Chapter 12

A/N: Hi all! I apologize in advance for having to skip forward a bit in this chapter - I didn't want to have to detail through the Goku/Cell and Gohan/Cell fights, and I'm sure most, if not all, of you have probably seen how they go. I kind of skipped to the parts that were important for this story, and it's a bit of a filler chapter to explain what happens (and how) before the big battle. I'm going to work on CH 13 this week, so hopefully I can get it out before the weekend! That's my plan, fingers crossed. I still haven't decided what to do with Cell...and I've had some ideas for a sequel, but I'm not even sure if anyone would want a sequel, lol. I guess it depends on what happens in the next chapters, huh?

Anyway, many thanks to those of you that review:

Zerousy - I know, it was kind of a long chapter, wasn't it? But I'm glad you liked it!

Ari Vela1 - Hehe, as you read the chapters after CH1, I think you might like it. At least, I hope you do - if not, I'm always up for constructive criticism! And oh, I'm a bit of a stickler for trying to be as accurate as possible, although I may make some mistakes, haha. But I went through the Cell Saga and took notes as I went along, so I tried, I promise!

Thanks to everyone who reads and especially those who take the time to review, I love getting them and it helps inspire me to keep going. Enjoy!

Sayah awoke to the gentle rays of the sun kissing her skin, causing her to groan and roll over, trying to pull the blanket over her head. Suddenly, the reminiscent thought that Cell's tournament was today struck her, and she gasped while simultaneously sitting up, immediately throwing the blanket off of herself. Her eyes darted around the ring nervously until she spotted Cell, and she hadn't even realized a smile had graced her lips as she let out a sigh of relief. Her mind teased her with the memories of the previous night, causing her to cheeks to flush and she looked down at herself, noticing the pajamas she was wearing. "I don't remember much after we both…" She trailed off, eyes widening slightly before she placed her hands on her cheeks, feeling the heat radiating off them as she blushed furiously. She pushed the thoughts from her head long enough to look over at him, grinning when she saw that he stood like a statue in his "favorite spot," as she called it, and got up, letting out a soft sigh as she began to fold and put her blankets into the duffel bag. While doing so, she grabbed a pair of very light running shoes, some comfortable black yoga shorts and a purple form-fitting v-neck shirt, not even thinking as she went to her usual spot behind a tree to change. On her way back she slung her PJs over her shoulder and pulled her long hair up into a messy bun, knowing that if it was anything like yesterday, it would probably get pretty warm out there today as well. She added her PJs to the duffel bag and zipped it up, looking around for a place to put it so it wouldn't get destroyed during the tournament. She found a spot a little ways away and hummed as she walked over, setting the bag down once she'd gotten there and slowly quieting her humming as she made her way back.

She jumped back onto the ring and leisurely walked over to Cell, stopping once she faced his back and smiling slightly. She couldn't quite describe what she was feeling since it felt like a mixture of so many conflicting emotions, although deep down she knew that her main worry was that she didn't want him to get hurt. In truth, she didn't want anyone to get hurt, but she seriously doubted her wishes would come true, especially knowing Cell. She gingerly reached out and placed her hand on one of his black wings, a small smile still on her face as she delicately traced her fingers down and over the smooth yet tough surface. She paused when she felt him shift, and moved her hand back to rest at her side as he turned around, facing her. She beamed up at him as she met his eyes, noticing the flicker of affection he was trying hard to conceal in them. The two stared at each other for a short while, neither of them wanting to break the comfortable silence that was knowing what they'd shared the night before. Sayah knew that there were so many things she wanted to say to him, and perhaps he might even feel the same way, but she just couldn't bring herself to share her feelings openly, especially because she really didn't know what he'd say in return…if he even said anything at all. "Maybe we can talk after the tournament…he's probably so focused on it right now that he couldn't tell me anything, even if he wanted to." She thought, letting out a quiet sigh before being the first to speak.

"So, today's the day, huh?"

"Indeed it is."

Sayah bit her lip tentatively, noticing as his eyes briefly shifted to look at it before meeting her eyes again. "Well, I know I can't stop you, but, just…please, don't get hurt, okay?"

Cell was amazed at her words. He fully expected her to try and convince him to change his mind about the tournament, or at least ask him to take it easy on his opponents, but he never expected her to be concerned about him. He hid a smile behind a smirk and tried to veil the fondness and caring emotions he felt for her from showing in his eyes as he answered, arrogantly.

"Please. You shouldn't worry about me…you should really worry about them."

Sayah let out a laugh, shaking her head briefly before looking down at the ground for a moment, placing her hands on her hips. She felt a few locks of loose hair tickle her face as a gentle breeze blew by, and she mused momentarily before she abruptly looked back up and walked over to him, catching him slightly by surprise. She reached up to wrap her arms around his neck and hid her face in it, closing her eyes and feeling as he placed his hands on either side of her waist, almost as if unsure of what to do. After a short time, she gently pulled back a little, moving her lips to his ear and whispering into it. "Please be careful Cell…I care about you so much." She breathed those last two words to him softly, her voice almost sounding as if her heart was already aching from the thought of him getting hurt. She paused for a brief minute before shifting slightly, turning to fondly and wistfully place a kiss on his cheek, feeling his grip on her waist tense a bit before loosening again. She pulled away, meeting his gaze fleetingly and smiling the entire time. She gradually stepped back and out of his gentle embrace, turning around and walking away from him towards a spot that she could watch him from. Halfway to the edge of the ring she looked over her shoulder at him as she moved, unable to see the feelings in his gaze as she gave him a thumbs-up and a wink, grinning before turning back and heading to her planned destination. Even though he hadn't said a word she felt he cared, but she also knew that he was itching to get some last-minute training in before his tournament started.

She'd watched him for a while as she ate her muffin for breakfast, sitting on top of a rock that was a bit taller than her that she'd somehow managed to scale. She could tell that it was getting closer and closer to the start of the tournament by the way he'd been acting, almost like a little kid waiting excitedly for the ice cream truck to roll up. He kept flexing his muscles and moving his fingers, unable to sit still as the time creeped closer to barely minutes before the Cell Games began.

She heard the news van roll up, and she silently thanked the stars that the reporter wasn't able to see her from where she was sitting (or if he was, he didn't seem to care), which was a lot closer to the ring than he had the nerve to be. She'd looked back at Cell after they arrived, and noticed that he now stood perfectly still, arms crossed and not even bothering to give them a glance – he wasn't here for the publicity, and she definitely knew that. It wasn't long after the news crew arrived that Mr. Satan arrived, and she only recognized him from some articles she'd read on the news about him supposedly being the "strongest man on Earth," which caused her to chuckle. There was no chance that he could stand up to Cell – she knew that, too.

She let out a soft sigh before quickly noticing someone in the sky, causing her jaw to drop slightly – she didn't think anyone besides Cell could fly, and the guy looked so much like a human that she wasn't exactly sure how it was possible. She blinked twice to get the awe out of her eyes before noticing the reporter approach this black-haired man that'd just arrived, and she tried not to laugh at said man's response, shaking her head and looking back to Cell, who hadn't budged from his spot.

It wasn't but a brief moment later that she felt something similar to electricity coursing through her entire body, and her breath caught in her throat when she looked over and saw someone she instantly recognized, even though she knew she hadn't seen 16 since escaping Dr. Gero's lab. She sensed something in her heart similar to the feeling you get when you see a best friend you haven't visited or spoken to in a while, and she suddenly felt elated, as if he really was a blood brother she cared for very much. She couldn't explain her mind or body's reactions to seeing him, but she knew better than to try and fight what she felt inside, especially since she'd let that guide her the entire time since she'd fled years ago.

She watched him land near the black-haired guy and, sure enough, instantly after doing so he snapped his head and immediately looked at where she was. She jumped off the rock, dusting herself off just as he flew over, landing directly in front of her and staring at her with wide eyes. After a moment of gaping, he grinned and immediately picked her up, hugging her close and waiting for her to return the gesture before spinning her around, making her laugh loudly. Currently unbeknownst to her, this was something that they'd often done before she'd escaped.

He finally stopped and set her down, still smiling as he spoke in his usual, almost monotone voice. "16B. What are you doing here? How did you get here?" He asked, still a bit in shock from learning she indeed was alive and well. Although he himself had had an inkling deep down since leaving Dr. Gero's lab that she was still functional, he knew better than to mention it to 17 and 18, especially since he didn't know how they'd react and, similarly, because Dr. Gero had instructed him a long time ago to keep her existence a secret – only he and the Dr. knew she was an active android.

Sayah smiled nervously and glanced at Cell briefly, rubbing the back of her head and placing her other hand on her hip. "Well, that's kind of a long story…" She trailed off, looking up at 16's towering form and grinning, hoping he wouldn't pry.

16 didn't miss the glance for a second, his eyebrows furrowing and his lips curling into a frown as he looked over at Cell. "So it was Cell. Did he hurt you?" He asked, peeling his glare from Cell's form on the ring to look back at her, walking forward. He didn't give her a chance to answer before he bent slightly at his waist and began scanning her up and down with his eyes, circling her petite frame and lifting her arms, scrutinizing them for any damage.

"Uhh…no?" Sayah trailed off, trying not to laugh at his antics as he pored over her protectively. Her mind raced between the memories of Cell almost killing her before Goku arrived, and the passionate nights they'd spent together the last few days, causing her cheeks to redden significantly. She tried to keep a poker face as best she could, letting out the breath she'd been holding when 16 straightened back up and continued surveying her in- and outwardly for any physical damage. If she didn't know any better, she would've thought he really was her true older brother.

"Did he give you this bruise?" He suddenly asked alarmingly, pointing at a spot on her neck and trying to lean closer to get a better look.

Sayah's eyes widened, instantly knowing exactly what spot 16 was talking about. "Oh god, I'm so gonna kill him!" She thought, trying not to look at Cell as she immediately placed her hand over the spot on her neck that he'd nibbled at the night before, and that 16 was now pointing suspiciously at. She stared intently at the ground while trying to think of the right answer, hoping she wouldn't have a heat stroke from how hard she was blushing. "Um…yes? Wait, no. No no no no no!" She replied while shaking her head furiously, just before placing her free hand over her face and hoping he wouldn't be able to see through her lie. She didn't exactly want her "older brother" to rush over to Cell in a rampage because he'd figured out they'd been intimate. In fact, she wasn't sure if she even wanted anyone else to know what had happened between them. She wanted to keep this secret close to her, nestled and secure, until she felt she could trust someone deep enough to tell them that Earth's mass murderer had a…softer side. A quick-learning, interesting and perceptive, very-much-liked-to-explore-her-body…side.

She looked up from her contemplations when she noticed 16 hadn't said anything but instead had his back to her, and she traced his gaze to see just what he was looking at. Her eyes widened when she saw the multitude of men that had speedily arrived, including the one she recognized named Goku, all of them looking like they could hold their own in a fight. But a fight against Cell, though…

Her thoughts were interrupted when she noticed one of the men, who seemed to be the shortest of them and didn't have any hair, waving and smiling in their direction. She arched a brow, looking over at 16 and assuming that it was probably him he was waving at. She got her answer when 16 turned to her, a small smile on his lips. "I should introduce you to my…friends."

Sayah smiled up at him, feeling a little tickle in her chest when he said that he had friends. She felt happy, almost proud that he'd been able to find others to connect with, especially ones that weren't just Dr. Gero's androids. "Oh, okay, I gue—" She didn't get to finish before 16 swiftly picked her up bridal style and flew over to where all the men were, causing her eyes to widen and hoping that they wouldn't ask her too many questions about who she was. On second thought, she wouldn't mind answering questions about that, as long as they didn't ask her any about why she was there…

16 landed in front of the bald guy and set her down, stepping in front of her protectively. All of the men turned their eyes to look from Cell to the both of them, eyes widening slightly in awe and confusion. "This is 16B," He spoke loudly, almost proudly, "She is my sibling."

Sayah could almost hear crickets in the silence that ensued. She poked her head out from behind 16's tall figure and smiled, ignoring all of their open jaws before slowly moving to stand next to him. "Uhm…hi. My name's Sayah." She uttered quietly, rubbing one of her arms with her hand nervously as she felt them all staring at her. She thanked Kami when Goku spoke up first.

"We've met already," Goku nodded at her, and Sayah nodded back. He paused a moment before crossing his arms and tilting his head to the side. "So, wait…you're an android? I thought androids were supposed to be strong, but when we met you couldn't even break out of Cell's grip."

Sayah took a deep breath and tried not to glare at him. "No shit, like I haven't already learned that the hard way…" She thought, placing her hands on her hips before responding. "Yes, well…I am an android, I just recently learned that myself," She muttered the last part, hoping they wouldn't hear before continuing, "But it's all just a really long…messed up…story. Maybe I can tell you all some other time," She smiled, pointing at the arena and starting to turn but freezing when Goku spoke up again.

Goku suddenly pointed at her neck and furrowed his eyebrows angrily. "That jerk. He didn't keep his promise! He did hurt you, didn't he?! I'm gonna go and give him a piece of my mind…"

Sayah's eyes widened in embarrassment and fear for his safety before she placed a hand over the bruise-like spot again and ran out in front of Goku, putting her free hand out so he couldn't move. "No, he didn't! I swear. He kept his promise." She tried not to yell and drag attention to them, but she had a feeling that Cell's impeccable hearing had probably heard all the conversations she'd had that day. That, and she could almost feel his stare boring a hole in her back…

"Then what happened?" Goku asked, trying to get a better look at her neck, but being blocked by her hand.

"That's…" She hesitated, trying to think of the right thing to say that wouldn't give them the wrong, or rather, right, idea about what had happened. Not your concern? Nope. None of your business? Even worse. She could feel them staring as they waited for an explanation, and she let out the breath she'd been holding when she heard Cell's voice announcing the beginning of the Games. She smiled in relief as all of them turned their attention to the ring and to Mr. Satan, who seemed to be boasting about going first.

The fight between Cell and Goku had been intense so far, and she'd had about the same trouble keeping up as the human fighters in the group that she stood in. It was now obvious to her that the others that could keep up or pretty much keep up with the bout were not human, or at least not fully human, and she was curious to find out more about them, but she knew that now was not the time to ask. "I'll ask 16 after this tournament…if we all survive," She thought, completely astonished at the way the two were fighting. She now realized that when Cell annihilated the Royal Army he'd only used a tiny fraction of his power, and she couldn't ever have imagined that he was this strong, yet in a way, she almost admired him more for being able to control himself so carefully with her…well, for the most part, that is.

She was brought back to reality when she heard some of the men around her yelling at Goku about blowing up the planet, and she looked up in time to see him charging what they called a Kamehameha wave, the energy rising and making the Earth tremble. Her eyes widened in alarm and she took a few steps back, bumping into a large rock and not realizing she was pressing her back against it while still staring at the two, completely unaware of what was to come next. Goku suddenly reappeared in front of Cell, catching him off guard and released the wave point-blank, causing Sayah to gasp and place her hands over her mouth, eyes brimming with tears. She felt a searing pain tearing at her heart, and although something told her he wasn't dead, what she'd just witnessed almost made that feeling null and void.

She slowly slid down the rock to sit, shutting her eyes tight and hoping nobody could tell she was crying. "Kami forgive me and the rest of the world can hate me but Cell, please be okay…" She thought, trying not to tremble in her spot or bring any attention to herself. She heard two of the men, whom had introduced themselves as Tien and Yamcha, exclaiming that Cell was dead, and she took a few shallow breaths to try and keep herself from sobbing and making any noise. Something deep in her heart told her that Cell wasn't dead, but she couldn't bring herself to look and see what had become of him – she didn't know if she could take it. It wasn't long before she heard worried and astounded expressions from those around her, and she blinked a few tears away to look up, seeing Cell in all his glory still in the air, almost laughing at Goku. She felt a large wave of relief and excitement come over her as she stood, and she smiled behind her hands before using them to wipe the tears away, hastily realizing her smile was visible and erasing it from her face as well.

Sayah almost couldn't fathom what was happening, and had she not been there, she wouldn't have believed it. Goku had given up and named his son, Gohan, as his successor in the tournament, and although she could tell the kid was powerful, she could also tell that his nature wasn't to fight, much like herself and 16. She'd been trying to keep herself from being horrified by what Cell was doing to him, but she couldn't help feeling appalled at what she was witnessing – she couldn't understand how the Cell that she'd been with the past few days was the same as the one doing this, to a child, nonetheless. She was witnessing firsthand the true evil and intent that Dr. Gero had planned for Cell, and she knew that he was indeed enjoying every minute of it, the malice apparent in his face as he squeezed harder and harder on Gohan's body inside the bear hug he had him in.

Her heart felt torn equally in two directions, one where she cared for him, and the other where she couldn't stand what he was doing, what he took pleasure in doing. This showed her that she could never go with him if he won the tournament – she knew that she couldn't stand watching him do this again and again, planet to planet, enjoying himself the entire time. She wanted so badly to step in and make him stop, but she knew there was no way in hell she was any match for him, and he would probably just find some way to get around her to keep going. But, maybe it was worth it to try, if it kept Cell from killing this child…

She hadn't even registered 16 moving until she heard his voice yelling at them from below. Her eyes widened at his words of self-destruction, and she felt her breath catch in her throat, a wave of dread coursing through her entire body. When Krillin explained that the bomb was no longer inside him, panic overtook her, and she knew that Cell would take this opportunity to get his revenge.

Everything that followed all seemed to happen in slow motion to her. Cell broke free of 16's hold, immediately after using an energy blast to blow him to bits, pieces of him landing all around. Sayah fell to her knees as she watched, eyes brimming with tears as she felt something inside her begin to stir – something she'd never, ever felt so intensely before.

She placed her hands over her mouth in horror, keeping herself from making any noise as tears ran like a waterfall down her face. Her body trembled, and as her mind raced in a million different directions, her eyes scanned through the pieces that were left of Android 16. She was busy doing so when Cell made his Jrs., and she didn't even register all of them picking a target to pummel on as she simply appeared to just stare into the distance. All of the fighters were too busy trying to stay alive to even notice that all of the Jrs. had avoided her, leaving her be at their master's request.

She finally spotted his head near Mr. Satan and her eyes widened, an idea suddenly hitting her. Although tears continued to stream down her face, she moved her hands away from her mouth and began to use them to crawl forward lethargically, to the edge of the precipice she and some of the others were still on, all while quietly whispering, "I can fix him. I can still fix him." She kept whispering those last five words to herself as if in a trance, trying to make herself feel better and wrap her head around what had just happened.

Cell smirked while his Jrs. were displaying their power, and as he watched, he spotted Sayah's sluggishly inching form out of the corner of his eye. Even with his amazing hearing he couldn't seem to make out what she was whispering through all the commotion going on around them, and he felt something wrenching and twisting inside of him as he saw her in that condition, remembering the last time she'd similarly looked that way was when he'd eradicated the entire Royal Army before her eyes. He growled in irritation, knowing deep down that he abhorred seeing her like that, and he'd begun flying over to her to snap her out of it when he was stopped by Android 16's voice. He froze midair, realizing that he'd been incorrect in thinking that he'd already gotten rid of that pest, and scowling angrily when he saw that 16's head was still intact, and speaking to Gohan. He instantly flew over to them, and as 16 said what Cell officially deemed would be his last few words, he let out a loud, wicked laugh and stepped on the android's head, crushing and shattering it into many tiny pieces. He gradually stopped laughing and looked down at Gohan, who was staring in disbelief, and was about to say something when he felt a large power level suddenly appear, familiar yet also unfamiliar, and looked in the direction of where it was coming from.

Sayah's body had frozen in place, barely a couple of feet from the edge of the cliff when she saw Cell approaching what remained of Android 16. "Oh god, no…" She uttered frightfully, feeling something begin to overtake her as she watched Cell step on her sibling's head, eradicating all hope and possibility of her fixing him and bringing him back. She felt like she was gradually and steadily losing control of herself, as if a switch had been flipped in her brain and she placed her hands over her head, leaning forward slightly as she attempted to stand, but being unable to do anything more than get back into a kneeling position. "16…what's happening to me?" She whispered, shutting her eyes tight and clutching her head with her heads, feeling as the ground commenced to shake beneath her, and causing her to curl her body forward and into herself. Her body began to feel extremely warm and she placed her hands in front of her, still kneeling as a gust picked up suddenly around her, causing violent air waves to push out in ripples from her body. "Please…stop," were the last words she murmured before her body was engulfed in a golden glow, blinding everyone around her.

Her form unexpectedly shifted position, and although she was still kneeling, her back was arched toward the sky and her head leaning back, her eyes entirely engulfed and glowing gold, while her mouth was open and also radiating a golden glow while she let out a shrill scream, wounding the ears of anyone nearby while simultaneously pushing them or flinging them back with the sheer force of her voice. The band that had kept her hair in a bun snapped easily, causing her hair to fly all around her wildly with the wind.

Cell, now mid-air and above where she was, watched in awe at the transformation, completely unaware that she had this kind of strength within her, and wondering why it hadn't come out before, such as when he'd threatened to kill her a while back. He could feel her energy climbing exponentially, easily surpassing some of the fighters that were there, and he watched as they and his Jrs. tried digging their heels into the ground to keep from being flung into the air, not all of them succeeding. He raised his arm to cover his eyes from the strength of the wind since he didn't want to stop watching her, and he managed to create a large barrier around himself to protect him from the raw power, although he kept having to increase the strength of it to match the potency of the fierce gusts that her body was emitting. He wasn't sure if this was going to stop any time soon, so he used a good amount of force to try and fly over to her, managing to land a few feet behind her, but unable to get any closer than that, shielding his ears with his hands to keep them from bleeding. "Where the hell did she get all this power? Did Dr. Gero give this to her, as some sort of secret ability?"

The vicious storm suddenly died down along with the shrill screech, and Sayah's body slumped forward, although she was able to catch herself by placing her arms out in front of her. She was enveloped in a gentle golden glow, and she was breathing heavily, her eyes closed. She slowly rose, not facing Cell as her long brown hair cascaded down her back, its unaffected color concealing the fact her eyes had changed. As she stood she frowned, furiously glowering at the area where Android 16 had been slaughtered by Cell.