A/N: Hi guys! I'm done with reworking chapter 1. My reason for rewriting this story can pretty much be summed up by one sentence: I gave my OC some hardcore 'Bella-Swan-Syndrome'. And by that I mean, she had like... zero personality. She had no personal interests.

And she was too tomboyish! There's a habit in fiction nowadays to avoid giving female characters stereotypically female interests - I guess because we're all hopelessly ashamed of our femininity? I dunno, but regardless, I figured making her a bit more girlish would actually make her MORE unique than the drab, 'mousy but special in their own mysterious way' OC's that have been frolicking about lately.

Now there's an actual risk that someone might not like Rin - they might find her vain or shallow or callous or lazy or obnoxious or any number of things that just weren't part of the picture before. Which is excellent.

So essentially I've just established Rin more as a person and I'm cleaning up the grammar and dialogue.

Please enjoy :)

Chapter 1:

In an empty landscape of silent, grassy hills and blue skies, a shadow rose to the surface of a small pool. A hand erupted with a small splash, followed by a head, gasping for air. A young bespectacled woman coughed up a mouthful of water, wincing at the small silver fish that made its way safely away down the stream, hoping to never again be bothered by screaming women with big mouths.

The forlorn figure rose slowly from the cold depths of the river, her bright attire clinging to her skin and her brunette hair hung limply around her face. Brown eyes blinked away droplets of water from behind large, rounded glasses. Hovering in the air, she sneezed, small nose wrinkling under a light dusting of freckles.

The midday sun shone on her pale skin, revealing various injuries and bruises smattered over her body. Her battered form let out a heavy sigh, droplets of water dripping from her into the river below, sliding down her bare feet and falling off her toes. She glanced down at her distorted reflection and frowned.

"Drowned rat does not suit me," she murmured, bringing her hands up to grasp her lifeless hair, wringing it out over her shoulder. Then, with a look of concentration, the girl began to glow until a blazing blue aura briefly flared up around her. In a few seconds she was dry, and her hair sprung up into messy, shoulder-length brown curls. She nonchalantly wiped the watermarks off her glasses using the hem of her shirt and rechecked her appearance.

She scowled. It had been a while since she had been able to see herself in anything other than a pocket mirror. Calling herself a fashion disaster would have been a kindness. Lowering her body until she hovered face down, parallel with the water, she placed her hands on her hips and narrowed her eyes at her reflection. Her hair casually defied gravity and floated around her face.

Cell had apparently made it his mission in life to ensure that all of her meticulously selected outfits were turned to garbage. Even her once adorable hot pink pajamas had been reduced to a burnt and torn mess, riddles with holes.

"Just because he looks like a Halloween costume gone wrong…" she grumbled under her breath before reaching down and beginning the process of rectifying what she guessed was probably a lost cause. She began tearing away at the ruined cloth on her legs, leaving herself with a pair of jagged hotpants. Her snug tank top had been saved most of the damage, thanks to her habit of curling into a defensive ball whenever Cell got trigger happy. She rolled over in mid-air, checking out her butt with a small smirk. She would never go out in public dressed in so little, but it would serve Cell right for murdering her wardrobe.

Finally, she used a torn off bit of cloth to dab at her mascara, fixing the slight smudging before readjusting her glasses. Unfortunately, there was nothing she could do about the bruises. She shrugged them off and flew away from the pool, leaving behind discarded cloth and the accusing glare of several fish.

"Okay, to be fair, I probably deserved that," she muttered as she sped over the land, her eyes set on a white square in the distance. An embarrassed flush rose on her cheeks as she considered the actions that had landed her in the pool in the first place. She was surprised that Cell hadn't held her under the water until she drowned.

The apology was already set on her lips as she neared the arena, realizing that continued survival might just depend on her ability to grovel, when she faltered at the sight of not one, but several people in and around the ring.

Cell stood with his eyes closed, arms crossed and still as a statue – as usual. A trembling man held a microphone up to the green android's lips, a look of terror on his face. He was dressed in some ridiculous armor, with a large construction-hat strapped to his head in some pointless form of defense. Two more men huddled behind a rock just outside the ring. She could sense Cell's annoyance in his energy, and she hovered above the arena, unsure on how to proceed.

"And of course if you're too busy to answer I completely and totally understand, Mr. Cell!" the interviewer cried, and her heart went out to the poor man. She stiffened as Cell raised his head, eyes opening to glare straight up at her. She flinched at the look on his face.

"Rin." He said her name coldly, his order clear. 'Get rid of them before I do it myself'.

"Crap," she muttered under her breath, falling through the air to land lightly in the arena. This was just what she needed – something else to ruin Cell's temper. Like he wouldn't happily beat the snuff out of her even without prior aggravation. The interviewer pried his eyes open and gasped as he was met with the sight of a provocatively dressed young woman approaching him with a frown.

"What's this? A girl? Miss, you really shouldn't be here! Don't you know we're in the presence of the world-threatening Cell?"

Rin sent Cell a nervous grin, but he had already turned away and closed his eyes. She chuckled. "Er, yes, I know." Her bare feet pattered across the arena as she hurried to the man's side, placing a soft but firm hand over his shoulder. "And speaking of which, we really should get moving now…"

"Miss, you're interfering with very important footage right now! I suggest you run while you still can and let me finish this interview!" the man protested as she led him away from Cell. She blinked in surprise.

"Footage?" She took a closer look at the two hiding behind the rock and gasped excitedly. "Oh wow, is that a camera! Hey Cell, look! We're on TV!" she shouted over her shoulder. Ignoring the baffled interviewer, she floated to Cell's side. He opened his eyes and she grinned, despite his unfriendly gaze. Placing her hand around her mouth, she leaned up and whispered to him, "This is good! Aren't you the one who wanted things to be all publicized?"

He scowled down at her, magenta eyes glowing malevolently. "The Game's aren't until tomorrow, and I have absolutely no interest in conversing with those idiots."

She stepped back, tapping her chin thoughtfully. "Fair enough. Can I talk to them?"

Cell made a face before chuckling darkly. "And what would you say? Don't tell me you want to confess to your sins!"

He rolled his eyes at the sound of the reporter whispering. "Folks, I don't know if you're seeing this, but Cell seems to be having a friendly conversation with a scantily clad young woman. Needless to say, this reporter is astounded!"

She blushed at being described as 'scantily clad' – how should she have known that there would be people back at the arena? - And stared bashfully at the ground.

"I…I had considered it," she said, smiling slightly at the size difference between Cell's feet and hers, "This is my opportunity to tell the world our story, and maybe let them understand what's been happening. I owe them that much."

She curled her toes nervously, looking up to meet Cell's dispassionate gaze. After a few moments he shrugged and turned away. "Do as you wish. If you want to become the most hated woman on the planet, I certainly won't stop you."

She flinched at his words, opening her mouth to protest before deciding against it. With a sigh, she turned back to the reporter, who was eyeing the pair of them with disconcerted interest. She forced a friendly smile on her face and padded over to them.

"It's alright," she said, "I'm going to be taking the interview instead."

The reported blinked, glancing between her and Cell several times before pushing his glasses up his nose, clearly dumbfounded, "Yes, well, we really came to speak to Cell…" His eyes lingered on the bio-android's stiff back for a moment before darting away fearfully, "But I'm sure the folks at home are just as curious to hear about you."

"Great! Let's go have a seat in my camp." She hopped off the ring, leading the interviewer to the small camp beside the ring. An old tent, a mini-fridge and a cooking pot suspended over a fire-pit served as her living area. She busied herself setting up two fold-up chairs, discreetly shoving several liquor bottles into her tent.

"Let's start with the most important question," The interviewer began as he took a seat, "Just who are you and why are you out here with Cell?"

Rin turned to the camera-man wearing the orange construction-hat and smiled nervously, "My name is Rin, and I was twelve years old when I met Cell."