A Need Unknown

Chapter 9

A/N: Hi everyone! I just wanted to point out the M-rated suggestive tones at the very end of this chapter, but it's not quite as M as the last one. If you want to skip that, then don't read the last two or three paragraphs, but the rest of the chapter is very important, so be sure not to miss it!

As usual, a big shoutout to PurelyFictional06 - I think you'll find that they still have some more to go through before the tournament even begins! ;D

Please enjoy!

Sayah awoke with a yawn, opening her eyes and expecting to see Cell next to her, frowning when he wasn't. She sat up suddenly and looked around, seeing a hint of green out of the corner of her eye and grinning, realizing he was standing out on the balcony. She slipped out of bed and walked over to him, feeling the gentle morning breeze flutter her hair through the open double doors. She stopped when she was close to him, noticing as he stood with his arms crossed, looking into the distance as if he was thinking deeply about something. She reached her hand out slowly to touch his wing, remembering what had happened the last time she'd done so, but pushing the thought aside. She rested her hand on it briefly before tracing her fingers down, feeling the smooth and strong surface, her lips turning up into a curious smile as she did so. She felt him shudder slightly at her touch, and she knew she'd gotten him out of his thoughts when he turned around to face her. She placed her hand back at her side briefly as she looked up at him, smiling. "You seemed to be deep in thought."

Cell hummed a response as he looked down at her, seeing her long, wavy hair framing her face and looking slightly messy, smirking because he knew why. He placed his hands on her waist and picked her up effortlessly, turning around and setting her down on the balcony's wide ledge so she was sitting. He felt her place her hands on his chest and he paused, staring at her and feeling her heartbeat quicken as he held her close.

Sayah traced her hands up to his neck and pulled him towards her gently, feeling him give no resistance. She placed her lips on his and kissed him deeply, not wanting to stop but knowing she had to – the look on his face had worried her. She moved one hand up to rest on the side of his face and paused, watching him curiously. "You seemed to be thinking hard about something."

Cell hesitated, knowing that eventually he'd have to tell her. He turned his head slightly to look off into the distance, almost as if lost. "I was thinking about many things. One of them being my tournament."

Sayah's smile faded slowly, and she wondered why he still wanted to go through with it, especially after what they'd shared the night before. "Cell…you don't have to do this, you know. You have that choice."

Cell stayed silent for a moment, his eyes still lost in something behind her. "I don't. This is what I was made for," He looked down at her, meeting her gaze again, and hesitated briefly before continuing. "Sayah, I want to make you an offer, and I'd prefer to only say this once. Come with me, leave this planet when I win. Its fate has already been sealed."

Sayah's eyes widened at his words, seeing that he was serious. She bit her lip nervously, thinking for a moment before responding. "Cell, I…I don't know if I can go with you. This is my home, where I belong. And, you do realize that if you win your tournament…you'll destroy this world, with me in it." She said, her eyes softening as she looked at him, knowing his resolve to do this was strong but hoping to place a seed of doubt in it. "Besides, I still don't know what happened to me…" She paused briefly, looking away and suddenly recalling his earlier words, "Wait, what do you mean this is what you were made for?" She looked up at him, eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

Cell hesitated briefly before answering, looking away. "I was created by the scientific genius, Dr. Gero, to eradicate this world of all his enemies," he paused, looking back to meet her eyes, and taking a moment before speaking again, "I also believe he is responsible for what happened to you."

Sayah froze when she heard Cell speak that name. Her eyes widened at his following sentence, and she pushed him gently away, stepping off the ledge and into her bedroom. "That name…Dr. Gero…" She whispered, turning around and seeing Cell walking towards her, "I know that name. And if what you say is true, and you were created by him…" She paused, her eyes welling up with tears at the thought as she looked at Cell's face, "Did he send you for me? Is that why you came back?" A few tears ran down her cheeks, "Was last night all part of his plan for you, too? To get close enough to trust you and leave willingly?" She yelled, feeling as her heart ached in her chest and turning her face away, unable to look at him.

Cell tried not to show surprise as she questioned his feelings. He could understand the way she was thinking, after all it did seem awfully suspicious that he just happened upon her in the middle of all these woods originally, but he knew she couldn't be further from the truth. He suppressed the hurt he felt at her words and approached her slowly, calmly. "Sayah, that's not how this happened."

"Stay away from me!" She screamed, holding her hand out in front of her as if she could stop him, and feeling another release of energy leaving her, not as strong as the last one, causing her eyes to widen once more.

Cell was surprised when he suddenly felt enough force to push him back a few feet, and flinched out of the way just in time as a beam of light seemingly flew out of Sayah's palm in his direction. The beam went past him and the balcony, and he heard it cut through some of the trees in the distance, causing branches to fall and make a loud echo in the woods nearby. He looked back in time to see Sayah staring at her palm as she fell to her knees, leaning back weakly and sitting on the ground. He knew she was about to collapse again, especially since she didn't yet know how to control the hidden power that she had.

"What the hell did he do to me?" She whispered, eyes moving from her hand to look up at Cell, full of torment and anguish. She didn't stay conscious much longer and she began to fall forward, barely registering as a pair of strong, masculine arms caught her just in time.

Cell held her there for a moment, her head cradled in his neck. He stared at the wall briefly before picking Sayah up and placing her on her bed once more, trying to ignore the feeling of déjà vu. He looked down at her unconscious form and clenched his fists, suddenly feeling a bout of rage envelop him. The one being that he truly cared for, the only one he'd opened up and shared himself with, now hated him, and it was all because of his creator and his twisted logic. He knew he had to go through with the tournament, for his pride, but he needed some time to think and hopefully their moments apart would give Sayah enough time to calm down, and hopefully realize that what had happened between them last night was real, and not at all controlled by Dr. Gero.

He knew he needed to leave, but he stayed by her side a few moments longer, his mind racing to understand what Dr. Gero had needed her for. As far as he knew he was the last android he'd created, and there were no other numbered androids still in existence, causing him to frown. He watched her sleep peacefully, trying to ignore his most recent memories of her and recalled the ones from the night before, slowly reaching out to touch her face. He stopped just inches from her cheek, pulling back suddenly as if he'd been burned and pacing over to the balcony, giving himself one brief last glance at her before flying back to his arena.

Sayah's eyelids fluttered open slowly, taking in the room around her. It was a view she'd become accustomed to, but she couldn't recall how long she'd been staying here. The room was fairly large, and she felt like she was being swallowed up in it sometimes when she tried to go to sleep at night. She sat up leisurely, reaching over to turn on her lamp before shifting her body to slide off the queen-size bed in the middle of the room, and placed her feet on the metal ground, shivering. She quickly stepped on the rug at the side of her bed, next to her, and slipped on the soft, cozy foot-slippers, which were her favorite. She loved that they looked like shoes but were really one big ball of super-soft fabric that covered her entire foot, almost like booties.

She made her way over to the bathroom, as was her usual routine, and turned on the light before walking to the shower, humming quietly as she stepped in. She bathed quickly and walked out with a towel wrapped around her body and another around her head, soaking up the water from her long, chocolate-colored hair. She walked over to a closet and opened it, revealing a single-line row of white summer dresses, all identical to each other, and pulled one off its hanger, walking over and setting it on her bed nearby. She walked back to the closet and looked up, seeing two large boxes and two medium ones all next to each other, and pulled one of the large ones out, lifting the lid enough to pull a long, wide ribbon out of it. She folded the ribbon over her arm and replaced the large box, grabbing one of the smaller ones down and pulling out another long, yet much thinner ribbon. She folded this one over her arm as well, placing the smaller box back in its place and walked over to her vanity, setting both ribbons down on it like she'd done so many times before.

She walked over to the closet one last time, leaning down and picking up a pair of white slippers with a very low heel. The white of the shoes matched the white on her dress, just like the color of both her ribbons also matched perfectly. She closed the closet door and set the shoes down on the rug next to her bed, moving to dry herself quickly as she put her white undergarments on followed by her dress. She then put on her foot-slippers and headed over to her vanity, sitting down in front of it and picking up her hairbrush. She began brushing her hair tentatively, looking up to stare at her green eyes in the mirror as she did so.

"Snap out of it!"

She gasped, startled from suddenly hearing the voice. "What? Who was that?" She asked, almost dropping her brush in surprise. She looked around her and, when seeing no one, she resumed brushing her hair, although almost more timidly. When she finished, she set her hairbrush down and grabbed the thin red ribbon, placing it on top of her hair like a headband, and tying it into a bow underneath. She then stood and picked up the larger, wider ribbon, and placed it around her waist, tying it carefully into a bow at the back and turning to look in the mirror. She smiled when she saw two large, white R's on each side of the bow staring back at her, knowing that if they weren't visible she would be in big trouble, but relishing in the fact that she'd gotten damn good at tying it just right.

She walked over to her bed and sat, taking the house slippers off and putting on her white ones. She stood and walked to the door, the heels of her shoes making loud clicks on the metal below her, but she ignored them as usual and stepped out of her room, hearing the door close behind her with a 'whoosh.' She walked down a long hallway and paused next to a doorway, placing her hand on it and peeking in, as if she didn't want to be seen. She looked in the back and saw a man's long, white bushy hair with a balding top, hunched over a desk and seemingly writing furiously. She smiled briefly before continuing to walk, heading over to the small kitchen and pulling out some items from the refrigerator. She heated up the oven and placed a frying pan on it, quickly getting into her usual morning routine.

"Stop doing this!"

She dropped the wooden spoon she was holding, and using to scramble the eggs, on the counter, startled. She closed her eyes tight and shook her head, putting a bit of pressure on her temples. "Why does this keep happening?" She whispered, slowly opening her eyes and seeing that the eggs were beginning to burn. She yelped quietly and began to scramble them again, happy that she was able to save them before they burned completely. She tried to push the voice out of her head, even though it sounded like her own, and quickly finished making breakfast, serving two plates. She grabbed one of them and walked back to the room the man had been in, her steps making their usual clicks as she walked up to him, leaning down to kiss his cheek. "Here is your breakfast, father."

The man pointed at a table next to him and she complied, setting the food down. She saw him so enveloped in his work that she didn't want to bother him, but her curiosity got the best of her when she peeked over his shoulder. "Who's that?"

"Android 19, who is going to fuse my brain into an android body for me, so I can be immortal." He replied gruffly, trying not to lose his concentration.

"Father, you know I can do that for you…" She replied quietly, her hands in front of her with her fingers interlaced.

The man stopped scribbling suddenly, not wanting to look up. "Yes, I know, but although I don't plan on it, I don't want you to be there if anything goes wrong…" He trailed off briefly, quickly snapping himself to and getting back to his blueprint.

Sayah nodded, understanding, glancing at the large letters on the upper right of the sketch, which spelled out 'DR. GERO.' "Okay. As you wish, father." She smiled and took a step back, turning and heading towards the door.

"He's not your real father! Snap out of this!"

She froze, turning slowly to look at Dr. Gero, wondering if he'd heard it too. When he continued to write away, she knew it was definitely only in her mind. She'd begun hearing the voice only a few days prior, and it seemed that it was getting louder and more demanding the more she ignored it. She looked back in front of her and sighed, spotting the large, capsule-like containers to her left. She walked over to them, staring at the two sets of numbers inscribed on the front. "17 and 18," She whispered, looking back in the doctor's direction, wondering if she had the guts to ask him about them today, unlike every day before. She gulped, taking a deep breath before speaking. "Father…why aren't 17 and 18 awake?" She watched as he paused mid-scribble, but not making another move.

"Because they're insubordinate children," He replied, looking down at his blueprint and was about to resume his writing when her voice stopped him.

"So, does that mean they're my siblings?" She asked, innocently.

Dr. Gero stood up slowly, setting his pencil down on the desk and staring down at his newest design. "No. Only 16 is your sibling. He's your brother."

Sayah stepped back from looking at the pods and walked over to the one in the middle of the room, with the large number 16 inscribed on it, and looked into the clear glass bubble, curious. "My brother…He looks so powerful…" She whispered, her breath fogging the glass for only a moment before it was gone.

Dr. Gero turned and looked at her, seeing the admiration in her eyes. "As are you, 16B, but only when necessary."

Sayah blinked, turning to look at him and furrowing her eyebrows in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Dr. Gero walked over to her, arms crossed behind his back, and stood next to her in front of 16's pod. "Exactly how it sounds. Your power only comes forth when you are in extreme circumstances, because you were not designed for battle, much like your brother. He can focus his strength and use it as he deems fit, however. But you…you are the closest to a human as all of them, which is why you must be protected."

Sayah looked from him back to 16, smiling slowly. She felt like he truly cared for her, just like a father should, but deep in her core something was screaming at her that this was wrong. The feeling came and went, however, and she turned back to look at the doctor, remembering the other android in the basement. "So have you decided what Cell will look like?"

Dr. Gero gave a curt nod and walked back to his desk, followed closely by Sayah. He sat down and pulled out one of the sketches under the one he was currently working on, staring at it for a moment before speaking again. "Yes, all three of his forms. Here is his final one." He handed her the large blueprint, with the android's face impeccably sketched.

Sayah took it, looking over all of the calculations on the page and studying the future android's form, finally settling on his face. She tried to hide a blush as she uttered quietly, "Well, he's handsome…"

Dr. Gero pulled the sketch roughly out of her hands, standing up quickly to face her, his chair making a loud screech on the metal floor. "No, 16B! He is to be naught but your protector, and keep you safe. Nothing more!" He yelled at her, watching her flinch and look away, holding her arms.

"I-I'm sorry, father. I just thought…I just thought you did a great job in his design, that's all." She took a step back, hesitating before looking back at him.

Dr. Gero, upon seeing her reaction, let out a soft 'hmph' and looked back down at the sketch in his hands. "Think nothing of it. Cell will be my ultimate creation, but part of his purpose is to protect one of my most important ones," He responded harshly, turning back to his desk and pulling his chair up to sit down. He said nothing else as he resumed his work on android 19, hearing the clicks of her shoes gradually fading as she walked away.

Sayah walked back into the kitchen, realizing her breakfast was now cold. She let out a heavy sigh and walked over to the plate, picking at it and eating some bites, her mind thinking of everything she'd just been told. When she didn't want to eat the rest, she disposed of the food and washed the dishes, cleaning her hands with some soap and water when she was done. She got an idea and bit her lip nervously, trying to be inconspicuous as she walked past the main lab's doors and headed down the stairs to the basement.

When she entered, she looked up at the supercomputer and smiled, seeing the large, liquid-filled tube with a small being inside of it. She walked up, arms at her sides and looked up at Cell, in his larval form. She raised one hand and placed it on the clear glass surface, her eyes watching curiously as the bubbles rose inside the container.

"Hi Cell," She uttered quietly, not really sure why she was doing this, but proceeding anyway, "I'm Android 16B, although our fath—I mean, creator, sometimes calls me Sayah." She paused, looking away for a moment, "I can't really call him our father since you're not my brother, but that's beside the point." She looked back at him, tilting her head slightly to one side. "You know, you're going to be very, very powerful and equally as intelligent when you're all grown up, and that means you have to take care of me. So, you better come find me once you are…I'll be waiting for you."

Sayah awoke with a yell, sitting up suddenly and opening her eyes. Her head was throbbing, and she felt like she needed to throw up, her body shaking uncontrollably. She took a few deep breaths and managed to calm down enough to think, ignoring the nausea that plagued her when she did so. Everything suddenly began to make sense, and she staggered over to her bathroom, looking at herself in the mirror. Her thoughts flickered to when she looked in the mirror while at Dr. Gero's lab, and she shook her head, bringing herself back to the present. "That was me, I was that voice. This me, the real me…" Her words trailed off and she stared at the counter, her eyes completely lost as she tried to truly grasp the important piece of her memory she'd just uncovered. She felt a hundred different emotions but her body only focused on one, and it was rage. She was so furious that a few tears began to fall onto the countertop from her face, and as she slowly lifted her gaze and looked at herself, a wave of pure, uncontrolled ire rose within her.

"That bastard!" She screamed, simultaneously punching the mirror with her right fist and shattering it into pieces, a few small shards breaking her skin and embedding themselves into her hand. She could feel the pain, but she was too pissed to care, and ignored the blood seeping from her wound as she stepped away, her back resting on the wall as she stared at the shattered mirror. "Extreme circumstances my ass," She hissed, glaring at her reflection in all of the broken pieces, "I can't even break a mirror properly."

She stared at herself another moment before closing her eyes, sliding her back down the wall to sit on the ground, drops of blood landing on her legs as she held her hand out to look at it. She began to tremble and hugged herself, sobbing quietly and shutting her eyes tight.

Cell had been trying to meditate when he suddenly felt a sharp, aching pain, as if someone had punched him in the gut. He opened his eyes in shock and looked around, confused when he realized no one was there, but looked in the direction of Sayah's home and frowned, his eyes narrowing. "I've never felt that before, not even during any of my battles. That was a unique sensation…but I forebode it isn't a good thing, and that it has everything to do with her." He hovered over the ground for a brief moment before taking off full speed, hoping he wasn't too late to do something.

When he landed, he saw that the balcony doors were still open, and he could hear some sobbing nearby. He entered and saw that Sayah was no longer on her bed, ignoring the hints of fear he felt in his chest and continued, immediately smelling her blood. He rushed to the bathroom and froze when he saw the broken mirror, his eyes following the trail of blood from the mirror, to the counter, floor, and from Sayah's legs to her hand resting on her arm. He stooped to one knee next to her, trying to suppress the urge to scoop her into his arms and instead reached out, cupping her chin in his hand and turning her head so she would look at him.

Sayah looked up at Cell through tear-stained eyes, a sense of relief and happiness washing over her. She felt herself smile and suddenly threw her arms around him, nuzzling her face into his neck. "I'm sorry," She uttered, her voice muffled as she felt him recover from the surprise of her actions and return her embrace.

Cell chuckled a bit at her antics and tried to hold back his desire as she pressed her body against his. He moved his hands down to the small of her back as she pulled away, her emerald eyes entrancing him in their stare.

"For earlier," She whispered, reaching up with her left hand and placing it on his cheek. "I shouldn't have yelled at you…I now know that it wasn't Dr. Gero who sent you after me. And even if he did, I gave you the idea first," She paused, caressing his face gently with her thumb before continuing, "Either way, I don't care anymore. I want to spend whatever moments I can, with you…"

Cell closed his eyes, noting the sense of familiarity in her words before opening his eyes again and looking at her. He didn't say anything at first but pulled her close to him, feeling as she wrapped her arms around his neck once more. He leaned over and whispered "hold still" in her ear, using some of his strength to heal her wound.

Sayah felt his breath tickle her ear and she smiled, remembering the sensation she was now having from the first time Cell had healed her, when they'd met. She felt a slight heat envelop her body slowly, and her hand stopped throbbing, the wounds closing as her skin pushed the glass embedded in it out. The shards made soft clicks when they fell to the ground, but she barely heard them as she dug her fingers slightly into his back, involuntarily letting out a quiet groan as the remaining sensations of warmth were released from her body. She slowly pulled away and opened her eyes to meet his, as if searching for something. "You have the most amazing powers…your abilities are limitless." She whispered, placing her hands on his chest and looking deep into the eyes of what Dr. Gero called his 'ultimate creation.' Although he was made by Dr. Gero, Cell was nothing like she expected; he did what he wanted and could even learn to care for someone in the midst of being born with the most evil of intentions. He was an android unlike any that came before him, and she knew, regardless of their lives both being intertwined because of Dr. Gero, that she truly cherished him and wanted to be with him. She had accepted the fact that nothing would make him give up his tournament, but there was a small sliver of hope that if he won, he would at least not destroy this planet, even if solely out of respect for what they'd shared. Her heart ached when she thought of him moving on to another world and leaving her behind, but she couldn't rest until she learned who she was before she'd become Android 16B. She probably had a family, with parents that cared about her and probably never lost hope that she'd return.

Cell smirked at her words, seeing as her eyes looked distant and hoped his response would bring her back to reality. "Indeed I do." He quipped smugly, seeing as her gaze regained its focus and she laughed, secretly relishing in the sound. He stood up and looked down at her, watching as she picked up the few pieces of glass and then stood up as well.

Sayah walked over to the trashcan, dropping the pieces inside before looking over at Cell. She saw him eyeing her curiously, and she got a fleeting memory of their previous night, her cheeks turning a light shade of red. She smiled mischievously before opening one of the two sliding glass doors to the large, roomy shower, leaning over to turn the knob on the water to her usual steamy-warm setting. She spun back around and sauntered over to him, a sexy grin on her lips. "You won't mind if I shower, will you?" She asked seductively, tracing her fingers up his torso and stopping at his chest, her gaze slowly rising to meet his.

Cell had been watching her, at first curious about what she was doing and then quickly realizing her intentions. He'd uncrossed his arms when she approached, a smirk tugging at his lips at what she did next, and feeling as the need to hold her close against his body began to take over. He picked her up effortlessly, pinning her against the nearby wall and feeling her legs wrap around his waist as he kissed her roughly. He felt her heart racing and broke the kiss briefly, looking at her and noticing the admiration and burning desire in her eyes. "Not if I can join you," He replied huskily, his voice deeper than it normally was, before he placed his hands on her thighs and continued kissing her, stepping into the spacious shower, but not before he'd ripped off her clothes.

A/N: Well, what did you guys think? Now you know who and more about why. I'll try to get a the next one or two chapters done before the weekend, since I'm going out of town, but I'll keep you all posted. Thanks for reading, and I look forward to reading your comments!

Many hugs,

~SinTotchi