A Need Unknown

Chapter 4

A/N: Hello everyone, long time no see! I didn't abandon this story, I promise. I have just gotten really inspired lately, and felt like writing, so don't be surprised if you see the next chapter pretty soon. At least that's the plan! Oh, apologies in advance if you see some typos. It's almost 7AM and I've been working on this, so I did my best at the moment! Hehe, oh and as usual, thank you all SO much for your reviews! You guys are the best!

Anyway, without further adieu…

Sayah sat on the edge of the ring, her legs hanging off the side as she stared at the mostly-crumbled muffin in her hands. She was back to 'her side' of the ring, near where all of her items sat close to the pillar. There were so many questions going through her head that she was having a hard time trying to make sense of them all, but the main question still ringing clear: why was she here? Cell hadn't quite given her an exact answer, and she didn't count him weaseling his way out of her question a real answer, either. There had to be something more, but what? What could he possibly want with her, if she really was such an insignificant being, as he put it?

She kept turning the wrapped muffin over and over in her hand as she tried to understand his thinking, but she knew she was getting nowhere, and she was beginning to drive herself crazy from the sound of the plastic wrapper crinkling and crunching over and over again. During all this time she'd barely been able to eat a fraction of the blueberry one, even though that was the one that was the least destroyed of the two. She sighed in frustration and figured that her best bet would be just to ask him, yet again, and hope that he wouldn't kill her; although, she was pretty sure he was going to do so anyway, at least eventually. She figured she had nothing to lose and got up, dusting some of the blueberry crumbs off her lap, and began to walk over to him, carrying the muffin he'd pretty much decimated in her hand.

She tried to ignore the gnawing feeling in her stomach as she got closer, and finally walked around to face him. She lightly cleared her throat and placed one hand on her hip, the other still holding the pastry; even if she didn't exactly feel confident deep down, she wasn't going to show him that.

"I forgive you."

Cell's eyes snapped open, staring at her as he held back a laugh. "Excuse me?" He didn't understand where this was coming from, especially when she had nothing to forgive him for; and even if he did, he wouldn't seek forgiveness, much less her forgiveness, for it. He'd already killed hundreds, probably thousands of innocent humans, so what did he care what she felt about him?

Sayah held up the muffin, her gaze unmoving. "You destroyed my muffin…chocolate chip is my favorite." She said quietly, almost as if testing to see if he could hear her. She was also trying to figure out the words to ask him everything she wanted to ask him, without threatening another incident like what they'd had earlier.

Cell stared at her, bewildered. Was she serious? Was she really being serious right now? He gritted his teeth slightly, his impatience getting the better of him. "Do you really believe I care what you think, girl?" He hissed, trying to figure out what her angle was, "Get away from me and back to your corner before you regret it." He growled, not bothering to see if she'd move before closing his eyes again, trying to ignore her.

"Or what?" Sayah asked, taking a step towards him. "What are you going to do? Finish what you started earlier?" She really wasn't meaning to go there, but his arrogance and attitude was really putting her off, "Because that's what you're going to do eventually anyway, right? And that Goku guy won't be here to stop you," She took another set of steps, "So go ahead, do it. But first tell me the real reason why I'm here, because I don't believe for a second it's what you told me earlier." She couldn't tell exactly where all this confidence was coming from, and this wasn't at all what she had planned the conversation to go like, but it was too late to turn back now.

Cell uncrossed his arms as he opened his eyes to stare at her. Did she want to die? Because she was sure heading in that direction. "Yes, that is probably what I'll do eventually," He retorted, a menacing smirk tugging at his lips, "But if you want that time to come sooner, then I can work with that." He began to take a slow step towards her, watching as she froze in place as he did so.

Sayah got a chill down her spine when she saw the look on his face, and she tried to not move for as long as she could as he walked towards her, eyes never faltering. It didn't take that much longer before she started backing away from him, seeing the look of pure enjoyment he got when he realized she was afraid. "I'm having deja-vu of my house all over again," She thought, hoping he'd stop before she walked off the side of the ring.

"What's wrong? You were so confident when you walked up to me," Cell spoke lowly, menacingly, noticing that she was going to back herself up against one of the pillars in a short distance, and letting out a loud laugh when she did. "Where did all your bravado go?" he added, the pure look of panic on her face making him smirk even bigger, and he walked up to an uncomfortably close distance, having too much fun toying with her to really realize how close he was.

Sayah touched the pillar with her hands, feeling the cold, smooth surface and trying to keep her back off of it. She didn't want to have another unnecessary reaction like last time and put herself even closer than they already were. She took a few short, quick breaths, still trying to save face and look confident as she stared into his magenta eyes. "You haven't answered my question, Cell. Why did you bring me here?" She was having a tough time trying not to bite her lip out of pure nervousness, but she didn't want to show him just how afraid of him she was.

Cell shifted his body a bit, placing one hand against the pillar, next to her head, and lowering himself slightly to be closer to her eye-level, "I already told you, you piqued my interest," He uttered, looking over and reaching out to grab a lock of her hair and twisting it in the same fashion he'd had when Goku had shown up.

"No. What is your reason?" She asked, trying to keep the courage in her voice, "The REAL reason, Cell. Tell me!" She was starting to get frustrated, and moved her body forward towards him, trying to show him he didn't intimidate her.

Cell let go of her hair, chuckling sinisterly as he turned to meet her gaze, "My dear, what makes you think I have any other reason than to toy with you?" He let out a loud laugh, "You are merely a trinket to pass the time until the day of my tournament arrives. Nothing more." He said quietly, almost whispering as he watched the reaction on her face. Something deep down nagged him, as if knowing that what he had just told her wasn't true, but he wasn't about to tell her that, especially if he didn't know the real reason why himself.

Sayah's mouth opened slightly in horror, her eyes narrowing, "So that's what I am to you?! Some messed up experiment?!" She yelled, not even realizing what she was doing as she lifted her hand to slap him, and trying again with her other hand when he caught her first attempt. "What is wrong with you?! Are you really this heartless?!" She added, barely registering that he had pinned her wrists above her head, and her back was now completely against the pillar.

Cell's quick reflexes managed to catch her before she could lay a hand on him, but he had to admit that she had more strength than she let on. He could say he was having a hard time keeping her pinned…for a human. She, of course, paled in comparison to him, but it was a little too late when he realized that he was having to press himself against her to keep her there. "Who the hell is this woman? She shouldn't have this much strength, especially with practically no energy signature…" He thought, suddenly feeling her heavy breathing gently tickling his face as he stared down at her. His face showed no traces of what he'd just been thinking, but instead he just kept staring at her, trying to figure the petite woman out.

Sayah's eyes started to brim with tears as she looked up at him, trying to fight back those same tears that were threatening to spill onto her face, "So this is why you healed me," She said quietly, her green eyes seeming to twinkle in the arriving sun, "Just so you could keep me around to slowly kill me yourself to pass the time." She smiled sadly, staring into his magenta eyes to try and make sense of what he'd just told her, "You know, when you did that I didn't want to believe everything I'd heard about you. I couldn't possibly believe that someone who saved me would also be capable of killing so many innocent people," She moved a few millimeters closer to his face, so she wouldn't have to speak any louder than she had to for him to hear her, "But now I know it's true what they say about you. You really are a monster." She moved her face away from his and rested the back of her head against the pillar, closing her eyes and ignoring the wet drops she felt running down her cheeks. She relaxed her arms and felt as he let go of her wrists without any resistance, opening her eyes again when she felt a sudden gust of wind, and looked up just in time to see him taking off into the sky.

Sayah hadn't bothered to wait for him, knowing that he'd eventually come back, but also knowing it definitely wouldn't be for her. If he came back it would solely be to act on the single purpose he said he'd had for her, but she'd be lying if she said she at one point hoped it'd been for something else. Even though she hadn't waited for him, she had still stayed in that same spot he'd left her, after she slid her back down the pillar until she sat, just staring into the sky and letting the soft breeze dry the tears onto her cheeks. She felt like an idiot, actually believing that someone like him could have a tiny shred of decency and maybe even care for human life, or at least her life. Her thoughts were interrupted when she saw what seemed to be shooting stars in the sky, causing her mouth to fall agape and for her to stare stupefied at what seemed to be an unnatural phenomenon. "Shooting stars? In the middle of the day?" She asked aloud, her mind immediately drifting to Cell before she shook her head and stood up, walking back over to her spot on the arena. "There's no way he'd do something that…nice. If anything, he's probably just blowing them up or something." She mumbled, flopping down near her things and trying to find something to occupy her time while she waited for her impending doom.

A few hours passed, and when it had gotten dark she grabbed some clothes from her bags and began to walk in the direction of the spring she'd found, or been shown. She took her time, stopping to admire the various flowers in her path, muttering "I may never see them again, might as well enjoy them," as she did so.

When she finally arrived, she set her stuff down on one of the nearby rocks and sighed, sitting on the ground. She stared at the waterfall, smiling slightly and appreciating its beauty, while simultaneously wondering how it even got there. She sat like that for a while, what felt like hours but were probably minutes, without saying anything at all, just watching the water fall into the pond and listening to the relaxing sound that made.

Cell landed on the arena's surface, immediately noticing that Sayah was absent. He ignored the sudden feeling of loneliness deep inside and shoved it under an even stronger feeling of anger, gritting his teeth and muttering, "She better not have tried to escape." He walked over to her items and saw that most everything was still there, save for a few clothes since one of the bags wasn't as full as he remembered. He growled and began to walk in the direction of the first place he could think she would be, hurrying to get there but simultaneously being careful to make not much noise or movement of his surroundings.

When he arrived, he slowed down and noticed Sayah just sitting there on the grass, staring at the water. He tried to figure out if she was actually looking at something or just staring absentmindedly, and he got his answer when she shifted a bit to put her hands behind her, still sitting with her knees bent up, and leaned her head back to look up, to what he assumed was the sky.

Sayah's emerald eyes sparkled under the moonlight, and she stared through the canopy of the trees at the stars above, a hint of a smile appearing on her lips.
"Do you think the stars know how beautiful they are?" She spoke quietly, to no one. "I wonder how many more times I'll get to see them before he kills me," she added, her smile never faltering as she peeled her gaze away from looking up to look around, "Or this waterfall. Or those flowers…or even this grass." She ran one of her hands lightly atop the patch of grass next to her, letting out a sad laugh, "You know, I never even got to figure out who I am…" She said, this time more quietly, adding, "Or my background, where I came from…I don't even know if Sayah is my real name." She was surprised when she felt a tear rolling down her cheek, and she reached up suddenly to wipe it away, staring at it on her hand for a few seconds before she got up.

"Ugh, what am I doing. I can't believe I'm crying about this right now. As if I haven't cried enough the past few years. I don't even know how long it's been," She muttered, taking a few steps closer to the spring and staring at the water.

She'd been whispering quietly, so quietly that any regular being wouldn't be able to hear, but Cell had no problem hearing or understanding her words. Sayah had suddenly become even more intriguing to him, and he wondered if this past she couldn't remember had anything to do with why he'd felt compelled to stop and take her. He kept watching as she got up and went over to the waterfall, eyes widening when he saw her suddenly take her v-neck off to reveal a bra, although he could only see the back of it. He was too shocked to move at first, not getting a chance to turn around before she had also removed her shorts, which exposed a matching set of underwear with some lace on the trim. Before anything else happened, he turned around and crossed his arms, trying to ignore the fact that his face felt slightly hot, almost as if he were blushing. He shook his head vigorously, and was about to mentally berate himself when Sayah's voice interrupted him.

"Where did he come from?" Sayah asked aloud, still thinking she was alone, "I mean, where does he get off thinking he has the right to decide when I live or die?" She stepped into the warm water, being too into her thoughts to realize she hadn't taken either of her undergarments off before she got in. "If anyone, I should get to make that choice. I should be able to take that choice away from him," She added, simply standing in the spring as she muttered to herself. She picked up some water and splashed it on her face, trying to get rid of the tears that had dried, "Maybe I can…maybe I can take that away from him!" She added, smiling before realizing she hadn't gotten her hair wet yet. She took in a deep breath, pinching her nose before plunging herself down into the water.

Cell couldn't tell the exact feelings he was experiencing, especially since they were so unfamiliar and so unlike his usual states of anger, arrogance, or boredom. He turned around when he heard her last sentence, eyes widening as he watched just in time to see her dive into the water…and not surfacing immediately. "She couldn't actually be doing what I think she's doing…right?" He thought, waiting a few brief seconds before suddenly rushing over and pulling her out of the water, unwittingly putting her between himself and a large tree with a wide trunk. He was still holding her arms in the same way he'd done to grab her out of the water, and he shook her gently before yelling, "What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

Sayah's eyes opened wide when she realized just who had taken her out of the water. She hadn't even thought about the fact that she was in her underwear, because she was too busy trying to figure out what Cell was doing there. "What was that for?! So not only are you playing Grim Reaper, but you get to dictate how I bathe, too?!" She yelled back, trying to push him away but only managing to move him slightly, unwittingly leaving her hands on his chest, "What are you doing here? Can't I take a bath in peace?!"

Cell stared down at her, suddenly noticing how the moonlight shone upon her face, illuminating the tiny water droplets on her skin. He strained to quell the feeling that arose in him wanting to touch her, and tried to focus on his anger for her actions instead. "Well you weren't taking a bath, now were you?! You were trying to drown yourself!" He accused, shortening the distance between the two of them and looking down, so she would remember he had more power than her.

"What?!" Sayah exclaimed, only shortly surprised before it changed to anger. "Oh I see, you thought I was going to kill myself, so you decided to 'save' me so you could have more time with your trinket, right?!" She pressed her hands against his chest, trying to move him back a little, but he wouldn't budge. "Well I wasn't, so you can get that thought out of your head. And even if I was, I wouldn't owe you any explanation!" She retorted, pressing her fingers against his armored chest.

"You owe me every bit of explanation I want," He growled lowly, "If you weren't trying to harm yourself, then what were you doing?!"

Sayah tried to look away from his eyes, but couldn't. For some reason she felt compelled to answer him, even if he didn't earn it or deserve it. "For your information, I was just taking a dip so I could remember what being weightless felt like," She started, strongly at first then slowly quieting down, "I don't know how much longer you're going to keep me alive, so I wanted to make sure I didn't forget in case I never get to go back again." She searched his face for any sign of emotion, almost missing the slight flinch he'd made when she spoke of him killing her, "You could kill me tonight if you wanted to, but I'm going to take the little time I've got and use it." She explained, watching his face go from angry, to what seemed like sadness, although she knew it couldn't be possible. "There. You happy?" She sighed, breaking his gaze to look away, nibbling her lip.

Cell simply stared at her, trying to understand the reason behind what she'd just done. Something like that seemed so trivial, so unnecessary, that he was having a hard time believing it was the truth. He watched as she turned her gaze away, revealing the soft, smooth flesh on her neck, which he was suddenly compelled to touch, but resisted the urge. It was then that his eyes traveled further down, looking at her plunging neckline and seeing the curvatures of her body, finally noticing that she was still in her underwear. He pulled back rapidly, almost as if he'd been burned, and took a few steps back away from her, trying to only look at her face.

When he pulled back, Sayah suddenly noticed a gust of wind on her body, and she immediately covered herself with her hands and arms before running over to her towel. She was blushing furiously, trying to pretend that hadn't just happened, and that Cell hadn't just seen her half-naked. Attempting to change the subject, she uttered, "You can go back to the arena, I promise I won't do anything that foils whatever torture plans you have in store for me." She glanced at him, then watched as he left without saying another word.

Sayah woke up to the warmth of the sun kissing her skin, and she sat up to look over at Cell's usual location and sure enough, there he was, head tilted down and arms crossed. She got changed in the woods quickly before going back to her spot to drink something, the previous night's events replaying in her head. If she didn't know any better, she could've sworn that Cell had 'saved' her because he was genuinely concerned; but, she did know better and knew that he had only ulterior motives for keeping her there. As crazy as it sounded, she actually wanted to know more about him, and figure out where he even came from. It was obvious he wasn't from this planet, or at least she assumed so, and she wanted to know how someone like him could be turned into a killing machine. She went against her curiosity and kept her distance for the day, deciding that it would probably be best to give him some space, lest she end up like her crumbled muffin earlier than she'd ever want to be.

When the next day arrived, Sayah did all of her usual things, except this time, she couldn't get that bothersome curiosity out of her head. She went against all her own preset rules and quietly walked over to Cell, stopping a few feet from him as he had his back turned to her. She took a few more feeble steps, and when she was within distance, she reached her hand out and oh so gently ran her fingers down his wing, admiring how smooth yet strong they were.

At this, Cell's eyes suddenly snapped open and he turned around, furious. He stared at her shocked expression and growled, "What the hell do you think you're doing, girl?!"

Sayah's mouth opened slightly and she was barely able to utter an, "I'm sorry, I was just curious" before he had her pinned up against a pillar again, both wrists held above her head with one hand while his other was around her neck. He began to squeeze, gently but firmly, and began to smile evilly, watching as she struggled to get free. "Now how would you like it if I did that to you without asking?"

Sayah closed her eyes for a second, trying to catch the few breaths she could. When she felt him loosen his grip slightly, almost as if to hear her response, she smirked and retorted with "Do it. I dare you." And mirrored his smile with one of her own. She knew he wouldn't, or couldn't do it, especially since it'd include physically touching what he considered an inferior being, without actually killing them.

Cell's eyes widened slightly at her response, and his anger rose at her insolence. If she wanted to be uncomfortable, he'd make her, and he let out a dry laugh before releasing her throat, using that hand to trace down her jaw and onto her neckline, shifting to one finger to trace further down until he reached her stomach, after which he used his entire hand to trace along the hem of her form-fitting v-neck, and swiftly reaching under it to touch up until he reached the side of her waist. He left his hand there, almost lost in his thoughts of how soft and warm her skin felt, before coming back to reality and revealing a large, evil grin. "Uncomfortable, isn't it?"

Sayah held her breath, and she watched his face the entire time as his hand traveled. She could see the curiosity in him, and wondered if he'd ever cared for someone other than himself. She'd be lying if she said she didn't find him attractive, but she'd also be lying if she said she knew why. Instead of staying put and out of his way until the tournament arrived, she kept poking the bear, even though she knew the bear was much more stronger and lethal than her. She began to nibble on her lip again, noticing the smirk that appeared on his lips when she did so. "Let me go, Cell." She ordered, giving him the best scary glare she could muster, although deep down she knew it was probably futile.

"Why yes, I'll let you go, as soon as—" His words were interrupted by the faint sound of tanks on sand and human voices. He released Sayah slowly and carefully, as if planned, and stared in the direction the sounds were coming from, noticing a quite few vehicles in the distance. Cell suddenly smirked and began to laugh, "Those fools! Do they really think they can defeat me with such pitiful weaponry? They must not value their life." He finished, just in time to see the tanks and military arriving near his stadium.

Author's Note: Hi all! I apologize for this chapter being so boring, but I had to get it out so I could get onto the chapters with more substance to them. The next one you might recognize from the show, but the Royal Army attakh is gonna be one fragment of it. I want to include more intimate moments between the two, now that they're about to have time alone without such interruptions. (AKA the next few days, lol). Again, apologies for being so late and I will try to finish the next chapter tonight, or by tomorrow morning.

Again, thanks you all for being so awesome and loyal. I really appreciate it!

~SinTotchi