Its like the energizer bunny: I thought of that analogy just not…these stories are just like the pink bunny with the drum…they just keep on going xD lol. Anyway, I was planning on doing individual responses to the reviews for this post, which by the way has been sitting here waiting for the past week but I wanted to give people a chance to read 3 first; but most of the reviews I received were basically giving the same response and asking the same questions. And there is just one thing I want to go over before you guys read just so you're not confused.

First off, Kei Kyoto…I hate to disappoint you guys, but I look back now and see that I wasn't completely clear. His name is merely a coincidence. He has nothing to do with Kibito-Kai. Sorry! I was actually looking for names on a website that lists Japanese names and Kei and Kyoto were two of them. However, some trivia for you guys—Kyoto was actually the capital of Japan up until 1868 when the new Meiji Era Emperor and the government in place changed it to Tokyo, which was once called Edo. I didn't know that when I gave my character the name; a week after doing so I started my Modern Japan class and found this out and I'm like Oh really? Hehe.

Also, here's another bit if trivia you might be interested in—it caught my attention in the way it shouldn't have xD In class we were going over the work-orientated middle class of Japan throughout the 20th century, and there is a thing called "Kaioshi"…of course I'm all thinking of Kaioshin, but it means "death from work" in the literal sense. Some people in Japan work so hard and give themselves so much stress that they die from it O.o Ouch! So don't work too hard guys! Lol.

And one last thing—thanks to those of you who wished me well :) I do feel tons better.

Now remember to review sweet readers:) Comments and questions welcome.

Chapter 4: The Pains of Change

Cell stared at me as if I were crazy. Perhaps I was. However, the more I stared at him in disbelief, the more I was convinced that something was terribly wrong with the android. However, it concerned me not just because something was wrong, but how it could be wrong. The thing about Cell as I'm sure you've guessed by now with me calling him an android is that he is one, but like I explained earlier, not your usual one. He wasn't made of metal, nuts and bolts, but he was created from actual cells of the greatest fighters in the universe; but he was still unlike any other living being I'd ever crossed. I had witnessed a historical memory of Cell's life first hand, thanks to that odd little wizard that forced me into this meditation that told me the picture-story of Cell. He hadn't always looked this way; he started from an egg, grew to this unsightly creature and after absorbing two creatures who were metallic androids, he became what I knew now.

So how is it that suddenly he's changing? Was there some sort of fault that that Dr. Gero hadn't thought of? If after a certain amount of time had passed would Cell go under another transformation?

"Sasara, I'm not in the mood to fool around with your petty jokes," he said cold-heartedly.

"I am not making this up for a joke," I said honestly. "You don't have those purple lines on your face anymore. In fact, you look paler than I remember you being."

"In case you hadn't noticed, my skin color is much different than yours and takes on a grayish tint," he said as a matter of fact.

I let out a frustrated sigh and moved myself to face him. "Look, I'm not kidding!" I reached out to allow my hands to graze along the side of his face that should have been that deep plum color, but his arm instinctively shot up and his fingers curled around my wrist rather tightly. He might have felt weaker, but the domination of male genes inside of him still gave him the strength I'd never have as a smaller human woman.

Although his body language was threatening me, his facial expression said otherwise. His eyes had become wide and he stared directly at my hand. I raised an eyebrow, wondering what on Earth he was looking at that had surprised him so much. And then I had seen what bothered him. It wasn't my hand. It was his. What should have been black fingernails were no blacker than my own…in fact his nails were more of the normal pinky-color that you'd see on any average person.

"What's happening to me…?" He said in complete horror.

"I don't know," I said, but pouted. "Can I please have my hand back though?"

He didn't blink or even move for that matter, but his grip lessoned and his hand finally let go. I pulled away and sat some several feet away from him. He stood there in a complete state of shock and utter remorse. Whatever it was that was happening, it wasn't something (obviously) he was willing to experience.

"Do you think its part of your design?" I asked softly.

It took him a moment to finally blink and look at me as if he had just noticed I was there. "No," he said. "This should not be happening. I have not absorbed anything that would cause such a change."

"Nothing?"

"I just said nothing!" He yelled. He put his hand over his brow and bowed his head, eyes closed and teeth clenched.

I hesitated, but I was about to ask if he was okay. That would've been the stupidest question in the book to ask him since I knew he wasn't and he would've just shouted back another answer. Though what else was I supposed to say or do for him? I had no idea what was going and I couldn't even think of anything.

I looked around, wondering what else I could do. I saw my car sitting quietly some several meters away, perhaps a quarter of a kilometer, but nothing came to mind except getting him away from here. In fact, the more I thought about it maybe that's what I should do. Kei wouldn't be around for at least another two days, so there was nothing keeping me from bringing him home…

Yes, actually, there was. No offense to Cell but his odd shaped head and his long, stiff wings wouldn't allow for him to sit in a small car. And then there I was, still at a loss as to what to do for him. However, during my thinking moment, I hadn't noticed that he was taking far deeper breaths than was normal and he looked clammy.

"What's wrong now?" I asked gently.

He shook his head and took a jagged deep breath. "I…I feel horribly sick," he said. "I've only had one experience with a mortal sickness," he started but paused for a moment. "I…I had been losing my fight with that stupid child…during my Cell Games. He…he had punched me in the abdomen hard enough that dislodged Android 18 and forced her up my throat. This…this feels like its happening all over my body."

I cringed and wanted to puke myself, for lack of a better explanation. "So you think you're going to throw up?" I asked; my mouth curled in disgust. I was not good with other people being sick. It usually made me join them.

He didn't answer me. Instead he knelt down, one knee touching the surface of the grassless terrain, the other still up to support his arm. "This feels worse than death," he said and again, I raised my eyebrow with complete surprise. How he could say such a thing was beyond me, but I guess for someone like Cell, who had never even experienced the common cold, it probably was much worse than getting blown up instantly.

It was at that moment I had figured out what was going on. He wasn't exactly sick, as in he had a viral infection or something; he was turning into what, technically speaking, made him sick in the figurative sense. I saw this when my eyes rested on his hunched back—the small stub of a tail that usually stuck out between his wings was gone.

"You're tail is gone," I said without realizing it. "Its like you're losing your android features."

His head turned towards me, agony written all over his face, and it seemed to dawn on him just as it had on me. "Do you suggest that…" he paused again to take several breaths, "that I'm…turning into you?"

"I'm starting to think along those lines," I replied truthfully. I went over to him and wrapped my hands around his arm. "Cell, whatever is happening to you, you can't stay here. You're much too vulnerable to anyone who'd want to capture you."

"Impossible," he said, but cut his breath short barely in time to finish his word. "Maybe you're right; but where do you suggest I go?"

"I'll take you home," I said. "Technically it'll be the only place you'll be safe."

"I refuse," he said and shook his head, but stopped to let his face stare at the dirt ground.

"So what do you think you should do?" I asked stubbornly. "Sit here and see what happens next? Hey, who knows, maybe your wings will develop feathers."

"I'm finding no humor in this!" He snapped yet again.

"Then you're coming back with me, you pompous ass!" I yanked on his arm and he nearly fell over from his instability. I managed, however, to get him to his feet and he unwillingly followed me, but his steps were short and uneven. Actually, to any spectator he would've appeared to be drunk.

We reached the edge of the rocks and trees and I looked over to my right to see there were still crews set up near the crater. I thought for a moment, and then turned to face Cell, who looked as if he was about to pass out. "I'm going to go get my car…stay here, alright?"

For once there was no argument or hassle. He nodded his head and knelt down again. I backed away, suddenly feeling incredibly sorry for him, and then turned to run towards the car. I had to hurry before someone caught either of us.

Once in the driver's seat I shoved the key into the ignition and started the engine. The question of the century was how the hell to drive a car across a desert-like terrain quickly, but without drawing attention to yourself? I decided, however, that the question didn't need to be officially asked and I hurried back to where I had come, probably tossing up a lot of dust and making a lot of noise.

I pulled up to Cell, who now looked worse, even within those ten minutes it took me to get my car and back. If I hadn't known better, I would've said that Cell shrunk a little bit—the tall, pointy sides of his head included. He seemed thinner and less bulky.

I got out of the car and hurried to open the backseat door. "Climb in," I told him and he did so as quickly as he could. I saw a lot of movement near the crater—including a van starting to back up and turn around.

As soon as Cell was in, I jumped back into the driver's seat and hurried off. I didn't even want to think of what I was doing in terms of wear and tear on my poor car. But I was thankful that it took the beating; we got back on the road quickly and I reached a ridiculously high speed in a matter of seconds. I heard a moan from the back seat as soon as we jumped to the pavement. I glanced over my shoulder to see Cell laying on the back seat in complete agony.

"Just hang in there, alright?"

I prayed to the heavens that there weren't any cops around. The last thing I needed was to be pulled over for speeding. Ha, imagine how that would go over. "Oh, no officer, I didn't know there was some odd looking man in my back seat. Should I be concerned?"

What took me two hours to get there only took an hour and a half on the return trip. I was afraid to really go overboard with speeding because of that fear of getting caught by cops. It was hard to see what was going on in the back seat of the car without any road lights, but I would hear a groan every few minutes or so.

I quickly pulled into the driveway and turned the car off. The inside lights of the auto turned on when I pulled the key out of the ignition and I immediately turned around. Cell was indeed worse—what was green had lost almost all signs of the dark green spots; where it was black, it was barely gray; the thing on his head had shrunk down considerably, as did the rest of his body.

"Cell," I said, "c'mon, you can lay down inside."

"Leave me be," he said between clenched teeth.

What a baby. "No," I demanded and got out to open the backseat door. "Let's go…I'm not risking you staying in here all night."

It took a moment, but he was able to crawl out. I found that without the near 30 centimeter crest on his head that he seemed much shorter and somehow more manageable. I urged him to put an arm around my shoulder and I managed to get him to stumble inside the house. Without even closing the door I helped him down the hall into the spare bedroom and let him fall on the bed.

I made sure he wasn't going to roll off before I hurried back to lock up the doors and turn off the outside lights. I returned to the bedroom to find him lying on his back, one arm draped over his stomach, one leg hanging off. He was taking deep breaths and his eyes were shut tightly. I couldn't imagine my body changing like that…especially when you weren't gaining strength but losing it. I stood there for several long minutes just watching him, his gray toned face and hands getting more color and the body that I knew as his own was very slowly disappearing. I had a feeling that he wouldn't appreciate any more questions…

…But I couldn't help but make sure he'd be okay. "Cell, can I get you anything?"

He didn't answer. Even after standing around and waiting for another five minutes he remained silent; only the pain-staked expression remained on his face. I let my head nod and I let him be, closing the door shut behind me as I exited to the hall.