A/N: Warning. Contains mature content.

Chapter Nine

Release

Cell landed smoothly, a slight frown at the corners of his mouth. He glanced at the woman who was in her arms, her face seemingly at ease. It portrayed the urgent need to get her medical attention however, her face pale and still. She was sleeping off her exhaustion of the day. He glared around him. He was standing on top of a spire of one of the massive sky scrapers, the city lay sprawled beneath him. He saw the hospital across the road of the sky scrapper. Ambulance sirens blared as they ran too and from the emergency department, ferrying the frightening number of injured people. The riots and the fear of the people had caused many accidents and problems.

Cell jumped smoothly, barely moving at all. He let his chi lower him slowly to the dark alley way below him, between two sky scrapers. He landed smoothly again, having not alarmed anybody. Rowan stirred but didn't wake, simply shifting in his arms and burying her face in his chest. Cell's mind wandered for just a second, but he reigned it in, trying to hide the sudden heat that had erupted in his cheeks. He shifted slowly, lowering Rowan's legs to the ground. She stirred and woke with a groggy expression on her face. She smiled weakly at him. He had one hand firmly on her unharmed shoulder, steadying her while she regained control over herself.

"Rowan, you need to get that treated." He said, gesturing with his free hand to her wounded collar bone. It was covered with a strip of her shirt but it was soaked through with her red blood. She stared at it absently as if it didn't belong to her and she turned back to Cell with a sheepish grin.

Cell let her go, gesturing to the hospital across the street from the alley they currently stood in. She stared for a moment, watching the ambulance scream into the drive way, sirens blaring, the red lights casting odd shadows down the alley way. Finally, she made to move, leaving Cell behind her as she crossed the deserted road and walked through the gardens around the hospital and towards the front doors.

She was treated in a corridor, the beds all taken by people who needed them more then she did. She had been given some drugs to help with the pain while a tired looking middle aged man stitched her muscles and her skin back together.

"The good news is that your going to be fine. You might get a scar, but this cut is clean and should stitch well." Rowan thanked the doctor. He stared at her for a moment. "Under normal circumstances I'd ask you to stay for observation and rest. Your clearly stressed and exhausted. But our hospital is bursting at the seams. We don't have the means to cater to so many people in this emergency." Rowan waved the doctor's comments away.

"S'okay Doc," She was slurring because of the drugs. "I feel fine. I can go home and rest." The doctor smiled warmly at her.

"Make sure you do. And be more careful in future." She smiled at him and let him walk her to the main foyer before turning back to the emergency department.

Rowan made her way across the road, her shoulder in a bandage, barely showing under her shirt. Cell was standing in the alleyway, his arms folded across his chest, his eyes closed in meditation. Rowan could feel the drugs numbing her mind, but they were beginning to wear away. She stood in front of Cell, staring at his serene face. She felt the overwhelming urge to hug him, so she did. Her arms snaked around his chest, not quite long enough to reach around the back. She laid her head against his chest and sighed to herself.

Cell's eyes opened. He was staring, stunned at the obvious show of affection. He saw the bandage beneath her shirt and internally thanked himself. Rowan let him go finally, staring up at him. He could see the drugged expression in her eyes and it made sense. She gave him a warm and bright smile.

"Thank you Seru." She said slowly. Cell felt a slight twinge inside himself, but pushed it aside. He would think on it later.

"Are you alright now?" He asked. She nodded. He studied her for a moment. She had a little bit of color back in her face, and although they had cleaned her up, her clothes were still caked in dried blood, and she had a nice tear in her shirt.

"You need new clothes." He pointed out. She shrugged.

"Doesn't worry me. Theres some in my house." She fumbled in the pocket in her pants and presented the capsule of her home. She held it up to Cell. "See. All safe." Cell frowned. She was irritating while she was drugged. She tucked it back into her pocket, grinning at him.

In one fluid movement, Cell scooped Rowan into the bridal position in his arms and burst into the sky, his wings opened. He didn't bother to hide his presence from the people below and heard the screeching tires and the crunch of metal against metal as cars crashed. He smirked to himself, glancing at Rowan who was already asleep in his arms.

Rowan woke, feeling significantly better then she had in a few days. She stretched and sat up, smiling to herself as her mind worked its way through the last 24 hours. She stared around the insides of her capsule house and beamed. She slipped out of her bed, tore off her clothes and stepped into the shower, sighing in bliss as the hot water steamed and relaxed her muscles. She avoided wetting her injured shoulder as she washed her hair. She finished, stepping out and drying herself, before wrapping the towel around her body and heading to the kitchen. She began making herself a couple of sandwiches, cheese tomato and ham, zapping them in the microwave for a few seconds to heat the cheese. She ate them with relish and licked her fingers. She felt clean, fed and well rested. The drugs had gone from her mind, leaving her with a sense of clarity and the pain in her shoulder was nothing but a dull ache.

The door opened and Cell entered. He let his eyes wander over her before locking his eyes to hers. She gave him a warm smile.

"Feeling better?" He asked. She nodded.

"How long did I sleep?" He smirked.

"Nearly a whole day." Her eyes widened.

"Wow. Guess I needed it." Cell grinned. He felt his face grow hot as his eyes wandered again.

Rowan noticed and smiled at him a little gingerly. He reigned himself back in. She hesitated for a moment, before her mind settled. She turned to the drawers besides her bed, moving to get some clothes out for herself. She decided on a sky blue tank top and some jeans with a jeweled flower emblem on the side of the leg. She glanced over her shoulder, hesitating, for just a second, before letting the towel drop. She saw the sudden tension in Cell and the expression on his face made her smile. She turned back to her clothes, moving slowly and deliberately. She didn't get far.

Cell's arms snaked around her waist and she felt his warmth against her back. His head lowered to her ear.

"What are you doing to me?" He whispered in her ear. She smiled to herself, turning around slowly to face him.

"I didn't do anything. Gero did, remember that." Her face sobered. "In normal cirumstances, I'd be just another corpse to you." Cell frowned, staring at her. It was a long time before he Finally made to talk, but she waved it off.

"It's not normal circumstances and I don't blame you." She said, the corners of her mouth tugging into a slight smile. She looked luscious, inviting. He wanted her right then, his mind emptying of anything else. But he was unsure how to go about it. She sensed his hesitation and moved forward, her warm hands framing his face. She pressed up against him, pulling his face down until her lips brushed against his, taunting him. She kissed the bridge of his nose, smiling at the hungry expression in his eyes. He shifted, forcing his lips to hers in a hungry, somewhat ungraceful kiss. She deepened it, secretly loving his taste and likening it to honey.

Cell couldn't control the feelings that ran rampant in his body. His mind swam, drowning in the images it created of what he'd love to do to Rowan. But he was clumsy, unlearned in the arts of this sort of thing. That annoyed him. He was the most gifted and skilled warrior, he had an intelligence that could only be described as genius, and he was proud of the predatory instincts that lived within him. But all that was useless to him now. He wished only he had been given some natural skill, anything really, to help him now. To put into motions, the urges he felt.

Rowan broke the kiss, stepping back, staring into Cell's face with a fondness in her gaze. She glanced at his helmet, her hands moving to the strap edging. With a smile, she removed his helmet, staring at his jet black hair before running her hands through it.

"I do love your hair." She said with a dark hue to her cheeks. He watched her face intently as her fingers played with his hair. Finally she let him go, taking a step back. He watched her as she circled him, studying the black shelled armor on his chest. Finally she stopped back in front of him, a small frown creasing her face.

"I don't know how it comes off." She said with a sheepish grin after a moment. Cell smirked, flexing his muscles. He channeled the energy into his limbs, making him glow. He willed his energy into his armor, the extension of his body, then forced it to harden, and break.

Rowan watched as the colored hint of Cell's armor desaturated before glowing and hair line crack running through it as it hardened. With a sudden crack, all of his armor shattered to pieces, scattering around him on the floor. He stood as exposed as she did suddenly, only Rowan stood in admiration of the chiseled body before her.

Cell felt exposed and vulnerable. He wasn't really, he knew, but he was so used to having the connection to his armor, it felt completely odd to see it scattered, dead around him. He quickly forgot the feeling though, as it was replaced by others, Rowan's warm fingers tracing the contours of his battle hardened muscles. He felt the pleasure that coursed through his body at the slight touch and realized it was so much more then he would have thought it to be. He felt himself stirring, thought it an odd, although not unpleasant sensation and watched it was amusement. Rowan soon noticed and she stared down at Cell.

What happened next was the natural way of all things. Cell found himself enjoying the primitive pleasures of life, not altogether hating it, which shocked him amazingly. He had always thought that he would feel dirty for the deed, but found himself relishing it instead. He proved a powerful lover, although gentle, trying his hardest not to loose control and harm Rowan. That had added to the pressure that had built rapidly within him until finally, it had burst in a way he had under estimated...

The first thing Cell became aware of was the warmth that enveloped his right side. His eyes opened slowly. The room around him was beginning to brighten, slowly as the sun rose, but not yet harsh. His mind slowly eased as the memories of the previous night washed over him. He allowed himself a smile, somewhat amazed that he had actually fallen asleep. He had used almost nothing of his immense energy, but had been exhausted never the less, and found himself falling asleep besides the woman who had shared his first true intimate experience. She stirred besides him, her warmth moving. She was nestled against his still vulnerable side, his arm wrapped around her, offering support against the floor. She stopped moving, drifting back off to sleep, and he turned his mind inwards.

He evaluated his energy levels, shocked himself. He had been aware of his strengths, even though they had never truly been tested, and was amazed at just how much of a jump they had attained. He closed his eyes, examining himself with his unique internal visions. He saw his genetic sequence in his system, smiled at the slight irregularities that had been adjusted. He saw his cells, enforced with the chemical compound, eating it up like it like it was candy. He opened his eyes again, letting them focus on nothing, as he thought. He had what he wanted now. His mind fluttered through things again, but found himself without conflict. There was no need to fight himself. He had succumbed to his urges, exceeded his expectations, become even stronger then he already was and had finally achieved a little peace and quiet. However he knew with a little hesitation that there was no way he could let Rowan go now. The thought alone stabbed at him. He pushed it all aside as Rowan stirred again.

She yawned and slowly sat up, stretching the kinks out of her back from spending the night on the floor. She smiled down at Cell who was watching her with a slight smirk.

"Good Morning." She said. He shifted, using his free hand to flick a few loose strands of her now dishelved hair from her face. She tucked them behind her ears. They stared at each other for what seemed an eternity, before she finally moved, standing up, glanced down at him, before moving to the kitchen. She began to boil herself some water for a cup of tea.

Rowan felt Cell's presence behind her and felt his arms snake around her again, holding her tight. He licked the exposed flesh on her neck, felt her body flush in his arms, and felt himself become aroused again. The kettle boiled, whistling before turning itself off. It went mostly unnoticed...

A/N: Mm Honey...