Author's Note: Hi all! I've been revving up on this story and trying to get some chapters out, especially because of the long wait between Chapters 3 and 4! I just got this one done a little while ago, and I hope you all like it, especially since it's the first time we get to learn more about Sayah. Slowly but surely the pieces will fall into place, you'll see, hehe! Anyway, please enjoy, and as usual, review if you'd like and if you can. Many hugs to all!
"What…what is that?" Sayah asked quietly, almost afraid of the answer he would give her. As the military became more visible in the distance, she gulped and shifted her focus from them back over to Cell. "Please tell me that isn't what I think it is."
Cell chuckled, watching as they approached. "Oh, but it is. And I do believe they've come to try and kill me…futile as it may be." He responded with a smirk, seeing the look of panic on her face out of the corner of his eye.
"But...but, they can't do that! I'm standing right here! With you! If they unleash those weapons, there's no way in hell I can survive that!" Sayah added, taking a step forward before looking over at him again.
"Yes, you definitely wouldn't survive that," Cell responded calmly, suddenly walking over to her, "Except I'm here, and they don't get to choose when you die." He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her close to him, not bothering to look at her before saying, "I do," and taking off into the sky.
He landed a few ways away from the ring, releasing her and hearing one of the army men yell something about him running away. He laughed a retort, adding that he couldn't have them destroy his lovely tournament ring, and was about to take flight again when he felt a soft, warm hand on his arm. He didn't say anything and just turned to look at her, almost as if waiting to see what she'd say.
"Cell, wait," Sayah spoke, staring into his cerise-hued eyes, "What are you going to do? Why'd you put me here?"
Cell's lips turned up into a menacing smile, and his voice turned cool and nonchalant, "I guess I have to teach these fools not to mess with their betters." He didn't wait to see what her response was before jumping into the air, creating a barrier around himself and one around Sayah nearby, before annihilating the entire Royal Army with one full, 360-degree ki swoop, mere seconds after they'd barraged him with the full strength of their military force.
Sayah couldn't believe what she was watching, and as she saw the first blasts hit Cell she fell to her knees, her stomach doing somersaults as she stared at the spot he'd just been. "Please, please don't be hurt…" she whispered, unsure of why she even cared so much in the first place. Her eyes stared at that spot in the sky for what felt like hours, waiting for the debris and smoke to clear so she could see what shape he was in. When it finally did, she let out the breath she'd been holding and smiled, uttering a "Kami, he's okay," before noticing the eerily familiar look of a glowing orb beginning to form in his hand. She stood up, trying to see his face from where she was, but he was too far away. She took a few feeble steps forward, her voice getting caught in her throat as she watched the light grow bigger and bigger. She glanced down at the army below and then back to Cell, holding her breath when the light turned into a beam, and she barely managed to scream out a loud "NO!" just as the first blast hit the people below. She covered her mouth with her hands, her breaths coming out in ragged, uneven gasps, her whole body shaking from the massacre she'd just beheld. When Cell was done, there was nothing left of the army or even the landscape around them, and she didn't even notice she was floating in mid-air, albeit with Cell's help, because she was too in shock from what she'd just witnessed. She barely registered him wrapping his arm around her waist and flying them back to the ring.
When he landed, Sayah didn't say anything but simply walked over to her corner of the ring and sat down, bringing her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around her legs. She rested her forehead on her knees, closing her eyes and ignoring the tears that fell onto her shirt and legs, sobbing quietly as her body trembled. She was trying to push the images out of her head, as well as the sounds of the people screaming as they were killed.
It was nightfall and Cell was getting tired and annoyed of Sayah not moving and not saying a word. He couldn't ignore the nagging feeling he had about seeing her upset any longer, and turned to look at her, or rather, her back since she was facing the nearby woods. He took a few squeaky steps towards her, and watched her, getting more and more irritated by the minute. She'd stopped crying, but it'd been a few hours since and she was still just sitting there, in the same spot, barely moving.
"Would you stop sulking already?! There is nothing to be upset about." He snapped, hoping that his tone would get her to emit some sort of response other than sadness.
"Leave me alone, Cell. I've seen more than enough of you and your power for one day." Sayah responded quietly, staring off into the distance for a moment before she felt herself being roughly picked up by the arm to face Cell. She turned to look away; she couldn't bear to look him in the eyes after what he'd done.
"Watch your tongue, girl. I saved your life, you should be thanking me." He growled, cupping her jaw with his hand and forcing her to look at him.
"Thanking you?! After watching you slaughter hundreds of innocent people?!" She suddenly yelled back, managing to release herself from his grip without even realizing how she'd done so.
Cell hid the surprise he felt when she was able to get free, but immediately took a menacing step towards her and locked eyes with her, gritting his teeth. "They weren't so innocent. It was either them or you, because I assure you I would've survived any other onslaught they tried to throw at me."
Sayah let out a dry laugh, "Oh please, don't try to act like you did this for me. You did it because them killing me would've meant whatever messed-up plans you had in store for me would've been ruined." She took a step towards him, looking up into his face as her eyes sparkled in the moonlight. Even though he was much taller than her, and even much more stronger than her, she'd thrown caution to the wind the moment she'd entered this conversation.
"That's not…" Cell stopped himself, his eyes narrowing as he tried not to focus on how beautiful she looked under the moonlight, and simultaneously mentally berating himself for even thinking so. His anger heightened as he constructed his next words carefully.
"I saved you. Now twice. I own you." He snarled, lowly, his hands clenching up into fists as his arms remained still at his side.
"Own me?! Like hell you do. Nobody owns me, much less you. If you hadn't shown up at my house and did what you did, there would've been nothing to save!" Sayah responded, pressing her index finger into his muscled and armored chest, "You should've just let them kill me, so I at least would've gotten a quick death instead of whatever slow, painful one you have in store for me," She added, narrowing her eyes to match his, and not giving him time to respond before she continued, "What do you want from me, Cell? Just tell me so I can give it to you, you get rid of me, and then it'll be over with." Her voice grew quieter at her last sentence, and her eyes had softened a bit as she looked up at him.
He growled, trying futilely to search for an answer that he couldn't yet come up with. He stood there for a few seconds, staring at her before his anger flared suddenly, and he reached out and grabbed her arms in his hands, pulling her even closer to him, "You don't get to ask the questions here, woman. I have all the power."
It was at that moment Sayah realized that Cell himself also didn't know why she was here. He'd been stringing her along with a story about toying with her solely to buy time until he figured out the real reason why, and he got especially upset when she brought it up because it was one of the very few things in this world he didn't have the knowledge of. She was smarter than to point this out to him, though, because she knew it might enrage him enough that he might actually kill her this time.
She stared into his eyes for another moment, suddenly realizing that when he'd grabbed her arms and pulled her closer, she'd unconsciously placed her hands on his chest, almost as if to keep their bodies apart, from touching. She stood there, staring into those eyes that had captivated her since the moment she'd met him, and whispered, "Cell?"
Cell, for the first time being unsure of what to do next, simply responded "What?" in his usual, gruff tone.
"Is it…" Sayah hesitated, and although knowing that he would most likely kill her for what she was thinking of doing, threw caution to the wind once more and remembered that she probably didn't have much time left on this Earth anyways. She lifted herself onto her tip-toes, tracing her hands from his chest to the back of his neck, and whispered, "…this?" before slowly closing her eyes and pressing her lips against his.
Cell froze, at first unsure of how to respond before his body took over, and he closed his eyes as his senses took in her scent and tasted her lips, his grip on her arms slackening and not even realizing his hands moved to the small of her back. He pulled her up against him, deepening the kiss and noticing a faint taste of cherry on her lips, which he guessed belonged to the balm he'd noticed she liked to put on her lips. He could smell her hair, the scent of peach and coconut almost too intoxicating for him to bear, yet so deliciously sweet that he wouldn't ever be able to get it out of his mind. His body seemed to be in autopilot as one of his hands traveled up her back and came to rest at the nape of her neck, his fingers entwined with her soft, wavy locks of hair. He wasn't sure what he was doing or why he was doing it, but he knew he'd be lying to himself if he said he wasn't enjoying it. This wasn't anything he'd ever planned or even imagined, much less with a member of the human race he planned to annihilate, but he knew there was something different about her. She was…mysterious, intriguing, and he hadn't been too far off when he'd told her that he'd brought her with him simply because she'd piqued his interest. He still wasn't entirely certain what it was that had made him stop at her home, but he would make sure to find out before he blew up this wretched planet, so he couldn't have any more surprises.
This kiss was similar to the other solely in the fact that they both could be called so, but this time was different. This time she wasn't doing this to trick him, or at least that's what he was telling himself. This time felt more real, more genuine, as if she actually felt something for him, even if he didn't believe it could be true. He didn't understand why or how he was responding in this manner, especially when this involved a human, a being he saw so unbearably inferior to him, but then again there were a lot of unexplained uncertainties when it came to her.
Sayah couldn't believe what she was doing, and much less that she was enjoying it. She felt torn between following her impulses and wanting to hate him for what she'd just seen him do, but no matter how much she tried, she always seemed to get lost in his gaze, almost as if knowing that there was something more to him than everything he'd done. Her body was not only enjoying every small touch, every tiny caress, but it was also returning them, slowly and tentatively just like he did. It wasn't much longer into the kiss when something almost literally clicked in her mind, and she began to experience what she at first couldn't distinguish between flashbacks or visions.
She was running, running as fast as she could, away from someone or something. She kept looking back, trying to make sure there was still nobody behind her, but every other time she did so she would trip over something in her way. She didn't know where she was, but she at least knew she was in the middle of some woods and she wasn't safe. She'd managed to get out of the mountains, that much she knew, but she still had no memory of who she really was or where she'd just been. The most she had were slivers and bits, which were hard to put together since she didn't have the missing pieces to the puzzle. She was running out of breath, not sure of how long she'd been fleeing, but she knew she couldn't stop until she got somewhere she felt was secure enough to do so.
She kept running until she spotted a dim light in the distance, realizing that it belonged to a home. She sped up as most she could and banged on the door when she reached it, knowing that it was past nightfall and there was a good chance nobody would be awake, or possibly even home. Surprisingly enough, it didn't take long before a woman opened up, staring at her confused and bewildered at the condition she was in. She barely managed to gasp a "please help me" before the woman immediately brought her inside and placed a nearby blanket around her shoulders, covering her and walking her over to the couch. Sayah's dress was a mess of dirt and tatters, and the shoes she was wearing had holes from the trek she'd just made.
"What happened to you, dear?" The woman asked quietly, sitting next to Sayah on the couch.
"I…I don't know," Sayah responded, her eyes moving to stare at the ground as she tried futilely to dredge up any memories. "I can't remember anything after getting past those doors. Something happened to me, but…but I just can't remember," She began to shake, barely noticing as the woman stood and hurried into the kitchen. She returned with a hot mug on a small plate, handing it to Sayah and smiling when she took it. "What is this?" Sayah asked, untrusting of anything or anyone, especially now that she couldn't remember anything.
"It's chamomile tea, dear. Drink it, it'll help you feel better. Are you hungry?" The woman asked, taking a seat next to Sayah again as she watched the mug shake in her hands.
"I'm not sure…I don't think so?" She answered, taking slow sips of the tea and feeling as it began to warm her up, soothing her throat and stomach. She turned to look at the woman, feeling as her body began to calm down. "Where are we?"
"In the outskirts of Eastern City," The woman replied, smiling at her and placing her hand on her shoulder. "What's your name?"
"Sayah…I think." She replied, taking a few more sips of tea and glancing at the woman again.
"Sayah, that's a beautiful name. What's your last name, your family name?"
Sayah tore her gaze away and stared at the ground again. She searched her memory as far as she could muster but found no trace of anything, as if her mind had just been erased with the push of a button. She shook her head, closing her eyes as she whispered, "I don't know."
The woman's eyes softened, staring at her. "Don't worry, I'm sure you'll remember eventually. You're in shock," She placed her hand over Sayah's hand, seeing how badly she had begun to shake again, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Sayah. My name is Mira. Mira Sparks."
Sayah was abruptly brought back to reality, and it wasn't until she felt the unfamiliar feeling of warm lips on her own that she remembered where she was and what was happening. She suddenly pulled back, gasping and opening her eyes to see Cell who immediately opened his as well.
Cell stared at her, not saying a word as he watched her touch her lips with her fingertips, her eyes lost even though they'd never broken their gaze. He wasn't sure what had just happened, not only about the kiss but about her unexpected reaction and suddenly pulling away, especially when it was she who'd initiated the interaction in the first place.
Sayah spoke up before Cell had a chance to say anything, uttering a quiet "I'm sorry" before backing up a few steps and then swiftly turning around, running to the edge of the arena and then into the nearby woods. She wasn't sure what she'd just seen or how it'd even shown up, but she knew that this was a memory that had been hidden deep in the trenches of her unconscious, especially considering the very last thing she ever remembered was waking up in that same house she'd seen, and Mira telling her she'd been sleeping for days. She wasn't trying to run away from Cell or what she'd just done, but she needed to get away from him and clear her head, mainly because she wasn't sure if he'd been the one to bring up the sudden flashback in the first place.
Cell watched her go and stood there for a minute, confused, but after a moment he gritted his teeth in anger, clenching his fists. "She did not just try to fool me, again," He growled, taking Sayah's sudden departure as her trying to trick him for an escape, as she'd done a few days prior. He took off flying after her, weaving easily past and through anything in his path.
Sayah didn't go far before she stopped, leaning against a wide tree before turning and placing her back on it. Her breaths came out ragged as she placed her hands on her head, not even realizing that Cell had caught up to her without much effort.
When he reached her, Cell ground to a halt mid-flight and walked over to her, furious. "Did you really think you could escape? From me?" He yelled, ignoring the look of fear on Sayah's face as he reached her. He stood in front of her, one arm at his side as he extended the other to another part of the forest, a small ki ball forming in his hand shortly before he released it. It flew past a few trees and quite a ways before making impact, the explosion causing a strong gust of wind that reached them even though they were the furthest away. "You're next."
Sayah's breath caught in her throat as she watched the events unfold before her. She'd witnessed firsthand what he could do to an entire army, and that time he seemed to just be having fun, whereas this time he was pissed, and even worse, he was pissed at her. She shook her head quickly, finding her voice and then looking up at him. "Cell, I wasn't trying to escape!"
Cell growled, moving closer towards her as he lit up another ball in his hand. He held it up to her head, next to her face as he seethed, returning her stare. "Now why would I believe you? After a pathetic attempt to use your womanly charm to try and trick me, twice," He hissed, watching as the ball of light emitted a soft glow onto her face.
As much as she was inwardly panicking, Sayah took a deep breath before reaching up to touch his wrist, her movement catching him by surprise enough to allow her to gently guide his hand so that the ki ball was directly in front of her chest, near her heart. She moved her other hand to rest on his wrist as well, moving forward slightly so that her back wasn't against the tree anymore and she stood straight up, emerald eyes staring into pink. "Cell. I wasn't trying to escape. I promise." She said quietly, feeling the warmth from the ki ball slowly begin to dissipate.
Cell stared at her, and something deep within told him he could believe her. But if that hadn't been it, then what? He stared at her long and hard before pulling his hand away, resting it at his side. "Then why run?" He asked, part of him unwilling to accept he might be afraid of the answer.
Sayah bit her bottom lip, trying to figure out how to explain what had just happened. "You just…you just helped me see something," She whispered, watching as he narrowed his eyes at her suspiciously. "I mean literally, I saw something. A memory. You helped me remember something about myself."
"If that is so, why didn't this happen the first time? You had no reaction then," He countered, untrusting of her answer. He knew deep down he believed her, but he still didn't understand why she'd kissed him in the first place, much less why a memory would cause her to react in the way that she did.
"Well that's because I didn't feel—" She stopped, her cheeks turning a light shade of red and she turned away, unable to keep his gaze, "—I…I'm sorry, I don't know." She whispered, unwilling to tell him that it might've been because she was, as scared as she was of the thought, possibly starting to feel something for him. She drew her bottom lip in to nibble on it nervously, stopping and turning to look at him when she felt him take a step towards her.
"What did you see?" Cell asked, authoritatively. He wanted her to know that it was more of a statement than a question she could refuse to answer.
Sayah bit her lip, shaking her head. "Nothing important." She didn't want to look at his face, in fear that he'd be able to see through her lie simply by looking into her eyes.
Cell began to glare at her, knowing that wasn't true. "You're lying. If it wasn't important, it wouldn't have been such an impacting memory," he stated matter-of-fact, taking another step towards her and using his finger to turn her head to face him. "Now I'll ask again, one last time. What did you see? Don't test my patience."
Sayah looked up at him, her eyes scanning his face for any way to get out of this. When she couldn't find it, she closed her eyes briefly before sighing, and began to explain what she'd seen. After a few moments, she finished telling him what she remembered. "And so she asked me my name, I gave it to her, and she told me hers, first and last. I didn't, still don't, know my real last name, but…c'est la vie."
Cell stared at her for a while, processing everything she'd just told him. When she got to talking about her name, he narrowed his eyes and thought a moment, speaking up when she was done. "Hmm, I suddenly remembered I never bothered, or rather cared, to get your name. What is it?"
Sayah stared at him awestruck and she realized that it was true, she had asked him his name but he'd never done the same, nor did she offer up hers. She let out a small laugh before continuing, "It's Sayah. Sayah Sparks. I know it's not my real last name but…it's all I know, so it stuck."
When she said her first name he froze, trying to search the deepest crevices of his mind to remember where he'd heard it before. He couldn't pinpoint where exactly he knew it from, but he knew it was familiar, and he had a feeling it wasn't simply because he might've seen it somewhere.
Sayah watched him stare at her, his gaze making her nibble her lip nervously again. The look in his eyes made her feel like he wasn't really looking at her, but rather through her. He was obviously deep in thought about something, but what it was, she could only guess, and she knew even if she asked he wouldn't tell her. She waited a few more seconds before finally speaking up, trying to snap him out of whatever he'd just gotten himself into. "Cell. Cell! Are you okay?"
Cell was snapped out of his thoughts by her voice, and when he focused his gaze on her he scoffed at what she'd just asked him. "Don't ask foolish questions, girl. I'm the most perfect being this universe has seen – I am more than okay." He crossed his arms in front of his chest, looking down at her with a smirk.
"Well so sorry for making sure!" She retorted, glaring at him and crossing her arms. "If you're so perfect, you're also perfectly arrogant. That will be your downfall, Cell." She poked his chest with her index finger, never breaking their gaze.
Cell laughed loudly, darkly before responding, "Don't be absurd, woman. Who's going to bring my downfall? You?" He laughed again, "Even Goku doesn't have enough strength to beat me in my perfect form, and he's one of the strongest in this world, possibly this universe. You'll witness that during my tournament."
Sayah shook her head, sighing, "You are so egotistic, Cell. I really hope it doesn't come back to bite you in the end," she added quietly, gently pushing him aside so she could begin the walk back to the arena. She'd barely made it a few steps when she felt someone's arm around her waist and gasped in surprise, shortly before she felt herself flying through the air. "What the hell!" She screamed, and a few seconds later she was let go brusquely, causing her to stumble onto the arena floor and land on her bottom. She uttered a quiet 'ouch,' but by the time she looked up Cell was already back to his spot, with his back facing her, arms crossed, and head tilted down. She glowered at his back right before picking herself up and walking over to her own spot, getting ready to get some much-needed rest.
A/N: I hope you all liked it! I know it wasn't suuuuper eventful, but we're getting there, right? Let me know what you all thought in a review, and if there's any constructive criticism and/or ideas you'd like to share, please do so! Many hugs to all, and thanks for reading!
~SinTotchi