The Inevitable: I thank all of you again for the lovely reviews and support. However, I would like to make a request—please do not claim Cell is out of character until you have read the whole story. Like many authors, I like to keep some things kept to myself until later in the story when I feel that they could finally be explained. Remember, Cell has only made one appearance in this thus far and it was only for a few paragraphs.

Now that that's out of the way, one with this chapter!

Chapter 3: Willpower

It took me several moments to realize that this news broadcast wasn't a hoax that it was in fact real and I had to acknowledge it. Cell was somehow alive—or at least back on Earth since he technically wasn't alive the second time he had graced the planet with his presence. Thankfully, though, at that time he caused no damage, except my ego.

To think that I had to see him once again was ridiculous—I mean, I was here and he was spotted out there. There was no way he could find me unless he understood the methods of looking people up in the phone book…though I hoped that wasn't the case. There was also the obvious image of him causing fresh devastation; who was there to say that he'd come looking for me? However he returned gave him a new chance to do what he had originally set out to do—destroy the world.

Could he? I knew he technically could, but the real question was would he? Would he actually get a chance, or would want to get a chance to go through with his plans and orders he was given by an insane scientist, the very one who brought him to life all those years ago?

Questions swam through my head like fish going upstream, but I was drawn back to my living room when Sasara started crying. I had completely lost track of time and forgot that she was in need of feeding. I sighed as I picked her up and brought her into the kitchen in order to keep her calm why I prepared her second bottle of the day. I wanted to talk to Toshi about what I had seen on TV, but he would've thought two things right away—one, I was over reacting and two, would I attempt to go out and see Cell?

The answer to that was…no. I couldn't…shouldn't…wouldn't. Isn't it funny on how those words put together in that way make sense? I no longer had any feelings for Cell, but the thought that maybe I could get him to stop what he was doing was a possibility.

I turned on the stovetop to warm up the formula in the bottle sitting in a pan, and then looked at the tile on the backsplash of the counter. I was stupid. I was very stupid. I was completely appalled, not to mention angry with myself for even giving Cell the slightest thought. How could I leave my daughter to go look for that monster?

Layrial, you're losing your mind again, my logical side warned me. I knew that side of my brain was right and I quickly pushed the thoughts away and fed Sasara. I just hoped Toshi didn't find out until he came home…then I could act surprised about the whole incident and pretend I hadn't given it any thought.

Though throughout the day I couldn't bring myself to do the usual household chores and I was finding that no matter what station I turned too I ended back switching to the news station to see what the update was. Apparently the Kingsville Massacre, the name they gave the destruction in the city, was the only form of violence they had seen Cell perform. Since that morning, he had disappeared. I idly wondered if it was some punk setting off bombs and pretending that they were Cell, throwing on a costume that closely resembled the android.

That was the story I stuck too until Toshi returned home later in the afternoon; with him was an afternoon paper with the big headline on the front page reading "He's Back! Terror Strikes Kingsville, Killing Hundreds." I wanted to sink into the ground and pretend that I had no idea what Toshi was talking about when he was taking off his shoes.

"Did you hear about this, Layrial?" He asked, although not accusing me in any way, manner, or form.

"I heard a news flash this morning on the TV," I admitted, not being able to bring myself to lie to him.

"How the hell does that guy do it? I mean, can't he just die and stay that way?" Toshi remarked as he opened his shoulder bag to take out some assignments that needed to be graded. "I know you said there's this dragon thing that can bring people back to life, which is how I'm still walking the Earth, but still, who the hell wishes for him?"

It was a good very question. Who would do such a thing? Everyone I knew was terrified of not only Cell, but any other horror that this poor country had ever seen—that Buu character being another example. Unfortunately, though, I couldn't even use my imagination to create another method of bringing a being back to life other than wishing for it on those mysterious objects that guy had mentioned to me after I was killed during the Cell Games.

"Layrial, promise me you're not going to go after him," Toshi said with a great deal of fear in his voice. "I don't want to lose you in any way to that monster."

I smiled and kissed his cheek. "Don't worry, sweetheart, I have no intentions on making myself known to that…thing," I reassured him. "It was only by chance I met him the second time—I haven't even thought of going looking for trouble."

There it was; I lied. I had thought of it throughout most of the day. It was like that proverbial image of the devil on one shoulder and the angel on the other fighting over getting me to listen to them instead of the other. Though, thankfully, that little angel won out.

Sasara woke from her nap in her crib and Toshi volunteered to take care of her this time. I pulled out some frozen vegetables and tossed some chicken I had been working on in the oven, but I couldn't help but get Cell out of my head.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

I couldn't sleep that night. I lay awake staring at the ceiling and hearing Toshi breathing heavily next to me (he was such a noisy sleeper). I heard nothing from Sasara over the little monitor I had connecting the two rooms, which in a way disappointed me because I wanted a reason to get up and move around besides since I couldn't sleep.

The window was half-open and a gentle wind blew fresh air into the room, and though normally it helped put me to sleep, tonight my imagination was pretending I could smell something burning—which was totally not true. So I did what any other sensible person would do in a case like this…I got up and went to watch TV.

Big mistake…really bad, big mistake. Of course I wanted to check out the news station. When morning came I was tempted to write a letter and state that it's unhealthy to have a station devoted to nothing but repeating news stories for people to watch whenever they wanted during the day or night. Either way, I found myself pasting my eyes to the screen…and of course, the top story was what came on when I flipped to the station.

"Downtown Eastern City was the next target on Cell's list this evening," the reporter said. "It appears that the mass murderer seen a decade ago is linked with former Rising Sun University scholar and professor of science, Dr. Amon Kizufumi, who at some point underwent major cosmetic surgery since he was last seen five years ago. Kizufumi appeared in front of a smoldering apartment building only hours after Cell's attack and claimed that he had the power to stop the monster if people recognized him as the leader of the country. Mayor Jerzi replied in a later interview that he feels Kizufumi has reached mental insanity, though he could be the key at stopping Cell."

I sat there for the longest time just staring at the people giving the weather report, but I wasn't listening to a word they were saying. My subconscious knew it was a big weather map on the screen with little clouds and suns scattered everywhere, but if any of that stuff sank in I have no recollection. There were only two logical explanations at this point: Dr. Kizufumi wished Cell back to life, or he knew something that no one else did. If that's the case, then I want to know how the hell a guy like him who doesn't seem to have a pumped-up muscle on his body (from the image on the TV that is) have the power to defeat Cell.

I wondered if the ones responsible for killing Cell in the first place knew of his return and if they did how long they were going to wait to do something about it. I knew Cell wasn't the only one out there capable of freakish powers and strengths. I remember quite clearly the one that was called Goku, although I had heard he died long ago with Cell.

I felt torn. I didn't know what to do. On one hand I felt like I had to do something, like I was capable of stopping Cell myself, which is totally absurd if he's lost his mind. On the other hand, though, I wanted to just stay tucked away in my little house with my husband and daughter and pretend nothing had ever happened.

My thoughts reverted back to where they said the most recent attack took place—Eastern City. Had I stayed there I could've been a victim. What struck me though is that I knew a good deal of people in Eastern City, including two girls who were in my wedding. My eyes looked at the ground, staring at nothing in particular, but I was wondering if my friends were dead…

Cell may have killed them. Cell may have taken away two of my best friends I've had since school. They…no, I couldn't continue thinking about it. All I know was that it struck a little too close to home. If Cell had hit two cities near where I now resided, my gut feeling was my husband could die while he worked in the high school downtown.