Chapter 15
A/N: Hi everyone! Sorry it took me longer to post than usual, but I think most of you will like this chapter - at least I hope so! :) I wanted to make sure to reply to reviews, but I got one recently that made me laugh and scratch my head at the same time. It was posted for CH1, but I'm guessing this person didn't read it, or any other chapters at all - they actually posted the review about the summary that I used for this story, lol. I know it's not a very good summary, but it made me wonder why someone would waste their time writing a review about a story they didn't bother to read and say that it probably lacked originality. I LOL'ed, but hey, that's their opinion...even if they never read a single word of a single chapter.
Anyway, on to ACTUAL reviews! :D
Kara47: I'm so glad you liked it! I knew I had to incorporate her parents at some point, and I figured what best way than her face being shown all over Earth on TV? Hehe, thanks so much for your review! :)
Zerousy: I completely understand having hardly any time to read! Hopefully the suspense both climbs and gets resolved in this chapter! Things definitely get a bit more interesting, I think :) Let me know what you think, and thank you for your faithful reviews! :D
"Where have you been?"
Sayah bit her lip and looked down at the floor, hoping it would swallow her up entirely, or at least give her an easier answer than the one she had. She was biting so hard on her lip she almost drew blood, and she finally looked up from the ottoman she was sitting on, to the two people sitting in front of her on the couch. "I was kidnapped."
"I knew it," Sayah's father muttered angrily, "That son of a bitch. It was Dr. Gero, wasn't it?"
Sayah stared at her father, eyes wide and jaw dropped. "How did you know?"
Her father looked from Sayah to her mother, a grave look on his face, before returning his gaze to her. "The day after you disappeared we attempted to file a missing persons report, but the police said we couldn't until you'd been missing for 48 hours. When those 48 hours came, we filed the report, but then they said that you were an adult, so they couldn't pursue looking for you because it was probably by choice that you disappeared," He closed his eyes briefly, just before leaning forward and placing his elbows on his bent legs. His head was supported by his outstretched thumbs under his chin, while his hands were placed together in a praying position, index fingers pressed against the tip of his nose.
Sayah's mother looked over at him, helping him to continue. "We knew it wasn't by choice. We knew you'd never do that to us, so we began to ask for help, and tried to do our own investigation…well, as best we could," She moved her eyes from him to Sayah, fighting back tears, "At first, so many people offered to help. But as time went by and there were no traces of you, they stopped coming to help, until ultimately, it was just the two of us. And your best friend, Avelee. When you first disappeared, she told us you'd gotten an email from Dr. Gero. She'd originally thought it was a prank, since everyone assumed he was dead," She paused, taking a deep breath before glancing at the floor in front of her, "She was able to get into your computer the same day we told her you were missing since she knew your password, but…someone had gone in and corrupted all the files and formatted everything over 20 times. There was no trace left – if you hadn't told her about the email we would've had no idea or hint as to what had happened. Even so, we didn't know where to look since he pretty much fell off the face of the Earth."
Sayah smiled a bit as she listened, somehow remembering that her password had been the name of her first pet as a child, but didn't have time to figure out how she recalled that as she moved her attention back to her parents. As she heeded her mother's words, she felt a sick, wrenching feeling in the pit of her stomach. "Dr. Gero…if you were still alive I'd make you pay for this 10 times over," She thought, taking a deep breath before speaking once her mother had finished. "How were you able to find me?"
At this, Sayah's father straightened up, and the look on his face changed to one of cheerfulness. "We saw you on TV," He began, looking up at the ceiling for a moment and letting out a laugh, "Your mother and I got together to watch the Cell games, and…there you were, in the middle of that group of strange-looking men," He chuckled before looking over at Sayah, his eyes beaming with happiness.
"We were dumbfounded. At first we thought it was someone that looked like you, but sure enough, it wasn't…it was really you," Her mother added, glancing at Sayah's father, "After all those years of thinking you were dead while hoping you were alive…we knew we had to find you somehow. It took us about two months to figure out your new name, if you were working somewhere, and if so, where," She paused, tucking a strand of light brown hair with hints of grey behind her ear, "And then another month to convince Capsule Corp. to give us your address. They're very touchy about that stuff," She paused, letting out a soft laugh, "But once we were able to get in touch with Bulma Briefs and told her we were Renah and Suyen Sato, she didn't blink twice and gave us your address and how to get here."
Sayah grinned, glancing in the direction of her office room. "Bulma must've figured it out and put two-and-two together…I'll have to thank her for that," She thought, before glancing at her mother once she said their names. Her breath caught in her throat and she held back tears, recalling how long she'd wanted to remember their names, but being unable to. Her parents' names were like music to her ears, and she wiped the tears away with her index fingers, looking at her mother's kind expression.
"I'm so, so sorry," She croaked out, "I didn't remember your names. I didn't remember anything at all…all I'd remembered at first was escaping from Dr. Gero's lab. I didn't even know my own name, just 'Sayah,' and I wasn't sure if that was even my name before everything happened," She paused, trying to gather herself so she could continue, "I know more now than I did 13 weeks ago, but still. I should've looked for you both, I've been so focused on rebuilding 16 that—" She froze, realizing that she'd made the mistake she had so urgently wanted to avoid.
"What happened 13 weeks ago? And what's a '16'?" Her mother asked, noticing the panicked look on Sayah's face.
"Weren't the Cell Games 13 weeks ago?" Her father pointed out, glancing at Renah before looking back to his daughter.
Sayah peeled her gaze away from her parents and looked to the side, trying to come up with a good answer to explain herself. She struggled to find the right words when she suddenly felt someone's hand on her knee, and looked back to see her mother smiling at her.
"Honey, you don't have to tell us anything you're not ready to. It's been a few years, and a lot has happened, but we're here with you now, so you can take your time. I'm just glad we found you and that you're safe," Renah spoke quietly, nodding at Sayah in reassurance.
Sayah was about to speak when she noticed that her mother's hand was missing a wedding ring. She quickly looked at her father's hands and noticed his wedding band missing, as well, and she looked up at both of them anxiously. "Where are your wedding rings?"
Renah moved her hand away hesitantly and sat up straight, nervously glancing at Suyen. The two of them exchanged a worried glance before they both looked back at her, taking a deep breath. "Your father and I…we had a hard time after you disappeared. We stayed together for a while, but eventually, we just drifted apart. We dealt with your disappearance differently, and we were better off working together as friends to find you than as a couple. It isn't your fault," She added, watching Sayah begin to cry, "It was never your fault and it never will be your fault. We love you, and we love each other, but we just aren't 'in' love. Please, darling, don't blame yourself."
Sayah placed her hands on her arms, shutting her eyes tight as she mentally cursed Dr. Gero for ripping apart her family. She felt guilty for causing them so much grief, all because she'd been naïve enough to think Dr. Gero had been a good person and truly wanted to teach her. She wiped her tears away angrily, before looking up when she heard some rustling in front of her. She watched her mother pull out an album from her purse, and looked up at her in confusion.
"I brought this in case you didn't remember us," Renah spoke softly, "It's pictures of you, and of us as a family. I'd still like to show them to you, if that's alright."
Sayah drove away from the city, past the large, skyscraping buildings and people walking on the sidewalks. She was glad that Bulma had insisted on helping her put 16 fully together, but she felt guilty that she wouldn't be the one doing it herself – Bulma had made her go home and rest from all the nonstop work she'd been doing, especially once she'd seen her in person.
"Do you really think I'm about to let a very pregnant woman stand here and help me with this? I don't think so. You need to go home, rest, eat some chocolate, take some bubble baths, and I'll let you know when he's ready, got it?"
"But…Bulma, I can't just sit here and let you do all the work – he's my brother!"
"Well, it's a good thing you aren't going to be sitting here, now isn't it? If you don't agree with me doing the rest of the work, for something that I'm pretty much totally responsible for, then my lab won't be used for it at all, missy. If I'd known you were pregnant at all I would've given you more help! Go home, give me a couple of weeks or so, and I'll call you. Got it? Maybe I'll even have him learn to drive so he can take you around where you need to go, which right now is your house. Now GO!"
Sayah let out a loud sigh as she recalled their meeting. When traffic came to a halt at a stoplight, she glanced down at her stomach and remembered Bulma's words – 'very pregnant woman.' It had been three months since her parents had shown at her door, and although she'd felt somewhat different and gained a small pouch of a stomach back then, she figured it'd been because she'd spent more time cooking for herself and her two furry children, so she ate a lot more, or so she'd thought. It was either that or all the ramen, she'd been sure of it. It felt like she'd ballooned in those last three months, but when she'd gone to the gynecologist (at the request of her mother) a couple of days after seeing her parents for the first time in years, she'd been told that she was just about 14 weeks. That had been 12 weeks ago, and even though she wasn't anywhere near giving birth, everyone she'd seen at work earlier while meeting with Bulma had asked her if she was due in the next few weeks. The weight she'd gained had all gone directly to her tummy, and even the doctor had told her that all those pounds were from the pregnancy, not from any other type of weight gain. She'd even joked that Sayah looked almost exactly the same as when she'd first walked in those months ago, but with a pregnant belly added on.
"Maybe it's just a heavier baby than what other people have?" She wondered, suddenly startled out of her thoughts by the sound of a couple of horns honking behind her. She snapped her head up to look in the rearview mirror, seeing an angry driver behind her, and then switching to look at the stoplight that was now green. She eased her foot off of the brake and gave the car gas to move forward, letting out a tense breath as her fingers curled around the steering wheel. She drove for a few more minutes before suddenly pulling off into a different road that eventually turned to be mostly dirt and rocks, similar to the road that she took home, except this one would lead her somewhere else she'd been before.
After almost fifteen minutes, she arrived at the spot where Cell's arena had been. Her hands trembled as she parked the car closest to the area where there were familiar-looking trees, and hesitantly stepped out, closing the door before turning around. She rested her back against the side of the car for a moment, placing a hand on her round stomach and staring out at what was now just dust and rocks, remembering the grand arena Cell had made. She could almost see him still standing there, back turned towards her with his arms folded, but the image disappeared as soon as she took a step forward. She shook her head and took a deep breath, turning away from the spot and walking into the grassed area, leaving her car behind. She let muscle memory guide her, silently listening to the sounds of the animals nearby, and froze when she finally got to the spot she'd been headed to. She slipped off her sandals using only her feet and placed her bare feet on the grass, immediately feeling the moist, warm air surrounding her.
She stopped when she got close to the edge of the hot spring, looking at the sparkling, clear water. "Just like I remembered…" She thought, slowly moving to sit, and using one of the taller rocks nearby for support. She lifted the hem of her white summer dress, pulling it over her knees as she scooted a few inches closer to the edge and gradually dipped her feet into the liquid, staring at the rippling waves. She smiled and leaned forward slightly, gently wading her feet to and fro inside the water, before seeing her reflection in the near distance. Her smile dropped as she stared at her reflection's eyes, and she quickly pulled back so she couldn't see it anymore, turning her head to look at the waterfall.
Memories of her and Cell unwittingly repeated themselves in her head as she stared, and tears began to fall from her eyes, her hands curling around the grass beneath them. She'd spent all her energy in the last few months putting all the pieces of 16's body together, not to mention spending what little time she had left with her parents, who came over so she didn't have to drive anywhere. Her mother had been helping her make dinner for all five of them, including Saki and Kenta, as well as helping her with whatever questions she had about her life, past and future, which didn't leave her any time to think about Cell's death. Even if deep down she felt he was alive, she had imagined he would've shown up by now, whether somewhere on Earth or at her doorstep, although she didn't take Cell to be the kind to come back just for her. Even if he didn't, although it would hurt, she knew it would make her feel better to know that he was alive and there was a chance of her seeing him again, of telling him about their child.
As soon as that thought crossed her mind she began to sob, placing her hands over her face. "Goddamn you, Cell…" she whispered, shaking her head and using her fingers to wipe away her tears. She'd never imagined that as an android she'd be able to have children, especially since she didn't know exactly what Dr. Gero had changed within her body. She would've probably known she was pregnant earlier if she still had her 'monthly women's gift,' but it seemed the good doctor had decided to get rid of that as well, among other things.
She couldn't help but feel like someone was watching her, and she paused briefly to turn her body around, just enough to glance behind her. As if on cue, a small fawn appeared from behind a tree and walked towards her, nudging her forehead slightly with her nose. This made Sayah laugh, and she wiped a tear away from her eyes, smiling. Even though she still felt like she was being watched, she figured it was by the animals around her instead of anything or anyone else. She turned back to look at her reflection in the warm water, letting out a soft sigh before moving to get up. "Just get over it, Sayah," she told herself, taking the fawn's offered help to stand, "He's dead, and he's never coming back."
She bit her lip to keep herself from shedding any more tears and walked back to where her sandals had been, putting them on halfway since they had a clasp she needed to get to. "I don't know why I keep acting like he's going to just show up one day out of the blue," She murmured, absentmindedly rubbing her stomach while walking back to her car, "If he was alive he would've shown up by now." She sighed, tucking a strand of hair that had come loose behind her ear, seeing her car a little ways ahead in the distance, "I'm saying this like he cared about me and would show up to see me, of all people," She uttered, almost angrily, as she reached her car, "If he cared about me he wouldn't have gotten himself killed." She pulled the door of her car open a bit more forcefully than she meant to, seeming to almost tear it off its hinges. She stared in shock at the sight for a moment before uttering a quiet 'Oops' and getting inside, facing the trees instead of the steering wheel. With some difficulty, she reached forward and undid the clasp on her shoe, before fitting it correctly around her ankle and clasping it again, setting her foot on the ground. She heaved a sigh before doing the same with her other sandal, and finally turning and getting in the car facing forward, being a lot more careful with the car's door this time. "I hope 16 is done soon so he can help me put on shoes when I can't do it myself anymore," She groaned, turning the car on and heading back home.
Sayah turned and looked at her mother, who was packing a few snacks in a lunch bag. "Come on mom, we don't want to be late!" She called to her, seeing her mother hurry before grabbing the bag and her purse, heading for the door.
"I'm sorry sweetie, I just know how hungry you'll get on the way there and back," Renah replied, helping her daughter into the car, "Baby gets hungry too. You're eating for two now," she said with a smile, closing the passenger door before getting into the driver's seat. "What do you think Dr. Moire wants to tell you?"
Sayah shrugged, looking at her mom instead of out the window like she'd just been doing. "I'm not sure. She said it was really important, though, which is why she had me come in suddenly before my next scheduled appointment," she replied, turning her head forward and setting the back of it against the headrest of the seat, closing her eyes. "I just hope it's nothing bad…I don't need anything else negative happening in my life," She spoke quietly, barely whispering the last part in hopes her mother hadn't heard her.
Renah turned and glanced at her daughter briefly, a sad look on her face before turning back to the road. "Sayah, I want to ask you something and I want you to tell me the truth."
"Shit." Sayah thought, her body tensing slightly as she opened her eyes and turned to look at her mother. "Okay…what is it?" She asked hesitantly, having an overbearing feeling about what her mother would ask. Over the last few weeks she'd opened up to her parents and told them about what Dr. Gero had really done to her – turning her into an android – as well as about 16 and the fact that he was her brother, and someone she really cared about. She'd told them the memories she could recall about them two, as well as about Mira, who'd taken her in when she escaped. They'd also had the chance to meet Mira and thank her, but even as they had all exchanged memories and information, she still hadn't told them about her time with Cell.
"Who is the father of your baby?" Renah asked simply, keeping her eyes on the road. She didn't want to intimidate her daughter by staring at her.
Sayah gulped, scrambling to come up with an answer, and spitting out the first thing that came to her mind. "It was, uh, a sperm donor. You know, artificial insemination. Hey, is it really hot in here all of a sudden?" She mumbled, turning the car's A/C on and pretending she was busy messing with the vents.
Renah gave her daughter an unimpressed and unamused look before turning her head forward once more. "Sayah, you may not remember this but you've always been a terrible liar," she retorted, seeing her daughter sink into the seat – as if hoping it would eat her up whole – out of the corner of her eye. "I have an idea who it is, but I want to hear it from you. I'm not going to think any differently of you or judge you, if that's what you're worried about. And we can keep it from your father until he's ready to know, if you want."
Sayah let out the stifled breath she'd been holding and placed her hands on her stomach, glancing down at her extended, round belly. She stared, gently rubbing her thumbs to and fro before turning to look at her mother, a sad smile on her face. "Cell. It was Cell…"
Renah's hands tensed around the steering wheel at the prospect that the so-called murderer could've touched her daughter against her will. But when she glanced over at her, the look in Sayah's face made the tension disappear, and relief stood in its place. She didn't know what had transpired between the two, but something told her that Sayah had somehow been able to get through the killer's hard exterior and find a way to his heart. It was the only way she could see this being consensual.
"Did you care about him?"
Sayah had turned back to the window while her mother had been thinking, and exhaled quietly before turning back to look at her again. "Yes," She said without doubt or hesitation, "I did. A lot more than I'd like to admit sometimes," she paused briefly, glancing at her tummy once more, "because I never got to know if he felt the same way before he…passed," she managed to croak out, quickly wiping her tears away on a tissue she grabbed from the package in the center console. She felt her mother place a hand on top of her own and looked at her, blinking the remaining tears away.
"I'm so sorry, sweetie. No matter what, I'm here to help and support you in any way you need. You have more than just yourself to think about now, and your love for him can live on with this child," Renah replied, smiling at her daughter's nod of response before turning back to face the wheel and parking the car. Although she couldn't say she was happy about Sayah's choice of company she didn't know the exact circumstances around how they'd met, or how they'd spent their time together, although she vaguely remembered Cell mentioning Dr. Gero. If there was one thing she could say, however, is that the monster must've had some good in him to care enough for Sayah as to not kill her or take advantage of her.
With this in mind, Renah stepped out and walked over to the passenger side, helping Sayah up and out before closing the door and locking the car behind them. She hoped the news they'd be hearing would only be positive – she completely agreed that Sayah sure as hell didn't need anything else going wrong in her life.
Sayah walked up to the door and knocked, smiling when she was greeted by her doctor's nurse. They've been using the back door to let her in and out of the clinic, mainly at Sayah's request, because she didn't want anyone seeing her or trying to talk to her about her 'appearance' on TV. In fact, she'd chosen this gynecologist specifically because she'd been the only one who hadn't mentioned something about it in one form or another, and over the past three months, she'd grown to trust her, especially because Dr. Moire went out of her way to accommodate her for such things and seemed to genuinely care about her and the baby, not about who the father was. All Sayah had told Dr. Moire was that the father was deceased, and that had been more than enough for the doctor.
She was quickly placed in a room with her mother to wait for her, and Sayah turned to look at Renah nervously before feeling the latter grab her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze of reassurance. She normally got the first appointment of the day, sometimes even before the clinic was supposed to open, so she could arrive and depart in peace, without anyone bothering her. She couldn't wait for the hype about the Cell Games to be over…
"Hi Sayah, Renah, nice to see you both again!" The doctor quipped after stepping inside and closing the door. "No dad today?" She asked, looking over at Sayah, who knew exactly who she was talking about.
"No, he's at work. The appointment was a surprise so he didn't have enough time to ask off," Sayah replied, laughing a bit before turning to her mother, "Mom told them she had to drive me so they gave her a half day off, she's going to go in later today," she grinned, looking back at the doctor and taking a deep breath when she pulled up a rolling stool to sit in front of her.
"You have great parents, kiddo," Dr. Moire replied, approaching Sayah and doing the usual routine checks of her eyes, legs, and everywhere else that was a concern on a pregnant woman's body. When she was done, she rolled back a little and looked at Sayah, who shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "Now, don't worry, but we have to change our entire approach to your pregnancy," She spoke, serious in her tone but her face still smiling.
"What? Why?!" Sayah and her mother cried in unison, just before Sayah placed her hands protectively on her stomach.
Dr. Moire scooted a bit closer and took Sayah's hands in her own, looking straight into her eyes before grinning. "Congratulations! You're having twins!" She said excitedly, letting Sayah's hands go before she rolled over to a desk with some papers on it, "I'm going to give you some literature on what to expect, and I'm doubling some of your medications to accommodate for both babies," She turned and glanced at Sayah, who still sat with her jaw almost to the floor, and let out a soft chuckle, "Don't worry, kiddo. You'll be fine. If you keep going how you have been, your babies will be as healthy as can be when they're delivered," she placed the papers in a folder for Sayah to take, before rolling over and handing them to Renah. "But I do want you to know that there are some risks associated with having twins instead of a singleton, and all those are also in the literature I'm giving you. Don't freak out – we have to tell you so you're informed, even if the chances are slim. But as soon as I found out about the twins, I asked my husband, who is also a gyno, to assist me with the delivery. You'll be in good hands, I promise." She stood, putting her hands on her hips. "You still need to come in for your first ultrasound next week so we can determine both babies' gender, and you'll have to see me more often so we can keep a close eye on them. Do you have any questions?" She asked, watching Sayah give her a dazed head shake 'no' before walking forward and giving her and her mother a hug, one right after the other. "If you have any issues, call me. You have my cell," She walked toward the door, giving them both a small wave before heading out. "You're good to go, kiddo. Go celebrate! Get some of the best steak and your favorite dessert. You're eating for three now!" She winked before opening the door and walking out, leaving a stunned Sayah and excited Renah in her wake.
"Twins!" Renah exclaimed eagerly, gently shaking Sayah's arm, "We've never had any twins in either of our families – mine or your father's!" She added, standing up and helping Sayah to her feet. She smiled sadly as she looked at her daughter's face, full of mixed emotions and uncertainty, and suddenly gave her a hug, as close as she could get with Sayah's belly in between them. "Sayah, you will be okay, I promise. Your father and I are here to help you, and once your brother 16 is ready, he will too," she added, knowing that Sayah thought very highly of her sibling, and that he was the only one who could relate to her in certain aspects of her life. She slowly released her and smiled at Sayah's now content expression, just before the both of them walked out of the clinic and to the car.
"If I could, I'd bring Cell back to life just to kill him again," Sayah thought angrily, standing outside in her balcony, "He's so selfish, and did the complete opposite of what I asked him, purely for personal gain and pleasure. If he'd survived, I would've yelled at him for hours, I swear…" She let out a tired sigh, resting her elbows on the wide ledge and placing her face in her hands. "How am I going to explain this to my kids, who will have to grow up without a father? How do I tell them that their father was a mass murderer created by a mad scientist, the same mad scientist that kidnapped their mother and turned her into an android, too?" She moved her hands to rest atop her head, fingers deep in her hair as she contemplated. "The easiest and maybe best answer is that I don't tell them…anything. All they need to know is that their father passed away before they were born, and that their mother loves them more than they can imagine. Even though this wasn't planned and I didn't even think I could have children…they feel like a miracle to me. They'll be the embodiment of the good that was in Cell, of all the times he showed he cared about someone other than just himself. I wouldn't be in this situation otherwise," she exhaled slowly before standing up straight again and resting her left hand on the ledge, reaching over and grabbing the wine glass that was filled with apple juice. She'd run out of glasses to use for her beverages earlier that day, especially since she was using more and more dishes as she consumed more food and drinks, like juices and water. Normally her mom helped her with this, but she'd been tied up having to stay late at work, so Sayah had just done it herself. She felt like she could've gone through the pregnancy by herself if she absolutely had to, but she couldn't describe how thankful she was that her parents were there to help her.
She took a slow, deliberate sip, afterward holding the glass in the air in her hand, staring out into the darkness. She hadn't been able to sleep very well the past couple of days after being told the news, and she often found herself standing in the same spot Cell had on her balcony, looking out into the space before her in silence. "I keep thinking he's just going to show up and talk to me like nothing ever happened," She mused, slowly raising her gaze to look up at the sky and admiring the twinkling stars, trying to blink away the tears that were threatening to spill over. She lifted the glass she'd been holding to her lips and took another drink, enjoying the cool temperature and cider taste of the juice, all while trying to clear her mind of thoughts of Cell.
"Sayah, I never pegged you as someone who'd move on to another male so quickly like a harlot."
Sayah, shocked, inadvertently let go of the glass in her hand and it fell to the floor, shattering immediately upon impact. Her body stiffened in surprise and fear, the latter mainly because of the anger in the voice she'd just heard.
"And even you should know better than to imbibe while expecting, even if it is with a human man's child."
Sayah felt her anger rise at that last statement, and in a sudden whirl she turned around to face the person she'd been silently hoping to see most: Cell. Her wrath at his words overpowered the happiness she felt at seeing he was alive, and part of her still wondered if she was just dreaming everything as he approached her, meeting the fury in his fuchsia eyes with the ire in her emerald ones. Her breath caught in her throat as he now stood before her, and she blinked away the tears that were threatening to spill, not wanting him to feel like he'd won by making her cry.
Before she even realized what she'd done, her body seemed to move without her directing it, her right hand raising and slapping him across the face as hard as she could, leaving a deep red imprint and a few scratches on his usually-flawless skin. Small beads of blood bubbled up from the wounds, and she felt herself breathing as heavily as if she'd just ran a half marathon. Her left hand rested protectively atop her stomach the entire time, and she slowly lowered the hand she'd just slapped him with to her side, rage evident in her face and in her eyes. Her body didn't have enough time to process what came next, and suddenly she was almost face-to-face with Cell, her body pressed against his as he held her tight by the arms against the balcony's ledge. The only obstacle between them was her round, pregnant belly, and she showed no fear as she turned her eyes up to look at him, a resentful grimace on her usually happy face.
"Whose child is it?!" Cell yelled at her, his skin healing itself immediately as he glanced down at her stomach with repugnance. He'd only been gone a few months and Sayah had already "moved on," as the pathetic humans called it, not to mention become pregnant by this person, which infuriated him to the core. "Tell me, and I'll tear him apart piece by piece before your very eyes," he growled menacingly, his ire currently overpowering his feelings for her.
Sayah couldn't believe what was happening, and even though she felt pain in her arms from Cell's iron grip, she couldn't help but feel like this was a dream, like an out-of-body experience. As he talked, she bit her bottom lip in an effort to keep herself from crying, not wanting him to have the grim satisfaction. "You want to know who the father of these children is?" She whispered bitterly, knowing he wouldn't have any issues hearing her, "Okay Cell, you look in the mirror and tell me."
Cell froze temporarily as her words stung his pride before sinking into his brain, never breaking their stare. "That's not possible…" He rationalized, his grip on her arms slowly loosening and his rage seeming to disappear without a trace, leaving a bundle of mixed feelings in its wake. He knew, deep down, that she wasn't lying to him, but he still couldn't fathom the prospect of having children, much less the ability to do so – had Dr. Gero given him this capability, or had it evolved with him as his body had?
His mind raced with numerous thoughts, none of which he focused on long enough to develop, as he stared into Sayah's bright, watery eyes, feeling lower than dirt for having accused her of such a vulgar thing. The entire time he'd been gone, his mind had been battling between thoughts of her and memories of the tournament, and he'd finally settled on coming back for her, risking the fact that he might be detected by Goku's offspring or any of his friends despite his best efforts at cloaking himself. He knew he should apologize but didn't know how or where to begin, mainly because he'd never needed to, nor thought he needed to, ask forgiveness from anyone.
His troubled notions were cut short when he felt Sayah gently push him aside to walk past, and he turned to follow her movements with his eyes, still speechless at the news he'd just received. He watched her silently, a mix of emotions flooding his mind as she sat on the edge of her bed, staring solemnly at the floor. He approached her slowly, standing in the spot she was staring at, and scrambled for the right combination of words to say to save himself. "Sayah, I'm—"
"Save it, Cell. I don't want to hear it," She whispered, her voice now exuding more sadness and disappointment than anger. She felt him reach for her chin and cup it in his hand, trying to make her look at him, but she instantly turned her head free and reached up with her own hand, smacking his away. "Don't touch me. I don't even want you near me right now."
Cell wanted to be angry at her for treating him this way, but deep down he knew he had no right to, considering what he'd just said to her. He slowly crouched down to one knee and tried to meet her gaze, but she turned her face away from him and shut her eyes. He struggled to figure out the right combination of words and actions to get her to smile at him again, his mind recalling the way she'd looked at him so caringly before his tournament began.
"I've been hoping to see you for so long, waiting like an idiot for the day I might even just catch a glimpse of you again, refusing to believe you were dead, yet trying to come to terms with the fact that you were," Sayah uttered quietly, finally leveling his eyes with her own, "I wanted you to be alive. I didn't care how long it took for you to come back as long as you did, so I could see you, so you could see us," she added, her green eyes shining with impending tears, "I was willing to wait my whole life if I had to. I cared about you, I always have, I told you that…how could you think that of me?"
Cell listened to her noiselessly, silently kicking himself for saying that to her when deep down he'd known better, allowing his ire to fuel his words. He'd wanted to talk to her when he'd found her at the hot spring those few days earlier, but had kept himself hidden when he'd noticed she was pregnant, not really sure what to do or think. He'd taken the time between then and now to deliberate and convince himself that there was no possibility that Dr. Gero had given him such an ability, and because of his conclusion, he'd become enraged at the fact that Sayah had been with someone else, and was having their child, to top it off. He'd made the decision to confront her earlier that day, knowing he couldn't keep himself away from her and from watching her as well, wanting to see what she'd say to explain herself once he met with her face to face. The more he thought of it, the more he realized his anger had clouded his rational thinking – he was made up of DNA from all the strongest fighters in the universe, which included Saiyans; if they could have children, then it was probable that he could as well. He'd never bothered to think about it because he'd never expected nor thought he'd meet someone that he'd be interested in, much less be intimate with.
When she finished speaking, he peeled her gaze away from her shamefully, trying to think of a way to explain himself and recover his pride. He looked directly in front of him at her pregnant belly, and without thinking he reached up and placed both his hands on it gently, staring at it in awe. He took a deep breath, feeling the two life forces inside her, and was about to speak when someone else beat him to it.
"Sayah? Are you here?"
Both Cell and Sayah turned their heads towards the balcony so quickly it was surprising they didn't snap off their necks. Cell recognized the voice immediately and grimaced as he tentatively moved his hands off of her, slowly moving to stand. He realized that in his incensed stupor he might've briefly stopped cloaking his ki, and because of that, possibly alerted those that recognized it to his presence back on Earth.
Sayah stood up as well, glancing at Cell and noticing his unhappy demeanor. She moved past him hastily and walked to the balcony, avoiding the spot where she'd dropped the glass with apple juice and looked over the railing, seeing one of Goku's and 16's friends near her front door. "Krillin?" She called out in confusion, never moving her eyes from the small man as he flew up to the balcony and hovered in front of her.
"Hey! I'm sorry to bother you so late, but uh…we kind of sensed Cell's energy around here, so we got a little spooked and I came to check it out. He's not…here, is he?" He asked, glancing over Sayah's shoulder behind her into the bedroom, then looking at her again.
Sayah froze at his statement, chills running up her spine when he peeked behind her. She let out an internal sigh of relief when he looked back at her, though, and realized Cell must've hidden himself somewhere out of sight. "No," she replied, unconsciously placing her hands on her belly and pretending to look at him in confusion, "Isn't he dead?"
Krillin watched her and glanced down when her hands moved, now noticing her pregnant tummy that had been partly hidden by the balcony's wide ledge. His eyes widened, and he nodded in response, meeting her gaze again with a smile. "Wow, congratulations! Who's the lucky guy?"
Sayah followed his eyes to her stomach and silently panicked, saying the first thing that came to her mind, the same thing that she'd already practiced telling everyone else that had asked. "He, um, passed away…" She said quietly, rubbing her thumbs soothingly over it before looking back at him, giving him a small smile.
"Oh I see, I'm sorry to hear that," Krillin nodded at her, smiling in return as his mind wandered. "But we brought everyone Cell killed back with the Dragon Balls," He thought, eyebrows furrowing, "Oh wait, maybe he wasn't killed by Cell…yeah, that must be it. It makes sense." He gave Sayah a smile before turning to where he'd come from, "Alright, well, I'll leave you be. Sorry to bother you! Congrats, again!" He quickly waved at her before taking off further up into the sky, leaving without a trace.
Sayah let out a relieved breath and placed a hand over her heart, closing her eyes. "That was close," she thought, turning quickly before stepping back into her room, only to notice that Cell was nowhere in sight. "Cell?" she called out softly, standing in the middle of the room and waiting for him to reveal himself. When he didn't, she bit her lip to keep her eyes from watering and sighed sadly, "Damn hormones, I'm too emotional...but, am I hallucinating? I couldn't be if Krillin showed up…right?" she wondered, walking to her door when she heard scratching. "I don't remember closing this door, though…I'm positive I didn't," she thought, opening it and laughing when a happy Saki came bundling out from behind with Kenta on her back. The pup then jumped onto Sayah's bed and sat on it, wagging her tail as Kenta jumped off of her and onto the soft sheets, purring as he sat next to the happy dog. "Hi guys! I'm sorry if I locked you out! I've never done that before," she laughed slightly, pulling her bed sheets aside and slowly slipping under them, exhaling contently. She took one last thoughtful, wary look around the room before she heaved a sigh and laid down on her side, Saki curling up behind her legs and Kenta climbing up to rest by her chest. "I couldn't have imagined all of that…could I?"