CELL

.hack//CELL is a novel originally featured in .hack//G.U. The World. It was later released by itself in both Japan and America. Tokyopop acquired the rights to publish .hack//CELL in English, and the first volume was released on March 2, 2010, with the second being released on November 30, 2010.

Story
"Average high-school student Midori Shinomura falls mysteriously ill. While she wastes away in a hospital, she learns of another Midori---a fighter of terrible skill in the online game known as The World."
 * Volume 1:

"There is a strange and close connection between both Midori Shinomura and game-Midori. With the sanity of both girls on the line, game-Midori will try to solve the mysteries of her past, and perhaps save the real-world Midori in the process."

"Female Edge Punisher Midori discovers that she was created from the strong will of a girl in the real world, Midori Shinomura, who is fighting a losing battle against a mysterious sickness."
 * Volume 2:

"When the death of one means the death of the other, it' a race against time as in-game Midori and her allies try to unravel the secret behind the mysterious sickness. With danger lurking at every turn and non-stop action, The World R:2 is more than a game for Midori. It's life and death!"

---

CELL is about an Edge Punisher named Midori, who roleplays as a "professional victim", charging players GP in exchange for the opportunity to attempt to PK her without resistance. She encounters Haseo, on his search for Tri-Edge prior to the events of .hack//GU: Rebirth.

The first novel explores the lives of both Midori as they go about their days. In-game Midori finds that she has trouble remembering her past and her life outside of The World, while real-world Midori explores the possibility of her never leaving the hospital. She only carries the one thought as her body becomes progressively weaker: "I don't want to die."

Volume 2 delves deeper into why Game-Midori exists, her purpose, and why she is so drawn to the likes of Haseo and Tri-Edge and what it meas for her to experience "true death".

Characters

 * Adamas
 * Bordeaux
 * Gaspard
 * Haseo
 * Kaho
 * Midori
 * Midori Shimomura
 * Negimaru
 * Phyllo
 * Sakaki
 * Silabus
 * "Tri-Edge"

 image:Cellvol1.jpg|Cover for Volume I image:Midori Cellvol2.jpg|Cover for Volume II 

Trivia

 * CELL occurs at the same time as .hack//Roots and many events from the novel also occur in the anime.