My apologies for the slight hiatus before getting chapters 2 and 3 up. Had some issues regarding life I had to tend to.

PS: I threw this chapter together real quick with no revision as an apology for making you wait. So I wrote this the same day I posted it.

The android was in the process of entering a pupa stage as his body began to harden and he began to move less and less. He was nearly as big as she was, perhaps a bit bigger, though still crawling about on all fours. Soon, he would emerge into his perfect form, and have better use over his limbs to better his life as he tries to once again achieve perfection.

A knock at the door. Goula looked up from reading a book before closing it. She seemed confused considering it was the middle of the night. Perhaps somebody needed her help? She called through the door, "Who is it?"

There was no answer. Just the door being kicked open by a couple of strange men. Common thieves, perhaps? Their faces spoke otherwise. Not just thieves looking to make ends meet. Only robbers with ill-intentions.

One of them had a look on his face as a predator would on its prey when he saw her, "Well, now. Looks like we're going to have some fun while raiding this dump after all."

Goula grabbed her guitar in hopes it would make a decent weapon, but before she could even lift it off the floor, she was tackled to the ground.

Cell stayed in the kitchenette behind the counter, peeking out, hardly able to move.

Come on! Almost there! I can't let these primitive fools do away with my caretaker! She's far too useful to me still!

What's worse: if they found him, especially in this state, he could easily die. He wasn't sure his pupa exoskeleton which had fully hardened right now would be able to withstand normal human violence. No chances could be taken if he were to successfully achieve perfection. He was just as helpless as Goula is.

The two men wrestled with her, slapping and punching her to try and get her to stop. Thrashes and kicks kept them just at bay from taking her pants off. One drop-kick from a laying position sent one flying towards the door, which wasn't very far in this tiny apartment. The other still held her down, screaming obscenities at her as well as sexist and misogynistic slurs in an attempt to at least break her spirit. She was becoming more of a chore rather than another body count for them.

A sloppy, smacking-like noise came from the kitchenette.

The creep holding Goula down looked over after hearing it, "What was that?"

His buddy didn't bother to pay any attention and was more focused on getting back at the woman for launching him off her like that. He jumped back on top of her and held a knife to her throat, "If you wanna live, bitch, you'll hold the fuck still!" But she thrashed anyways, and he'd cut the side of her face as a warning, his other hand trying to undo her pants regardless.

Unfortunately, he succeeded in not only unfastening her pants, but also taking them off, her underwear came halfway off her behind in the process. The potential-if not having done this before-rapist relished in his newest opportunity.

He suddenly shouted, unsure if it was a kind that would make him vomit or if it was out of fear. All she saw was that he had frozen in what she could now identify as agony on the man's face. His vocalizations began to fade as he now began to look like he was shriveling up, shrinking back into his clothes until there was nothing of him left.

Creep number two that once held Goula down had now let go of her and back up. She had looked up at the source of the first creep's demise, finding a tall, insectoid-looking being who was using his tail to drink the human up. She couldn't move.

The second creep tried, but the tail was as fast as lightning, and shot into his side as he tried to dip out the door around him. Just as the first guy, he was also drunk up like a thick soup, writhing in agony.

Of course, it was Cell. He had emerged from his pupa just in time to help, and drinking up those two humans did provide quite a bit of energy for him, but he knew this would not be acceptable in his caretaker's eyes if he were to achieve perfection incognito. But staring down at her, she must think she's next, and she can't move out of fear.

In an effort to show he meant no harm to her, he knelt down, picked up her pants and held them out to her, making sure his tail remained behind him. Goula glanced at her pants in his hand before slowly taking them, not removing her gaze from him in case he were to try something.

His hand went to rest on his knee as she put her pants back on, making sure she kept watch of where he was and what he was doing.

"I'm not going to hurt you", he finally said. The fact that he spoke made her jump a bit.

"Thank you", she finally told him.

"I'm sorry I took so long", he looked over at the kitchenette, "My pupa stage took longer than expected."

She glanced at the kitchenette, then back to him before getting up to check on her unidentified pet. All she found was a split open shell of what used to be the four-legged creature she had raised this whole time. Then she looked back at him. All he gave back was a bit of a smile, hoping she wouldn't take it as a smirk considering it was painful for him to hold one back.

If only you knew who you were caring for.

"I promise I won't drink anymore humans unless absolutely necessary", that was a promise he aimed to keep. He had to. Otherwise, Goku and company would find him out before he achieves perfection. "I happen to like the food you give me, anyways." Another truth, though he hated it. He felt imperfect, having to rely on ingesting something in order to sustain himself. It was too primitive for his design, but a backup plan for what had happened that ensured his resurrection. Cell only hoped that he wouldn't be enslaved to the power of taste and hunger and-dear Kami-food cravings.

"You can talk", she finally said to him, after realizing the similarities between what he became now and the shell of what he once was.

"Of course I can. I'm an abandoned science experiment. I don't know my creator", he lied, "But I do know that you have chosen to take care of me. For that, I am grateful. But I am not finished."

"Finished?"

"The form you see me in now is not the end of my metamorphosis. I'm merely more capable of helping myself, now. However, I enjoy your company more than I previously expected."

She finally approached him on her own, no longer trying to place as much distance between herself and this remarkable creature, "So, what are you, exactly?"

"I don't know", he lied again, "I don't even know my own creator. All I know is that I am not done yet."

"How many more changes?"

"Just two. Two more and I'll be perfect."

"Perfect? Okay, then what?"

Ooh, how he wanted to answer that one truthfully, "I don't know", he nearly cringed saying that, "But we'll have to wait and see. It's an urge; a drive that I cannot ignore."

"I see. Well, how do you plan on achieving the perfect form?"

"What you've been doing so far is fine. Provide me with a home and food, and I'll keep changing."

"I'll see what I can do, then. I just hope that I can afford to feed the two of us considering your size right now."

Excellent! She has taken the bait and ate my lies right up! How gullible of her! As long as I play guard dog and best friend, then she'll buy anything that I say! I can't wait to see the look on her face when the truth finally comes out! But not yet. I still need her ignorance. I must stay hidden for a little while longer. This is almost too easy!