Here ya go. As you've seen in the last chapter, Cell somehow made it into this world and already started by emptying Suna and other small villages. Yikes.

Chapter 7

"An android?" Gaara thought out loud. "Explain."

Cell chuckled. "Gladly. You see, I'm a foreigner to this cozy little land you have here. I've come from the future to find certain individuals. Unfortunately, before I could make that attempt, the person I was rendezvousing with went into a completely different direction, and now... here I am."

"Individuals? What are you talking about?" asked Kankuro.

"It is irrelevant. I am thousands of years before their creation, much less the birth of the brilliant mind known as Dr. Gero."

"That still doesn't answer my question." said Gaara.

"Mmm, of course." replied Cell. "I am completely bio-mechanical. Created, but of flesh and bone, no mechanical components necessary. With my creation I was gifted by the cells of the greatest fighters of the era. Their abilities, powers, fighting techniques, even traits of their personality; it is all a part of me."

"I see." Gaara replied. "Why did you come here, from the future?"

"Coming back this far was not my intention, nor was it my decision to make. I simply... hitched a ride, with an old associate."

(Flashback)

"You see, the time I came from contained two very special individuals I needed to absorb to complete my absolute transformation. Much to my dismay, a certain boy named Trunks destroyed them, leaving my evolution impossible within this time. I attempted to confront him, steal his time machine, travel back in time and absorb the androids myself." Cell narrated, as the scene of him fighting Trunks in the future timeline played out, Cell clearly outmatched and attempting to destroy the planet with a Kamehameha.

As it played out, Trunks responded before Cell shot off his attack by launching a Heat Dome Attack, completely overpowering Cell and obliterating him.

"My attempt proved unsuccessful. Fortunately for me, a single piece of me still remained. High in the sky, a piece of my head still remained intact, allowing me to regenerate my body completely and absolutely."

Cell dropped to the ground, glancing around as he couldn't sense Trunks' power anywhere near him. Suppressing his power to a minimum, he made his way back to West City. Finally reaching his destination, he listened in on a conversation Trunks and his mother, Bulma, were having. Piccolo's amazing hearing came in handy as he safely kept his distance, hearing every word.

"Are you sure it will work, mom?"

Bulma smiled as she playfully punched her son's chest. "You worry too much, son. Yes it will work, so long as the guardian is still alive, the Dragon Balls can be used anywhere, it doesn't matter what time. Just keep in mind we may not be able to wish as much as we'd like. My dad always told me crossing times with that kind of power could alter its capabilities, but we only need one wish anyway."

"Right." he replied, his stomach immensely growling from hunger as his mother stared at him.

She sighed with a smile on her face. "Just like your father. Come on, I was just getting ready to fix lunch."

The two walked away from the time machine as they entered the rickety building of Capsule Corp, leaving their unsuspected stalker behind.

"A confrontation would have lead to the same result. I was no match for him, so instead, I waited." Cell said. Taking the small window of opportunity, he quickly rushed to the time machine's side and began giving a light glowing aura around his body as he slowly bent over, changing colors as he regressed into a smaller form. A large, dark-brown insect slowly crawled up the side of the time machine, uncomfortably sitting in the cockpit as it began to glow once again, its size growing even smaller and smaller until all that remained was a large purple egg, which rolled to the back of the time machine and easily out of Trunks' sight.

"Regressing to my larval form was a desperate move, with no way to defend myself or hide myself, I was fortunate enough to roll to the back of the time machine and out of sight."

(End Flashback)

"Soon after the time machine had crashed, and Trunks and myself were ejected. After growing back to my cocoon state, I burrowed into the ground, deeper, and deeper, waiting to regain the strength I needed to resume my search. Much to my misfortune, collecting strength took much longer than I had thought, and when I had awoken, I realized I was not within the same world as the androids. It was also unfortunate that I had lost all of my power in the previous time, as it was taken from individuals who do not exist in this realm. Therefore I had to start fresh."

Cell took a few steps forward but Gaara remained standing, showing no expression whatsoever, barely containing a swelling anger he was ready to unleash onto the monster for sucking up every single person in the village. His village.

This guy's bad news. Kankuro thought, keeping his distance behind Cell and his brother, but slowly walked forward in case he needed help, though he wasn't sure how much he would be able to do. And we can't do anything. We're the only ones left! Damn it! Why can't I wake up! This has to be some kind of sick nightmare, it has to be!

"More of a drawback was the lack of physical and inner strength when I finally emerged. The amount of time it took to finally break my cocoon shell drained my already diminished power significantly. I guess it's your lucky day." Cell chuckled. "Had the circumstances been any different, and I kept my power I originally held before coming to this world, I could have easily devoured you. Regardless, you will provide a very tasteful amount of energy. Now..." Cell stepped forward again. "What do you say we get this over with?"

Gaara kept his arms crossed, his face never changing from the time he met the monstrosity.

"I will stop you. As the Fifth Kazekage of Sunagakure... I'll make a stand for all of the innocent people you killed"

"Ha!" Cell laughed. "What are you, still trying to hold onto that title of yours? You're merely a leader of one man, standing right behind me." he said, taking a finger and pointing behind him to Kankuro. "What good is a King if there is not a kingdom to watch over, to protect, to rule?"

"You would not understand." Gaara simply replied.

Not even a second after the second "d" in "understand" left his mouth, Cell felt the ground loosen, almost liquify. He shot his eyes to the ground and noticed the entire area around him had become sand, violently storming around him as it rushed at him in different directions. Cell flew up, matching the speed at which the sand was traveling, getting higher and higher away from the ground.

"So, he controls sand well enough to shape it from the earth itself. This should be fun."

Unfortunately, his overconfidence foreshadowed to get the best of him. A long stream of sand shot at him from the front, Cell quickly dodging it. To his left, another shot, and again he dodged. When another beam shot at him from the right, he easily moved out of the way, looking down at the Kazekage from the great height he was at.

"Interesting. Let's put you to the test!" Cell said as he fired a small ball of yellow energy down to Gaara. The Kazekage jumped back from the attack, glancing up to see Cell was gone from where he originally was.

"Gaara!"

Heeding his brother's obvious warning, Gaara took no risk on the shield being too slow to protect him, ducking down to avoid a quick kick from Cell at the last moment. The sand enveloped around Gaara, completely surrounding him as it slowly melted into the ground.

"Hiding in the ground, are you?" Cell said out loud.

The ground began to turn to sand again, this time, Cell was ready for it. He flew up quickly, getting further from the ground. A large number of what appeared to be human arms shot up from the ground, heavy, bulky fists slamming themselves at Cell, who nimbly dodged them. Another fist came at him, Cell ducked under it, then ducking to the right as another one was quickly coming after that one. One came from behind, too quick to dodge as it had gotten too close. Cell charged a quick blast of energy into his hand and fired it at the sand hand, destroyed the figure as the sand fell down to the ground.

"Thank you for the warm-up, Gaara." Cell chuckled as he stared down at him from several feet in the air. "But if you're finished now, I will gladly end this game of yours."

X X X

The Illusive Man stood with his arms crossed, staring into the half divided star that seemed so close and yet so far away. A low humming noise came to his ear, something he was familiar with; someone was coming up on the projector.

Someone he was expecting.

"Hey, Illusive Man!" called Trunks. "I've got a bone to pick with you. What the hell was that earlier today?"

The Illusive Man said nothing as he remained standing still, his arms crossed, his eyes clearly focused on something he considered more important than Trunks' disappointment and frustration at him.

"Hey! I'm talking to you! You completely left me behind without even any sort of notice! I got piled by all of those Konoha shinobi after my cover got blown, and-"

The Illusive Man turned around, his steely-blue eyes staring down at him, stopping Trunks as he awaited for a response.

"We've got a bigger problem right now." he said.

"What?" Trunks asked, surprised. "What are you talking about?"

The Illusive Man gripped the bridge of his nose in irritation. "I was unaware, though I should have anticipated it. And now I'm paying for it. Careless of me."

"Huh? Paying for what?"

"Never mind that, it isn't important. What is important, however, is this new threat that has emerged. I apologize for not accompanying you to Konoha, but I had my reasons. Two very significant reasons, in fact. The first being that while on my way, I had discovered they were anticipating Akatsuki activity. By that time, you were already far ahead of me, and pursuing you for an extraction would have been detrimental for everyone, including myself. I need to remain hidden if we are going to work effectively. Hence why I sent Deidara and Tobi for the job."

"How did they even know? Did someone tip them off?" Trunks asked, his curiosity getting the best of him.

"In a sense, yes. There was a man you fought, with Deidara and Tobi named Tokaku. Do you recall?"

"Yeah... I remember he summoned a huge tidal wave out of the blue and got away."

"That tidal wave dragged Deidara to the borders of Konohagakure itself. When you and Tobi found him, there was a small group of shinobi who were nearby. One of them was an Inuzuka, and an experienced one at that. He had picked up the scent and alerted the Hokage, which I was not aware of until I was able to examine the perimeter on my way to the village."

"An Inuzuka?" Trunks asked. "That means... hill of dogs." his eyes then opened up widely in a realization. "Wait! This person, did he have a dog? Like, a big one?"

The Illusive Man nodded his head. "That's correct. He was able to tip off the Hokage. 'Visitation Papers' do not exist in Konoha, they were merely a way to get personal information about you, and although it was simply basics, they now have a full identity over you. And your recent scuffle with some of their finest shinobi is going to put the entire Land of Fire on high alert. This complicates things over an already complicated issue."

It made sense to him, as much as he didn't like to admit, he had been played for a fool. Still, despite all of that, Konoha didn't really seem, or feel like an enemy. Just a village trying to protect its treasure, or so he figured.

"What was the other reason?" he asked.

The Illusive Man took a seat in his chair and pulled a cigarette out. Lightning it, he inhaled the fumes and released them out of his mouth in a quiet exhale.

"Cell."

"!" Trunks' eyes shot open in absolute terror and surprise. His heart sunk to his stomach the second that name registered into his thoughts. Cell was alive? It had to be a lie, Trunks knew he had defeated him in his timeline, and Gohan had destroyed him in his own.

"What? N-No! That's a lie, it has to be!"

"I'm not making this up." The Illusive Man said sternly, crossing his right leg over his left. "I came back once I got wind of an unsettling situation. I've been monitoring it from here personally, and it took me some time to figure out what was causing this, but there is not mistaking it; Cell is still alive."

Trunks' surprise quickly turned to anger. "And you're just sitting here while he sucks away everyone? You're supposed to be an activist for humans! How can you just sit by while Cell is out there devouring-"

"By the time I had a fix on him, it was too late." said the Illusive Man.

"... You mean?-"

"Sunagakure, a village in the southwestern area of the Five Nations, has fallen victim to Cell. I'm sorry, Trunks. There was nothing I could do to stop him before it was too late."

"Then they're all... they're all-"

"Not all of them." he spoke up. "Well over three-quarters of the population has been absorbed by Cell, but the Kazekage, Suna's version of a Hokage, has intercepted Cell before he could finish off the entire population. The very small trace of citizens and shinobi left have evacuated the village and are currently en route to Konoha for refuge."

"He won't make it!" Trunks shouted. "The Kazekage, he won't beat Cell! You have to let me go after him! I'm the only one who can do it!"

"Cell is weak from his time travel. Gaara can hold his own-"

"Time travel? What are you-... No! Are you serious?"

The Illusive Man took his cigarette into his mouth and inhaled, releasing the smoke from his mouth. "While I was monitoring the confrontation I was able to gather information exchanged between him and Gaara. He hid away in your time machine as an egg when you traveled."

Trunks' anger soared at his carelessness. How the hell could I have let this happen? I was so SURE I had blasted him away when I fought him! Now he's loose around in the past up to his old tricks again. Great, way to go, Trunks. This is bad... I've gotta stop him!

Trunks without a second thought bolted from the projector connecting him to the Illusive Man and out of the room, jumping down the single flight of stairs in one jump. Exiting out of the headquarters, he didn't hesitate to power up and fly off towards the direction of the now obvious high power level. How was I so blind to it? Why couldn't I sense it? That other power level... it must be the Kazekage. I can't let Cell absorb him. Gotta hurry!

X X X

Cell's smirked as he took his hands and formed to cup them together. The formation of his hands slowly leaned toward the side of his body, yet despite the distance from the ground, Cell could tell Gaara showed no concern or fear of the imminent attack.

"If only you weren't so ignorant to the damage I am about to lay to you and this ridiculous village. I'll be sure to spare your life, I do plan on enjoying you as a very savory, succulent snack." he said as he pulled his hands further back to his side.

"Ka... me... ha... me..."

Cell's smile widened to almost hysterical with insanity as the empty space in his hands began to shimmer brightly with a bright blue sphere gathering. From below, Kankuro and his brother looked up, completely unaware of what was about to happen. He had used no hand signs, called no elemental type, yet he was just about ready to unleash what appeared to be pure chakra.

That was when Gaara made his move. Lifting his right hand up, his loosely hanging fingers stiffened straight. Cell, never considering the possibility of any repercussion from his dodging Gaara's attacks soon saw the error in his judgement as his body came to a complete and stiff halt.

Cell blinked, and the Kazekage was floating in front of him, less than a few feet away on a cloud of sand in constant motion, his right hand still holding in place and keeping Cell's body frozen.

"What... What is this?" Cell demanded. "How did you-"

"Sand... and a mixture of my brother's mastery over the Puppet Jutsu." Gaara calmly said. "Each time you dodged an attack I threw at you, a light coat of sand attached to your back. To help prevent it from being noticed, each grain spread around your body to make the feeling of sand completely in sync with your own skin and more difficult to notice a difference in feeling. Once that happened, I used the Puppet Jutsu my brother had taught me to paralyze you."

Cell's near complete attack slowly faded away as the energy was sucked away by the sand. He could feel his muscles contracting, and much to his surprise, he was having a much more difficult time breaking free from this hold. This shock was infuriating, knowing that had he had more time to gather strength, he could have easily destroyed this man in front of him. But as of now, he was completely at his mercy.

This is absurd! Cell thought. I'm superior to him, I have to be! How is that he's able to match me, even surpass certain qualities of my own perfect design? It's inconceivable!

"You got him, Gaara!" shouted Kankuro from below. "Take this guy out!"

Cell simply chuckled as he stared at Gaara. "You think you've won? Fool! Kill me and there will be no way to bring back any of those I absorbed!"

Gaara stopped for a moment as his eyes quickly widened up in shock.

"Yes, I see I've made you come around." Cell said. "It's true, however. If you kill me, they will never come back to you, they'll simply be gone forever. But, let me live, and I can reverse the process. It's a simple matter, really."

"WHAT? Gaara, don't listen to this guy!" Kankuro shouted, getting his brother's attention.

"Kankuro..."

"You gotta listen to me! Listen to your big brother! This guy's just blowing smoke up your ass! You can't reverse death like it's nothing, and this guy sucked up everyone in the village! You can't let him get away, you're the only one who can stop him, and you NEED to do it! Otherwise he's just going to keep doing it until the Five Nations are all a bunch of empty cities!"

Cell was relieved to know Kankuro's words had no effect on Gaara as the sand slowly slithered off of his skin.

"Mm-mm, yes, I'm glad to see you made the most logical choice." Cell congratulated. His sleek expression quickly became an excited look of frenzy as his tail extended at shot forward, the tip expanding widely to an appearance of a large plunger head, ready to devour anything it grabbed.

"That delicious sand, and your ability to control it will be mine once I swallow you whole! Now, IN YOU GO!"

Cell's ignorance was something Gaara had counted on, and he had played right into what he had wanted him to do. Merely a foot away from his face, the sand smacked the oddly-shaped tail away from the Kazekage.

"WHAT? That's impossible!" Cell shouted to himself. "Of course... that sand, it's a constant shield. I won't make the same mistake again."

"You're right." Gaara began. Cell heard a loud rising of sand. He shot around and saw a tremendous wave of sand, almost a tsunami in size towering directly over him. Its width was dozens of feet wide, completely cornering him and cutting his chances for escape down to decimals in likelihood. "You won't."

Cell's wings shot to the side as he tried to fly up, but he was stuck. He glanced back down and saw that Gaara had a strong, thick layer of sand acting as cuffs to his legs, keeping him where he was. The android could do nothing but growl and brace himself for the impact of the sand wave that began to topple over.

Yet much to his surprise, the wave of sand did not crash into him, rather, it completely wrapped itself around his body, leaving only his head exposed while his entirety was completely engulfed in sand.

"You...! You bastard, you tricked me!"

"As you me." Gaara replied. "It doesn't matter now. This is the end for you. As the Fifth Kazekage, and as an avenger for all those you have killed... I will end your life, so that you may never end others again."

"W-Wait! All those people!-"

Gaara ignored his attempt to call out to him as the sand around him then covered his head completely, ensuring his body was utterly covered. Holding his right hand out, he took all five points and slowly brought them closer to a grip, forming a premature fist.

"Sand-"

"MMMMMFFF!"

"-Coffin."

Finally shutting his fist completely, the loud and gruesome crunching and breaking of bones and skin could be heard from under the sand, as well as Cell's horrified muffled cries of pain. Gaara released his fist, allowing the large collection of sand to fall to the ground, making a small crater on impact. The more-than-likely mutilated Cell still remained inside, and his physical condition was still unknown as the sand never let go of him.

The light of the moon finally broke through the clouds and granted illumination to the empty village as the Kazekage brought himself down off the small cloud of sand he was floating on and stepped off, Kankuro meeting him at the body bag of sand on the opposite side.

"Is it over?" Kankuro asked, glancing around the street. To think, everyone he knew in this village, aside from his brother and sister, had all been killed; eaten by this monster that was crushed to death by Gaara.

Above them, Trunks glanced down at the scene. It was just as he had imagined; empty streets, clothes laid about where the people had dropped, and the eerie sense that Cell had been there was all too familiar. Like a powerful scent that remains no matter what, this village had been tainted, cursed. Forever.

He finally set himself down, Gaara and Kankuro giving him their attention as his landing was merely a few feet from them.

"Did you do this?" he said, pointing to the large collection of sand sitting in a small crater.

"Yes." Gaara replied.

Trunks picked his right hand up and pointed his open palm at the large chunk of huddled sand. "He's not dead, move, I'll finish him."

"What?" Kankuro asked in surprise. "Are you serious? Look, I don't think you saw what happened, but Gaara literally crushed that freak to death. There's no way anyone can survive that, especially when it's wrapped around your whole body."

Trunks started to get frustrated, thinking Cell was dead after that was a grave mistake, though their ignorance could not be blamed since no one had ever seen or fought someone like him before most likely. "Listen!" he looked over at Gaara. "I know you're strong, but if you don't let me finish him, he's going to regenerate, and he'll be even stronger than before because of such a serious injury! I can't explain how, you just have to trust me and let me finish him off!"

"Regenerate...?" Gaara said out loud. A moment later, the sand began to slide away from its collection and back to Gaara and the gourd it was being held in. "I don't know who you are, but if you are sure he is that dangerous, I will not stop you."

"What? Gaara are you-"

"It's fine, Kankuro." Gaara said, looking at Trunks. "He doesn't mean any harm."

Trunks' hand quickly lit up with a small yellow ball of energy forming, waiting as the last of the sand left and returned to Gaara. Just as Trunks was about to shoot, he noticed something that brought anger and chills down his spine.

Cell was gone.

"What the?" Trunks asked out loud. "He's gone?"

Trunks was beginning to panic. He couldn't let Cell get away. If he did, this world would suffer for who knows how long, and the future would be completely ruined, hell, there would be no future if Cell was allowed to roam free.

Suddenly the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. An all too familiar smell of death and hot flesh worked into his nostrils, as a dark glowing part of red eyes gazed behind him.

"Hello, Trunks."

The flashbacks of his past, fighting Cell himself, and all those he had killed along with the Androids surged through him as he quickly reached for his sword and pulled it out, swinging behind him in a loud angry shout, only to hit a quickly fading image of Cell who had long since disappeared.

"I must thank you, Gaara. This little altercation has been... stimulating. Nearly crushing me to death, why, that would have killed anyone else."

The three looked around until they finally caught Cell on top of a small restaurant, his arms crossed and his tail slowly swaying in motion, waiting to claim its next victim.

"However, I am not anyone else. The moment you crushed me, my cellular structure immediately began to reformulate itself."

Damn it! I should have been quicker! I could have gotten here sooner, I could have stopped him! Now he's even stronger than before! Trunks desperately thought to himself. To be in a panic against this Cell was not something he would normally be in, had he been in his own time line. However, with the way things have been going, Trunks' unsure level of control over his power, if it is even that, gave him a sense of uneasiness against Cell, who despite being much weaker than him normally, was still anything but a pushover.

"I love the Nameks. An amazing race." he chuckled. "I am the greatest of all races. And thanks to Goku and Vegeta's Saiyan blood, I'm much stronger than before. You'll find ridding me... a more tedious challenge than before."

"No! I won't let this happen again!" Trunks shouted as he clenched his fists together and began to power up, a white cloudy aura quickly shrouded his body as his hair violently blasted about.

He felt his power raise and raise, and then hit a ceiling. He couldn't raise his power anymore. He had gotten stronger, but he was still in his base form. I can't transform? No, no, no, no, not now!

"What's this? Don't tell me you've been slacking, Trunks. It would be a pity to absorb you when you are not at your peak."

"This is more than enough to take you on!" Trunks yelled as he shot up towards Cell.

Cell chuckled as he kept his arms crossed in anticipation. Trunks flew a kick at Cell, who simply leaned his head back to avoid the attack completely. Trunks swung his sword diagonally at Cell, only for the android to grab the blade. He took the moment to flip over behind Trunks, grappling his legs around his waist, his arms around his chest and pinned him while standing.

"So reckless. So eager to jump into the fight. Just like your father." Cell said, the damp and disgusting air of his breath layering itself on Trunks' neck.

"Don't talk about him like you know him! You know nothing about my father!"

"Ha! And what exactly can you do to stop me? You've gotten sloppy, Trunks. Not transforming into a Super Saiyan against me is a grave mistake. I'm a little insulted, actually, that after you bested me when we last fought you'd underestimate me by staying in your base form. Well, look where it got you. All mine, now."

Cell's tail shot up straight into the air, finally curving and diving straight for Trunks' chest.

"Now, come to me! Become a part of perfection!"

The tip of the tail pierced straight through his skin, burrowing as far as the tip could go. Trunks immediately shouted out in pain, the tip felt like a knife. He tried to break free from Cell's grip, but he was relentless, never letting go. It was no use, Trunks couldn't transform, and was completely at Cell's mercy as a sickly excited cackling escaped the mouth of the android.

This can't end like this! If he absorbs me, no one will be able to stop him! I gotta... break free!

"There now... that's a good boy. Just wait, this won't take long." Cell said, his laughter turning hysterical as his tail began to process the energy from Trunks' body.

Trunks cried out, shrieking in terror and pain as he felt his body numb from being drained away. Another pump of energy left, he could feel dizziness taking over him. Another pump, his head was spinning, the world in front of him began to blur heavily. Another pump, his mouth went completely dry, and his eyes began to itch from the sudden dryness that overcame them. Was he going to die? Is this what it feels like to have the life sucked out of you?

Can't... move... Mom...

"AGGGHHHH!"

Before another pump of energy was taken away from the half-blooded Saiyan, he could feel the warm stinger leaving his chest, as that, and a large portion of his tail fell in front of him. Trunks was released from Cell's grip from a reaction to the pain, and fell over on his face, heavily disoriented and completely unaware to what was happening.

Growling, Cell turned and looked down to see Gaara and Kankuro standing with three new people. To the right, a man with long dark-brown hair, tied in a loose ponytail. His eyes were a pure white, the veins visible from the eye all the way to the edge of the temples on his head. To the left, a man wearing his headband to what seemed like a bandana stood with a rather mellow and relaxed stance, with a senbon hanging out of his mouth like a piece of straw. In the middle stood the leader, and apparently, the one who caused the damage to his tail. A tall man with spiky-white hair and a mask covering his face from the nose down. His left hand held his headband above his left eye, which had an obscure characteristic about it. It was red, with a peculiar design within the iris.

"So, it seems we have more lambs for the slaughter." Cell said as he completely turned his back to the fallen Trunks and faced his new opposition.

"You're awfully confident for someone who's severely outnumbered." said Neji.

"There is no reason not to be. The man I just defeated was the only one who was capable of besting me in power. I'm afraid you three will be... leaving me wanting more, shall we say."

"I wouldn't put it past us. What's a bee without its stinger?" Kakashi asked while watching Cell's dismembered tail swaying around, the blood slowly crusting and dripping from its open wound.

"Hey. Gaara." said Genma. "You said this guy wasn't Akatsuki?"

"No." he replied.

"I'm sorry, my friend. Your analogy of the bee... it's not quite accurate." said Cell. With his tail looming over his back, he gripped his fists together. The end of the tail pulsed once, twice, three times, and on the fourth it finally spat out a perfect regenerated version of the tail that was blasted off. "When bees lose their stingers, they're gone for good. But when Cell looses his, well, he just grows another."

"Cell?" Genma asked. "Wait a second, that's the name person who's responsible for wiping out those other villages. Sucked them right out of their clothes..." he glanced around the street. It was eerily empty, merely clothes, strollers, and canes, laying about the pavement and sidewalk. He could only image what the last moments of their lives were, running, screaming, begging for mercy as this freak of nature drained them of everything they had.

"Neji, you ready?" asked Kakashi.

"Always."

"Genma."

"No prob, Kakashi. Let's go, Gaara."

Gaara and Kankuro kept their eyes on Cell as they and Genma quickly left the scene, leaving a confident Cell with Kakashi and Neji.

"You and I aren't finished, Kazekage!" Cell shouted as his wings shot out and the android dashed towards them.

"Neji!"

"Right!"

Neji quickly darted in the path of Cell's running direction. Taking a defensive stance, he put one arm behind him and kept one forward as he prepared to launch his first attack.

"Fool! I'll just take you first, then!" Cell shouted as he shot his tail forward ahead of him towards the Hyuga.

"Rotation!"

Before the tip could come close enough, Neji announced his attack and quickly spun himself around in a violent circle, easily deflecting Cell's tail, and Cell himself as he was knocked back onto his side. The Hyuga ceased his movement and stared down at Cell, who was picking himself up and carried an annoyed look on his face.

"What's the matter? Annoyed because your food is actually fighting back this time?" Neji taunted.

Cell chuckled. "What an amusing speculation. No, I find this to be a much more... satisfying way of consuming. The hunter always enjoys his meat more because he earned it, and I'm sure I will enjoy you and the others much more after I have pulverized each... and every one of you." he finished by licking his lips.

"What happens when the hunter becomes the hunted?"

Cell's face turned to shock as he heard another voice behind him. Barely a second later, Dr. Gero's creation could feel a hot piercing feeling entering from his left chest. Like magma shooting from a volcano, it bursted out of the front of his chest. Cell's glanced down at the hand, covered in wild sparks of bright blue lightning, and then the hand was gone. He gripped his now fresh and open wound, fell to his knees, and collapsed to the ground.

"You okay?" Kakashi asked Neji.

"Yes." he replied. "Kakashi-sensei. There was someone he was attacking when we arrived. We should check on him."

"I was just thinking that. Wait here." he replied as he jumped up to the rooftop. Kneeling down, he took his fingers to check the pulse of the half Saiyan.

Okay, looks like we caught that freak before something bad happen-... Hold on a second. Have I seen this person before?

Something about him was oddly familiar. Long lavender hair, a sleeveless blue jacket?

Wait! he thought as it hit him. "It's him. He's the new Akatsuki member the Hokage was telling us about."

"Neji!" he called, turning his head back. "Let's catch up with Genma and the others, they're gonna wanna hear this."

"Oh yes, they will."

Kakashi's gasp was loud and filled with shock as Cell stood directly in front of him from what appeared to be almost a teleport from the ground he laid down on.

"!"

Before the Jonin could react, Cell slammed a fist directly into his gut. Kakashi hunched over in pain, grabbing his stomach, coughing up blood that soaked within his mask, lining his lips with the crimson liquid.

But how? Is he like Kakuzu? Multiple hearts? I don't understand, that was a direct shot! He shouldn't even have a heart period after that!

"I see you are in a bit of pain. Too much to speak, it seems. I'm sure you're wondering how I recovered from your impressive light show. It's quite simple, really." Cell said as he tapped the side of his head. "I have the cells of the greatest fighters from the distant future deep within my blood stream. One of which come from a Namekian named Piccolo. His wonderful ability allows me to regenerate any part of my body- organs included- so long as my head is intact."

"Wh... What have you done with Neji?"

"Ah, yes, him. I decided to save my dessert for last. Yes, it seems I have myself a delightful full-course meal. The appetizer, the main course, and the final piece is laying flat behind me."

He's still alive... good, I can't take this guy by myself. And it looks like the other guy is down for the count, too. Kakashi thought.

"Don't look so distraught, my dear friend. You should rejoice! For you will help build the perfect warrior past his breaking points. You only need to stay right... where you are."

Cell licked his lips as the tip of his tail widened to its large vacuum-like appearance. "Now then, come to me!"

Kakashi gasped as the top of the tail grabbed his upper-body, completely engulfing everything from his chest and up. He muffled loudly as he attempted to squirm out, only for it to be a futile attempt. Cell had won.

His sick laughter echoed throughout the entirety of Suna as Kakashi was inched up into his tail, little by little, until-

BBBBBZZZZZZZZZ!

"AGGGGGHHH!" Cell shouted as a strong wave of electricity surged over his body. He glanced at this tail, an embarrassing and infuriating feeling overcame him as he realized he had been tricked.

Taking the one opportunity he had, Kakashi, the real Kakashi, jumped high above Cell's still electrical body and tightly shut his left eye. A second later, a small collection of blood drizzled from his eyelid as the eye opened again, its strain obvious from the several red lines across the eye.

"Amaterasu!"

The black flames shot from his eye at a great speed towards Cell. In the nick of time, the android broke out of the electrical current and jumped away from the flames just in time as they hit the top of the roof.

"What? There's no way he's that fast."

Still in the air and slowly coming down, Kakashi glanced around, trying to spot Cell. He was relieved when he saw Neji laying on the ground, remembering Cell remarking he was going to save him for later. The disgusting thought of that monster treating them as the course to a meal made him uneasy just thinking about it.

Kakashi finally landed on the ground next to Neji, who was groaning from his previous attack. Injured, but alive at the very least. He glanced straight ahead to see Cell roughly twelve to thirteen feet in front of him, his arms crossed in amusement.

"Perhaps I have taken you too lightly." Cell said. "You have a unique ability. It all comes from that eye, doesn't it?"

The Sharingan was beginning to weigh heavily on him. He had since become much more adept in the years of training, including the awakening of new abilities, but the enormous drain it took on him was always in effect.

"Indeed." Cell answered for himself as he noticed Kakashi's breathing get louder from exhaustion. "Exacting my reason for not absorbing you in the fashion I normally would. You see, bio-extracting from the tip gives me all the energy from the individuals I consume. It does not give me their abilities, for that, I must do things... differently, shall we say."

"You're giving me an awful lot of information. Are you sure that's a smart thing to do?" he asked.

I can't beat this guy. He's too quick, he knows it. And I don't have a lot of chakra left.

"Think of it as a courtesy." Cell said. "Now then, are you done with your useless struggle?"

Cell started stepping towards Kakashi. The Jonin got ready, not sure what more he could do. He was buying time at this point, and he knew it. But how much time he could buy is what was critical.

Almost immediately, Cell was right in Kakashi's personal space, his fist raised. His right came down to his face, but the Sharingan gave him a slight chance to prepare for it. Kakashi barely caught the fist with one of his hands, staggering to keep his balance as he struggled to keep it at a standstill.

Cell chuckled at his block, even more so at the fact that he wasn't even trying very hard to break through. Regardless, he was getting enjoyment at the silver-haired Jonin's struggle.

He tensed his tail up and shot it straight for Kakashi's face. Avoiding another close call, Kakashi took his right hand and grabbed the end of his tail, being careful to stay out of the reach of the tip.

He groaned loudly as he struggled to keep him at bay. He was too strong, he had to keep every ounce of energy into just holding him back, but he knew that would eventually break off soon.

I can't do anything. If I use the Mangekyo Sharingan again he'll have that window to get me. And if I miss, I'll really be out of options.

"Mmm, I do grow tired of this. After all, you're not supposed to play with your food." Cell said. Using his free left hand, he raised it up while keeping the palm open. A warm feeling formed in his hand as a small blue ball of energy formed in it.

"I'll be sure to leave you well enough alive. I am indeed curious to see what I myself can do with a man of your abilities. Indeed, first you, Trunks, that other man you are with, and I'l be sure to catch up with the others once I am finished."

BAM!

Then help came from above as a strong kick was delivered into Cell's face, sending him flying into a nearby house, crashing inside it. The kicker let himself down to reveal it was Trunks, coincidentally regaining consciousness when the Jonin needed it most.

"You..." Kakashi said to himself, standing up straight to regain his composure.

"Get out of here." Trunks bluntly stated, staring at the rubble where he had kicked Cell into. He was still alive, he knew it.

Kakashi didn't really know what to make of him. The report were true, though. Shoulder length lavender hair, blue eyes, and the signature ring carried by all Akatsuki members. All that was missing was the black cloak and its red cloud designs, but he was helping him. It became obvious to him this thing, whatever it was, was not only not human, but also not Akatsuki.

He walked back and lifted Neji up, placing his arm around his shoulders for support as he raised him up. "You okay, Neji?"

"Ughn... Yes, I'll be fine."

A second later, Cell came flying out of the rubble, directly towards Trunks at an incredible speed. He swung a roundhouse kick towards Trunks, who simply blocked it with his arm. Trunks countered by taking his free hand and slamming it directly into Cell's gut, sending him back several feet. The android recovered quickly from the attack and back flipped to his feet.

"You have an annoying habit of showing up when you are not wanted." Cell said.

"Coming from the person who invited himself into a village like this and swallowed everyone whole, I'd say you're the last person to tell anyone this."

"Don't you lecture me, you little punk!" Cell growled agitated. Trunks was the only person that could match, and best his power without a problem. He knew that, and that's what made fighting him so aggravating.

Trunks clenched his fists together as he raised his power level. Again, he hit the ceiling, stopping at a powerful level, but not enough to toss Cell around. He still would have a slight advantage.

"This again, mm?" Cell said. "I'm surprised you would be foolish enough to try something that didn't work the last time."

Trunks gripped his fists tighter, concentrating his energy as his power slowly pushed itself against the ceiling holding his power back. He grunted loudly, slowly getting louder as the moments passed by.

X X X

The Illusive Man sat in his chair facing the star. His eyes glowing in their bright light as he took his hand and waved it over.

"All right, then, Trunks."

X X X

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Trunks shouted. Cell could sense it in him; his power went from a near standstill to a huge jump in less than a second.

Kakashi and Neji watched from their short distance as the Saiyan Akatsuki began displaying an incredible amount of power at once. Neji watched as Trunks' energy violently thrashed about inside his body, like a pack of wild animals desperate for escape.

My god... what power. the Hyuga thought to himself.

Cell watched in horror as Trunks' hair suddenly stiffened up in several directions going away from his head. His pupils turned from their blueish color to a solid green. Dr. Gero's creation watched as fallen rubble from all across the city was slowly picked up and raised into the air.

Finally, Trunks gave a final shout as his energy finally hit another ceiling, but it didn't matter at this point. The debris and rubble around him that had risen was shot away from the force of his energy being released. When everything cleared, Cell saw what would be the bane of his existence. His hair had changed color, a dark gold color now coated the locks of his hair. The flashing aura was a gold shimmering coat, and his eyes remained their greenish tint.

"Cell." Trunks said. "It's all over. I'm stopping you again, for the last time."

Cell clenched his fists together as a quick golden aura surrounded him, identical to Trunks'. "I see. So, you've decided to get serious."

"I've never been more serious about erasing you from existence than I am now. It wasn't enough, was it? You had to go and take the lives of all these people in the past!"

Cell looks as if he was going to say something, but Trunks did not allow it as he quickly dashed to him, kneeing him in the stomach and sending him flying upward. Trunks charged up his energy and flew straight up after him. Cell recovered quickly and swung his foot at Trunks, who quickly grabbed his foot and swung him around, letting go as he flew down to the ground.

Just before Cell crashed into the ground below, Kakashi and Neji jumped back, narrowly missing the plummet of the large creature. Without any time for the smoke to recover, Cell had spread his wings and flew back up towards Trunks craving revenge.

Cell launched his fist forward, Trunks quickly blocked it without much trouble. Trunks threw a punch at Cell, who caught it with his one free forearm. Trunks took the initiative by slamming his head into Cell's, catching him off guard as he shouted in pain. The Saiyan balled his fists together, crashing it into Cell's head and tossing him down to the ground once again. Only this time, Trunks followed straight after him. Just before Cell hit the ground, Trunks was already on the ground, throwing his fist into Cell's back- or so he thought. When the fist went in, Cell had disappeared just in time to avoid the attack. Trunks glanced over to his right, jumping just before Cell's tail could stab him again. He quickly countered by driving his foot into Cell's face, sending him sliding back several feet as he uprooted the ground along the way.

Cell wheezed heavily, his breathing giving off a gargling sound as long streams of purple blood dripped from his mouth, droplets touching the destroyed line of ground he was pushed through. Trunks stood at the end, a cold look in his eyes resembling him to Vegeta more than ever. He knew this time he was not going to make room for error.

There will be another time. he thought to himself. He staggered up, finally regaining composure.

Trunks, without waiting another moment longer, charged straight at Cell, throwing a fist straight into him, only for Cell to disappear before it hit him. He looked up, noticing Cell standing on top of the roof of a restaurant, a smug look on his face with his arms crossed.

"I must say, this day has made a fortunate turn of events. Wouldn't you agree, Trunks?"

"Screw you, Cell!" Trunks said. Kakashi and Neji stood not too far away, being viewers of the fight all along.

Is this what I was really up against? Kakashi thought. I never even stood a chance. And this guy, Trunks... he's even stronger than him. Where did these guys come from?

"I have enjoyed this game. Even in this time, there are still few characters that manage to amuse me. I'll enjoy myself while I meet the rest of them."

"You're not going to meet anyone else except the pavement, Cell!" Trunks shouted, his gold aura shooting up again as he readied himself for another attack.

"Some other time, my boy. I have... pressing matters to attend to." Cell chuckled. He took his hands and opened them widely. Taking them, he placed each hand on its respective side of his head. "Let's catch up sometime soon, Trunks."

"What! Cell!" Trunks knew what he was about to do, he had to stop it. He rushed towards him, flying as fast as he could. But it wasn't fast enough.

"SOLAR FLARE!"

Trunks flew directly into the sun, or so it felt from the brightness. He lost his balance, bumping into the balcony of the restaurant as he tried to feel his way around, but he knew it was too late. Cell was well on his way away from them. Kakashi and Neji shielded their eyes, for whatever good it did them as the burning of the attack kept them blinded for the duration of the move, which felt like an eternity.

When the light finally subsided, Cell was gone. Trunks tried to feel out his power, but it was completely invisible at this point. He had done it again, just like when he and Krillin had come to help Piccolo in the past. Cell knew he was outmatched and ran, using Tien's signature move as his rope for escape.

"CELL! COME BACK HERE! YOU COWARD!"

Trunks fell to his knees, punching the ground in frustration, leaving a small crater in the ground. His gold aura finally ceased, and his stiff golden hair loosened and fell back down, returning to its lavender color. His eyes regained their blue color as he stood up and glanced over at Kakashi, still carrying Neji on one of his shoulders.

Konoha. he thought as he noticed the headbands on both of the shinobi.

"Don't worry." Kakashi said. "I'm not going to try anything. I don't think I could, really. That creature was too much for me, I don't want to see what you can do." he said, giving a slightly humorous aura to his speech.

"Did the Hokage send you after me?"

"No, but I do know who you are. You're Trunks... and also an Akatsuki."

Trunks tensed up at the way he said it, like he was some sort of disease, an enemy.

"But," Kakashi started "As you and I clearly saw, there's something a lot worse going on."

Trunks nodded. "You haven't seen half of what he can do. Cell is a complete demon to every living thing on this planet."

"You've fought him before."

"Yes, and I thought I had killed him when I did. I was wrong, as you can see." he coldly admitted.

Kakashi took his headband, closing it over his Sharingan. There was no need for it now, the fight was clearly over, and even if Trunks turned aggressive, he was too worn down to put up much of a fight. He knew he was outclassed.

"I'm surprised you're a member yourself." Kakashi said.

"What makes you say that?"

"You don't fit the bill. You're not a psychopath killing for religion, money, or just killing for the sick thrill of it. No one's ever heard of you, and you show up out of nowhere with no sort of criminal record, only for the majority of the dead Akatsuki to be now resurrected around the same time."

"... It's not what you think." Trunks said to himself, loud enough for Kakashi to hear.

"I see." he replied. He walked towards Trunks and stepped slightly behind him before stopping. "Ask yourself if you're fighting the right fight. Sometimes it's easy to support one side, when you know nothing about the other."

The words ran in Trunks like an old gong, and when Trunks turned to say something to the silver-haired Jonin, he was gone.

Where'd he go? I can't sense him anymore.

X X X

"It's not a complete loss." The Illusive Man said. "If anything, this may work in your favor."

On the other side of the room, a man stood in the shadows. All that could be seen were his sandals, and the length of the bottom of his robe touching the base of his feet. His voice was rough and senile, calloused over the years.

"Possibly."

"Don't doubt yourself too much. Cell is a threat, no doubt. But he can be an invaluable asset to us both, in our own respective ways."

"Indeed? How so?" he asked.

The Illusive Man smiled, lightning a cigarette and smoking it once before projecting his words into voice. "I get what I want, and you get what you want."

"Waiting is not something I like doing, Illusive Man."

"Nor do I, but I assure you, Cell's genetic codes are a marvelous work of art. Dr. Gero was a brilliant man in every aspect of the word. And I can promise you that if time is alloted, it will become clear to you why he is to be left alone for now."

The man in the shadows sighed. "Very well."

"I wouldn't worry too much if I were you. If all goes according to plan, you should be able to finish off Cell without any trouble, and I'll have what I need before that happens. I'm a man of my word."

"We'll see."

END!

Ooooh man, crazy stuff huh? Cell had quite a bit to deal with, only to run away like a little bitch XD And what's up with the Illusive Man and this mystery guy? Something's going on! Apologies for the late update, I'll get started on the next chapter as soon as I can. Just been kind of busy, thanks for those who have favorited this/alerted this. Please review, and I'll see you guys next time!