Kasumi tried not to think too much about surprise in Hayabusa's eyes when she said they should split up. He hadn't challenged her words though and they went their separate ways when they were dropped off.

Kasumi crouched down and examined her surroundings. She wouldn't tolerate being followed. The forest buzzed with wild life. So far she hadn't seen anything out of the ordinary. Woodland animals carried about their business and Kasumi acquainted herself with the common plants and wildlife. Pine and Cedar trees, thick shrubs and cottontail rabbits. A squirrel scurried past her after a curious glance.

Time inched on as she moved through the forest. The day was old when she tracked down a stream. It was small, but it was water. There was a water bag in the backpack, but she didn't want to break into that just yet. She traveled along the stream hoping it would lead somewhere useful.

She was still in the forest when the sun began sinking in the horizon. How had she not come across anything different? What kind of challenge was this? Maybe they made the arena too big. She checked the screen on her arm. It had the time in the upper left corner. Eight thirteen. There was also a square with a slightly pulsing dot inside that she could only assume was the map. There was no useful information other than that. She had already read the additional rules that she could also tab open.

The sun disappeared leaving her in shadows. It would have been fine, but as if on cue with the overcoming darkness the wildlife grew quiet leaving her in silence. Kasumi stopped moving and peered around. At this time of night the wildlife should be picking up.

Something wasn't right. The hair on her skin began to rise.

Kasumi considered climbing a tree and waiting it out, but decided against it. She crept forward, moving slow and quiet through the forest. It was dark. She let her eyes adjust. The silence was deafening. She saw no movement, she scanned the area and continued.

Something white caught her eye. She turned to look.

A white sheet of paper hung from the trunk of a tree far off. It was almost obscured by the other trees. The white paper was so out of place Kasumi couldn't ignore it. As she got closer she could see the paper was nailed into the bark. On it was a crude drawing. A circle with the strike through it. Kasumi examined it, but it meant nothing to her. She gently pulled the paper off the tree and folded it. She put it in her bag. It was so quiet, even the wind seemed to be holding it's breath.

Kasumi looked around.

Nothing.

She continued moving, her senses heightened.

Wait.

Something moved out of the corner of her eye. Something dark. She jerked her head slightly to the right. The movement was gone. Unease wrapped around her like a blanket.

She moved in longer strides. As quick as she could without making a large amount of noise. She saw something white to her left. It was another piece of paper on a tree far away. She moved towards it. Something moved again just out of her peripheral vision. She was more sure of it this time, but when she looked there was nothing there.

Kasumi pulled the paper off of this tree as well. It had same crude drawing as the first. She bit at her lip. She turned and was shocked to see another piece of paper only two trees away. She had just passed that tree. A moment earlier nothing had been there. Panic squeezed at her heart. She turned on her heal, feeling the presence of another behind her. Nothing.

She stood rooted to the spot as she looked around her.

Something dark moved through the trees far away. This time she caught it in full view. It was tall, but thin. Too thin. With limbs twice as long as they should be. This wasn't a human.

Kasumi pulled out the katana from her sheath. Her palms were balmy. She blinked and it was gone. Looking around, the white paper nailed to the tree stood out like a beacon in the black forest. She took a step toward it, her eyes scanning the area.

Kasumi caught the movement of the sender man in the peripheral of her vision dart behind her. She let her instincts take over. She ducked as she turned, thrusting the blade of her katana up and away from her. Her blade was met with only air.

She opened her eyes and suddenly wished she hadn't. The creature stood towering over her like a too thin man in a black suit with arms and legs freakishly long. His face is what really struck fear into her heart. White as a black sheet of paper and featureless. No eyes. No nose. No mouth. But it somehow still stared into her soul.

Frozen in fear Kasumi clutched the handle of her katana until her hand burned with the force. She couldn't look away as it approached. She couldn't move. She willed herself to swing the blade, to back away, to do anything. It reached out arms, with hands as white as the blank face.

"Kasumi!"

The sound of her name somewhere in the distance released her from the spell. She swung the katana with the every muscle in her body. The blade sliced through the creature as if he were nothing but a dark cloud. But it was enough. He split like a gaseous image being blown away. His form swirled alarmingly quick into a black hole in the air and exploded. The leftover blackness dissipated in the night.

Kasumi took a deep breath not realizing that she had been holding it this whole time. The sounds of the forest began to come back. Even the wind dared breathe again, whispering through the trees. Kasumi's bracer dinged. A holographic image rose into the air above the screen. 200 points flashed in green for several seconds before disappearing.

"Kasumi!"

She had forgotten about the voice that called her name, almost convincing herself it was as fantastical as the creature before her. Kasumi turned.

Leifang stood several paces from Kasumi. Her gold and red cheongsam fluttering in the breeze around her long pale legs. They stared at each other for a moment. There was a bling from her bracer. A message popped up at the same time Leifang's bracer flared up as well.

Fight!

Kasumi still filled with adrenalin didn't need another prompt. She put away her Katana and took a fighting stance. Leifang stepped forward and eased into a fighting stance as well. Kasumi charged.

Leifang blocked and spun, her dark braids dancing around her ears. It took Kasumi a minute to notice that Leifang was fighting very defensively.

"Kasumi." Leifang huffed after blocking a punch. "We need to talk." She countered a grapple. "After this fight." She took a hit to the stomach.

"Talk?" Kasumi asked as she executed a side kick. Leifang grabbed Kasumi's foot and pulled. Kasumi was able to pull her leg back, but Leifang had unbalanced her. Leifang changed her tactic from defensive to vicious offensive. Kasumi was caught off guard and fell after relentless flurries and kicks. Leifang finished her. Kasumi was overcome with blackness.

Kasumi blinked the temporary blackness away. Her bracer signaled the end of the fight. -100 points flashed in red. Before Kasumi had the chance to stand up Leifang was on top of her, her small foot pushing Kasumi's bracer into the soft soil. Leifang leaned down, her heart shaped face and dark eyes close to Kasumi. She held her own bracer behind her back. Kasumi blinked in confusion.

"Meet us at the lake tomorrow at dusk." Leifang whispered in a hushed voice. "It's northeast of here. We found important information about DOATEC that you need to know. Bring others if you can find them. Don't let DOATEC know. Don't talk about it in front of the cameras on your bracer. Act normal." Leifang said this all very fast in a voice Kasumi could barely hear.

Leifang jumped off of Kasumi and held out a hand to help her up. Kasumi accepted it.

"Good fight." Leifang said in her normal slightly bubbly voice. "Crazy tournament, isn't it?"

"Yeah, I guess." Kasumi rubbed her arm. She felt something within the bracer bite into her wrist and suddenly she felt alert again, the pains from the fight moments earlier already fading.

"Well, good luck." Leifang said before slipping into the darkness. Kasumi watched her go. Part of her wanted to stop her and ask her for more information and what the hell was happening. Or just keep Leifang around in case another freakish creature comes out of the night. But Leifang was gone.

Kasumi looked at her bracer. Northeast huh? She checked her coordinates and set off in that direction.

**I couldn't help myself, I added in slender man to make things interesting.