I know this is definately not my best chapter, I thought It would get better as I went along, but unfortunately I think all my testing sapped any artistic ability I had left... I can't draw either... If you were to check out my profile you'd see that I love to draw, but it all truns out badly this week. I made the deadline I set for myself at least... Saturday, Sunday, or Monday the I told one reader. I mostly went on and on about this girl's experience, and I appolgize for that I really wish I could have added a moment between R&S but...If I ever can GET TO THE POINT, there will be some cute moments between the couple...

I tend to drag things out... it like pulling teeth I swear...But I know this chapter will turn off a lot of people to this story, but I SWEAR! THE NEXT FEW CHAPTERS WILL eventually have some sweet moments between Rinne and Sakura.

Rumiko Takahashi owns everything.


Chapter 4: Cannibal (Yuiko's story)

"Okay that'll give you a ten minute break," said Rinne backing away from the newly established barrier.

The young girl gave the Shinigami a sad glance and returned to staring at her bloodied knees.

"Perhaps it is not a demon?" she mumbled quietly.

"There are all different types of demon, youkai, oni, too many to list, what kind did you think it was at first?" Sakura asked obscurely.

Rinne allowed Sakura time to speak, but shot her a look that told her that she needed to get to the point. They needed to know how the evil presence came to be, so that it could be taken care of. Rinne was not exceptionally careless; he'd first like to know what he was up against.

"I-I was… never quite sure, I was just 12. I had not learned that much of the world yet. Though my sister was only four years my senior, and happily married."

"So you're not sure? Then do you know how such a spirit came to be?" Rinne interjected just as Sakura opened her mouth to speak. She politely nodded remembering their time constraints.

"Yes, I remember most of it quite well… leading up to the day I died," she said looking up at the wall above her seated position.

"I don't recall the year, but it was just after my sister had been married into the Hanasashi family."

Sakura shared a knowing glance with Rinne.

"Yuiko was the second oldest of five girls and a boy. She lived with her father, and life was good. Her father had always been the generous sort of man, the family's large home had extra rooms and they were always open to travelers.

One day, a group of men, Christian missionaries in fact, needed shelter from the rain, so they came to ask if they had any rooms. Yuiko's father offered them the two rooms in the back and a good meal. There were four of them. The first three that Yuiko saw were jolly looking old men. The oldest, near his sixties had the most unusual look about him, with dark hair striped with grey and the strangest green eyes. He must have been of western decent, but he joked with the other two men and Yuiko's father and made all the younger children laugh with his telling of being stuck by the kimono on a tree limb. He seemed kindly enough. All of the three men did.

The fourth did not eat that night with the rest of his party or the host family. Yuiko did not even know he was there until he came in from the covered area outside. She was picking up the trays while her father put my younger youngest siblings to bed. The fourth man stepped into the doorway and Yuiko could feel the air ice over. The young girl turned to look at him and there was just something entirely… malevolent about his demeanour. His eyes and hair were entirely black and empty in a way you could only imagine a demon being.

She did not wish to be rude by glaring; her mother had raised her better than that, so she simply left the room to clear the trays. The men would be leaving tomorrow morning when the rain had subsided. The man watched the girl leave the room. She left tensely, feeling that his eyes never left her. The girl was wrong about his intentions however…

Later that night after all the men had retired to their rooms the girl finally spoke to her father about the strange guest. 'Father… have you noticed something strange about our guests?' Her father shook his head, 'Yuiko, you should not judge people like that. The old man is from another country, nothing to be feared or cause fowl judgement against.' Yuiko grit her teeth. 'He is not the one I was concerned with…I meant our youngest guest. The one with black eyes.' Her father shot her a puzzled look. 'Yes? What are you concerned about?' Yuiko fiddled with her sleeves. 'Have you heard him utter a single word?'

Her father laughed, which made Yuiko very confused. He shook his head and put a hand on his daughter's shoulder. 'Not everyone is as talkative as you. Yuiko, not everyone is inclined to speak constantly in the presence of others.' Yuiko felt lighter about the subject. 'I do not father! I speak as others should. The people of this place are just too quiet.' He smiled.

Her father patted her head. 'You can sleep in here if you would like.' She shook her head to decline the offer. 'The twins wake up hours before dawn; I would rather like my sleep.' The girl's father bowed his head and pulled the covers up further on his youngest children's torsos (the three year old girls had kicked around in their sleep).

She proceeded back to the room she shared with her closest sibling in birth order at age eight. She fell asleep that night but stirred to her sister walking out of the room.

'Where are you going?'

Her sister bounced slightly. 'I need to use the toilet. Can I go please?'

Yuiko sighed and waved her sister away. She rested her head on the pillow again. She had always been a dreadfully light sleeper.

She was disturbed from slumber again by some shuffling outside the sliding door. Assuming it was just her sister returning she rolled her eyes. Then she noticed how light it was in the room. It was nearly dawn. What had taken her sister so long?

Yuiko realized those footfalls were not those of a tiny eight year old.

"Who is that there?" She called in an exceedingly shrill voice.

She saw just then, how a shadow was framed against the door. Not the shadow of a little girl. It had been passing slowly, but the moment she called out. It had stopped mid-step. It reached out to open the door and Yuiko instinctively jumped up to defend herself. Her eyes widened as the door slowly slid open revealing more of the figure.

The black eyed man stood before her saying nothing. He held a blade in one hand and something else occupied the other. She glared at him. She attempted to put all the anger she had into that glare. There was absolutely no reason for him to open her door. He never blinked as he spoke the words 'I had nearly forgotten about you.'

He took a step towards her. She held her ground. 'What are you doing in my room?' She spat with all the venom she could muster. The man just stared on with his soulless black eyes. Her body began to tremble; this man frightened her to the core. He took one more step snapping a comb. Yuiko looked at the comb as it crunched beneath his foot. It was her sister's that the little girl often carelessly left about. Her sister…

'Where is my sister?'

The man's emotionless, almost lifeless face transformed drastically before the girl's eyes. His face became that of what could only truly be described as a demon's. His lips turned upward in a grotesque grin. His mouth spread wider than Yuiko had ever thought possible.

'FATHER!' Her scream echoed through the house, but the black eyed man merely flinched from the shrillness of Yuiko's tone.

'Now that was loud… why do you scream like that? There is no one left to hear you,' he tilted his head to one side.

She trembled uncontrollably now. She understood the meaning of his words, and in the gaining light she saw the dark stains that covered his blade, his hands and his face, yet she still asked 'What do you mean by that?..'

'Do you know what this is?' he held out the hand without the sword. His hand was covered in the dark sticky liquid, and within his palm was something of the same shade.

'Y-you, your companions too?' She took her first step back.

The man merely nodded but continued saying 'Some say they like them cooked, but I beg to differ. Cheeks lose something when they're cooked.'

Yuiko's heart seemed to stop.

'The more delicate is my favourite, so I was going to save this one's for later, but since I already had the other… you're a pretty little thing. Would you like for me to share?'

She couldn't even scream.

'No? Well I suppose it will go bad if I wait too long.' He ate the lump of flesh out of his hand. He wiped his mouth.

'I really am a glutton, I'm still hungry.' he leapt forward and tackled the girl catching her in the chest with the small sword. She caught her fist across his nose painfully breaking it. He accidentally dropped the blade when he had reached up to feel his nose. The girl used her last bit of strength to grip the sword and ram it through his temple, killing him."

"I died then," the girl spoke softly.

"Do you have any desire to pass on?" Rinne asked softly.

The ghost rubbed her eyes. "Of course I do. I cannot stand this place."

"Your lingering attachment is to keep him locked up here, to prevent him from hurting more people?" Rinne asked calmly and pointedly.

"Yes." She nodded and glanced up at the older boy.

"So the only way for you to pass on is for us to get rid of that monster?" Sakura said more to herself than to the girl.

Rinne inwardly grimaced at the use of the word 'us' in that sentence. This 'demon' was a man who managed to carry his malice through the grave, where it only built up over centuries, surely he had changed into some form that was not even remotely a human spirit any longer… and Sakura Mamiya still wanted to help?

"Can that be done? I cannot even contain it fully and yet you claim to be able to dispose of it?" The girl's face was confused, but for a moment she seemed to light up with hope.

"Not exactly 'dispose' of him, but yes, he'll never be able to harm or influence any being, living or otherwise again."

The girl got up floating a bit above the ground. "You really can? Oh, I thank you. Is there anything I have to do?"

"Could you tell me what exactly this thing is capable of?"


I'm too lazy to put an authors note right now.