It had to have been at least ten minutes since they entered the shrine, and still, all they could see was darkness. Minako kept her flashlight pointed just ahead of her feet so that she could see where she was walking, and with her free hand, she felt along the walls. It was a fairly narrow corridor from what she could tell and she instructed Lucinda to stay behind her; she was all too happy to oblige.

Her light had gone out just as they started down the stairs and with a whine of fright, she clung to her friend's robe by the shoulders.

"It's alright Luci, I think I see a light up ahead. It's not much farther now." Her eyes strained in the blackness, but indeed there was another open room with light not too far in front of them.

"I want to go back, Mina. We've done enough exploring for the night. Let's go to bed and we'll go swimming early in the morning. Please?"

"Luci! You're not afraid, are you?" She was behaving strangely seeing as how she was usually the brave one. Minako raised a brow and gently placed her hand upon her shoulder where Luci's rested.

"We'll not be long I promise. I just want to see..."

"Of course I'm not afraid! I'm just tired. And it's well past three already!" Her voice faltered, and Minako was sure she felt Luci's hand on her shoulder grip tighter.

The door from which the light shone through was only a few feet away now and she stopped for a moment to check on her friend. Lucinda was shivering but she assured her it was just the cold. Mina wasn't exactly sure who she was trying to convince; her, or herself, but she stepped through the door and into the room.

This chamber was about the size of her bedroom, but with none of it's pleasantries. There were no windows, and the floor was bare stone. Cobwebs and dust were so plentiful along the walls and ceiling that ever her grandmother would have a hard time cleaning it; and she could get a spot out of anything.

The source of the light was clear as day. About a hundred some odd candles flickered around an open stone casket, and two large torches were bolted to the stone wall behind them, however neither of the girls could see inside it. It was on a slightly raised platform with a few small steps leading up to it.

There was only one other door aside from the one they entered by and it looked like it led down another dark hall. Minako started to move closer to the coffin to get a glimpse of what it contained when Lucinda grabbed her arm.

"Mina, if I go check down that other hall, would you lend me your flashlight?" It seemed as if Luci had gotten over her little episode of fear.

"Feeling alright Luci? We can go back if you-.."

"No, really, I'm fine, silly! But would you lend it? I'll be right back. It doesn't look far at all." She couldn't admit to someone she considered to be a little sister that she was afraid of the dark. Everything was just fine until her own flashlight went out.

"Well, here...if you're sure. Hurry back though, I don't want to be here too long. And be careful, will you?" She handed over the flashlight and cast Luci an unsure look.

"I will. I'll be back before you even notice I'm gone." She flicked the switch and the flashlight blared on. And with a brief hug to Mina, she wandered off down the other hall. Luci was acting so strangely tonight, but it was more than likely that she just missed Arturu so she shrugged it off.

Minako then turned her attention back upon the stone coffin and she stared at it with confusion.

'So this is what's being kept from me?' Perplexing as her grandparents' behavior was, this place seemed like nothing more than the family crypt. Why would they so diligently see to it that she never visited? The question was answered as soon as she thought of it. Her journey up the steps gave her insight as to what the open casket contained.

At first she merely thought it was a human skeleton, but there were several things about this arrangement of bones that wasn't "right."

For one, they looked fresh when compared to their surroundings. There were no cobwebs, and no dust as there was all over the lining of the coffin. And for another, they looked new. The bones were not grey with age, but a bleached white as if they were just freshly cleaned and arranged.

What was even more unsettling as when Minako got a better look at the skull. It's teeth were all perfectly in order, but the canines were disturbingly long and frighteningly sharp. She was puzzled, and knew it would be foolish, but she found her hand reaching over, hesitating only once before she touched the skull. It was only a brush of fingertips against the forehead, but a surge of adrenaline ran through her.

By some unseen force, the skeleton's hand shot up and wrapped around her wrist suddenly and Minako jumped, screaming in protest.

'Mina...'

She heard the thing whisper her name, and the sound of its voice made her recoil in a mixture of disgust and fear. It rose from it's bed of death and with the bones of it's free hand, pushed the hair back off her shoulders. With a sharp tug, the thing yanked her closer and sank those long, sharp canines deep into her throat. The pain was immediate, and for Mina, unbearable. She felt all her muscles seize, and with a moan of agony, she whited out.

Reality hit her hard, and her head was spinning from the shock of the vision. It nearly caused her to actually pass out and she gripped the side of the casket with all her might just to steady herself. As soon as she got her bearings, (and not a minute more) she backed away from the resting place of the wicked bones and bumped right into a somewhat soft, yet very solid form. Minako jumped and she would have shrieked if a hand had not clamped over her mouth. She wanted to get as far away from the coffin as she could, but she was being pulled back by her captor. They shoved her down, back behind the stone deathbed and ducked alongside her, hissing a command for her to shush.

"Luci! What are you doing? What's going-..."

"Ssssh! Be quiet Mina! Someone's coming!" She draped an arm over her friend's shoulder to comfort her and sat silent. Footsteps clicked along the steps and Minako listened closely. She could hear the voices of her grandparents arguing softly on the way down.

"Well did you place the rug back over the door last night, hag?" Her grandfather did not seem as angry as he was concerned, but her Mimi was positively livid.

"Of course I place rug! You must have left door unlocked! Wind blew it right open! Only people that know about door is You, Me, and kook in crazy house!"

"I locked the door just fine. Do not speak ill of him, Mariha. You know as well as I do that it was him that drove Rinfudo insane."

"I don't care what you say Aruhama! He may be cousin of Minakin, but he still a kook!"

"He was supposed to take over when we were gone, so she would be protected. So she wouldn't have to."

"Well look where he be now! Not good replacement huh, Soy Bean? Say, you don't think...Minakin wasn't in bed when I check..."

"It's not her, she left with Lucinda and they're at her party. Besides, she knows nothing anyway. Enough of this, hag. Let's just get this overwith and get back to bed." Their footsteps echoed as they walked down the hall Luci had explored earlier, and the girls slipped out from behind the casket.

They made a beeline for the door and Luci fumbled with the flashlight as they ran blindly up the hall. By the time she finally got the light to turn on, they were outside in the dead garden, and the half moon shone like a silver bowl in the sky.