Redemption & Discovery

"Chest heaving as I stood there panting heavily, with Goku and the aid of everyone else we had managed to beat down Android 21 to where she is at now and Goku giving me the chance of taking her on by myself to either try to rescue her or put her out of her misery"

"My clothing torn up leaving my bare chested and much of my pants barely remained. Taking a deep breath to calm myself and standing there as I watched 21 powering up even though I could sense that she barely had anything left in her, I narrowed my eyes as I gazed upon the Majin Android taking her last stand as I tried to reach out to her with my words."

"Give it up, 21! This fight is over! Please..."

"I paused before widening my stance and powering up as well, my blue aura of power surrounds me as I looked to her with a soften expression and my eyes looking into her red eyes."

"... Don't make me kill you... I know there's still good inside of you, just let that side of you return so we can let this all end."

"Groaning out as I pushed myself up getting into one knee and holding my stomach as I glazed up to 21 as she stood there with that hungry look in her eyes making me grin in anger and tears welled up in my eyes both from the pain she caused me but also in sorrow, I know that this isn't her, that this evil within took control of her and put her on this path of hunger and destruction and yet despite my best attempts of getting her to see reason it was clear that this was it."

"I could hear Vegeta calling out to me in the distance telling me to stop stalling, that there wasn't any time left, that I had to end this now before it was too late. Much as I hate to admit it, but he was right. The Android 21 that I knew, admired and even had feelings for was indeed gone... It was now a choice between her or the world"

"Balling up my free hand into a fist and slams it down to the earth leaving a small impact in my frustration behind before I slowly rose to my feet and starred at 21 from the distance, she could see in my body language that I had enough as I soon widened my stance once more and powered up no longer holding myself back as the energy around me crackles."

“You want to see what I’ve got, 21? Well here it comes!”

"I shouted out and soon charged right at her, getting locked into a clash with her before settling into a mix of punches and kicks most of which getting blocked causing the ground below us to turn into small craters with the force of the impacts being given, but after moments into the fight true to my word I wasn’t holding anything back as I land a strong blow after blow onto 21’s body as I was slowly backing her into the proverbial corner even if she refused to back down."

"Groaning out from the punch that sent me flying but I managed to land on my feet and skit several meters away from Android 21 before stopping and was expecting another attack but saw the internal struggle going on within her now."

"Part of me wanted to hold out hope that she could come back, that she would regain control and be herself once more... But I've seen how strong this evil side of her was and that it was only a matter of time before they would retain control and we would be back to fighting again. Whether this was 21 trying to return to us or distracting the evil for me to do what needed to be done, I knew this was my only chance to end this and spare her from any more suffering."

"I'm sorry, 21... I tried..."

"I weakly call out to her before I widened my stance as the energy around me crackles while my hands came together in front of me. Some of the other fighters might not know what my next move was, but the stance alone told a few of the fighters including Vegeta himself as it was a move that he had personally taught me as a ki blast forms within the palm of my hands and it got stronger as the seconds ticked by."

"A focused look shows on my face but tears stream down my cheeks as I was getting ready to deal the final blow, whether this ended up killing Android 21 or knocking her out I had to put this fight to an end once and for all, as the blast was reaching it's peak before I braced my legs to the earth as I shouted out loud the attack."

"FINAL FLASH!"

"The powerful ki blast erupts out of my hands and sent flying right to Android 21, the near blinding light of energy go bigger as it approached her and soon collides with her, obscuring her in the beam of ki as the blast leaves a crater along its path."

"Seeing her standing there looking unscathed other than the rest of her attire was completely destroyed leaving her completely naked with the hints of bruises and scrapes from the battle dotting her body, I felt a wave of defeat wash over me having used up everything I had in that last attack of mine."

"Was I surprise that it didn't work? Not really since I was still trying to get used to one of Vegeta's ultimate attacks after all, so of course it wasn't going to be strong enough. I stood there defeated and hanged my head as Android 21 came charging towards me with her attack. Instead of feeling a powerful hit I felt a rush of wind wash over me when she stopped making me look up to her."

"Seeing the look of uncertainty in her face and tears rolling down her face, how her words hinted of her conflict ring in my ears. There wasn't much more I could do to fight back if it came to it, but there was one thing left for me to do. As she stood there in front of me, hugging herself as she struggles with that demon inside of her I stepped towards her to close the gap between us."

"Reaching out with my arms, wrapping one of them around her waist and the other around her shoulders to then pull her in for a big, tight hug. Letting her head rest against my shoulder as I whispered into her long pink ear, my words of reassurance and comfort filling her."

"It's okay, 21... We can fix this, everything will be okay... Just please, fight her... Come back to us, come back to me... I don't want to lose you..."

"As we stood there in each other's arms Goku and Vegeta stood at the ready to jump to take over in case things go wrong, I continued to hold onto Android 21 squeezing her tightly giving her comfort and support in my aching arms from all the fighting, feeling her shaking as she sobs I held her tighter to me as if fearing I was about to lose her if I so much as let go of her."

"You can, 21... You're stronger than this, prove this evil side wrong..."

"I spoke to her with gentle words in response to her whispers filled with chocked emotions, even if I was in danger of getting hurt if not killed in my attempt of rescuing her I was not about to let her go."

"As she pulled back I loosened my hug enough for her to lean back and look at me with those teary eyes as she choked on her words of telling me that she cares about me too. I felt a shiver run down my spine as she spoke to me, her words carrying more meaning than either of us could have possibly imagined."

"In that moment, there is no doubt in my mind that she feels the same way I do, even if she can't bring herself to say it outright. Tightening my grip around her waist, pulling her closer to me once more as I lean down to meet her gaze, loosening my one arm from her shoulders so I could bring my hand up to brush against her white hair in front of her face before palming her cheek as I spoke to her."

"I care about you too, 21,"

"My voice filled with sincerity and a soft smile on my face as I gently caressed her face, hinting of my deep affection for the woman in front of me."

"More than you could possibly know. And I'm going to do everything I can to help you fight this, to help you come back to us."

"Watching her taking her step back I could see that fierce look in her eyes, and even if I was fighting the evil of hers just a moment ago I knew that she was a tough fighter and she was no quitter. When she hinted of how we might be able to rid of the evil inside of her and that she needed my help she didn't even see any hesitation in my face, just a slight moment of standing there to gather myself before I stepped to her once more."

"Reaching up to cup her face with both of my hands and holding her there as I looked deep into those red eyes of her before I leaned in to bring her in for a kiss on the lips, it was gentle and short but it was enough for me to convey my feelings of love for her and that she had my support."

"After a moment in the kiss I would break it up, my eyes closed while I dipped my head to press my forehead to hers before I gently asked her."

"What do you need me to do?"

"Smiling softly to her as we locked eyes and seeing that mixture of gratitude and determination burning within hers that I gave a firm nod of my head letting her see the determination and dedication I had within my own affirming my desire to help her with this, letting her take my hand into her own and intertwining fingers to hold onto each other firmly."

"Before either of us could do anything we heard Krillin off to the side from us."

"Yo, Max!"

"I turned just in time to see him toss something ay me that I catched it with my free hand then looks at it finding it was a Senzu Bean."

"You're gonna need that."

"Krillin would say with a reassured smirk on his face. I of course returned the expression with a firm nod of my head before popping the bean into my mouth, chewed then swallowed and soon feeling myself feeling healed up once more."

"With that out of the way I turned my head to face Android 21 once more, giving a firm yet gentle squeeze on our entwined hands as I spoke." “I’m ready when you are, 21.” "I was not sure how I was gonna be able to help her confront this evil inside of her, but what ever she had planned I was ready to face it with her."

"The rest of the fighters backed up to give us space both on alert but also curious to see what we were going to do next."

continue

"When the pulsing aura from Android 21 flashed then faded, from the rest of the fighter's view we were just standing there with our eyes closed and still holding each other's hands with the slow gentle heaving of our chests hinting that we were still breathing."

"Inside Android 21's spirit I was disoriented for that moment of standing in that dark void feeling alone in that brief amount of time until I saw her standing there with me, still holding hands yet instead of seeing the red iris and black of her eyes they were instead the human blue eyes that she had before the evil took control of her."

"When she told me to stay close to her I gave a firm nod of my head and kept a firm grip on her hand as she lead me into the darkness that lingers within her. As we came to the first challenge of freeing her from this evil that has taken her that the memory of her younger human self was being relieved and the sight of Dr. Gero came into view that things were slowly piecing themselves together in my head."

"During our attempts to keep the evil within from completely taking control of her, she had once revealed to me before she became Android 21 that she was actually the wife of Dr. Gero, Hearing her whispers about the memory in front of us that this is where it all began filled me with sadness for her but also of rage at the thought that Dr. Gero would turn his own wife into a tool in his desire of defeating Goku was sickening."

"Feeling her hand shaking in mine I squeezed it tightly while I pulled her to me, bringing my free hand over to hold her by the shoulder offering her more of my support as I whispered to her."

“It’s okay, 21… I’m here and we’ll face this together.”

"My words of warmth and reassurance leaving my lips trying to comfort her and she could see I was ready to help her face this trauma that has plagued her for so long, of having to face both her former husband and also her creator at the same time."

"My eyes widen as the scene played out in front of me as Dr. Gero did his experiments on the younger Android 21 who was once known as Vomi, eventually turning her into who she is now. Gone was the auburn haired human and in her place was Majin Android 21, even if she was able to change back as her human self again her true form was now the pink skinned, white haired Majin that was in my arms with tears streaming down her cheeks."

"I rolled my hand in hers to keep a firm lock with her while I turned to her fully, raising my free hand to stroke her cheek and my thumb wiping away her tears as I spoke in a gentle tone."

"Hey... It's okay, you're doing great." "I leaned in to plant a kiss on her forehead before continuing." "Dr. Gero won't harm anyone ever again, Android 17 made sure of that long ago. But we can't let this memory haunt you forever. We cannot change what has already happened in the past and this memory might remain a part of you for the rest of your life, but we can still unshackle the power it has over you."

"Looking her deep in her blue teary eyes I would caress her face once more to comfort her and give her strength for what I'm about to have her do before I moved my hand then gestured to where the memory was."

"Bring it back, but this time we'll fight Dr. Gero. Even if he's just a memory, defeating him should loosen the evil's control over you."

"With a few pants after the fight but I soon smile as a sense of gratification fills me, whether he was a memory or not defeating Dr. Gero was comforting and fills me with some hope that this has helped Android 21 in regaining her identity and her value as a person again."

"Turning to her as she thanked me and her eyes shining with gratitude I flashed her a smile and walked up to her before wrapping my arms around her to bring her into a big hug."

"Happy to help. I'm sure that must of taken a huge weight off your shoulders." "I would speak out while my hands slowly stroked along her back." "And don't forget, it's not just me that has helped, everyone had a helping hand here and there, some of which paid a heavy price just to help save you..."

"As if on cue both Android 21 and myself perked up when sounds played off to our side that we saw another memory began to play, something that I may not of been there to see it but the people in this memory made me realize just what it was about."

"It was when Androids 16, 17, 18 and 21 fought against Cell, where 21 would ultimately reveal her true form and started to really lose control over herself once Cell had been defeated. When she was about to turn Cell into candy to be eaten by her, 16 attacked her to prevent her from falling any further but paid the price with his life when she snapped and unfortunately destroyed him in retaliation."

"Watching the scene take place, how Android 16 lost his life in the hands of the same person that had rebuilt him, I could only imagine the amount of guilt and grief that Android 21 must be going through right now..."

"Listening intently before she trails off into sobs I held her tightly in my embrace once more, lifting a hand up to run my fingers through her hair to then stroke the back of her head as I spoke softly to her."

“Don’t blame yourself for that, you weren’t yourself at that point. You were on the verge of losing control completely, and I’m sure that 16 knew that, even before he died his main concern was you. Besides, you heard him… He was keeping his promise to you, and I bet you he’d do it all over again if it meant trying to save you.”

"Pressing my head over the top of her own as I let her sob into my chest while I continued to speak softly to her."

“He would want you to move on and find peace within yourself, to be free and to live your life. Let his sacrifice be your strength and a reminder to never let something like that happen again.”

"Blushing a bit when she planted that quick kiss on the cheek I quickly calmed down and flashed her with a soft smile as I stroked the back of her head some more in a gentle caress."

"Hey... I'll always be here for you, 21. And in case I wasn't clear the first time..." "I would pause with my words to lean in and graze my lips against her own pink lips and lock in for a gentle kiss, a sigh of my affection for her that grew a bit more hungry for a bit letting myself enjoy the taste of her on my lips before parting ways but my head stayed close to her as I looked her deep in those blue eyes again." "I love you, 21."

"As I held her close, caressing her waist with one hand while I palmed her long white hair with the other that I smiled wider at her."

"Even if there are some that might look at you and see a monster, but I have to admit that I find this form of yours very attractive, that I see a lovely woman to be loved and cherished... Someone that I want to get close to and be more familiar with when all of this is over… If you’ll have me, that is."

"A soft chuckle leaves my lips at that last part as I look to her eagerly awaiting her answer."

"Mmming in a soft sigh of contention as our lips met once more for a soft kiss, closing my eyes as well as I held her close to my chest as we basked in this moment together. Even in the darkness of the void that was within Android 21's subconscious we allowed ourselves to sink further into this newfound connection between the two of us."

"However, the moment was short lived when a sinister laugh echoed from the darkness making 21 and myself snap our eyes open and broke up the kiss starring at each other. At first I thought it might of been from her but the laugh echoed once more making us look around before I tensed up and grabbed onto 21 making the both of us jump aside as a ki blast was sent right towards us, striking the ground and exploding the spot we were both standing on just a moment ago."

"As we look to where the blast came from that my breath was caught in my throat when the shape started to emerge from the darkness with a confident step in her body, the familiar appearance of Android 21 coming into view, her long white hair bounced and waved with her steps and that long pink tail swaying about behind her before she soon stopped and rested a hand on her hip."

"As she opened her eyes and looked right at us with an evil grin that we could see the darkness of her eyes and the bright reds of her irises. For a moment I thought it might of just been another memory from 21 but I could feel the raw power coming her and it was clear to me that she was no illusion, my eyes widened before I expression hardened into a scowl as I breathed out one simple word."

"You..."

"The evil version of 21 chuckles as she looks at us with amusement."

"Well, well, well. What do we have here? My good half has finally found someone she can be happy with?"

"She tilts her head to the side and smirks."

"I must say, I didn't expect this. But I suppose it doesn't matter. After all, you're both just weaklings who are no match for me."

"Realizing that I was now just watching and not doing anything I shake my head to snap out of my awe at the sight of power between the two androids, knowing I had to do something to help 21 since I promised her I'd be with her through this no matter what. But at the moment I hesitate, since the two of them got locked in their clash and moved so fast to attack each other I had lost track on who was my 21 and who was the evil one."

"Clenching my hands as I powered up to my full strength and I stood there, waiting for the moment to jump in and aid 21. As the two clash once again even as one of them had their backs to me I could just barely make out the whites of 21's eyes, seizing the moment I charged up a ki blast and launch it to the evil version's back, staggering her for a moment in the air giving 21 a chance to capitalize on it and gives a few hard hits and knocking the evil version tumbling backwards."

"Just as the evil version was about to crash to the ground I came dashing in fast with a hard knee to her gut knocking her up into the air before driving a series of fast punches and kicks onto her body and face. But of course not one to give up that easily the evil version would recover, blocking my blows with blows of her own before our hands locked together and we were now in a test of strength against each other."

"I grinned with a mix of anger and determination while I starred her in her red eyes."

"I may have held back against you in reality, but now I'm not holding anything back. It's time to defeat you and free 21."

"As I was in a dead lock with the evil version it gave 21 an opening to come in hard and fast to deal some damage to her evil counterpart."

"Glad to see that 21 was okay I stood beside her to face her doppleganger as I pant to catch my breath, realizing that with the both of us we might stand a chance in defeating her doppleganger but she was still one tough opponent and we'd have to defeat her soon before our power levels drop any further so I had to come up with an idea."

"As the idea came to mind I glance over partner and I tried to speak to her lower enough for just her to hear me."

"21? If I can create an opening for you, think you can take her down with one of your ultimate ki blasts?"

"It was a stupid move but I knew I had to get the evil 21's attention on me and make her overextend in her attack long enough for her to get lured into my trap. After a few good hits and even taunting the doppelganger I tried to rile her up so she could get a bit more berserk in her attacks and focus solely on myself as I went on the defensive."

"When the doppelganger tried to drive a hark kick to my chest I blocked it and felt myself skidding backwards from the force of her attack and with a quick check I saw that she was now charging right for me. As I allowed myself to be carried by the momentum of her kick while my feet dragged to the ground I brought my hands up together and charged up my attack."

"As I began to lose speed in my drift but my attack was charging up to almost it's full strength I braced my legs to stop myself from skidding completely then to ground myself to prepare for the attack. As the evil 21 was dashing closer that I let loose my attack."

"FINAL FLASH!"

"As the ki blast bursts out of my hands the evil 21 realizes what was happening and stopped herself just in time to block the attack and held her ground but unlike the last time my attack was stronger than before and it could do some damage to her if she dropped her guard. This of course gave the good 21 the opening she needed as there was no way anyone could block two ultimate attacks at once."

"As 21 and myself continued to watch her doppelganger lay there on the ground in this dark void, I was practically holding my breath as we waited but when it seemed like she wasn’t moving at all I soon let out a deep sigh of relief as I smiled before stating aloud."

“Yeah... I think we did.”

"Looking over to 21 as my smile widens before stepping over to her and pulling her into a big hug in our moment of celebration, but it ended just as quickly as it started when we heard a cough from her evil version and she shifted on the ground but looked like she didn’t have to strength to even get up."

"We’d slowly approach her seeing that she was heaving in shallow breaths as she laid there beaten and broken that I glance to her with a stern look as I spoke to her."

“It’s over. You lost.”

"A weak chuckle leaves the evil version’s lips while she laid there on her back."

“Maybe… but don’t think this is over.” "She’d pause and looks over to 21, raising a hand up to point to her as she continued on with a smirk." “You still don’t get it, do you? I’m you… A part of me will always be with you… Even if you did manage to banish me from you, you are still a Majin… That hunger within you will fester till you can’t hold it back any longer and then… you’ll be back right where you started…”

"Her hand flops to the ground as her breathing gets slower and slower and her red eyes started to close up, before she lost consciousness she muttered out her final words with a sly smile."

“See you around… weaklings…”

"As she went limb and her head lands back onto the ground her whole body began to fade away like some specter till she was gone. Even though the evil version was defeated she did leave a lingering sense that she’s buried somewhere deep within 21’s subconscious now."

"As the doppelganger faded away I could see 21's grim expression at the truth about everything that was said, that this might happen again one day if they didn't find a way to curb her hunger or at the very least control it to a point where it wouldn't be a danger to her or anyone else around her."

"Before I could even say anything I watched her looking to me with a grateful smile and leaned to me as she spoke before our lips would meet once more for that deep kiss. A soft moan left my throat as I leaned towards her to deepening it further, wrapping my arm around her to hold her close and tight while my free hand reached up to stroke the back of her head in a gentle caress."

"As we stood there soaking in the compassion and love we had for each other for some time before the kiss finally ends with a gentle break up, letting the taste of her lips against mine linger before I smiled and lowered my head to press my forehead to her own for a tender sign of affection."

"For a moment we stood in the silence of the void, enjoying this moment between us before I finally broke the silence as I gently spoke out to 21."

“What ever your evil side said to you, I’m not worried about it because I don’t think history will repeat itself. You wanna know why I think that?”

"Leaning back so I could look her in her blue eyes as I smiled while I explained to her."

"Because you're Android 21. You're a Doctor, a scientist, it's your profession to problem solve these things. I know that you'll find some way to beat your hunger or at the very least manage it safely. If anyone can do this, it's you."

"As my one hand remains stroking the back of her head I loosened my arm around her so I could take her hand into mind and gently squeezes it near our chests as I kept going."

"But you now have something else that you didn't have before... Me. Someone to always be there for you, to be by your side and be a constant reminder of the friendships you have around you. And the love of someone that sees you for who you are; brilliant, powerful, and compassionate, and I love everything about you, even the parts you don't like about yourself."

"My fingers lightly brush through her long white hair as I kept my deep gaze upon her blue eyes, letting her see the truth of my words as I end them with one final sentence." "As long as we have each other... We'll overcome this challenge, together."

"Smiling deeply as I wached her resting her head to my chest, letting her heat the steady beat of my heart to be a gentle soothing sound to help calm herself further to find solace in my embrace. As we stood there basking in our intimate moment together I'd quietly chuckle while my breath gentle tickles at her pink pointy ear."

"Heh... We should probably return to reality soon, I'm sure the others are anxiously waiting to see us waking up with good news." "As I whisper to her about us having to break up this moment soon but my hand continues to gently stroke over the back of her head and keeping her head pressed to my chest as I added." "But for now... let's just stay like this for a bit longer... It might be a bit before we'll get another moment like this..."

"Another soft chuckle yet sounding heartfelt as I nod my head lightly rubbing my forehead to her own."

"The feeling is mutual, 21. Back then, I didn't have anyone special in my life... Just Goku and the others as my friends. Now?" "I paused so I could lean back from our tender moment and flashing her a soft loving smile." "Now I feel just as lucky to have you in my life."

"Mmming in that kiss savoring everyone moment that was being shared with her. For what felt like an eternity we'd finally break it up and I let out a soft sign of contention before looking her deep into her blue eyes once more seeing the shimmers of warmth and love she had for me."

"With a long sign I would loosen my hold on her and taking a step back with a small smile on my face."

"Well... let's go back to the others then."

"Remembering how it all started that brought us into her mind I would glance over to her hand to take it into my own and interlaced our fingers together. With that in place I would look to her once more with a warm smile before giving a firm nod of my head as I told her in a soft voice."

"Let's go home, 21."

"I would then close my eyes as I wait for her to do her trick, to bring us back to reality to that spot in the grassy mountains and back to the rest of the fighters."

"A small yet heartfelt chuckle is heard from me when 21 announced that not only did we manage to free her and control her hunger but that the two of us were now together, I hadn't expected us to announce our relationship so quickly but oh well, better for everyone to be informed, and at least it was met with praise from others like Android 18 and Krillin."

"The air around us was warm and welcoming, everyone could see that 21 was back as hinted by her blue eyes and the compassionate nature. As everyone conversed with 21 I shared a glance with Vegeta who gave me a firm nod and a proud smile looking like he was pleased that he took me under his wing."

"The conversations would come to an end when Goku of course would chime in saying the fight made him hungry and checks if anyone else wants to join in. While the majority would agree I would quickly chime in get my thoughts in on the matter."

"Heh... Food sounds good, but before we go... I think 21 and myself are gonna need a change of clothes..."

"Looking down at myself I had just my boots and partially ruined pants, while as I blushed faintly while looking to 21 and she was still standing there with just her boots on as she was still naked from the fight between me and her from earlier before our trip into her own mind."

"Upon that discovery Krillin would chuckle while giving me a pat on the back."

"Good idea. Let's get all freshened up before we go conquer a restaurant today."