Chapter 117
Genji, 17, and San Masquerade traveled back to the safety of the orchard. Masq sat under a tree while 17 and Genji sat on both sides of her. Genji had some questions for his mother before he launched into his story.
**Mom, how in the world did you get down here?**
"Hmmm...." Masq smiled sadly. "When I look back on it, I feel like an idiot."
"What, on how you got down here?" 17 asked. He looked at Genji. "Long story short, she was tricked to come down here."
Masq nodded.
"When I died and went to heaven, I searched everywhere for Seru. When I didn't find him, or anyone else I knew.......you couldn't imagine how horrible I felt. Without my friends, my wolves, or even my baby son.........I was so sad I had died......
"Then, a voice from below the clouds beconed me. He said that Seru was down in hell, and he missed me so much. I didn't think clearly, I just wanted to be with Seru. So......."
Genji nodded.
**So, is Cell down here?**
"No." Masq shook her head. "That voice lied. Seru had mysteriously vanished from hell months earlier. So, I found myself with no Seru, and no way back to heaven......for sixteen years......"
"The voice that lured her down here was Freeza." 17 explained. "They wanted a woman to torture." He leaned back on the tree. "I don't know how they found out about her, but I wasn't going to stand for it. It was just unfair."
"I can't thank 17 enough." Masq admitted. "If he was never here to protect me, who knows what those goons would have done....."
Genji looked back at 17 with a smirk.
**So, my mother is your girlfriend?**
17 chuckled nervously.
"Actually, she's not. That's just my excuse for keeping her safe." Then, he sighed. "Okay, so I hit on her once, but she refused and gave me the let's- be-friends reply. She's only got eyes for her Cell."
Masq smiled.
"Seru said he would love no other woman, so why should I love another man?"
Genji grinned as 17 hung and shook his head. The stories of mom were true: stubborn as a mule, determined as a wolf on the hunt.
Then, Genji had to ask one last question.......
**Mama.......how did you die?**
Her smile faded and she lowered her head again.
"I was shot to death.........by a man."
**Wolf poachers?**
"I'm not sure. There was only one man.....I think....." She sniffed back a tear. "I don't remember very well. I hate thinking about it."
Genji put a sympathetic arm around his mother's shoulders.........
..........then, he felt like someone punched him in the stomach............
.....................
A vision began to waver before his eyes. He was looking through the eyes of someone walking down a hill in a forest. It was a forest in Singing Mountain, one of the trails from his mother's cottage!
The view looked from the trail then turned down to a baby wrapped in a blanket being held in its mother's arms. The baby's mouth was stretched open in crying, but no sound came out of it. It's eyes were also a very bright pink.
'Just like mine! That must be me as a baby.......
'This must be one of my mother's memories. I'm seeing this through her eyes......'
Then, he heard her voice.
"It was just off this trail, Genji-chan. In a small ditch, just over there. About a year ago, I found your father there. He was unconcious, bleeding at the head, and surrounded by kodama. It was the first time I ever saw him." She sniffed. "Oh, he would have loved you, Genji-chan."
Genji almost felt like crying, not remembering this moment at all.
'Mama.......why were you taken from me?'
Still in his vision, Genji heard a voice down the hill.
"You, there! San Masquerade?"
"Yes....." she answered as she turned to see who it was. Before she could get a good look at who it was, there was a loud BOOM! The vision jarred and was flung up to the sky. She had been shot!
Genji watched and listened in helplessness as he heard his mother moan in pain and the gunman walked up to the fallen body. Then, he saw the muzzle of a primitive rifle shoved next to his mother's throat. He couldn't see the gunman at all.
"No......" Masq moaned. "Please....."
Then, the voice of the murderor......
"Cell's legacy has been destroyed at long last."
Then, came another loud BOOM!
SAN!!!! NOOOOOOO!!!
.........................
The vision stopped, and Genji found himself back in hell. His arm was still around his mother's shoulder, and she was on the verge of crying. About to cry himself, he wrapped his other arm around her in a tight hug.
**I'm sorry, mama.** he began to sob. **I'm sorry we had to suffer because of what dad did long ago. I'm sorry so much has happened to us both.**
17 stroked Masq's hair.
"Sorry so much crap happened to ya, San. I'm trying my best to make it better."
Masq wiped away her tears, and looked up at 17 with a weak smile.
"Thank you. Thank you both. I'll stand through my worst trajeties as long as you both are with me."
Genji smiled too.
**As will I, as long as you're with me.**
"I'll stand by you both until this place freezes over."
Genji, 17, and San Masquerade traveled back to the safety of the orchard. Masq sat under a tree while 17 and Genji sat on both sides of her. Genji had some questions for his mother before he launched into his story.
**Mom, how in the world did you get down here?**
"Hmmm...." Masq smiled sadly. "When I look back on it, I feel like an idiot."
"What, on how you got down here?" 17 asked. He looked at Genji. "Long story short, she was tricked to come down here."
Masq nodded.
"When I died and went to heaven, I searched everywhere for Seru. When I didn't find him, or anyone else I knew.......you couldn't imagine how horrible I felt. Without my friends, my wolves, or even my baby son.........I was so sad I had died......
"Then, a voice from below the clouds beconed me. He said that Seru was down in hell, and he missed me so much. I didn't think clearly, I just wanted to be with Seru. So......."
Genji nodded.
**So, is Cell down here?**
"No." Masq shook her head. "That voice lied. Seru had mysteriously vanished from hell months earlier. So, I found myself with no Seru, and no way back to heaven......for sixteen years......"
"The voice that lured her down here was Freeza." 17 explained. "They wanted a woman to torture." He leaned back on the tree. "I don't know how they found out about her, but I wasn't going to stand for it. It was just unfair."
"I can't thank 17 enough." Masq admitted. "If he was never here to protect me, who knows what those goons would have done....."
Genji looked back at 17 with a smirk.
**So, my mother is your girlfriend?**
17 chuckled nervously.
"Actually, she's not. That's just my excuse for keeping her safe." Then, he sighed. "Okay, so I hit on her once, but she refused and gave me the let's- be-friends reply. She's only got eyes for her Cell."
Masq smiled.
"Seru said he would love no other woman, so why should I love another man?"
Genji grinned as 17 hung and shook his head. The stories of mom were true: stubborn as a mule, determined as a wolf on the hunt.
Then, Genji had to ask one last question.......
**Mama.......how did you die?**
Her smile faded and she lowered her head again.
"I was shot to death.........by a man."
**Wolf poachers?**
"I'm not sure. There was only one man.....I think....." She sniffed back a tear. "I don't remember very well. I hate thinking about it."
Genji put a sympathetic arm around his mother's shoulders.........
..........then, he felt like someone punched him in the stomach............
.....................
A vision began to waver before his eyes. He was looking through the eyes of someone walking down a hill in a forest. It was a forest in Singing Mountain, one of the trails from his mother's cottage!
The view looked from the trail then turned down to a baby wrapped in a blanket being held in its mother's arms. The baby's mouth was stretched open in crying, but no sound came out of it. It's eyes were also a very bright pink.
'Just like mine! That must be me as a baby.......
'This must be one of my mother's memories. I'm seeing this through her eyes......'
Then, he heard her voice.
"It was just off this trail, Genji-chan. In a small ditch, just over there. About a year ago, I found your father there. He was unconcious, bleeding at the head, and surrounded by kodama. It was the first time I ever saw him." She sniffed. "Oh, he would have loved you, Genji-chan."
Genji almost felt like crying, not remembering this moment at all.
'Mama.......why were you taken from me?'
Still in his vision, Genji heard a voice down the hill.
"You, there! San Masquerade?"
"Yes....." she answered as she turned to see who it was. Before she could get a good look at who it was, there was a loud BOOM! The vision jarred and was flung up to the sky. She had been shot!
Genji watched and listened in helplessness as he heard his mother moan in pain and the gunman walked up to the fallen body. Then, he saw the muzzle of a primitive rifle shoved next to his mother's throat. He couldn't see the gunman at all.
"No......" Masq moaned. "Please....."
Then, the voice of the murderor......
"Cell's legacy has been destroyed at long last."
Then, came another loud BOOM!
SAN!!!! NOOOOOOO!!!
.........................
The vision stopped, and Genji found himself back in hell. His arm was still around his mother's shoulder, and she was on the verge of crying. About to cry himself, he wrapped his other arm around her in a tight hug.
**I'm sorry, mama.** he began to sob. **I'm sorry we had to suffer because of what dad did long ago. I'm sorry so much has happened to us both.**
17 stroked Masq's hair.
"Sorry so much crap happened to ya, San. I'm trying my best to make it better."
Masq wiped away her tears, and looked up at 17 with a weak smile.
"Thank you. Thank you both. I'll stand through my worst trajeties as long as you both are with me."
Genji smiled too.
**As will I, as long as you're with me.**
"I'll stand by you both until this place freezes over."