Princess Mononoke Fan Fiction / Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Singing Mountain ❯ Chapter 3: Cell's Bad Day ( Chapter 3 )

I do not own DBZ or Princess Mononoke, so don't sue me.

The next morning, Ghen trotted out of the forest and towards Masquerade's house. He easily spotted her sweeping dirt off her front step and onto the trail just ahead of it. She was humming softly to herself, and kept her eyes closed to keep any random dust particles out of her eyes. Ghen softly yipped, something like clearing his throat with an "ahem", and Masq looked up at her new companion.

"Oh, good morning, Ghen-sama." Masq greeted cheerfully.

"You have a task this morning." Ghen announced. "You are needed at the Shishi Gami realm to watch over the wolf cubs."

"I get to baby-sit wolf puppies? Wow!" she thought of puppy sized wolves at play, tugging at war with a bone, wrestling, chasing each other playfully and barking. The thought made her more cheerful. Masquerade loved children. "Great, when do they want me there?"

"By noon."

"Okay, hold on. I want to take Seru with me." Masq said, heading back into the house. Cell was still on his bed, curled on top of the sheets, and possibly asleep. Masq shook his shoulder. "Hey, lazy, wake up. We're going out."

"Out where?" Cell wondered sleepily.

"I wanna take you to the Shishi Gami realm for some exercise."

Cell started laughing.

"The realm of the Forest Spirit?!" he hooted. "There's no such place."

"There's no such thing as giant man eating monsters from the future either. C'mon, get up."

"I can't walk, remember?"

"Oh c'mon! You need a breath of fresh air anyway." Masq grabbed Cell's tail by the base of his spike, and yanked him over the edge of the bed. Cell yelped in surprise as he hit the floor on his face. In playful pride, Masq swung the tail over her shoulder and proceeded to drag the creature out the door and onto the dirt trail.

"LET ME GO AT ONCE!" Cell shouted at her. "I DON'T WANT TO GO! THERE'S NO SUCH PLACE AS THE REALM OF THE FOREST SPIRIT! IT'S AS REAL AS ATLANTIS! NOW UNHAND ME! I'LL KILL YOU FOR THIS!" And so on. He tried digging his claws into the dirt to keep himself in place, but that just left streak marks in the path. He gnashed his teeth. He was so embarrassed.

If a day started off bad, it would continue to be bad.

Singing Mountain: Chapter 3

Halfway there, Masq let go of Cell's tail, and the android tried to stand up and walk back to the house. His legs gave way underneath him, and he fell down. He tried again and again to stand, but still fell over. It was like walking on broken stilts. When he resorted to crawling on all fours, Ghen took the matter into his own paws, grabbed Cell's tail with his teeth, and dragged Cell along down the path to the destination. Cell continued yelling and screaming the whole way there for the wolf to release him, or he would perform unspeakable violence to the giant creature.

At the destination, Ghen finally let go of Cell. But before the monster could try to get back to the house again, the scene before him nailed him down in awe. All around him were giant trees standing tall and proud in shades of deep brown and natural green. The pool that bordered the tree line stretched out for miles, still and peaceful as a giant mirror. Small flutterings of butterflies and random bugs disturbed the still atmosphere of the realm. Cell's heart began to pound. Something about this place was making him…no, he was not afraid!

"We're here." Masq smiled at her guest. "This is sacred ground to all gods and living creatures. It's like an outdoor church, almost."

"The realm of the Forest Spirit…" Cell gasped.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Masq sighed in wonder. "A lot of people are captivated when they see it for the first time."

Cell nodded in agreement. He couldn't believe that a place of pure myth could exist.

/|\

Walking around the pool and towards one of the closest islands to the shore, Masq took Cell to the desired spot of her daily chore. Moro-sama lay under the shade of a giant tree, and had her back rested against a huge, cool bolder. Wolf cubs that came up to Masq's knee were playing and wrestling nearby their giant mother. Two of them were playing tug-of-war with a long twig. Masq smiled and put her hands on her hips as she watched. Cell stood and supported himself against a tree trunk to see. His mouth pulled back in disgust. He had to sit around watching Masq play with puppies the size of tigers while he bored himself to death…

Suddenly, one of the tugging puppies broke the branch and began to trot away in ego-fueled pride. The loser began to run after him, barking and whining angrily. The other puppies began to chase the two around, barking happily. Masq chuckled to herself, and stepped out to the running puppies.

"Hey kids!" she called out to them. "Am I late?"

"You are right on time." Moro-sama smiled at the priestess. "Children, San Masquerade is here." The pups stopped, and looked at Masq. Masq followed proper puppy procedure: pulling her mask over her head so that her fur shroud covered the top of her head and back, and crouched on her hands and knees. She smiled at them like an old friend, daring them to come close to her. One of them did come closer, the smallest one. She walked up to Masq and sniffed around the girl cautiously. Satisfied, the young pup nuzzled Masq's chin and barked at her playfully. Masq leaned back in a cat stretch, looking like a puppy ready to play. The rest of the litter joined their small sibling by Masq's side.

"She smells funny." One of them complained, finding loose locks of Masq's blond hair.

"She's so soft!" another admired, licking her face and neck. Masq laughed, and scratched behind the cub's ears.

"I like her!" another announced, crawling under Masq's stomach. Another pounced on her, knocking her backward on her back. Masq laughed and patted each of the eight cub's heads. Cell rolled his eyes in non-amusement, he sighed and lounged on the tree trunk. He didn't want to have anything to do with those freaks of nature. He listened to each wolf cub introduce him or herself to Masq as they let her up. He remembered them all: Kapu, Naka, Tori, Ralla, Cirus, Yume, Yuki, and Okku. Cell breathed out a sigh, wondering how long he was going to be here.

"What's that?" the voice of Yume asked suddenly. There was murmuring among the cubs, and Moro-sama was the first to speak.

"So, San Masquerade, you decided to bring Cell here with you."

Cell's eyes popped open. He didn't like the sound of that.

"Yes." Masq answered the wolf. "I want him to be familiar with the mountain before he leaves. He also has a phobia of giant wolves, and I was hoping I could help him get rid of that."

"Hmph." Cell grunted. He heard a small whimper sound approaching him. He opened one eye to see the smallest wolf walk up to him. He growled at it, and the tiny thing back away a few steps with a whimper. It looked over to the nearby Ghen, who had sat down on the ground to rest his feet. Ghen looked at the pup, and panted at it in assurance. The small pup perked its ears up and moved foreword towards Cell. Cell growled louder, and his tail swayed up and down in a threatening motion. The pup lowered its head and whimpered again in fear.

"Oh, don't be a grouch, Seru!" Masq called to him. "Yume just wants to say hello." She smiled at Yume as the pup looked at her. "Don't worry, Yume-chan. He's a little mad that I woke him up this morning."

"I'm not just angry about that." Cell snarled. He was not going to forgive Masquerade for dragging him by the tail down to the realm. Not only did that hurt, but it was embarrassing. He was going to absorb her for that.

"Sorry about the trip here." Masq apologized, as though she had read his mind. "Please, just pat Yume on the head once, and I won't bug you for the rest of the day."

Cell opened both eyes and flashed Masq a "What-do-you-mean?" look. She recognized the look and smiled.

"I'll let you do whatever you want today. I only ask of you two things: no killing people, and don't try to escape. Either than that, you're free to do what you want until it's time to go home."

"And when do we leave?" Cell wondered.

"Late afternoon, I think. C'mon, just don't keep up that additude all day. The last thing I need is a sourpuss to ruin my day, and…"

"Konnichuwa, Seru-san." Yume greeted Cell timidly. Cell looked down at her, and continued to growl.

"Go away!" He snarled, baring his fangs. The pup ran away in fear.

"Moro-mama!" she yelped, running to Moro and cowering under her head.

"Damn you, Seru!" Masq yelled at Cell angrily. The other puppies lined up beside Masq, barking angry insults at him. Cell stood, and carefully walked away so that he wouldn't fall over and humiliate himself in front of Masq and the wolves.

"Seru, you jerk! Get back here!" Masq continued to yell, getting up to run after him.

"Let him go." Moro ordered. "He will need lots of time alone."

"He's had enough time to himself." Masq explained in frustration to the wolf. "He needs to understand where he is and that we're trying to help him."

"You aren't helping him by making him angry." Moro calmly reasoned, sheltering Yume under one paw as the cub trembled by her mother's flank. "When he gets angry, let him be until he is calm again. He can only be healed when he's calm."

"A guy like him can't be calm all the time." Masq argued, sitting down by Moro's flank as well. "He needs someone to…to help him understand."

"Understand what?"

"To understand that he is being helped. He can't accept help because he doesn't think he needs it. I want him to understand that everyone on the mountain wants to help him." She looked up at Moro's massive head. "Is that right?"

"Some of the other villages are nervous of Cell's presence." Moro informed. "The news is spreading quickly to other mountains."

"The tribe is okay with him at least?"

"The wolf clan will do everything in our power to assure Cell's health and well being. As soon as he recovers, the wolf clan will wish him well on his travels."

"Thank Gods…" Masq sighed as the wolf cubs gathered around her. She scratched behind a few furry ears and patted some furry backs. She couldn't stop thinking about Cell, and if everything would turn out alright in the end.

/|\

Cell waited until he was out of eyesight and earshot of the wolves, then he finally collapsed on the soft ground. His tail thumped the moss and soft dirt angrily. He gathered his hands under his head to cushion it so that he could think. He would only be here for a week, and he had already spent two days, which meant he had five more days before he would cope with the little witch, then he would leave. He had to kill Surreal and gain his souls back…

Wait a minute…

Cell crawled up to the base of a tree trunk, and sat against it, letting his aching feet and legs get the rest they deserved. He leaned his head back, rediscovering his horrible notion…

Surreal stole my souls, and Android 17…, which were the sources behind my strength! Which means it doesn't matter if I stayed here for a week, a month, or even a whole year! Without souls or at least one of the androids, I won't get any stronger here! I could grow weaker until…until I finally die!

He clutched a fist in helplessness. There was nothing Masquerade or the Mononoke could do to regain his strength. All he could do here was get weaker until he had no strength left to even breathe. He didn't like that. He didn't want to die again! He never even got his revenge on Gohan or Goku for his first death! He would rather die than die agai…

Scratch that stupid notion. Cell thought angrily to himself. Some of that blond influence Masquerade has is rubbing off on me. Damn her! I'll be sure to absorb her soul soon. That should keep me alive for a while, anyway.

Then, he heard a strange clacking sound next to him. Huh? What was that? I don't know anything that sounds like that. He looked down next to his fist, and fear like he had never experienced before welled inside him.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

/|\

Masq and Ghen ran to the place where they heard the scream, and stopped at a large tree base where they found an impression of a body in the mud. Ghen took a sniff at it.

"Cell." He identified. "And it's fresh." Masq looked around for any footprints, but couldn't find any. She did find a little kodama looking up the giant tree curiously. She knelt next to the hand-sized creature.

"What's wrong, little one?" she asked the little spirit. It pointed a handless arm up the tree. Masq looked up, and she couldn't believe what she saw. She almost burst out laughing. "Seru? What are you doing up there, clinging to that branch like a frightened monkey?"

"Monkey?!" Cell shouted down at her, clearly insulted. "Why you…little…what the hell is that thing?!"

"It's a kodama!" Masq called up to him. "It's a friendly spirit! It brings good luck, and it's a sign that this forest is healthy! Come on down, it won't hurt you!"

"Like hell I'll come down! How do I know if that…that…ghost won't attack me?!"

"It's like I said before, they're friendly spirits! They have no natural enemies, so there's millions of them on these mountains!" Cell's eyes grew wide in fear. "Yeah, millions! Maybe even billions!" Cell's eyes squeezed shut, and he clutched the branch tighter to him as though his life would end if he slipped and let go.

"Shut up!" he yelled at her, his voice almost squeaking. "Just make it go away!"

"Oh God!" Masq started laughing and cracking up. "I'm gonna die laughing at this!" Ghen was already on the forest floor rolling around on his back laughing hard. "The horrific Seru, the terror of the world, cowering in fear of a five-inch tall kodama! Ha!" Cell made an angry face as he was laughed at. I hope you do die laughing! He angrily thought. His face was turning black in embarrassment. He prepared himself to climb down when he saw the tiny spirit still standing at the base of the tree, looking at him. It shook its head around, making the rattling, clacking sound that chilled his spine. He cried out in frightened helplessness, clutching the branch again.

"Oh, I should remind you," Ghen called up to Cell after he was done laughing, "if you're trying to hide from kodama, you picked a bad spot!"

"Why-eeeeeeee?!?!!!" Cell wailed in fear.

"Because kodama are tree spirits, they are born from and live in trees!"

"Trees?" Cell squeaked. He looked at his branch to see ten tiny kodama sitting next to him and looking at him curiously through their enormous, black eyes. He looked further up the tree, and saw thousands and thousands of kodama in the other branches of the tree, clacking and rattling away happily without a care in the world. Overwhelmed in fear, Cell screamed and let go of the branch. He fell to the ground with a loud "WHUMP!" creating a Cell-shaped hole in the ground. Masq and Ghen continued laughing and rolling on their backs as Cell climbed out of the hole and attempted to run away. He fell over foreword on his face in the moss and dirt five times before he was out of Masq's and Ghen's sight. As Masq calmed down, and leaned against another tree, several kodama walked up to her with concerned faces, rattling on about how strange the new person was. Masq could only shrug at them. She couldn't really explain Cell to them without giving their large heads great headaches. She got up to walk after her guest. Ghen followed as the friendly spirits clacked them a happy farewell.

/|\

Cell didn't stop running and falling on his face until he reached the pool. He knelt on the bank, next to the water. He looked into the pool, seeing his face…his ugly, imperfect face. He leaned away, and put a hand over it. He hated seeing that face, he hated his imperfect body. Too many flaws, too many problems for him to stand. He wanted his handsome, perfect body back. With that body, he would escape from the mountain easily with his limitless power. And he wouldn't fall on his face every two steps. He wouldn't even have to walk, he would fly away, and he would keep flying until the mountain was a speck on the horizon, and he would never return.

He looked back into the pool, and frowned at the mud smudges on his face. He dipped his hands in and splashed his face with the cool, clear water. He rubbed his hands on his face, cleaning off any blemishes of mud and moss. How many more times would Masq embarrass him during his stay here? He had to do something about her, either escape from her or kill her. Then he would have to do something about the wolves. Maybe when he became perfect, he would destroy the entire mountain. No wait, better! The entire Wolf Jaw range! Why not?! He could destroy the whole landscape and be rid of the wolves forever! No more wolves, no more Mononoke…no more kodama!

He chuckled through his teeth at the evil plans he had in store for the mountain. After cleaning his face, he cupped his hands in the water, and sipped the cool liquid before rubbing his face again in his moist hands. He shivered suddenly, and felt very cold. He rubbed his arms with his hands a little, then took another drink of the water. His throat seemed sore suddenly, so he massaged his gullet and Adam's apple with his fingers and cleared his throat. Of course, he was screaming so much and so loud when he saw the kodama, no wonder his throat hurt. Accursed little beasts…

Suddenly, his whole body spasmed! He fell on his stomach, cringing in pain. It felt like millions of snakes were squirming inside his body trying to get out. He started screaming again, rolling in pain on the ground. He tried to control himself, and raised himself up to his hands and knees. The squirming sensation slowly dulled to an ache, and he eased himself to his knees. He waved his tail around to make sure that wasn't feeling any pain either. He crouched next to the water, feeling his throat feel more sore than ever.

What happened? He wondered. Nothing like that ever happened to him before. It happened when…he stared down at the pool and the rippling water. The ripples slowly went away, and the lake became still again. He stared down at the water curiously. Was it possible that the water in the pool caused his pain? It was possible. Sacred Water rejected all evil in a living creature, so maybe the pool was a lake of Sacred Water. Perhaps it sensed the evil in Cell and tried to get rid of it.

Not without a fight. Cell sneered at the pool.

Oh, Ceeee-eeeell!

"Huh?" Cell wondered, looking around. He heard a sickening, familiar voice around him, really close by. He saw nothing. It may have been Masq or a wolf trying to be mean to him again. He ignored it, and turned back to the water. He still kept aware of anything around him. He looked into the water, turning his head this way and that, wondering what exactly it was. But…the voice haunted him. It was so familiar that he dreaded hearing it.

Who was it?

Cell, you bad boy! Trying to hide from me again?

The voice again! And he knew who it was!

"SURREAL!" he called into the open air.

You bad boy! You should be punished! I should kill you!

"Get out here and face me, you coward!" he yelled, looking around desperately for the spirit who stole his collection of souls. "Where are you?!"

Die, you fool!

Suddenly, he felt himself get pushed into the pool, and dragged to the very bottom. Sandy dirt clouded around him like smoke when he hit the lake bottom. He tried to push himself up, but something held him down at the bottom of the dark water. He felt the swaying of water plants and heard the quick flapping of fish fins in the water. Cell desperately used all the strength he could summon to at least lift his head, but he felt the presence of someone sitting on him and holding his neck in place. Then, he felt a fist punch his back very hard, forcing him to exhale, and gulp in water through his mouth. The painful squirming inside him came back, and it was worse than ever! He screamed, taking in more water, and bringing more pain! He felt the bones in his body warp, his back was in so much pain it felt numb, his head felt like it was going to explode open, he felt his whole body changing.

WHAT IS HAPPENING TO ME?!

SOMEBODY HELP ME!

/|\

"Get him out of there!" Masq yelled in fear, seeing Cell at the bottom of the pool, and struggling to get out. Ghen immediately rushed into the lake, and grabbed Cell's leg. He tried yanking the monster out, but couldn't get Cell to budge! Masq jumped into the pool too, and yanked on Cell's shoulders to get him out. With great difficulty, she pulled his head out of the water, and he took a giant gasp of air. "Seru!" she called to him in fear. Suddenly, she felt something rip her hands away from Cell and push his head back down into the water. "SERU!" she screamed. He was going to drown, and she couldn't help him! She felt so scared…

What do I do?!

"Stand aside!" she heard Moro-sama yell. Masq looked up to see the giant wolf running towards them, and quickly got out of the way. Ghen joined her. Moro-sama dipped her head into the pool, gathered Cell in her jaws, and lifted him out of the water. Cell hacked and coughed out the water through his mouth, and sniffed out of his nose. He felt too weak to even move…

Wait a minute! Nose?!

He heard Masq scream.

"Seru! Your hands!" she shouted. "What happened to your hands?!"

"What about them?" he murmured in fatigue as Moro gently set him down on the ground far from the water.

"They're white as a ghost!" she gasped. Then, she breathed in and out in horrified shock as she looked Cell over. "Seru…"

"What?!" he demanded. Then he realized that his voice had changed. The rasp, thick voice was gone, and was replaced by a deep, familiar tone. He looked at his hand as it touched his throat. It was white as a ghost, but it was more of a marble color. He looked himself over, and couldn't believe what he saw! It was his perfect body! His imperfect body had morphed itself to his final, perfect stage! He felt his face, feeling the nose, and his smooth skin, and his split headcrest on the sides of his head!

He crawled to the edge of the pool to look at himself. The face staring back at him was like an old friend. He fell on his back laughing in relief.

"What the hell has happened to him?" Ghen wondered.

"He evolved somehow." Masq tried to explain. "This was how he looked during the Cell Game."

"I can't believe it!" Cell cried into the air, never feeling happier in his whole life. "I'm perfect again!" He stood up, and looked himself over in pride. He would never take his perfection for granted again. He had to admit, he didn't know what he lost until it was gone. He looked up at the sunny sky, and decided to fly away and destroy the mountain like he had proposed.

Suddenly, his knees buckled and faltered, and he fell over on his rear. Reality seemed to slap him in the face. He was still weak! He couldn't even stand! No! NO! NOOOOOOOOOOOO!

"Damn it!" he called out to the sky. "No! This can't be happening!"

"Oh no…" Masq moaned. "He's still weak…" Cell bent his head down, tired, embarrassed, and angry. How could this happen to him?! It couldn't! He had gotten his perfect body back! It wasn't making any sense…

Suddenly, the spasms and the internal squirming came back, and he dropped to the ground in pain. He clutched his stomach, trying to quench the sensation but it was futile. He felt gentle hands on his shoulders, trying to keep him steady. He heard Masquerade's voice, but she sounded so far away. Seru! Seru, what's happening?! His body rocked with pain and suffering as he felt his body change and twist. What was happening?! He couldn't think in all this pain and suffering! What was happening?!

Slowly, very slowly, the pain dulled back to an ache. He lay on his back, and breathed in and out of his mouth. He felt Masq's hands on his arm.

"Seru?" she called to him in alarm. Her voice gave him a headache, every sound he heard seemed deafening. "Seru, are you alright? What happened to you?"

"Masq…" he gasped for more air. He noticed his voice was once again raspy, hard, and deep. He bolted up to a sit in shock, but quickly lay back down in pain. For a split second, he had seen his imperfect body once again. No! He had changed back…

"No…"

"Seru, I'm so sorry." Masq said softly. Cell closed his eyes tightly and put his hands to his head, trying to make the pain go away. Not just the pain in his body, but the pain in his heart. He had finally got what he needed most, and it vanished before his eyes. It wasn't fair! He had become perfect again, and then somehow changed back! It wasn't fair.

He screeched into the air in anger and agony. He felt hot tears spill from his eyes, and his throat became so sore that his screech fell silent unintentionally. He relaxed himself, letting his head tilt to one side, and he did the one thing he had never done in his entire life:

He shed tears and cried.

/|\

Cell's roar brought every wolf and priestess on Singing Mountain running to the pool. Once they all gathered, Masq and Ghen explained what had happened. The priestesses looked at each other in uncertainty through their red masks while the wolves stood still and silent, waiting for Moro-sama's decision. Moro looked to the pool where the trouble had started, trying to figure out what had really happened. Her puppies huddled by her feet, waiting for what she had to say. Little Yume cautiously walked up to Cell's tired body and sniffed at it.

Cell opened his eyes, and found the young wolf pup Yume looking right back at him. She whimpered and drew her head back in caution. There was so much fear and concern in her large black eyes that Cell couldn't help but be amused. He slowly lifted a hand to her and placed it on top of her head. Yume nuzzled it, continuing to whimper, but this time in a friendly manner. Everyone watched them, wondering what kind of person Cell was. Masq especially wondered. What kind of man was this strange creature named Cell?

Finally, Moro spoke.

"Cell is forbidden to go near this pool again." She decided. "Taking any water into his being results in more pain and suffering than he is already feeling."

"It made me perfect…" Cell sobbed. "It changed me back…" He felt someone hold and squeeze his free hand. He turned to see Masquerade, looking equally concerned and sad. She covered his fingers with her other hand.

"We'll do everything we can to make you perfect again, Seru." She promised. "We want to help."

"There's nothing you can do." Cell moaned. "My powers were stolen from me, and without them…I…" He hesitated. He didn't want to say it. Masq's face leaned closer to him, wanting to know what he was going to say. "…I will die!" A tear rolled down Masq's cheek, and she squeezed his hand harder.

"You won't die." She stated. "Not as long as I'm around. I won't let you."

"San Masquerade." Moro called to her priestess. Masq looked up.

"Yes, Moro-sama?"

"Seru must go back to your den and you must stay with him at all times. You are free of your duty today. San Shikibu!"

"Hai!" another priestess from the crowd called.

"Take over San Masquerade's duty and watch my cubs for the day."

"Hai, Moro-sama." Shikibu bowed. Moro approached Cell, licking her lips. Yume moved away as Moro-sama bent her head down to the aching monster.

"I do not understand what happened," she stated, "but if this pond is the source of your suffering, you must stay away from it."

"No." Cell objected with a moan. "It made me perfect once, and it will do it again!"

"Not without cost, Seru." Moro-sama reasoned. "I am afraid the pond may kill you if you consume it any further."

"Nooooo…" Cell moaned.

"Please, get some rest." Masq urged as Moro-sama lifted Cell in her jaws. "You will be perfect again, Moro-sama just doesn't want you to be in any danger. We'll find another way." Cell hung his head and closed his eyes as Moro-sama carried him away from the realm of the Shishi Gami. Masq followed, putting a hand on Moro's flank. Yume walked obediently next to her mother, looking up at Cell with worry.

Masq stared down at her moving feet in thought.

Seru…for just a moment, as I looked at your face when you changed…my heart raced. I never felt that feeling before. Was it because I was afraid, or…or…

My God, you were cute, Seru-kun.

The wolves and priestesses did not move until Moro and company walked away. San Rhapsody was the first to leave the area.