Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Unholy Crusade: Act 1 ❯ Tag! You're It! ( Chapter 6 )

Unholy Crusade

Act 1: Reign of Fear

Chapter 6: Tag! You're It!

Last chapter…

"…" Selena glared at Cell, ready to fight again if she must. Cell looked at her with some indecisiveness. He turned his head to look at Sakura and Krillin. Sakura was clutching Krillin with fear. Krillin kept one protective arm around her and one free hand for a defensive ki attack. Cell looked back at Selena, who hadn't moved or changed her facial expression at all. He smiled at her, like she was an old friend. Selena sighed heavily out of her nose, and clutched her broken arm tighter.

Suddenly, Cell clapped his heels together once, then bent over fifty degrees down with one polite hand over his chest. He was bowing to her! Selena's expression changed to a strange breed of confusion and surprise. He remained frozen in that position for a full thirty seconds, then lifted his head to look at her. Seeing her face, he smiled and straightened himself before flying away.

She watched him fly off into the distance of the city. Then a large gust of wind blew down the street, scattering some of the loose clothes and blowing through Selena's brown hair. Selena didn't take her eyes off the place where Cell disappeared in the distance, not even when Piccolo and Tien came to her assistance.

"Shikimi! Are you alright?!"

^

Piccolo yelled out Selena's name as he landed on the ground and ran to her. She didn't look at him; she just stared up at the sky where Cell had long since disappeared. She seemed awed, in total surprise, momentarily ignoring her arm. Piccolo gave her a painful reminder by taking her arm and lifting it slightly.

"Aaaaaaaah!" Selena yelled, slumping over in pain. Krillin, Sakura and Tien ran to her side as well, asking if she was alright. Her immediate response was, "Not anymore…"

"How could you have let this happen?" Piccolo almost snapped. "I told you to stay away from him and to not even think about fighting him."

"He attacked me," Selena snapped at him ferociously, "and I had to defend myself. What else could I do?"

"Run away."

"He's faster than I am! I couldn't go anywhere!"

"She has a point." Krillin stood up for Selena. "Cell chased us down, and Selena tried to shake him off, but he was too smart for her. If it weren't for Selena's bravery, we'd've been killed."

"…" Piccolo was silent for a minute as he looked at Selena's arm. It looked beyond mendable, and it would be a hell of a story for any hospital doctor to take. He reached into a fold in his gi for the pouch of senzu beans, hoping a tiny seed would mend her arm.

"I better get to a doctor before we go anywhere…" Selena sighed.

"No." Piccolo shook his head, holding a senzu between two fingers. "Eat one of these. It's a senzu bean, and it should fix you right up."

"Alright." Selena half-smiled, holding out her good hand. Piccolo set the bean in her palm and she quickly popped it in her mouth, chewing hard and swallowing. It took a couple of seconds, but her wounded arm seemed to mend itself back together. Selena watched in amazement as a feeling of renewal flowed through her arm as the bone set itself back into place and the skin pressed over it and the scab line faded away and healed.

Her arm had been healed…

…except for the bite marks on her forearm.

Selena flexed her arm a few times, not feeling any pain. However, her forearm where the bites were started to ache, and she was feeling tired.

"Neat." She smiled. "But I'm feeling sleepy…"

"Huh?" Piccolo wondered. "How could you be tired?"

"It was a hard fight…" Selena yawned, "…and I wanna take a nap now."

"You can't go to sleep now!" Krillin scolded in worry. "We gotta get outta here before Cell comes back!"

"You're right." Selena smiled, trying to stand up. The senzu healed all of her injuries, allowing her to stand up unharmed with her energy restored. "Let's try to move out a little. I know where we're going."

"Where are you going?" Piccolo asked in suspicion. Selena smirked at him.

"The one place Cell will never go, not even if he wanted to." She hinted. Piccolo instantly got the message.

"Back to the Sacred City with you, eh?" he wondered. "Well, get there fast. Cell may be on your trail the whole trip. So the sooner you get there, the better."

"Sacred City?" Krillin wondered. "Where's that?"

"Very far north of here." Tien explained. "Chao-tzu and I have been there on our travels. It's a place for guardians to train, live, and to protect the land. It's sacred ground, and no evil can set foot there. You guys should be safe enough from Cell there."

"Sounds good to me!" Krillin grinned as Sakura nodded.

"We better get going." Selena suggested, surpressing a yawn with one hand. "And…I need to stop somewhere along the way and sleep…"

"Oh geez…" Krillin sighed as Selena started walking down the road. "How could she be sleepy at a time like this?"

"It may be the senzu bean…" Piccolo bit his lip. "She's had this reaction to them before back at the Tenkai."

"You know about it?" Krillin wondered, looking up at Piccolo. Then, it dawned on him. "Oh yeah, that's right. Kami was her master for a while, right?"

"…" Piccolo didn't respond. Sakura ran to Selena, and took a hand into hers, walking along side the girl. Krillin decided to follow them, so he jogged after them, waving to Piccolo and Tien behind him.

"We'll be in the Sacred City if you need us!" he called. "See ya!"

"Take care, guys!" Tien called after them as the threesome rounded a corner. Piccolo watched them leave, then turned to Tien.

"Cell shouldn't have gotten far. Let's see if he's still in the city."

^

"Oh yeah…" Selena yawned as a memory came back to her. "Now I remember senzu beans. They knocked me out whenever I ate one…we better get a place to sleep fast, guys, cause I'm gonna go out like a light any minute now."

"Oh no…" Krillin moaned as Selena lowered herself to one knee. "Selena, you can't go to sleep on us. I don't even know where this Sacred City is!"

"Stay awake, Selena-san!" Sakura urged, shaking Selena's shoulder. "What if Cell comes to get us?! You'll be asleep, and can't fight!"

"I know…" Selena sighed. "Hey, Krillin, can you drive a swoop?"

"Not really…" Krillin admitted. "I'm too short to drive one…"

"Then can you carry all of us, and fly us to the city?"

"I…guess I could, but I dunno where the city is…"

"Directly north of here…past a range of snowy mountains…on the Irish boarder. It's not all that hard to find…if you know what you're looking for." Selena directed. "Do you think you can get there?"

"Sure." Krillin nodded. "No prob."

Selena smiled at him thankfully, then her eyes closed and she collapsed to the street.

"Selena-san!" Sakura yelled in panic. Krillin checked Selena for any signs of life. She was breathing, and her heartbeat was normal. She had fallen into a very deep sleep.

"Oh man…" Krillin moaned, picking up Selena and hoisting her on his back so that she was comfortably slumped on his shoulders. He picked up Sakura in his arms and carefully hovered in the air. "How come I'm the one who's stuck in tight spots like this?!" He took another look at his situation, and blushed. "Well, then again…how often have I carried around cute girls on my back?" When Sakura giggled, Krillin blushed a deeper shade of red. "Uh, okay. Off to the Sacred City!" He flew at a careful speed, to make sure the sleeping Selena didn't fall off his back. He headed straight north, hoping to stop around the mountain range Selena talked about.

Well, let's hope Cell doesn't get there before we do…

^

From a high building top, Cell watched Krillin leave with his company. Cell smiled at the sight.

Well, he won't get very far with all that weight he's carrying.

That's a good thing too.

I have another game I'd like to play with Selena…

…it would be a shame to leave her out of all the fun.

^

She was having the dream again…

Selena was standing behind the forest, and facing a lake…

She had seen this lake before…

On the other side of the lake was a stone archway that led into further darkness…

On the ground, by the arch, was a small body lying in a pool of fresh blood…

It was the body of a child…

The clothes were familiar…

"Sakura!" Selena cried out with horror. "Sakura! I'm coming!"…

Selena began to run…

Everything seemed so slow…

Her foot touched the water like it was solid ground…

She began to run across the water, slightly disturbing the stillness of the lake with slow ripples…

She looked down at her feet and stopped running…

The water rippled out from her feet, warping her reflection in the lake…

She looked at the reflection…

Something was odd about it…

As the ripples began to calm, the reflection became clear…

The reflection was not Selena…

It was Cell…

Selena's heart filled with fear…

Her face paled…

Her eyes widened…

Her breath was stolen away…

The reflection did not move…

"No!" she cried, putting her hands to the side of her head…

The reflection put his hands to the side of his head…

"No! This isn't right!" she screamed. "Go away!"…

She kicked the surface of the lake with all her might…

The water suddenly burst into strange, sickly yellow flames…

Selena fell into the flames, feeling no pain…

From the flickering fires, human hands, arms, and the faces of skulls appeared…

The skulls were screaming in horror and pain…

The hands grabbed for Selena…

The arms tried to pin her in one place…

Selena tried to struggle out of them, trying to reach the other side of the lake…

The hands scratched her…

The arms pummeled her with lariats…

The skulls tried to bite her…

She swam through the fire as though it was water…

It all felt like strong gravity trying to drag her down into the yellow flames…

Almost to the other side…

"Sakura!" Selena yelled, reaching out her hand…

The tiny hand seemed so far away, yet was so very close…

Selena jumped foreword to grab the hand…

"Sakura!"…

Many hands grabbed her and hoisted her in the air…

Hands from the fire…

Selena was plunged into the flames…

She was dragged down, down, down…

She fell into clawing, biting, yellow emptiness…

"SAKURAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"…

All was black…

Selena's eyes snapped open as she gasped awake. She looked around her surroundings. She was laid on a sleeping bag, and she was in a camping tent. She recognized it as her own tent she would camp out in when she couldn't get to a town in the middle of the night. She sat up and rubbed her head. She was getting a huge headache, and she was desperate for aspirin. She got up, and headed for the tent flap.

"Oh, you're up!" Krillin greeted cheerfully. "Good. Now we can keep going." Selena noticed Krillin and Sakura resting in some fold out chairs that was also hers. Selena blinked a couple of times. Was she still dreaming? She was in a forest…

"Why is all my stuff out here?" she moaned sleepily.

"Oh, well you and Sakura were about to snap my back while I was carrying you." Krillin chuckled. "So, while you were still asleep, I took out your capsule case and set up camp. And, uh, just in case you were wondering, you've been sleeping for a couple hours. We didn't loose a lot of time. The town of Curry is just a couple miles from here. Am I on the right trail?"

"Yeah." Selena smiled. "You've been going the right way. Thanks Krillin, I'll take it from here. Let's pack up and keep going." She quickly put the tent back in its capsule case while Krillin and Sakura pushed the buttons to their chairs that warped them back into capsules.

"Are we going into town?" Sakura wondered as Selena placed the capsules back in her case.

"Probably not." Selena shook her head. "We don't need supplies, and I want to try and stay far away from towns. If Cell is following us, I don't want him picking up any free lunches along the way."

"Good idea." Krillin nodded. "When do we get going?"

"Let's get moving now." Selena suggested, taking out the capsule for her third swoop. She still had two left, and probably had to get two more. But that was more than she could afford. Perhaps when this whole thing was over, she could get a job that could pay off the next two swoops. She hopped in her swoop, and helped Sakura into the front seat. Krillin insisted that he would fly beside her, since there was very little room left even for him. Selena started up the engine and stepped on the gas. The swoop zoomed through the woods on a forest trail, careful not to run into any trees. Selena quickly switched on the built in radio on the headboard panel. There was a traffic report and sports review, but she didn't really care. She felt better and more at ease with some sort of noise around her.

"And now for an update on the monster attacks." The announcer said after the sportscaster. "The latest towns to fall under the monster's murderous grasps are Smokey Town and Curry Town, both in the Spice county. Police are advising residents to…"

"WHAT?!" Selena and Krillin gasped. They looked in the direction of Curry Town, just to the east. Selena's eyes narrowed, and she turned her swoop in the direction of the attacked town.

"Hey, wait a minute…" Krillin yelped, almost bumping into her vehicle. "Where are you going?! I thought we were going to stay away from towns…and you said to Piccolo that you would stay away from Cell!"

"He should know that trying that is pointless now!" she snarled. "Besides, doing something to stop that creature is better than doing nothing at all!"

Krillin had to agree with her, but she didn't seem to realize…

…that she stood no chance against Cell…

^

Curry was an extremely old-fashioned town. The rich side was clearly separated from the poor side by the main street. The rich side of town was clean, neat, and well decorated with expensive colors and architecture. The poor side of town was just old buildings with houses and rooms stacked on top of each other. The space above the street was filled with numerous clotheslines that stretched from one window to another window across the street. Clothes not on the lines were sprawled out on both sides of the town, stabbed and laying limp. Cell went throughout the whole town, and took everyone's souls, whether they were rich or poor. Selena figured there would be more places for Cell to hide in the poorer section of town, so she decided to go there.

Krillin and Sakura timidly followed. Krillin stayed close to the little girl, a little doubting in why Selena wanted Sakura to come with them this time. Probably because Selena needed someone to guard the girl, and Selena did not want to be alone while tracking down Cell. That was understandable…

Suddenly, Selena winced, holding her scarred arm. She looked at the bite marks on her arm. They were tightening and swelling, and it hurt her a lot. It was a very dull pain, like her arm was becoming numb. She shook her arm a couple of times as she continued down the street. She could sense Cell's aura close by, but she wasn't sure how close. She could only be sure that he was in the area…

…but was he watching them? Was he waiting for the right moment to strike?

"You okay?" Krillin asked her, noticing her holding her arm. She turned her head to look at him, and nodded.

"Yeah. It's nothing." She responded, then looked back out the street. She scanned the scene with her eyes, trying to find any hint of Cell's hiding place. She couldn't find anything past the littering clothes and scattered items of defense. She was getting scared; Cell was getting better and better at covering his tracks. A hunter had to learn how to be the hunted to survive, and Cell was being a very good hunted…

Suddenly, Selena's arm was aching so badly, she had to stop walking and clench her wrist. It was starting to hurt. She flexed her hand several times, but that only made the pain worse. Krillin walked up to her.

"Are you sure you're alright?" he wondered, looking at her arm. The two bite marks were really swelling up, like a bee sting allergy. Selena clenched her teeth to try and fight back the pain. She looked at the building ahead of her. The pain really started to kick in as she walked up to it. That was slightly suspicious…

Suddenly, Sakura screamed, pointing into the building!

"THERE HE IS!" She shouted. "I SEE HIM!"

Krillin and Selena looked deeper into the building. Selena leaned a little to catch any sound.

She did.

Kt-ch…kt-ch…kt-ch…kt-ch…

His footsteps…

"Yeah, he's in there alright." Selena nodded, turning to Sakura with a smile. "Good job, Sakura." The little girl smiled at her cutely. "Krillin, stay out here with Sakura. If you guys think I'm in trouble, then come after me."

"But Selena…" Krillin tried to protest. Selena gave him a hard glare.

"I need someone out here to protect Sakura. I wish I could, but I can't fight Cell and protect Sakura at the same time. Can you do that for me, Krillin?"

"Okay." Krillin agreed, shivering. "Is your arm alright?"

"Yeah." Selena lied, taking her staff out of its sheath. "I'll come back. Remember, don't come after me unless you're sure I'm in trouble, okay?"

"Right." Krillin nodded.

Selena walked up to the building and opened the door.

^

The building was very old and musty. It was entirely made of wood and plaster…and the wood was being attacked by a colony of termites. The wood floor creaked noisily, and was extremely fragile under Selena's feet. She had to take light steps; otherwise her feet would fall through the wood. All the lights were turned off, so it was rather difficult to see by. Most of the furniture she would see was rather new, but not top of the line. Also, most of the rooms were not very decorated, most of the walls were bare of even wallpaper. The smells of the building were heavy spices and rotting wood. The spices were new to her sense of smell; she couldn't determine what they were. She made her way to the kitchen.

It smelled wonderful in the kitchen. Someone was cooking something when Cell attacked. Selena noticed the stove was on, so she turned it off. Someone was cooking a tortilla loaded with spices on a skillet. Judging by the crumpled dress close by, it was a mom…expecting. Selena felt a deep pit in her stomach. That woman was going to have a baby, and now she was dead…along with the baby she would never have. Maternal instinct began to kick in. Were there children? Where were they? She quickly ran through the house, looking through the rooms. She ran up the stairs, and her foot fell through the top wooden step. She yanked her foot out of the broken wood, and took more careful steps while upstairs.

She unsheathed her staff while walking upstairs. Her scar was loosing its ache, and she was thankful for that. Now she could concentrate on her search. She peeked through open doors, looking around for both Cell and possible survivors. She found the room of the kids, but not even stabbed clothes were in the room. Selena checked the bedroom clock on the wall. The time was 2:15. It was also a weekday. The children would be in school right about now. Still, she kept her mind on seeking Cell. He was somewhere in the building.

Her scar began to throb again, and Selena moaned uncomfortably. She rubbed her hand over the scar to nurse the pain…

…Then she heard a low growl nearby.

It sounded like Cell. Selena froze and looked around. She didn't see him. She turned her head up to the ceiling, and was relieved that he wasn't there either. Gripping her staff in both hands, she carefully walked around upstairs. Her steps creaked and squeaked on the rotting wood, slightly giving away her position.

She heard the growl again, a little closer, and her head snapped in the direction of a closed door. Aiming her staff with one hand, she opened the door with her other hand. It was a linen closet shelved with blankets, old clothes, pillowcases, towels and the like. It was so small; Selena wouldn't be able to fit in it, let alone Cell. She closed the door tightly; knowing Cell wouldn't choose that place for a hiding spot. She turned her head down to a hall with three more doors. Another low growl was heard. It was coming from that hall and one of those three doors.

I feel like I'm in a freaking game show… She moaned in her head. "Which will it be, little lady? Door #1, Door #2, or Door #3?" "Monty, I'll take the curtain." Oh, brother…

Taking in a deep breath, she inched closer to the hall, keeping an eye on the door closest to her. He could be hiding behind there, and if he was and she went too far down the hall then she would be trapped. She turned her eyes to the ceiling, and saw a latch door that led into the attic. It was closed. He could be hiding up there, listening to her footsteps. She pressed her back against the wall of the hall, and stared harshly at the latch door. Then she turned her attention to the closest door to her. He could be in there too. He could be anywhere…

She held her staff in one hand and inched slowly and silently to the closest door. She closed her hand over the handle, and swung the door open. It was a walk-in closet. Nothing was in it, not even cobwebs. She sighed, and kept the door open. She turned her attention to the latch door above her, and carefully stood on her toes to reach for the handle. She swiftly tugged the door down, and a wood ladder shot from the other side of the door and smacked Selena in the forehead. She fell over in pain.

"Ow!" she yelled on instinct. "Son of a frikken bitch!"

"Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!"

Selena bolted to a sit. She heard Cell laughing, but she couldn't tell where he was. She looked into what she could see of the attic, but she didn't see Cell. She looked back at the closet, and saw nothing in there.

Well, now that the prime suspects were out of the way…time to try the other two doors. She stood up, picked up her staff, and headed for the next door. She opened it quickly…and found only a guest bedroom. Cell was nowhere to be found. She turned her attention to the last door. The one furthest down the hall. Selena slyly smiled.

Got ya cornered, fly boy.

She quietly tiptoed to the door, slightly powering up her staff for a ki attack. Her hand closed over the doorknob, and sweat pored from the pit of her arm down to her wrist. She felt sweat crawl over her eyebrows and her temples. She was nervous…

She took in another deep breath and gnashed her teeth behind her lips to encourage her bravery. She turned the knob and flung open the door. It was a stinky, roach infested bathroom. The window was God-thankfully open, revealing one attached end of a long clothesline. Cell was nowhere to be seen. Selena sighed in relief and leaned against the doorway. She was relieved she didn't find him. She had to smile, feeling slightly safe.

Then again…if he wasn't in the hallway…then…where…

Creak…creak…creak…

Selena gasped and turned her eyes to the ceiling.

Footsteps…in the attic…

She forgot to go in the attic and look…

Creak…creak…

Cr-Creak…

They stopped right on top of her. Selena turned her head up, and there was silence. Selena breathed in and out silently. Her heart was pounding. She couldn't believe how stupid she was…

She wasted no time. She pointed her staff up to the ceiling above her, powering up her attack. Her jewel flashed brilliantly as she powered up.

"Tamashii no Ya!" she shouted, and the blast of energy blew the ceiling apart. Cell fell from the collapsing attic floor, and landed just behind her. Selena turned to him and quickly powered up another attack. He quickly launched himself at her, grabbing her staff and pointing it back up the ceiling. Her second ki blast shot through the roof instead of Cell. "Dammit!" she shouted…

…Just before Cell punched her in the face and out the bathroom window…

^

Selena was flung out of the building, and slammed into the wall of the building on the opposite side of the street. Just before she could plummet to her death, she grabbed a hold of the clothesline, and held on for dear life while she slid her staff back in her shieth. Krillin and Sakura called up to her in worry.

"Selena-san!" Sakura called up in fear.

"Selena! Hold on!" Krillin called, about to fly up to her. Just before he could raise himself two feet off the ground, Cell climbed out of the hole that was once the window, and turned his head in the bald monk's direction. Krillin froze, and floated back down to the ground. Cell smiled at him, and turned his head to Selena.

Selena hung onto the rather thick clothesline with two hands. She stared up at Cell, on the opposite end of the rope. Cell smiled at her with a low, pleased growl, and carefully set one foot on the clothesline. Selena gasped before snarling at him.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" she yelled at him. "You'll snap the line, you idiot!" Ignoring her, Cell put his other foot on the line, and stood well balanced on the rope. The line became taunt, straight enough to carefully step on. Selena blinked at Cell. The rope was about two fingers thick, he should have broke it easily with one foot. How could he stand on the line, as heavy as he must have been, and not snap the rope? Cell confidently crossed his arms, and his smile became a grin.

"Why don't you join me?" he invited. "If you can use some of your ki, you can hover on the rope and not put your full weight on it." Selena blinked at him again. So that's what he was doing! It was almost like flying. She could hover, no problem. She'd done that before. She closed her eyes and concentrated, letting a small amount of ki hold her in place in the air. She pulled herself up on the line, and slowly put her feet one the rope. She wobbled a bit, trying to get her balance by holding her arms out to her sides. When she did finally get her balance on the rope, she turned her shoulder to Cell, standing sideways, and held out her hands in a defensive position. Cell smiled at her.

"This should be interesting." He said to no one in particular.

^

Selena inched her way to the center of the line while Cell calmly walked across it to her. Both stopped about a couple feet from each other, and paused. Cell flexed his hands, and quickly swiped at Selena's face. Selena backed away, but almost lost her balance. She quickly righted herself and flung a fist at Cell, striking him square in the face. He didn't react, because he didn't feel anything. Selena quickly threw several more hard punches at his face and chest, striking harder and harder with each punch. Cell frowned at her.

"Don't be so nervous." He advised, grabbing one of her fists. She tried to pull it away, but his grip was very strong. He smiled at her, building up a little ki. "You'd fight better if you could…" Suddenly, he flung her a short distance into the air, "…RELAX!"

"Selena!" Krillin called, finally flying up to her. Another glance from Cell made Krillin decide to stay on the ground and protect Sakura. Selena caught another clothesline and hung by it. She clung to it as Cell stood on it, perfectly balanced, and making the rope taunt enough to step on. Selena glared at the monster as he chuckled at her.

"Dance on my highwire, small one." Cell dared. "Or else, I've put another life on the line."

"Damn…" Selena muttered, pulling herself up the clothesline. "…not only does he kill people and is super strong, but he makes really bad puns!" She stood on the line, using some of her ki to help her keep her balance. She unsheathed her ki staff, and held it out to give her extra balance. She gave Cell a ready face, and he lunged for her. He flung a kick at her face, but she blocked it with her staff, and lifted the jewel end of her staff to smash it in his face. She succeeded, and he growled while holding his face in pain. She kicked him three times with one leg, once in the face, once in the groin, and one more square in the gut. He doubled backward, and almost fell off the line. He fanned out his wings and gained more balance.

"Why you little…" Cell snarled as Selena quickly put the staff away and flexed her hands protectively outward. He rushed to her, hovering over the rope, and flung several hard punches at her. She held the back of her arms out to him, blocking his punches. They hurt a lot, but Selena tried not to show her pain. She shuffled quickly on the rope, almost loosing her footing, but a quick burst of ki helped to keep her aloft. Cell flung one more punch at her, aiming for her face.

"HYAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Selena screamed out a ki-ay, powering up her aura to it's fullest. Cell's fist stopped inches from Selena's nose, and froze. He began to shiver all over. Something was wrong, and he couldn't put his finger on it. He couldn't bring himself to even touch her all the sudden. He drew his hand away, and shuffled away one step. Something about that aura made him feel uneasy. Selena smirked at him and took one step towards him.

"What's wrong, fly boy?" she chuckled. "Are you afraid?" Cell frowned for half a second with a "hmph."

" 'Fly boy?' That's a new one." he commented.

"You didn't answer my question." Selena pressed. "Are you afraid?"

"Of what? You? Don't be ridiculous! You're just a little girl who went too far over her head, who decided to barge into a mess she couldn't clean up. You're nothing compared to me! Why should I be afraid of you?!"

"You're right." Selena nodded, dramatically replacing a stray hair behind her ear. "It's not me you're afraid of…it's the power of a guardian!" She lunged for him and touched his chest with her flat palm. Cell was instantly repelled from her hand, and was flung off the line with a yelp of surprise. He quickly fanned his wings out and hovered in the air. Selena dove for him, foot first, and she kicked him in the face. Cell dropped to the ground like a rock, and Selena dove after him. The android crashed into the street, creating a crater in the cement street. He saw Selena quickly approaching him, and he rocketed back up into the air. Selena quickly planted her feet on the street next to the crater and jumped up after him. Cell decided to perch on another clothesline, and Selena landed on a line opposite of him.

Selena quickly unsheathed her staff and powered up an attack. Cell jumped backward, flipped once, and landed on a farther away clothesline. Selena lunged after him, almost flying through the air. She flung a Spirit Arrow at him, and he knocked it away with one hand. He prepared to punch her with his free hand, and she pulled her body to a stop just within his reach. His punch landed on her face, but he was suddenly flung away from her and further down the street. Selena followed him, hopping on clotheslines for support.

Krillin and Sakura followed them as fast as they could.

"What's going on?" Sakura wondered as she ran by Krillin. "Is Selena winning?"

"I think she is!" Krillin called happily. "I don't know exactly how she's doing it, but I think she's beating him! I think Selena is the solution to all our problems now! If she can beat Cell, then this world is saved!"

^

I don't understand… Cell was practically beating himself up to figure out why he was suddenly on the losing side of the battle. What is this power she has? Why am I so afraid of it? Why is it I'm knocked off my feet whenever she powers up?! She isn't that strong! I should be winning! I am the perfect warrior and she is some weakling human! I should be snapping her like a twig!

Wait a moment…

Cell thought of something as he landed on another clothesline. He watched Selena hop after him on surrounding clotheslines to him. He quickly thought back to a few seconds before.

I kept being repelled from her when the two of us came in contact with each other. It didn't matter whether she touched me or if I touched her, I was flung away like a rag doll.

In that case…

…I must not touch her!

Selena lunged for Cell with an open hand. Cell jumped into the air and out of her way. He quickly pressed his wrists together, concentrating an attack to fling the girl away from him further.

"Kaaaaa…meeeee…"

"There he goes again…" Selena bit her lip, and powering up her Spirit Arrow from her staff.

"…haaaaaaaa…"

"Oh no!" Krillin panicked as Selena hid behind him.

"…meeeeeee…"

"Selena-san!" Sakura called up to her guardian friend. "Look out!"

"Way ahead of you, Sakura-chan." Selena grinned as the jewel end of her staff began to glow brightly. "TAMASHII NO YA!"

"…HAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Both ki attacks collided into each other, and the struggle for the strongest wave began. Selena kept her aura bright and strong, evening out her ki blast. Cell eased up a bit, smiling. In the flashing light, Selena thought she saw Cell lick his lips hungrily.

"Too bad, kid!" he called to her. "You luck has run out!" Suddenly, his yellow aura began to bleed red and his mussels bulged. "KAIOKEN!"

"OH CRAP!" Krillin yelled. "HIT THE DIRT!" He plunged himself and Sakura to the street where they covered their heads, the only protection they had. Cell's Kamehameha gained incredible strength, and zapped away Selena's attack. She screamed as Cell's attack plowed into her and sent her flying. Weakened, and powered out, her aura faded as she was flung throughout the air.

Cell cackled as he flew after her, his aura buzzing along with the wind under his wings. He flung the hardest punch he could gather on Selena's face, sending her tumbling downward and crashing into the street. Cell dove after her, landing on his feet and picking her up. Krillin and Sakura ran for Selena, praying that she wasn't dead.

"SELENA-SAN!" Sakura panicked, screaming at the top of her lungs. Cell held Selena by the color of her shirt, where she hung limp but alive. She opened her eyes, and found herself in front of Cell's smiling face. She sighed, and her limp hand dropped the staff where it clunked noisily on the street. Cell chuckled.

"My, my…that was a good fight. Very well done, and very interesting, Selena." He congratulated. "I'm looking forward to more games like that in the future, my dear."

"Games?" Selena moaned.

"Mm-hm." Cell nodded. "You're a very fun playmate, did you know that?"

"Oh, just shut up and kill me…" Selena sighed.

"Why do you keep asking me to do that?" Cell wondered, tilting his head to the side. "Do you want to die?"

"No." Selena shivered. "You kill everyone else…but not me. Why am I the only survivor? Why do you let me live, Cell? Tell me!"

"Put her down!" Krillin commanded Cell, powering up a Kienzan in one hand. Cell turned his head to Krillin, unconcerned. Krillin shivered a little, but kept his serious look on his face. Cell "hmph"ed at him, and turned back to Selena.

"So, you want to know, do you?" he said to her. "Alright, I'll tell you. I find you interesting, Selena. You must be the most fascinating person I have ever met. I want to know everything about you. Everything there possibly is to know."

"Is that all?" Selena did her best to snarl in pain. Her arm was killing her, the scars were swelling like they were going to pop open. "You can just ask me, you know?"

Cell had to laugh.

"There are some things about a person, my dear, that you just don't ask. You have to find them out for yourself. You understand?"

"Stop calling me 'dear!'" Selena screamed, slamming a punch in Cell's face. It didn't hurt him, so he smiled and dropped her back on the street, where she collapsed.

"I'm looking foreword to a lot of games with you, Selena." Cell said softly to her as she lifted her head. "And you're going to play, whether you like it or not."

"What if I don't want to play?" she spat at him.

"You have no choice." Cell shook his head. "So, until next time…"

He tapped her nose lightly.

"…Tag. You're It." With that, he stood up, took a running start, and flew off into the air.

"Get back here, you coward!" Krillin shouted at Cell, throwing the Kienzan at the monster. The deadly disk sliced through many of the clotheslines, raining down loads of drying laundry as it chased after Cell. Cell turned around, and flung a Kienzan of his own at Krillin's attack, canceling out both ki blasts with an explosion of light and smoke.

Selena struggled to stand up, using her staff for support. Krillin and Sakura rushed to her aide.

"Selena-san!" Sakura cried, hugging Selena's leg.

"Are you okay?" Krillin asked the girl as she stood herself up. Selena leaned on her staff, staring at the spot where Cell was last seen flying in the air. Her scar seemed to lessen in pain until she felt nothing at all. She looked at her scar, which seemed fine, then back at the empty sky.

"So, you wanna play, Cell?" she snarled at the long gone monster. "Then let the games begin!"

To Be Continued

**END OF EPISODE BONUS!!**

I found a song that seemed to fit Unholy Crusade perfectly! It is none other than "Halloween" by Aqua. Yes, it's a little late for the occasion, but the song really fits. Here's the lyrics! Enjoy!

(Phone rings. Selena answers.)

Selena: Hello?

Cell: Remember me?

Selena: Who's there?

Cell: I got yo numba!

Selena: **frightened** Oh no! No!

Cell: I'm back…to haunt you!

Selena: No! No, stay away!

Cell: **evil laugh**

(Techno music kicks up, and the song beings.)

Selena: It's Friday night,

So creepy outside

It's thundering and lightning

There's nobody home

Cause I'm all alone

It's scary and it's frightening

The sound of shoes

A shadow that moves

Something odd is "tick tack ticking…"

There's someone in here,

I'm so full of fear

The telephone is ringing!

Cell: Now I can see you…

Selena: Oh no, please no…

Cell: Now I can touch you…

Selena: Oh God, please no…

Cell: I'm right here now…

Selena: Oh please, tell me where!

Cell: **laughs**

Selena: I'm in a nightmare!

Cell: You better run…I'm back to hunt you down!

Selena: (chorus) Halloween!

In the death of the night, hear my scream!

Cell: I'm comin! I'm comin!

Selena: Halloween!

It's the fear that I fight in my dream!

Cell: Keep runnin! Keep runnin!

Background Singers: Just keep running, oh keep on running, yeah, just keep running! Just keep running, oh keep on running, yeah, just keep running!

Selena: Hell broke out,

This Friday night

Zombies passing deadly

My Candyman

From Bounty Land

Is coming here to get me!

Cell: Now I can see you…

Selena: Oh no, please no…

Cell: Now I can touch you…

Selena: Oh God, please no…

Cell: I'm right here now…

Selena: Oh please, tell me where!

Cell: **laughs**

Selena: I'm in a nightmare!

Cell: You better run…I'm back to hunt you down!

Selena: (chorus) Halloween!

In the death of the night, hear my scream!

Cell: I'm comin! I'm comin!

Selena: Halloween!

It's the fear that I fight in my dream!

Cell: Keep runnin! Keep runnin!

Background Singers: Just keep running, oh keep on running, yeah, just keep running! Just keep running, oh keep on running, yeah, just keep running!

Cell: **talking** Shrieking and creaking…I move silent in the night **laughs**

Could be the boy from next door? You'll never guess my disguise! **laughs**

Kids and children fight, pumpkin and candlelight…

You might be the fearsome one at Junior High…TONIGHT!

Selena: Halloween!

In the death of the night, hear my scream!

Cell: I'm comin! I'm comin!

Selena: Halloween!

It's the fear that I fight in my dream!

Cell: Keep runnin! Keep runnin!

Background Singers: Just keep running, oh keep on running, yeah, just keep running! Just keep running, oh keep on running, yeah, just keep running!

Selena: **screams**

(End of song.)

I'm planning to bring back the character dress ups soon, because I'm getting lots of ideas for them! Keep checking for new chapters of Unholy Crusade!

Happy late Halloween!