Chapter 1: Familiar Faces I've Never Seen

(note: character dialogue will use Japanese-style honorifics.)

"Is the coast clear, Goten?"

From within one of the more modestly sized buildings located on the Capsule Corporation property, two young boys held their breath. A pair of shiny black eyes peered cautiously around a hallway corner, checking for signs of life and finding none.

"I don't see anyone," replied Son Goten, stepping into the hall intersection. "And I don't sense anyone, either."

Peeling himself away from the curved wall that he'd been strafing, Trunks shook his head. "Yeah, but lately my mom's been working on robotics and stuff. If one of those was guarding this place, we wouldn't sense their ki."

"Oh," Goten blinked. "That's pretty neat, Trunks-kun!"

"Yeah, kinda. C'mon, let's hurry."

They trotted down the hall together, footsteps resounding softly in the deserted corridor. Afternoon sunlight filtered in through the rectangular windows spanning the circumference of the building. Contrasting with the relaxed atmosphere on the complex, the children's hearts fluttered in their chests.

Trunks suddenly swung out a cautionary arm to bar the younger boy's path. "Hold on, there's a camera pointing where we gotta go. I'll take care of it."

He darted towards the security camera with inhuman speed. Leaping nimbly into the air, he pushed it with one finger to face the other direction.

"You're sure this is the right one?" Goten questioned once Trunks had returned to his side. "They all look the same..." He glanced at the rows of identical red doors lining the hallway.

"'Course I'm sure. I watched Mom go in here a few times before." From one pocket he produced a plastic key-card and handed it to the other boy.

Slightly too short to reach the lock's sensor, Goten jumped and swiped the card clumsily. There came a low *bzzzt* noise of rejection. Hopping up and down repeatedly, he tried a few more times with the same result. "It's broken," he concluded huffily.

Plucking the card from his fingers, Trunks scanned it himself. With a *ping*, the automatic door slid open smoothly, admitting them entrance.

Trunks strolled past the threshold with Goten following, wearing a slight pout. His dejection melted away instantly upon spotting seven orange, baseball-sized orbs winking at them from atop a cushion displayed on a pedestal in the back of the narrow room.

Approaching the pedestal eagerly, Goten curled his fingers over its edge and examined the Dragon Balls with awe. They were even more beautiful than he'd been told. Although he wanted to touch them, he held back, somehow feeling as if contact with such mystical items was forbidden.

Fortunately his older friend had no such reservations. Trunks seized two of the balls from the pile and stuffed them into the front pockets of his baggy shorts. "Grab some; I can't carry them all."

Goten carefully picked up a ball for himself and stared into its depths with a look of wonderment. Four tiny red stars twinkled at him from the center of the ball. Suddenly two more balls were forced at him by the other boy, and with a small sound of surprise, he tried to not drop any of the smooth objects.

"We should have brought a bag with us to carry them," lamented Trunks, grabbing the remaining two balls and heading back towards the door. "I don't wanna waste any more time here in case someone comes by. Let's get going!"

"Yeah!" Goten was hot on his heels, carefully balancing his three glassy treasures in a pyramid with both hands.

They made a beeline out of the building and onto the back lawn of the complex, greeted by a clear blue city sky. Once outside, Trunks immediately took to the air, mindful to not let his energy create too much noise and light.

Hovering undetected above the Capsule Corp complex, Kintōun was waiting patiently to be summoned. Both hands occupied, Goten used a foot to manipulate the back door shut. "Kintōun, c'mon!" he hissed furtively at the magical yellow cloud. Swiftly, it looped down and hovered low enough for him to hop aboard.

"Goten, when are you going to learn to fly already?" Trunks complained with a disparaging glance at the flying nimbus.

Lower lip protruding in a pout, Goten shifted unhappily in his fluffy seat, aware that his total reliance on the cloud for self-transport was a mark of inadequacy compared to the older males amongst his family and friends. On top of that, Kintōun technically belonged to his older brother, and was merely allowing itself to be borrowed for now. "I want to fly, but nobody's ever taught me! It's not fair!"

"Not even your big brother?" Trunks inquired with surprise, starting to feel a bit sorry for his young friend. "Maybe I can help you learn later."

"Really?" At this, his eyes practically grew two sizes. "Trunks-kun, you're the greatest!"

"Haha, no prob!" Trunks responded cheerfully, basking in the adoration.

They made their way off of the complex victoriously, heading to a deserted area beyond the outskirts of West City. Trunks was capable of traveling a little faster than Kintōun, but paced himself with the magical cloud.

"Hey, Trunks-kun," Goten piped up after a couple of minutes of flying. "I'm worried about our parents realizing what we're doing. They'll be really mad about it," he mumbled, his unruly black hair flapping wildly in the wind.

"Dummy, that's why we're doing it so far away from home!" Trunks kept his eyes focused ahead of him as he spoke, much like his father would. "Besides, our moms can't sense ki, and my dad is busy in space again for a while." He did not voice that his friend's own father, Son Goku, was no longer alive to intervene. "They'll never know!"

The younger boy still looked worried. "But my big brother might notice something."

"You said earlier that he was visiting Orange Star High School today," Trunks pointed out. "That's all the way in Satan City, right? Stop worrying already; we can handle it!"

Deciding to trust his best friend, Goten pushed aside his concerns and allowed his little heart to flood with excitement for what awaited in the very near future.

"Anyway, let's review the plan while we fly," said Trunks authoritatively, holding up his index finger. "So for wish number one, we bring Cell and Freeza back to life."

"And then we fight them!" Goten's eyes sparkled at the very idea.

"Not just yet. Wish number two," the purple-haired boy held up a second digit. "Is the most important part. We need to ask the dragon to make it so those guys can't go on a rampage or anything. Buuuut I'm still not really sure how to do that."

The shorter of the two tilted his head pensively. "What about a password to stop them if they try doing bad stuff?"

"A password, huh?" Trunks watched the ground zoom below them as he considered this suggestion. "No," he concluded at last. "I don't think that'll work. If something happened where you or I couldn't talk, then we'd have no way to use a password."

"Ohhh, you're right."

"That's a good start though. A way to control them and protect the planet, but one where we don't have to do anything..." he mused logically.

Rolling one of the Dragon Balls in his hands and appreciating the way the light bounced off of the stars inside, Goten had another idea. "Trunks-kun, those guys are in Hell, right?"

"Probably, yeah. Why?"

"Well," Goten smiled, pleased with himself. "Maybe we should just have the dragon put them back there if they purposely hurt anyone?"

The purple-haired boy made a sound of approval. "Woah, that might be good. Evil guys get a time-out in the corner if they don't behave!" He laughed openly, doing a barrel roll in the air. "That settles that, then! So, for wish number three? I can't really think of anything else."

"Then," Goten suggested excitedly, "can we wish for a mountain of candy?"

"Ohhh!" Trunks perked up at this. While Goten's access to candy was limited mainly by his family's rural lifestyle and lack of funds, Trunks was allowed only so much by his mother. "That sounds awesome! Let's do it!"

The two best friends laughed and psyched themselves up for the momentous event about to unfold.

"Something else I just thought of," Trunks commented. "We should make sure to tell the dragon to revive them near us, otherwise we'll be stuck searching for them."

"Trunks-kun, you're so smart!" Goten praised. "But I was wondering; there's two of us, and we're gonna wish for two opponents. Are you and I going to fight as a team, or separate?"

"Good point." Trunks contemplated this. "I'm a bit stronger than you, Goten, so maybe I should be the one to fight Cell."

Goten didn't much care for the blunt assessment, but he understood that it was important to have the match-ups be as fair as possible. His inability to fly would certainly be a hindrance.

"On the other hand..." Trunks added thoughtfully, "Freeza was defeated by the Me from the future, and Mom told me that Papa hated that guy. Cell was defeated by your brother. Maybe it would make more sense that I take on Freeza and you fight Cell?"

"That sounds cool too," Goten agreed. "But... you're right that I'm not as strong a fighter as you, Trunks." He was never able to defeat the older boy in their sparring matches. "The first idea might be better after all."

"Well, we'll figure it out when we get there," replied Trunks breezily.

They had been flying for roughly half an hour when finally Trunks declared it to be far enough, and started angling towards the earth to land. Goten followed suit.

Crouching on the dusty ground, Goten carefully arranged the seven balls in a ring by their number of stars, smiling with satisfaction at his work.

Trunks was eager to get started. "All set?" he asked impatiently.

"Mm!" Goten nodded the affirmative and stepped back a pace. The boys shared a look between them, their excitement building, then turned to the precious Dragon Balls.

"Come forth, Shenlong, and grant us our wishes!"

The Dragon Balls began to shine from within, pulsating like fireflies, getting faster and brighter, until their combined light melded into one brilliant golden glow. It steadily grew in size, then suddenly surged skyward in a weaving column of light accompanied by dramatic rumbling thunder. The sunny blue sky dimmed until pitch-black for as far as the eye could see, and the Dragon Balls became the only source of illumination. High above, the blinding light materialized into the sinuous shape of an emerald-scaled Eastern dragon. Stag-like horns adorned his massive skull, and two thick green whiskers flowed like water from either side of his long snout.

The dragon opened his mouth, displaying many sharp, white teeth. "GREETINGS. I AM THE ETERNAL DRAGON. I SHALL GRANT THEE ANY THREE WISHES. NOW, TELL ME THY DESIRE."

This was it! Craning their necks, the boys shouted up to the legendary being.

"Shenlong! For our first wish, we want you to revive the bad guys Cell and Freeza, and bring them here so we can fight them!"

Shenlong did not respond, his huge ruby eyes staring at them enigmatically.

After a moment of silence, the boys grew uncomfortable.

"He's not saying anything!" muttered Goten in a hushed tone.

"Maybe we asked for too much?" Trunks worried. "We might have to drop the candy wish to make this work."

Goten's face fell. "Oh no!"

Trunks steeled his nerve. "What's wrong?" he called to the dragon. "Can't you grant that wish?"

The mighty dragon did respond this time. "IT IS WITHIN MY POWER, BUT..." his booming voice took on a tone of concern. "DOST THY PARENTS KNOW ABOUT THIS?"

"What?!" Both boys' jaws dropped in unison.

"IT'S JUST, THIS WISH HAS VERY SERIOUS RAMIFICATIONS, AND I'M NOT SURE I SHOULD ALLOW IT," remarked Shenlong.

"Hey!" Goten jabbed a finger accusingly at the magical dragon. "Aren't you supposed to grant any wish we make? If you can do it, then you have to do it!"

Trunks jumped at this, nervous about his friend insulting the immortal being. "Mighty Shenlong!" he yelled, "We would be super grateful if you could grant our wish! We promise nothing bad will happen! Really!"

"We can handle it!" Goten added insistently, parroting the older boy's words from earlier.

"HMMM... VERY WELL. I SHALL GRANT THY WISH." The dragon's eyes glowed brightly for a moment as he worked his magic, and the boys clenched their fists in anticipation.

The air before the Dragon Balls blurred suddenly, and the distinct form of Cell suddenly appeared. The tall bug-like man stood stock-still, confusion written all over his features.

"IT IS DONE."

"Phew! I was worried that one wish wouldn't be big enough for both of them!" Trunks vocalized in relief.

"TWO SOULS IS NOT A GREAT NUMBER, AND BRINGING THEM TO THIS PLACE IS A SIMPLE MATTER, AS EARTH IS WHERE THEY DIED," the dragon explained.

"Hey wait!" Goten protested as he noticed that something was off. "How come there's only one guy? We said we wanted both Cell and Freeza to be brought here!" He pouted indignantly up at the sky.

"I HAVE GRANTED THAT REQUEST," stated the dragon plainly.

Cell had not budged from his initial spot. He was still a bit addled from the extremely unexpected change of scenery, and so opted to first observe the new situation before taking any action.

The three of them each directed their attention at the ground not far from the bio-android, to a mysterious assortment of scrap they initially overlooked. Upon closer inspection, certain pieces of the scrap resembled humanoid body parts. A foot, a hand, and an eyeball were easily identifiable.

"PERHAPS I SHOULD HAVE MENTIONED SOONER THAT A FULL RESTORATION OF THIS PERSON WAS IMPOSSIBLE. TEN YEARS AGO THEIR PHYSICAL BODY WAS REDUCED TO SUCH SMALL FRAGMENTS THAT THIS WAS THE MOST THAT COULD BE DONE WHEN REVIVING THEM."

"That's not good!" Trunks cried in dismay.

"We can't fight someone who's in pieces!" joined in Goten plaintively. Boldly approaching the pile, he crouched and curiously picked up a dismembered arm, but dropped it with a shriek when it suddenly twitched and moved on its own.

As the older and more experienced of the two boys, Trunks knew it was crucial that they not wait too much longer to make the precautionary wish which they had discussed beforehand. There was the very real risk that one of the two villains might try to make a wish for themselves.

"SPEAK THY NEXT WISH," ordered Shenlong to the children, as if on cue.

Trunks frowned resolutely. "There's no helping it now. Shenlong, for our second wish, we want you to fix his body and make it all better!"

"VERY WELL."

Again the dragon's red eyes glowed, and everyone watched in awe as the sliced-and-diced body parts of the former Lord Freeza levitated in the air, assembling into a more recognizable bipedal shape before finally coalescing into one whole, seamless form. Piece by piece, the mechanical attachments popped off as if no more than decorations, revealing new unmottled flesh beneath.

So absorbed were the boys in witnessing the alien's reassembling that no notice was paid to Cell, who gasped and trembled on unsteady legs while an unseen force impressed a change upon him as well.

The process was completed in less than a minute's time. Freeza's restored body settled to the ground, where he collapsed loosely amongst the discarded cyborg parts.

"What? What's going on?!" Crimson eyes cracked open and darted to and fro as the alien took in his surroundings. His bewildered gaze landed quickly on the two open-mouthed young boys and narrowed in suspicion. "What are—" his spine stiffened when recognition settled in. The children looked incredibly familiar.

Before Freeza could react to this growing understanding, he was distracted by the presence of the magical dragon directly behind him. "Wha—!" He leapt away defensively, staring up at the towering being in the sky, before trailing back down to the brilliantly glowing orange spheres from which it sprung. His lips parted in disbelief.

"IT IS DONE. AS A SPECIAL SERVICE TO YE, I HAVE INCLUDED IN THAT WISH THE ONE NAMED CELL."

"What does that mean?!" the artificial human called demandingly.

Freeza stared at the strange-looking creature, mind reeling. What was going on?

"Explain what you did!" Cell grit his teeth in frustration when the dragon seemingly ignored him.

"YE HAST ONE WISH REMAINING."

The two boys shared a look.

"Trunks-kun..." Goten whined softly.

"I know, Goten. But sometimes these things just happen."

They would have to give up on the candy wish after all.

The purple-haired boy threw his arms into the air dramatically. "Great dragon! For our last wish, we ask that you make it so Freeza and Cell will be sent back to Hell if they do anything bad like purposely hurt an innocent person!"

For the third and final time, the dragon's blood-red gaze lit up the dark sky. "I HAVE MADE IT SO," he proclaimed a moment later. "ALL THY WISHES HAVE BEEN GRANTED. I BID YE FAREWELL!" His serpentine body lunged skyward, twisting and writhing before vanishing in a brilliant flash of light.

The seven luminescent spheres rocketed high into the atmosphere and hung for an instant, suspended, then shot off in seven separate directions to random corners of the planet. Lastly, the endless darkness blanketing the sky dissolved away, and the sun shone through again.

The boys waved their thanks joyously at the departing dragon, wearing matching gleeful grins. Their plan had—for the most part—gone off without a hitch so far, and they were gearing themselves up to finally fight.

"This is so cool, Trunks-kun!" exclaimed the shorter boy, his fists balled up and shaking with anticipation.

"Yeah," his best friend agreed, relieved that nothing had interfered with the making of the final, critical wish.

Freeza's thoughts were finally achieving some semblance of cohesion, and he belatedly realized that he had just missed the perfect chance at making his wish for immortality. Yet again it had slipped through his fingers, all because he was too shell-shocked to put two-and-two together fast enough. And yet, he couldn't bring himself to feel too upset over it, not when he was experiencing a miracle of an even greater magnitude. One moment he had been in Hell, and the next he was walking amongst the living; whole and healthy. Tentatively he stole a glance down at his own hands, and flexed both sets of fingers, marveling at the sight. The cybernetic left forearm was gone, and instead there was his very own flesh-and-blood hand, just as he remembered it.

His inspection of the dragon's work was interrupted by a deep voice from the bizarre-looking person to his right.

"So you are Freeza." Although the alien's DNA made up a part of Cell's own, contributing specific character traits as well as his fighting style and special attacks, the bio-android had never seen Freeza in his natural form. Now that they stood face-to-face, Cell noted that he had inherited a fair number of physical similarities from the tyrant.

"And who might you be?" inquired Freeza lightly. In contrast to his polite tone, Freeza's eyes were sharp and dangerous; his stance guarded.

While Cell was not worried about the difference in their strength, he decided it best to act with prudence. "I am called Cell. Like you, it seems that I have been brought back to life by these two children using the Dragon Balls."

"Like me, you say?" Freeza regarded the strange creature. "So you were also dead... And if I heard that dragon correctly earlier, he said that we both died on planet Earth. I assume that's where we are now," he postulated, observing their surroundings while keeping a watchful eye on both the spotted green man and the young ones.

"Indeed." Cell turned his attention to the two half-saiyans. He also had noticed the uncanny resemblance they shared with Son Goku and the matured Trunks from his original timeline.

"You could hear stuff while you were in all those pieces? Wow!" Goten gaped in amazement.

Cell spoke up again, this time addressing the boys. "Now, you mentioned something about fighting. Care to explain to us what all this is about?"

"S-sure." Trunks hadn't anticipated feeling this nervous in front of the two super villains, and he strove to not let it show. Although he had never experienced anything like it before, he sensed a decidedly evil quality to their ki, and their energy was immense despite not being powered-up. "We were told that you guys are really strong, so we wanted to try taking you on ourselves."

"Pleased to meet you!" Goten yelled, bowing formally in greeting as his mother had taught him.

"Y-yes..." Freeza was no less suspicious than when he'd first arrived. "You children, what are your names? I'm curious for what reason you would want to challenge the mighty Freeza-sama."

"I'm Son Goten!" exclaimed the younger boy, bowing once more. "I wanna fight you like my daddy did!"

Both Cell and Freeza's eyes bugged out of their heads at the bold statement.

"You are a child of Son Goku, the saiyan from Earth?" Freeza choked out incredulously. Of course! This one was the very image of that hateful monkey! What other explanation could there be?

"And I'm Trunks, son of Vegeta," piped up the other boy proudly, grinning at the astonished look that his revelation inspired on Freeza's face.

With all the unbelievable happenings so far, Freeza was starting to think he wanted to sit down for a moment, and maybe have a stiff drink. But instead a slow, unfriendly smile spread across his face.

"Is that so?" he questioned softly, eyeing the two tiny fighters in a new light.

For his part, Cell understood the situation completely. The boys' explanation coupled with what he had witnessed first-hand more than sufficed. These children, with a foolishness that might be expected from ones so young, had gotten it into their heads to resurrect two of the most fearsome beings who ever stepped foot on their planet, for the sole purpose of dueling them. Cell folded his arms across his chest in a display of controlled calm. This was reckless to the point of insanity, and yet their final wish to the dragon was the perfect safety net. That is, so long as both he and Freeza didn't decide that returning to the Hell from which they came was an acceptable price for getting their revenge against the Z fighters... He glanced pointedly at the diminutive alien, who had ill intentions written all over his porcelain face.

The boys did not seem to take notice. They were rapidly discussing between themselves how to go about fighting their new opponents.

Cell had a choice to make, and intelligent though he was, he would prefer to have some time to think on it. This meant that he couldn't allow Freeza to ruin things by acting rashly. The shorter villain was already raising one hand, index finger pointed directly at the child of Son Goku, whose focus was on his friend. Cell knew exactly which move the other was about to make, and faster than Freeza could react, the bio-android swiftly zipped behind him and slammed him down flat into the ground, one powerful hand firmly gripping the back of the alien's head.

This caught the two boys' attention immediately, and they stopped their arguing to stare wide-eyed at the scene.

Freeza lay still for only a moment before struggling viciously to get his face out of the dirt, limbs and powerful tail thrashing in a frenzy. His muffled protests were music to Cell's ears, and the artificial human felt a spiteful smile of his own appear while watching the smaller being's futile struggles. Even so, while it was no great effort for Cell to overpower the alien, he was conscious of the fact that the surrounding terrain would not hold up so well; Freeza could choose to detonate the area and escape Cell's hold.

It really would not do for the whole planet to blow up just yet. He would have to try and convince the hasty fool to forgo violence for the time being.

"Hey! You guys aren't supposed to fight each other!" Trunks admonished indignantly.

Goten simply stared, his lips in an 'o' shape at this turn of events.

Ignoring them, Cell pressed a knee heavily between the alien's shoulder blades to more effectively subdue the writhing body, and brought his mouth down to ear-level.

"The stipulation of the wish was that we not bring harm to any innocent lives. Do you think you fall into that category, Freeza?" he whispered darkly.

At this, the smaller figure's agitated flailing stilled, with the exception of his tail. The fifth appendage swung up and thudded repeatedly against Cell's back and flank, an attack that felt like no more than an insistent tapping to the sturdy bio-android. Switching targets, the prehensile tail found Cell's wrist, coiling around it like a vice and tugging ineffectually at the steely forearm. Freeza's own fingers dug deep furrows into the dirt, fracturing the land on either side of his head. Whatever reply he gave was swallowed by the earth, rendering his words unclear.

With a final vicious thrust to jam the alien's head further into the ground, Cell eased off.

Instantly Freeza reared up, brows furrowed and eyes watering with irritation. He blinked rapidly and spat out bits of soil, teeth bared in fury. A growl sounded audibly in the warlord's throat as he leapt into the air, red aura flaring. Glaring daggers at the artificial man, he gingerly rubbed the back of one fist against his raw and scratched lips.

"You miserable wretch! I will make you suffer dearly for that!" he announced fiercely, crackling energy already amassing in his other open palm.

Goten watched with growing concern. "Trunks-kun... what should we do?" He turned to his friend unhappily. "This isn't like we planned..."

Trunks was equally at a loss. Stepping between the two powerhouses would surely be a bad idea, yet it seemed that the fight they'd sought would be snatched from them at this rate. Worse still, in the peripheral of his mind he sensed a familiar ki in the distance, growing closer by the second.

Cell once more folded his arms impassively. "You may want to postpone that," he suggested with supreme nonchalance. "Someone is approaching rapidly from that direction." His eyes moved to indicate where he meant. All heads turned to look at the sky, although there was nothing yet in sight.

Freeza, who could not sense energy, narrowed his eyes distrustfully and increased the distance between himself and the infuriating creature. But his doubts were quickly laid to rest when a flying figure soon appeared over the horizon. Two figures, in fact.

Goten's face expressed his sheer panic. "Oh no! They found us, Trunks-kun!"

The other boy was likewise alarmed, but knew there was nothing to be done. They had already been spotted, and could only face the inevitable consequences of their actions.

"I can't believe what I'm seeing," said Gohan, almost failing to reign in his anger at the sight of the two most evil beings he'd had the misfortune to meet, standing mere yards from his little brother and friend. Although he'd been flying at top speed, the amount of time that had elapsed between witnessing the distant aerial dispersion of the Dragon Balls and his arrival at the scene put his nerves on edge.

"Neither can I. This is like a bad dream," Piccolo agreed, forcing a final burst of speed as they flew towards the children and villains. He was immensely relieved to confirm that both Goten and Trunks were unharmed, but knew that could change in the blink of an eye. The normally stoic Namekian tried to quell the fearful emotions rising in his chest at the thought of what Cell and Freeza might do to the boys.

They descended sharply, landing between the two parties and standing protectively in front of the younger Earthlings. The ground trembled beneath the oldest half-saiyan's soles, small pebbles bouncing and clicking together as his yellow aura kicked up the loose dust. Despite being in dress clothes, Gohan looked fully ready for a fight.

"O-onii-chan..." Goten squeaked timidly. He could feel the tension rolling off of his older sibling, heating the very air around them. Gohan had already ascended to his Super Saiyan 2 form, wreathed in crackling arcs of electricity.

Piccolo crossed his arms in a mirror image of Cell, sizing up the freshly-revived individuals with an unfriendly scowl on his severe face. Behind him, his white cape flapped in the wind created by Gohan's aura.

"Trunks," Gohan spoke up, his voice hard. "I know this was your idea. Tell us what happened."

The son of Vegeta cringed at the sound of his name, and needed a moment to remember how to use his tongue. "We..." he croaked nervously, mouth suddenly dry. "We used the... Dragon Balls to wish Freeza and Cell back to life."

"WHY WOULD YOU DO SOMETHING SO FOOLISH?!" Gohan roared, aura flaring up at the same time. The sparks popping around him increased their intensity. He kept his eyes glued to the two tyrants before him, attentive to their slightest movement.

Cringing and shaking, the children cowered before his rage. Goten sank to his knees at the older boy's feet, tears rolling down his face. "I'm sorry, Nii-chan... I'm really sorry!" he keened pitifully.

Trunks' eyes also welled up miserably, but he soaked the dampness up with his shirtsleeve before it could fall. "Gohan-san, I'm sorry too," he managed shakily.

"We're just glad that you're both safe," sounded off Piccolo, similarly keeping his attention focused on Freeza and Cell. "I can't imagine what you kids were thinking to have done this."

Throughout their exchange, Cell coolly appraised the new arrivals. He had not been able to immediately identify the young Super Saiyan who met and matched his confident gaze. The sudden revelation that this was a grown-up Gohan sent his heart racing and horror flooding through his system. At last he recognized that ki signature, and admired how age had sharpened Gohan's once boyish features. This new understanding summoned undesirable memories of his humiliating panic and the astronomical pain he'd suffered during his defeat at this same boy's hands seven years prior.

Cell couldn't pretend to himself that this encounter would end any differently.

Freeza was of the opinion that all Namekians looked alike, and was unable to place a name to this one's face. The slug wasn't even worth noticing though, not when there was a Super Saiyan standing right beside him. It was neither Goku nor the sword-wielding mystery man who had slain Freeza on Earth, but his eyes were identical, and Freeza felt the same paralyzing terror course through his body, turning his insides to ice. Every fiber of his being screamed to either flee or attack and reduce the bastard to ashes. This urge culminated when the Super Saiyan turned his piercing aqua gaze to meet Freeza's. Distantly he became aware that his breathing had grown shallow and rapid. Panic narrowed his vision, blurring the edges. Without thinking, he generated a ki attack and prepared to discharge it at the being from his nightmares.

"Don't." Just the one spoken word was enough to put a halt to Freeza's budding attack. Those electric eyes practically bored through his own, pinning him in place as the teen added levelly, "I'll kill you."

The ki sphere dissipated from Freeza's numb hand.

"Piccolo-san. Take them home."

Without a word, the tall green man grabbed the unresisting boys, one under each arm, and took off into the sky.

Gohan did not watch them leave, his focus unbreakable.

"So," Cell dared to address his mortal foe from a past life, though his jaw clenched when those blue eyes locked with his. "What now, Gohan? Do you intend to ship us back to Hell where we belong? Eliminate us before we can do any damage?"

"What reason do I have not to?" Gohan asked coldly.

Cell suppressed a shiver as he felt tendrils of Gohan's golden energy lick at his bio-armor, so hot it almost burned. Truthfully, he had hoped for his second chance at life to last a little longer than this. There was something simultaneously frustrating and satisfying about being killed by the same opponent twice. At least he could die knowing it was once again at the hands of the strongest individual in the known universe.

But maybe there was a chance to avoid all that. While disadvantaged in his imperfect form, Cell had used every ounce of wit he possessed to wriggle out of tight situations and survive. This was no different. Convincing Son Gohan that he posed no danger would buy some time for him to formulate a new plan.

"What if I could promise you that I have no intention of harming anyone?" He blinked away a drop of perspiration trickling near his eye.

Gohan laughed hollowly. "No one is stupid enough to believe that, Cell." He took a determined step towards the bio-android, and then another.

The crunch of gravel with each measured stride sounded to Cell like the ticking of a clock counting down the seconds he had left. Willing himself not to falter just yet, Cell pressed the issue. "I assure you it's the truth! Those boys made a wish to the dragon that I should be unable to harm innocent lives."

At this, Gohan did pause, his hardened expression shifting slightly, betraying a hint of uncertainty.

Seizing the opening, Cell persisted. "I understand that you would need to confirm it with them yourself, but I swear it is no lie. There was a clause put on our revival, that if we ever injure or kill any innocent life, we'll be transported back to Hell immediately."

The Super Saiyan resumed his steady approach, and Cell held up his hands placatingly. "What can I do to prove to you that I'm being perfectly honest about this?" He didn't dare raise his ki to power up; by the power of the third wish, he would be pulled back to Hell if he tried to fight!

They were now practically nose-to-nose, with Gohan looking up at the taller being fearlessly. Cell did his best to maintain eye contact for the sake of convincing the other man. He did not want to let it end like this!

Without warning, Gohan buried one fist sharply in the bio-android's solar plexus, making his knees buckle under him. The maneuver had been too fast for Cell to follow! Vision swimming, he supported his weight with one palm flat against the ground. It took some effort to resist the urge to dry-heave.

"Sorry, but... dying once wasn't really enough to make me forgive you, Cell." Gohan stood over Cell's hunched form, watching indifferently as the artificial man gasped wetly and clutched at his abdomen. He turned his attention then to Freeza, daring him to make a move.

The alien emperor very nearly shrank in on himself under the heat of the teen's gaze. Freeza had not returned to the ground, and seemed to be weighing his options quickly. A hasty glance at the enfeebled insect-man and at his enemy's flowing blond hair seemed to settle the matter. Freeza's aura ignited, and he flew away in a last-ditch effort to escape the Super Saiyan's wrath.

Gohan was faster.

The next thing that Freeza was aware of was a breathtaking pain both in his chin and tail. He puzzled over the sight of fluffy white clouds spinning dizzyingly in a pure blue sky before his eyes. As a pained groan came from directly below, he slowly pieced together that he was now laying atop that strange green man. The detestable Super Saiyan's polished shoes touched the ground near his head, and Freeza silently cursed the unfairness of it all.

"Hmm?" King Kai parted his lips and looked up in surprise. Someone was calling him. His cricket-like antennae twitched as he answered the communication. "Yes, hello?"

A gravelly voice filtered into his mind. "This is Enma Daio. I have a situation that I want to bring to your attention before it gets out of hand."

The blue-skinned Kai of the North watched Goku shadow box in mid-air. "Okay, I'm like a cornstalk."

"...What are you talking about?"

"I'm all ears!" He snorted raucously into both hands while King Enma groaned.

"Kaio-sama, I need you to be serious. Two very high-profile souls were recently wished out of Hell and revived on Earth. I was wondering if you knew anything about this."

The stout Kai turned away from his saiyan pupil and scratched his nose idly. "Not really. Who were they?"

"It was Freeza and Cell," came the grim reply.

"FREEZA AND CELL?!" King Kai screeched, practically jumping out of his shoes.

In his office at the Check-In Station, King Enma pulled the phone away from his ear with a grimace.

Goku, while not intending to eavesdrop on his mentor's call, couldn't ignore the frantic outburst, and stopped his training to descend from the violet-hued sky and join him on the ground. "Hey Kaio-sama, what's goin' on?"

"Hold on, Goku." The shorter man held up a hand to silence any further inquiries. "Enma Daio-sama, are you SURE that's right? Cell and Freeza have been brought back to life on Earth?"

Goku gaped, getting a sinking feeling in his stomach. Without asking for permission, he placed a hand on King Kai's shoulder so he could tune in to the call.

"There's no doubt about it," the ogre boss insisted. "Listen, Kaio, those two are each responsible for millions of deaths. Billions, in Freeza's case. My assistants and I are bracing ourselves for a massive influx of souls now that those monsters are back in the mortal realm. Something needs to be done!"

King Kai was sweating. "I agree. Hang on, I'm going to contact the Guardian of Earth." His antennae quivered intermittently as he sent out a signal to Kami's Lookout, anxiously awaiting a response.

"Hello? Who is this?" came a young and gentle voice, tinged with apprehension.

"Oh good, I got you. This is the Northern Kai, and there's big trouble going on! Are you able to see if Cell and Freeza are on the Earth right now? Enma Daio-sama is telling me that they've somehow been revived!"

"Y-yes, that is what happened," Dende stammered. "I'm watching everything as we speak. It seems like Son Gohan is handling the situation for the time being, but I'm worried that the Earth itself might be in danger. Even defeated, those two both have more than enough power to destroy an entire planet."

"Oh my. This is not good." King Kai lifted his round sunglasses to rub the space between his eyes. "One moment, I'm going to patch Enma Daio-sama back in. Hello, Enma Daio?"

"Yeah, I'm here. What's the word?"

"I have the Guardian of Earth with us right now, and he's confirmed our fears. Tell him, Guardian."

Dende spoke up nervously. "I saw the whole thing, Enma Daio-sama," he explained carefully. "Two young boys used Earth's Dragon Balls to summon the Eternal Dragon and wish for the revival of Freeza and Cell."

There came the sound of a mighty fist making heavy contact with a wooden surface. "You have got to be kidding me, Kami of Earth! I swear, you Namekians are way too trusting for your own good! Why have you still not gotten rid of those damn balls of yours?"

"I-I'm sorry?" Dende's voice wavered in the face of King Enma's anger.

"That has to be the most evil wish I've heard of," the judge of the dead continued, "and you're telling me that it was made by a couple of children?! There's irresponsible, and then there's this!"

"Now, now, let's not lose our heads just yet," interjected King Kai, producing a white handkerchief to mop at his beaded brow. "Guardian Dende, you say that Gohan is dealing with those two right now?"

"Yes, that's right. Quite spectacularly, in fact." There was a tiny smile in his voice. "They are both already down for the count."

Goku laughed lightly at this information.

The short Kai breathed a sigh of relief. "Well then, maybe things aren't as bad as they first seemed. Son Gohan is strong enough to beat both of those rascals easily! Daio-sama, I'll bet that you can expect to see them back in your office in no time!"

"Ah, about that," Dende spoke up again. "As I said, I am concerned that one of them might try to pull a fast one on him and endanger the Earth. But there is another detail I should mention. For the boys' third wish, they asked the dragon to evoke a contingency plan of sorts."

"What's that?" Goku asked out loud. With his hand on King Kai's shoulder, his words were transmitted to the other two.

"Goku-san? Is that you?" Dende asked in surprise.

"Yeah it's me. Sorry for buttin' in, but this sounds big. What's this third wish you're talkin' about?"

"Right." Dende's tone became more confident. "The third wish was as follows: if either Freeza or Cell inflict any harm upon an innocent, then their souls will both be pulled back down to Hell immediately."

Goku blinked. "Wow."

"Hm," grunted King Kai thoughtfully. "Not bad. So they're kept on a leash by that wish. Clever little sprouts, those boys."

"That's ASSUMING Cell or Freeza don't decide that petty vengeance is worth a return trip to eternal damnation," grumbled King Enma, unconvinced.

King Kai sighed. "Either way, it's out of our hands. All we can do is hope that they play by the rules, or for Son Gohan to take care of them. Speaking of, how's it looking now, Guardian?"

There was a pause as Dende assessed the situation before reporting back. "I believe," he said slowly, "that Gohan-san plans to kill them both."

"Hm. Well that's that," remarked King Kai bluntly.

But Goku was not happy with this news. "Kaio-sama, please let me talk to Gohan! Quickly!"

"W-what?" The shorter man was startled. "Um, okay! I'll get back with you later, Kami and Enma Daio." Focusing his mind, he reached out to the eldest of Goku's children, soon establishing a connection. "Got him," he declared. "Go ahead and talk, Goku."

Gohan took in the sight of two of the universe's greatest terrors crumpled at his feet. Ordinarily, he disliked violence. Sparring was fun, sure, but hurting people wasn't something he enjoyed. That said... this felt really good.

The half-saiyan adopted an unkind smirk. "Running from a fight, Freeza?" he taunted, eyes cold. "I guess there really is a first time for everything."

Cell had rolled Freeza's dazed form off of himself and was struggling to recover from the crippling blow. Breathing loudly, the bio-android wiped the saliva from his lips and forced himself to stand. His legs were shaking, and not simply from pain. It occurred to him that Goku's Instant Transmission technique was ideal for this exact scenario, but to his dismay he found he was unable to properly concentrate. Utilization of the tactic necessitated that he focus on an individual's ki signature to act as a spatial reference, and Cell's frazzled brain could only keep coming back to the Super Saiyan standing before him.

Gohan, as he did seven years before, was teaching the Perfect Being to know fear.

Not uttering a word of complaint at either the boy's mocking or Cell's unsympathetic treatment, Freeza shakily propped himself up on all fours and delicately inspected his possibly fractured jaw with one hand. His tail lay uncharacteristically limp.

"This is insane," Freeza panted under his breath, hiding a grimace. Why? Why was it always these Super Saiyans who appeared to suddenly pull the rug out from under his feet? Not just one, but three of them now! Certainly he had considered while he was imprisoned in Hell that his enemies would continue to increase in strength and number, but this was beyond reason—the monkey brat wasn't even fully grown!

"Alright," Gohan stepped forward purposefully. "It's time to end this."

Goku's voice in his head stopped him in his tracks. "Gohan, wait!"

The teen jerked as if struck by lightning, and looked around in astonishment. "F-father?"

The older saiyan spoke with urgency. "Yes, Gohan, it's me. Kaio-sama is lettin' me speak to you directly. Listen, I know all about the situation you're facin', and I wanna tell you that you don't have to do this."

King Kai's voice chimed in, loaded with trepidation. "Goku, what are you saying?"

"What are you saying, Father?" Between the heated blood pounding in his ears and the physical presence of the two most loathsome individuals from his childhood, Gohan was half inclined to ignore his father's suggestion without another thought.

Cell was looking at Gohan like the boy had gone mad. By now his strength had recovered enough to stand upright. With the Super Saiyan seemingly distracted by something, should he gamble his life and attempt to flee while he had the chance? Casting a calculating glance at Freeza, Cell wondered if the little alien could somehow serve as a sacrificial lamb to aid in his retreat.

Gohan felt Goku taking a deep breath before continuing. "I think you shouldn't kill Freeza and Cell."

"WHAT!" shouted King Kai, almost pulling away from Goku's hand and severing the connection. "Goku, what are you talking about? Why should he spare those troublemakers?"

Gohan hesitated, feeling torn. This was the first instance in the seven years since Goku's death that he had made any contact with his son, and it was to ask that he spare these miscreants? Gohan had to know why. "Dad, unless you can give me a really good explanation, I won't be able to agree to that. Cell and Freeza are irredeemably evil individuals. No good can come from leaving them alive."

"That's right!" agreed King Kai, twisting to shoot a disbelieving glare at Goku.

Goku ignored him. "Well here's the thing, Gohan. I ain't so sure that's totally true. In extreme circumstances, people can change! It happened to me, and to Piccolo, to Tenshinhan and Chiaotzu, and even Vegeta and Androids 17 and 18!"

"I think," Gohan ground out, now feeling more angry than confused, "that it's a little bit different with these two." He had not missed the subtle shift in Cell's stance that suggested the bio-android was about to attempt some gambit. Gohan resolved to shut the scumbag down before then.

"Who are you talking to?" Freeza suddenly barked at him petulantly.

Gohan barely spared him a glance. "I'm talking to my father."

Freeza's brows knit superciliously. "You are also a child of that Son Goku, correct? You claim that he is speaking with you right now? I don't hear anything!" He clenched his fists in vexation when the teen paid him no mind.

Cell was less surprised at this admission, having witnessed Gohan and his father engage in a telepathic conversation once before. Unlike back then, he would not delude himself that this was a sign of Gohan's slipping sanity. But what could Goku be telling the boy, and how might their discussion affect Cell's chances of survival?

"All I'm sayin'," Goku maintained, "is I think you should give 'em a chance, an opportunity to change for the better. Are they fightin' you back?"

Gohan blinked. It was true that neither of them had tried to take the offensive against him, endeavoring instead to bargain or retreat. Having managed to pull themselves together, it seemed they were simply waiting, tense and anxious, to see what Gohan would do next.

"N-no. They're not."

"And are you sure you're not just lettin' the rage from Super Saiyan 2 control your emotions and affect your decisions?" pushed his father. "Are you takin' it out on 'em cuz you're scared for your family and friends?"

"E-even so," Gohan argued. "These two are genocidal maniacs who love to hurt people! That's one thing that will never change, and they deserve to die!"

A familiar, sickly sense of powerlessness weighed down on Freeza. Feverishly, he wondered if he'd never truly left Hell, and all this was yet another nightmarish illusion designed to torment him.

"Gohan, please listen to me." Goku's voice softened through the link. "You're not a killer. Endin' someone's life, someone who doesn't wanna fight anymore, is wrong. If killin' 'm is really the only option, then so be it, but if there's any other way, then I think you should take it."

The half-saiyan's thoughts were in a whirl. "Cell's saying..." he mumbled, "that... that Trunks and Goten made a wish to prevent them from hurting anyone."

Goku's nod was perceptible to Gohan. "He's right, they did. If either of those guys hurt anybody who don't deserve it, they BOTH get kicked outta their bodies and sent right back to Hell."

"Then it was the truth," Gohan murmured, staring at Cell, who returned his gaze steadily.

"Yeah. So tell me, Gohan, what's your decision? Now that we've heard each other out and have our facts straight, I wanna know what you think. It's in your hands, all of it, and you got the final say on it."

"I..." Gohan hesitated, saiyan instincts at war with his human heart. The power of SSJ2 was intoxicating; an intense thirst for violence that escalated into a constant buzzing itch throughout his mind and body, fueled by the presence of weakened foes. It was both terrifying and exhilarating, and he lusted to hurt more, break more, kill more—to utterly annihilate his enemies.

Just as strong, though, or perhaps even stronger, was his desire to heed his father's request. For seven years he had borne the guilt of knowing that Goku's death was the direct result of disregarding his father's intuition during the fight with Cell. He'd been faced with a choice, and he'd chosen wrong. Goku willingly paid for his son's mistake. Gohan feared for who would pay this time if he chose wrong again.

Pressing his lips together, he let out a shaky exhalation through his nose. Calm.Calm.Just like Piccolo-san taught.

"My father wants me to let you two live," he imparted to his captive audience.

"—!" Freeza was momentarily lost for words, but quickly recovered. This couldn't be one of Hell's tricks; hope never played any role in his dreams. "The saiyan warrior still wants to show me mercy?" He uttered a low chuckle at the soft fool's expense. "How very like him. It's nice to know there are some things that don't change despite the passage of time." Perhaps this would work out in his favor after all.

"But for what purpose?" asked Cell suspiciously, no longer entertaining thoughts of escape. Surely the adult saiyan didn't simply want a rematch? That seemed ludicrous, but then again, it was Goku.

"He's asking me to let you off the hook in order to see if you can turn over a new leaf and become better people. Frankly, I have my doubts that you're capable of that." The last words came out as a growl.

"Rightfully so." Cell played devil's advocate. "You have no reason to believe we would ever change our evil ways, and why take the risk? It would be wisest to simply dispose of us here and now."

"Why are you saying this?" hissed Freeza viciously, already in a cold sweat. "Do you want to die, you fool?!"

Cell laughed derisively. "This is coming from the idiot who tried to assassinate Goku's youngest son mere minutes after he had brought you back to life. If the boy's father himself cannot convince Gohan to let us live, then what makes you think that you or I can?"

Freeza grit his teeth and glowered. "Between being killed by another Super Saiyan, or blowing up this rock and sending myself to Hell, I think I know which I prefer."

Cell honestly had to agree, and similar to Freeza, he might be able to actually survive a planetary explosion, if only via regeneration. So long as the pathetic alien was the one to perform the deed, Cell himself would not suffer the consequences of the third wish.

But... the dragon's words from earlier worried him. What did it mean to be "included" in the second wish? Again he cursed the overgrown snake for not elaborating on that essential detail. An unwelcome vicissitude had most definitely been inflicted upon his person with that wish; he felt the violation, but a full diagnosis would take more time. If there were any chance that he'd lost his ability to regenerate from his core, then he could not permit Freeza to make good on his threat. The risk to Cell's own life was too great.

It was then that Gohan opened his mouth.

"I've decided."

The bio-android and the alien swallowed in apprehension.

King Kai swallowed along with them.

The moment stretched on as Gohan eyed the two tyrants silently, his expression unreadable.

At last, just as Freeza thought he would scream out in frustration, the half-saiyan spoke again.

"I'll honor my father's request and spare your lives for now." He almost couldn't believe his own words, but there was no denying his father's accusation that SSJ2 was impacting his rationale. This time, he wouldn't let emotions like arrogance and sadism outweigh reason and faith in other people. Perhaps deep down he had wanted an excuse to not bloody his hands, and to at least partially repay his father for his past mistakes.

Even so, killing them would be so much easier.

"Ain't that great, you two?" Goku's cheerful voice suddenly resounded in everyone's minds.

Freeza jolted, hands eclipsing his ears as if to block out the voice of his most hated foe.

Cell's jaw dropped for only a moment before he composed himself with a stern frown.

"You guys should be really grateful that Gohan agreed to go along with my selfishness," Goku continued. "I hope you won't make us regret showin' mercy to you. This is an amazin' chance for you two to start all over and live decent lives. Don't waste it now!"

Gohan could not bring himself to share in his father's satisfaction. After all, telling everyone else this news would be no easy task. The teen mentally steeled himself for the ordeal that loomed in his immediate future. "Cell. Freeza." He waited until he was sure he had their full attention. "The two of you are going to accompany me to Bulma-san's house. Try anything funny, and I'll rethink my decision, understand?" He lifted into the air and waited for them to follow course.

Gohan did not release his Super Saiyan 2 transformation. He flew backwards the entire length of the trip, carefully monitoring the former tyrants for the slightest hint of insurrection.

Once more, his peaceful life had been disrupted.

Thank you very much for reading my story. I began writing it all the way back in April of this year, and have finally found the nerve to post it online for others to see. It's a very long story, not yet finished, but I am striving to see it through to the end.

Originally uploaded 10/5/2015, Edited 12/5/2019