Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Dance With Death ❯ A Fire on the Edge ( Chapter 7 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: Angel Katarina aka AC 
Anime/Manga: Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Romance / Action | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 12.19.2004 | Pages: 3 | Words: 3.4K | Visits: 320 | Status: Completed
Anime/Manga: Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Romance / Action | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 12.19.2004 | Pages: 3 | Words: 3.4K | Visits: 320 | Status: Completed
Disclaimer: I don't own DragonBallZ or any of its characters, just Comet. I also don't own the lyrics to the song "You Can Still Be Free" by Savage Garden - they do.
"Dance With Death"
by A.C
Chapter Seven
A Fire on the Edge
---`---,---@
Comet soon had fine-tuned her every thought to a thought of possible escape. How could it be done? True, she had made a deal - but SCREW the deal! She wanted OUT of there before he had the chance to do something!
Running did her no good. Hiding did her no good. Convincing him to leave her alone did her no good. Fighting him did her no good. What other options did she have!?
But as far as she was concerned, there had to be at least ONE other option somewhere out there. It was there, lurking... she just needed to wait for it to hit her. Unfortunately, she had a limited amount of time to wait. She knew that, with each passing second, his lust was mounting...
She raised her eyes, staring hopelessly into the almost cruelly-clear blue sky above. The good weather was mocking her misfortune, she knew it was. Cell had been gone when she awoke, but she was tired of running and hiding. It didn't do her the least bit of good, so what was the point? All she could do was plot and enjoy her time away from the android as much as she could.
'I hope I don't have to stay in this godforsaken arena long,' she mused to herself, glancing around it. 'Its... its BORING...'
'Maybe I could train? I don't think he'd like it if he knew I was training, so I could do it when he was gone, and if by some miracle I train enough to beat him, then I'm set! Too bad miracles don't like me very much.'
'Well, maybe I can make him forget about me. How could that happen? Is there a way to make him NOT like anymore? What if he found someone else? Oh Kami, I couldn't do that to someone... unless they were willing...'
She let out a sigh of frustration, which toyed with the few wavy strands of dark brown hair that had fallen in her face. Did he say he liked her spirit? What if she suddenly became very passive and... dull? She couldn't stay that way for long. He'd only sit and poke fun at her until she responded - which, with her stubborn nature, was bound to happen sooner or later.
'If I made a deal to get myself stuck in this position in the first place, maybe I can make a deal with him to get me OUT. But what do I have to hold against him - blackmail, if you will? He's got nothing to hide or be embarrassed about. Can I keep something from him that he wants? Well... me, I guess, but that kind of works AGAINST me... what else? Power? I can't stop him from getting that. World Domination? Its not mine to give. Well, Frieza wanted immortality - maybe Cell would go for that. And if I can get my paws on the Dragonballs, I can wish for his immortality!'
'Hell, if I get my paws on the Dragonballs, I can wish for him to leave me alone! But are they still around? When Piccolo fused with Kami, did that destroy the Dragonballs? Shit... I think it did...'
"Dammit!" she snarled aloud as the mound of hope building within her was brutally smashed to pieces. "Well, I hope he's happy! There's nothing I can do - I'm LOST!"
She reduced to grumbling angrily under her breath for a few more minutes before lapsing into a thoughtful silence once again. But no, she was thinking in circles. There was nothing she could do but resist him with all her might and pray that he either got tired of it and killed her, let her go, or something came along to stop him.
'Too bad that won't happen.'
With that final miserable thought, she forced herself to stop pondering over a problem that couldn't be solved. As her mind cleared and she stood at the edge of the arena, a few sweet notes came to her ears, carried in her memory's breezes. The words came vaguely, the whispered sound awakening once more to sing to her, and after the tune built in her throat for a few measures, she joined in - singing softly.
"Cool breeze and autumn leaves
Slow-motion daylight
A lone pair of watchful eyes
Oversee the living
Feel the presence all around
A tortured soul
A wound unhealing
No regrets or promises
The past is gone -
But you can still be free...
If time will set you free...
Time now to spread your wings
To take to flight
The life endeavor
Aim for the burning sun
You're trapped inside
But you can still be free...
If time will set you free...
But it's a long, long way to go
Keep moving way up high -
You see the light -
It shines forever
Sail through the crimson skies
The purest light
The light that sets you free...
If time will set you free...
Sail through the wind and rain tonight
You're free to fly tonight
And you can still be free...
If time will set you free...
And the wind, high on a mountain top
In your eye let the wind don't stop
In your eye... oh oh oh oh yeah...
Free to fly tonight...
Free to fly tonight..."
She had barely stopped and taken a breath, gazing out across the rather barren desert land before her, when a pair of strong arms wrapped around her from behind - taking her by surprise. Her entire body tensed instantly, and her eyes widened, as she felt the person nuzzling at her neck. It hardly took a genius to figure out who was behind her.
"That was beautiful," Cell's all-too familiar voice whispered in her ear, his heavy breathing tickling past her cheek. He tightened his grip slightly, hugging her more firmly to him, trapping her more. One hand was playing with her long hair, the other secure about her waist. She sucked in a breath, forcing herself to stay calm. How long had he been there!? Had he left at all, or just hovered above the arena, watching her!?
And how come she neither heard nor felt him behind her?
Her lips parted in a shuddering gasp as he trailed one finger from her chest up her throat to her chin, forcing her to lean her head back. As if somehow amused by her natural reaction, his chest shook slightly, rumbling with his deep chuckles. She gritted her teeth, lowering her chin again and glaring at him as best she could out of the corner of her eye.
"Relax," he drawled in her ear, before moving down and lightly kissing at her neck, "You're so tense all the time, my dear. As if I'd do something to you." He gave a single snicker, and she could see his calm, lustful smirk in her mind's eye, although she was staring fiercely forward.
'Relax - yeah RIGHT!' she thought furiously, breaking out of her momentary trance to struggle briefly - but she stopped almost instantly with a cry of pain as he dug his arm into her stomach.
"See? It won't hurt you to relax," he murmured mockingly into her ear, "Just cooperate and everything will be much easier and much more pleasant for the both of us."
"Shut up," she hissed venomously - to which, her words earned her a laugh as he released his grip on her long enough to spin her around, so she was glaring at him face to face. One hand at the back of her neck, the other free, he leaned down, his eyes truly staring directly into her's. She fought off a shudder - his eyes were piercing.
"Now, now, Comet... as much as I insist, you just won't accept your fate, will you? And, honestly, how bad is it? Isn't that what everyone wants most out of life?" his voice softened somewhat, as he raised a hand, gently trailing it across her cheek, "Someone to love them? It's all I'm offering." He paused, gazing at her, the back of his hand resting at the side of her face, smiling gently, "Its all I want to give you."
She narrowed her eyes, glaring back as icily as she could - in sharp contrast to the gentle, loving look on his face. "Liar," she said quietly, fixing him with her most disgusted look. Cell raised his eye ridges slightly, raising his chin somewhat.
"Oh really?" he murmured. In a flash, his free hand had gripped her chin, and forced her to look up at him, holding her gaze steady. "We'll see about that."
It wasn't until he started to lean forward that she felt the flutter in her stomach of fear. His eyes, as they closed slightly, were glazing over. Comet really didn't like that look on his face. Not one bit. She tried to lean back, but he was still holding her immobile, drawing closer all the while. Her lips trembling, a slight whimper escaped her throat.
"C-Cell -"
He closed the gap between them, silencing her instantly as he pressed his lips to her's. She gave a muffled squeak of terror and immediately put up a fight - struggling and pulling back and doing everything in her power to break free. But Cell held her face steady, and the moment she shifted, his other hand lowered to wrap around her waist. His grip was too strong - again, all her struggling did was drain her energy. The android seemed to be pitched into his own universe. He seemed oblivious to everything around him, just the warm female he held in his arms.
Her chest felt as it if were caving in. He was literally suffocating her - with each passing second derived of oxygen, her muscles relaxed and she was growing weaker and weaker.
And the more he worked on her mouth, the more her soul was wretched apart.
Comet noticed it before Cell ever did. He was utterly lost, consumed in the moment. Her eyes snapped open the second she felt it - a strong energy force ripping through her mind. It was growing stronger by the second... so close, and so powerful, that she could actually feel the emotion propelling it forward. Rage. A blinding, terrible mass of fury was drawing closer and closer to them by the second.
And then it struck. Cell was violently ripped from his little dream world as something collided with him, jerking him sideways. For a moment - his arms still wrapped around Comet - he pulled her with him, but he instantly let her go to free himself for defense. She stumbled backwards, shaking slightly and still weak as she gasped for breath, and then green eyes darted up to see what had happened.
Cell had regained his footing and was hovering a good ten feet away, fists clenched and held up before him, feet and wings spread. He was hovering a few inches off of the ground, eyes gleaming furiously, teeth bared in a scowl that could almost rival the one being worn by his attacker.
In front of Comet, but facing Cell, was someone stunningly familiar - whom Comet had never expected to see again, nor be happy to see again! He, too, was hovering off the arena, straightened up. It was him, all right. The short, arrogant, cocky, black-eyed, black-haired, Sayain prince bastard - arms folded, eyes flashing, scowl in place. Vegeta was back to finish his fight.
"Vegeta!?" Comet gasped, raising one eyebrow incredulously. "What the... why are you here!?"
But, (typical of him), he ignored her, instead staring distastefully at Cell. He didn't say anything or move for a while, as if waiting for the other to make the first move, but eventually he spoke first. "You haven't got the best of me, android."
Cell looked... well, the first thing that came to Comet's mind upon spotting the look on his face, was simply furious. He couldn't have looked angrier if the whole Z Senshi had showed up and taken Comet away right on the spot...
"Comet!"
Speak of the devil and he shall appear.
The earthling glanced over her shoulder at the sound of her name, and was startled to see none other than Piccolo and Gohan crouched at the side of the arena, keeping low and out of Cell's view. As she met their eyes, Piccolo gestured upward. And as Comet followed his direction and looked up, she saw the remaining five - Trunks, Goku, Krillen, Tien and Yamcha - hovering a good thirty feet above and keeping their power levels as low as they could.
She looked back down at Piccolo and Gohan and shook her head once, a hopeless look on her face. "Go," she hissed, "Or he WILL kill you all!"
But the two responded by shaking their own heads. Comet glanced back to Vegeta and Cell, who were still talking. Cell seemed to have forgotten that Comet was there, and he didn't seem to yet realize that if Vegeta was there, the rest of the Z Fighters ought to be, too. Maybe she COULD get away this time...
Cautiously, she lowered her own power level, bit by bit, and then smothered it completely. Cell could feel her power level vanish from his mind, but he glanced over and saw she was still there - and, reassured, turned his attention back to Vegeta. "Get out of here," he growled, "Or I'll rip you apart."
"I'd like to see you try," Vegeta retorted. He tensed for a moment - and then instantly powered up. In a flash of gold light, his hair washed out to blonde, and his eyes glimmered turquoise. "I must thank you for defeating me, Cell - it gave me the power boost needed to destroy you once and for all."
The corner of Cell's lip twitched, and his piercing pink eyes narrowed. He could sense Vegeta's dramatic power rise, and although he was a bit cautious of it, he knew that the cocky little Sayain still couldn't (and most likely never would) have the power to defeat HIM. Severely annoyed by this intrusion, Cell contemplated his options.
He couldn't just take Comet and run like a coward, for he'd never let himself live it down. What he'd really love to do was kill Vegeta and finish what he had been about to start... but he knew it wouldn't be that easy. True, Vegeta couldn't defeat him, but he would be a bit of a challenge. More of an annoyance, really.
Not entirely sure of how well this fight could go in his favor, Cell lowered one hand and charged up a small and fairly powerful ki ball. He paused, watching Vegeta's face carefully, and then flicked it forward. The Sayain prince - without the slightest change in facial expression - sent it spinning away.
Cell closed his lips, nose wrinkled slightly. Perhaps this would take a bit longer than expected.
Comet slipped off the edge of the arena and, keeping one hand on its surface, landed lightly beside Piccolo and Gohan and instantly crouched down. She gave them both a fleeting, questioning glance, but Piccolo raised a finger to his lips and glanced back at the two fighters.
"What's the matter, Cell?" Vegeta taunted, the scowl finally leaving his face to be replaced by his second trademark - his smirk. "Why haven't you attacked me already? Don't tell me you're afraid..."
"If rushing into battle is what you consider courage, then its no wonder you aren't stronger," Cell replied smoothly, straightening up slightly. "I'm merely contemplating how to best kill you."
"Then you're wasting your time," Vegeta retorted, the smirk slipping slightly, "Because you'll never get the chance!" With this outburst, the Sayain shot forward, fists at the ready, teeth bared in a malicious grin. Cell was ready for him, backing up slightly to better meet him, and then the two began an onslaught of parries, dodges, attacks, punches, kicks, roundhouses, uppercuts, sideswipes, double punch, parry, dodge, swipe, dodge! Double kick, dodge, duck, go for the neck, the shoulder, the knee, the gut, dodge, parry, swipe, jab, punch, kick!
"Come on," Piccolo spoke up softly. Comet, who had been watching the battle in rapt fascination, looked quickly around at him just as he and Gohan rose swiftly into the air. She followed, and soon they were out of the fighter's sides and up with the remaining Z Fighters. Goku flashed a quick, reassuring grin to Comet, who was still looking hesitantly down at the fighting below.
"You okay?" Goku asked in a very quiet voice. Comet nodded and looked up, opening her mouth to speak, but Piccolo rapidly shook his head. "Not here," Goku explained, still speaking in barely less than a whisper, "He'll pick out your voice instantly. C'mon, we're going back to the Lookout."
Comet blinked, and then looked quickly between Vegeta's fight and her longtime friend, gesturing questioningly to the Sayain prince below. Her eyes were glittering with concern.
"Vegeta wanted his fight," Piccolo murmured, "We can only hope that he wins, and if he loses, he'll come to his senses to return to the Lookout and not try another stunt like this again," he finished in a growl.
"Or that Cell finishes him off..." Comet caught Krillen mutter under his breath, frowning down at the wild battle below him. Goku gathered the group together, winked in a kind, friendly way at Comet, and raised two fingers to his forehead. Just before it happened, the Earthling woman looked back down to the fight.
And felt something stab into her soul. Cell was hovering, immobile, staring directly into her eyes, a stunned look on his face. But before he could react, or she could look away, the scene vanished before her eyes.
"No!" Cell breathed, his shock being overridden with a wave of rage, "How dare they! Those IDIOTS! They'll pay for this... they will pay DEARLY..."
He looked back down, snarling, to see Vegeta coming towards him from another attack, bleeding freely from a cut just beneath his hairline. The android merely raised a hand, as a flash of gold appeared in the palm and began to grow larger, pulsing. His snarl still fixed in place, he aimed the attack for between the prince's eyes.
"Time for you to bother me no longer," Cell announced, "Say good-bye, Prince Vegeta. You'll meet your friends in Hell."
And way above the clouds, stumbling slightly on her first steps upon the Lookout, Comet's head snapped up as she felt the ripping tidal wave of power consume her, just as Cell's arena was consumed in a monstrous ball of golden light, followed by a wrenching explosion.
---`---,---@
That wasn't too short, was it? 0o Gads, I hope not. Losta ideas for next chappy brewin', so stay tuned! ^^
"Dance With Death"
by A.C
Chapter Seven
A Fire on the Edge
---`---,---@
Comet soon had fine-tuned her every thought to a thought of possible escape. How could it be done? True, she had made a deal - but SCREW the deal! She wanted OUT of there before he had the chance to do something!
Running did her no good. Hiding did her no good. Convincing him to leave her alone did her no good. Fighting him did her no good. What other options did she have!?
But as far as she was concerned, there had to be at least ONE other option somewhere out there. It was there, lurking... she just needed to wait for it to hit her. Unfortunately, she had a limited amount of time to wait. She knew that, with each passing second, his lust was mounting...
She raised her eyes, staring hopelessly into the almost cruelly-clear blue sky above. The good weather was mocking her misfortune, she knew it was. Cell had been gone when she awoke, but she was tired of running and hiding. It didn't do her the least bit of good, so what was the point? All she could do was plot and enjoy her time away from the android as much as she could.
'I hope I don't have to stay in this godforsaken arena long,' she mused to herself, glancing around it. 'Its... its BORING...'
'Maybe I could train? I don't think he'd like it if he knew I was training, so I could do it when he was gone, and if by some miracle I train enough to beat him, then I'm set! Too bad miracles don't like me very much.'
'Well, maybe I can make him forget about me. How could that happen? Is there a way to make him NOT like anymore? What if he found someone else? Oh Kami, I couldn't do that to someone... unless they were willing...'
She let out a sigh of frustration, which toyed with the few wavy strands of dark brown hair that had fallen in her face. Did he say he liked her spirit? What if she suddenly became very passive and... dull? She couldn't stay that way for long. He'd only sit and poke fun at her until she responded - which, with her stubborn nature, was bound to happen sooner or later.
'If I made a deal to get myself stuck in this position in the first place, maybe I can make a deal with him to get me OUT. But what do I have to hold against him - blackmail, if you will? He's got nothing to hide or be embarrassed about. Can I keep something from him that he wants? Well... me, I guess, but that kind of works AGAINST me... what else? Power? I can't stop him from getting that. World Domination? Its not mine to give. Well, Frieza wanted immortality - maybe Cell would go for that. And if I can get my paws on the Dragonballs, I can wish for his immortality!'
'Hell, if I get my paws on the Dragonballs, I can wish for him to leave me alone! But are they still around? When Piccolo fused with Kami, did that destroy the Dragonballs? Shit... I think it did...'
"Dammit!" she snarled aloud as the mound of hope building within her was brutally smashed to pieces. "Well, I hope he's happy! There's nothing I can do - I'm LOST!"
She reduced to grumbling angrily under her breath for a few more minutes before lapsing into a thoughtful silence once again. But no, she was thinking in circles. There was nothing she could do but resist him with all her might and pray that he either got tired of it and killed her, let her go, or something came along to stop him.
'Too bad that won't happen.'
With that final miserable thought, she forced herself to stop pondering over a problem that couldn't be solved. As her mind cleared and she stood at the edge of the arena, a few sweet notes came to her ears, carried in her memory's breezes. The words came vaguely, the whispered sound awakening once more to sing to her, and after the tune built in her throat for a few measures, she joined in - singing softly.
"Cool breeze and autumn leaves
Slow-motion daylight
A lone pair of watchful eyes
Oversee the living
Feel the presence all around
A tortured soul
A wound unhealing
No regrets or promises
The past is gone -
But you can still be free...
If time will set you free...
Time now to spread your wings
To take to flight
The life endeavor
Aim for the burning sun
You're trapped inside
But you can still be free...
If time will set you free...
But it's a long, long way to go
Keep moving way up high -
You see the light -
It shines forever
Sail through the crimson skies
The purest light
The light that sets you free...
If time will set you free...
Sail through the wind and rain tonight
You're free to fly tonight
And you can still be free...
If time will set you free...
And the wind, high on a mountain top
In your eye let the wind don't stop
In your eye... oh oh oh oh yeah...
Free to fly tonight...
Free to fly tonight..."
She had barely stopped and taken a breath, gazing out across the rather barren desert land before her, when a pair of strong arms wrapped around her from behind - taking her by surprise. Her entire body tensed instantly, and her eyes widened, as she felt the person nuzzling at her neck. It hardly took a genius to figure out who was behind her.
"That was beautiful," Cell's all-too familiar voice whispered in her ear, his heavy breathing tickling past her cheek. He tightened his grip slightly, hugging her more firmly to him, trapping her more. One hand was playing with her long hair, the other secure about her waist. She sucked in a breath, forcing herself to stay calm. How long had he been there!? Had he left at all, or just hovered above the arena, watching her!?
And how come she neither heard nor felt him behind her?
Her lips parted in a shuddering gasp as he trailed one finger from her chest up her throat to her chin, forcing her to lean her head back. As if somehow amused by her natural reaction, his chest shook slightly, rumbling with his deep chuckles. She gritted her teeth, lowering her chin again and glaring at him as best she could out of the corner of her eye.
"Relax," he drawled in her ear, before moving down and lightly kissing at her neck, "You're so tense all the time, my dear. As if I'd do something to you." He gave a single snicker, and she could see his calm, lustful smirk in her mind's eye, although she was staring fiercely forward.
'Relax - yeah RIGHT!' she thought furiously, breaking out of her momentary trance to struggle briefly - but she stopped almost instantly with a cry of pain as he dug his arm into her stomach.
"See? It won't hurt you to relax," he murmured mockingly into her ear, "Just cooperate and everything will be much easier and much more pleasant for the both of us."
"Shut up," she hissed venomously - to which, her words earned her a laugh as he released his grip on her long enough to spin her around, so she was glaring at him face to face. One hand at the back of her neck, the other free, he leaned down, his eyes truly staring directly into her's. She fought off a shudder - his eyes were piercing.
"Now, now, Comet... as much as I insist, you just won't accept your fate, will you? And, honestly, how bad is it? Isn't that what everyone wants most out of life?" his voice softened somewhat, as he raised a hand, gently trailing it across her cheek, "Someone to love them? It's all I'm offering." He paused, gazing at her, the back of his hand resting at the side of her face, smiling gently, "Its all I want to give you."
She narrowed her eyes, glaring back as icily as she could - in sharp contrast to the gentle, loving look on his face. "Liar," she said quietly, fixing him with her most disgusted look. Cell raised his eye ridges slightly, raising his chin somewhat.
"Oh really?" he murmured. In a flash, his free hand had gripped her chin, and forced her to look up at him, holding her gaze steady. "We'll see about that."
It wasn't until he started to lean forward that she felt the flutter in her stomach of fear. His eyes, as they closed slightly, were glazing over. Comet really didn't like that look on his face. Not one bit. She tried to lean back, but he was still holding her immobile, drawing closer all the while. Her lips trembling, a slight whimper escaped her throat.
"C-Cell -"
He closed the gap between them, silencing her instantly as he pressed his lips to her's. She gave a muffled squeak of terror and immediately put up a fight - struggling and pulling back and doing everything in her power to break free. But Cell held her face steady, and the moment she shifted, his other hand lowered to wrap around her waist. His grip was too strong - again, all her struggling did was drain her energy. The android seemed to be pitched into his own universe. He seemed oblivious to everything around him, just the warm female he held in his arms.
Her chest felt as it if were caving in. He was literally suffocating her - with each passing second derived of oxygen, her muscles relaxed and she was growing weaker and weaker.
And the more he worked on her mouth, the more her soul was wretched apart.
Comet noticed it before Cell ever did. He was utterly lost, consumed in the moment. Her eyes snapped open the second she felt it - a strong energy force ripping through her mind. It was growing stronger by the second... so close, and so powerful, that she could actually feel the emotion propelling it forward. Rage. A blinding, terrible mass of fury was drawing closer and closer to them by the second.
And then it struck. Cell was violently ripped from his little dream world as something collided with him, jerking him sideways. For a moment - his arms still wrapped around Comet - he pulled her with him, but he instantly let her go to free himself for defense. She stumbled backwards, shaking slightly and still weak as she gasped for breath, and then green eyes darted up to see what had happened.
Cell had regained his footing and was hovering a good ten feet away, fists clenched and held up before him, feet and wings spread. He was hovering a few inches off of the ground, eyes gleaming furiously, teeth bared in a scowl that could almost rival the one being worn by his attacker.
In front of Comet, but facing Cell, was someone stunningly familiar - whom Comet had never expected to see again, nor be happy to see again! He, too, was hovering off the arena, straightened up. It was him, all right. The short, arrogant, cocky, black-eyed, black-haired, Sayain prince bastard - arms folded, eyes flashing, scowl in place. Vegeta was back to finish his fight.
"Vegeta!?" Comet gasped, raising one eyebrow incredulously. "What the... why are you here!?"
But, (typical of him), he ignored her, instead staring distastefully at Cell. He didn't say anything or move for a while, as if waiting for the other to make the first move, but eventually he spoke first. "You haven't got the best of me, android."
Cell looked... well, the first thing that came to Comet's mind upon spotting the look on his face, was simply furious. He couldn't have looked angrier if the whole Z Senshi had showed up and taken Comet away right on the spot...
"Comet!"
Speak of the devil and he shall appear.
The earthling glanced over her shoulder at the sound of her name, and was startled to see none other than Piccolo and Gohan crouched at the side of the arena, keeping low and out of Cell's view. As she met their eyes, Piccolo gestured upward. And as Comet followed his direction and looked up, she saw the remaining five - Trunks, Goku, Krillen, Tien and Yamcha - hovering a good thirty feet above and keeping their power levels as low as they could.
She looked back down at Piccolo and Gohan and shook her head once, a hopeless look on her face. "Go," she hissed, "Or he WILL kill you all!"
But the two responded by shaking their own heads. Comet glanced back to Vegeta and Cell, who were still talking. Cell seemed to have forgotten that Comet was there, and he didn't seem to yet realize that if Vegeta was there, the rest of the Z Fighters ought to be, too. Maybe she COULD get away this time...
Cautiously, she lowered her own power level, bit by bit, and then smothered it completely. Cell could feel her power level vanish from his mind, but he glanced over and saw she was still there - and, reassured, turned his attention back to Vegeta. "Get out of here," he growled, "Or I'll rip you apart."
"I'd like to see you try," Vegeta retorted. He tensed for a moment - and then instantly powered up. In a flash of gold light, his hair washed out to blonde, and his eyes glimmered turquoise. "I must thank you for defeating me, Cell - it gave me the power boost needed to destroy you once and for all."
The corner of Cell's lip twitched, and his piercing pink eyes narrowed. He could sense Vegeta's dramatic power rise, and although he was a bit cautious of it, he knew that the cocky little Sayain still couldn't (and most likely never would) have the power to defeat HIM. Severely annoyed by this intrusion, Cell contemplated his options.
He couldn't just take Comet and run like a coward, for he'd never let himself live it down. What he'd really love to do was kill Vegeta and finish what he had been about to start... but he knew it wouldn't be that easy. True, Vegeta couldn't defeat him, but he would be a bit of a challenge. More of an annoyance, really.
Not entirely sure of how well this fight could go in his favor, Cell lowered one hand and charged up a small and fairly powerful ki ball. He paused, watching Vegeta's face carefully, and then flicked it forward. The Sayain prince - without the slightest change in facial expression - sent it spinning away.
Cell closed his lips, nose wrinkled slightly. Perhaps this would take a bit longer than expected.
Comet slipped off the edge of the arena and, keeping one hand on its surface, landed lightly beside Piccolo and Gohan and instantly crouched down. She gave them both a fleeting, questioning glance, but Piccolo raised a finger to his lips and glanced back at the two fighters.
"What's the matter, Cell?" Vegeta taunted, the scowl finally leaving his face to be replaced by his second trademark - his smirk. "Why haven't you attacked me already? Don't tell me you're afraid..."
"If rushing into battle is what you consider courage, then its no wonder you aren't stronger," Cell replied smoothly, straightening up slightly. "I'm merely contemplating how to best kill you."
"Then you're wasting your time," Vegeta retorted, the smirk slipping slightly, "Because you'll never get the chance!" With this outburst, the Sayain shot forward, fists at the ready, teeth bared in a malicious grin. Cell was ready for him, backing up slightly to better meet him, and then the two began an onslaught of parries, dodges, attacks, punches, kicks, roundhouses, uppercuts, sideswipes, double punch, parry, dodge, swipe, dodge! Double kick, dodge, duck, go for the neck, the shoulder, the knee, the gut, dodge, parry, swipe, jab, punch, kick!
"Come on," Piccolo spoke up softly. Comet, who had been watching the battle in rapt fascination, looked quickly around at him just as he and Gohan rose swiftly into the air. She followed, and soon they were out of the fighter's sides and up with the remaining Z Fighters. Goku flashed a quick, reassuring grin to Comet, who was still looking hesitantly down at the fighting below.
"You okay?" Goku asked in a very quiet voice. Comet nodded and looked up, opening her mouth to speak, but Piccolo rapidly shook his head. "Not here," Goku explained, still speaking in barely less than a whisper, "He'll pick out your voice instantly. C'mon, we're going back to the Lookout."
Comet blinked, and then looked quickly between Vegeta's fight and her longtime friend, gesturing questioningly to the Sayain prince below. Her eyes were glittering with concern.
"Vegeta wanted his fight," Piccolo murmured, "We can only hope that he wins, and if he loses, he'll come to his senses to return to the Lookout and not try another stunt like this again," he finished in a growl.
"Or that Cell finishes him off..." Comet caught Krillen mutter under his breath, frowning down at the wild battle below him. Goku gathered the group together, winked in a kind, friendly way at Comet, and raised two fingers to his forehead. Just before it happened, the Earthling woman looked back down to the fight.
And felt something stab into her soul. Cell was hovering, immobile, staring directly into her eyes, a stunned look on his face. But before he could react, or she could look away, the scene vanished before her eyes.
"No!" Cell breathed, his shock being overridden with a wave of rage, "How dare they! Those IDIOTS! They'll pay for this... they will pay DEARLY..."
He looked back down, snarling, to see Vegeta coming towards him from another attack, bleeding freely from a cut just beneath his hairline. The android merely raised a hand, as a flash of gold appeared in the palm and began to grow larger, pulsing. His snarl still fixed in place, he aimed the attack for between the prince's eyes.
"Time for you to bother me no longer," Cell announced, "Say good-bye, Prince Vegeta. You'll meet your friends in Hell."
And way above the clouds, stumbling slightly on her first steps upon the Lookout, Comet's head snapped up as she felt the ripping tidal wave of power consume her, just as Cell's arena was consumed in a monstrous ball of golden light, followed by a wrenching explosion.
---`---,---@
That wasn't too short, was it? 0o Gads, I hope not. Losta ideas for next chappy brewin', so stay tuned! ^^