Princess Mononoke Fan Fiction / Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Singing Mountain ❯ Chapter 13: The Ravens Are Coming! ( Chapter 13 )

Last time on Singing Mountain…

Piccolo watched in small amazement as he spotted Cell flying in the distance. Cell landed in the city streets, surprising most of the townspeople. The Namek saw his old nemesis holding the priestess San Masquerade, and one of the wolf cubs with a large spot of blood blemishing its snowy white fur. Masq pointed to a nearby building and Cell lowered her to her feet. She quickly ran into the building while Cell walked behind her. She disappeared through the door, and Cell stood next to the door and began to wait.

Piccolo couldn't help it; he hovered down to the android to see what was going on.

"So, you're flying now?" the Namek asked.

"Found out that I could this morning." Cell nodded.

"So, what happened? What's wrong with the wolf cub?"

"Wolf poachers. San explained it to me on the way here. They hunt the wolf gods for their fur to make coats and rugs and the likes. She even explained to me that they even took the skull of a cub and turned it into an ashtray. A disgusting thought."

"Agreed." Piccolo nodded.

"Personally, this is a reason why I was never fond of humans. They have no respect for the land they live on, and they take the gifts of God for granted. They see all things in nature as a moneymaking opportunity. It is both pitiful and grotesque to me."

"I felt the same way." Piccolo nodded. "Will the cub be okay?"

"I hope so." Cell sighed, lowering his head. "She's so young…" Piccolo looked at him curiously. Seeing Cell so full of sadness and shame was a noticeable surprise to the warrior.

He looks so sad…

I've never seen him like this before…

It's strange…

Masq watched as the veterinarian, a priestess in a white doctor's coat, carefully shaved some of Yume's fur away from the wound, and cleaned it with wet gauze. Yume was tranquilized, and laying on her side in a sleepy daze. Masq scratched behind the cub's ears for comfort, and Yume moaned peacefully. The vet had told Masq earlier that Yume would be fine, and that the bullet was taken out in time before any serious damage could take affect. Still, Masq wore a worried look on her face. The vet noticed and shook her head.

"I told you, she'll be fine." She assured. "Please don't look like she's going to die."

"It's not that." Masq shook her head back. "I promised Ghen that I'd take care of her, and lookit what happened. This happened because of me…"

"It wasn't your fault. Wolf poachers have been very rare these days, who would have thought you would have ran into some during your walk. Please, stop blaming yourself. Be lucky that you saved her in time, San."

"Yeah." Masq smiled weakly. "But I wish I could have done something to prevent this from happening…"

Suddenly, Yume spoke up.

"San…" she moaned, very sleepy and in pain, "…my fault…I didn't…listen when you said…don't go far…I did…my fault…sorry…"

"It's not your fault either, little one." the vet said gently, patting the cub's head with a gloved hand. "You didn't know about wolf poachers until today. Now please, try to get some rest. Don't talk, just breathe for a while."

"I…" Yume choked sadly, "I…want my…mama…"

"We'll go see her afterward." Masq promised, scratching Yume by the ears again. "Okay?"

" 'K." Yume agreed, then sighed deeply.

/|\

At the Moro Gami temple at Singing Mountain's peak, Ghen stood outside the entrance of the mighty shrine. His nose was in the air, smelling the scent of distant raven gods. They were positioned on the Mountain of the Tatara, and were coming closer. He had not heard of any attacks the ravens made against the wolf clan, so he was led to believe the ravens were indeed coming to Singing Mountain.

They have come to attack and tear down the temple. I knew it…

Just like they did a thousand years ago, when the first temple was built in Tatara Ba's place.

How strange…how invasions on Singing have begun since…

Since Cell came to the mountain…

Is he just giving us bad luck, or is he…

Is he the reason the ravens are here?

He must leave either way…

Singing Mountain: Chapter 13

After Masq came out of the vet office and told Cell Yume was going to be fine, he offered to fly her back and she agreed. As he gathered her in his arms…

"Cell." Piccolo called his old nemesis. Cell turned his head to the Namek.

"Piccolo?" Cell wondered with no concern.

"You may have your powers back," Piccolo warned with a small glare, "but I'm still watching you."

"You have nothing to fear of me, Namek." Cell insisted, turning his head away. "I am no longer a threat to the Earth."

"Huh?" Piccolo blinked. He didn't expect a sentence like that out of Cell's lips. Without one gesture of good-bye, Cell spread his wings apart, gathered a small amount of ki and flew into the air. Masq was able to wave good-bye as she and her beloved disappeared into the distance. Piccolo watched them leave in amazement.

"Something like that…from Cell…is unbelievable." He regained himself, and looked out at the main street of Eboshi. "That just made me more suspicious of him. I should try to find the others. I hear Yamcha and Gohan are in town…"

/|\

"Aw man…" Yamcha groaned as he set down his teacup and stared up at Kuririn and 18. "Cell…I did see him here, in his first form…this is scary."

"I know." 18 sighed where she sat. She was directly across Yamcha from the coffee table in the hotel room. "I just can't believe he's here. How did he come back, and why is he here? I think he may be here because of me…" She stared down at her stomach, where her unborn baby was developing. She began to frown.

"Don't worry, honey." Kuririn comforted, patting one of her hands. "We'll make sure he doesn't get ya."

"Maybe he's not here for 18…" Yamcha brainstormed. "Maybe…he's here for Gohan!"

"Huh?" Kuririn and 18 blinked.

"Yeah!" Yamcha nodded at his growing idea as the lightbulb in his head became brighter. "He wants his revenge on Gohan for killing him! That's why he's here!"

"But shouldn't he be here in his perfect form?" Kuririn wondered. "Why would he come in his first form to kill Gohan? He should be beyond easy to defeat now."

The lightbulb went dim for a moment, then regained its light.

"Cell wants to steal Gohan's soul, of course!" Yamcha defended his idea. "What better form to do that in but his first?! Am I right?"

"Well, yeah," Kuririn nodded, then debated back, "but he's still at his weakest in that form, and even I could take him out no problem."

Lightbulb go black.

"Oh." Yamcha sighed, feeling really dumb. He picked up his teacup and resumed sipping the hot drink.

"And what about that girl?" 18 brought up as she picked up her cup. "Why would she care so much about him knowing who he is?"

"Who?" Yamcha asked with one eyebrow lowered.

"One of the priestess girls here." 18 explained. "She's taking care of him, in her house, alone, as in all by herself. And she doesn't fear him at all…"

"Whoa." Yamcha chuckled. "She's either really strong or really crazy…"

"But…" 18 added, "…he seems to like her. I mean…really like her. And she likes him too. It just doesn't look right to me…"

"Huh?" Yamcha blinked. "Whadaya mean, 18?"

"What she's trying to say is," Kuririn translated, "that…oh, how should I put this…the priestess and Cell…are boyfriend and girlfriend?"

"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Yamcha's eyes could have popped right out of his skull! "DUDE! NO WAY!"

"Our reaction exactly." 18 nodded.

"You've got to be kidding…" Yamcha shivered. "Cell…with a…a…a… girl…friend?"

"It's kinda funny after you think about it." Kuririn half smiled. "But what's got me curious was how it happened. A guy like Cell can't even get a hooker with a face like that, let alone a girlfriend…"

"So, what's gonna happen?" Yamcha asked. "With Cell back and alive, we need to keep our guard up."

"I know." Kuririn nodded. "It ain't gonna be easy to do that either, especially since the whole mountain is protecting him."

"The most I can do is to keep my distance," 18 sighed apologetically, "for my safety as well as my family. I would love to help any way I can, but I'm scared of what Cell might do to me. You boys understand, right?"

"Sure." Yamcha nodded. "I understand."

"Me too." Kuririn nodded, gently taking one of 18's hands into his own. "If he is after you, then we'll do everything we can to protect you. I promise."

"Thanks honey." 18 smiled, then she kissed him on the cheek before she sipped her tea with her free hand. Yamcha smiled.

"You two are really cute together." He admired, then mumbled to himself, "Makes me wish I had a girlfriend…"

/|\

As the sun began to dip to the horizon, many of the mountain wolves began to howl into the orange sky. Their low, haunting voices filled the air, scaring flocks of birds into flight, silencing chattering kodama, and turning the heads of the townspeople.

The howling reached even Masquerade's cabin as she prepared herself dinner. Cell was sitting on his bed in the bedroom, looking out the window in the direction of Moro-sama's den.

"What's going on?" he wondered. Masq looked up from the stove, and looked out the window by the front door.

"I'm not too good at translating wolf howls, but let's see what I can hear." She said. She listened very carefully to the pitch and length of the howls to hear a secret, old language long since forgotten by mankind. She couldn't hear words, only feelings and emotions. She had a long way to go before she could put the howling of wolves into words. She shrugged after a few minutes.

"It's some kind of alert or warning. I can hear lots of urgency." She sighed. "I wish I knew what it was about."

"Is it about Yume?" Cell asked, thinking about the young pup.

"No, I don't think it has to do with her. It's…I guess it's some kind of danger." She guessed, going back to her cooking on the stove.

"Danger?" Cell murmured to himself. "I wonder…"

"Well, anyway, Seru…" Masq tried to begin. "Since you have some of your powers back, can you still fight?"

"Of course." Cell nodded, looking away from the window. "Why?"

"Well, this afternoon, I wanted to go to the battleground and train a bit. Would you like to come with me?"

Cell thought for a moment. Then he smiled and chuckled quietly.

"I don't know. I'm too strong for the average human. I don't want to kill anybody by accident..."

"Oh, you don't have to fight." Masq smiled at him. "You can watch…and maybe give some of us a few tips." Cell smiled back.

"That I wouldn't mind. Very well, I'll join you."

"Great. Just let me finish my dinner and we can get going." Cell nodded in acknowledgement, and went back to looking out the window. The wolves still continued to howl.

Danger? It's a warning of danger?

Is it another demon…or is it Surreal?

/|\

"Wow." Gohan marveled at the Ashitaka shrine. Miaka, by his side, smiled at the little boy.

"These gardens have hardly changed for thousands of years." She explained, being a tour guide. "They pay respects to Ashitaka-sama and the Lady Eboshi, whom our capital town is named after."

"It's so beautiful…" Gohan awed, walking along the dirt path and admiring many of the flowers along the path and growing on the walls of the Moro Gami temple. He was amazed how many flowers he recognized from his studying…and how many of the flowers had never been seen by mankind in over two thousand years. Miaka walked him through the whole forest, read him the story of Ashitaka from the stone slab, and then proceeded to take him inside the temple. Gohan looked up at the huge wolf that guarded the temple entrance. He was howling down the mountain. Miaka looked at him in concern.

"Ghen-san…" she whispered, putting a hand on his flank. Tori whimpered at the son of Moro-sama as Ghen turned his gaze to Miaka and panted with his tongue lulling out of his mouth.

"The ravens…"

"The whole mountain should know by now." Miaka soothed the wolf, patting his muzzle. "Please, take it easy. Are you guarding the temple?"

"Yes."

"The ravens are days away. Why don't you go to Eboshi and visit your little sister? I heard she fell ill…"

"What about San Masquerade and Cell?" Ghen asked. "Are they alright?"

"They brought her to the vet."

"San Masquerade?" Gohan blinked as Ghen looked down the mountain path in uncertainty. Then, the wolf turned to the one next to him.

"Tori…watch the entrance for me please. I will be back shortly."

"Yes." Tori agreed. Ghen then ran down the mountain path with the speed of the wind. Miaka smiled after him, and took Gohan inside the temple.

"Who is San Masquerade?" Gohan asked as they went inside.

"She is the priestess caring for Cell." She explained. It was no use keeping it from the boy. He had seen Cell with his own eyes. But the boy didn't seem to care either way.

"Oh." Gohan nodded, then walked by Miaka as she gave Gohan a tour of the temple and explained some of the realistic paintings on the walls. The picture of the Shishi Gami instantly captivated Gohan, his eyes were just locked to it. It was a beast the size of a horse, with the body of a dear, feet of a lizard, the face of a man, and one centered antler that looked like a leafless tree. He remembered something like it from one of his dreams.

Miaka watched him marvel from a small distance, then turned her eyes to a picture of the cloaked Lady Eboshi aiming her rifle at the ancient god a few feet away from the painting.

The anniversary of these events will be soon…

I think it was two days from now…

The Night The Shishi Gami Died…

/|\

Sunset on Singing Mountain, the wolves were finally quiet. The entire mountainside already heard of the danger. The best warriors among the Mononoke priestesses were present on the battlefield, preparing for the fight of their lives. The Battle Masters watched their decibels spar and practice "Ishanruus," or fighting dances that tested reflexes and memory. Many were already in battle, but the ones with the greatest skill battled their own wolves. The wolf fighters practiced speed, agility, and most importantly strength.

Cell was completely taken under awe.

"It looks like everyone is preparing for a war." He estimated.

A great danger…

"I dunno…" Masq doubted. "There's been no need for war since the Shishi Gami died six thousand years ago." She walked around the battlefield, looking for a sparring partner. Cell looked around at many of the priestesses. Many had their faces painted for some kind of battle. He was starting to get worried.

What is going on?

He looked to Moro-sama's den, and spotted the giant wolf laying on top of her den. He walked to her.

There's the one with the answers right there…

/|\

"Hey Rhapsody!" Masq called to the full-face masked priestess. Rhapsody turned her head to her friend. Aman was sitting next to her. "Wanna spar?"

"You have no battle experience." Rhapsody shook her head. "It won't be much of a spar."

"Don't bet on it." Masq smirked. "I participated in the last Budakai, and made it into the top eight."

"You didn't win, however…"

"No. Some African warrior beat me before I could get in the finals. I forget his name."

"Well, you know something about fighting then…"

"I was a blue belt at my local karate class." Masq chuckled. "But I really haven't learned how to use weapons yet."

"I'll show you." Rhapsody offered, unsheathing a short sword. Masq smiled at her, and yanked her knife out of the shieth on her leg. Both haunched in ready-to-lunge positions, and circled each other. Masq lunged for Rhapsody, who blocked Masq's knife with her sword, and used her free hand to palm slap Masq's face. Masq backed away to a safer distance, but Rhapsody ran after her, and swung her sword sharply. Masq's face dodged the blade by inches. Then she stabbed her knife foreword, but Rhapsody dodged it easily.

"You're attacks are too random." Rhapsody pointed out. "Attack with your knife like you would attack with your hand. Pay attention to my movements."

"What do you think I'm doing?" Masq shrugged, then she haunched into her attack pose again. Rhapsody watched Masq through the eyeholes of her clay mask and clutched her short sword defensively, letting Masq have the first attack. Masq lunged again, and Rhapsody blocked easily, and used her free hand to palm slap Masq's face again. Masq blocked the palm with a fist, circled it to Rhapsody's side and kicked the high priestess in the chest. Rhapsody stumbled over onto her back, and Masq didn't hesitate to pounce on the priestess and point the knife at her throat.

"How's that?"

"Not bad." Rhapsody smiled behind her mask as Masquerade helped her up. "Not bad for a city girl. Now then…" A wicked smile formed behind the solid clay. "…time to get a tad bit serious."

/|\

On the conquered Mountain of the Tatara, a face masked in red cloth looked out at the Singing Mountain just several miles away. The clothed priest stared at the mountain in hatred and disgust. He was one of the many high priests of the raven clan, dressed in ancient Emishi robes and carrying a long katana. His gigantic bird, the size of a moving van, stood by his side.

"All but that mountain is ours." The bird squawked through its beak. "The mountain that is the home of the wolf gods."

"It is also the realm of the late Shishi Gami." The high priest nodded. "How dare the descendents of those who killed him live on that land with the gods…"

"Indeed…" the bird agreed. "Sinful people. No mercy for them either…"

"No mercy." The priest nodded. "Especially for the one named Cell."