips. "I guess we'll have to track them from the air. Since they're mechanical beings, they don't have any ki signals. That'll give us some time as that'll make it harder for Cell to find them."

Goku nodded. "Sounds like a plan! C'mon, guys! We gotta go tell Vegeta and the others!"

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Meanwhile…..

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"OOF!" Sarah groaned as Cell dumped her on the hard ground with a soft thud. He was beyond pissed off, fists clenched by his sides as he resisted the urge to blast her into oblivion out of sheer frustration. He had been flying around with her in his arms for the last hour or so, searching for the androids with no such luck. With a yell, he fired a huge ki beam at a bunch of trees, incinerating them instantly, along with a few birds that were unfortunate enough to get caught in the cross-fire.

"GAAAH! I am at my very last nerves! I MUST find those androids soon before I go crazy!"Cell yelled, causing the few birds that were not incinerated to take flight from the remaining trees. Sarah glared at him from her place on the ground, her rage slowly simmering inside her. As much as she wanted to beat him to a bloody pulp for kidnapping her, she was no-where near a match for him in her weakened state and instead settled for throwing a rock at his head.

"OW! Damnit, onna! You are infuriarating me to no end! I am most certainly not in the mood to put up with your games!" he yelled, rubbed his head were the rock had hit him, a small grey welk beginning to form.

Sarah snorted and folded her arms over her chest, glaring at him. "Like I give a shit! You deserve everything you have coming to you for kidnapping me, you bastard!"

Cell took a huge, menacing step towards her. He growled low, grabbing both of her hands and pulling her upright. He created a set of ki handcuffs and bound her wrists tightly together, almost cutting off her circulation. Pushing her back so she fell flat on her butt, Cell sat down in front of her on a large, flat rock, his eyes narrowed and glaring coldly at her as she struggled to remove her restraints.

"You evil creten! I am SO gonna kick your ass when I break free of these damn bonds!!!"Sarah shrieked. Cell seriously considered dislocating her jaw so she could'nt berate him, but on the other hand, if he did that, he'd have no-one to talk to-or rather, insult-as he tried to think of what to do.

They were currently stranded in the middle of a dense forest, trees for miles around, growing close together so that it was almost completely black. The only source of light came from the gaps between the leaves, casting thin beams of evening light on the forrest floor.

Cell let out an annoyed sigh and began to gather rocks and branches to build a camp fire. It was getting late anyway and he needed rest if he was to get a head start on searching for the androids in the morning. All too soon, a cosy fire was blazing in the middle of the clearing. The bio-android disappeared off into the forrest for a moment, soon returning with a dead rabbit in tow. He speared it on a sharp tree branch and began to roast it over the fire.

Sarah watched as he cooked the rabbit, his head bowed as his eyes watched the bright orange flames dance along the carcess. The fire seemed to dance in his magenta eyes too, giving his green a soft, orange glow. He looked almost peaceful as he cooked, no longer angry about not finding what he was looking for. Seeing that he was relaxed again, Sarah took the opportunity to ask him something…

"After you absorb the androids…what happens next?"

Cell looked up from the fire, his eyes searching hers quizzically. "I believe I already told you, onna. I plan to rule over entire galaxys…if not that, the universe."he said, a tone of annoyance in his voice. Sarah scooted up towards the fire, hugging her knees to her chest as she stared into the deep, orange flames.

"You're only doing this to please Dr.Gero, a'irnt you?" she said quietly, her face unreadable as shadows danced along it.

Cell's brow furrowed. He had never thought of his quest that way before…was he really destined to rule over the entire universe as the ultimate being or was he simply a puppet being manipulated to fufill the doctor's own twisted dreams???

Shaking that thought from his head, he growled at Sarah and threw a rabbit's leg at her head.

"….Oh, shut up, onna…"

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To Be Continued

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