Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Unholy Crusade: Act 1 ❯ These Three Vagabonds ( Chapter 7 )

Unholy Crusade

Act 1: Reign of Fear

Chapter 7: These Three Vagabonds

Last chapter…

"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!"

^

For the next two days, Selena, Krillin, and Sakura traveled north heading for the Sacred City. Selena never doubted Piccolo's words about Cell following them to the city, but she was confident as soon as they reached there, Cell would stay as far away from them as possible. Selena wasn't just going to the city for shelter from the monster; she was going there to get her hands on the weapon that would kill him.

For two days, they traveled on swoop, staying away from towns and cities the best they could. Unfortunately, Cell made stops there to feed on the people. Selena felt helpless, wanting to do what she could, but Krillin kept talking her into staying away from Cell and continuing to the Sacred City. Selena agreed. After all, once she gathered the weapon into her possession, Cell would pay for his crimes.

^

"There we go!" Selena cried happily, driving along a clifside. Past the long drop and in the fantastic view were three huge mountains frosted in snow. "Past those mountains are the Irish territories…and the Sacred City. We're almost there, guys!"

"Yay!" Sakura celebrated in her seatbelt. Krillin, sitting along the very back and securing himself with his hands, stared in awe at the mountains.

"Whoa…" he gasped. "…you forget how big they are when you fly over them." Selena had to smile.

"I wish I could agree." She sighed in futility. "Hey Krillin, I've been meaning to ask you for a while…"

"Yeah?" Krillin wondered, turning to look at her. All he could see was the back of her head from where he sat, but she looked over her shoulder so that he could see half of her face.

What would she want to ask me? Krillin wondered curiously. I mean, it seems like ages since a girl even wanted to talk to me about something…I hope it's not something like a…a…date?!

"I was wondering…" Selena began, then paused to try to find better words for her request. Krillin started blushing an insane color red.

"Yeah?" Krillin started squeaking.

I know it's been at least three years since a girl asked me on a date…yeah, that was Maron…but Selena's different. She's not the kind of girl who'd ask me on a date. She can fight with the best of them, and could probably give Piccolo the beating of his life. And me…I'm a joke compared to her…

…

I think I have a crush on her…

I hope to God she asks me to go on a date or something like that!

Please, God! Please!

"Do you think you could…" Selena tried to ask.

"I…could…what?" Krillin nervously rushed. Selena sighed, and put her question bluntly.

"Could you give me flying lessons sometime?"

Krillin blinked a few times.

"Flying lessons?"

"Yeah. You and the others know how to fly, and even Cell can fly. If it's one advantage I don't want him to have, it's the flying ability. I could win a fight more easily if I could fly along side him. Can you teach me how to do that?"

"Sure!" Krillin chirped. "You've got the ki level, and you know how to hover. It's a cinch!"

"Thanks." Selena smiled. "You're a pal, Krillin."

"Yep!" Krillin nervously chuckled as his natural color returned to his face.

God damn it!

^

Sunset replaced the blue summer sky rather quickly. Selena quickly glanced at her watch. The time was 4:28. Late afternoon was creeping in, but the temperature didn't think so. She was sweating bullets, and constantly took one hand off the swoop handlebars to wipe her forehead dry. Sakura didn't necessarily complain about the heat, since she was sucking away a water bottle Krillin took out of Selena's capsule case. Krillin kept cool with the wind the swoop got by going so fast. Poor Selena couldn't have that convenience.

They had long since left the clifside and were heading to the mountains through a large redwood forest. Huge tree trunks with enough space to be houses enclosed them completely, and the air smelled of pine and a few stray skunks. The canopy several meters up above trapped heat into the forest floor, making Selena feel rather miserable. She felt like stopping and diving into a nearby lake or river. She just couldn't take it.

Suddenly, the scar on her arm throbbed, and she yelped. It was sudden, like someone had jabbed a knife into her arm.

"Ow!" She cried, suddenly swerving her swoop to a stop. Sakura screamed at the sudden braking, while Krillin lost his grip and fell to the forest floor. The swoop skidded on its repulsers, and stopped sideways on the path. Selena held her arm as though a tight grip would make the pain go away. Krillin quickly got up and ran to the stopped swoop.

"You okay, Selena?" he asked.

"It's my arm again…" she groaned. "It's been two days since it last acted up…so why now? I thought it healed over…"

Then, a male scream was heard not too far away. Everyone turned their heads in that direction. Selena narrowed her eyebrows and unstrapped the seatbelt off of her.

"What was that?" Sakura wondered nervously.

"I have a hunch…" Selena mumbled. "And I also have a little theory about this scar…"

"What theory?" Krillin wondered.

^

Eugene didn't want any trouble. He had actually moved away from the Spice County to get away from the Nickey Town monster, and it seemed to have found them. Eugene watched from behind a cart at the monster. It was attacking his fellow caravan mates, and none of them were able to get away. One of them had been stabbed in the hip with its sharp tail and seemed to be melting away with a loud slurping sound. Another man was begging for mercy as the monster held his wrist behind his back. Eugene's sister was pinned to the ground by one of the monster's feet. There was nothing he could do for them, except abandon them to the monster in hopes that they cured its appetite.

The monster was huge, probably seven feet tall, and looked like a hideous cross between a man, a lizard, and a beetle. It had to be the most disgusting sight Eugene had ever seen. He just couldn't believe that monster was the thing was the cause of over 100,000 mysterious deaths. Now, all the answers to those "mysterious deaths" were unfolding before his eyes. The monster had first taken the horses that drove the carts, and then went after the caravan. Only one or two got away, but everyone else was either killed by the monster, trapped in the monster's grasp, or hiding like he was in hopes of never being discovered.

"Pssst! Gin!"

Eugene turned his head to the other side of the cart to see his best friend hunkered underneath the house-like wagon. Derak was a fellow gypsy and Eugene had known him since he was two years old. Derak was laying on his stomach, and held his head very low to the ground so that the bandana would camouflage his face.

"Derak?" Eugene whispered back. "What the hell do you think you're doing? It'll see you?"

"I'm saving your sis." Derak whispered back, taking out a pistol. "We ain't leaving until we've got her." Although Eugene didn't like his sister very much, not even she deserved to be killed this way. He nodded at Derak.

"And how do you think we're gonna get her? She's way over there. Even if you kill the thing, I ain't going near it."

"Fine, chicken. You take off, and I'll save your sis. Okay?"

"What if he hears me?"

"I'll cover for ya. If you wanna get going, then get going, and do it now while it's busy."

Eugene grabbed the dirt at his side. He was reluctant to just get up and start running. He saw how fast that thing could run. But then again, hesitation was never a healthy thing. Eugene quickly jumped to his feet, and started running. Derak eyed the monster to see what it did. It did hear Eugene running away! It turned its head to him as his current victim had been reduced to a pile of clothes. Derak took that distracted chance to aim at the monster and fire his pistol. The bullet hit its wrist tendons, and its mussels quickly reacted, forcing the thing to let go of its second victim.

Then it stared right at him, then raised one hand at the cart Derak was hiding under. A shot of light bursted from his hand, and the cart tumbled over, revealing the hiding sniper. Derak sprang to his feet, and pointed his pistol at the monster's face.

"Let her go!" he shouted bravely at the creature. "Take me instead!"

The monster hesitated…

…then it smiled and seemed to laugh softly…

…it took its foot off Eugene's sister, and she scrambled to safety. The monster kept its gaze on Derak as it suddenly stabbed its tail into the girl and sucked her away into a pile of clothes.

"NOOOOOOO!" Derak cried, firing his remaining bullets at the creature. The small specks of lead bounced harmlessly off its body, causing it to laugh a little louder. Soon, Derak's empty gun started to click in blanks. When the monster was finished with the girl, it began walking towards Derak. The gypsy stumbled back a few steps, looking down to his bullet pouch at his waist. Taking his eyes off the creature was a big mistake…

The monster burst into a run for Derak…

^

…then Selena pounded her foot into Cell's face, sending the monster flying from the man. She landed beside the would-be victim, and quickly glanced at him. He was a rather young man, in his early twenties, with ebony skin and bright colored clothes. A bandana of swirling purples and reds covered his short hair. He looked like a storybook gypsy. She glared at him.

"Get out of here." She sharply ordered. "Go join your friend down there. Now!"

The man nodded nervously, his eyes wide in fear. He quickly got on the ball of his foot and ran as Cell pushed himself up to his feet.

"Now look at what you did," Cell purred playfully at Selena, "you made me lose my lunch."

"You'll lose a whole lot more than that once I'm done with you." Selena growled, unsheathing her staff. Cell crouched down slightly, preparing for an attack.

"I doubt that." He smiled. "There's a little something about me that you don't know yet."

"Mind enlightening me?" Selena challenged. Cell nodded at her.

"Every time I feed on humans, my strength grows depending on the mass of people I manage to catch. Have you noticed that each time we've fought that I have managed to become slightly stronger and more skilled?"

Selena blinked a few times. This was true! But then again, he always seemed to be stronger than her.

Get a hold of yourself, girl! You're smarter than he is and that's what matters!

"So what?" Selena snarled at him. "Once you're dead, that won't matter!"

Cell had to laugh at that.

"What's so funny?!" Selena wondered, a little peeved.

"You." Cell answered, snipping his laugh to a light chuckle. "You and your big words." Suddenly, he lunged for her, noticing her off guard. His knee made contact with her stomach, taking the breath out of her and sent her flying into a cart. It exploded on her contact, and Selena fell onto the forest floor covered in broken wood planks. She tried to quickly stand up, but she couldn't even breathe.

KT-CH! KT-CH! KT-CH…

Cell walked towards her.

"We could continue this…" he said to her, "…but there are a couple of survivors I need to track down. Take the two you saved, they don't mean anything to me." Selena managed to poke her head out of the wood, and stared up at Cell. He stopped walking next to her, one of his toes was almost touching her ear.

"You know I won't let you do this to more people…" she growled at him.

"I know." He grinned. "But what can you do about it?" Then, he stomped on her stomach hard, making her cry out in pain and loss of more air. Leaving Selena immobilized momentarily, Cell took his head start in the opposite direction she had come from, looking for the escaping gypsies. Selena crawled out of the pile of splintered wood with only her hands, gasping for air. She breathed in and out several times before passing out on the ground.

The pain in her scar slowly faded away until there was nothing to feel…

^

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…

She could feel herself moving down…

Into the black…

She wasn't falling…

She was being dragged down…

Her hair flowed around her face as though she was underwater…

"Sakura…I have failed you…

I'm sorry…"

Selena?

A voice was calling out to her…

It was loud, and very clear…

And all around.

Selena opened her eyes and saw nothing but black…

"Who's there?" she called…

You have failed no one, Selena.

The voice came from everywhere around her…

The voice was the black…

"What do you mean?"

You have failed nothing…

You are still young and have much to learn…

You are a great and powerful guardian…

Look inside yourself and see the light, not the darkness…

"Who are you?" Selena called into the black…

There was no response…

"Hello?"…

The black did not respond…

"Come back!"…

She continued to be pulled further and further into the darkness…

She couldn't take it anymore…

"GET ME OUT OF HERE!"

^

Selena slowly opened her eyes, waking up from her dream. She felt herself being moved as though two people were towing her by the hands and legs. She picked her head up to look around, and surprise surprise…

"Hey!" she outbursted at the two men carrying her. "Put me down!" The man carrying her arms yelped and let go, causing Selena's head to hit the ground hard.

"Eugene!" the man holding Selena's feet scolded. He looked down at Selena and smiled. "Are you alright, stranger?"

"Oh man…" Selena moaned, propping herself up on her elbows and rubbing the back of her head. The man carrying her by the legs set them down and helped push Selena to her feet. He was the man Selena saved from Cell. The other man was someone she didn't recognize, but judging by the style of his clothes she figured he was with the other man's caravan. "Who are you guys? Where did you come from?"

"My name is Derak." The man who helped her introduced, then he pointed to the unfamiliar. "That's Eugene. Thank you for rescuing us. He ran away in time, but I thought I was a dead man for sure." Selena looked at Eugene. His hair color could only be described as sandy. It looked like the color of wet, firm sand. His skin was tanned to a light brown, and his bright blue eyes shone like the clear shores of the sea. She figured that was where he was from, close to a seashore or a tropic island. Derak seemed more African than his friend did.

"I'm Selena." She smiled. Derak politely took her hand and kissed her on the knuckles. She made a flat face. Men who did that annoyed her. She instantly yanked her hand away. "Charmed, I'm sure." She almost snapped with a sharp nod of her head. "Now where'd you come from?"

"We were just leaving the Spice county area." Eugene said, looking at Selena's face. "We were trying to get away from the monster, but he found us."

"Everyone in our tribe is dead." Derak sadly reported. "And we have no way to get anywhere except to walk."

"That sucks." Selena pitied. "I wish there was something I could do." Then she suddenly remembered Krillin and Sakura. "Hey, have you seen a short, bald man and a little girl around here somewhere?"

"They're just up ahead." Eugene nodded, pointing up the trail. "They were going to come for you, but we insisted."

"Thanks." Selena nodded, running up the trail.

"Hey wait!" Derak called, running after her. Eugene took point behind him. Selena didn't stop running until she came to a clearing in the forest. Sitting beside one of the huge redwood trees was Krillin, and sleeping in his lap was Sakura. Selena ran to them.

"Krillin!" she called frantically. "Sakura!"

"Hey Selena!" Krillin called back happily. "You're back! Are you okay?"

"I've got a bit of a stomach cramp." She admitted, rubbing the spot where Cell had stepped on her. "What about you? Are you guys okay?"

"Yeah." Krillin nodded as Sakura stirred awake. "Those guys said you saved them from Cell…"

"Just one of them." She admitted. "I don't remember the other guy." She turned to them as they walked up to her. She smiled. "How does that old song go? 'Gypsies, tramps and thieves?' "

"Just gypsies, thank you." Eugene snapped. "We don't steal anything."

"Well, since you guys don't have a caravan left to travel with…where are you headed?"

"No where specific," Derak shook his head, "as long as we stay away from that monster."

"You might want to come with us." Selena offered. "I can protect you from that thing. I can fight it."

"Really?" Derak blinked in surprise.

"Shouldn't be the other way around?" Eugene scoffed. Selena made a flat face at him.

"Oh sure." She said dryly. "My hero. Save me from the boogey man from Nickey Town. Yeah right. I don't need anyone's protection."

"You don't like me, do you?"

"You aren't giving me a reason to, Eugene."

"Eugene, please." Derak said gently to his friend. "We do need help, and supplies, and a way to get to the nearest town."

"…" Eugene crossed his arms and turned his head away from Selena. She couldn't help but smile. She was only rude to those who were rude to her first. She thought of it as fighting fire with fire.

"Well, sure you can come with us." She invited. "Do either of you boys know how to drive a swoop?"

"A what?" Both Eugene and Derak asked.

"It's a motorcycle with no wheels." She explained, taking out the proper capsule and clicking the catch. "Check it out." She tossed it at a proper distance, and in a big cloud of smoke her swoop appeared. She grinned as Derak and Eugene marveled over it. "I've got another one that will fit both of you boys. Can you drive one?"

"Sure." Eugene answered happily. "I've driven motorcycles before. This should be easy."

Selena nodded in assurance.

"Eugene and Derak right? Welcome aboard, boys."

^

Selena drove her own swoop while Eugene and Derak rode in the borrowed swoop just behind her. They zipped down the forest trail, past hundreds to thousands of giant redwood trees. The sun was dipping down faster past the hills and the opposite end of the sky was turning blue and small stars started to twinkle into existence. Night was coming. Selena wasn't sure where the nearest town was, but she was hoping to drop Eugene and Derak there as soon as she could. Also, she needed a cold drink to cool her down from the growing heat. The coming night wasn't cooling down the air like it should.

Soon, it became too dark and hot to travel by. Selena was forced to stop driving and to find a place to set camp for the night. Eugene and Derak agreed. Selena took two capsules out and popped them open to reveal camping tents. She popped open a few more capsules to break out the camping equipment. Selena proposed that the boys slept in one tent and the girls slept in another tent. Eugene tried to suggest that everyone sleep in one tent so that they could protect each other. He dropped the idea when Selena shot him a very insulted look.

Shortly afterward, everyone retired to their tents and went to sleep. Everyone was sweating under their blankets and sleeping bags and staining their pillows with wet, smelly drops of sweat. Selena had trouble getting to sleep because of the heat. She was forced to sleep in the nude and to occasionally take drinks from a water bottle she opened up. Finally, she did get to sleep, but precious sleep came gradually. It took a long time for her to finally nod off and breathe slowly in her sleep.

^

Cell had watched them pitch camp from a high spot in the branches of a redwood. He watched the five travelers turn in for the night and waited patiently until one in the morning when he was sure all five of them were asleep. It was still very dark, he didn't mind the heat at all, and the forest was rather quiet. The slight, split-second screeches of bats were occasional but not frequent, and there was a surprising absence of crickets and cicadas. It was the perfect time for him to make his move.

He crawled down the massive trunk on all fours like a jungle cat until he touched the ground. He carefully and quietly stood up, trying not to make any noise with his feet. Walking on the ends of his toes, he crept to Selena's tent. When he was close enough, he once again lowered himself down on all fours and carefully poked his head past the tent flaps.

He could see two sleeping bags in the darkness, and the one with the larger body had to be the one with Selena in it. He smiled, and invited himself in the tent still on his hands and feet. He cautiously stepped around Selena's sleeping bag until he was practically straddling it. He looked down at her face. She was laying sideways, her hair tied into a tight braid, and her forehead was glistening in sweat. One arm was under the pillow, supporting her head. The other was folded across her chest gently. He could spot some bare skin across her shoulders and part of her chest.

Wearing nothing to bed? Oh my…

Cell couldn't help but smile slightly. He knew Selena was a bold one, but to be this bold…

He heard a sound nearby, and his eyes turned to the other sleeping bag. Something was shivering and whimpering underneath it. It was Sakura. She had woken up and saw Cell. The little girl must have been too scared or too smart to scream. Cell quietly growled, pleased. He carefully positioned his tail over the sleeping bag as Sakura started to peek from under the fabric of the sleeping bad.

Right through the throat, just so that she won't scream.

I can't have anything in my way right now…

…I just want Selena to myself tonight.

Just before he could thrust his tail into Sakura's covered body…

FHT-TUNK!

Something stabbed into Cell's neck. He groaned rather loudly in sudden pain, and his eyes turned to Selena. She was wide-awake, and had thrusted a blade of a pocketknife into Cell's neck.

She was hiding it under the pillow…

Perhaps she wasn't as unprepared as I had thought…

"Back it up." Selena roughly ordered, pushing the knife further into Cell's neck and sitting up. Cell was forced to move backward on his hands and knees as Selena stood up, and held a fold of her sleeping bag against her body to keep herself covered. However, she only managed to push Cell half way out the tent while keeping her nakedness covered. She couldn't go any further without exposing herself. When Cell refused to budge any other way, Selena sighed while muttering a nasty four-letter word. Dropping her sleeping bag, she forced Cell out of the tent in her birthday suit.

Cell laughed as quietly as he could at the sight.

"I don't know what it is you lack, Lawless:" He chuckled as he was forced all the way out of the tent. "Brains or dignity. Maybe both."

" 'Lawless?' " Selena wondered as she and Cell stood up to their full heights. "I've never heard you use my last name before…"

"I think it's time I got started." Cell purred, grabbing Selena's hand and yanking the knife out of his neck. He was alright, it was just a minor cut to him, but Selena had stabbed him rather hard. It was likely his wound would bruise as it healed. "I'm most likely going to call you 'Lawless' when I'm mad at you."

"Like now?"

"Yes." Cell nodded. Selena tilted her head cutely to the side and put her hands on her hips.

"Aw, am I making you mad?"

"Hmph." Cell snorted, staring her in the eyes. "I'm just hoping you've learned your first lesson, Selena."

"First lesson?" Selena wrinkled her nose as if those words smelled bad. "Whadaya mean 'first lesson?' "

"It's just another game I'm playing." Cell shrugged. "I give you a test, and what you do determines if you pass or fail. Tonight, you failed, and therefore you have a lesson to learn."

"I'm guessing my first lesson is to always be prepared for the worse?" She held up her pocketknife, the edge dripping in some of Cell's purple blood. "Don't I at least get half credit?"

Cell laughed a little louder.

"You couldn't even come close to killing me with that ridiculous toy." He announced. "It will take so much more than that. You remember that, for future reference." He nodded at her a couple times, then started to walk away.

"Where are you going?" Selena snarled, gripping her hands together into fists, ready to fight.

"My test is over, and the lesson has been learned." He looked over his shoulder, and grinned a very dirty grin at Selena. "And I was given a special bonus as well."

Finally, Selena started blushing and her hands moved to cover her naked chest.

"You damned bastard!" she shouted at him as he ran off into the dark woods. "I can't believe you! You son of a bitch! You pervert! You'll pay for this, Cell!"

"Hey, what's going on out there?" Krillin wondered, lifting the flap to his tent, hearing the yelling. Selena panicked and began running to her tent.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Krillin yelled, quickly going back in the tent. He stood for a couple minutes, breathing in and out and calming down his quickly beating heart.

Did I just see what I thought I saw?

What was she doing out there naked?

"Krillin?" he heard Selena's voice next to the tent flap. He froze. "Can you do me a favor?"

"Sure." Krillin gulped, blushing.

"Forget what you saw out here tonight, okay?"

"No prob." Krillin nodded.

"Thanks. You're a pal." Then she headed back into the tent. Krillin breathed a sigh of relief and climbed back into his sleeping bad. Eugene and Derak slept like babies through the whole thing.

What the hell just happened? Krillin wondered before he fell asleep.

^

Selena awoke the next morning to happily singing birds outside. She sat up in her sleeping bag, wearing her underwear. It wasn't very decent sleeping apparel, but it was better than being naked. Looking at the tent flap, she could see light bleeding in through the black fabric. She yawned and stretched, then began changing into some clothes. Sakura slept soundly in her bag, not hearing Selena move around. Selena then carefully stepped out of the tent after she had gotten fully dressed and looked around. Sunrise had faded away into a cheerful blue sky and the air was rather cool and smelled fresh. It was early morning.

She turned her head to the boy's tent, and didn't hear anything going on inside. She wondered if they were still sleeping. Making a half-frowning face, she reached into her pants pocket for her capsule case and popped open a small battery powered stove and a box of instant pancake batter. She quickly started making and baking the instant breakfast, hoping that any pleasant aromas of human food didn't bring Cell back to the camp. She shivered about her encounter last night. He had almost caught her off guard. Anything less than her pocketknife wouldn't have driven him away at all.

Then, she heard the snap of a twig nearby, and she bolted to her feet with a gasp. It came from the trail just on the opposite side of the clearing. She waited, clutching her fists defensively. Was it Cell?

No, it was Derak and Eugene, walking back into the clearing from wherever they had gone to. Selena relaxed.

"Good morning, miss Selena!" Derak greeted with a friendly wave. Eugene didn't say anything. He was carrying what looked like a purple cloth bundle in his hands. Selena narrowed her eyes at them.

"Where were you guys? Did you just go wandering off?"

"We had to get some supplies from what was left of the caravan." Eugene explained. Selena could see that both the men were wearing belts with gun holsters, both full with nasty looking shooters. Also, Derak had a high powered rifle strapped to his back. Selena's glare didn't falter.

"What if that monster found you? You wouldn't have been able to protect yourselves! If you guys don't wanna get eaten, then you have to stick by me, alright?"

"You sound like my mother!" Eugene laughed. "Here, Selena. This is a thank you for saving us from that beast." He unfolded the bundle in his hands to reveal a one-piece woman's outfit. It was royal purple, and had no sleeves along with very baggy leggings. It looked like a tubetop connected to Arabian silk pants. Hanging on one wrist was golden bands of jewelry like a neckband and wristbands, all made of pure gold. In one hand, he held two leather sandals that were about Selena's size. She marveled at them.

"They're beautiful." She commented. She walked up to the clothes, and Eugene handed them to her. "Can I put them on right now?"

"Sure." Eugene nodded.

"Also," Derak stopped, holding a toolbox resembling medical kit, "I noticed the scars on your arm, and I thought they might need to be bandaged."

"It's okay." Selena insisted. "They're not infected, and they don't hurt."

"You never know." Derak scolded, shaking a finger at her. "It doesn't hurt now, but if you don't take care of them then they will get infected." Selena sighed.

"Alright, alright…just let me get changed first…"

With that, she walked back into her tent.

^

Selena had a very comfortable fit in her new clothes and shoes. She snapped the accessory wristbands and neckband on tightly, and those were comfortable too. She also had a similar gold clasp for her hair, so she pulled her hair back into a high ponytail to wear it. She took a look at herself in the mirror, and smiled at what she saw. She looked really cute. She loved her new clothes. She had to thank Eugene later.

After everyone had woken up and ate, they went back to traveling on the road. Although there were no further encounters with Cell, Selena's scar ached occasionally under her cloth bandages that Derak set for her. She had a theory that when Cell was close to her the scars would swell. So it was like a natural Cell detector built into her arm. That was how she knew he had come to the camp last night; her scar woke her up. So, with her theory just about proven, she was sure that she could find Cell easily during her hunt.

But first…the Sacred City!

^

Cell didn't bother following them.

He was headed for the nearest town or village. There was suppost to be other people out here living in a tribal village. He wanted to find them and satisfy his appetite. Selena could wait, and he wouldn't stray too far from her path.

She's not out of this yet.

I'll be in the mood for another game as soon as I feed.

Beware, Selena…

Breathe easy all you like, but sooner or later…

I'll catch you off guard again!

Beware…

^

They traveled all day through the forest, stopping only to eat or for bathroom breaks. Selena's scar didn't hurt anymore, so she guessed Cell had lost them. She was concerned the bandage was blocking Cell's presence, and that was something she couldn't afford. She needed to know where Cell was in order to feel even remotely safe. During the trip, she was very nervous. It only benefited her into watching the road and keeping her concentration on her driving. No one seemed to notice her tension, and that was hell. How could she talk to them about last night? Or even these strange dreams she had…

Soon, they once again traveled until nightfall. At sunset, they were forced to stop and set up camp. After Selena prepared them a filling meal, Eugene once again suggested that everyone sleep under one tent for protection. After thinking about last night, Selena nodded her head in approval. She set up only one tent, and laid out the sleeping bags appropriately. Girls slept on one side of the tent, boys on the other side. Concerned about Cell, she decided to stay up on a night shift to be sure he didn't attack the camp while everyone was asleep. Eugene then offered to take the next shift, and it was settled.

The night was rather quiet to Selena. She sat by the campfire, watching it and making sure it didn't go out. The night was quiet and very hot. Sitting by the fire just made Selena wipe her sweaty forehead more and more. At least the gypsy clothes Eugene gave her were comfortable in the heat and didn't make her armpits sweat as bad. Her eyes constantly wandered to the forest trees around her, listening to the very quiet noises of the night: a few crickets, one hoot of a nearby owl, a far away coyote yipping into the starry sky.

Selena pulled her legs up, wrapped her arms around them, and rested her head on her knees. She was tired, but determined to stay awake. She looked into the campfire, watching it glow orange and yellow in the darkness, basking the surrounding woods in a faint orange light. She wiped her forehead one more time and sighed.

She began thinking about her dream for the first time. Why was it raining blood? How come she knew that lake from somewhere? And why was her reflection in the lake Cell? And who was that voice in the dragging darkness telling her to "see the light and not the dark?"

Some dreams aren't meant to be deciphered, I guess…

But then again, I've had the same dream every night. The only time it changed was yesterday…

Heh, papa was always big on the meaning of dreams…

He used to say dreams are messages to us, telling us about something…

The past, the present, or the future…maybe all three at once…

What would he have thought of my dream?

Selena used to decipher dreams herself when she was younger and once living with her father. He claimed it was an artform, or a family gift. It was his strong belief that dreams are meant to be told, either by mouth or written down on paper. Selena decided to do neither. Her dream was carefully noted in her head, event by event. She didn't know what exactly it meant…

…However, her reflection being Cell was scary.

Does it have a meaning?

What does my dream mean?

As she wondered, she fell asleep.

She didn't dream.

To Be Continued

**END OF EPISODE BONUS**

Selena: The character dress ups are back, and this chapter's theme is Princess Mononoke in honor of Masquerade's biggest fanfiction title, Singing Mountain!

Cell: Alright! Mononoke Hime!

Selena: What's that?

Selena: Probably the best anime movie ever! Now, who wants to be who?

Krillin: Ooo! Ooo! Lemme be Ashitaka! Please?

Selena: Alright! **snaps her fingers and Krillin is dressed in Ashitaka's blue kimono and red cloth mask**

Krillin: Yeah! Now I'm a bank robber from ancient Japan! **hides his face behind the mask** Yo money or yo life!

Sakura: **lol**

Piccolo: Can I please not be in this?

Selena: Oh c'mon, Piccolo! I promise I won't make you wear anything with a wig! Please?

Piccolo: No. Besides, I wasn't in this chapter anyway. I'm outta here! **leaves**

Selena: **frowns** See ya next chapter, I guess.

Derak: So, how does this work again?

Eugene: We just dress up as a cast member from that movie?

Sakura: ^^! Yep! Hi guys!

Selena: Yep. That's how it works. **thinks for a bit** I'll be Lady Eboshi. **snaps her fingers, and is dressed in Eboshi's yukata and shroud** Wow. I feel elegant…

Derak and Eugene: Wow!

Sakura: **looks at Selena's costume** Is that what the princess looks like?

Selena: No. The princess looks like a wild woman raised by wolves. She wears fur, and a clay mask over her face.

Sakura: Can I please be the princess? Please? Please? Please?

Selena: **chuckle** Okay! **snaps her fingers and Sakura is dressed like Princess Mononoke**

Sakura: Wow! Awesome!

Krillin: **lol** Sakura, you look adorable!

Sakura: ^.^

Derak: So what can we be?

Cell: **scratches his head** I better think of something quick before Selena puts me in a really stupid costume…

Eugene: Who are the other characters in the movie?

Selena: **thinks** Well, there's lots of male parts for you to take…there's Jiko the priest…there's Kohroku the ox driver…Gonza who's Eboshi's right hand man…

Eugene: Hey, is this Gonza character Eboshi's boyfriend?

Selena: **sweatdrop** Eboshi doesn't have a boyfriend…

Eugene: Oh… **sweatdrop** Can I be him anyway?

Selena: Sure. **snaps her fingers, and Eugene is instantly dressed in Gonza's clothes**

Eugene: Wow! Everything is instant these days…

Cell: Can I be Lord Asano? He's the villain type character, right?

Selena: Asano never made an appearance in the movie…

Cell: **shrugs** Well yeah, but we know he was a samurai warrior.

Selena: So you basically want to be in samurai armor?

Cell: **nods** Yeah. I'd look really cool in samurai armor, don't you think?

Selena: You would. Let me take care of Derak first, then I'll dress you up, okay?

Cell: **smiles and nods**

Derak: Well, who would I most likely be?

Selena: **thinks** Well, you're nothing like him, but I think you'd look good in Jiko's outfit. Let's take a look-see. **snaps her fingers and Derak is dressed like Jiko the monk**

Derak: **smiles** I love it!

Eugene: You look really good, man!

Cell: Me next! Me next!

(Selena snaps her fingers, and Cell is wearing a thin kimono and a towel wrapped around his head.)

Cell: ??? **blink blink** **looks at his outfit** AAAAAAAAAAA! **tries to cover himself** LAWLESS! YOU MADE ME A TATARA WOMAN!

Selena: Yeah, right. You actually thought I'd make you a gung-ho samurai? Think again! Actually, you're Otoki, Kohroku's really cool wife.

Cell: She was a bitch!

Selena: **picks up a rifle and smashes it on Cell's head**

Cell: Ow!

Selena: No one insults my favorite Mononoke character and lives! **fires her rifle**

Cell: **runs like hell as Selena chases him** AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

(Everyone laughs)

Derak: I like this dress up thing.

Eugene: Yeah, let's do it again sometime.

Selena: Mr. Piccolo didn't get a costume…I wish he would dress up with us…

Krillin: Hmmm…**snaps his fingers, then grabs Sakura's hand** Run like hell, guys! He's gonna blow!

(Meanwhile, not too far away, Piccolo is sitting in his meditating state…with Deer God horns on his head.)

Piccolo thinks: Whoever did that is so dead…

Yes, the character dress ups are back! Also, here's my shameless plug! For those who haven't read my story Singing Mountain, please read! Especially if you're a Cell or Princess Mononoke fan, I can guarantee you'll enjoy it. If you don't like it, then you're weird. That's all for this chapter! Later!