A Need Unknown
Chapter 6
Author's Note: Hi all! I hope you've all been liking the story so far! I had to cut this one off a little shorter than the other chapters, solely because I knew if I kept going, it would've been like two chapters in one, and I'm sure that's a lot of strain on the eyes, haha! Anyway, I want to send out a thank you to QrowOfFate for sending me a PM about the story – I appreciate you reaching out! PMs & Reviews are always welcome!
Please enjoy!
Sayah sat down on the laid-out blankets and sighed, rubbing her eyes. She didn't or couldn't understand why she'd kissed him, but what troubled her even more is that Cell hadn't pushed her away and instead, pulled her even closer. She moved her fingers to rub her temples, muttering to herself. "Why the hell did I do that? I'm so stupid," she whispered, hoping Cell couldn't hear her. She opened her eyes to stare at the ground in front of her and traced her lips with her fingertips again, almost as if she couldn't believe it had happened. "Good going, Sayah, you literally kissed your future killer. I must be going batshit crazy," She added, scolding herself as she got back up and walked over to one of the pink and white bags, looking for some sweatpants. When she couldn't find any, she realized that the few she had were dirty, which caused her to gulp. "Oh no…please tell me I have some more pajamas," She began to take everything out of the bag, and when she got to the bottom, she put her hand on her face. She looked over at the clothes she'd grabbed out and slowly put them back in the bag, holding up the ones that weren't underwear to glance them over. "No. Nope. Definitely can't wear that to sleep…oh hey, this looks like a nightgown," She uttered, holding up the soft, silky fabric with lace trim. Her eyes widened when she realized it was a lot shorter than she remembered, and sighed before taking it off the hanger and balling it up in her hands. "Great. I guess this will have to do."
She went to change and came back hurriedly, hoping Cell wouldn't turn around and see her. She had her hands on her arms, quickly getting under the blanket to her makeshift bed, and covering herself up. She laid there for a minute, her cheeks turning red when she thought about the way Cell had held her during their kiss, and put her hands on her face feeling the warmth emanating from her cheeks. "Stop thinking about it, Sayah!" She mentally berated herself, closing her eyes and trying to push the images out of her head. It didn't take her much longer before her body caved in to exhaustion, especially after everything she'd been through that day.
Cell stood in his usual spot, thinking about what Sayah had said after he'd dropped her off. He, of course, had been able to hear everything she muttered to herself, even if she didn't realize it. He didn't particularly like the unfamiliar feelings he'd been having lately, and he was sure that they weren't the kind that were programmed into his system. He tried to understand why she'd done what she'd done, but even more, he wanted to understand why he hadn't just killed her then and there before she got so close. It didn't matter how interesting she might be, she'd touched him and worse, kissed him and he hadn't done anything to stop it. In fact, he'd returned her gesture, and he would even venture out to say he might've enjoyed the interaction, although he couldn't fathom why. She was just a human, a pathetic life-form who would never measure up to him and would die along with the rest of this planet. When he thought about her dying, however, there was the tiniest sliver of guilt, which he quickly crushed under the weight of his anger at her actions. He had no choice, she had to die, and soon, before this got out of hand. Yes…he would kill her, and the sooner the better.
Just as that thought ran through his mind, he remembered that he'd given Goku his word, and he knew he couldn't go back on that. He sighed in frustration, trying to think of a way to get rid of her without breaking that promise, and he realized that the only way it would work is if she tried to harm him first.
His thoughts were interrupted when he heard a soft whimper, and he suddenly turned to look at the owner of the voice he so easily recognized. He approached her slowly, carefully, as if trying to figure out if she was trying to fool him and pretending she was asleep. When he reached her, he saw that she indeed was still sleeping, but she was talking aloud, and he watched her for a few seconds before realizing she was most likely having a dream…or a nightmare.
"Please, you can't do this." Sayah pleaded, backed into a corner. She was staring at someone, but the person was faceless and she couldn't recognize their voice when they talked. She was aware that she knew this person, but who they really were was hidden deep within all of the memories she couldn't dredge up. She felt like she was having an out-of-body experience, as if she was watching these events unfold before her but couldn't do anything about them.
"Please let me go. I promise I won't tell anyone, you can believe me!" She begged, tears beginning to form in her eyes as the person got closer. The cold metal wall made a chill run down her spine, but she didn't have anywhere else to run, especially not now that she was stuck and didn't know her way around this place.
"Oh no, dear, you're mine now. I have been searching for a long time and I finally found you. You fulfill all the requirements and more, so there is no way I am letting you go."
Sayah watched the person come closer, and her breath caught in her throat as she glanced at the capped needle in their hand. "You can't do this! Someone will come looking for me!" She yelled, hearing the ominous laugh of the person slowly approaching her.
"Oh but they won't. I will make sure of that."
Sayah hesitated a moment before suddenly lunging forward and pushing them aside, trying to run towards where she vaguely remembered the exit to be. She had a feeling she was too deep in this maze of a place to remember which ways to turn when she needed to, but she had to try. She could feel them catching up to her with ease, and she wiped away the tears blurring her eyes quickly, struggling to find a way out. She was about to reach what looked like double doors when she suddenly felt someone's weight on her, knocking her to the ground. She barely managed to roll over, but within seconds the person was on top of her, chuckling sinisterly. Tears streamed down the sides of her face as she struggled to keep the hand that held the needle away from her. "Let me go, you bastard!"
The person laughed even louder now, managing to grab one of her wrists. They uncapped the needle with their teeth, still struggling to keep Sayah from moving as they pinned her down.
"Get off me! You won't get away with this!" She screamed, trying hard to keep up the struggle she knew she was losing. She wasn't going to stop fighting until she was dead, if she had to.
"I will. And you're going to help me." The person said evilly, managing to grab Sayah's other wrist, and swiftly and easily pinning down both arms long enough to use their other hand to jab the needle into her neck. They pushed the plunger rapidly, not giving her a chance to regain any control.
Sayah felt her strength quickly leaving her, hearing the empty needle hit the ground next to her. She barely registered the person reaching for a pair of what she faintly made out to look like golden circles, and was trying to keep conscious as she felt them put said circles into her pierced earlobes. She tried to look at the person's face, but it remained a shadowy, dark figure that she could vaguely even register was a person. She felt herself being picked up, and used her last remaining strength to attempt to look at the person one last time, barely whispering, "What are you going to do to me?"
"Don't worry, Sayah. Now you're going to be…perfect."
Cell had watched her for a little while, listening to what she was saying, and deciding she was definitely having some sort of nightmare. He stooped down to one knee, not even realizing he had concern written all across his face as he paid close attention to her words, quietly repeating them to himself. "Please you can't do this…" He began, studying her face closely as he continued, "Please let me go. I promise I won't tell anyone, you can believe me…" He reached over and gently moved a lock of her hair out of her face, "You can't do this. Someone will come looking for me…" He paused, realization apparent on his face. "Was she kidnapped? Did someone take her and that's why she can't remember anything?" He thought, recalling the memory she'd told him about earlier, causing his theory to make that much more sense. He reached over and shook her by the arm, trying to wake her up. "Sayah, you're dreaming. Wake up."
He was taken by surprise when she pushed him, causing him to stumble back a little before he caught himself. His anger began to take over and he walked right back over to her, to see if she'd woken up. When she hadn't, he pushed her onto her back from where she'd been laying on her side, and grabbed her wrists. "Sayah, wake up!" He yelled at her, watching as she began to squirm and struggle under him, and he had to use more force than he'd originally expected to keep her from moving so much. "She shouldn't have this much strength for a human. This doesn't make any sense," He thought, remembering the fact that she hadn't, and still didn't, have an energy signature.
"Let me go, you bastard!"
He stared deep into her face, trying to figure out if she was still asleep. He grabbed both of her wrists with one hand and pinned them above her head, trying to figure out how she could still manage to struggle under him, but he didn't want to use too much force on her since she didn't even realize what she was doing.
"Get off me! You won't get away with this!"
Cell watched as her body went from fight-or-flight to completely subdued, staring at her in bewilderment. He hadn't done anything else, but he still kept her pinned, now without having to use so much strength. He used his free hand to cup her chin, turning her head so he could look at her face. "Sayah?"
"What are you going to do to me?"
Cell frowned deeply, trying to figure out what the hell had just happened. Her last words were barely a whisper, and he wondered if she'd suddenly become submissive because of something she saw in her dream, as if she'd been reliving it. He kept staring at her sternly for a moment before roughly saying her name one more time, and feeling some internal relief when he saw her eyelids flutter open.
Sayah blinked groggily a few times and tried to turn her head, but felt someone keeping it there. A wave of panic set in when she realized she couldn't move, and that someone's weight was on top of her. Her eyes suddenly focused and she saw Cell's face, letting out a deep breath when she realized the person keeping her still was him. She didn't say anything for a moment, simply staring at those mesmerizing eyes and studying his face, realizing how attractive he really was. It didn't matter whether he was or wasn't of this world, either of which she didn't know for sure, but it was at that instant that she realized she really did feel something for him, not only because of his outward appearance, but because he seemed to actually care about her, even if he wouldn't ever admit it. To her, actions spoke much louder than words, and even his being there right now, as awkward of a position this may be, showed that he was probably trying to make sure she was okay. His face showed some concern, but she knew better than to point that out, especially since he'd obviously deny it. She wanted so badly to touch it, to run her fingers down his cheek and feel the warmth of his skin; to trace her hand across his jaw to feel it's strength, but she knew she wouldn't, even if he hadn't been pinning her arms down. She was much too new at this and much too afraid of him reacting badly, so no matter how bad her urge was, she couldn't bring herself to do it. She waited until Cell released her wrists and let go of her jaw to say anything.
"Cell...what happened?"
Cell had been staring at her the entire time, his breath coming out in slow, shallow breaths. He'd been watching her in silence as well, studying her features and controlling himself enough to not do anything he might regret. His fingers ached to touch her face, to run down her neck and collarbone and as far as she'd let him go, but he resisted, sternly. He stared into her emerald eyes, watching as she blinked a couple of times, and studying the curved length of her eyelashes. He had never imagined he'd consider any being in this universe even remotely attractive, but he knew she was beautiful, even if he wouldn't admit it to himself or anyone else. He didn't even realize he'd let go of her wrists, and as she asked her question he suddenly pulled back, easing himself off the ground to stand up. He watched her sit up silently, crossing his arms in front of his chest and observing her curiously.
"You had a dream."
Sayah looked up at him when he stood, her eyes never moving from his figure until he spoke. She suddenly peeled her gaze away from him and brought her knees up a bit, resting her elbows on her legs. She placed her hands through her hair and onto her head, one on each side. "…that's right. I remember. Although it was more like a nightmare."
Cell eyed her inquisitively, nodding silently. "From the way she was acting, I'd say it was definitely a nightmare." He thought, before speaking up again. "What did you see?"
Sayah's eyes suddenly seemed lost as she remembered everything that happened. She hesitated a second when she remembered the last part of her dream, gasping in horror and reaching up to touch her ears. "Oh thank god, they're gone." She whispered, rubbing her earlobes and feeling only the spot where her ears were pierced.
"What's gone?" Cell asked, furrowing his brows. She hadn't been wearing anything on her ears since he'd first seen her, so nothing could be gone that wasn't there in the first place.
"Those earrings! Those damned, golden earrings." Sayah said bitterly, feeling a sudden gust of wind that tossed her hair gently. She shivered, looking down at herself and realizing the blanket wasn't on top of her anymore. Her eyes widened when she remembered what she was wearing, and she looked further down to see the black nightgown covering her to her upper thighs. Her cheeks turned a deep red and she searched around for the blanket, seeing it laying a few ways away to the side. She got up to get it, nightgown falling a bit to cover her to above her knees, although some of her skin could still be seen through the lace trim.
Cell watched her movements closely, seeing her get up and trying not to show his surprise when he paid attention to what she was wearing. Although he'd seen her wearing shorts and a top before, he wasn't used to something this…revealing. He saw her cheeks turning red, and tried not to chuckle as he saw her grab her blanket.
"So, care to tell me what you saw?"
Sayah froze at his words, holding the blanket she'd just picked up. Her back was to him, and she tried to think of a way to get out of telling him what she saw in her nightmare, especially since she didn't particularly want to re-experience it again. She stayed silent, clutching the blanket tightly in her hands without even realizing that he had made his way over to her.
"You should feel flattered I even care to ask." He spoke, standing behind her with his arms crossed and glaring into her back. Truthfully, he was more curious than he'd ever admit to, and deep down he wanted to know more about her. "But really, you owe it to me. Trying to wake you up while simultaneously keeping you still was an…interesting task." He added, waiting another few seconds before his anger began to rise, and he frustratingly reached out, grabbing her roughly by the arm and turning her around to face him.
Sayah bit her lip at his words, and when he forcibly grabbed her and moved her she turned her head away, not wanting to look into his captivating eyes. "I didn't…I didn't hurt you, did I?"
Cell laughed loudly at her words, some of his anger dissipating. "Really? You think you, a human, could hurt me? Don't be ridiculous." He looked down at her, seeing that she had closed her eyes for a moment before opening them again.
Sayah sighed, half glad that she hadn't done anything to him, and the other half annoyed at what he'd said. "I…I just wanted to make sure. I know I couldn't ever hold a candle to your power, Cell, but I didn't know what I had done while I was asleep. If it was the same as what I dreamt…then I was definitely trying to fight."
Cell crossed his arms again, now even more curious as to what she'd seen in her dream. "Well, what did you see? It obviously wasn't anything pleasant."
Sayah slowly lifted her gaze to look at him, taking a moment before reluctantly retelling the sordid details of what had happened in her nightmare. When she was finished, she looked away and placed a hand on her arm, and speaking softly. "That's why I was glad those earrings were gone. Whoever that was put them on me, and I couldn't just take them off, either. When I escaped, Mira helped me get them off with some type of metal-cutting tool…I was so glad to have them gone, even if I didn't know why. I just knew that every time I looked in the mirror and saw them, I would get the biggest headache and this pain in my chest…like something had been ripped out of me, literally ripped out."
She turned back to look at Cell, smiling slightly, "But regardless, I do want to thank you for helping me. You didn't have to, but you did, and I think I would've been much worse off if you hadn't come over and woken me up." She paused, letting go of the blanket for a moment and setting it on the ground. She took a few steps forward towards him and stopped when she was within arm's reach, looking up at him.
Cell kept his arms crossed, looking away when she spoke of him helping her. "I didn't do it for you. You were just making an unreasonable amount of noise."
Sayah smiled, but didn't say anything else. She walked closer to him and stood on her tiptoes, reaching up and kissing him softly on the cheek. She took a step back and then turned and walked over to the blanket, picking it up and heading back over to the rest of her items. She sat down on the laid out blanket for a brief moment before laying down and covering herself up, curling up into a ball because of how cold it was. "Goodnight Cell," she whispered, closing her eyes as her body slowly drifted off into sleep.
Cell still felt the warmth of her lips on his skin as he watched her the entire time she walked away from him, trying not to focus on the way the fabric hugged her curves. He hadn't realized what she'd been wearing when he'd been trying to wake her up, but he had to admit that it was flattering on her body… "Wait, what the hell am I thinking? This malfeasance has to stop." He shook his head, hearing her say goodnight before letting out a scoff and walking back to his usual location on the arena floor. He couldn't stop thinking about what she'd just told him, and he was getting extremely aggravated at the fact that he was unable to put all these familiar pieces together.
"Someone took her, but who? And when?" He thought, almost boring holes into the marble's surface from staring at it so long. "Various factors don't add up, yet several details are so familiar. I shouldn't be having such an issue figuring this out, and it's bothersome that I am." He paused, turning to look at where Sayah slept, "She has no energy signature, but she might be just an incredibly weak human." He suddenly remembered each instance that she was somehow able to free herself from his grasp, such as when Goku had shown up, and when she'd managed to push him earlier while she was asleep. "She shouldn't have enough strength to do such a thing. And when she did, she should've exuded some life energy from the effort…" He narrowed his eyes at her slumbering form, "This is all so illogical. And her name…why is it so familiar?" He thought, wishing he could take out his brain and shake it for answers, "Wait a minute. Could she be…a Saiyan?" His eyes widened as he watched her, but he quickly shook his head no. "There is no possible way she could be a Saiyan. I would've been able to detect her energy immediately, and she would be much, much stronger than she is." He sighed, placing his fingertips on the bridge of his nose and squeezing gently, "I should be focusing on the tournament, instead of wasting precious time on…" He crossed his arms and looked at Sayah one last time before turning around, "…her."
A/N: So, any guesses as to what Sayah's background is? Some of you may have already figured it out! There's a few clues in here, but all will be revealed soon, I promise. As always, thanks for reading, and leave your questions/comments/suggestions/etc in a review or send them to me via PM!
Many hugs!
~SinTotchi