Princess Mononoke Fan Fiction / Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Singing Mountain ❯ Chapter 18: The Night the Shishi Gami Died ( Chapter 18 )

Last time on Singing Mountain…

He was just at the edge of the forest when he stopped and looked behind him. The cottage was still dark, and she was still asleep. She was completely unaware of what he was doing for her. He began to fascinate what would happen when she woke up and discovered he wasn't in the house…she would be so hurt…she would start crying…she would fall to the floor in her sorrow…she would vow to never fall in love again…she would hate Cell for the rest of her life…

Get a grip! Her pain will be nothing compared to what you're feeling right now!

He gulped, feeling his throat becoming dry. More tears were pouring from his eyes. What was he going to do? He had to say something now…even though she couldn't hear him…

"Goodbye…" he said, his voice quivering. "Goodbye, San…" Suddenly, he turned back to the path and started running away as fast as he could. "Goodbye, San! Goodbye!"

Back in the cottage, Masq stirred slightly, barely opening her eyes.

"Seru…"

Singing Mountain: Chapter 18

"HYOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

The howling of Moro could be heard over the mountain. The pups by her side yipped and barked, trying to howl just like she did. Other wolves on the mountain were howling as well, causing the air to tremble with noise. It was an act of mourning. On this night, once a year for six thousand years, the wolves of Singing Mountain would join in a haunting chorus of prayer in howls.

It was a very symbolic night not just for the wolves, but for all gods of the Earth.

This was he night the Shishi Gami had died.

/|\

In the city of Eboshi, the priestesses and villagers gathered in the town square for their silent celebration. The humans called this event the Night of the Dead, and every year they set a respective bonfire in the square to remember the events that happened so many years ago. Not only was this the night the god of life and death forever vanished from the earth, but also the night both human and god came together and no longer fought. Those sitting around the bonfire shared a meal of deep fried vegetables. The meals were to be strictly vegetarian, no beef or fish. The delicious food also contained steaming stews and soup along with berry juice and fresh fruit.

Miaka and Rhapsody sat together by the bonfire. Miaka would eat her food whole heartily and why not since she made some of the food herself. Rhapsody, meanwhile, ate slowly and quietly. She was trying to keep her emotions in check and was having a small bit of trouble doing so. The ravens were the only things on her mind, and the food was starting to lose its flavor. Miaka looked over at her high priestess and put a hand on her shoulder.

"San? What's wrong? Are you still thinking about Sir Marcus?"

"Damn bastard…" Rhapsody muttered.

"You are still mad at him, aren't you?"

"I've always been mad at him!" the high priestess snapped suddenly, glaring at Miaka. "He left me to die! How could you forgive a man who left you to die?!"

"Hey, what's all this?" a male voice behind them asked. They both looked up to see Sir Biso dressed in clean robes and holding a bowl of warm rice in one hand. He smiled at Rhapsody. "Well, San, you are a Mononoke, aren't you?"

"Of course I am." She growled at him. He wasn't affected.

"And it is a Mononoke way of life to forgive the crimes of the past, is it not?" he pointed out. Rhapsody set her food down at her feet and stood up to meet Biso's eye level.

"A crime like Marcus's is unforgivable." She stated.

"Hypocrite." He frowned at her.

"It was you and your god who are the hypocrites!"

"What did we do?"

"You stabbed us in the back!"

"Well, actually that makes us traitors, not hypocrites. And it was Lord Osa-san's idea to bring the ravens here, I was just along for the ride."

"Alright, smartass," Rhapsody growled, her hand hovering over the handle of her knife, "if you didn't come here to betray us, then what did you come here for?"

"The love of my life." Biso admitted.

Rhapsody and Miaka blinked in surprise. He looked at an empty space near Miaka.

"May I sit down?"

"Sure." Miaka nodded. Biso sat next to the medicine woman and slipped a pair of chopsticks from one of his pants pockets. He began telling his story, picking rice into his mouth occasionally during small pauses.

"My wife died when Cell attacked our islands. I didn't feel hate for the murderer, but rather sorrow for the slaughtered. I admired her beauty and unique personality, and to never be with a person like her again almost brought about my death. I wouldn't eat, and I refused to sleep, and not even the best of my friends could get me to snap out of my depressed trance. Then Osa proposed the attack on Singing Mountain, but our only target was Cell. I saw this as my chance to find a girl like my late wife, hoping that one of you young ladies might be what I was looking for. When the demon attacked, I thought that my journey was in vain until…an angel saved me…and I had found my true love at long last."

"MASQUERADE?!" Rhapsody and Miaka gasped.

"No way!" Miaka exclaimed.

"You have got to be kidding!" Rhapsody shook her head at the same time.

"San Masquerade…the complete opposite of my wife…became my heart's only desire. I just couldn't believe that she was also the Cell girl, the one who was nursing the monster to health. I didn't let that stop me, however. We met again at the raven camp, and I made subtle attempts to woo her. Now that was something in vain. She said that she was in love with Cell and I couldn't change that."

"Alright, Masq." Rhapsody cheered in mockery. Biso narrowed his eyes at her and gulped down some rice before continuing.

"So, for now, I have given up. But I still care about her as though she was a member of my family. As long as she is happy, I am happy." He paused for a minute in thought. "However, I don't think Cell will make her happy for long."

"Are you sure about that?" Miaka wondered as her eyes looked to the other side of the bonfire. She could see the contestants from the Cell Game sitting rather far away. Piccolo was sitting in a meditative state while Yamcha and Gohan chatted rather loudly. Kuririn and 18 were enjoying San Kaede's company, and laughed after she had told a hilarious joke. All of them seemed to be enjoying themselves, but Miaka's eye was mostly on Kuririn and 18. "You would be amazed what kind of people can be happy with the odd and highly stereotyped." She watched as Kuririn rubbed a hand over 18's stomach while the android laughed and playfully slapped his hand away.

"Of course." Biso smiled. "However, Cell was once a very dangerous man. He had changed, yes I will agree, but how long will it be until his bloody and destructive desires return?"

/|\

Masquerade stirred from her sleep and opened her eyes. All that tea made her want to go to the bathroom. Half asleep, in a zombie type trance, she got out of bed and walked to the bathroom. After she finished, she headed back to the bed rubbing her eyes. Before settling back into bed, she finally noticed that she was holding her crystal dagger. She smiled at it, and looped the leather cord over her neck, letting the dagger rest by her heart. She turned to Cell's bed to see if he was asleep yet…

…but his bed was empty.

Huh? Where did he go?

"Seru?" Masq called around the house, looking around for him. He wasn't in the bedroom, so she looked in the next room.

"Seru?"

He wasn't there either.

He's not in the house…

She opened a window and poked her head out.

"Seru?"

No response.

She opened another window.

"Seru?!"

Nothing.

Another window.

"Seru?!?"

Nope.

Where did he go?

She flung open the door.

"Seru?!?!"

When still no response came, she cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted as loud as she could.

"SERU?!?!?"

There was still nothing.

Did he leave the house?

Why would he leave?

I've got to go looking for him!

She quickly rushed inside the house to get dressed and grab a flashlight.

/|\

Soon now…

Ah yes, very soon…

Everything is going exactly according to plan…

/|\

Cell found himself running downhill, gathering more speed than he had originally planned. He wanted to get as far away from Masquerade's house as he could. He did not want to be tempted to go back. This was just for her. He was leaving her for her survival. He was leaving her because he loved her so much. The tears from his eyes were being flung into the air behind him as he ran.

He didn't stop until he found himself at the Shishi Gami pool. The dark water stretched out to at least a mile before him. He had trouble stopping himself in time, and he ended up running right into the cold water, disappearing for a moment below the surface. He brought his head up out of the water, and swam to the closest shore. As soon as he was entirely out of the water, he shook himself dry and stood on his feet. The realm was the half way marker off the mountain, so he was far away enough from Masquerade's house to stop and rest.

He looked out at the darkened forest around him. The water of the lake looked like a bottomless pit that reflected the starry sky above. There was barely any light to see by, since there was no moon. The faintest light came from the tiny fireflies that lazily buzzed and twinkled through the woods. There were no kodama present, perhaps they feared the dark. There were virtually no sounds at all. It was as though the forest was watching him, waiting to see if his decision was final.

Then, he noticed something…

This bank…

This mossy bank I'm standing on was the very same place…

Where Surreal once tried to drown me…

And I became perfect for the first time, then that perfection was taken away…

Masq stood by my side so faithfully…

So did little Yume…

That young pup admired me so…

I was so grief-stricken…finally getting what I had craved only to have it taken away…

The same thing is happening now…

What I have always wanted…

Taken away…

San…

He felt weak. He felt weak and sick to his stomach. As though his strength was sapped from his legs, he fell to the ground on his face. He gripped a fistful of moss and squeezed his eyes shut. Tears continued to spill from his eyes, warm and salty. Even when his perfection had been taken away, even when he had learned the androids had died in his time, he had never cried so hard and so long. He tried not to sob, to cry quietly, but one desperate gasp would escape past his lips and clenched teeth. The reality just seemed too horrible to be true…

Then, he heard loud clicking. It was the clicking of a kodama. Cell opened his eyes to see a kodama walking past his face. He was too weak and depressed to even feel his usual fear. He didn't care what he saw anymore. He didn't care if he died again, without Masquerade beside him he had no reason to care about anything.

Then he noticed several other kodama walking past him as well. They were headed for the edge of the lake. He raised his head slightly and looked around him. He could see lots and lots of kodama walking to the lake. They were all walking down from their mother trees and walking towards the lake. There were kodama all around him, walking past his head, feet, and outstretched arms. Those that thought Cell was in their path just hopped on his back and walked over him. It didn't hurt, the kodama were practically weightless.

Cell watched them gather to the lake's edge and look out over the water. Cell scanned the waters but didn't see anything. Across the other side of the lake, he could see hundreds more kodama poking their large, ghostly faces from the leaves and branches of their trees. Cell was in awe, he had never seen so many kodama in one place before. He felt a sinking feeling that there were thousands of them gathering in the area, probably more kodama than people he had killed in his lifetime. He could only guess at what the topic of the gathering was.

Then, the waters of the pool rippled from the very center of the realm, spreading small waves to the banks of the lake. Suddenly, the fireflies hovered from their autopilot flights and zipped for that very spot of the lake. The fireflies formed orbiting circles of light of different sizes around that spot in the lake, shining a pure white light at that very spot of the pool. Then, a human figure appeared in the light, and Cell recognized it immediately.

"Akimo…" he gasped. He could see the boy giving off the light himself, outstretching his arms and bare feet standing on the water's surface. Cell could see faint wisps of short hair waving around the boy's face as though a huge draft of wind erupted from under his feet, and the small face of the ghost was pointing up to the sky. Cell was paralyzed. A sudden instinct was urging him to get up and run away in unexplained fear, but he couldn't move a finger.

Then, all the kodama began to rattle and click as though in applause or random chorus. The air was suddenly filled by the clacking of kodama, ringing in Cell's ears. The sights and sounds were becoming too much, and the android lowered his head and covered his ears. What's going on? He didn't know. He wanted out. This was the last place he wanted to be right now!

He raised his head back to Akimo, and gasped in fright when he saw the boy was looking at him. Akimo's eyes were a deep blue that easily cut into his white light. Suddenly, there was a sharp twinge in Cell's brain, and he cried out in agony. It hurt! At first, he thought something had stabbed into his head and sliced open his brain. He held the sides of his head tightly, moaning in pain and lying flat on the ground.

"What's happening?!" Cell shouted to Akimo, not looking at the spirit. "What are you doing to me?!"

Then, as it suddenly had come, the pain had stopped. Cell gasped in relief, and breathed out of his mouth a couple of times. Then he lifted his head and opened his eyes. He saw…

………

…he was in a cave lying on a patch of straw made for a bed. A blanket was covering him, and he could smell the familiar scent of wolf gods. He looked ahead of him, and saw two wolves the size of Ghen sleeping in the very back of the den. They were both snowy white, like Moro-sama, and they appeared to be twins. He didn't recognize them. Where was he?

He looked past his right shoulder to see a wolf priestess lying on another straw pile, huddled under her fur shroud and fast asleep. He carefully peered at her face, but didn't recognize her. He stared at her for a while, then gradually recognized her. It was San, the Princess Mononoke herself! He remembered her face from his previous dreams.

He lifted the blanket off himself and stood up in the den. It looked like Moro-sama's den, but was it? He wasn't sure. He looked out the den entrance, and saw the starry sky above. The stars were shining very brightly, brighter than he last remembered them to be a few minutes ago…

Then he saw something that made him squeak in his throat in surprise…

A waxing moon, lighting the land below…

The moon?! Is it really the moon?!

But that's impossible! Piccolo blew up the moon!

What is it doing in the sky now?!

He calmed down and started thinking. He sat cross-legged on the straw to do so.

Alright…the Princess Mononoke is right here beside me…

Which means this must be another one of my dreams about Singing Mountain's past…

Yes, that right!

Of course, there was a moon six thousand years ago…

But wait…

I don't think I'm dreaming…

How could I be seeing this if I'm wide-awake?

He stared at the moon. He had never seen the moon before in his life. It looked like an orb with a carved curve hanging still and silent in the sky. It was beautiful. He found himself standing on his feet and walking out the mouth of the den for a better look. A long rock ledge jutted out of the steep bluff, creating an open balcony for Cell to walk on. Now that was something he remembered that wasn't a part of Moro-sama's den. He kept in mind that this was just an image of six thousand years ago, and stared out at the land far below him.

There were trees stretching as far as he could see. There was no parting in them, even for a river. He could see the other mountains of the Wolf Jaw peaking from very far away, just giant black rocks against the midnight blue sky. The land was bathed in moonlight, turning the tops of trees a calming shade of deep blue. The color reminded him of the crystal dagger Masquerade had…

Remembering his ladylove, his heart sank again and he lowered his head in sorrow. He was leaving everything behind just for her.

"You shouldn't be running away." A familiar voice advised behind him. Cell spun around and looked to the roof of the den. Resting just above the door like Moro-sama would was her long dead grandmother. Moro Gami was a lot bigger than Moro-sama and her family-marking white fur was much more coarse and wild. The voice was also much deeper and older (the legends said Moro Gami was over a thousand years old). Other than those small details, the two wolves could have been one and the same.

"What?" Cell wondered.

"Now is not the time to be running, warrior." Moro Gami insisted, parting her jaws slightly to speak. "Now is the time for defending, for fighting, for being alert at all times."

"Why?" Cell wondered. "What's happening?"

"There is a bad moon out tonight." Moro Gami informed, raising her head up slightly to the sky. Cell looked over his shoulder at it, and couldn't help but smile.

"I wouldn't know." He admitted. "This is the first time I have ever seen the moon."

"Why is it that you run, young man?" Moro Gami wondered. Cell looked back at her and sighed.

"No." He shook his head disapprovingly. "I don't want to talk about it. Moro Gami…there is something I must ask you."

"Then ask."

"This may sound strange to you…but my appearances here are only dreams to me…I'm from a time further away than this. Why do I dream about this time and place?"

Moro lowered her head back to him, speaking softly like a mother lulling her child to sleep.

"They are messages to you. These messages are from a higher power than a god. They are for you to piece together and interpret yourself."

" 'A higher power than a god?' " Cell gasped. Was that possible?

"I can still sense the demon in your heart, Cell." Moro suddenly said. Cell looked down at his chest, putting a hand to his heart. It didn't hurt, and he wasn't burned there. He raised his head to her, narrowing his eyes.

"I don't know what you mean by that!" he began to yell. "You keep saying there is a demon inside me, and if it isn't destroyed then it'll kill everyone I love! What do you mean?!"

"Everyone has a demon." Moro explained. "Who you are and how you live your life determines how fast it grows. Your demon is by far the most powerful I have ever seen. I suspect you were born with this evil in your soul."

"So what if I was?! How do I get rid of it?!"

"It must be purified from your body, otherwise it will break free and those you care for will die."

"But how?! How, dammit! How do I purify it?!"

Moro Gami's ears flattened against her skull and she bared her teeth.

"There is no need to shout!" she scolded. Her ears perked back up to the front of her head. Cell heard groaning from inside her den, and he peeked inside. On the straw bed where he was once laying, he could see a young man tossing and turning under the covers until he was quiet. Cell blinked at that a couple times then looked back up at the giant wolf god.

"Please…" Cell pleaded calmly, "what must I do to be rid of my demon?"

"No." Moro Gami shook her head. "Not you."

"What?"

"You will not be the one who purifies this demon."

"Then who?" Cell demanded, trying to keep a calm voice. "Who will do it? Just say the name, and you can consider this demon dead!"

"Why must you run?" Moro came back to her first subject. The moaning continued inside the den but both wolf and android ignored it. "This is not the time to run. The time to act is drawing near. You will be needed in this battle."

"What is going to happen?"

Suddenly, Moro Gami sneezed noisily, then shook her head around to clear it.

"Bless you." Cell wished with a nod.

"Your enemy will play on your ultimate weakness. You can not and will not run away from this weakness. You must acknowledge and protect it, or else you will die. You cannot afford to run away, Cell. Your place is here."

"What are you talking about?!" He demanded angrily. "I don't understand!" Then, he stopped and looked back at the den. The man was walking out, holding his right arm. Cell recognized him too.

"Ashitaka-san…"

The young warrior was walking towards Cell, and seemed to be ignoring him. Cell stepped out of the way as Ashitaka stood in his spot. The man looked over the forest just like Cell had done earlier. Then, Moro Gami spoke to the boy.

"You know you can always jump, boy." She suggested. "End it all? As soon as your strength returns the demon scar will spread and destroy you."

Young Ashitaka was not discouraged by these words. Cell could see the purple welts on the boy's hand and wrist, and they looked worse than he last remembered.

"I felt as though I was sleeping for weeks." Ashitaka said to the god. "I had a dream that San was by my side, nursing me."

"I was hoping that you would cry out in your sleep," the giant wolf admitted, "then I would have bitten your head off and silenced you." Ashitaka turned to the forest below him, and then back to Moro.

"It's a beautiful forest. Are Okkotonushi and the boars on the move yet?"

"Yes." Moro growled in disgust. "The boars are marching. They let the land crumble beneath their feet and make the trees fall harshly to the ground dead. The trees cry out as they die, but those like you cannot hear them. I lie here as I listen to the pain of the forest and feel the ache of the bullet in my chest. And I dream of the day when I will finally crunch that gun woman's head in my jaws."

Cell continued to watch silently as Ashitaka turned fully around to Moro.

"Moro, why can't the Tatara and the forest live together? Why can't we stop this fighting now?"

The wolf seemed to sneer at him.

"The humans are gathering for the final battle. Their guns will burn us all."

"And what about San?" Ashitaka demanded. "What is your plan, to let her die with you?"

"Typical." Moro snorted. "Selfish…you think like a human. San is my daughter. She is of the wolf tribe. When the forest dies, so does she."

Ashitaka looked distressed to hear this, and he stood offensively up at Moro as though he was going to fight her.

"You must set her free!" he begged. "She's not a wolf, she's a human!"

Moro Gami barked furiously at him, baring her sharp teeth. Her threats were real, she could bite his head off easily, and probably more than his head…

"SILENCE, BOY! How dare you speak to a god like that! You know nothing of the girl you beg for!" She took only a second to calm herself and explain. Ashitaka listened intently. "I caught her human parents defiling my forest. They threw their baby at my feet as they ran away. Instead of eating her, I raised her as one of my own. Now, my poor, ugly, beautiful daughter is neither human nor wolf. How could you help her?"

"I don't know." Ashitaka admitted. "But perhaps we could find a way to live."

Moro Gami laughed in amusement.

"How?" she dared. "Will you join San and fight the humans?"

"No." he answered firmly, clutching his fists. "All that would do is cause more hate." Moro Gami lowered her head forming the illusion of another nasty sneer.

"There is nothing you can do, boy. Soon the demon mark will spread and kill you. Now leave this place at sunrise. Return, and you will die." It was a threat. Cell looked at Ashitaka's face as the boy walked back into the den. The boy looked to be in determined thought. Cell knew the warrior's mind was on San. Ashitaka wouldn't run away from San. Cell narrowed his eyes at that discovery.

I can't believe what an idiot I am!

What am I doing here?!

I have to get back to Masquerade!

Moro Gami is right, I shouldn't be running away…

I should be fighting to protect her!

He looked back into the den in time to see Ashitaka put his blanket over San's body then curl up on his bed of straw. Cell smiled at them.

Time to go home.

………

Cell's eyes suddenly snapped open. He was back at the Shishi Gami realm by the bank of the pool. He was still on the ground with his hands over his head. The pain on his head was gone, and the air around him was silent. He looked up, and found that all the kodama were gone and the fireflies were flying their own routes once again. He looked out to the pond, and found that Akimo was still where he stood. The boy was still looking at Cell, but he was smiling as though he was proud. Cell smiled back at him.

"You were giving me those dreams, weren't you?" Cell asked softly.

Akimo nodded his head slowly.

"Thank you."

The boy beamed happily. Cell stood up and gave the spirit a polite bow. Suddenly, Akimo's face became frightened and alarmed. Cell blinked in confusion a couple times before the boy vanished from sight.

The forest was incredibly quiet and the fireflies were starting to become scarce. Cell lowered his head in thought, and then smiled in understanding.

"If I hurry…" he said to himself, "she'll never know that I was gone."

/|\

He had swam to the other side of the lake and had shaken himself dry when he spotted something running his way. It looked like a priestess without her fur shroud. He squinted at it and recognized the face.

"San Masquerade?"

"There you are!" Masq cried, coming to a stop just a couple feet away from Cell. She bent over, holding her knees and breathing hard. "I noticed you were gone and I searched the whole forest for you…" She looked up at him, her eyes watering with tears. "I thought you left me, because you didn't love me anymore…"

That was the last thing Cell wanted to hear. He felt like he could fall apart just by hearing that.

"No, San. I still love you…"

"You big jerk!" Masq cried, stomping her foot on the moss and sobbing hysterically. "You didn't even say good-bye! You didn't even leave a note!"

Cell was about to cry all over again.

"San, please try to understand…"

"What is there to understand?!" Masq yelled, her face was turning red in emotion. "You were going to leave the mountain, weren't you?! You said you loved me! You said we would always be together! You liar! I HATE YOU!" She turned her back to him and sobbed in her open hands. Cell tried to put a sympathetic hand on her shoulder, but she slapped it away. "DON'T TOUCH ME!" she screamed at him, turning around to face him. "I don't ever want to see you again!"

"No!" Cell said firmly, tears once again streaming down his face. He grabbed her by the shoulders hard and forced her to look at him. "San, please just listen to me. Listen to what I have to say." She violently shook her head at him. He gnashed his teeth at her. "YES YOU WILL!" he shouted at her. She gasped in fear and quieted down. Her face was painted in shock. Cell took a deep breath through his nose before he began.

"San…I do love you. You are the only person I have loved and ever will love. I would never try to hurt you on purpose and I certainly will never lie to you for any reason. I…I…" he paused for a moment, thinking about how he was going to explain this to her. "I…I was trying to protect you. Masq, understand…that the spirit that is after me wants me dead. Surreal is still out there, she's not gone yet…and she's still after me. I thought that she would try to kill you too. So…I thought that if I left you…and the mountain…that you would be safe from Surreal…" He lowered his head as her shock became sympathy. He started to sob. "I didn't want to leave you…it was so hard and painful for me to even walk out the door. I love you with my heart and soul, San, and even though I had left…I would never let you go. I was leaving for you, San."

"Cell…" Masq said quietly, choking up. "I understand. You wanted to protect me…" She put a hand on one of his. "But how could you protect me if you aren't there beside me? That is how you protect someone, isn't it? To be there for them?"

Cell didn't lift his head, but he nodded.

"You know, Cell…" she sniffed, wiping a tear from her eye, "I wouldn't let you go either. If I thought you were in danger, I would let you know. I would stay by you and help fight. I would protect you with all the love I have. You know what I'm saying?"

Cell lifted his head to look at her, and a tear dripped from his nose and fell to the ground.

"Yes, I understand." He said softly. "Are you still mad at me, San?"

"No." she shook her head with a smile.

"Oh." He smiled back weakly. "So you don't hate me anymore?"

"You believed me when I said that?" Masq chuckled, wiping another tear from her eye. "Those were just words. Cell, I can't hate you. I will always love you. Nothing will change that." She put a hand on his cheek. "Just so long as you love me too."

He smiled, and moved a hand from her shoulder to her cheek.

"You will be the only love in my heart." He promised.

She smiled as more tears came from her eyes, and she wrapped her arms around his neck. He hugged her back, tightly and protectively. Then, Masq nuzzled her forehead against Cell's.

"I love you, Masq." He said with a strong, admiring smile.

"And I love you, Cell." She returned to him. She bent her head to kiss him, but he froze and looked at her suspiciously.

"Masq?"

"Oh Cell…" she moaned romantically, about to touch her lips to his. He narrowed his eyes at her, and put his hand over her mouth.

"What did you call me?" he asked firmly. Masq blinked at him as he slightly pushed her head away.

"What's wrong?" she wondered innocently. "That is your name, isn't it?"

He glared at her.

"You're not Masquerade." He accused, pushing her away from him. "She doesn't call me 'Cell.' She calls me 'Seru' instead. Who are you?!"

"Masquerade" lowered her head, closed her eyes, and smiled slyly. Then, she started laughing through her lips and her shoulders moved up and down with each laugh.

"I guess I couldn't fool you, android." She laughed, holding up her head dramatically and flashed a wicked grin. "But it doesn't matter now. I have you right where I want you."

"Oh no…" Cell gasped. "It couldn't be!"

"I managed to keep you in one spot for this long, and now I can finish what I had started.

"SURREAL!" Cell gnashed his teeth.

She fooled me into thinking she was Masq…

I held her in my arms!

She almost kissed me!

She'll pay for this!

Catch me if you can! Surreal dared, laughing behind her hand. Cell lunged for her angrily, and Surreal's image instantly faded along with her body. Cell stopped himself in mid air and looked around for her. Her voice just seemed to echo throughout the realm…it sounded like she was in the trees…or hiding behind a tree…or even swimming under the water…

Hey, big boy! Over here! She taunted from a tree branch, still in her Masquerade disguise. Cell fired an energy blast at her from where he stood, but she jumped away from it and disappeared again. The explosion destroyed the whole tree, leaving it in a pile of ashes. He could hear Surreal laughing again, and his turned his head every which way to try and find her. He couldn't feel her out by her ki…she didn't have one!

Click-ity, click-ity! Rattle, rattle! She teased at the base of another tree, holding up a clay kodama mask to her face. Against the kodama, Cell loses his battle! Cell flung another blast at her, and he made sure it was a really big one because of that remark. Surreal tossed the clay mask into the lake before disappearing and the blast destroyed a huge mass of trees.

Cell then spotted her on the other side of the lake. He knew better than to go to her, but he would move from his spot. He hovered in the air and flew to the very center of the lake. Then he fired another blast at her, but she disappeared again and more trees were destroyed.

Yoo-hoo! Lover boy! Up here! He looked up to see her floating over his head. He fired another blast at her, but she disappeared and the energy blast rose harmlessly in the air. As he waited for her to reappear, he powered up a stronger attack that would destroy her for sure. He looked and he waited.

You really wanna kill me, don't you? She questioned, leaning on a tree trunk behind him. Go ahead. I'm just love to die again. Wouldn't you? He fired his blast at her, but she once again vanished and the attack blew down a lot more trees. Cell powered up another attack and kept watching and waiting.

Suddenly, she appeared right in front of his face.

You just hate trees, don't you?

"HYAAA!" he fired his blast in front of him, but she still disappeared out of the way and the blast and more trees were blown up. Cell had enough. He held out his arms and pressed his wrists together before cupping them to his hip.

Whew, that was close… Surreal sighed from somewhere. Cell looked around but didn't see her. Oooh, good reflexes. No, I'm not showing myself again just yet. That last shot you took blew off my arm.

"Show yourself and end this!" Cell demanded. "You'll rejoin your arm in the pits of hell!"

Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha! Oh this is funny!

"I dare you to show yourself, Laerrus! Get out here and fight me with your bare hands!"

HA, HA, HA, HA, HA! Oh, you're good! You should be a comedian!

"LAERRUS!"

You actually think fighting face to face will give you some kind of advantage? Think again!

"What's wrong? Didn't Lady Eboshi teach you how to fight?"

She taught me some cool tricks that would put you and the other fighters to shame. I could totally kick your ass, Cell. So why kill you here and now when I can still toy with you and have some fun?!

"Show yourself, dammit!"

From far away, Cell could hear a faint and familiar voice. Seru! Seru!

No way. I like playing around with you and your girlfriend.

"Leave San out of this! If you even touch her, I swear to God, I'm going to…"

Don't worry about it. I'm not going to touch her. I'm not the one who's going to kill her…

Seru! Seru, where are you?

Cell, let me ask you something…

"What?"

How badly do you want me dead?

"I'll do whatever it takes."

Alright…I'll give you one last chance at it…make sure that attack is nice and strong now!

As Surreal laughed again, Cell clenched his teeth.

"Kaaaaa…meeeee…" he chanted lowly, and a ball of ki shone brightly in his hands. His eyes scanned the area for Surreal, and his hovering body slowly turned to give him better views around him.

Seru! Seru!

"…haaaaa…meeee…"

On your right!

Cell's head snapped to the right, where he could see Surreal still in her Masquerade disguise calling out to him.

"CELL! CAN YOU HEAR ME?!"

"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Cell fired his powerful blast at her. She screamed in fear and the blast enveloped her and exploded, taking more trees with it.

"Yes!" Cell cheered, flinging a triumphant fist in the air. "Got you!"

Oh man, this is rich! HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA!

"What?!" Cell gasped, then turned around. He saw another Masquerade behind him, and the image flickered into Surreal's one-armed true form. Cell's eyes grew wide in fear, then he turned back to the Masquerade he shot. The body was knocked over and sprawled out on the ground, and smoking slightly under the arms and on one knee. She wasn't moving.

He couldn't realize what he had done!

That was the real Masquerade!

"No…No…Oh no…"

Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha! Surreal laughed in amusement. See? I told you I wouldn't be the one to kill her! I told you, didn't I? HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA!

"YOU BITCH!" Cell yelled at her, throwing a ki blast at her. He had caught her unaware, and the attack hit her on the mark. She screamed and fell into the lake with a loud splash. She didn't resurface. After realizing that, Cell quickly flew to Masquerade's body and knelt by it.

"San, can you hear me?!" he shouted, holding her up and shaking her. "San! Say something! San!" She didn't respond in any way. Her eyes were relaxed and shut, her mouth was partly open but she wasn't breathing. Her skin was growing cold and no blood was pumping in her body.

She was dead.

He didn't want to believe it!

"SAN!" he shouted at her. "MASQUERADE! NO!"

He hugged her close to him, the only thing he could do.

She can't be dead! She just can't be!

Don't leave me, San!

I'm sorry! I can't believe what I have done!

I promised to never leave you, please don't leave me!

I'm sorry!

Don't be dead, San!

I'm so sorry!

/|\

Aaak! Son of a bitch…that hurt!

Surreal growled some swear words as she pulled herself out of the lake as though she was climbing out of a hole. She put her only hand on the water's surface and pushed herself up until she rested her torso on the surface, leaving her lower body under the water. She wasn't wet at all, which kept her ghostly atmosphere. She raised her head up angrily, but the anger lifted at a welcome sight.

Young Akimo was trying his best to rush across the lake to Cell and Masq, looking very scared and worried. Surreal tried to flag the spirit down.

Hey! Akimo! Over here! Just who I wanted to see!

Akimo stopped at the sight of Surreal. He could see that her arm was blown off leaving only jagged edges by her shoulder. He was horrified at the sight of her, and he took a step back.

Akimo! Help me!

She reached out her lone hand to him in begging. He narrowed his eyes at her, and tried walking around her to get to Masquerade. Surreal looked in the direction he was headed, and saw Cell bent over and crying over the priestess's dead body.

There's nothing you can do for them, Akimo! She's dead, I'm not! I need help! Please, Akimo!

The boy spirit looked between the dead priestess and the injured spirit. Surreal's eyes began to water desperately at him.

Akimo! Brother! Please don't desert me!

Akimo became sympathetic, and began walking over to Surreal. He helped her out of the water, standing her on the surface on her two feet. Akimo then put his hand to her forehead to begin healing her. Suddenly, Surreal dropped her act and started chuckling evilly.

Oh, how I pity your trusting heart, Akimo. Don't tell me you forgot what tonight is…

Akimo blinked a few times, then horror grew on his face.

That's right. It's the night. And since the two of us are here together after six thousand years…it's time!

Akimo took his hand off her and tried to run away, but she grabbed his wrist. Suddenly, their ghostly skin began to meld together as if they were wax figures being melted and sculpted. Surreal laughed maniacally as Akimo opened his mouth in a silent scream. She pulled him to her, and pushed his back into her chest. Their bodies began to melt together and Akimo couldn't get away!

The time has come! Surreal shouted triumphantly. Our two spirits will be joined as one, and evil will live once again! I've waited so long for this, my plan went along perfectly! HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA!

/|\

Cell lifted his tear-streaked face from Masquerade, and witnessed Surreal's transformation. Akimo looked like he was being sucked into her body as his skin melted on her and began to form one body. When the transformation finished, a large wave of powerful ki washed over him.

My God…what power…

I can't believe it! It is pure, limitless power!

But what's happening?!

The whole body looked like it was sculpted from a thick, transparent slime. The body looked almost human except for the mammal-resembling head and long porcupine-like spikes growing from its head and back. It had four fingers on one hand, and three-toed lizard feet. Within the slimy creature flickered tiny lights like the fireflies he had seen earlier. The creature itself was about the size of Cell, maybe a little shorter. He had no idea what it was, except that it possessed limitless power in its body. The limitless power of life and death itself.

Is that…the Shishi Gami?

Suddenly, the creature levitated a short distance off the water, and curled itself into a ball for a moment. The small lights inside of it began to move around faster and glow brighter. A blue, smoky light swirled around its body making a loud buzzing sound. Cell sensed an attack, took his arms off Masquerade's body and jumped high in the air.

He had jumped just in time.

The creature had suddenly snapped out of its ball and flung its long limps out. The blue light spread across the water and flowed up onto the land like a shock wave. At the touch of the light, the ground dulled to a maroon color and the trees began to wither and drop their leaves. Kodama fell lifelessly to the ground as their mother trees died off, turning the color of wet blood. Cell watched in horror as the whole realm was enveloped in the essence of death and crumbled away. Some of the gigantic dead trees could no longer stay rooted and tumbled to the ground along with the snowing of dead kodama. Cell shook his head at the sight, growing so much more fearful.

It looks like a demon attack!

No, this isn't the Shishi Gami…

This is its demon!

Below him, he heard a loud gasp of air as though someone's head a broken the surface of water. He looked down to see Masquerade bolting up to a sit and heaving in air. He couldn't believe it! She was alive! But she was dead a moment ago…was he mistaken? He dropped to the ground to her, running over the dead land to her side. Small orbs of light the sizes of coins were floating from the ground and into the creature's body, as though it was summoning a Genki Dama. Cell kneeled to Masq's side and held her shoulders.

"San!" he cried in happy disbelieve. "You're alive!" She looked at him, her face frozen in aftershocked terror.

"Seru?" she breathed quietly, finally gathering air into her lungs. "What do you mean? What happened?" She looked around her, and gasped at the sights around her. She screamed, holding onto Cell's neck. "AAAAAAAA! WHAT'S GOING ON?!"

"Let's get out of here." Cell proposed, gathering Masq in his arms and taking off into the air. He looked behind him at the creature as he soared away. He could hear Surreal's evil laughs as the creature flung out another shock wave through the forest. It went out further than the last one, killing more trees and showering dead kodama to the ground where they faded away on the dirt. Masq looked on in shock.

"What happened?!" she wondered quietly, putting a hand to her head. "I lost some of my memory for a moment, but it's coming back now…"

"I thought you were dead." Cell sighed, thankful that she was alright. "I didn't know what to think…" Suddenly, Masq remembered Cell firing that blast at her…and she narrowed her eyes at him.

"You shot me…" she growled at him. "You tried to kill me…"

"San, it was an accident. I didn't mean to…"

But it was too late to try and talk to her. Her new anger was too strong for reason.

"YOU BASTARD!" she screamed at him, grabbing his neck in her hands, trying to strangle him. "YOU MURDERING BASTARD! YOU TRIED TO KILL ME! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU! YOU TRIED TO KILL ME!" Cell was okay, his neck was too thick for Masq's hands to crush his windpipe. He just looked at her in worry.

"San! Please, I didn't mean to! Let me explain…"

"PUT ME DOWN, YOU SON OF A BITCH! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU DID THAT TO ME! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU, I HATE YOU, I HATE YOU!"

" 'Put you down?' " Cell repeated to her through his clenched teeth, looking down below him. Another shock wave erupted from below them, withering away more trees. He could see a herd of deer trying to jump away from the shock waves, but the moment the blue light touched them, they fell over dead and gave off the small orbs of life energy. The light of the shock wave faded away and the remaining deer continued fleeing for their lives. "Apparently, the wave kills you if you're standing on the ground. We better stay up here…and head for higher ground." Masquerade became calm when Cell addressed the situation. She looked to the distance ahead of them.

"The temple." She decided. "The Moro Gami temple at the very peak of the mountain. That's as high as we can go."

"Then let's hurry." He suggested, flying faster. Then, Masquerade angrily turned her head away from him, letting some of her hair fly in his face. He brushed it away with one hand and tried to look in her eyes.

"San…it was an accident. I was tricked…I thought it was Surreal. She disguised herself as you to trick me into…"

"Not another word out of you." Masq snarled. "I'll jump off!"

Cell couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"You really meant it? You hate me now?"

"Yes." She firmly stated, turning her head to him and angrily sneered at him. "I can't believe I fell in love with you…Cell…"