*Warning: This chapter is from my inner-psycho. :D

My original disclaimer from chapter 1 h for tolds true for this chapter too.

"But you'll always be my hero,

Even though you've lost your mind..."

Rihanna - Love the Way You Lie, Part 2

When I was small, I often wondered why I couldnt go to normal schools like a normal girls do. Whenever I'd ask my father about it, he would always tell me that it was because I wasn't a normal girl in the first place. I took choice lessons at home and studied martial arts half the time. At age 5, my father gave me Naginata. Everyone thought that the Naginata was scary, I thought it was beautiful though. Most of my training then were with Naginata from that moment on. I learned to use Naginata, and modified it to my pleasure. At age 7, I added the chain that would make-up for Naginata's only flaw in combat.

At ten years old, I learned, for the first time, that I actually have a cousin.

"Himemiya Chikane, this is my daughter, Shizuru." My father's voice was off, but it made me feel glad that I actually have a cousin now. She was quiet, pale, and she didnt even look at me. I thought she was beautiful despite her grief. She had a katana lying on her right side, and what seemed like a half-katana on her left. The shorter katana looked identical as the longer one. They both had purple handles and a beautifully crafted golden hilt, and it made them look scary, despite being beautiful. I thought maybe that was how people saw Naginata. I couldnt see the blade as they were both sheathed, and I wouldnt see the blade till after a year or two.

My father left me with her, and told me to stay with her at all costs. I was sure my cousin heard it. If she had any objections though, she didnt say anything. She merely looked at Naginata with something that would register as...interest? I wasnt sure, but she did stare at Naginata for a very long time. When I finally got the courage to ask her why she was looking at my cleaver, she closed her eyes and went back to staring at her mother and father's urns. So, I shut my mouth and kept quiet.

I remember sitting beside Chikane, wanting to ask her a million things but thought it rude. She only stood up once during that night I first met her, and that was to go to her room. Because my father expressly said that I should stay with Chikane, I followed her. She placed the half-katana on a sling behind her and wore the full katana the way people reguarly did. It felt weird looking at a girl with two swords, one sticking from behind her, the other tied to her waist, its end almost touching the floor. When we were both in her room, she turned to me, her eyes, dead and curious at the same time.

This would be the perfect time to say that I have never been afraid of anything or anyone my entire life. Because I was put through so much training, one of the first things I learned was that fear was something you could master. Fear, then became a welcome companion for me. And if it didnt make sense to fear something, I usually just shrugged it off. With that kind of thinking, I was usually unafraid.

But her dead eyes felt like they were boring through my soul, searching for something and I didnt know what it was. And maybe I was afraid she would find something she wouldnt like. I was confident that Naginata could defend me, but there was just something in the way she wore her swords that made it seem confusing to even try attacking her. And I can't understand why. It was as if she was playing every possible scenario in her head and learning how to attack and defend at the same time. Her power to focus was unbelievable.

"Naginata, isnt it?" It was the first time I heard my cousin talk, and she had a very distinct voice. It was contralto, but was different from Hikari's contralto because it was very controlled and even for a ten year old. Her eyes were still locked on to mine. She was standing about ten feet away from me. And though we were swallowed by the darkness in her room, her eyes, dead though they were, seemed like the only thing you could see. Maybe it was because the way she looked at me horrified me that I cant even remember, now that I look back on it, what her room looked like and what she was wearing. I just remember those dead eyes and the two swords.

I nodded, too scared to talk.

"You modified it." It wasn't a question.

I nodded again. I didn't know if it was possible that she knew just by looking how I managed to modify Naginata. I thought I did a pretty good job at hiding the modifications, but she still saw it, apparently

"Good."

She walked away. And of course, I followed her again.

After a few hours more of silence, my father finally met with us. He asked my cousin if she would like to stay with us. But she declined, rather curtly. I could tell that my cousin was trying her best not to kill my father then. her hands were wrapped so tight around the katana on her waist that it turned her knuckles white. But other than that, there was no visible sign that CHikane felt anyhing. Her face was still dead blank. Chikane never liked my father, apparently.

My father decided to let me stay over for summer vacation at the Himemiya Mansion.

I remember thinking how my cousin had so much more than what we had...and that was saying something because I've always thought that we had too many things. The house was a lot less empty when I arrived for that summer. For one, the wake we attended had a lot of people, but now there was scarcely any. Maybe because they had such a big house that even if she had more servants, it still looked empty to me.

But my cousin had not changed one bit since I last saw her. She still had those dead eyes but they neither surprised me nor did i fear them anymore. It was bearable as long she didnt look straight at me.

Chikane allowed me to follow her around that summer but barely talked to me. Unlike me, she did not have the luxury of taking summer vacations. I remember father explaining to me that Chikane had far bigger responsibilities than I do, and so she needs to work harder than everybody else. One time, I asked my cousin if I coud take Naginata with me as I followed her around. She nodded in response. After that, and for the rest of the summer, I took Naginata with me wherever we went. It seemed to put Chikane at ease so that she was less dead, and more...stoic.

But that summer was also when I first saw Himeko.

Chikane barely had time to play, but she took one whole day off every month. So I followed her and that's when I saw Himeko.

Himeko had her hair tied in a braid then, and she had almost the same laugh she has now. She was also the same height as Chikane back then and she was the only person who looked at Chikane in a very different way. There was no fear, uncertainty, or even pity in her eyes. There was just innocence, trust, joy, kindness, and peace. And it reflected off Chikane because, for the first time, and the last time in what would seem like an eternity, my cousin was actually smiling, laughing even. And the katanas were nowhere to be found. That was when I realized exactly how beautiful my cousin was. If only she could keep on smiling like that, maybe then people wouldnt be so scared of her.

That was the last month before regular school started, and the last time I would see Himeko.

I came back a year later, after being informed that I was to start my training as my cousin's body guard. I remember informing her that I was supposed to stay with her for an indefinite time. She stared at me for a very long time before asking, "Are you sure you want to do this?"

I didn't know what I wanted to say. All my life I've been training hard and finally I learn what I was supposed to do with all that training and then my cousin asks me if I wanted to be her body guard?

So I said, "Yes, because I want to be your friend."

It seemed only appropriate.

Our first order of business, surprisingly enough, was a sparring session. But Chikane insisted on fighting me bare-fisted while I used Naginata. I told her that the possibility of me accidentally killing her was very high. But she just looked at me like I was trying to tell a really long winded and very annoying joke.

I thought I wouldnt use the chain I added as modification but Chikane proved to be very difficult to catch. Despite me having a range advantage of around 5-6 feet, and Chikane having no other optional weapons around to use, she was still able to break through my defenses, even my offenses, and knock me down with precise and deadly strikes to the chest and neck.

And because she wouldnt let me leave the fight unless I use my Naginata to its fullest extent, I was forced to extend my range and use the chain I added.

I wanted to surprise Chikane, but she only looked too amused when she saw Naginata's blade fly out of the pole arm.

In a flash, it was all over.

Chikane managed to catch Naginata's blade precisely on its blunt end, and use her momentum to propel herself forwad, knocking me back, and landing on top of me. That alone forced the air out of me. And Naginata's blade was on my throat.

The session went on for another 2 more hours. And I ended up fracturing 8 ribs, spraining my ankle and bleeding in so many different areas and all of them because of Naginata's chain and blade.

The only up side to everything was that Chikane personally attended to me while I healed. She was attentive, almost loving, if it weren't for her dead eyes. She arranged it so that her lessons were always in my room, where I was recovering, and always made sure that I understood what they were teaching her.

I know she was supposed to be my younger cousin, but she attended to me like a really devoted older sister. And when my injuries healed, she sent me back to bed with a fresh set of injuries hours later, and she was still fighting with bare fists.

When I could, while Chikane studied, I took the time to train with Naginata some more. I realized that Chikane was only trying to show me my weak areas, although she also took great pleasure in beating me to a pulp. My injuries were more and more severe everytime I would try again, but it didn't really deter me, because it also took Chikane a lot more effort every time to knock me down which meant that I was learning, getting better. Unfortunately for me, Chikane was still fighting with bare fists, so that it still seemed a very nasty loss for me.

One day, she asked me to accompany her for a run. My injuries have just healed and I was mentally preparing myself, replaying all the ways my cousin broke through my offense and defense. I was ready for her and I knew that. So the invitation to go and run came as a surprise.

She asked me to take Naginata with me and make sure that I wear a bullet-proof vest..and I understood what "run" meant.

Part of my training before I lived with my cousin was to "run errands". It came naturally to me and I found that they were mostly easy pickings, even if they had guns. I killed my first when i was 6 yrs old...and I relished the feel of it. I found it disturbing though, but my sensei said it was only natural but that it should be controlled. My "errands" came from my father and I could tell he was going easy one me. But I remember using it as an all natural adrenaline high.

I tried to use that need to kill to attack my cousin, but, as you may have figured out, it wasnt of any use. It wasnt that I wasnt motivated enough. Whenever I face my cousin in our fights, her eyes would be different, and also her manners. I thought I was blood thirsty, but then the way she looked at me...she really looked like she wanted to kill me. But everytime she would knock me down, her eyes would turn dead in a flash and she would help me up. If I fight back, she would turn murderous again. It's like I was playing Dr. Jekyll (a really stoic and blank version) and Mr. Hyde (with a cross of maybe Jack the Ripper). She was so good at controlling herself, it was almost scary.

We drove for 2 hours until we reached a mountain side. She pointed at a huge house at the side of the mountain. She asked the driver to wait at the nearest town for us, which was an hour's walk away from where we were.

"The owner of that house recently broke into a bank and stole some precious jewelries along with cash. He also runs a few brothels in some of the major cities and even sells children to foreigners. His wife has a penchant for little boys. I normally wouldnt care, but unfortunately for them, they also stole something that belongs to me. It was a gift, a necklace, my mother gave me. I want it back." She said quietly when the car drove away. This was the first time Chikane said more than one sentence in succession to me...and I'd be damned if I forget it.

Chikane had her two swords with her and I've never seen her use were always sheathed, and yet they still looked scary. She was wearing it the same way she wore it the first time I saw her.

"How do we find your mother's necklace?"

"How do you find something when you dont know where it is?"

"You stop and ask for directions." I answered.

"There are about a hundred men, heavily armed, and trained to kill. I want you to create a diversion outside, while I sneak in and get the necklace." There was a very distinct tremor in her contralto voice and I would always remember it as the tremor she has whenever she anticipates another bloody run.

I nodded. I knew then what she was trying to do. We were cousins after all, and we had the same murderous blood. We craved for the same things. But she was being generous and letting me have all the fun. Surely the guards were all outside. And I intended to make them all go outside if they weren't already.

The climb to the house was easy enough, and when we reached the gate, my cousin disappeared to my left and I was left alone, thinking how I could possibly make a diversion big enough to call everyone's attention. And then i saw it.

There was a camera mounted on top of the gate. I smiled, waved, and destroyed the camera. Soon enough, a man came out carrying an AK-47. I rustled about and allowed him to fire at me before I let Naginata destroy him. The shots were enough to draw their attention, and soon, there was a steady stream of men coming out and firing random shots that missed widely.

I kept to the thick forest just outside the gates and made sure that only Naginata's chain and blade could be seen. Because of my modifications, it was very hard to guess where I was, and where my Naginata would strike next. They managed to get a helicopter up in the air to try and see if they could spot me, but that was a very wrong tree canopies provided a good cover for the helicopter's fog lights so that it wasn't too much of a bother for me. I decided I would deal with helicopter later.

Soon no more men came out. I picked up of of the guns lying around from one of the lifeless men, and shot at the helicoper, emptying its magazine. A few seconds later, I heard an explosion from the air and the helicopter crashed.

And after that, it was eerily quiet. I went inside the gate and through the opened front door and what I saw inside made the carnage I created outside looked like I was being neat.

The interior of the house was made mostly of marble and the walls were painted cream. The high windows are all made of stained glass. There was a grand staircase leading all the way up to a huge portrait. There were doors on the scond floor both left and right and they all looked like they were made from epensive wood. It was gorgeous, really. But then, the stark contrast between the black and white of the marble and the pale of the creme against the blood spatter on the floor and on the walls served to make it horrifying. It was massacre, and all the men I found inside the house looked either scared or surprised. I imagine some may not have even known what had slashed them so cleanly.

I examined some of the bodies and found only two types of injury from them...the clean even strike of a katana, and then a horriying serrated blade. And I was sure then that Chikane's shorter blade was serrated. My cousin had a thing for leaving faces untouched so that all of their injuries (even mine) were centered around the torso or the legs. She relished at the horror their faces show before they died. Most of the dead bodies had their eyes left open. If anyone with a weak stomach even saw the carnage Chikane left, they would have nightmares for the rest of their lives.

There were bodies around every 6 feet or so, meaning my cousin attacked them singularly, because they never had time to regroup.

I followed the trail of dead bodies and eventually found Chikane leaning over a man who was whimpering on a corner, cradling a limp, broken arm. We were in a huge, room at the very heart of the mansion. It had no windows and looked like it was sound proofed. It had a round, king-size, four poster bed with drapes hanging form the top of it. In the bed, a woman was naked, a katana sticking out of her stomach, but it wasnt Chikane's katana.

"I swear, I'm telling the truth...please!"

The man saw me and began begging for me to help him.

Chikane stood up and faced me and it startled me when she looked at me.

When we left the house, Chikane was wearing a white cotton shirt and black leather jacket. She wore comfortable looking jeans and black boots.

But now her shirt had turned red and her jacket was dripping with blood. But her face remained immaculately clean.

"You believe him?" I asked as she looked at me from head to toe. I was wearing something similar to her except I had an all black ensemble and skinny jeans. Compared to her, I was relatively cleaner, although my face was a bit smeared with dust.

She nodded in response and took a side step. There was hunger in her eyes, as she looked at me and I understood. I raised Naginata and in a single, clean blow, his head was flying to his left, a look of shock contorting his already ugly face.

"Pity, we came here for nothing." I said as we walked out of the house.

"It was good excercise, though." Chikane answered, and from the sound of her voice I knew, even though I couldnt see it, that she was back to her cool, calm, stoic self.

I didnt leave my cousin's side for a very long time after that. I was the girl with a cleaver, always walking behind the girl with the dead eyes and the scary looking katanas. Little by little, my cousin finally started talking to me...and by talk, I mean she would say a few sentences to me before we went to bed. I'm pretty sure that was all she could manage.

Our "runs" became less and less but was also increasingly more dangerous as the years passed by. Everytime I would compare my share of carnage from Chikane's it was never the same. She had a distinct, almost haunting style. Her close combat preference made it certain that she was looking straight at her prey before she kills them. While I leave a pile of bodies, radiating from where I was standing at the time I drew Naginata, Chikane left a trail that would seem like a really horrible nightmare. The scene Chikane always left was that of a haunting nightmare straight out of some twisted author's mind.

A lot of things happened, including my cousin giving up control of the Himemiya business to get into the music industry, and me running a few of father's company. My cousin told me that I should stop following her, bluntly saying that the polearm was not much to look at and that it wouldnt get me a partner...or even a friend. I told her it was fine as long as she was my friend but she merely scoffed at that. After that, life became increasingly more difficult for us that we could almost never meet and our runs have completely stopped, but we still managed to talk to each other from time to time.

And then one day, out of sheer, brilliant luck, I found Himeko.

I was eating at the very back of an old cafe that served the most delicious darjeeling tea. It was quaint, quiet and was almost always empty. In there, I was anonymous, and I could drink my tea without anyone bothering me. I usually ate my lunch there, in silence. Sometimes, Chikane would join me, but she always wore the wig that made her look like a really gorgeous guy with breasts.

I was alone that day, when I saw a flash of golden hair and the most beautiful smile i had ever seen.

I wasn't sure if she really was the girl from that summer, until she laughed.

Nobody else could have laughed the way she did. It sounded like summer, and grass fields, and rose gardens, and love.

I followed her around and waited for the opportunity to talk to her. But I couldnt get close. She was always bustling about, forgetting some things and dropping a few things, but everyone seemed to like her too much. There was no question as to why.

After interviewing some of the people that knew her, they all said that no one knew where she came from, and that even Himeko herself did not know where she was from. Apparently, all her memories were wiped out and no one had any idea where she was from. They had speculations, but I knew they were all very far from the truth.

I found out that she was a huge fan of my cousin, one day. I was in a record store, trying to find old LP's when she came in, along with about a hundred other squeeling girls, all ready to murder each other for the chance to win the tickets for my cousin's concert.

I wanted her to win...but she didn't. So I just had to improvise.

My cousin was celebrating her 20th birthday at that concert and I had just found the perfect gift for her. How to deliver it was someting I just had to figure out. Tickets were never a problem. How to make sure Himeko had them...

But again, I had to thank my lucky stars.

Himeko was living with a girl whom everybody knew as Kuga Natsuki. She was beautiful, a few centimetres taller than Himeko, and had an air of arrogance about her. She reminded me a lot of my cousin, but she was different too, very different. She was kind and everybody liked her, despite the arrogant air. She was warm to those she knew and had the most captivating eyes I had ever seen. They were alive, full of life...and they seemed hungry for something new everyday.

Yes, she was very different from my cousin...and I wanted her.

And so I mailed the tickets I had to Natsuki with a fake return address, saying that her name had been chosen and she won two tickets to Himemiya's concert. I knew then that she would have no choice but to come with Himeko.

And I may have caused a lot of trouble for my cousin since I planned that evening...but I have never seen my cousin more determined than ever. In fact, the death in her eyes was slowly being replaced by despair, and that was so much better. And no one could put a price on the life she exudes whenever Himeko was around. It's like her ice cold exterior is being melted within nanoseconds and Chikane was helpless against Himeko.

But now, counting all other life threatening problems aside, my biggest concern is how to convince the Chikane and Himeko that they loved each other back.

For someone who could accomplish pretty much everything, Chikane was proving difficult to convince that Himeko felt the same way she did for her. And for someone who trusted everyone easily, Himeko did not trust that Chikane could love someone so as seemingly little as her.

This is actually giving me a headache.

They were hiding in the shadows: two big men with bigger guns, looking at every face and yet finding nothing interesting.

One day, a girl will show up holding a 7-foot, slim, red pole with a blade at the end. When she comes, I want you to make sure that you take care of her.

They have been waiting in the shadows, scanning every face, looking for only four in particular. They had cofee cups littered inside their inconspicuously parked black car. You would never have noticed them because nobody likes looking at dark alleways. They say monsters lurk in places like that.

When she arrives, it means that I and your mom are dead and that she is all you have left. I want you to take care of the girl and feed her hunger. In turn, she will take care of you.

Monsters. It's a very subjective word. For instance, the men waiting in the parked car have massacred families, raped women and children, and stole very valuable artifacts. Most would consider them monsters. Some would call them assets.

Beware. She is very dangerous, but she is also very innocent. Whatever has happened by the time she arrives, and will happen soon after that is not her fault. Listen to me! It is not her fault. But she will suffer greatly for it too.

Let us then consider another figure hiding in the same shadows, unseen even by the expert eyes of the men. This shadow moved with the greatest ease and did not believe in monsters: they were child's tale. The shadow took a deep breath, aware of every sound: cars rushing by, people talking in the distance, dogs barking. Every moment was exhilarating, and the shadow savored it.

Whatever you feel, whatever you know, whatever hatred you harbor, let none of it concern her. She will always be your biggest ally. But beware to feed her hunger. She is, in more ways than one, a monster. But she is your monster.

At last, the shadow was standing beside the driver's window.

She will kill for you as you have once sworn to kill for me. You are my monster, and I have fed your hunger and I have fed it well. And you have controlled your appetite, but I'm afraid she won't have as much control as you have. So take care of her. Control her hunger. Feed her hunger.

The last thing the man in the driver's seat saw before a blade ripped into his left temple and into his skull were hungry eyes.

She will arrive on the day you fully realize we are gone. And she will introduce her weapon as Naginata. And she will follow you around and you will know that she is yours. But know also that she is as much yours as you are mine. You are going to have to let her go one day. But before you do, make sure that she has gained full control of her primal instincts. That you also have controlled your urges.

The blade retreated out the the passenger-side window where it first claimed the life of the man sitting beside it, around the back of the car and back into a pole arm cleaver. And in the next second, all the monsters in that dark alley were gone.

My dear daughter, only you and your cousin can end this blood shed. But you have to be very patient with Naginata's owner. I trust she is very much like Naginata's previous owner. It taxed my patience to know that I gained my free-thinking little sister as my personal monster.

"Shi-chan, where have you been? We have been looking all over for you!"

Himeko's smile was painted with relief as she found Shizuru holding a couple of grocery items.

"Ah. Gomenasai, Himeko. It took me quite a bit of time to decide which tea I should get. My favorite ones are unfortunately unavailable and I had to go get the manager to make me tea so I could sample the ones they were selling. Unfortunately they weren't any good either. So I thought I'd just get you some sweets." Shizuru smiled back at Himeko and dropped the items she was holding into their grocery cart.

"It's already dark, Shi-sama. We should head home." Hikari said, looking at her watch.

"I wonder why even have to drive all the way here, Shi-chan. Was that really the nearest market?" Himeko asked as they drove home.

"I bet you're only saying that because I dragged you away from my cousin when all you really want is stay beside her all day, right?" Shizuru was teasing Himeko who had suddenly turned beet red. "I just wanted you and Hi-chan to get some sun. You two look paler than my cousin now."

"I wonder what Fuyu-sama and Natsuki-sama ate for lunch." Hikari said thoughtfully. She was sitting at the back and was greatly embarrassed because Shizuru had to lift her to and from the back seat. Shizuru merely shrugged off the gesture and said that Hikari was being funny for feeling embarassed. And to Himeko and Shizuru's great pleasure, Hikari actually blushed.

"That's actually a good question, Hi-chan. My cousin is not very good in the kitchen. What about Kuga-san, Himeko?" Shizuru asked, almost as thoughtfully as Hikari.

"Let's just say it's safe to assume that they should be very hungry now." Himeko answered.

And the three broke out in laughter.

One and a half hour away from Shizuru, Natsuki had finished the last bottle of mayonnaise she could find. Himemiya, on the other hand, was meditating inside her room. But both could not deny the grumbling their stomachs made and were internally cursing Shizuru for taking her sweet time driving back.

A man bent down and winced at the sight of the two decomposing bodies inside the unmarked car. It was high noon and the stench was unbearable, but he was used it. The body at the passenger side looked like he didn't know what hit him, but the one on the driver's side was painted with terror which meant that he had seen the attacker. There wasnt a sign of struggle anywhere, so they were killed fast, efficiently, leaving them no chance to fight back.

The man scratched his 7th day beard and pulled out is cellphone.

"They are dead too, sir. Those two know we are looking for them." he said, as he leaned on the car.

There was a pause as he listened.

"No pattern so far, sir. They are taking their time, leaving trails of dead bodies all pointing at nowhere in particular. They kill separately, never together. But what is most interesting is that they know where our men are, sir."

Another pause.

"I see. Alright, sir. I'll ask around then."

Sagimoto's phone had been quiet for some time. To be honest he was actually dreading the time his phone would ring. He had spent his time telling his men to go and make sure that their guns were all working properly and the cars were well-oiled and had full tanks of gas. He was in the middle of scolding someone when his phone, to his great horror, rang.

"This would be Sagimoto, then?", a quiet voice on the other line asked. Sagimoto gestured for his men to leave him alone and clear the room. He swallowed before he answered.

"Y-yes. This is S-Sagimoto. W-Who is this?" HE asked. He couldnt keep his voice from trembling and he felt cold sweat forming on his brows.

"You know who I am. Have your men ready to leave by morning. I will call you again in an hour."

The call ended with a click.

Sagimoto's fingers were trembling as he dialled his boss's number.

"This is Sagimoto, Nobu-sama. Fujino has just called to tell me to have my men ready by morning and that he will call again in an hour."

Pause.

"That is very generous of you, Nobu-sama, but my men are enou- I see. I understand."

Sagimoto replaced the receiver and sat down.

His knees were shaking and cold sweat was running down his back and his face. And he still didnt understand why.

"Are you afraid of monsters, Himeko-chan?"

"Well, yes. Shouldnt you be afraid of them?"

"But what if you knew how to kill monsters? Would you still be afraid of them?"

"No, I suppose not."

"Do you want to know how to kill a monster?"

"Sure, Shi-chan. Tell me."

"You smother it with love."

"You're weird, Shi-chan."

"I know."

As usual...comments are highly appreciated. Again, if there were no comments or violent reactions, how would I learn?

But thanks for reading and staying with the story :D

lovelovelove.