Redemption's Side

Disclaimer:Dragonball Z and all its characters © Akira Toriyama, BIRD STUDIO/SHUEISHA, TOEI Animation. Licensed by FUNimation Production, Ltd. All Rights Reserved

Disclaimer 2: All fictional characters © Eileen Ayling Setiawan (author) and any aliases she assumes (H-san, Hina-chan, etc…)

Author's Note: This takes place after the first part of Masshiro na Yuki: Pure White Snow, my fanfiction about Kinoko, the female Saiya-jin. It's a filler of sorts.

Author's Note 2: This was inspired by vege-chan.

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HIS SIDE

Chapter Fourteen: The Makeover

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The Homeless Man: The Homeless Man (or "Bum" as he is called in the story) plays a major, though not central, role. He was the first human to greet Cell at his neighbourhood with more than a dirty glare or underhanded remark and is possibly the most decent human being on the block. As the Homeless Man, he can be dirty, smelly and a little bit crazy, but he is a loveable guy with a genuine heart-of-gold. After this chapter, his accommodation is made a little more liveable as Cell gives him his old television, which actually works better on ground floor than high above in Cell's apartment, his old couch, and the old bed. The Homeless Man also has Cell's old pillows and the stuff from his makeshift bed, though Cell doesn't discover this gift until much later.

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The next day, after school, Cell headed for the BMXpress for his first day of work. That morning, before school, he had found his gear on the kitchen table. More than likely, Jaena had bought it, knowing Cell would refuse to buy something ridiculous. Before going to work, Jaena had then forced the gear onto Cell, Cell screaming profanity much like when she had stripped him of his clothes before forcing him in the shower. Finally reaching the familiar courier building, Cell merely stared at it, a look of dread on his face. His heart then skipped a beat as someone blew on his ear from behind. Whirling around, he came face-to-face with the small boy known as Ulya. Ulya smiled at him.

"Hello there," he said. "Are you going to enter?" he gestured to the building.

Cell, who found the boy creepy at the very least, stared between him and the building. After some silence, Ulya continued to speak: "After you."

Cell grimaced down at the boy, unmoving. The boy, however, continued to stare at Cell through emotionless, unblinking eyes. Slowly, Cell then turned around and entered the building. Walking in, Cell could feel the anger boiling in his stomach at being pushed around by the younger, much younger, boy, and upon entering, Cell whirled around to give lip to the young boy, eyes widening as he found the boy gone.

"I'm over here," came his voice from Cell's left.

Cell, once again, whirled around to get face-to-face with Ulya, wondering how the boy managed to disappear and reappear so easily. Ulya looked at Cell expectantly. When Cell, once again, could not say anything, Ulya nodded towards his gear. "It looks very nice on you Jinzouningen-san," he commented. He then turned and… floated away.

Cell stood dumbstruck at the entrance, wondering why that boy had such a strange power over him. Growling in frustration, he then walked to his locker, Locker 96, grumbling about stupid boys, ogres, gods and everything else.

Work finished, Cell looked at the envelope in his hand. Apparently, the workers got paid their paycheck at the end of the work day instead of the usual week. It didn't matter Cell at all however as he flipped through the green paper.

"That should settle a bike, doncha think? Or do you need to pay for something else?" came the voice of that girl, Romana.

Cell turned with the usual irritated look on his face. Romana smiled at him, unfazed by the look. "I can do whatever the hell I want with this," replied Cell.

Romana shrugged. "I'm just giving you some advice. The bike you're using is old, and let's face it, hard to pedal. Your shins must be sore."

Cell remained glaring, though that human part of him instilled via Yama was aching, his body's shins burning from the sheer amount of force, exertion and energy consumed just to push the bike from location-to-location. Cell told himself he was only doing the job for the yen, though a part of him knew it was because, secretly, Jaena could be a scary ogress when confronted…

"I don't need your advice," repeated Cell, trying to ignore the thoughts crossing his mind. "Goodbye." With that, Cell turned and walked out of the building, hearing Romana yell:

"SERU HAS LEFT THE BUILDING!"

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Seeing the usual decrepit building he called home, Cell walked to the front door, though was stopped as someone grabbed his shoulder. Cell was about to smack said someone in the face for touching him but stopped as the familiar smell of unwashed breath and sour urine filled his nostrils. The itinerant man that lived in the alleyways of Cell's building had grabbed him, smiling his stained teeth at him.

"Yo man," he greeted amiably.

Cell did not reply, merely staring at him and trying not to gag. The man ignored his expression, even going so far as to not recognising it as disgust, and turned to the building, looking up. Cell looked up also, seeing the destitute man was looking up at his apartment.

"Some purple-haired dude and his two friends went into your apartment I think. They've been lugging stuff down into the street. S'ok if I take some? Your television looks purty good."

Cell's eyes widened as he realised what the man was saying, and snatching his shoulder away from the man's raggedy-gloved hand, bolted into the apartment building.

"I'LL TAKE THAT AS A YES, MAN!" heard Cell as he made his way to the stairs and up to his apartment floor.

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Reaching his floor, exhausted and his shins burning more than before, Cell looked livid as he saw many men in his apartment, wearing work wear bearing the Capsule Corporation insignia. He could hear indistinct voices in his apartment, saying indistinct words. However, as he neared his apartment room, he then heard the familiar voice of the purple-haired hybrid Saiya-jin yelling orders to the men inside. Meanwhile, Aisu sat on the counter of the kitchen, Goten standing nearby as he leaned on the table. Upon Cell entering, Goten turned and greeted the owner of the apartment.

"What is going on?" asked Cell, his voice dangerously low.

Goten laughed, walking over. "Trunks-kun felt so guilty he decided your apartment needed a makeover!" he chirped, smacking Cell on the back, causing the green-haired now-human man to go sprawling onto the floor from the sheer force of Goten's unrestrained smack. Goten laughed again, a nervous one, as he chimed: "Eh, I dunno my own strength."

Cell, sprawled on the floor, got to his hands and knees, his face contorted in frustration at his weakness and rage at the current situation as he sarcastically mumbled through gritted teeth: "Yeah, I bet…" As he got up, Goten trying to assist him, Cell looked to Trunks, who had just told two workers to grab the fetid, soiled bed. Trunks then turned as Goten made his best friend aware of the apartment owner's presence. Trunks gave a smile and saluted Cell as he saw him, unable to recognise the angry look on Cell's face.

"Yo Seru. I felt bad, so I decided to –"

"Makeover my apartment?" asked Cell, trying to keep his voice restrained.

"Yeah, how'd you know?" asked Trunks, grinning.

"Your dolt of a best friend here told me," answered Cell, still restraining his voice.

Goten looked slightly insulted at the remark whilst Trunks gave a chuckle. "It needed one anyway," he answered. "Your bed's literally full of crap and I have no idea if that couch and television are even useable."

"I. Don't. Need. ANY. Of. Your. Damn. Hospitality!" spat Cell, punctuating each word.

Trunks laughed. "Too late buddy. All loaded in." Trunks jabbed his thumb behind him, signalling to the scattered furniture and appliances laying about the apartment. "We just need to install my good stuff in and toss your crap out."

Cell opened his mouth to say something, though Trunks had already turned to the workers, who were busy inspecting the dirtied bed. Goten had walked up beside Trunks, standing and watching the workers. Cell felt his anger mounting at being ignored, but a tap on the shoulder had him face-to-face with Aisu. She smiled at him, a reassuring smile.

"You gotta calm down Seru. They mean well, really," explained Aisu.

Cell, feeling a wave of defeat come over him, resigned to his fate as he growled and crossed his arms in a display of stubbornness. He merely watched as the workers grabbed the bed, disgusted looks on their faces. They were wearing gloves, and Cell had a feeling they would be burning those later.

"Where do you want us to put this, Briefs-san?" asked one worker as the other tried not to involuntarily gag.

Trunks was about to tell them to do the sensible thing and carry it down the stairs, though Cell interrupted him with: "Chuck it out the window."

All eyes turned to the owner of the apartment, eyes wide.

"What?" snapped Trunks looking livid. "You can't do that. What if it –"

"There's no one living out there but that homeless bum," interrupted Cell, finding comfort in retorting to Trunks' protests. It made him feel just that bit superior. "Just throw it out the window. He doesn't even live on my side of this damn building."

The workers exchanged glances, but shrugging, and wanting any excuse to get rid of the dirtied, rancid-smelling bed, shuffled over to the window, much to Trunks' protests, and threw it out. The room went silent, all ears straining to hear the sound of a man screaming. All they heard was a crash as the bed collided with the cement floor of the alleyway. Trunks, Goten and Aisu walked to the window, Cell sauntering over soon after. All four looked down, seeing the bed in a heap, the frame broken but, miraculously, the mattress still intact, despite the waste that still clung to it. They then saw a man round the alley corner, seeing the bed.

"Ah, here we go," mumbled Trunks, a worried expression crossing his handsome features.

However, his expression changed to surprise as the man looked up at them, both Trunks and Goten's slightly-more-than perfect vision seeing him grinning up at them. The other two saw the small figure waving. All four of them heard: "Thanks man!"

"See," exclaimed Cell, rounding and going back to where he had previously been standing. "No problem."

The workers, who were now sweeping the area that had once been below Cell's now-gone bed, looked up at Trunks as he told them to pick up the couch. The workers walked over to the couch but stopped as they saw how it looked – stained in something red.

"Sir… Briefs-san…" began the workers.

"Ah c'mon," interrupted Trunks, looking sceptical. "Can't be that bad!"

The workers once again exchanged glances, but following orders, went on either side of the couch and picked it up. They screamed and dropped the couch as what seemed like hundreds of insects crawled out from underneath it, going this way and that. Upon seeing the horde of insects Aisu screamed just as the workers did and jumped on the nearest person – that being Goten.

"Cockroach!" screamed Aisu. "Kill it, kill it!"

Cell looked down, seeing the bugs crawling this way and that. Trunks was also looking down, a disgusted expression on his face but otherwise unaffected. Most of the insects crawled into small niches in the walls, escaping, but one particular insect, the same that had caused Aisu to jump in fear, was still crawling this way and that, confused at the sudden loss of its home. As it crawled towards Cell, he lifted his leg to stomp on it but was beaten to the punch as Trunks stamped down on it, the roach dying with a sickening crunch. He then made a sound of disgust as he rubbed his shoe on Cell's apartment floor, mumbling about the shoes he was currently wearing being new.

"S-sir," began a worker, developing a stutter after his previous run-in with the "attack of the bugs". "W-we're sorry, but we can't wo-work in th-these conditions."

Trunks sighed, scratching his chin. "Ok, fine then," he sighed. "Go home. Thanks for doing what you've done. I'll send your paycheck via mail."

The workers bowed then made a visible retreat as they exited the building. Now just four people remained – Trunks, Goten, Aisu and Cell. Trunks stared at the couch. "Well, looks like it's me and you Goten," said Trunks.

Goten shrugged. "No problems there. Don't mind getting my hands dirty," said Goten, smiling genially at Trunks. Walking to one end of the couch, Goten waited for his best friend to go to the other end, which he did. However, as Goten bent down and grabbed one end, Trunks looked a little uncertain.

"Is that blood?" asked Trunks as he finally got a closer look at the couch.

"Probably…" answered Cell.

"Wh-what?" asked Trunks, looking surprised.

"Hurry up!" whined Goten.

Trunks made a face, but grabbed hold of the other end. However, as both lifted the couch up, Trunks let go, his face contorted in shock. For a split second, Cell saw the couch single-handedly being carried by Goten only, though Goten made sure to slacken his strength on the couch and let it drop to the floor.

"Trunks-kun!" yelled Goten, standing up straight as he glared at Trunks.

"Th-there's a chalk-outline there!" remarked Trunks, pointing to the couch.

"What?" asked Aisu, looking just as surprised.

Trunks grabbed the couch, pulling it backwards to reveal just what he had said. A chalk-outline of a person lay on the floor, arms and legs sprawled. It seemed the gaps between the floorboards were stained with red blood.

"What the Hell?" exclaimed Aisu, eyes wide.

All three people in the room turned to Cell, who looked at all three sceptically. "What? I only got the apartment a few weeks ago."

"Damn, Seru. It's no wonder the rent is next-to-nothing and the facilities are crap. Your living in a friggen serial killer's apartment!" exclaimed Trunks, looking slightly horrified.

"I think that's pretty cool," commented Goten, smiling slightly.

Trunks glared at Goten. "You would," he said, shaking his head.

Goten looked defensive. "What?" he exclaimed, looking between the three.

"Hurry it up," snapped Cell, getting sick of the two Saiya-jins and their constant tangents and bickering.

Trunks held his hands up defensively as he said: "Yo, Seru, I'm not touching a damn couch that's probably been used for murder, torture or worse…"

Cell glared at Trunks, though Trunks remained unswayed as he walked away from the couch and towards Aisu. Cell growled, a low frustrated growl, and walked to where Trunks was previously standing. "Damn Saiya-jin," he muttered as he grabbed the other end, Goten more than willing to help his fellow classmate. As both hoisted the couch up, Cell in awe at how heavy the couch seemed, both teenagers lugged it over to the window.

"Again?" asked Trunks, looking incredulous. "What if he's down there?"

"He'll be fine," snapped Cell, hoisting his end of the couch on the windowsill. He then let go, grabbing hold of the side and tugging it out, where Goten managed to let go of his end in time. The couch fell, another crash resounding just like the bed before it. Once again, all four looked down to inspect the damage. The couch's right hand side was crushed in, but the left, like the mattress, remained miraculously intact. As it had crashed to the floor, it had fallen over, once again in its neutral position. It had missed the bed by inches. The homeless man, whom had crossed around to the front of the building during their tossing, came around once again, Trunks and Goten seeing an expression of joy on the man's face.

"Thanks man!" he said once again, waving up towards them.

Cell walked back to where the couch once was followed by Trunks. As he returned, he saw the unmistakeable print of a human body outline on his wood-decked floor. It wasn't chalked in, as Trunks had stated, but sprayed in with white aerosol. Trunks was inspecting the print, a hand stroking his chin.

"Looks like you might need new decking too." Cell glared at Trunks, who grinned back. "I'm just saying, Seru. I mean – I don't think any amount of bleach – industrial or otherwise – can clean the blood between the boards. You've got a biological hazard there."

At that moment, the two walked back from the window, having stayed there for quite some time longer than Trunks and Cell. Goten had his hands behind his head as he said something to Aisu, who smiled back nodding, though their conversation was interrupted as Cell said:

"Can you get out now?"

The three looked to him sceptically, Goten voicing all of their opinions:

"Oh c'mon Cell. Where's your excitement? We're gonna install your new stuff in!"

"I don't need new stuff!" snapped Cell. "That thing in the corner is perfectly fine!" However, as Cell looked over to the corner, he found the makeshift bed gone. Eyes wide, he looked around for the pillows, blankets and couch cushions. They were nowhere to be found.

"Ah yeah," began Trunks. "About that…"

"What. Did you do. To my BED?"

"Well, it really wasn't a bed," defended Trunks. "It was more like a –"

"Cubby house?" suggested Goten.

"Exactly!" exclaimed Trunks. "A cubby house!"

"WHERE THE HELL AM I GONNA SLEEP NOW!" barked Cell, feeling the urge to punch the purple-haired son of Vegeta in the face.

"You can sleep over at one of our houses," suggested Goten, grinning.

"NO!" said Cell stubbornly. "I want to sleep here. This is my goddamned apartment and I'm sleeping. In. Here!"

Both Trunks and Goten held their hands up defensively, feeling a spike of power that seemed extremely familiar. Was that Gohan?

"Seru, its ok," reassured Aisu. "Plus we gotta get your plumbing fixed as well. Your apartment reeks to high heaven."

"Exactly," agreed Trunks. "Plumber'll be coming over any minute now. We can't have you sleeping in a bilgy apartment."

"Bilgy?" asked Cell, looking livid.

"We gotta fix your plumbing Seru. Install new and cleaner stuff. Don't worry, I'll pay for everything," reassured Trunks, believing Cell's tantrums were probably connected to his destitute lifestyle.

"I don't give a damn about money. Why the Hell are you helping me anyway? It's just one fridge. One goddamned fridge!" snapped Cell, he then added with a smirk: "You should break more of my damn stuff."

Goten laughed. "That's more like it," he quipped. "Trunks-kun's got money coming outta his ears."

Trunks didn't like the way the conversation was going and quickly changed as he cleared his throat and said: "Well, who're you gonna stay with tonight? Goten lives five hours from Satan City. He usually – " Trunks paused momentarily. " – walks home. I live in the Western Capital. It'll probably take a little more but I got a car so it'll cut the journey in half."

Cell glared, stating: "I'm not going to stay at anyone's home. I'd rather sleep on the floor."

"Ew… but your apartment is rat-infested and cockroach-infested. What if they crawl in you and lay their eggs in your mouth? What if you actually swallow it?" asked Aisu, looking mortified at the thought.

Cell went silent, the human side of him revolted at the idea. It was broken as Trunks' phone rang, Trunks excusing himself and walking to the corridor of Cell's apartment. Meanwhile, Cell collected his thoughts and gave a firm: "No. I'm staying here."

Walking back inside, and having heard Cell's persistence in staying in the wreck of an apartment, Trunks sighed. "Whatever. We'll figure it out later. She's downstairs, coming up now."

"She?" asked Cell, eyebrow cocking in scepticism.

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Seru Jinzouningen / Cell Tally System:

II