From the author

This chapter has a brief instance where some harsh language is used. It's R-rated level but it's only a couple of lines. Hence I'm going to keep this story PG-13 but just wanted to let you all know about it beforehand.

Death of an Angel

By, Shinova

Chapter 4

Naru's manic laughter rang down the hallway after the three girls as they ran for their lives. Su gestured and the other two followed her around a corner and down another hallway. She suddenly stopped and with Sara's help removed a wall covering, revealing one of Hinatasou's secret passageways. The three dove in and replaced the covering just as Naru rounded the corner.

"Oh my God, help us---" Shinobu whimpered.

"Ssh!" Su silenced the others as they heard the footsteps run toward their position. Each waited tensely as Naru ran closer toward where they were. They were relieved when the footsteps passed the wall covering and went further down the hallway away from them.

"Thank goodness for these things," Sara commented, glancing at the passageway she and the others were in.

"Do you think Naru's playing tag?" Su wondered out loud.

"Would she play tag with a sword?" Sara answered, rolling her eyes.

"Umm, can we go?" Shinobu softly spoke up.

The other two agreed. Soon the three were crawling on their fours through the narrow passageway, feeling their way through the dark.

* * * * *

Naru ran back the way she had first come. She had not seen the three when she had rounded that corner, therefore they must have had either hidden somewhere or gone down a different path.

"Where the hell are those brats?" she growled through clenched teeth as she retraced her steps.

They're going to pay....They're all going to pay! Naru thought vehemently as she stomped through the hallway.

Something in the corner of her eye caused Naru to stop abruptly. She looked closely and saw that a covering on the wall was loose. She reached out with a hand and pried the covering off the wall.

"Aha, so that's where you little kiddies have gone," Naru said gleefully as she gazed down the dark passageway. She stooped to crawl into it, then stopped. Instead she replaced the covering and ran down the hallway. She had an idea as to where the passageway led.

* * * * *

"Are you sure this is the right way?" Shinobu spoke up from behind the group as they crawled through the passageway.

"Beats me," Sara replied.

"Yes I do cause I've got on night vision goggles! See?" Su turned around to show off her night vision goggles to the other two.

"It's dark; we can't see them," Sara said.

Su tapped her goggles, the sound convincing Sara and Shinobu that Su wasn't simply making it all up.

"Anyway, we have to go this way. Keep close!"

The three crawled on, Sara and Shinobu following Su by sound. At last Su told the others to stop.

"I found an exit! Hang on."

The others gathered around her as Su pushed open the wall covering. They were in the living room. Sara crawled forward towards the opening.

"Ah, finally some ligh---ack!!"

A hand reached down from above and grabbed Sara by the cuff of her shirt and lifted her off ground.

"Oh you Sara-chan! Thought you could get away with all the times you tormented Keitaro, eh?" Naru said, a creepy grin on her face. She cocked back a fist, ready to smash the American's face.

"Let her go!" Su yelled, leaping into the air and lashing out with a kick. The attack freed Sara from Naru's grasp and sent the latter sprawling to the ground. "Come'on, let's run!" Su helped Sara to her feet and they ran, followed closely by Shinobu.

Naru uttered a string of curses as she got to her feet. She picked up the Hina Blade from where she had left it against the wall and pursued the three children once again. Perhaps she shouldn't have been so direct in her method, but it was too late now. They were going to pay, even if it took her the whole day to get them all.

"You insolent brats are gonna pay for that!" Naru shouted after the kids as she chased after them.

"Crap! What are going to do!?" Sara yelled as she ran.

"I know!" Su exclaimed, pulling out a remote control-like device. "Mecha-Tama 2, attack!"

Su pressed a button and Mecha-Tama flew inside through a window up ahead and headed for Naru. It powered up and fired a red beam. The attack zipped past the three children's heads and shot towards their pursuer. Naru skidded to a stop and swung the Hina Blade hard, swatting the beam aside, sending it impacting against a wall nearby, destroying it. Mecha-Tama flew on, headed straight for Naru's forehead. The girl saw this and swung the sword hard again, batting the machine aside like a baseball. It smashed into the floor and ceased all movement.

"Nice try, but no passing that exam!" Naru shouted. She chased after the three girls again, grinning wildly.

The chase finally ended up at a dead end. The three girls had nowhere to run. Naru stood in front of them, smiling.

"Ha, finally got you cornered! You're not getting away this time!" she said menacingly.

"N-Naru-sempai, why are you---" Shinobu began to ask.

"Ha, pretending that you know nothing, eh? Well I won't be fooled, and you will pay for what you've done!" Naru replied, shouting the last bit at no specific person, holding the sword in front of her. She took a step forward...

"Hey, guys! What's going on?" a voice called from behind. Naru quickly hid the sword behind her back as she whirled around to see that Kitsune had found them. "I heard a bunch of yelling around here. Were you guys arguing or something?" Kitsune asked, stepping forward toward the girls.

Sara suddenly spoke up frantically. "Kitsune, watch out! Naru's trying to kill us!"

"Eh?" Kitsune glanced at Naru, who had a confused expression on her face. Kitsune turned back to the three younger girls. "What are you talking about? You're not trying to play a joke, are you?"

Kitsune walked past Naru toward the three girls. Then the three's eyes widened and Shinobu cried, "Look out!"

Kitsune spun around so fast that she lost her footing. This misstep saved her head from being cleaved open by the Hina Blade's downstroke. Kitsune fell to the floor and crawled backwards away from Naru.

"Naru! What are you doing!?" Kitsune asked, now filled with panic.

"Just doing something for a friend who's passed away recently," Naru replied, edging closer.

Su reached into one of her pockets and pulled out a small, spherical device. She pressed a button on it and a small, red light began flashing on top of it. She then tossed the device toward the ground next to Naru, who saw the device hit the floor beside her.

"Huh?" was all she got out before the device exploded, filling the hallway with smoke and sending Naru crashing through the wall and outside. Kitsune got up to her feet shakily and asked, "What's happening?"

"She's trying to kill us, that's what's going on!" Sara exclaimed with some annoyance.

Kitsune and the others crept up to the hole in the wall and looked down at the ground outside. They saw Naru unconscious on the ground, her limbs splayed around her, her clothes singed, and the Hina blade a few feet away from her. The girls started to discuss what to do, whispering in fear of the unconscious Naru somehow overhearing them.

A groan stopped their conversation. Outside, Naru lazily opened her eyes and pushed herself up to a sitting position. She gazed around, dazed, then looked up and saw Kitsune and the others staring down at her. Her expression instantly turned to one of fury. She reached over and grabbed the Hina blade. Using it as a support, she pulled herself shakily to her feet.

"Bitches..." she whispered through her teeth as she gained her balance, never taking her eyes off of the Hinatasou tenants looking down at her.

Kitsune shivered, mouth slightly agape from fear. Naru's eyes were filled with so much hatred....Why?

"Bitches....You God-fucking bitches!!" Naru screamed at her spectators, almost loosing her balance.

The other girls recoiled---not their bodies but their hearts. They had never heard such hateful words from Naru before. Why now?

"Naru...why?..." Kitsune said, quietly but loudly enough for Naru to hear.

"Why? Why!? Why don't you tell me why! God, you pitiful, arrogant, ignorant...you..." Naru held her head with her hands, covering her face, as if in pain. She breathed rapidly and deeply, body trembling. "You think you can play ignorant with me!!?" she suddenly exploded, arms open, hands balled into fists, eyes filled with fury, and tears streaming down her cheeks. "I'll show you ignorant, you monsters!!"

With that Naru broke into a sudden sprint, heading for the nearest stairway into Hinatasou.

"She's after us again!" Sara exclaimed.

"This way! Come'on!" Su called to the others, and soon they were running for their lives again, this time with Kitsune tagging along as well.

While fleeing with the others, Kitsune's mind was in a muddled state of chaos and disbelief. The fury in Naru's eyes and that voice dripping with venomous hatred. What set her off? What motivation, what cause? Why? Why?

Su led the group down a hallway but skidded to a stop when they saw Naru running toward them from far away through a window. They picked the nearest secret passageway, where they hid, lips sealed, hoping to God that everything would be all right again.

* * * * *

Naru paced ominously through the quiet halls of Hinatasou, the Hina blade held in front of her. In its position it almost looked as if it were guiding its current owner on a quest.

For vengeance.

They're going to pay! They're going to pay for taking him away!! These thoughts echoed through the depths of Naru's mind, compelling her to pursue the quest she was on at the moment, no matter how criminal it seemed. Out the corners of her eyes she would see Keitaro cleaning the dorm, studying, or laughing as he walked beside her. Every time she flicked her eyes in that direction to glance at him, he would disappear, as if he had never existed and were only a figment of her imagination.

But he was not a figment of her imagination. He was real...or had been real, thanks to someone---whoever it was.

Naru stopped and stood still, her chest heaving and her shoulders trembling. She suddenly lashed out with the sword, shattering a vase nearby, following with a fist that tore a huge gash in the wall. Naru crumpled against the wall, sobbing heavily. She dropped the sword and covered her face with her hands, crying into them.

How could anyone have had the heart to take such a person away? Without Keitaro, the world seemed to have fallen into an everlasting cycle of mourning: day to night, day to night, over and over again. All through that week, Naru had seen Keitaro at the corners of her vision, in her mind's eye, just beyond the thin veil of reality. She wanted to tear that veil apart so badly, but what would it take to break through? How much was she willing to pay?

Everything---that was how much she wanted to pay. Her falling tears seemed like tiny crystal lakes splashing onto the floor. Each was like the world, clear but difficult to see. Yes...she would pay with a million everythings.

She opened her eyes. To her left, just outside her field of focus, stood Keitaro, his hand stretched toward her, an expression of gentle concern over his face. Naru smiled but didn't move her eyes. If she did, he would disappear and her heart would be killed all over again by the reality of his absence. Yes, she could sit there forever, sitting against the wall, watching Keitaro speak to her from the corner of her vision---even though she couldn't hear him---reach out to touch her shoulder to comfort her---even though she couldn't feel him.

So much of the world in Keitaro---now gone with him. A hiccup reminded her of that as her eyes shifted slightly, erasing Keitaro from her vision. She broke into sobs once again, mourning Keitaro's 83rd "death". Yes, she had been keeping count.

After a few minutes, she wiped her tears and stood up once more. She brought up the Hina blade to eye level and gazed at it. It was sheathed at the moment, otherwise the spirit inside could posses her (this had happened before). She lowered it and began walking down the hallway again.

Keitaro's murderer was somewhere in Hinatasou. She could be anyone: Su, Sara, Kitsune, Motoko, or perhaps Shinobu. Maybe even Tama-chan. Eliminating them all would be easier than trying to hunt for the murderer in case she got the wrong person, and it would be guaranteed that the murderer would pay for her crime.

They had all been very good friends---even family to Naru, but they were a fair price to pay for avenging Keitaro's death. Perhaps she could face them with tears in her eyes, saying, I'm so sorry but...this HAS to be done! I hope you understand and forgive me!

Every time Keitaro "died" at the edge of Naru's vision she became more and more convinced of the horror of the crime. And the more committed to her mission she became.

To avenge.

* * * * *

Kitsune, Su, Sara, and Shinobu were in their niche inside the wall, fairly cramped, waiting tensely. Often they would try to somehow break the tension.

"So what's for dinner?" someone would ask.

"Miso soup with some---"

"Sshh!" another would interrupt Shinobu. "She might hear us!"

And so on they waited. Maybe they could've just gone out to see if Naru had lost them somehow. Or maybe they could make a dash for the nearest phone and call the police. But for fifteen minutes they stayed, in the dark niche in the wall.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are!" Naru called. She was close.

The four girls in hiding immediately silenced whatever they wanted to say and ceased all movement. Some held their breath. Maybe they could even try to stop their heartbeats.

"I know you're here somewhere!" Naru called out again, smiling wickedly. "It's no use delaying the inevitable!"

Naru turned a corner and came upon a four-way intersection. She looked left, right, then forward. She cupped her mouth and yelled, "So which one of you was it? You know what I'm talking about!" Then she took in a deep breath then called again in a louder voice.

"Where are you!!?"

Shinobu accidentally caught some dust and sneezed. The others tried to quiet her but failed. The sneeze sounded through the wall covering, echoed through the halls, and reached Naru's ears. Her head spun to her left and she gazed down the hallway with narrowed eyes. "There you are..." she whispered. She then walked down that hallway toward where the sneeze had come from.

Inside the niche Shinobu was quietly sobbing. "I'm sorry...so sorry..." she whimpered.

"It's alright. It's not your fault," Kitsune said quietly, holding Shinobu in her arms.

"So sorry..."

"There you are!!"

Suddenly the Hina blade shot through the wall covering and between the girls. They shrieked, trying to avoid getting jabbed as Naru pulled the sword out, then drove it into the wall as hard as she could again and again. "It's judgment day for you!" Naru shouted. "And for what you've done, you're---"

*BOOOM*

The ki wave slammed into Naru and carried her through the wall behind her and outside. Motoko stood at the end of the hallway, a bandage around her head but otherwise looking more or less okay. The wall covering fell over and the girls hiding inside piled out. Thankfully no one was hurt.

"Motoko! You're all right!" Su exclaimed.

"My head certainly feels horrid, but otherwise, yes I am all right," Motoko replied, smiling a little.

Kitsune dusted herself off, trying to calm herself down after having been nearly skewered multiple times, then walked up to the hole in the wall. Naru had crashed into a tree at the edge of the forest then slid down to come to a rest on the ground.

"I hope she stays that way for a while," Kitsune remarked. The others came to stand beside her and looked outside.

"Hello everyone up there!" a voice called from down below. It was Mutsumi, with a sack of watermelons over her shoulder. "I just thought I'd come over, since everyone was probably so lonely...or maybe it was just me."

"Hi there," Kitsune called back. "We were in a bit of a mess and---oh my God, watch out!" She and the others panicked as they spotted Naru getting up to her feet again and grabbing the Hina blade.

Naru looked up and saw Mutsumi glancing back and forth between the other girls and Naru. Yes, that ditzy, airheaded Mutsumi...her too... Naru thought as she walked, then sped up to a sprint toward Mutsumi, Hina blade poised to strike.

"Oh my! I think Naru-chan is trying to kill me! Heeeelp!" Mutsumi screamed in a "Mutsumi-ish" way and dropped her watermelons. She then turned to run but accidentally stepped on a watermelon. "Whoops!" she exclaimed as she tripped and fell on her face. The watermelon flew through the air and smashed into Naru's head, splitting in half.

"Ow...wow, Keitaro," Naru babbled as her balance went haywire. "There's so many of you..." She then fell over and lost consciousness.

Mutsumi glanced this way and that, wondering if she had just missed anything. "Ara ara. What just happened?"

Author's Note

Behold, I have posted a new chapter! It's a miracle! O_O

Considering that I've been so slow to get to work on this, yeah it probably is like a miracle. Well, again I hope it meets your expectations. Oh and about the Hina blade: it's shown in episode 25 of the anime and volume 9 (I think) of the manga. It's a sword possessed by an evil spirit that Keitaro and Motoko use to try to defeat Motoko's sister. (Sorry if I accidentally spoiled anything for anyone)

Thanks for reading!