Princess Mononoke Fan Fiction / Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Singing Mountain ❯ Epilogue ( Epilogue )

Singing Mountain: Epilogue

Six weeks had passed…

Rhapsody rode Amon into Moro-sama's den, where the puppies were napping around the walls of the den. The young wolves had now grown to be half as tall as a human, and were taking up some space. Also occupying a part of the wall, Cell and Masquerade were napping under the high priestess's fur shroud. Masq had become so proud of her new title as the second high priestess of the wolf clan; she could hardly contain herself on the first day. Cell was excited for her too. Of course, it was the defeat of Laerrus that earned Masq's new position and granted her the full-face mask made of red clay.

Rhapsody smiled at the couple, then walked further back in the cave to where Moro-sama way lying with her eyes open. The old wolf was waiting for Rhapsody. The high priestess sat by Moro's giant muzzle and put her hand on it gently.

"Are you feeling better, Moro-sama?" Rhapsody asked. The wolf slightly raised her head and gave out a wide yawn. After closing her mouth and licking her lips once, Moro sat her head back on the cool cave floor.

"San Miaka has been coming and giving me medicine and fish to eat. I feel much better today. Miaka said that I should be able to recover completely tomorrow." Moro-sama was suffering from a fever that threatened to give her distemper. Miaka knew how to treat it, and proceeded to use her medicines after getting the Eboshi veterinarian's okay. Moro-sama was doing fine while she was sick, but she never left her den. Rhapsody visited her everyday, and Masq and Cell would stay by her side day and night. Most of the mountain was worried about Moro-sama's illness, but by tomorrow they would calm down.

"I'm glad to hear that you are better." Rhapsody smiled, rubbing her hand over Moro-sama's muzzle. "And how are Cell and San Masquerade doing?"

"They have been discussing marriage lately." Moro-sama reported, turning her head to the sleeping couple. "However, I am making sure that they are never alone, as part of the Mononoke courting customs. Yume is with them wherever they go. I believe they are being irritated by this."

Rhapsody chuckled. She and Biso were getting the same irritation, since Amon and young Kago weren't leaving them alone either. But they would get their time alone once they were married. The same would go for Cell and Masq.

"I hope they understand that it was for the best." Rhapsody sighed behind her hand. "The day they kissed for the first time, they couldn't get their lips off each other. I'm amazed they didn't suffocate."

"Masquerade has also been discussing future children." Moro-sama said more quietly. "Cell is rather reluctant to talk about it."

"Most men are." Rhapsody rolled her eyes. "Have they decided when the wedding is?"

"Two months." A male voice interrupted them. Moro-sama and Rhapsody looked to the sleeping lovers to see Cell wide-awake and smiling at them. "We want to get married as soon as possible. Also, I heard Biso wanting to do the same with you, San."

Rhapsody smirked at Cell with challenge.

"Race you." She dared.

"Alright." Cell smirked back. "Let's see who gets married first."

They both laughed, and Cell rested his head next to Masq (who was still asleep).

"So," Rhapsody brought up to Cell, "you understand why you and Masq can't have a moment to yourselves, right?"

"I understand." Cell nodded. "So does Masq, but she's growing restless because of it. But I, as much as the other priestesses, really don't want to start an early honeymoon."

Rhapsody raised an eyebrow at this.

"Really?" she asked. "You're the first man I've met to ever say that…" She paused. "…And mean it."

Cell chuckled a few times.

"I am patiently waiting for it." He admitted. "I see no hurry."

"Well, congratulations to you." Rhapsody smiled.

"To you, too." He nodded back at her. Then he closed his eyes and resumed sleep. Rhapsody leaned against the cave wall and sighed.

"So much love is in the air." Rhapsody said to herself. Then to Moro, "I heard Miaka is also making wedding plans."

"Are you sure?" Moro turned her head to the priestess. "With what man?"

"Yamcha."

Cell suddenly snapped out of sleep and fell over upon hearing that.

"What?!" he cried. "Yamcha…and Miaka…???"

Rhapsody couldn't help it. She started laughing hard at the sight. Cell blushed and started laughing too.

Masquerade slept through it all.

/|\

Cell and Masquerade went hunting for Moro and the puppies, teaching Yume how to hunt as well. They caught six deer for the puppies, which they brought back to the den before going to bring Moro more food. Moro was on a strict diet of fish, so they caught as many as they could while Miaka took as much as she could buy from the Eboshi market. Masq and Cell also caught themselves fish, which they cooked outside the den on a cooking fire. Yume joined them, of course. But Yume's company didn't stop Masq from cuddling with Cell. All he did was blush. True, their love was growing stronger, but he was having more and more difficulty showing it to her. However, just being with her made Masq happy enough. He was happy too, he just wished he could show her how he really felt.

Well, I guess I'm not that patient for the wedding…

/|\

That night, Cell and Masq once again spent the night in Moro-sama's den. The puppies were getting rowdy, playing with each other just outside the den entrance. Ghen shooed them back inside, barking them back into the den. Cell made a painful face as he woke up, and glared at Ghen.

"Do you mind?!" he hissed at the wolf. "You'll wake up your mother." Moro-sama was also asleep in the den, but her slumber was deep. She was used to hearing Ghen's barks and howls to grow an immunity to them in her sleep. Ghen just shook his fur stubbornly and trotted back inside the den. He laid by his mother, and rested his head on the den floor. Cell rested his head against the wall and closed his eyes. Blanketed under Masq's fur shroud, he held her hand in one of his, and clutched it protectively. He smiled at the feel of her soft, cool skin. Soon, they would be married, and he would truly happy.

I guess I'm not very patient at all…I wish the wedding was tomorrow…

He leaned over and kissed Masq's forehead before trying to go back to sleep himself. But just before he could fully close his eyes.

"Mr. Cell? Is there a Mr. Cell in here?"

Cell raised his head and looked towards the cave mouth for the owner of the voice. It sounded like amale, dorky voice and it sounded vaguely familiar. He lifted Masq's fur shroud off of him and tucked her solely into it before walking to the entrance. In the light of the stars, he could see a rather small ogre with two horns on his head and dressed in a business suit and tie. Cell blinked at him. The ogre was from King Emna's check-in station in the afterlife.

"What do you want?" Cell demanded.

"Oh, there you are!" the demon nodded. "Uh…well…you see…Emna-sama…"

/|\

Masq opened her eyes slightly, trying to snuggle her head into Cell's chest. However, there was no chest for her to rest her head on. She raised her head and looked around. She didn't see him anywhere in the den.

"Seru?" she called, but he didn't answer. Then, she thought she heard him mumble nearby. She turned her head to the den entrance, and she saw him standing just outside. She noticed him lower his head as though he was in sorrow. She walked to him and put her hand on his shoulder. "Seru, what are you doing out…" Then she saw the ogre, and blinked. "What the…"

"San…" Cell said to her in a low voice, looking at her without moving his head. "I'm sorry…I guess I can't keep my promises after all."

"What do you mean?" Masq asked, seeing that he really was in sorrow. He straightened up the best he could, but there was a tear running from one of his eyes.

"I…don't belong here, San. I'm not suppost to be alive, I'm suppost to be in hell." He found that he could barely look at her, and he turned his head away. "I'm sorry…I'm…I must leave you, San."

"What?" Masq questioned, walking in front of Cell and turning her back to the ogre. "Where are you going? You'll be back, won't you?"

Cell sadly and slowly shook his head.

"But you can't go!" Masq exclaimed, grabbing Cell's shoulders. "We're getting married! We're going to have a family! Just say you can't go!"

"It doesn't matter what I say." Cell explained, shaking his head again. "What does matter are the facts. Because of what I did in the past, I belong in hell, and that is where I must remain forever." He did his best to look her in the eyes. "The people of the afterlife are not Mononoke, they measure a man by what he has done his whole life, not what he has done in the here and now."

"Damn you!" Masq yelled, pounding on Cell's chest. "Don't leave me! Don't leave me! You promised that we would always be together!" Cell wasn't being hurt, so he ignored her actions. He hugged her close, which made her stop and hug him back.

"I have to go. It doesn't matter if I want to stay or not." He reasoned. Masq looked up at him with watering eyes.

"Then I'll go with you." She announced. "We're going to be together, no matter wh…" Cell put a finger on her lips to quiet her, and he shook his head.

"If you go with me to hell, then that means that you will die too."

"I don't care!" Masq cried, burying her face in his chest. "I just want us to be together!"

"I want you to live." Cell said firmly, holding her away from him. "Now listen to me…I love you, San. I do want to keep our promise…" He paused, and a tear dripped from his other eye. "…but I don't think I will be able to see you again, even if you use the dragonballs to wish me back…"

"The what?" Masq sniffed back a few tears. Cell shook his head.

"Never mind." He decided.

"Uh, excuse me…" the ogre cleared his throat. "Emna-sama would like to see you as soon as possible, Mr. Cell." Cell turned his head to the ogre.

"Can I have one more minute please?" he growled through his teeth angrily, blinking back a tear. The ogre gulped nervously.

"Sure, sure." He allowed. "Okay, go ahead."

"Thank you."

Cell turned his head to Masq.

"However…I think I know a way for us to be together still…"

"What do you mean?" Masq asked, wiping away tears with the back of her hand.

"Be still." He requested quietly, cupping his hands before him. Just over his palms, a small blue orb of light the size of a small jewel hovered.

"What is that?"

"A gift…from me." Cell smiled. "Hold still." He held the orb in front of Masq, and gently pressed it into her chest. She sighed as she felt the warmth of the orb flow into her whole body. It took a while, but the warmth faded away from her. She put a hand over where Cell had pushed in the orb, not feeling any burns or wounds. It wasn't painful at all.

"But what was that?" she wondered, looking up at him. He was smiling now, but tears were still coming out of his eyes.

"That is my gift." He said. "San, promise me that you will protect it, cherish it, and to love it as though it was me. If you can do that, then we will be together again."

"Okay." Masq nodded. "So, you'll come back?"

"If you keep your promise, I will return." He held both her hands in both of his. "I will always love you, and I vow to never love another. You will see me again, San." Then, he kissed her tenderly, letting one of his tears drip on his face and flow with her tears. Then, he parted from her, and walked backward from her. Their hands fell away, and Masq stood frozen where she was. Cell stopped walking, and looked at her. She looked so sad, so grieved, as though another member of her family was dying. He must have looked the same way. He wiped his tears away with the back of his hand and he turned away from her.

"I'm ready." He said to the ogre. The ogre nodded at him, pleased, not caring that two lovers were being separated for possibly forever.

"Okay, right this way." The ogre began to glow a bright blue, and so did Cell. Cell turned over his shoulder at Masq, who had not moved.

"This is not goodbye, San!" he called as his voice suddenly began to fade. "I will come back for you!"

Those words seemed to break her from the ground, and she tried to run for him.

"SERU!" she screamed, holding out her arms for one last hug and kiss goodbye. But before she could reach him, he and the ogre had disappeared in a bright flash of the blue light. She grabbed only air in her arms, and she fell to her knees in defeat. "No…" she whimpered. She haunched over, holding her head in her hands and running her fingers nervously through her hair. Memories were racing through her mind, memories of Cell's arrival and their time together. She couldn't contain her grief. She snapped her head up into the sky and screamed.

"SEEEEEERUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!"

She haunched back over and sobbed hard. The tears were flooding out her eyes and onto her hands as though she was bleeding tears. She just couldn't believe it. Two months from now, she would have lived the happiest day of her life and it had disappeared right before her very eyes. She didn't know if she could live with herself know.

She put a hand to her chest, remembering that orb of light. It was Cell's gift, and she had promised him to take care of it. She clutched her hand into a fist, and nodded her head once.

I will keep your promise, Seru. I will do whatever it takes to see that you come back.

She heard a low whimpering behind her. She turned her head to see Moro-sama slowly lumbering out of her den.

"San…" Moro-sama could only manage that one word. She seemed to be as grieved, if not more so, than Masq. Masq stood, and wrapped her arms around Moro-sama's muzzle. The wolf held her head still and closed her eyes.

"Oh, Moro-sama…" Masq sobbed into the wolf's fur.

"San," Moro-sama spoke softly, "you once said that I was the mother you wished you had…I loved you and Cell as though you both were my children. Let this spiritual relationship be so."

Masq smiled, resting her head on Moro-sama's muzzle. Cell's words seemed to echo in her head.

"This is not goodbye, San…I will come back for you…"

/|\

A year had passed…

Priestesses were gathered in a huge mass around Masquerade's cabin. They were all whispering excitedly, and some were jumping up and down, hardly able to contain their joy. Many were trying to peek through the windows, but the curtains were drawn tightly. Some of them were knocking and calling through the door for Masq to open up. The air was tense.

Was she alright? How did it happen? Who was responsible?

Finally, the door opened, but it was Miaka who stood in the doorway. Miaka was four months pregnant and looked rather annoyed at the crowds of priestesses by Masq's door. She was suddenly flooded with questions, but she refused to answer any of them. She narrowed her eyes at them.

"QUIET!" she ordered, and the crowd fell silent. Miaka took a breath before making the announcement. "She's fine, okay? She's been in pain for a full twenty-four hours and she needs rest. The last thing she wants is for you guys to come in and wake her up. You can see her tomorrow morning." She started to close the door, but San Kaede kept the door open by sticking her foot in front of it.

"But we gotta know…" the red head protested. "Please, Miaka, just tell us and we'll go."

"Quietly?"

"Sure." Kaede nodded.

"Alright…" Miaka sighed. "It's a boy."

Loud cheers and gasps exploded through the crowd, and loud celebrating commenced.

"Just shut up and leave!" Miaka snapped. "Masq is trying to sleep, okay?!" She slammed the door shut, then heard Kaede scream "OW! My foot!" Miaka opened the door a crack to free the priestess's foot, the closed it fully. Miaka leaned against the door, and rubbed her forehead. "Oh God…"

"You could have let them in." she heard Masq's voice say from the bedroom. "I wouldn't have minded." Miaka got up from the door and walked to Masq's bed.

"You need rest. You were in labor all day. It's not easy to give birth, as you should have learned by now."

Masq smiled, and held her newborn baby close. He was about the size of her forearm, and his skin was very pink. He was asleep, curling his arms and legs close to him and wrapped in a small wolf fur shroud. Masq softly rubbed her cheek over her son's smooth skin, and he didn't stir.

"I feel fine now." Masq assured. "I wouldn't have minded if the other girls came in and saw him." Miaka sat on the empty bed opposite of Masq, and smiled at her.

"He needs to rest too." She shook her head. She then smirked at her high priestess. "I'm jealous, San. My baby is going to be a girl."

"Are you sure?" Masq blinked. "It might be a boy."

"Nope." Miaka shook her head again, putting her hands on both sides of her bulging stomach. "See how it's even? It's a girl."

"Well, congratulations." Masq smiled. She looked down at her son. "Maybe we can get our kids married then?"

They laughed.

"I'm kidding." Masq chuckled. "I don't believe in arranged marriages."

"Neither do I." Miaka agreed. "So, have you thought of a name yet?"

"No, not yet." Masq admitted. "I'm thinking really hard, but I can't find the right name…"

"Well…" Miaka hesitated. "Are you sure you'll be able to take care of him? I mean…with his…uh, problem?"

"It's fine." Masq nodded. "I can take care of him."

"I just wish I knew where he came from." Miaka sighed.

"What do you mean where he…"

"San, do you know why you were in really great pain giving birth to him?" Miaka didn't wait for Masq's guess. "It was because you were perfectly virgin. Your body wasn't naturally prepared for this at all. And we've all noticed you turn down any men who so much as asked you out on a date…so San, how did this happen?"

"I swear, I don't know." Masq shook her head. "I was just pregnant one day."

"But you don't just decide to get pregnant and…" Miaka hung her head in defeat. "Oh, let's just drop it. Let's just name him Jesus and get it over with."

"Miaka!" Masq snapped, holding her baby tightly as Miaka laughed.

"Sorry." Miaka mumbled after she finished laughing. "Well, you better get some rest, San. You might sleep all day today. A lot of energy was taken from you." Miaka walked up to Masq's bed and tucked the covers tighter over Masq's body. The baby was lain next to Masq's right arm where she could hold him close as she laid down. "I'm gonna warm up some milk for you to help you sleep."

"Thanks, Miaka." Masq smiled, closing her eyes. She leaned her head next to her baby in thought.

Could my son…be the gift Cell was talking about? It's the only explanation…

Well, I intend to keep my promise.

I will love my son as I would love his father.

The End?