Kinnikinnick: Ohayoo, minna-chan! Jeez, I'm holding you guys responsible if I fail my class. And my university, for issuing us laptops in the first place. Ah, just kidding (not really). Whoot! Chapter Ten! Look how good I am! Ten chapters in three days.

Technicolor: Yes, yes, we all know how good you are. In this chapter, Miranda proves herself to be an utter idiot. In several ways.

Kinnikinnick: Yeah… we can't let her near this story anymore. She's reaching a dangerous level of stupid. Sorry, Mira-chan, we still love you!

Miranda: I'm sure.

Kinnikinnick & Technicolor: . . .

Technicolor: How'd she get in here?

Kinnikinnick: I left my back door unlocked…

Miranda: Oh. I didn't know that. I came in through the bathroom window.

Technicolor: Good lord, no more Beatles for you. So, we don't own the Beatles, 'Maxwell's Silver Hammer' or Saiyuki. We're sad because we don't own any of these. Oh, and Apple sucks for winning that lawsuit with the Beatles.

Chapter 11

The two girls waited in Renate's room until they were reasonably sure that everyone else was asleep. Cracking the door open an inch, Renate saw that the hallway was pitch black. Motioning to Miranda, she slid out into the hallway. Miranda shut the door silently behind her, and the two crouched in the darkness, waiting for their eyes to adjust.

"Stick to the shadows. And for God's sake be quiet," Renate hissed.

"I'm always quiet. Like a ninja," Miranda replied, trying to execute a ninja kick, and ending up only knocking her head on the door knob.

"Ow!" she cried, holding her head.

"Oh, yeah. Just like a ninja," Renate said through gritted teeth.

As the two girls descended the stairs, they saw a dark, slender figure come towards the hall that was their goal. They both pressed themselves back into the shadows and waited for it to pass.

"Was that Shua Ling?" Miranda asked, barely daring a whisper.

"I think so. She's heading for that room," Renate breathed. They waited what they thought to be a prudent amount of time, then continued.

They paused outside the door to the room, an ominous feeling growing between them. An evil-looking glow coming from beneath the door only enforced the ambience. Renate looked at Miranda, who nodded, and then opened the door a crack. Both girls peered inside.

Shua Ling sat in the middle of the room, a bright green orb in her hands. She seemed unaware that she was being watched.

"Oh, my beautiful soul. It's so lucky that I ran across you," she said softly, running a finger across its surface. The orb seemed to try and shift away from her.

"That must be Hakkai's soul," Miranda mouthed at Renate, who nodded and put her finger over her lips. She didn't want to risk any noise.

"Don't be afraid. Soon your friends will join you, and I'll kill those two useless girls."

"No way in hell!"

"Moron!" Renate moaned as Shua Ling whipped her head around, a dangerous look in her eyes. Miranda stood framed in the doorway, a sick feeling in her gut. I've got to learn to control these things, she thought.

"Hmm. It looks like I'll have to get rid of you two sooner than I thought," Shua Ling said, standing up. The orb zoomed away to drift in a far corner of the room.

"Try it, you goddamn Mary-Sue!" Renate said, summoning her ji. Miranda did likewise.

Shua Ling began to laugh, a sick, twisted sound, something akin to that of a car crash. As she laughed, her skin began to shift, as if thousands of insects were scuttling around under her skin.

"I will destroy you two," she said, and her voice had become deeper. As she spoke, her body began to expand, becoming crab-like, and nearly the size of the room.

"Oh gross. Those things are the spiders of the sea!" Miranda said, feeling sick.

"Now is not the time for your arachnophobia to kick in," Renate said. A snapping claw shot out, and the girls dodged to opposite sides.

"Okay. Here's the plan," Miranda said, dodging a leg whose point was as sharp as a knife.

"Oh, you've got a plan. And here I thought you were just a moron!" Renate said, hacking at the crab's limbs.

"Now is not the time! Grab Hakkai's soul and I'll distract it!" Miranda said, rushing at the crab. She leapt up over the stabbing, searching limbs and brought her kodachi down on the crab's shell. She almost dropped her weapons from the force of the reverb, and she was terrified when she realized she hadn't even scratched it.

"Dammit!" she said, turning around.

"Oh yes, you distract it. That seems to be working!" Renate shouted as she climbed over dismembered limbs. They seemed to grow back as fast as they could chop them off. The crab lumbered around to turn and face her. Miranda rushed forward again, this time slicing at the eyes. As she slit into them, stinking black ooze covered her.

"Oh, that's fucking disgusting!" Miranda screamed.

"I got it!" Renate said, holding the orb up. It seemed to settle into her hand.

"Good! Go put it back in Hakkai and wake the others! This thing is nearly invulnerable," Miranda said. Renate ran for the door, hacking at limbs as she went.

Suddenly, just before she reached the door, a claw snapped out at her, catching her in the side.

"Renate!" Miranda shouted as she saw her friend's eyes widen, and blood gushed from the wound. Without thinking, Miranda charged forward again, sliding under the crab. With a cry, she thrust her kodachi upward into the crab's soft underbelly. She was drenched in more of the foul-smelling liquid.

"I'm fine," Renate said, turning, oblivious to her friend's stupid stunt. As she watched, the crab's legs buckled, and it crashed down upon Miranda, who was still underneath.

"I did not think this through!" Miranda managed, before the world became a dark, smelly place.

Kinnikinnick: Oh dear. Poor Miranda... Is she dead? Is she alive? Is she covered in an incredibly stinky substance? Okay, well the answer to that last one is 'Yes'. HOWEVER! If you wish to know the answers to the first two, you must review. Little purple button. Right there. Actually, it's more of a periwinkle, now that I think of it...