Princess Mononoke Fan Fiction / Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ The Silent Prince, Perfect Collection 1 ❯ Chapter 25 ( Chapter 25 )

Chapter 25

Genji could hear his feet pounding the ground rapidly, running as fast as he could. He could hear Yume galloping at his side, panting though her mouth as she ran. He could hear his heartbeat pace faster as something excited his demon. Those were the only things he could hear. He couldn't hear anything behind him. He wasn't sure if he was even being chased.

What is wrong with my demon? Genji wondered to himself as he turned his head to look Yume in the eye. It hasn't gotten this worked up since inside the Yuzuha temple…

**Yume, stop. I think we're far enough away!**

Genji skidded to a stop on his two feet as Yume came to an instant stop. Both turned behind them, looking for the snake. Yume growled and bared her teeth, preparing for attack. Genji loaded his bow and pulled back on the bowstring.

They waited…

Then Genji spotted the Shikigami running frantically towards him. He spotted Ryu and Momiji further back, calling urgently to him.

Suddenly, the Shikigami grabbed Genji and pulled his aside.

"Ke, ke, ke, ke, ke!"

At that moment, Nanja lunged his head out of the grass to bite Genji, but missed thanks to the paper demons. Yume barked and attacked the snake.

"Shame on you, Nanja-san!" the wolf growled, biting into the snake's scaly body. Her teeth sunk in deep, drawing purple blood. The snake hissed and in pain, writhing in Yume's jaws. Genji managed to shake himself free of Momiji's Shikigami as he finally fired an arrow at the snake. The arrow sunk into flesh just below the eye, and the snake did something strange…

It screamed…

"SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAA!"

Genji's eyes widened as he felt quick palpitations in his heart, and he clutched the bandages over his chest.

What in the…If my demon is reacting like this to that noise, then…

He gasped in alarm.

**Yume! Get away from it! Nanja is no longer a God!**

"Huh?" Yume wondered, looking at Genji with the snake in her mouth.

Suddenly, it swung its head close to the wolf and bit down on her leg. She fell to her side in painful whimpers as the snake's fangs snapped her leg in half.

Genji ran foreword, loading his bow.

**YUME!**

Nanja, free of its hold, coiled and brought its head up to face the charging Genji. The snake shook its rattle fiercely, and shot its head towards the boy. Genji immediately skidded to a stop, and let go of the bowstring. The arrow sung through the air…

…and sunk into the scar on the snake's head. Nanja thumped to the ground, screeching in pain. Genji loaded another bow as he ran around the snake to his wolf.

**Yume! Speak to me! Are you alright?!**

She whimpered and barked in fear. Genji looked at her leg, seeing it bending the wrong way and covered in blood. Genji looked up to glare at the snake, but was stunned by what he saw.

He saw gooey tendrils poking from the serpent's wounds and waving around fiercely as though they were in a fierce gust of wind.

Genji figured right. He remembered a story Miaka told him when he was younger.

Nanja, the supreme god of the snakes…

…had turned into a demon long ago when Cell killed him.

/|\

"Oh, dear Gods!" Ryu cried as more gooey tendrils sprouted from Nanja's body and completely enveloped him. The snake looked like a massive river of blood being carried into the sky.

Momiji recognized this transformation.

"A demon…" she whispered in horror. "I thought somethin' waas up…it's Nanja…"

"Nanja?" Ryu blinked. "Didn't he die sixteen years ago? Didn't Cell kill him?"

"Aye, he did." Momiji nodded. "Bot Nanja waasn't raised from th' dead baack then. Someone brought 'im baack ta life recently…"

"Huh?" Ryu blinked. "What the hell was that suppost to mean?"

"Neva mind." Momiji shook off. "Genji's in trouble."

"So, what do we do?" Ryu wondered, staring at the massive, slimy creature. "If we touch it or get touched, we could end up with demon burns just like Genji."

"Leeve it ta mey." The priestess insisted, taking out her blowgun. "Servin demons for most-ve me life, I know how ta handle 'em."

/|\

Genji crouched by Yume, and loaded his bow for an attack. Then, the snake demon lunged its head at the boy. Genji prepared to fire…

Suddenly…

"Ke, ke, ke, ke!"

Momiji's remaining Shikigami dragged Genji away from the serpent before the boy could be bitten. They carried him away, running quickly as they could. The demon angrily slithered after them.

Genji raised a hand out to his wolf as he was hurried away from her side.

**Yume!**

"Genji!" she cried as the demon slithered by her and left her alone. She whimpered in futility. She wished she could help him. "Moro-mama…I've failed you…"

"You did your best, young one." a familiar voice soothed. "However, you haven't failed your mother yet."

Yume turned her head up to see who was talking to her. A man fell from the sky and landed on his feet next to her. She barked once in relief.

"Piccolo-san! It's you!"

The Namek warrior smiled at the wolf.

"Here. Eat this and go help your boy."

Patting her head, he took a single bean from his senzu pouch.

"Are you going to help Genji too, Piccolo-san?" Yume asked.

He nodded.

"He may need all the help he can get."

As he put the bean in Yume's mouth, he turned his head to the west. Genji's two friends were rushing to the scene as quickly as they could…

…Then he turned his head to the east, the direction of the city. He could hear hoof beats in the distance, and he could sense a reasonably high level of ki approaching…

…but he had no idea who it was.

The aura felt friendly enough…

Is that the one who was playing the flute earlier?