Twisted Malevolence

Chapter 2: Declaration and Intercession

Cell soared through the air, with clouds passing by his sides as he flew toward Gohan.

He recollected the events that had brought him from the arena and into the brightness.

'Gohan. That Saiyan. A boy whose friends' and father's genetics helped make me who I am. Their emotions had always been dormant within me, locked away by Dr. Gero. And with Gohan punching me in the head, what wondrous feelings he allowed me to feel in all their glory for the truly first time. Somehow, he managed to damage the tissue that had been so intricately designed by Gero to never allow me to feel the kindness of Goku's smile. Somehow, I was never able to feel the true and genuine desire to help others that Krillin has felt so many times. Somehow, I was never able to feel the benevolent sense of friendship shared by Chaoitzu and Tien. And now, after that boy punched me in the head, I am free. Free from a deeper tyranny Frieza never knew he had imposed. Free from the real hatred that had bound Vegeta for so long, not his disdainful but well-meaning arrogance that lingers. Free from the gleeful malice that marked King Cold's wicked smile as he conquered dominions and ravaged the worlds of all too many innocents.'

He quickly took a breath of crisp, fresh air, then continued in his musings.

'Now, I can look back on the dark and distant day that I killed the champion of this world's future after he had destroyed the other androids of his timeline. I prevented him from having his true chance to stop me and, alas, ended his holy mission. I can feel free to feel deep shame for my actions. That is as any sensible being should feel. No longer am I a monster, despite this wretched and eclectic appearance. I can fight for good. I just hope the others will understand that. Even more so, I hope I'll stay this way forever. There is no guarantee right now that I either can or will, although soon, ... very soon ... yes, it would be excellent if my hopes turned out to be realizable.'

As he deeply pondered the circumstances of his new and broader vision of reality, Cell caught up to the Z-Fighters. They had stopped in their path, with cold, hardened expressions on their faces. Cell decelerated, and came to a halt in front of Gohan.

"What took you so long?" Gohan asked.

"I had short notice," Cell said. "And now that I'm here, I'll embrace what you have planned for me. Tell me, what is it that you want me to do?"

"I want you to shut up and fly between Trunks and my father, with myself behind and everyone else in front," Gohan said, as his aura sparkled with anger. "We're going to the Lookout. I'm keeping an eye on you, so don't think of doing anything conspicuous. Normally, I would never think of bringing you there, but if I let you go now and someone dies because of my mistake, that would mean that I failed yet again. As you can of course understand, watching you is therefore preferable. If you even think about interfering with my plans or threatening anyone, you will be saying hello to Frieza in Hell. Got it?"

"I do."

"Then get moving."

The eight warriors began their collective procession toward the Lookout. Tien, Piccolo, Yamcha, and Krillin guarded the front, Goku and Trunks flanked Cell's right and left sides, and Gohan watched all ahead from the rear.

Never before had Gohan experienced a flight of such foreboding. The air usually felt calm, even soothing, as he flew fast through the sky. Right now, it felt as though it was making cuts upon his features, as would a broken razorblade. He would have to make the wishes quick, and if Cell did not cooperate and instead attempted to threaten the peace, it would mean his father had been wrong. Truth be told, he would have rather not let Cell anywhere near the Lookout, but he planned on using this situation as a test of Cell's intentions. Even though it was risky, he felt it was worth seeing what Cell would do with the Dragon Balls readily accessible....