A Need Unknown

Chapter 7

A/N: Hi everyone! I hope everyone is enjoying the story so far, and I want to give a thank you to Luminaaa for sending me a PM about the story! I love getting them as well as reviews, and they're all very much appreciated! Speaking of reviews, I haven't had a review in a long time, but I wasn't sure if that was just because I'd somehow disabled reviews (which I checked, and it doesn't seem so), or if there was nobody really reviewing the story/chapters. As long as everyone can still post reviews I'll be happy, I just want to make sure it isn't some problem on my end or 's end, haha. Anyway, enjoy the chapter, everyone! The next one should hopefully be out soon!

Sayah awoke to the familiar feeling of the sun kissing her skin. She rolled over a bit, yawning and stretching before she sat up slowly, looking over to see Cell in his usual spot. She smiled sheepishly, remembering all that had happened the previous night and blushing lightly at the thought, getting up off her blanket-bed and stretching again. "Ugh, this floor is so uncomfortable…and cold." She whispered, walking over to one of the bags and grabbing some clothes to change into, quickly jumping into the routine she'd had to become accustomed to.

A few hours had passed by, and Sayah sat at the edge of the ring, as she usually did, staring at the barren surface. She reasoned it odd that there were woods nearby yet the land near the ring was desolate, but she hadn't given much thought to it, and she wasn't about to start today, especially considering what had happened yesterday. She nibbled on her bottom lip for a few seconds, contemplating whether or not she should talk to Cell about what happened, and finally gave in when she exasperated herself trying to figure out why she'd done it to begin with.

She lifted herself up and dusted her shorts off, as if there was something on them. She had been going over in her head about what to say to him, and how to respond to any of his comments or questions or anything he might have, thinking she was prepared enough to speak with him about it. She turned on her heel and headed over to where he stood meditating with his head down, as was his norm, and she walked around to face him, noticing he didn't move.

"Hey, Cell…about last night…"

"Save it." Cell spoke up, lifting his hand in a motion to stop her before she continued any further. He lifted his head slightly but only enough so that he could look down at her, especially since she was shorter than him. He moved his hand back to have his arms crossed again, and stared at her with a piercing, icy glare. "It was a mistake, and it never should've happened. I let primal instincts take over instead of my extensive intellect, and it was an error I won't care to soon repeat." He turned his head to the side, looking over to the horizon as if trying to focus on anything but her face, "Believe me when I say such a lapse in judgment won't ever happen again." He didn't bother to look at her before he closed his eyes and returned his posture to his meditative state, not wanting to see her reaction. Truthfully, he was expecting her to say those words to him, which is why he presumed he'd take the upper hand and say them first, to save himself not only the trouble but any future thoughts and feelings on the matter.

Sayah felt like she'd been punched in the gut and slapped hard in the face at the same time. That wasn't what she was expecting him to say; in fact, she didn't expect him to say anything at all, and she thought she'd be doing all the blabbering and tripping over her own words trying to explain what she'd felt during their kiss, and even later when he'd woken her up during that terrible nightmare. She couldn't help but think herself a fool, especially because she'd believed he might also feel the same, and had only stared at him in a mix of surprise and disbelief as he'd been speaking to her. When he finished, she stood there for a lingering moment before opening her mouth to speak, but only one word coming out in a strained voice. "...Right."

She turned on her heel and hurriedly walked away from him, trying to figure out who she was more livid with – herself, or Cell for being such an ass. She settled on herself, especially after doing some reminding that he had been an ass to begin with, and continued walking off the ring and to her usual safe haven – the spring in the woods.

When she arrived, she sat down on the grass and crossed her legs, staring at the ground and trying to calm down. She placed her hands on her face, taking deep breaths and muttering to herself. "I must be the biggest idiot to walk this Earth. How could I even think…he's a murderer, for Kami's sake, he probably can't even have any feelings! He almost killed me a few days ago, had that blonde guy not shown up and interrupted him. I can't believe I thought…I can't even say it out loud." She shook her head, moving her hands away and letting out a deep sigh, her mouth settling into a thin line. "He's such a jerk…but I'm glad he said that before I made an even bigger fool of myself. I'm not falling into that trap again." She uttered, slowly laying down on her side and staring at the falling water in the distance, smiling slightly. "At least I have somewhat of an escape…" She whispered, watching the cascade and allowing the calming sounds around her to release some of her stress.

A few more hours passed, and night had befallen the sky. Cell knew that Sayah hadn't returned since she'd left earlier, and he wondered if what he'd said to her before had upset her, but he quickly dismissed the thought when he reassured himself that that was what she'd wanted to say to him to begin with, and he'd just been a bit quicker to the punch. He couldn't seem to shake the feeling, however, and growled in exasperation as he gave in to his curiosity of where she could be and what she'd been doing. He had a feeling she was most likely in the spot where she bathed, and hoped he wouldn't run into her doing so while trying to check on her, not wanting to risk any possible…uncomfortable…encounters.

He quickly flew over the landscape and found the spot with ease, looking down through the few holes in between the tree branches and was able to make out parts of her torso, legs, and her feet lying on the ground. A feeling very unfamiliar to him and very strange rose in his chest, and he wouldn't admit to himself that he might've been afraid she was injured. Since he couldn't sense her life force, which still bothered him to this day, he wouldn't have been able to detect whether or not she'd been in trouble, which meant he couldn't have intercepted any possible harm that came to her. He descended quickly but quietly into the small clearing, not bothering to notice the various pairs of animal eyes that watched him curiously behind the safety of the nearby bushes and trees.

He knelt down on one knee next to her, studying her movements promptly and cautiously, breathing an internal sigh of relief when he saw her chest rising and falling steadily as she lay on her side – she was asleep. He reached out for her arm but stopped himself hesitantly, deciding instead to stand, cross his arms, and say her name brusquely, in an effort to wake her up. He watched her stir, keeping his face blank as she groaned quietly and sat up, sluggishly.

"Wha…?" She uttered, spotting a large green blur out of the corner of her eye and turning swiftly, eyes widening. "What the hell!" She stood up, realizing it was Cell, and his recent words stung her memory, causing her to look away and refuse to meet his gaze.

"What are you doing here, Cell?" She asked, almost angrily.

Cell ignored her tone and stared at her, replying in his usual condescending manner. "You've been gone a few hours. I came to ensure you were still alive."

Sayah scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Well I am, as if you care. You don't have to keep tabs on me like I'm a child." She retorted, mirroring his stance and crossing her arms as well.

"Obviously I do, otherwise you would've likely slept here all night and left yourself open to any and all dangers inside these woods." Cell replied matter-of-factly, smirking at her and amused by her irritation.

Sayah glared at him, releasing her arms and walking up to him in frustration. "Oh I'm sorry, I didn't realize you had to keep a short leash on all your toys," she taunted, standing a few feet away from him and clenching her fists.

"Well, I do when they decide to think for themselves…and run away." He uttered coldly, his mood suddenly changing from haughty to livid.

"Who says I was running away? Maybe I just needed a break from you and your arrogant, condescending attitude!" She yelled, throwing her arms in the air and turning around so her back was facing him. "You know what, Cell?! Why don't you just take me home, and save yourself the possible lapse in judgement? I'm obviously nothing to you, and I'm not any more of a challenge, so just take me back home so I can live my last remaining days on this Earth in peace."

Cell narrowed his eyes at her, fists clenched and gritting his teeth. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, turning her words over in his mind and deciding that that was probably what she really wanted, even if he didn't.

"…Very well. As you wish."

Sayah turned back around suddenly, eyes wide as she stared at him. "What? Are you serious? Just like that?" She asked, the mental shackles around her wrists suddenly disappearing, and she tried to hide her excitement in her next words. "Well…thank you."

"Don't thank me yet. I was growing weary of your constant presence nevertheless, and I am in the process of prepararing for my tournament." He uttered bitterly, walking over to her and picking her up by the waist, flying her to her home quite a few miles away. He hadn't thought to stop at his tournament ring beforehand for her to gather her things since he was so angry, a decision he would later much regret.

When they landed, Cell set her down in front of her home and was about to take off when he heard her speak, hesitating.

"Wait, how did my door get fixed? And the wall?" Sayah asked incredulously, glancing over her shoulder at him.

"I fixed them the other day while I was gone. You don't have to thank me." He replied coolly, turning again to leave before her words stopped him once more.

"Cell wait! I—" Sayah bit her lip, facing him and shyly meeting his gaze. The look in his eyes was no longer the curious one she'd seen in the past couple of days, but instead he looked aloof, as if trying to keep himself from feeling anything but coldness or anger. The look sent a chill down her spine, and her eyes softened dejectedly before she peeled them away. "…no, nothing. Nevermind. Goodbye, Cell."

Cell tried to ignore the look in her eyes as he turned his back to her and leapt up, taking off into the starry sky back to his tournament ring.

Sayah watched him, staring at the spot in the sky he'd disappeared into and feeling her eyes beginning to water. "Why the hell am I so upset about this?" She thought, blinking the tears away and shaking her head, trying to ignore the heavy feeling in her chest as she went inside. She turned the light on to her living room and looked around, letting out a sigh. It really did look as if nothing had ever happened – the hole was repaired, and her door and its hinges were fixed and perfectly back in place. She stared at the spot on the wall that Cell had pinned her against the first time they'd met, and she felt a lump start to form in her throat before she shut the downstairs light off and hurriedly made her way up the steps to her bedroom, the floor lamp at the head of the stairs casting a dim light on the staircase since it'd never been turned off.

Cell landed on his tournament ring, freezing in place when he saw all of Sayah's belongings on one corner of the ring. His fists tightened and he clenched his jaw, cursing inwardly before turning around so that his back would be facing them and crossed his arms, resuming his meditative stance, but doing anything but meditating. He felt angry, infuriated even, but what bothered him was the fact that he didn't know if he was really angry at Sayah or just at himself. He tried to reason out in his mind all the ways that the feelings he'd started to have were illogical and counterintuitive to what he was trying to achieve, but no matter how hard he tried, as soon as he thought of her he felt a deep longing that he knew couldn't be satisfied by anything, or anyone, else. He finally let out a loud yell, releasing his frustrations and giving him enough stress relief for him to push everything else out of his brain and finally focus on meditating.

When the next morning came, Sayah arose and smiled when she felt the silk of her sheets and softness of her mattress surrounding her. She sat up, yawning and stretching simultaneously, before getting up and walking over to her glass double-doors that led into her bedroom balcony. She walked out, looking up to see the tall trees creating a canopy well above her home, light shining through the various gaps in between the branches and leaves and casting a beautiful glow on the ground. She took in a deep breath, eyes closing during, and only opening after she'd released it. She looked out past her balcony, into the distance, her eyes lost as if searching for something. "Cell…" She uttered quietly, quickly shaking her head after saying his name and turning away from the balcony, walking back inside. She closed the doors behind her and walked to her dresser to change into a pair of comfy yet not-too-loose black sweats and a purple tank top, heading downstairs to grab a few bites for breakfast.

When she was done, she walked over to her office and turned on her work laptop, sighing as she settled down into her cozy office chair. "I hope nobody noticed I disappeared for a few days…" She uttered, pulling her hair back into a ponytail, a few loose strands framing her face. Her eyes widened and her mouth dropped when she saw how many emails she had to catch up on, causing her to groan and rest her forehead on the desk. "Hundreds, if not thousands, of emails. This is gonna take all day…" She let out a deep sigh, rubbing her shoulders a bit before placing her hands on the keyboard. "Well, let's get to work."

Cell stood in the middle of his arena, where he'd slowly been inching closer and closer to Sayah's belongings, now pacing in front of them. He'd been contemplating whether or not to keep them there, return them to her, or just simply blow them up, but every time he thought about destroying them he felt a twang of guilt, almost as if he knew he couldn't destroy something that belonged to her. He was getting more and more frustrated with the feelings that plagued him, and he didn't understand how someone like him, who'd been created solely to seek and destroy, could even possibly begin to grasp, much less experience, any emotions that weren't included primarily in his design.

He eventually caved in to curiosity and walked over, picking up each item that lay scattered on his arena, studying it, and then placing it into one of those horridly pink bags Sayah had brought from one of the stores in Ginger Town. He took his time doing this, almost as if doing so would help him learn more about her or even about the affections that had lately decided to silently torment him. He had spent most of the day trying to meditate and failing miserably, so when he was done picking up everything and placing each into their bags he stood up straight, staring down the items and trying to decide what to do next. He pondered this for another hour, at which time the stars had freckled the sky, and he finally gave in to the temptation of returning the items to her. After all, they weren't his…

He hovered slightly with his arms crossed, using the same force to pick up the bags, and flew the same way he'd done yesterday, using the exact same route, until he reached Sayah's home. He landed a few feet away from the door, still with his arms crossed, and set all of the items in front of the door, glancing inside. He noticed a light emitting from the other side of the house, and he flew over there, looking in the window into a room that was filled with more bookshelves, but also what looked like various mechanical and technological items, a few on each bookcase, and quite a few laying on a table on the opposite side of a large desk. He noticed a laptop and didn't even realize he smirked when he saw Sayah sitting in front of it, a very bored and tired look on her face. He tried to remain in the shadows as he watched her, listening to the conversation she seemed to be having with herself.

"Come on, people. How many emails do you have to send cancelling work lunch meetings?" Sayah groaned, exasperated and running her hand down her face. She was in her last round of emails, with only a dozen or so left. "I can't believe I got through all those. Although it did help to mass-delete all the ones that asked me where I was, how I was doing, if I was still alive…" She leaned back in her desk chair, placing her hands behind her head briefly and laughing, "Because I can email if I'm dead, right? What kind of email is that? 'Sayah, are you alive? Email us back your status ASAP please!'" She mocked, rolling her eyes. "I should send them an email that says, 'Sorry, I was taken by Cell and forced to stay with him for a few days. Don't worry, I'm okay. And he's…not that bad…he's very intelligent, and handsome…" Her words trailed off and she shook her head, her cheeks turning a dark shade of red. She pushed herself off her desk quickly and shut her laptop, heading towards the door. "Ugh, I'm so dumb. Maybe I should've taken that guy from Computer Engineering up on his dinner date offer two weeks ago…" She paused in the doorway, her hand reaching up for the light switch as she briefly looked back to her laptop, smiling. "Nah…I can't care for someone who doesn't just absolutely take my breath away." She shut the light off, muttering the phrase "No wonder I've been single for so long" as she did so, and walked out.

Cell had been watching her, amused, and immediately became smug when he heard her say she thought him handsome. His eyes never moved from her form, and he'd frowned when he'd heard her mention the dinner date on her way to the door, frozen in shock when he saw Sayah staring in his direction, thinking she'd spotted him. He quickly realized she was looking at her computer, and he shook his head at himself as he continued to listen, making his way to the roof of the house.

Sayah halted her movements when she heard something stirring outside her front door. She was just about to go up the stairs and to bed when she'd heard it, paralyzing her as she tried to figure out what it was, especially since it didn't sound like any forest animal she'd ever heard. She quietly made her way to the door, opening it and blinking twice when she didn't see anyone or anything, at least until she looked down and saw the bags full of her items just sitting there. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion, and she stepped out past the bags and out into her front lawn, looking around to spot anyone, but knowing it would be futile even if someone was there since it was too dark for her to see. She bit her lip nervously before taking another step forward, as if it would make a difference in her search.

"Cell? Cell, are you out there?" She called out eagerly, hearing only crickets and the usual sounds of the forest at night. Her smile dropped and she turned back towards her house, walking up to the bags. "He's probably left already…" She said dejectedly, crouching down next to one of them and picking out the blanket she normally used to cover herself out there. She stood up, staring at it briefly before hugging it close to her, her eyes widening slightly. "It still smells like him…his scent must've gotten on it when he was trying to keep me still while I slept the other night. Probably before I kicked it off or something…" She uttered quietly, looking at it as a sad smile framed her lips.

"Damnit, Cell…I wish you would've just let me speak first…because then I would've told you how I really felt about you, and you wouldn't have had to crush my heart into so many tiny little pieces like you did…" Her eyes welled with tears, but she shook her head and tried blinking them away, shoving the blanket she held back into the bag before picking up all the bags and placing them inside, near the door. She sighed deeply and shut the door behind her, not bothering to lock it before taking out the elastic from her hair and letting it fall down past her shoulders, combing it half-heartedly with her fingers as she made her way up the stairs and to her room.

Cell had been watching her the whole time, standing on her roof silent and unmoving, arms crossed in front of his chest. He couldn't erase the feelings of guilt and regret he felt deep inside, and as much as he tried to ignore them, they remained, seeming to reverberate in his brain and chest. He wondered if he'd been wrong on his assumption that the reason she'd wanted to talk to him was to tell him that she was remorseful of having kissed him, and that it was a momentary slip of her conviction, one that she'd never repeat. No, he couldn't be wrong. He was never wrong…

Cell waited until she was asleep to walk inside. He walked into her office and looked around, noticing a badge hanging by a lanyard on the wall. He reached for it, holding it in his hand as he studied it and read the words printed on it. "Capsule Corporation. Sayah Sparks. Biomedical Engineering…" He whispered, staring at Sayah's smiling picture as if she was staring back with her almond-shaped emerald eyes. He took it off the hook on the wall and held it in his hand as he walked around her home, trying to get more of a sense of what her day-to-day life had been like before he'd arrived. As he looked around, he noticed several paintings and photographs scattered throughout the walls of her home, some of ballerinas and others of what appeared to be major technological undertakings and advances, such as the invention of the capsule to store items. He walked over to a short bookcase and saw a few photographs in frames sitting on top, not very many but mostly all of her and another woman who appeared older than her. One particular photograph was of Sayah in a lab coat, smiling largely and the older woman next to her, in a nurse's uniform, both of them standing in front of a house that didn't look like Sayah's. He furrowed his brows and took his time setting the picture back down, wondering if the older woman was Mira Sparks, the person who'd helped Sayah when she'd escaped from wherever she'd been kept.

He was about to leave when he got an inquisitive spurt and walked back into the office, sitting down in the chair Sayah had been using and opening her laptop, curious to see if he could find more about her this way. He'd learned how to navigate a computer from Dr. Gero, who'd instilled this information into him solely in the rare case he might ever need it. He saw a document on the desktop titled "My Life," and rolled his eyes at the lack of originality in the title. He opened it, and saw that the date was in the top right-hand corner, before looking over and beginning to read it, hearing Sayah's voice as he did.

"My name is Sayah Sparks, and I am 24 years old. I'm not sure of my first and I know for sure Sparks isn't my true last name, but I don't recognize nor remember anything else, so it will do until I can find out more about my past. I am a Biomedical Engineer at Capsule Corporation, a company that Mira helped me land a job at after we realized that I knew almost everything about the subject, which probably means that that was what I did or studied before I forgot everything. I also seem to know Ballet fairly well, and have taken to practicing it at least once a week, trying to figure out exactly how much I really have knowledge of. I tend to work from home most of the time, preferring to keep to myself so I don't get asked many questions I can't answer.

In my spare time, I like to read – knowledge makes me feel powerful, useful, which is something I don't often feel considering the knowledge-less situation I'm in in regards to myself. My home is filled with books and is located quite a few miles away from Capsule Corp., solely because I wanted to be a little closer to Mira since she's all I know, and Mira is closer to the city since she works at Wukong Hospital.

…

When I woke up at Mira's, she told me I'd been sleeping for days and that I needed to eat something. She'd made me some tasty soup, and brewed me some more tea in hopes that it would keep me calm. She had helped me change into some of her clothes, and told me that the clothes I'd been wearing were tattered and muddy, but that she was washing them anyway for me.

She has kept the clothes in her home since, reminding me of the first instance she showed them to me after I arrived, just after she'd washed and dried them. She told me I screamed like a banshee and began to sob uncontrollably, so she's kept them under lock and key since. I'm terribly afraid to look at them, but they might be the only clue I've got…

…

All the above is written in the possible case of me losing my memory again, so at least I won't have to start from scratch. This file is kept and updated as a record of the small progress I've made in figuring out who I really am, and will be deleted immediately once I learn the truth."

Cell read through the document's few pages quickly and easily, closing the file before shutting the laptop in a similar fashion as Sayah had done. He now knew he'd figured out at least a portion of what had happened to her and who she was, and clenched his fists tightly as a few of the pieces seemingly began to fall into place. There was still quite a bit that didn't make sense, yet he had his suspicions that there were details hidden in his brain that even he was unable to uncover thus far, and he had a nagging feeling that Dr. Gero most likely had done that on purpose, integrating it into his design. He held Sayah's work ID tightly in his hand as he made his way quietly out of her home, trying to ensure she wouldn't wake up and realize he'd been there.

A/N: Well, what did everyone think? I hope you liked this one, there's a little bit of heartache but it gets better, I promise. Again, please let me know if anyone is having any issues posting reviews, but if not, carry on. Thanks, all!

Many hugs,

~SinTotchi