Bringer of Death

Cell Saga - Part 8: Slice of Life

Cell Saga - Part 8: Slice of Life 

They didn't wait or hesitate; not a single word was spoken. Trunks needed no motivational speech from his father; Vegeta had nothing he needed to get off his chest. 

Already this fight was unlike any other they had ever fought, a struggle against a foe so powerful that even two ascended Saiyans were hopelessly outmatched. From the beginning, both knew hope was out of the question. Yet hope wasn't what was driving them now. 

They were driven by something entirely different, something that could only be described as inspiration. They expected no victory, but there would be no retreat and no surrender. Now, with the seemingly unassailable opponent facing them, they were both glad for the chance to fight side by side. If this was to be their end, both preferred to go out together in a blaze of glory, father and son. 

A beautiful death. To attain such a thing was to gain eternal glory, to be remembered forever as a warrior who refused to back down. For Vegeta, Cell offered such an opportunity. 

There were stories about these warriors: fighters who were brave and noble or bloodthirsty and violent. The Saiyans of legend always made it seem so easy, so natural-as if a beautiful death was the only option fate afforded them. Some, surely, only died out of stubbornness or pride or the belief in something they valued more than life; death wasn't always the only option. But all had taken a stand, foolish or stubborn though it might be, and sold their lives as deadly as possible. 

But the real thing in real life-to accept one's fate and still fight on against death itself-that was the measure of true courage. Neither warrior had any illusions about how this would end. Trunks, though he felt his heart pumping faster than ever, would never stop fighting for others. Vegeta would remain steadfast in his defiance. As long as the other remained, neither would give a single inch of ground. The father determined to show his son one last example of bravery; the son wanted nothing more than to earn the respect of his father. 

The two Ascended Super Saiyans tensed, standing side by side on an outcropping of rock just above the waves. "Tonight, son..." muttered Vegeta, "...tonight we dine in hell!" 

The rock cracked and crumbled into the waves as the two warriors blasted off toward their menacing opponent. Rolling to one side and accelerating, Vegeta fired a burst of golden orbs from one outstretched hand. Trunks charged straight forward, swinging his sword behind him and then forward in a swipe aimed at Cell's neck. For two warriors who were certain to lose, they certainly had a lot of fight left. They were determined to make their last battle the greatest battle of their lives. 

The rapid-fire attacks came less than a foot from Cell before being swatted away harmlessly. As Trunks reached him, the monster ducked to allow the blade to pass just above his head, then fired a point-blank energy blast at the young Saiyan. Expertly, Trunks whipped his sword around, allowing it to deflect the blast easily. Using his momentum, he plowed into Cell with a thrusting kick. 

Cell caught his leg and twisted, spinning Trunks in midair and hurling him away. But Vegeta's own kick smashed into the back of Cell's head a moment later, knocking him forward. The blow hadn't done any significant damage, but it was still more than the monster wanted to allow. Growling furiously, he wheeled and plowed into Vegeta with a series of punches that came too fast and too hard for the prince to block. 

By the time Trunks recovered and rushed in with another attack, Vegeta was already gasping for breath. Cell's blows hurt. Trunks charged, swinging his sword down over his head, but Cell merely lifted one arm to block it while giving the prince one more kick for good measure. 

CHLLANG! 

The force of the impact sent a shockwave through Trunks's arms...but the mystical blade held. To his surprise, there was now an angry gash on Cell's arm. With a furious shout, Trunks swung the sword around in a furious arc, aiming for Cell's center of mass with every strike. Ignoring Vegeta for a moment, the monster turned to block...but each time he deflected the shining blade, it opened another surface wound on his powerful forearms.