5. Face to Face

It had been surprisingly easy up to this point. To be honest before starting out she hadn't been sure she'd be able to kill even one of them, let alone as many as she had. Even then she'd been apprehensive; she knew everyone else and how much of a threat they might pose, but that chain-smoking dyke and her four-eyed friend were totally unknown to her. She'd breathed a sigh of relief when they were out of the picture.

Still, she couldn't let herself get complacent now; there were still Yomi and Kagura to deal with, the surviving group's brains and brawn, respectively. She wasn't sure about Tomo now, either. She was obviously devastated, but that only meant she could become violently unpredictable if she saw an opportunity for vengeance. That idiot wasn't especially strong, but she could move very fast.

She'd have to wait until they were asleep again to make her next move. Until then, she would concentrate on preparing for the finale. This beach trip would be ending with a bang.

A very big one.

"Hey Kagura, can I ask you something?"

Kagura turned away from the window to look at Tomo. "Yeah, go ahead," she said before turning back to stare outside. The sun was starting to sink towards the horizon.

"What's your first name? You never told us."

Kagura winced. "Why do you want to know that _now?_"

Tomo shrugged. "Don't know. Just felt like a good time."

Kagura looked at her again. Seeing that spastic dumbass so small and quiet was somehow deeply unsettling. Finally she sighed. "It's Steven."

"Steven?" Yomi asked. "Isn't that a boy's name?"

Kagura nodded. "My parents wanted something foreign and exotic. Unfortunately they didn't really do much homework."

"If we get out of this remind me to make fun of your name," Tomo said into her knees.

"Yuri," Sakaki said.

"Huh?" Tomo asked.

"My name is Yuri."

"That's better than Steven."

"Shut up!" Kagura said.

"Oh, do you prefer Steve?" Tomo asked.

"I thought you were grieving!"

"Okay, that's enough," Yomi said and stood up from the couch. "It'll be night soon, so we need to decide who gets first watch."

"That's a death sentence" Kagura said.

"Would you prefer the alternative?" Yomi asked.

"I'll do it." Sakaki stood up. "I haven't been much use to anyone so far anyway, and I'm too scared to sleep."

Yomi nodded. "Okay, if you see _anything_ you scream. And stay away from the windows." She turned to address Tomo and Kagura. "I suggest we try to sleep now, because first thing tomorrow we're getting out of here."

Kagura nodded firmly, Tomo less so.

Sakaki sat in the dark, eyes wide. Every noise she heard sounded like someone outside the house, coming in with an aim to murder. How long had she been sitting there? It felt like an eternity. She was tired; her body moaned for sleep, but every time her eyes closed she saw those trails of blood leading out of the house and the yellowjackets crawling across Oikawa's dead face.

In fact, that was exactly what she was thinking about when the hand clamped over her mouth from behind. Her nose filled with the smell of chloroform and she tried not to inhale, but her panicked lungs wouldn't listen. She tried to stand, but her knees were already going weak. She tried to scream but all she could manage a moan that barely made it past the rag. Sakaki's eyelids quickly grew heavy, her struggles more sluggish, until finally a more absolute darkness replaced her moonlit surroundings.

The sun rose to find all four girls asleep and alive, albeit lined up on the couch with their arms tied behind their backs. She stood above them, bathrobe on and oni noh mask firmly in place, waiting for someone to wake up. She was surprised at how much she'd been enjoying this whole murder thing, but it was time to wrap things up now.

Kagura woke up first. She took a moment to realize something was off. "What the . . . what the hell?" Then she looked up and saw the horned figure standing above her, holding a tanto in one hand. "Guys . . ." she said without taking her eyes off the masked face, "guys, wake up."

Yomi stirred first. "Huh, what's . . . oh, hell." She nudged Tomo with her shoulder. "Tomo, you have to wake up."

"Buttered muffins," Tomo mumbled in her sleep.

"WAKE UP, RETARD!" Kagura shouted at her.

Tomo's eyes opened, and as soon as she worked out the situation she swore. "Nice job on watch, Sakaki!" she said to the sedated girl slumped over next to her. "Hey . . . hey Sakaki?"

Their abductor didn't wait for anyone to ask questions. As soon as everyone who was going to wake up had done so they reached out and grabbed Yomi by the hair, yanking her up off the couch.

"Yomi!" Tomo wailed. "Let her go! Take me!"

The horned one looked at Tomo. Just as Yomi was tensing to fight back, the tanto was thrust up into her stomach.

Tomo and Kagura watched in stunned silence as Yomi cried out in agony and slumped over the blade. Fresh blood spattered the already stained floor and their attacker pulled the knife free before thrusting it into Yomi's body again, and again, and again. Eventually she fell sideways, hitting the floor with a dull thud as she stared glassily into space.

The horned figure knelt before her and raised the blade and Tomo found her voice. "YOMIIIIII!" she screamed, startling their killer. As attention was turned towards the screaming idiot, Kagura took her chance.

With a low roar she leaned forward and launched herself forward, charging towards the masked killer with her body low and her head down. Just as they were turning to face her she slammed into their midsection, carrying them halfway across the room to crash into the wall, stunning them both.

The killer recovered first. Before Kagura could regain her bearings they brought the tanto down into her back. Kagura screamed in pain before slamming her shoulder into their stomach and looking back at Tomo, still on the couch. "_Run,_ you idiot!" she shouted before the killer grabbed her by the hair and slammed her head against the wall.

On her feet now, Tomo backed away as the killer let Kagura slump limply to the floor and advanced on her. Any trace of her usual bravado was gone now. All she could manage in resistance were scared whimpering sounds, as she was backed into the kitchen and against the counter. Tears ran from her eyes as she watched the knife raise up in the air . . .

"Get away from her, you _bitch!_"

Startled yet again, the killer turned to look up at the person standing behind her. She finally spoke then, managing only a single syllable before Torako's fist slammed into her face, breaking the mask and her nose beneath it.

**-Author Notes-**

HEY WAIT A MINUTE WHAT THE SHIT IS THIS