A/N: ARGH!!! I'm so sorry for taking so long! I had a writersblock, but I'm over it now! I'll also be updating "DBV: Dragonball Virtual" sometime this month. Thanks to all of those who have stayed loyal to the fic and its procrastinating authoress! Love you all! XD
Chapter 50: Incomplete
The entity known as 'Kes' no longer spoke to him, though he knew better than to think she had left. He furrowed his brow: every time he put one piece of the puzzle in place, three more appeared that did not seem to fit anywhere at all.
Cell looked at Mirai Lara's sleeping form. Hidden in the shadows, he watched as her eyes snapped open and she jolted up, covered in cold sweat and breathing in quick, shallow gasps. It didn't take too long for the woman to realize that whatever demons chased her in her dreams, were no longer there. With a sigh, she placed her head in her hands and slowly put one bare foot on the floor.
Cell noticed that she wasn't wearing her bodysuit: instead, she was dressed in a light grey spaghetti strap top and matching, loose fitting shorts. Lara had neglected to close the curtains, the light of the moon illuminating her features and making the woman look even more pale than she already was. She grabbed a rectangular device from her nightstand and placed it against her neck, administering medication. She had done so before, he still remembered her threatening to faint and grabbing the so-called 'hypospray'.
But it's bad for her…
The android blinked when he accessed knowledge he never even knew he had. Another fleeting memory that, again, wasn't his own. It felt like there was a whole book of knowledge on the tip of his tongue, or a paper thin wall separating him from her mind. How did he know? How had they connected? He hadn't absorbed her!
The woman was standing with her back to him, staring out the window. Under the light of the full moon, his eye fell on a scratch on her left leg and suddenly it hit him. He had absorbed her…
Flashback:
"KIHOUHOU!" Tien shouted as he fired his last bit of energy at the enraged bioandroid who was trying to get out of the hole. Unfortunately, the blast was too weak to smash him back down again. Growling, Cell swatted it away and continued his ascend. Tien groaned as he tried to power up another blast, but he had used up every bit of strength he had. His vision became blurry and with a last groan, he plummeted to the ground. Cell flew towards the fallen warrior and landed by his side with a soft 'thud'. He looked down in disgust and kicked him in his back, sending him skidding across the street. Tien landed flat on his back, unable to move.
"I can't believe a weakling such as yourself was actually able to delay me from achieving my perfect form," he snarled as he grabbed Tien's neck and hoisted him up so they were at eye-level.
"I already have everything I need from you in my system," he stated as Tien struggled for air. "However, I had to spend a lot of valuable energy to get out of your little trap and I think it's only fair that you repay me, don't you agree?"
He smirked cruelly as he slowly poised his tail, making sure that the helpless warrior could see it coming. Cackling evilly, he shot out the deadly syringe towards Tien's chest, but in a blur of pink, his target disappeared. Confused, he looked at his own tail and noticed that a small piece of white fabric with a few droplets of blood on it, was stuck on the tip of the needle. A small groan caught his attention. Frowning, he looked up and his eyes widened at the sight of Tien and his rescuer.
There she was: Mirai Lara. Floating a few meters above him, holding the injured warrior in her arms. She was glaring daggers at him and he suddenly noticed why; the fabric was a part of her bodysuit. The tip of his tail had grazed her left leg when she swooped down to grab his prey.
Cell's eyes widened slightly. That had to be it: he had failed to absorb the woman entirely, but he had stolen a few drops of blood. An incomplete merger…
This had never happened before. None of his victims had ever managed to escape in the middle of being absorbed. Yes, there was that time when he had only absorbed Piccolo's arm, but the Namek was already a part of his design. However, the Uranian was not, and so there was no telling what the consequences might be… if he did not finish what he had started.
As if on cue, Lara suddenly turned around and spoke to him.
"You had better not be planning what I think you're planning, because you're twelve days ahead of schedule."
"I wouldn't dare… yet," the android smirked while stepping out of the shadows, hiding his surprise. The woman's senses were much more keen than he had thought.
"Why are you here, Cell?"
The question wasn't sarcastic, mocking or harsh. It was just a question, nothing more.
"I could ask you the same question, my dear," he said and she sighed, turning back to the window.
"I figured this was the last place you'd look for me."
"It's indeed an unlikely hideout, but fortunately you are quite bad at suppressing your powerlevel."
"Well… at least the humans leave me alone, not even the bravest of looters dare to return to this place. I guess their fear is justified."
Cell couldn't help but grin when he heard the hint of sarcasm in her voice. The woman had a dark and rather morbid sense of humor which he found quite amusing.
"And you're not afraid, my dear?"
She stayed silent for a moment and looked over her shoulder, staring at him with empty eyes.
"I don't fear you."
Cell laughed mockingly at this and approached the Uranian with slow steps.
"I'm finding that hard to believe."
"Why?"
"Isn't it obvious? The way you eyed me back in Cinnamon town, the way you backed off at the slightest movement from my side. Face it, my dear, even now at this very moment, you would like nothing more than to jump out this window and run."
"Survival instinct, Cell, nothing more. I do not fear you. I used to, but now I do not. I simply prefer you'd stay away from me. For your own sanity's sake …"
"You know I can't do that," the android said smoothly, brushing a strand of pink hair out of her face. The woman didn't even flinch at the touch. He wasn't even sure she noticed. "You intrigue me, my dear, and I will find out what you're so desperately trying to hide. Because you are hiding something, aren't you?"
Faster than even he could see, she suddenly seized his wrist and gave him an intricate gaze.
"Some stories are better left untold."
She let go and her gaze turned into a sad one.
"If you are wise, you'd absorb me without taking my memories, but I know you better than that. I can only warn you and pray you'll change your mind before it's too late. Trust me Cell… there are things about me you really don't want to know."
The woman stepped onto the window ceil, her form casting haunting shadows on the bedroom floor.
"I have killed millions and will destroy billions more once the Cell Games have come to an end," the android snorted. "Men, women and children, I will spare not a living soul. What could possibly have happened in your timeline that is so horrible that it'd even mildly disturb me?"
She turned around to face him. The look in her eyes… again, he could not recognize it. What was it? It was pain, and something… something else. Fear? Madness? Regret? He simply could not tell.
"Cell, are you happy now?"
He blinked. What kind of ridiculous question was that?
"I am the strongest being alive, and once the tournament is over, the whole universe will be mine to do with as I please. Of course I'm happy."
"Then don't ask," she whispered softly, reaching out with her right hand and briefly cupping his face before suddenly turning back and leaping out the window, leaving a very confused android in her wake. Suddenly, as if remembering something, he turned around and noticed that her bodysuit was still hanging over the backrest of a chair. She had yet to repair the hole in the left leg, reminding him of what had happened. A failed merger…
Incomplete…
