Chapter 4 (AN: … Okay… I completely forgot about Hideki's sister… and the fact that I mentioned that Hideki's mother was on the ship… Maybe I should go back and actually read what I wrote more often…Well, suffice to say… I've added a few extra lines to incorporate his sister into the story a bit more and I've changed his mother, on the ship, to his father… Hope you don't mind… I made sure to mark the paragraphs with a '', just to make it an easy read. ::That key above the enter key…::)

NOTE : It seems that fanficnet won't accept the '' as formatting so I'll have to change that and a few other things later... I'll do that this weekend when I have enough time :P Sorry.. I promsie I'll fix things a bit later :P

(AN: The next part is a bit… descriptive so… yeah… don't read this to your kids, it's gruesome… well not really… maybe…)

I found myself back in the darkness of my beginning… the liquid flow of my surroundings wasn't calming this time though… It had a steel edge to it, something razor sharp that was cutting away at my conscious mind. I looked around as my surroundings slowly faded into view… I found myself standing on the Furinkan-high grounds and as I looked up, there at the gates… stood my brother… My eyes widened at the sight and I ran towards him and grabbed him in a hug, in typical 'girl' style… Hey, I did really miss him… He didn't react though and just stood there. 'Hiro?', I asked as I stepped back, my voice sounding strange and echoing in my head. I looked up at his face… he seemed strangely pale suddenly a bloodied spear point exploded out of his chest, stopping inches in front of my face, splattering warm blood all over me… I stared at the scene in front of me, completely horrified with wide eyes and mouth agape… I took a single step back but didn't utter a word… I was too shocked to even speak. My brother's knees buckled and he fell to the side, reveling the person holding the spear… "Hideki!!!", I cried, horrified… "You bastard!!!", I cried as I started running forward but suddenly I couldn't lift my feet. I looked down and noticed that there were millions of crawling black things on my legs, rising higher by the second. I felt like my skin was being peeled off me one fleck at a time, like millions of tiny needles were sticking into my pores… I looked up to see Hideki's face contorted in an evil smirk… he laughed… a sharp sound, like shattering glass… I let out a scream…

The scene suddenly changed… the last seemingly forgotten for the time being… I was staring at Hana where she was leaning over Leiko's prone, blood splattered form. Hana was holding a knife in her hands she turned to me with an insane gleam in her eye and lifted the knife to her mouth, licking the blood off the blade as she slowly moved towards me, with a menacing place… As she came closer all those little bugs rose up again and as the climbed up her legs too I could make out that they were billions of teeny little spiders. Her skin seemed to melt off her as she moved towards me. She held up the knife and with those evil shining eyes she struck down at me, again and again… the pain was driving me insane… But that wasn't the end…

'::Hate them…they want to hurt you… they want to kill you… kill them…::' "NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!"

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Hideki looked over Akina's pale form where she was lying in Tofu's clinic. The wound had already closed without leaving a single scar, strangely enough… even though it had only been about sixteen hours. He'd had to call his mother and tell her where he was by the time morning came around… He'd just made up some story on 'how' this came to be… She came rushing over with Kazuko. The little girl was worried about her newly acquired big sister and didn't leave her side for a second… Mrs. Muzino was just as worried and was in the other room, talking to Dr. Tofu. Hideki thought back to the earlier conversation he'd had with the doctor.

::Flashback:
"Her wound seems to be closing up… I'm not sure what else is wrong with her though… I've never seen anything like it… It's like her life-force is being attacked directly by something… A virus… maybe…", he'd said. "Is there anything you can do?" "All I can do is try and maximize the efficiency of her chi flows and hope she has the strength to pull through on her own, I'm sorry… My first thought would've been to take her to the hospital but I think she might have died then… Most of those hypocrites don't even believe in chi. All we can do now is hope…" Dr Tofu was rambling but Hideki attributed it to his worry for his patient. Lucky for him Tofu wasn't going to ask questions about their strange choice of clothing… to him a life was a life and a patient was a patient. ::End flashback::

Hideki slammed his fist into the wall, causing a little plaster to fall and his little sister to jump and her eyes to tear up a bit. Hideki looked at his little sister as she stared back at him with those big innocent eyes… She'd actually been so happy when she'd heard that Akina would be staying with them from now on. Her overexcited laughter and the extra energy she had… He hadn't seen her like that in such a long time. Maybe he could convince Akina to spend a little more time with Kazuko when she woke up… 'That's right… 'when', not 'if'.', he thought stubbornly.

Dr. Tofu came out of his office, followed by Mrs. Muzino. "At the moment she's in a comatose state and I'm not even sure if she'll wake up… I think it would be best to keep her here though… I need to apply five-hourly shiatsu treatments to keep her going…" Hideki frowned as he caught the tail end of their conversation. "Thank you doctor…"

"Come on honey…", said Mrs. Muzino as she took her daughters hand. "But I want to stay with A-ko.", she cried in defiance. "You can come to visit her later… it's getting late and you haven't had anything to eat all day… You'll get sick… You too Hideki plus I think you need some sleep." "It's fine mom… you go on home… I'll stay here and keep an eye on her, I'm sure Dr. Tofu'll make me something to eat later." His mother looked hesitant but sighed… "Okay… But make sure to eat something and get some sleep… It wouldn't be right for you to keel over when she wakes up, right?" He gave his mother a reluctant smile and turned back to studying Akina's prone form.

His mother looked at the scene sadly… Dr. Tofu had told her that it was some kind of virus and Hideki had said that she'd come to his room during the night complaining about not feeling well… when she collapsed he'd taken her to the doctor's as fast as he could. She turned around and took hold of her daughter's hands once more as they left the clinic… Something wasn't right about this but she just couldn't place it. Never the less… it wouldn't do worrying about it… That'd only make things worse for everybody else… so she chose to do what she always did, take care of her family.

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Hideki's eyes slipped over her form as her breathing suddenly sped up… he was glad his sister didn't see this, it would've scared her way too much. Akina suddenly started struggling as Tofu's pressure points started loosing it's effect… "No… please… stop….", she moaned… A black aura appeared around her form and flickered wildly as it started drawing in all light… "Doctor Tofu!!!", cried Hideki frantically. Tofu was there in a flash, quickly hitting the pressure points to help her fight it… she let out a soul shattering scream before finally collapsing on the bed as the dark aura receded.

Hideki was as white as a sheet… He couldn't take much more of this… The stress was starting to wear at him. He never did notice Tofu sneaking up on him and striking the pressure point in the back of his neck… later he would just believe that he'd somehow let himself slip into the comforting embrace of sleep… "Sorry Hideki… but you really do need some sleep. I'll see about getting some nutrients into both you and Akina. Now where did I put those things… Maybe I should call up Dr. Ikari at the hospital for that favor he owes me.", said Tofu.

Luckily, to everyone's relief Akina woke up on Monday morning.

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I opened my eyes to see Hideki's face in front of me… The images I'd seen flashed through my mind but I didn't want to accept them… I tried my very best to reject them but on some level they stayed with me. Hideki grabbed me in a tight embrace, startling me… "Thank heaven! I'm so glad your okay!!", he cried… "It's been almost thirty hours! I thought you weren't gonna wake up at all. Dr Tofu said that-", he sounded sincere and extremely worried… I smiled and tried to stop from shaking and shivering too much, pushing the horrible images I'd seen into the back of my mind… that Hideki and this one were two different people. Instead of their faces I compared their eyes… I pushed Hideki away for a second, clutching his face and staring directly into his eyes… Yes… I'm right… This Hideki has a soul behind those bluish green orbs… that one didn't. I relaxed a bit, feeling that I'd finally escaped that never-ending nightmare.

"Doctor! She's awake!", cried Hideki… Tofu quickly came in the door. "Well, well… Looks like you're feeling better. You're still weak though and I can still see that thing residing in your aura… Only repressed, for now…", said Tofu… "C-can I go now… I just want to get out of here…", I mumbled, feeling dizzy and like I was gonna throw up. "She's not cured and until I call my friend at the hospital so we can figure out what's wrong, I'd like to teach you a few of the pressure points I used, just in case of an emergency."

It took Hideki about half an hour to figure things out since he was already pretty well trained. Finally we left and he lead my back 'home'… I really wanted to go home… XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

When we walked in the front door I was immediately enclosed in a warm embrace, by both mom and my little sis. They seemed excited and happy…

Hideki dropped me off in my room and mom smiled happily at me, glad to see I was doing better. Kazuko just stared at me curiously before coming up to me and giving me a hug. Giving a cute kid a hug is ten times more therapeutic than gnawing on a stuffed animal's ear, believe me, I know. I just held her for a few seconds, relishing in her warmth and her re-enforcement in my faith that what I'd seen was only a nightmare.

My mind still felt like it'd gone through the deep fryer and the got torn to shreds and pieced back together again but I was at least starting to feel a little better… the foreboding feeling of dread still clung to the back of my neck, though. I just couldn't shake the feeling that something was really, really wrong.

It'd been raining outside the whole of yesterday and during the night, according to Hideki… he said it was heaven's way of showing they cared. Bah… what's that supposed to mean… I suppose I'm supposed to say something like, 'Sometime guys can be sweet', right? Well I'm not gonna. Blech!

The fresh air that flowed into the window did do wonders for my headache though… I've always liked rain…

Hideki finally got ready for school and by that time Kazuko was gone to school and mom was off at her morning shift at the local bank. Working eight to twelve wasn't all to bad, especially if you had kids to take care off and besides, with Mr. Muzino's family support and the things mom got from the divorce, we were well enough to get by easily. Especially with Hideki's 'pass-time'…

I refused to stay in bed, using my, 'What am I gonna do if I need those shiatsu techniques you've learnt?', as an excuse. "But you're still weak and the doctor said you need rest." "Well you have a choice then, miss school and stay with me or you can take me with you(that didn't sound to good) but I'm sure the fresh air and sun would to me wonders, come on please!!!", I begged. Hiroshi didn't have a good enough counter for that dreaded technique and soon we were off to school… I had to promise him I would stay away from class and take it easy, of course.

We got to school easily enough, even though I did feel a bit tired and winded by the time we got there. Hana met me outside of the school gates and Hideki left us to 'catch' up a bit. I told her what had happened, leaving out the little late night wandering. "Are you gonna be okay?", asked Hana, in a worried tone of voice. "I'm fine… I think I just need a little rest and then I'll be as good as new-", my attention was suddenly drawn to the gates as Akane came rushing through with her usual, "I HATE BOYS!!", routine… It seemed a bit more flaunting this time around though… Like she was trying to show off her 'skill'. Then I noticed a familiar figure on the wall and stopped cold, staring at him wide eyed… "R-Ranma?", I mumbled… "You know him?", asked Hana. "Uh… Um… yeah.", I stuttered, "Ranma Saotome one of the best fighters you'll ever meet. He's a bit of an egotistical jerk though." 'Shit! I could've sold this information to Nabiki as counter payment… IDIOT!!', I cried internally, 'Well… it's too late now.' "He's cute!", exclaimed Hana as we watched Ranma jump off the wall and walked towards Akane with a casual swagger. "He's so dreamy.", enthused Hana, reinforcing her earlier statement . I just looked at her funny… Okay, so he was good-looking and he had this rebellious look to him that made him even more attractive but he's still dumb as a brick… He does make a cute girl though… I quickly shook the images from my mind, blushing.

"You'd better get to class… Don't wanna be late, besides, it looks like it's gonna rain again, any second now…", I said while looking up at the clouded sky and pushing my friend towards the school building. "But I wanna watch some more…", whined Hana. I twitched a bit at that… jealousy? Nah, couldn't be… right?

The rain was quick and after classes had started, sending an excuse for myself with Hana, I walked out to look for a dry spot to relax. The quickest spot to dry in the morning sun was the cement walkways… I quickly chose a spot near the swimming pool, dangling my feet in the cold water…I lay on my back and looked up at the sky, still feeling a little light headed and sleepy… I heard commotion from inside the school building and got up, casually starting to stroll away from the pool in the direction I suspected Ranma'd run.

A slight dull thudding emanated from the back of my head. Suddenly there was a loud splash behind me and even though my heart jumped into my throat, I didn't let my body show outward sign of it. I reached the top of the hill and ignored the commotion behind me… I leaned against a tree to regain my breath… sweat was starting to pour off me… I heard the light tap of Ranma's footsteps as she landed in the tree above me… 'Damn… I wanted to talk to her but I don't think that I-" Cough cough (Sharp pain through the back of my head) gasp I dropped to my knees as a coughing fit wracked my body… A warm liquid splattered onto my hands… at first I thought it was just spit but when I took my hand away there were light smears of blood on it… "H-hey… Are you okay?", asked a soft voice from beside me… 'It's only been two and a half hours… how can this be? Hideki said that-' "C-could you go get my brother, his name's H-Hideki.", I managed, leaning back against the tree.

Akane came running up and saw me but I ignored the fading conversation as I stared at the clouds floating through the sky… I think Ranma sent Akane to get Hideki… I'm not sure… Darkness
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Hideki came running up just as Akina passed out. "Get away from her!", cried Hideki to Ranma… He quickly complied, and just in time too. A deep black aura burst forth from her body searing the ground. Hideki coated his hands in a thin layer of ki, as Tofu had taught him and quickly started the shiatsu treatment.

This time the black aura took a little longer to recede than last time but luckily it did. 'Shit! This looks bad.', he thought as he wiped a little blood away from the edge of her mouth… 'If only I could find out what's wrong with you?' He picked her up, cradling her body in his arms. 'The fastest way to Tofu is roof hopping and that means… I'll have to reveal my little secret… but right now… you're more important than that.', he thought. "I need to get her to Tofu's.", he stated flatly as he took a huge leap, leaving a stunned crowd behind. Ranma quickly followed after them…

From the bushes a lone little ninja, belonging to the Kuno family stared after them… 'I recognize that feeling… it's the 'Kuno family curse'. But how did she get infected?', he thought to himself as he too leapt after the group, his curiosity getting the better of him.
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'I'm back again…', I thought as I looked around in the inky blackness… "So you are…", echoed a fear instilling voice… I looked frantically around, trying to locate the owner of the voice. Sharp, cold laughter echoed off the unseen walls. Suddenly someone, a man seemed to meld out of the darkness… He had a deep black trench coat on and he casually strolled towards me with his hands in his pockets. His long black hair had silver strands intertwined in it and at first I thought his eye-sockets were empty but as he came closer I could see the black fire flowing from them.

An evil, horrifying smirk adorned his face… "Looks like we finally meet… miss Akina.", echoed his voice from all around… even though the man in front of me's lips moved… the sound didn't come from his direction, nor any other place I could determine. He seemed amused at my confusion.

"Everyone who seeks power will at one point cross paths with me. I can give you power… I can give you all the power you'll ever need… To kill your enemies, protect your loved ones, reach your goals or even conquer the world. All you have to do is answer me one question…"

"Who are you?", I asked… my voice wavering just a teeny bit… even that seemed to make him smile wider. "You don't recognize me? I'm hurt.", he said mockingly, "I really wanted to meet you in person, after the first time I saw you… from behind that glass case… (AN: Come on! You have to have guessed it by now!)… "It can't be… you- You're that sword?"… the image of where I almost killed the guard when he shot me slipped through my head, coming back to me as clear as day… 'I came so close…', I though shivering… My insides twisted into knots at the thought of taking another's life. I remember back home… There were these large birds in our back yard that annoyed my dad… they dirtied our roof and everything, even annoying our dogs. My dad brought a gun though… one of those pellet guns. He wanted me to shoot them while he was away at work, but… I couldn't even bring myself to aim that thing at a single one of them… even though they were an annoyance… they still had life… I just couldn't… and… because I was too much of a wimp, my mother shot them….

Just the thought of taking a life makes me sick to my stomach. I just can't bring myself to do something like that… I dropped to my knees shivering… Now that I think about it… that's probably the reason why my offense is still so weak… I keep pulling my punches no matter how hard I try… I never really want to hurt someone…

"How are you gonna protect your brother… or Hana or even Kazuko for that matter… How are you gonna save them… You want power, don't you? You want to be able to hurt them…" "Stop it!!!", I cried as I clutched my head.
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Dr Tofu was standing over Akina, watching her intently… Alongside him was an expert in the ki field, Dr. Ikari. They studied her ki flows intently and waited for some change… some sign of what was happening.
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Outside Ranma sat in the waiting room with Hideki. "I'm not even her real brother!", cried Hideki… "He should be here right now…" Ranma-chan looked at him questioningly. "We adopted her into our family.", he said… feeling so stressed that he just had to take a bit off his load on someone. "When I met her she was just a petty little thief… only stealing enough to survive… although I don't really think that jeweled necklace she was wearing was for 'survival'. I asked my parents if she could stay with us for a while… Later… we adopted her into the family. She's really a good kid. She's kind and caring and she doesn't really stop to think about herself. She's always done what I asked her too… even though she complains allot. I don't know what I'd do without her… I wish her brother was here but he's off training in China now and he won't be back for a while." He looked Ranma-chan in the eyes… "Who are you anyway?", he asked suddenly. "Uh, me? I'm Ranma… heh, sorry about this.", she said nervously, her hand lightly plucking at her pigtail behind her head.
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"All you have to do is answer me one single question…", he said as he pumped all the images from the 'nightmares through my head… "Do you want this power?", he asked… "NO!!!!! Please!! Just leave me alone…sob" "Hmm… Interesting…", he mused… quietly. "You… pass… I, the demon sword Kakashi, am yours to wield.", he stated… I stopped for a second and looked up at him as the pain stopped, "HEH!?!" "You're the first in over three hundred years to pass this test… You see… I'm drawn to those who seek power… and they are drawn to me. But in honesty, all power comes with a price… Therefore… I draw out their desire for power, trying to amplify it through greed, revenge and even fear… and if their desire is great, the price is even bigger. But you… you only wanted power to 'be part of the fun'… heh heh. You only wanted to be useful to your Hideki-kun. And when I tried to evoke the lust for power and revenge in you… you rushed him with only the thought of your own death in mind… and you waited for you're best friend to plunge a knife into your heart because you trusted her…Even at the very end when I wanted to give you the power you refused to take it. You're one strange human… Though that was a trick question… If you'd said you'd wanted power I would've given the first level of power, but at the price of your own sanity, as I've done with so many before me… …" Slowly his image faded away and I slumped down in relief… it was over, finally.
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END CHAPTER

AN: Okay, so this was a bit... I don't know... PS. It's still in it's draft phases so don't bully me too much... I still have to go through everything again and do a rewrite after I'm finished but that's a ways away... This one's a bit more 'drafty' than my other chapters but I'm getting there... (Maybe I should actually check my chapters before I post them... Nah that's for this weekend :P)