A/N: I return! It has been absolute ages since I've touched one of my DBZ fics, and for that, I sincerely apologize. Time has been most demanding as of late, and until recently, my muse simply wasn't cooperating. But now that I've finished moving and finally settled up in York, I find that my fingers are free to type once more, leaving me free to present you, dear readers, with the next long-awaited chapter in this saga! And with that...

...Onward and upward with the next chapter!

"Greetings, my brother and sister...

~Cell.

The Nightmare Begins

The Z-Fighters had been defeated. Beaten. Decimated, at the hands of the androids. Taken apart like a gang of weaklings. Humiliated, by a single being, the latter of which remained responsible for the embarassment of a single saiyan prince.

Sadly, said prince was not taking his losses very well.

"This is absurd!" Vegeta snarled, grinding his molars together with enough force to draw blood. "How could I, the prince of all saiyans, be beaten be a mere machine?! A tin toaster no less!" It was ridiculous! Absurd! He had attained this newfound power...and for what!? Only to be beaten like an impudent child at the hands of a teenage piece of tin! Just thinking of it made his blood boil-caused his newly healed wounds to ache all over again, forced him to remember how easily the blonde had broken his arms and would have broken his neck if those other two hadn't pried him off at the last instant. All that training, and for what?! He'd been picked to pieces! PIECES!

"Darn him!" The prince could feel his rage building again, but he was powerless to stop it...this time. Damn him! His ki began to rise involuntarily, his eyes flecking with jade, hair staining itself gold. It wasn't long at all before the golden aura took a hold of him, transforming him into a super saiyan. The earth quivered beneath his feet-the cliff upon which he'd perched himself crumbling away as the energy continued to build and build and build, rising to an almost feverish pitch.

"DAMN YOU, ANDROID!" His howl of rage could be heard across the wastelands. "Wait until I get my hands on you! I'll tear you apart!"

Trunks shared his father's sentiment.

He remained likewise baffled by the prescence of these two new androids, put off by the possibility that his actions might've somehow polluted the timestream. Now he could only look on, father was trying to figure out how to ascend to the next level of super saiyan out here in the middle of nowhere, and Trunks alongside him. Sighing, he decided to broach the subject once more.

"Father...

"Be quiet, boy!" Vegeta snarled, his brow tight with barely suppressed anger. "I did not need your help then, nor do I now!"

Suffice to say it wasn't going well.

Trunks shook his head, knowing better than to test his progenitor's patience. Piccolo had departed swiftly after their defeat, departing for parts unknown. Trunks honestly had no idea what the namekian was up to and to be honest, he didn't have time to care. He had no way of knowing that Piccolo had gone to fuse with Kami. There far more pressing concerns weighing down on his mind. Like the androids. And Goku, whether or not he would recover from the heart virus, this time. Too many events were in flux, and he felt as if he were to blame. But if he hadn't gone back, the future would've remained as it was and everyone would've died. Those thoughts niggled at him, plaguing him with doubt.

What horrors could those fiends possibly be up to now...

(Many hours later, miles away...)

"Well, this isn't awkward at all."

Seventeen's snide remark earned him a baleful glare from both blonde's; burning like a pair of well-placed energy blasts in the back. Eighteen wanted to kill her twin. Naruto didn't. He wanted to flay #17 into little tiny pieces, scatter his circuits across the road, then stomp them to pieces. Perhaps #18's idea was the more sound.

His was certainly more painful.

Their present situation had come about after dispatching a ruthless biker gang at the nearby mall. The fools thought they'd found themselves a good time, foolishly harassing what they assumed to be a pair of harmless teenagers. Insead they'd found a pair of irate androids, one of whom had not taken kindly to having her shopping spree interrupted. One obliterated mall later and Eighteen's new clothes were in complete tatters, much to her utter dismay.

Naruto, being the gentleman that he was, saw fit to lend her his jacket. Of course, he'd failed to account for the fact that this would leave his upper torso largely exposed, thereby granting the latter an unrestricted view of his bare chest and the like. And then there had been the scars.

Until moments ago she'd marveled at them, been fascinated by them, wondering what could've possibly been done to him to create such a tapestry of lines and loops along his back and chest. It ceirtainly wasn't from the doctor's procedure; Gero was nothing if not a perfectionist. No...these scars came from another time, another life, and whatever had carved them into his flesh must have been powerful. So powerful, not even the demented doctor had been able to erase them. Even now she could still see it; faint line running lengthwise over his ribs, where something had pierced his lung long ago.

What a life he must've lived...

She'd tried to coax a few memories out of him, to see what he did remember. It wasn't much. His memories were foggy-his powers and prowess even moreso. But gradually, bit by bit, she'd been able to help him try to and remember. It hadn't been easy. His memories were painful, jagged things, rooted deep in his subconcsious. The going was slow and uneasy for awhile. He was clearly reluctant to remember, and who could blame a man like him for wanting to forget such a painful past. She'd scooted closer to him then, and he, her-

And then her boneheaded brother had stuck his nose in and ruined everything.

"Seventen, I swear...

"Alright." Seventeen shruuged. "Have it your way, sis. But I suggest you loosen up before you rust-whoa!" His gaze snapped back to the road and his leg slammed the brakes, jarring everyone forward into their seats in an tangle of arms and legs. "Hey, look. A house. Is this the place, Sixteen?"

"Yes." the hulking android answered from the back of the van. "This is Goku's dwelling."

"Well then, you heard the man." Seventeen could barely keep the smile from his visage as he opened his door. "Everybody out."

They clamored out of the van, grateful to stretch their legs after spending so much time on the road. Eighteen was dissapointed. Somehow, she'd expcected, well...more.

"There's no way this is it." She peered over her twin's shoulder, her anger momentarily forgotten in the wake of their arrival. "I mean, look at it. Its downright puny."

Goku's house wasn't really worth looking at. Really, it wasn't. it was more of a rotund hut than anything else. Smoke could be seen rising from the chimney, evidence that someone was at home, or if they weren't, then they'd certainly left in a hurry.

"Goku is not here." Sixteen's announcement brought everyone up short, confirming her suspicions. "I cannot sense him."

"What do you mean you can't sense him?" Seventeen asked, dumbfounded. "I thought you said he was here."

"He was." Their compatriot replied. "Someone moved him." Abruptly, his steely gaze clouded, narrowing upon the horizon. "But I do sense another power nearby. A great power, one I do not recognize. We should leave now. Immediately." Without pause or preamble he performed an abrupt about face, turning toward the direction of their van. "It is no longer safe here."

"Run away if you want." Seventeen snorted as he peered inside. "I'm not leaving until I know for certain Goku isn't here."

Naruto chuckled; it was a soft sound, barely a snicker.

"Finally, something we agree on."

"Damned straight."

The pair bumped fists, enjoying their newfound camraderie. Eighteen would've found it charming if she wasn't still sulking over her twin's behavior.

"I advise escape." Sixteen repeated, undaunted in the face of their ignorance, "This power is stronger than you, Seventeen. Much stronger."

"Nonsense." Seventeen wouldn't have any of it, and neither it seemed, would Naruto. "I'm the strongest fighter there is. Naruto might be a close second to me but no one is stronger than I am. Besides, its not like they can sense us. Right sis? Hey! I'm trying to talk to you here!" Eighteen was barely aware of the boys and their arguement, she had far more important matters on her mind.

She left them to their search; she was far more interested in acquiring new clothes, anyway. Seventeen was right about one thing, though. Whatever power was approaching, it couldn't possibly sense them and even if it could did they outnumbered it, four to one. They had nothing to fear from this...whatever it was.

Soon thereafter she found what she was looking for in a nearby closet. Clothes! Finally! Within minutes she'd all but discarded her tattered rags in favor of a new if not slightly dated ensemble; she'd chosen a black vest with white undersshirt, blue jeans with a golden chain, black gloves with a gold bracelet on the left one, and black flats with orange socks. They fit rather well, meshed with her body in all the right places-but even so, it dawned on her that these clothes were meant to be worn by a young woman. Not the middle-aged woman that was doubtlessly Son Goku's wife.

"Whoever owns these clothes should have their optic sensors adjusted." she murmurred, twirling the necklace against her finger. "They are obviously malfunctioning."

"I don't know," A voice drifted up from the doorway. "They look kinda good on you." Eighteen turned to face the newcomer...

...and her jaw nearly dropped clean off her face.

"Naruto, what are you wearing?" her deadpann was barely concealed.

"What," he protested, "Is it so wrong that I like wearing blue and orange?"

Eighteen...didn't have a response for that.

Naruto had discarded the attire given to him by Dr. Gero. In its place he now wore Goku's distinctive blue-orange gi, wristbands, and boots, having obviously pilfered the latter from the man's closet. The sole exception was that blasted headband he seemed intent on carry around with him. It dangled around his neck like a badge of honor, its scarred and pitted surface glinting dully in the afternoon's light. Naruto had already admitted he didn't know what to make of the leaf symbol etched into it's surface, only that he felt more secure when wearing it.

It certainly didn't detract from that outlandish outfit!

At first, it was all Eighteen could do not to snicker at this change in wardrobe. He looked just like Goku! How ridiculous. How...hmm. Then she noticed just how well the gi seemed to fit Naruto, accentuating his muscles in all the right places, giving her a perfect view of those lean, strong arms. He wasn't overly muscled like the saiyans; because he didn't need to be. All his powers came from within, power he was still remembering and only just learning to tap back into. But Eighteen had to admit...

She really did like a man in uniform.

"So...whaddya think?"

Eighteen didn't know what to say, she didn't want to compliment him, but she didn't want to lie and insult him either. Truth be told, once she got past the garrish colors, she actually liked the uniform. But she could not let Naruto know that; else she'd never hear the end of it. Finally, she settled for a derisive snort.

"I suppose you could've done worse."

Naruto's grin was positively beatific.

"Well, you don't look so bad yourself."

That one brought a flush to Eighteen's face. She was no stranger to compliments, having received a great deal many when she was still human. Yet somehow, hearing it from him, from his lips...it warmed her in places she didn't even know she had.

"Flatterer." She drew closer, her hip brushing against his.

"I try." His words were barely a whisper now, their lips brushing-

That was when they heard it.

"Ah, hello, Seventeen...greetings." The voice was cold and reptillian, it sent a chill shooting down Eighteen's spine, jarring them apart. Eighteen couldn't explain it; couldn't give name to this sudden fear shooting down her spine. All she knew was that she had to get away from here. Now. She looked to Naruto, half-expecting to see the same fear written upon his visage but-no. There was no fear to be seen there. Only confusion. The voice couldn't have come from within Goku's house she realized, no it came from without.

Seventeen!

The thought stabbed at her with a sudden sense of dread-she didn't know why, but she was suddenly, terribly concerned for her twin. Naruto must've shared the same thought because he was already moving; stepping past her towards the door, his footsteps heavy with haste. He only made it two steps before a wave of golden light slammed into him, ripping him from his feet and sending him sprawling back into the kitchen. Eighteen barely had time to cry out before the light in the doorway died, blotted out by a creature straight from her nightmares.

Monster.

That was the first word that rose to Eighteen's mind when she beheled it, this ghastly looking creature, this thing standing between her and safety. It looked like nothing she'd ever seen before-all green and black spots its beakish mouth twisted in sick satisfaction. And Seventeen, her brother, bloodied, battered and beaten was clutched within its tail, struggling for breath as the noose drew still tighter. Sixteen was nowhere to be seen beyond its bulky form...had he been dispatched of as well?

"Ah, there you are, Eighteen." The creature rasped, devilish in its delight. "I was wondering where you were hiding."

"Who...what are you?"

"Ah, how rude of me." the abomination chortled softly, perversely pleased with itself. "Wherever are my manners? My name is Cell." Its slitted eyes narrowed upon her. "I'm here to welcome you...to your destiny." That grotesque tail flicked once, casting Seventeen to the ground, drawing her attention toward her sibling, away from the creature-

Pain.

That was all Eighteen knew before a knee crushed into her stomach, driving the breath from her lungs. Even as her body registered the pain an elbow smashed across the back of her head, specklinig black spots before her vision. She tasted blood in her mouth, wondered why she hadn't hit the ground. The creature was holding her by the hem of her shirt, its slitted eyes mere millimeters from her own. A cackle rose from that beakish orifice which served as its mouth

"Come now, Eighteen." It chided, pulling her out of the house and into open air. "Resistance is futile. Once I've finished with Seventeen, you and I will become one-

"Like hell you will!"

Eighteen bucked free of Cell's grasp and dropped in the same instant that a streak of red light rushed over her head-snatching Cell up and driving a canyon into the ground. Eighteen didn't think, she only reacted. Her first thought was of Naruto. She ran to his side, picked her way through the rubble to find him, and saw the damage that had already been done. Her fellow blonde had partially extricated himself from the rubble that had one been Goku's house-which was a small miralce in and of itself considering his condition.

He was missing most of his right arm, the limb severed into a stump just below the elbow. And then, as she looked on, it returned. There could be no other word for it; the flesh of the arm simply chose that moment to writhe and bulge, as though something were trying to claw its way out from within. Naruto grit his teeth and roared in pain, and, within moments a new limb had sprouted from the detrius that had once been his elbow, now restored and whole.

Gasping, he slumped back against the rubble, his visage streaked with soot and sweat.

"Must've...sensed me..." he was mumbling, and it was then that Eighteen realized how they'd been found. Naruto was far too human to not have an energy signature, it would've been easy for someone-anyone-to seek him out considering his flawed inefficiency. He shook her off when she tried to help him up, muttering something about finding sixteen and getting out of the way. "I remember now." he hissed. "That thing...its name is Cell. He was created to...absorb Seventeen and you...reach his perfect form.

"Rah!"

Cell burst from the ground in an explosion in a golden glow, wreathed in scuff marks and dirt, eyes narrow and intent upon them. He wasn't even phased! For only the second time that day, Eighteen felt a touch of true terror in what was left of her heart.

"So, the whiskered one is stronger than I thought." he hissed, intrigued by the sudden shift in the blonde's power. "Interesting." His tail snaked out, its tip promising pain. "I find this disturbance to be... refreshing." He drew himself up to his full height and began to advance, his tri-pronged feet producing a relentless clack-clack-flack against the ground. "Oh, yes!"

"Ah, fuck."

Naruto drew a deep breath and released it, daring to do something he daren't have done before. He stood woodenly not taking enough care. He forced his mind to remove itself from the world around him-to distance itself from the conflict taking place deep in his heart. Everything faded to black and grey, all the thoughts clamoring inside his head, the sight of Eighteen, Cell, even the forest, falling to the wayside. He reached deep inside himself and just...

Let go.

There was no physical thought to the action; nay, he simply stopped thinking. Once he did so, Uzumaki Naruto as he knew himself simply ceased to be. Just like falling into a deep trance, he was still perfectly aware of himself and his surroundings...his viewpoint simply changed. Naruto was still there, he was simply slumbering. In his place stood the monstosity Dr. Gero had made him out to be. Android Twenty-one. And this android did not feel fear. He recgonized Cell for the monstrosity he was, just as he recognized he must be stopped. His feelings for #18 held no relevance in this matter.

"Eighteen." He spoke calmly, cooly. "I need you to do me a favor."

"What're you talking about-?" What she saw truly frightened her, then, caused the words to dry up in her throat. It was his eyes. Naruto's eyes. No longer were they a gentle shade of sapphire. They had become scarlet and scornful, his pupils sinister and slitted. His expression seemed torn somewhere in the realm of sadness and sorrow, and for a moment, she was truly frightened.

"Take Seventeen and get far away from here. Away from me. Now."

Before she could ask what he meant by that, he tossed his head back and screamed.

"Raaaaaaargh!"

Power flooded Naruto's veins, tongues of fire scrawling upward from every inch of his being. Crimson ki bulged in his muscles, boosting his strength to hereito unheard of levels, then further still. He was not as Android Sixteen was, he told himself. He was neither flesh nor machine, but something in between. A cyborg. And because he was neither fleh nor metal he could utilize a power that he alone understood, something not even a being such as Cell would anticipate. He was not constrained by the limits of flesh either, nor did he find himself hindered by the mechanical implants within his body. There would be only one chance at this. One chance, one instant to surprise him, and then it would all be over.

"Kaioken!"

Sapphire snapped into scarlet, his blue-black aura bleeding into a furious white-crimson as everyone looked on. Naurto didn't care. He gave himself over to it, unto his programming, allowed himself to fall into the cold calculations derived by the man who had brought him back from death and made him into this abomination. He felt his hands and feet shift in the most minute of movements, re-creating the first phase of an offensive stance his mind did not know. His body did. It had been rebuilt form the ground up, created for the sole purpose of destroying Son Goku.

Cell was hastening his pace now, starting aggressively towards Naruto in defiance of his purpose.

Naruto-no, wait. That wasn't right. He was Uzumaki Naruto no longer. Android #21 cast aside that purpose now, and flung himself forward, faster than even Dr. Gero's greatest creation could comprehend. Cell swiped a hand at him, but Naruto met his fist with one of his own, stopping him dead in his tracks. There was a moment of silence as the two androids leered at each other, peering at one another over their limbs. And then, that tentative silence was shattered by Naruto, his forehead jarring forward to meet Cell's own in a vicsious headbutt.

"Impressive." Cell hissed as they strove against one another. "It looks like the good doctor made a few improvements. It matters not, however. I will still kill you."

Naruto's only response was a slight smile; then the battle began.

They descended upon one another in a storm of fists and feet, matching each other blow for blow. Cell gave as good as he got, for every successful strike he drove home at least two or three more. Naruto could feel it, his rage-his humanity-welling up underneath and he drove it into his attacks, until it was the aggressor who found himself on the defensive. For every strike he found himself stymied-driven back by the sheery ferocity behind the blonde's assault, staggering as blow after blow battered through his defenses and into his armor to strike home at the flesh beneath. Still the scales continued to tip, until it was #21 attacking and Cell back on the defensive entirely.

This is impossible! Cell thought. He's just as strong as I am! No...stronger! How can this be?!

#21's smile grew another inch.

"What's wrong?" he sneered, his head slipping a fraction of an inch aside mere moments before another punch missed him, then another still. "I thought you were going to kill me?"

"Silence!"

Time and time again Cell's fist phased through empty air as the blond ducked, backpedalled, tucked and rolled, each time Cell found himself unable to strike the agile android. What trickery was this?! This could not be happening, should not be happening! His design was meant to be superior!

bounded forward, and drove his fist deep.

Then, finally, the first true hit belonged to #21; his clenched knuckles barreled into Cell's unsuspecting visage, smashing into the android's beak-like mouth with all the force of a pounding piston. But Twenty-one wasn't done. Even as the grotesqeue creature moved to counter he pulled back and struck yet again, burying his fist to the hilt in the android's stomach. There was a sickening, squelching sound-loud enough to make Eighteen cringe aside more out of disgust than any real pity.

"Ngah!" Cell gagged, purple blood welling up at the corners of his lips. Still #21 drove his fist deeper, forcing the monstrosity to a knee.

"Had enough?" he asked.

"Hardly!" Cell struck out with his tail, forced Naruto backwards, pursued with a vengeance. Blurs of green and orange streaked between branches, snapped into the skyline overhead. Sparks flew and the clouds began to darken overhead, drawn by the warrior's incredible power.

Eighteen could barely follow any of their movements, they were moving far too fast for her optics to adjust. Such speed! It was all she could do to retrieve her twin and not stand in outright awe of their power, remain transfixed by the sight of the battle before her. To think, Naruto had this much power! He was a veritable hurricane of energy-never stopping, never slowing, never letting up, even for an instant. But how long could he last before Cell mounted back and counter-attacked?

Seventeen stirred against her then, his good eye fluttering open. The other was swollen shut, evidence of the beatings he'd taken at the hands of Cell. How he'd been trounced so soundly in a matter of moments truly was beyond her; was this creature really that powerful?

"Eighteen...

Eighteen risked a glance down at her sibling. It was a mistake. Scarce had she done so than a stray energy blast struck one of the nearby trees, then another and another and still another, sending the forest bursting into flames. Naruto and Cell were taking potshots at one another, heedless of their surroundings. Heedless of her. The thought stung something in her heart. Naruto seemed to have simply...switched off. He had paid her little to no attention since his brawl with Cell began-not that she blamed him-but the realization that he might not care what happened to her actually...hurt.

No! I can't tell myself that!

She shot skyward on sheer instinct, looking as much to try and avoid the battle as the flames below. Seventeen clung to her, shoulder draped over her neck in an effort to retain his balance. The energy blasts had since ceased, the fighters were engaging in close combat once more, to Naruto's obvious advantage. The longer the battle dragged on the more his power seemed to increase. He was beginning to pick Cell apart, she realized with a sudden pang of worry, toying with the android when he could have easily destroyed him. He was becoming arrogant in his power, allowing it to hold sway.

"Enough of this!" Cell snarled, drawing his arms back. "I am done toying with you, #21! You're gone, and here's your going away present! Ka...me...

"Is that so?" Naruto, to her disbelief, mimicked the motion. "I was just thinking the same thing, Cell." His crimson aura surged furiously, the Kaioken empowering his body to suicidal levels. Slowly, he too drew his arms back, fings crooked into claws. Azure fire shone between their cupped palms, a blinding brilliance, blazing bright.

"HA!"

The twin Kamehameha's collided violently, warring with one another for supremacy. Just as quickly they detonated, spraying black smoke billowing across the sky. Eighteen could still see Naruto but Cell...Oh no!

Cell snapped into existence behind him, his tail lancing out toward the unsuspecting blonde's chest.

"Gotcha!"

Eighteen wanted to cry out as she watched the monster's tail pierce Naruto's chest; but all the emerged was a whisper. No! Naruto hung there, eyes wide and bulging...and vanished. The afterimage dissipated, leaving Cell's tail hanging in empty air. Cell growled, scanning the inferno below for any sign of his quarry. Where the devil did he go-

"Behind you."

The ultimate android managed a half-turn before the crimson-clad cyborg whispered into existence behind him, palm open, fingers splayed. A shining/spiraling sphere shone in the center of his hand, growing larger and larger with each second, keening and shr. Cell grunted in surprise; that was the only sound he had time to even produce before he realizied whar was about to happen. He tried to dodge, he really did, but that shrieking sphere was streaking towards him far too fast to evade and the edges of it were already licking at his tail. He had time enough to hear the name of the technique mere milliseconds before the world erupted into white in his peripheals, before he felt it tearing into his flesh...

"RASENSHURIKEN!"

A/N: Well, I'm back! And as I'm sure you've noticed, I've changed a few things. Cell's happened upon the androids much earlier than in cannon, but he's still strong enough to wipe the floor with a guy like Seventeen and especially Eighteen. Naruto is able to fight quite well in this chapter because he basically gave himself over to the programming Gero installed in him and stopped caring for his memories. The only question is...will he be able to turn back? And will it a Rasenshuriken be enough to end Cell? And does anyone else find it funny that Naruto almost immediately stole one of Goku's outfits to wear? He does love blue and orange after all...

Where has Sixteen gone? Will Cell ever become complete? Find out next time, on Imperfection! And with that I'm off to work! I look forward to reading your reviews upon my return. I sincerely hope you liked it so, in the immortal words of Trunks...

...REVIEW OR IT WILL BE THE END OF ALL OF US!

R&R! =D