Okay here's part four. Look out because Vicious makes the scene! Onward!

-Randall Flagg2

(1)

In the midst of the night, a figure stood. He was tall and had long white hair. His face was narrow, cold, and cruel looking. He wore a long black coat and a black suit. In his right hand was a scabbard with a katana in it. This man went by the name of Vicious and he had a job to do. A job that involved a certain green haired man.

"Tonight Spike." Vicious whispered. "Tonight we settle this." He began to walk through the forest in the direction of the house in which the bebop had taken residence.

(2)

"What is Serenity person doing?" Ed asked, looking over the young hanyou girl's shoulder. Serenity was reading a gigantic book labeled "The Big Book of Pranks".

"Nothing! Nothing at all!" Serenity said, quickly shoving the book under a nearby bed. She knew that if she was caught reading this, she would be in for a world of hurt. After her past experiences with Inuyasha, she knew better then to leave this book out in the open.

Ed giggled. "Serenity person is hiding something! Ed wanna see!" Ed began to dig around under the bed.

Serenity gasped. She couldn't let Ed find what was under there. What if she told the others about what she saw? Inuyasha would really lay into her if he saw she was planning to pull pranks.

Serenity put her hand on Ed's back. "No don't! If they find out I-" Ed whirled around and snarled at her. Serenity let out a tiny scream of surprise and fell on her back. To make matters worse, she landed on top of Ein. The corgi yelped and struggled to free himself from under the girl.

As Serenity got to her feet, Ed came out with the book. She looked at the cover and giggled. Ed had seen this book before when she had lived on earth.

"So Serenity person likes pranking people?" Ed asked.

Serenity grabbed Ed's shoulders and looked her directly in the eyes. "I admit I am but you can't tell anybody!! If Inuyasha finds out about this I won't be able to sit for a month!!!"

Ed looked puzzled. "What does Serenity person mean?"

Serenity rubbed her backside a little bit. "Please don't ask."

Ed began to skim through the pages, all the while giggling like a little schoolgirl. The pranks you could pull in this book were very interesting ones indeed. Ed would never tell the bebop, but she was a secret prankster herself. She had never done any on the bebop, but on earth she had pulled many a practical joke on unsuspecting bystanders. She was almost as good at this little hobby of hers as she was at hacking.

As the young hacker glanced merrily at the contents of the book, Spike came into the room. "Hey girls, whatcha up to?"

Before Spike could see the book, Ed stuffed it under the bed again. She knew how much trouble she would be in if somebody found out about this.

"Oh, we're not doing much." Serenity replied. "Just talking about stuff. You know how we girls are."

"Whatever." Spike said. "I just wanted to let you know its bedtime."

Ed pouted. "Can't Edward and Serenity person stay up just a bit longer?"

"Yeah Spike! I'm not tired!" Serenity added.

Spike sighed. "Sorry you guys, but you have to. No buts."

Serenity jumped to her feet. "I'm not going to bed! I'm eleven years old, so I think I should get to stay up a bit longer then others!"

Inuyasha came into the room. "Spike, let me handle this." Inuyasha grabbed Serenity in a headlock and began whacking her on the head over and over while yelling "Go to sleep! Go to sleep! Go to sleep damn it!!" After about thirty blows to the head, Serenity gave in.

"Alright, alright, I'll go to bed!! Goodnight!" Serenity growled. She went upstairs to sleep, leaving Ed behind with Spike and Inuyasha.

Ed took one look at Inuyasha and ran out of the room. She had no intention of suffering a similar fate.

"Remind me to try that with Ed sometime." Spike said to the hanyou.

"Sure. Sometimes the kids just need a push in the right direction." Inuyasha remarked.

Spike yawned and stretched his arms. "Well, I'm hitting the sack. What about you?"

"I'm going to sleep too."

"Okay. Goodnight." The two of them went out the door and in different directions.

(3)

It had taken a few hours of waiting, but the time had come. Vicious went up to the door of the house to accomplish what he had come for. Tonight, he and Spike would settle what had been started so long ago. However in order to do that, he would need bait in which to lure Spike to him. It seemed easy enough. Heck it was almost pathetic.

So without further hesitation, Vicious opened the door and went inside.

(4)

Ed couldn't sleep that night. She didn't know why, but something felt wrong here. Terribly wrong. She didn't know why, but she had a hunch that something bad was going to happen tonight. She tossed and turned nervously in her bed, trying to get to sleep and finding she was unable to.

"Why can't Ed sleep?" she thought. "Ed is tired but Ed cannot sleep. Maybe Ed should get some milk to help her sleep. Ed heard that helps."

Ed got out of bed and began to go down to the kitchen, when a crash was heard accompanied by barking.

(5)

Vicious threw Ein across the room as hard as he could. The corgi crashed savagely against the wall with a sickening CRACK. Before he could rise and attack, Vicious brought his foot upward in a savage kick. Ein yelped again and skidded further across the room. Vicious had been trained to kill and he was not going to let some hot dog shaped little dog get the better of him. He grabbed Ein up by the nape of his neck and flung him into the wall again. That was all it took and Ein became unconscious. Vicious turned towards the stairs just in time to see Ed descending them.

Ed's eyes widened in shock. She could see Ein lying at the foot of the back wall in a heap. She could also see a man that she had never seen in her life. His face was completely unfamiliar. As she met his eyes, a twisted smile crept across his face.

"Hello little girl." Vicious said, his voice cold as ice. "I want you to come with me." Ed opened her mouth to scream but Vicious clamped his hand around her mouth. If the rest of them woke up now, his plans would be foiled. Ed struggled madly, but to no avail. Vicious was quite strong, despite how slender he was.

Ed continued her frantic struggles in an attempt to break free. Vicious knew that if he didn't do something about it, the other residents would wake up and stop him before his plan could fully go into action. He grabbed Ed by the waist, turned towards the wall, and rammed the girl's head into it. Ed stopped struggling immediately and went limp.

Still, one thing surprised Vicious. How could a kid be there? He remembered that Spike harbored a strong dislike of children. So why would one be here? He had no idea. Nevertheless, this girl would make good bait. He was just about to walk out the door when Serenity came down the stairs.

"Who the heck are you?!" Serenity yelled. She could see the person was holding Ed hostage and she had no intention of letting them get away. Vicious glared at her.

"Don't get in my way girl. I have business to attend to." Vicious growled. Serenity leaped towards him and slashed at him with her claws. Quick as a flash, Vicious unsheathed his katana and blocked her. Serenity drew back for another attack and Vicious drove his sword into her shoulder. Serenity grabbed at her bleeding shoulder and Vicious brought his fist into her face, knocking her out.

Vicious smiled again. He didn't know who this girl was either but two hostages would be even better. The more the merrier as the saying went. Vicious slung Serenity over one of his shoulders, Ed over the other. Only one thing left to do now.

Vicious seized one of the vases from a nearby table, went to the bottom of the stairs, and flung it onto the ground. The sound of the vase shattering in the silence of the house was quite loud indeed. Within a moment he heard movement from upstairs. Vicious smiled and placed a note at the bottom of the stairs.

"Mission accomplished." he whispered, and ran out the door. He had business to attend to.

(6)

"What the hell is going on?!" Jet yelled from atop the stairs. "It sounds like something broke!"

Spike yawned and stretched. "Okay so a vase shattered. Big deal we can just-"

It was then the two bounty hunters saw a battered Ein on the ground.

The two of them ran to the dog and kneeled down. "Ein? You okay boy?" Jet asked. The corgi whimpered and tried to stand, but Vicious had beaten him quite badly. He could barely stand up.

"Someone did a number on him Jet. I can tell."

"But who would do such a thing?"

"I don't know. Maybe..."

"Why the silent treatment Spike?"

Spike did not hear him. He was looking intently at a piece of paper he had found at the bottom of the stairs. It read:

Tonight we settle this. Look for the fireworks. I have those girls with me.

Spike's eyes grew colder then Jet had ever seen them. Jet had a feeling of what was going on.

"It's Vicious, isn't it?"

"Yeah." Spike whispered. Without a word, he headed out the door.

To be continued...

Not much of a chapter, but I wasn't fully over my writers block yet. The next chapter will have more. So sorry.

-Randall Flagg2