Unholy Crusade

Act 2: Breaking Point

Mini Series: Hunt for Android 17

Chapter 5: Unlikely Couple

((Author's Note: Those who aren't familiar with Final Fantasy 7 are in for a huge back story in the beginning of this chapter. Sorry if it bores you. The same goes with those who have played FF7.))

Last time:

Selena looked at Cell curiously.

" What's with the 'we' and 'we'll' talk? Are you saying I should help you?"

Cell looked at Selena.

"Please? I might need it."

Selena shrugged.

"Sure. Okay, I'll help you out, but just this once, and that's it."

Cell smiled slightly.

"Fine by me."

"Shake on it."

"What?"

Selena extended her hand.

"Just to make it official. I mean, since when have we helped each other out?"

Cell thought back to last night in the rain, but he decided not to bring it up.

"Why exactly do I need to shake your hand?"

"That's what you do when you make a truce, right?"

Cell had to laugh.

"You humans and your silly traditions...."

He grabbed her hand and shook it anyway.

"Now it is official. Are you happy?"

Selena nodded, then sat down on the roof.

"So, how long do we have to wait and what's Mako?"

********************

Cell looked out at the city scape before answering. A lot of the green haze of mako gas was disapearing, being eaten away by the oxygen, but it still wasn't safe to wander through. He sat down next to her.

"We have time, so I think I can go into detail."

He began to explain.

"Mako is the life blood of the planet. In its natural state, it is a cold liquid that flows through every layer of the planet. Large amounts of it are as dangerous as molten lava, it can slowly burn a submerged body. Small amounts, like say....a glassful, are safe and can be consumed without much of a problem. When condensed into a gas, like our problem here, it is very lethal. The more spoiled and rotten, the deadlier."

"Spoiled?" Selena asked. "How do you spoil liquid?"

"In mako's case, it can spoil like food and grow bateria and smell of methane."

Selena plugged her nose at that thought.

"Yuck."

"Spoiled mako is a horrible poison. As a gas, death is practically instant. The reason we aren't dead is because up here, the gas is thin. Its a heavy gas, so it settles to the ground and is taken apart by the oxygen molecules until it completely disapears. This process takes about thirty minutes."

"Sheesh. Is it easy to get a hold of this stuff?"

"No, it's very difficult. If you remember your history lessons, mako was used as a power source by a hi-tech monopoly called Shin-Ra."

"I never went to school. What's Shin-Ra?"

Cell would have face valted.....if he wasn't on a roof and instant death was directly under him.

"A thousand years ago," he began, annoyed, "there was a high-tech city called Midgar, and it was run by a monopoly company called Shin- Ra.....which was run by the Shin-Ra family. Shin-Ra owned everything, from the cars on the streets to the coffee you drank. It controlled the media, the press, communications, and eventually the world. What made them so successful was their source of power: natural mako.

"The mako they used was pumped from the earth by gigantic mako reactors, which gave all the cities and towns their power. However, not only did the mako give off such horrible pollution, but the life blood of the earth was being drained away. You could say that Shin-Ra was killing off the planet little by little.

"But Shin-Ra didn't just use mako for power. They used it on people too."

Selena raised an eyebrow at that, but kept quiet. Cell just continued.

"Shin-Ra also had its own military, and then an elite army known as SOLDIER. The elite army is soaked in warm mako to provide super strength and stamina. One strange side effect, however, was that a SOLDIERs eyes would glow. This was known as 'mako eyes' and anyone with them was someone to look out for."

"This is starting to sound familiar....." Selena bit her lip.

"Well, one famous SOLDIER was the ingenius and demonic Sephiroth."

Selena froze. Who DIDN'T know Sephiroth?!

"So........the guy who did this....." she pointed to the town. ".....is a SOLDIER?"

"I'm not sure." Cell shook his head. "Even SOLDIERs can be killed by mako gas. But having mako on hand.......it could be someone who has access to old Shin-Ra accounts." He hesitated a moment. "Or.......possibly could have bought it from the black market..........dammit, I don't know what to think....."

Selena looked back out at the town. Most of the green fog was already gone.

"I haven't heard anymore gunshots......" she said.

"No...." Cell agreed. "But it's still not safe to go looking around."

Selena got an idea and stood up.

"Hey, can't we fly over the area and away from the gas? We won't get poisoned, will we?"

Cell thought about that for a minute, then stood up.

"Maybe not." he answered. "We could do that........but I don't want the Namek or the others to find me......"

"Oh, yeah. There's that." Selena bit her lip again. "Well......I'm here."

"So?"

"So?! If they come here, I'll tell them what's going on and they'll leave you alone. They listen to me."

"Since when?"

"..........." Selena shook her head. "Look, we'll be fine. Let's go fly."

"You can't fly."

"........................." Selena glared at Cell. Then, she walked behind him, and hopped onto his back, piggy back style. Cell protested with a "hey!" before getting used to the weight.

"Let's go." Selena suggested.

"..................................." Cell glared at her over his shoulder. "Get off."

"No. You fly and I'll hold on back here. Now, let's go!"

Cell shook his head, and jumped from the roof. He hovered far up into the air, and slowly glided over the town.

**************************

Both Selena and Cell scanned with their eyes through the body ridden streets. Selena would constantly shift over Cell's shoulders to look around carefully. It was annoying Cell, but he didn't say anything. Finding the killer was more important.

Then, a shot rang out from right below them. Cell stopped in mid air, and Selena hung onto his shoulders tightly.

"He's down there, isn't he?!"

Cell just growled, and scanned through the thin fog of green.

He saw a shadow move, and tensed.

"There!"

Without thinking, he dove for it with Selena still on his back. She yelped in surprise, but held on as Cell roughly landed and ran after the shadow. She looked from over his shoulder as he took off after something that looked like a person running.

She noticed the shadow turning an arm to them, and pointing a nasty looking hand gun.

"Whoa!" She cried, ducking her head behind Cell's neck.

Four shots fired one after the other, and the shadow ducked behind a building.

Cell turned sharply after it, knocking Selena off his back. She rolled on her side before stopping on her stomach, then pulled herself up back to her feet.

"Hey!" she shouted out where Cell had run off. "Wait for me!"

She started to take off after him, but after a few steps stopped. One of the bodies was holding a Poleroid camera, and there was a picture in the slot. She walked up to it to investigate.

The picture was completely developed, showing a full body shot of someone in a coat, pointing a gun at the camera.

The man looked Asian, with long black hair that went to his shoulders. Under the tan coat, she could see a black t-shirt, blue jeans, and green sneakers.

It looked like a late teen, maybe the same age as Selena.

She took the picture with her, and ran off after Cell.

'I think I just got a snapshot of our killer......'

******************

Cell was surprised the man ran as fast as he could. That was one of Selena's traits.

Since when did the people of Earth run at cheetah speed?!

He chased the attacker through allies and into open streets, only seeing long black hair and a tanned coat on the guy.

In fact, was it even male?! He couldn't tell at this angle.

The person then turned around again, pointing the gun at Cell. Cell braced himself; all four shots hit his chest but bounced right off thanks to his tough skin.

The gun fired four more times in a row, one bullet grazing past Cell's left ear, and the others simply fell away from his head.

Cell kept his sences as he and the man kept running.

'Wasn't that the same handgun?

'He fired four times.......but a gun like that should have six bullets in it......

'How could two more fit in the gun? I didn't see him reloading.....'

Then, the man turned around again and pointed the gun at Cell.

'What kind of gun does he have?'

He noticed a minute movement with the man's finger, then the gun began fireing automatic rounds at Cell. The android dodged to the side. The bullets weren't hurting him, but they were distracting him and slowing him down. He increased his running speed until he was catching up with the man.

'Why isn't he getting tired yet?'

Cell reached an arm out and swiped at the man's head. The man cried out slightly, making him lose his running speed. Cell tackled him, both rolled to the ground to a halt. The man kicked Cell off him, and manuvered away. Cell stood up, glaring the man in the face.

He took note of every detail.

Asian, male, long black hair, blue eyes, black and white shirt, jeans, green sneakers......

Cell flicked his view to the gun pointed at him.

......modified handgun.

The man looked absolutely calm, as though he knew what he was dealing with......as though he was in complete control. Cell glared at him.

'Who is this man? How could he be as strong and fast as me?

'So many questions I must have the answer to...........'

They stared at each other, not moving. Cell broke the stillness as his tail swayed lazily behind him. The man's eyes followed it for a moment before looking back at Cell. The tail then made a swift sweep up and over Cell's head. The man moved his head up at the sudden movement, and Cell struck.

He knocked the gun from the man's hand and punched him in the gut. As the man suffered from that, Cell grabbed him by the head, and swung him into the side of a building. The man swiftly recovered, kicking Cell in the face and knocking him back. The man got on his two feet, and he rushed for the gun. Cell tried to catch him, but the man tumbled on his back as he grabbed his gun. The man put it back in his holster and reached for something else at his side.

Cell lunged for him again, tail raised. The man moved out of his way swiftly, but was caught around the wrist by Cell's tail. The man dropped what he was holding: a black canister in the shape and size of a baseball.

Green smoke started rising from the ball, right into Cell's and the man's faces. Cell suddenly started hacking and shaking, walking away and letting go of the man. The man, feeling just fine, made a hasty retreat into the city.

Cell flew up as fast as he could, coughing hard and feeling his eyes water. As soon as he saw the top of a building, he flopped on it right on his stomach, breathing in hard. He heard himself wheeze with every breath.

"Mako...." he coughed out. He kept coughing and wheezing as he stood up.

'Where's Selena?'

He senced her just a few blocks away, so he went to the edge of the rooftop and flew to her. He felt himself fall closer to the ground as he coughed. She noticed him immediately, and headed for him. He landed on his feet, but stumbled down to his knees and coughed into his hands.

"What happened?!" Selena cried, running to him.

"Mako gas....."

Cell struggled with his voice, he could barely talk.

"We......have to go......"

"Yeah, let's get out of here. We can't find anyone in this gas filled place.....Where's the guy?"

".....Got away......run....now....."

They ran out at top speed, Cell continuing to cough uncontrollably. By the time they reached the woodland, he found that he was coughing more than he was breathing.

He remembered the ground rushing to meet him as he passed out......

***********************

Selena lay quietly in her sleeping bag, looking up at the sea of stars above her. She couldn't sleep.

Selena had a hard time telling Krillin and Sakura what she had to tell them. She put a lot of thought into her words, as she helped Cell find a place to rest and then walk back to her own camp.

She couldn't believe she put a whole plan together.

She remembered every word she told them, after explaining about the mako gas killer.......

----Flashback----

"Krillin....Sakura......I'm sorry, guys. We can't travel together for a while."

"Selena-san?"

"Why not, Selena?"

"Because..........Cell and I made a truce. We're working together to catch this guy."

"What?!"

"But, Selena-san, you're enemies!"

"Yeah, and I don't trust him. That's why I don't want you guys with me. What if he turns on me and tries to absorb me..........or one of you guys......."

"Oh. I see. Well, Selena, Sakura and I can protect each other. You don't have to watch over both of us."

"But I wouldn't forgive myself if he hurt one of you."

"Selena......."

"Krillin.....Sakura......can you both go on to Dublin without me?"

"Dublin?"

"It's eighty miles from here. Cell and I will catch this guy before he can get that far, I know that much. So, you guys just go there and avoid any towns. You can take my capsule cases too, I'm bringing some essentials with me."

"Selena-san.......I don't wanna leave you....."

"Oh, Sakura-chan, don't cry. I promise, once this is all over, I'll meet up with you guys in Dublin. Just.........just be careful......you and Krillin, okay?"

".....okay...."

"Alright. Well, I'll just pack up and go."

"Wait, Selena.......what about Piccolo and Tien?"

"What about them?"

"What if they find out about this? Piccolo's gonna kill you. I mean, teaming up with Cell."

"Well, he'd know what I'm trying to do. Don't worry about him, I can handle him by myself."

"Alright, if you say so..........."

"That'll do it. Well, bye guys. I'll see you in Dublin....."

----End of Flashback----

Selena remembered how Krillin looked so scared and doubtful, and Sakura was crying so bad. She felt bad having to leave them like that, but she had to for their own safety.

She looked over at Cell. She had laid out another sleeping back, and set him on top of it to sleep. He stopped coughing, but he was breathing heavily and wheezing. She reached a hand out of her bag, and touched his shoulder gently. He was still warm.

His eyelids squeezed together before they opened. Selena sat up, seeing that he was awake.

"Are you alright?"

Cell nodded with a grunt before pushing himself up to a sit.

"Where are we?" he asked, sounding more hoarse than naturally.

"In the middle of the forest." Selena answered. "Far away from Middleton. What happened, did you breathe in too much of that mako stuff?"

"He had a gas bomb." Cell explained. "It went off in our faces. I got away as quickly as I could."

"And the guy?"

"I believe he did the same, if he's not dead already."

"Dead already?!" Selena scowled. "He had better not be."

Cell had to smile.

"You really want to kill him, don't you?"

"Hell yeah. Probably as bad as I want you dead."

Cell got up to his feet, looking around.

"Where are your friends?!"

Selena sighed.

"Well, this looked like we would be a team for longer than I thought........so I sent them ahead to Dublin."

Cell blinked at her curiously. Then, he smiled at her.

"Did you think I would absorb them? Silly Selena, I wouldn't do that. Why would I?"

"Hmph." Selena snorted, wondering how he managed to figure it out. "I don't trust you."

"I don't trust you either, yet I decided to team up with you, because I trust your word."

Selena decided not to say anything, as Cell stretched in comfort.

"Well, we should get some sleep before we continue the search."

"Sounds good. Hey, don't absorb me in my sleep, okay?"

"Why would I do that?"

Selena put her hands on her hips.

"Don't I look like an apetizing midnight snack?"

"Don't tempt me. Good night."

"Yeah, good night."

Selena lay back down in her sleeping back, and ducked into it. Cell headed for the nearest tree and climbed up it. He lay against a sturdy branch, and closed his eyes. He could hear himself wheezing slightly, but tried not to let it bother him.

It didn't take long for both him and Selena to fall asleep.

****************

Cell awoke to very loud wheezing. He closed his beak and swallowed, trying to stop.......

........then noticed that the wheezing was not his own.

He looked down from his branch to see Selena still asleep in her sleeping bag, and three unfamiliar men walking around the clearing. One was looking around with glazed eyes, while the other two kept bumping into trees as they walked. All three of them were wheezing worse than Cell was.

'Mako poisoning.' Cell diagnosed. 'Those three are lucky to be alive.'

The one that was looking around then laid eyes on Selena. Cell noticed the man licking his lips hungrily between wheezes. He tensed when the man lumbered over to Selena. She was still alseep, even with all the noise around her.

'She's too deep alseep. She won't be able to defend herself......'

He noticed the man reach for Selena's head to pull her out of the bag........

'........not on my watch.....'

Cell launched himself from the tree and stuck his tail into the man's chest, pulling the man away from Selena. As Cell landed on his feet, he started absorbing the man. He felt the energy rush through his veins as the clothes fell limp to the ground.

The man didn't make a sound during the process. The other two didn't even notice.

'They are going to die anyway. I might as well put them out of their misery.'

One after the other, the two men were absorbed. Cell picked up their clothes, and stuck them into the underbrush. The pile wasn't immediately visable, and Cell was satisfied with that. So, Selena wouldn't throw a fit in the morning. However, Cell wasn't satisfied with the energy he picked up. It wasn't enough for one day, he would have to conserve what he gathered through sleeping.

He looked down at Selena. She was still sleeping! He wanted to fall over in embarassment. How could anyone sleep so soundly through all that noise?! Maybe it was possible for Cell to walk up and absorb her right now?!

Cell heard more wheezing in the distance. There were at least two more survivors. Cell wasn't familiar with the side effects of mako poisoning, but he knew that a poisoned victom was dangerous. They practically became zombies, their minds were limited only to instinct. There was no known treatment, so the victoms were usually left to die.

Cell didn't want another accident happening with Selena.

He nodded at a simple decision. Then, he turned back to her.

He quietly undid the zipper to the sleeping bag, and carefully picked her up. He held her in his arms then hovered slowly back up to his branch. He sat, then laid back while holding Selena on top of him.

'There. This should keep her safe for tonight.'

Suddenly, Selena moaned and moved in her sleep, making herself comfortable. She subconciously nuzzled her head into his chest and draped her arms over his shoulders. When she was still and quiet, Cell was left blinking.

'This feels........very weird........

'........but, it's something of pleasant.....'

He put his hands on her back to secure her and closed his eyes.

He noticed he wasn't wheezing anymore as he went back to sleep.

**********************

When morning broke, Selena awoke to complete comfort. She sighed and nuzzled into what she was laying on. Oh, it was so warm and firm, it was like her dream matress.

She opened her eyes to see that her head was on a chest that was green with black speckals. She looked further up to see Cell's head attached to it (he looked to be asleep). She looked further down to see that she was laying on top of his body.

This wasn't possible.......unless.......

"Aaarg!" Selena shouted, moving off of him. "You perverted bastard!" Then, she dropped about eight feet. "AAAAAAAAAA! OOF!"

She picked herself off the ground and looked up at Cell. He had sat up and was laughing at her. She pulled down an eyelid with one finger and stuck her tongue out at him. He crossed his arms and smiled.

"There is an explanation for that."

"I'll bet, you horny letch!"

"HEY!" Cell yelled, insulted and blushing. "Let me explain, will you?"

"Fine." Selena rolled her eyes and looked at him. He explained what had happened last night with the mako poisoned men and how her safety was at stake. He only said he fought them off, not that he absorbed them. Selena rolled her eyes again.

"Don't do that again, okay? What was wrong with waking me up?"

Cell jumped down from the tree and sneered.

"You slept through the entire thing. Why would I try waking you up after that?"

Selena frowned.

"So, don't we have a killer to find?"

"Yes, we do."

Selena packed up her supplies and got dressed behind a tree. Afterward, they both started the walk to the next town.

"So," Cell asked as they started walking, "where do we go next?"

TO BE CONTINUED!

*******************

END OF EPISODE BONUS!

*******************

((Selena is dressed in Yuna's outfit from FFX-2, Sakura is dressed in Yuna's outfit from FFX. Cell is off in the corner in an Al Bhed wetsuit, trying to take that funky yellow mask off his face.))

Cell: **muffled** Mmmm-mmm-mmph!

Selena: **waves her hand at him** Oh, whatever. **waves at the readers** ^^! Hi, guys. Since Masq is on a full-fledged Final Fantasy kick, I thought holding a FF concert would make her day. The song is "Real Emotion" from the upcoming Final Fantasy X-2! **twirls, showing off her costume** As you can see, I'm in Yuna's new fashion style. I'm sure Masq is gonna love this!

Masq: **stomps up to Selena angrily** What the hell are you wearing?!

Selena: **looks at Masq** Huh?

Sakura: **looks up at Masq** Aren't we pretty, Masq-sama?

Masq: ^^! **kneels down to Sakura** Yes, you're very pretty. You have a lovely costume.

Selena: Ahem!

Masq: **glares at Selena** Traitor.

Selena: Huh? What?

Cell: **takes his mask off, finally** Selena, I tried to tell you. Masq has a deep loathing for X-2!

Selena: **turns to Cell** How come?

Masq: You're wearing it.

Selena: **frowns** That's it? Just the costume?

Masq: Don't get me started. Also, the plot sounds weak, they turned Yuna into a Lara Croft-wannabe, and..... **gets really big, manga style** NO AURON! WHAT IS UP WITH THAT?!

Selena: **sweatdrop** Sheesh, don't get mad at me. I didn't make the game.

Masq: **waving her arms around** Play the song, fine. But, Selena, I demand that you change into another outfit.

Selena: Sorry, can't. It's too recognizable to leave out. And if you think I'm wearing napkins and dental floss like Rikku is gonna, no way.

Cell: O.O! THAT skimpy? I gotta check this game out!

Masq: **glares at Cell** Put that mask back on. I don't wanna hear another word out of your mouth.

Cell: **sad puppy face** But I can't breathe or see in it......

Masq: **leaves** Whatever. I think I'm skipping this performance out.

Sakura: ??? **very confused**

Selena: **chuckles nervously** Heh, heh...... Well, the show must go on..... Let's get on stage people.

Cell: **takes point, throwing the Al Bhed mask away** Krillin's got everything set up on stage. Uh.....and what's his costume again?

Selena: X-2 Rikku.

Cell: O.o!

Selena: **laughs** I'm kidding. He's Tidus.

Cell: ....... You're very scary sometimes.......

((It's a full house as the curtain rises from the stage.))

Announcer: Ladies and gentlemen, the Antagonists are proud to perform for you "Real Emotion" by Koda Kumi!

((The crowd cheers. The sterio kicks on, and Krillin and Cell back up with keyboard and drums. Selena and Sakura are at the mikes. Author's note: Sorry, no translation available.))

Background:

What can I do for you

What can I do for you

What can I do for you

I can't hear you

Selena:

ano hi kokoro no kanata ni egaiteta basho ni iru

tohou ni kuretetari suru keredo mou modorenai

yume ni mita katachi to wa

nanimokamo ga chigau

genjitsu ni wa... memai sae suru

riaru na sekai ni yureteru kanjyou

maketakunai

mou tada hashiru shikanai kono mune ni

kikoetekuru

kimi wa hitori jyanai

Background:

What can I do for you

What can I do for you

What can I do for you

I can't hear you

Selena:

kesshite furimuki wa shinai anata ni wa toyoranai

nanika ga areba kanarazu suguni kite kureru kara

ima boku ni dekiru koto

sore wa shinjiru koto...

shinjitsu nara kono mune ni aru

riaru na sekai ni yureteru kanjyou

sasaeru no wa

sou anata ga oshietekureta subete

ima no watashi

daraka, hitori jyanai

((Intermission. Selena jams to the music, making some of the guys whistle and cat call. Sakura just waves cutely, making the younger viewers yell "KAWAII!"))

Selena and Sakura:

riaru na sekai ni yureteru kanjyou

kanjitemo

anata ga me o tojita nara soko ni iru

kizuna ga aru

dakara, hitori jyanai

riaru na sekai ni yureteru kanjyou

maketakunai

mou tada hashiru shikanai kono mune ni

kikoete kuru

kimi wa hitori jyanai

Everybody:

What can I do for you

What can I do for you

What can I do for you

I can't hear you

Selena: *blows a kiss at the audience* I can't hear you.....

((Music winds down, the crowd cheers like crazy))

Selena: **winks** We'll have to make this up to Masq now. Can some of you reviewers out there recommend more songs for us to sing? We'd appreciate it! See you all until next time!

((Curtain call))