Author with writer's block says: I didn't have the ambition with this one either…I'm hoping that I'll gain that desire to finish this story since it is close to the end without killing it. I'm not expecting an update sooner than midweek. Ciao.

Chapter 11: Remorse and Uttered Betrayal

I don't know how long I sat there. Part of me wondered if I had actually dozed off because I suddenly opened my eyes and wondered what had happened. I don't believe I did, but either way I was still in the same situation I had been in when I ran down the ally. I faintly heard the sound of old war planes flying overhead and what I thought might be riffles triggering somewhere in the distance, but I couldn't be sure. I couldn't care less.

I felt hot tears streaking my face; I used the back of my hand to wipe them away. I knew sitting there wouldn't fix anything that had happened, and that if I were to be found by another crazed group of oddities then I'd be an easy target since this ally resulted in a dead end. I hesitated, though, before pushing myself to my feet. My arm was in so much pain I nearly wished I'd meet something that wanted to kill me—I might just have let it.

I hobbled out of the ally, my legs tired and bruised, and looked up and down the street. It was completely quiet. I no longer heard the sounds of riffles, and the planes overhead didn't seem to be paying much attention to the one person on the street. I chose to continue back the way I and Toshi had come from earlier; I had no desire to meet those zombies again.

A chilled gust of wind scraped at the back of my neck, my hair splitting down the middle of my scalp and causing a shiver to creep down my spine. I looked at my watch to see that it was nearly three in the afternoon, but that didn't mean the day's events were over. I had no idea how long I would have to survive this disaster and what more would come out of it.

I only stopped walking when I instinctively felt a presence behind me. I thought I had seen a shadow zip by half a second before. I stopped my walk and waited to see what would happen to me now.

"I see you put up a good fight," said that graceful voice I had come to know so well.

I slowly turned around, my body exhausted, my face and hair feeling filthy and my eyes completely filled with tears. I had the slight consciousness of my lower lip twitching as I tried to keep myself from crying, but my efforts were futile—the tears soon escaped and dripped to my broken arm which I kept clutched to my bosom.

"What happened to your friend?" Cell asked with a small smile pulling at the corners of his mouth. "Did he desert you?"

"You damn bastard," I started softly. "Don't even start with your damn jokes."

"I wasn't joking," Cell said, the smile disappearing because I had made a conjecture on him. "I don't see the man who said he'd protect you and I want to know why."

"Because he's freaking dead, that's why," I said with true disgust. "We were attacked! I almost died and he did! Is there anything else you want to know?"

Cell became defensive and I saw his arms tighten in their crisscrossed position over his broad chest. "I don't need your snobbery, Layrial. I asked a simple question."

"And you're swimming in the knowledge that you were right—I should've stayed with you and this wouldn't have happened," I blurted out. It was a true statement, but I knew he was practically jumping for joy because of it.

"Yes, you should've stayed with me," he replied, but his face was still stern and focused. "I thought you would've learned by now that I'm the only one who can protect you."

"Shut up," I told him fiercely. "I hate you."

"I've heard that before," he replied suavely. "You don't really mean it."

"Oh I don't? Well guess what? I was going to go out with Toshi—he liked me and I have a thing for him. Who knows, maybe we would've gotten married and had kids…a bunch of them."

It was a down-right lie. Well, not completely. I might've given in and gone out with Toshi—whether I'd do anything more was nothing but mere speculation at this sudden moment. I wanted to make Cell jealous. I wanted to make him so damn mad that I'd chose a human over him that it'd make his blood boil.

I saw his eyes narrow and his upper lip twitch. "If that's the way you want it then please don't let me get in the way."

"You're dead, Cell," I told him. "And you're just an android."

"Yes, I'm an android," he repeated. "And that puts you at a disadvantage."

"Don't start," I warned. "You're stupid lecture on how powerful you are has gotten old and I won't go for it. I'm tired of hearing you flap your mouth off like you're some sort of saint."

Cell stared at me for a long moment, his face unfaltering and his body stiff as a board. I knew he was thinking over my harsh words and he was probably trying to decide what he should say to retaliate. In a way, I felt bad for how I put everything as I did, but it was, for the most part, the truth.

"Well Layrial, I see that this will be the end of our relationship," he said after several moments had passed.

"What relationship?" I asked dully and immediately looked away in shame for saying it.

"I've wasted enough of my time with you," he said, "from the moment we met until now. I shouldn't have allowed myself to spare your life. It did nothing more than alter my focus on certain viewpoints."

When Cell turned to leave I realized the intensity of what had happened. For the first time I had shut him down so hard that I hurt him emotionally, a state far beyond his huge ego. I had knocked on that door before, but I had never opened it. I also realized that, though his back was now turned in betrayal, I saw I had a certain need and desire for him. I didn't want him to leave—I was just blowing my lid because I was in a bad mood.

Cell's feet left the ground and he started hovering up. I immediately jumped forward and stretched out my good arm. "Cell!"

He paused, but made no other move to show me he was listening. "Cell, please don't go…I…I didn't mean what I said."

"Oh I think you did," he shot out. "You've made your feelings quite clear." He still had his back to me and I knew that indeed I had wrenched out what little heart he had and stomped on it until it bled profusely.

Suddenly I became aware of my mistake more-so than I had a second ago. I fell to my knees and started to cry, not even giving a damn on anything else. I always had a way of screwing things up no matter what it was—I was a failure and I couldn't go on living like this. I rejected a man who was head-over-heels for me, I had a short temper, and I managed to make a mass murderer, an android, feel hurt and betrayed. I was either very powerful, or very stupid and stubborn.

Apparently Cell had heard my sobs because I heard his feet touch the ground and several more instances where they squeaked. My blurry vision caught hold of his yellow feet now standing in front of me and forced my eyes to open more and look up the length of his body to where his face stared down at me. He looked utterly disgusted, and for what reason I wasn't sure, but he hadn't left me.

"Leaving you here would make me no better than that pathetic human you ran off with," he said. "And stop crying…it's pathetic."

So that's what I had to do to get to him—why didn't I figure that out sooner? Cell was like any typical man; he couldn't bear to see a woman cry. At least, the woman he wouldn't admit he loved. I looked away, however, as if to prove to him that I was still mad, which I was but mostly at myself. He, however, reached down and grabbed my good arm to pull me to my feet.

"You're not going to just leave me here?" I asked pitifully.

He said nothing at first as he took my broken arm in his hands and examined it. I tried to hold in my cries of pain, but it was easier said than done. I winced and shut my eyes tightly. "You should have a splint on this," he said.

"I haven't stopped running since it happened," I replied. I tried to pull my arm away because it hurt as he touched it.

"If you had listened you wouldn't be suffering," he said. "I'll be gentleman enough to aid you with this, but then I shall take my leave."

"You're leave?" I asked. I thought he was over what had happened.

"Your attitude in the past five minutes has helped me come to realize how far I had veered off my course," he replied. "I will not allow myself to forget my purpose because of you."

I looked at him as he let my arm go and started to walk away again. I waited for him to pick me up or something, but he continued down the street by himself. If I were to follow, he made no suggestion. If I were to wait he gave no clue. I felt as if I was being left in the dark.