Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma ½.

Author's Notes: It's strange how much this story seems to have possessed me. This is the kind of story I have wanted to write for some time but didn't feel capable of it. I'm glad that I took the time and figured out what I'm best at. Straight action pieces are good but I also realize that I'm not too good at those. It never hurts to branch out occasionally but doing what you like is always better than doing what you don't like. I sincerely hope you enjoy this story. Do you have the lights on? Good.

Accident

Chapter 2: Running in Darkness

Murder is a word that few have the stomach for. The word belongs in darkness and nowhere near civilized society. It is an evil and dark deed committed in shadows. It lends no comfort or solace to the one who commits the act but merely fuels their sick drives. The dark side of the moon faces away from the light. Not out of choice, but out of necessity for something needs to balance the light and what better than the darkness? There is no time for tears for those poor souls who died. The tears should be shed for those about to die. Such a heinous crime as what is being perpetuated at the hospital should have already been discovered, but the men in charge, in all their foolish glory, have kept their suspicions silent for fear that no one would want to work there or be a patient there. Such is the folly of man.

-Tendo Dojo-

It was hardly a whole day after the tragedy struck, but to the outside observer it was if the people inside had aged ten years in a single night. The grief that touched them was doubly intense for it wasn't just one bright light that had been lost, but two. Akane cried when her father put a photo of Kasumi in the shrine next to their mother. Nabiki held her baby sister close, seeking the words to comfort and heal but finding none. She knew she wasn't Kasumi and the knowledge of the blow they suffered collapsed her ego around her. The injustice made her want to strike the floor but she held back, knowing full well that her hand would be shattered. It was made even worse by her father's stubborn refusal to go get the bodies with Mr. Saotome. She looked to her little sister and realized that she wouldn't be able to go so it fell to Nabiki to claim the body of their dead sister. The elder girl weakened in the face of what must be done before breaking down into heart-wrenching sobs.

"W-why did they have to die?" Akane asked in a little voice. She couldn't understand what had happened. There was nothing to break, nothing to smash, nothing at all to make her feel better. It bothered her that she had nothing positive to say about Ranma. She never could believe that he was honorable or tried to do the right thing. Her blind beliefs made it difficult to acknowledge even the basic things such as he was always there when he needed her. What bothered her even more was that the only thought that came to mind about Kasumi was that she was nice, kind, and she took good care of them. Her face scrunched up as she realized how shallow her views were and cried harder.

"I don't know. From everything I heard he was with her right up to the last." Nabiki managed to say when she found her voice. It was strange that the one of the fastest people on the planet couldn't have escaped the truck. She knew it was unfair to feel angry at him for not succeeding for Kasumi like he probably would have for Akane, but that wasn't fair. Being angry never helped anyone her big sister would say. It was time to put away the ledgers and the gambling books, but something had to be done about the money Kasumi had from her life insurance policy. Their mother had suggested to their father to take out one for all of them and he had reluctantly agreed. What of their father? She glared at his back and almost snarled. He couldn't stop going on about what a failure Ranma was for failing his little girl and crying about the schools never being joined. Even Ranma's father had grown disgusted and left. Her hands wouldn't stop trembling as she thought about simply putting him out of their misery, but that wouldn't help.

"S-Saotome is going to claim his son today. He said to meet him at the hospital by noon. I need to be alone." Tendo said; his heart heavy. Not only had his lost his beloved wife, but now he had lost his first born. He knew it was selfish to leave everything to his children but he also knew how weak he was. There was nothing he could do, or so he told himself, and went to his room with his now eldest daughter's sneer following him. She sent Akane to the furo for a bath, telling her to take a long time to sort out her feelings. The younger girl nodded and made her way listlessly out of the room with Nabiki's sad eyes following her.

"Why did you have to go?" she whispered to the empty room. Whether she was directing the question to Kasumi or Ranma was unknown. If she had known that her older sister was watching her she wouldn't have cried, but there was no stopping the tears.

"Kasumi…Ranma…come back…W-what are we going to do without you? I-I'm not as strong as you…" she wailed, her fist striking the floor of the dojo, a crack followed the blow, but she paid it no heed. Nabiki realized there were still things to do stood up and left as well. The floor cracked where she punched it.

-At the same time-

Ranma and Kasumi made it to the dojo in record time. The laws of physics don't apply to those of the spirit world so it was easy to go at speeds exceeding any that they knew in life. It came as a shock to both to feel the aura of despair that pervaded the once bright home. The eldest girl couldn't believe how much everything had changed in such a short time and felt guilty for having a good time with Ranma. The blue-eyed boy, sensing her thoughts, put his arm around her shoulders and walked into the house with her through the open door. The shogi board showed signs of disuse. The normal sounds of the house were gone. It felt so empty that the two of them wondered where all the people were. As if in answer to their concerns, Nabiki walked through the living room. Unlike her usual attire around the home of shirt and shorts the girl was wearing a dark red blouse and a black skirt. Her eyes showed signs of recent weeping and a lot of the life was gone from her step.

"N-Nabiki-chan…" Kasumi said, her arms reached out for her sister, but she realized that her sister couldn't hear her or feel her. There was nothing they could do but watch as she checked the mail. The mailman expressed his condolences as she thumbed distractedly through the mail. The kind man realized that she wasn't hearing him and politely excused himself. Nabiki suddenly stared at a letter that was at the bottom of the pile and began crying again. Her broken-hearted wail tore at the heart. Ranma peered over her shoulder to see what had caused her to cry and gulped. It was a letter from the insurance company.

"I wonder how Akane's doing…" Ranma mused. Kasumi seemed a little afraid of baby sister's reaction if Nabiki was any indication, but she owed it to them. Finding her didn't prove to be difficult since she was the only one who talked to herself and answered. The pigtailed boy didn't want to go in but the brown-haired girl beside him solved the problem for him and dragged him in anyway.

"Stupid Ranma…If you were going to die then why did you take Kasumi with you? Did you hate me that much? Did you really hate me enough to take my sister with you? You damn baka!" she snarled in anger. Her red aura was heating the water she was in to almost boiling, but she didn't care. A wall was built in her mind to contain grief. After the initial outburst of despair she had put it behind the wall and let it fester. The two ghosts looked at each other before Ranma noticed that the water was getting far too hot. He didn't even think as he stuck his finger in the water and almost recoiled from the malice that radiated through Akane's aura. With his face a mask of determination he used his Soul of Ice and pushed the cold into the water. The girl in the furo stared as the steam began to dissipate and a feeling of relief flooded her. She was only just now realizing how hot the water had become.

"Whew…didn't think I could that." Ranma remarked casually to the stunned girl beside him.

"Thank you. Despite the mean things she said I wouldn't want my little sister boiled." Kasumi said. She blinked in surprise when she caught Akane looking right Ranma, her head tilted in confusion.

"What is that shape in the steam?" she asked no one in particular and stood up to investigate. Ranma had seen her naked before and it used to make him freeze up, but mentally comparing her to Kasumi was like comparing an apple to a bowling ball. Meaning there was no comparison. The girl's hand brushed through the steam and through Ranma's face. Her confusion mounted but he didn't want to know what she had felt. He moved quickly, grabbing Kasumi by the wrist, and running out of the room.

"Did she see me?" he asked once they were safe.

"No, but your aura was making the steam swirl around you." Kasumi replied.

"My aura? Does that mean I can still do things with it?" he pondered. Kasumi had no idea but since it wasn't directed at her she could ignore it. This required further investigation but now was not the time. The next person to visit was the head of the house, but judging by what she saw, Kasumi decided not to see him. If it was anything like after Mother had died then he was practically useless.

"Dad! Akane! I'm going to the hospital now!" Nabiki's voice drifted along.

"Ranma, why don't you visit your mother? I'm going to check on Nabiki some more." Kasumi said.

"Sure thing." He gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze before taking off out the window. The girl sighed and wondered how she could communicate with Nabiki. It was with that thought that she leaped outside to walk with her sister.

-Saotome house-

It was a strange scene at the old Saotome residence. Ranma had searched for his mother everywhere but had not checked here. He found her sifting through the wreckage of their former home trying to find something. His heart ached when he realized just how badly she was affected. Her hands were cut and bleeding from sharp objects in the ruin. She didn't even seem to notice the damage she was doing to herself.

"It has to be here…It just has to be…" she muttered to herself as she continued to sift. Suddenly her face lit up and she grabbed for a small object lying on the ground. Ranma moved in to take a closer look and realized that it was a photo album. His mother had trouble getting the book out because there was a large beam pinning it to the ground. He felt helpless as he watched her struggle, tears streaming down her face as she tried to free the precious book.

"Damn! How can I help? There has to be something I can…do…" he trailed off as he realized that his ki was still his to command. Was it possible? Hey, Saotome never loses, right? He approached his mother from behind as she tried to push the beam off to no avail. With a determined scowl he summoned his ki and placed his hands on the heavy wood. He tried to push, but his arms kept sinking in. It was driving him crazy as he tried to figure out what was going on before it finally sunk in that he was trying to infuse his muscles with ki but he didn't have muscles anymore. He really should be using his ki to create force around his hands to allow him to push. With a confident smirk he redirected his ki into a solid force and pushed, expending more ki for propulsion to force the beam to move. The heavy wooden obstacle moved grudgingly before toppling to the ground. His smile of triumph was cut short by his mother's exclamation of happiness as she brought the precious book up to her chest. His ki was still flowing freely and it had nowhere to go. Usually he would fire a Mouko Takabisha but that wasn't possible with his mom this close. Instead he set his hand on his mother's shoulder.

"I love you mom." He said, tears standing in his eyes, and expended his built up energy to accelerate her healing. She showed no sign of noticing but then her face came up, unerringly staring at where her son was standing. The Saotome matriarch smiled and opened the book. She spoke as if talking to someone as she explained the pictures in the book. There was no way she could have seen him but it was clear that she knew her son was watching over her. Ranma merely sat beside her and looked at the photo album over her shoulder.

-Hospital-

Nabiki arrived several minutes before Genma, waiting impatiently outside the doors. She hated hospitals. Every time she came to the hospital it was because she was going to lose someone or had already lost someone as the case may be. The stocky figure of the Saotome patriarch came into view as disreputable as ever, the haunted look in his eyes spoke to the Tendo girl. She would never be sure why it happened or even how, but one minute he was walking up, and the next she was throwing herself into his arms, crying into his gi. He seemed surprised by the act but nevertheless put his arms around her, trying to comfort her. The grief welled up inside him as he remembered all the hurtful things he said to his son and realized he would never have the chance to take it back. His good friend's daughter was in the same distress that he was. Words of comfort came to him and he did his best to help her through the tears.

Kasumi smiled from nearby happily. It seemed that things wouldn't be as bad this time around. Despite what many people had thought, Genma wasn't a bad person, just misguided. Hopefully, her sisters wouldn't have to suffer the same way they did after their mother had died. The two of them separated with Genma giving her a paternal kiss on the forehead, clearly embarrassed by the open display, but it put a slight smile on the girl's face. Arm in arm, they entered the hospital. As they entered, Kasumi felt a chill, a grim premonition of something. It wasn't the thing that had tried to get her before but it was certainly evil. She wasn't sure what she could do, but she had to go in to try and protect her sister even if she was with one of the greatest martial artists in the world.

"Mother, help me watch over them." She whispered before running into the hospital after them.

-Nekohanten-

The scene resembled a gathering of mistresses of the departed. The tears flowed freely as Shampoo and Ukyou comforted each other as best they could. A pot of supposedly harmless herbal tea, provided by Cologne, helped ease their suffering a little. The Amazon matriarch would have been crying as well except they needed her to be strong. She was making a huge meal of ramen to take over to the Tendo house as a gesture of kindness. The Tendo girls had undoubtedly lost the only thing that resembled a mother and a sister. Their father was a weak man who had probably abandoned the poor children to their fate and to hell with him. They may not be Amazons, but even Shampoo expressed a desire to comfort them, hence why Ukyou was here. It was sad, but only because of Ranma's death could they come together as friends it seemed.

"You never did anything the normal way, did you Son-in-Law?" she remarked fondly as she made his favorite shrimp ramen. Then again, whatever didn't try to poison, enchant, or eat him first was his favorite. A wind chime could be heard, but there was no wind. The old woman stared at the window where she had caught the boy making many daring escapes. It had occurred to her to simply put bars on it or simply remove it, but it made it more fun.

"Hey Old Ghoul." Ranma said teasingly even though he was sure she couldn't hear him. Something told him, however, that she might just know he was there. He could faintly smell the ramen or at least fooled himself into thinking he could, either way it smelled delicious. He wasn't sure what was going on. The restaurant was closed but she was filling an order? Ranma wasn't sure he saw it or imagined it, but it looked as if the old mummy had shed a tear as she looked at the window.

"I understand why you did what you did. It wasn't fair that you had to die, but at least you died trying to do something worthwhile. If you were here right now I would tell you not to worry about the Tendos, for as long as I live they will have Amazon protection." She said over her shoulder. The old woman must know that he was there he reasoned or else she wouldn't have phrased it the way she did. The sound of voices could be heard beyond the door. He had one more thing to do here before he left. With a heavy heart, he walked out into the dining area to see Shampoo.

-Back at the Hospital-

The receptionist at the front desk was sympathetic as she referred them to the doctor who would show them to the morgue. He called it the crypt and had a private laugh at the looks of disgust at his supposed poor phrasing. The old man looked to be a martial artist, but the doctor couldn't be sure and really didn't care. However, the girl with him was quite a looker if a little puffy-eyed. He tried his charms on her but a gruff growl from the man quelled his amorous ambitions. Something told him that tangling with him would result in more than a visit to the emergency room.

"Y-you have my condolences." He tried to get back in good standing but it didn't work at all. He led them down to the morgue for the identification process. This was the part he didn't like since he remembered what some of the victims had looked like, but according to his colleagues they weren't even mangled.

"I'm sorry for your loss." Genma said to Nabiki as the two walked beside each other. The girl next to him still had her arm looped through his as she leaned against his shoulder. He was never good at comforting people but he realized that in some cases, silence really was best. It hurt that his only child was gone but he couldn't hold down the swell of pride over his son. He couldn't tell anyone that he had taught Ranma to be that selfless since they wouldn't believe him. That level of dedication and caring could only be learned by oneself.

"Thank you. K-Kasumi and Ranma will be missed…" Nabiki replied. She wanted to curl up even more when she thought about it. Each foot felt weighted down with lead. She could only imagine how Genma felt at losing his son. They walked behind the doctor in silence for a while drawing strength from the closeness of the other.

Kasumi frowned as the feeling grew even stronger. It was all about her; it permeated the walls and the very air around her. She kept close to her sister in case she was needed. How she would help she had no idea, but if Ranma could do something than maybe she could as well. As she followed, she practiced. She knew that it would require concentration so she focused on the small pill bottles at the station they walked by. A quick snatch resulted in her grabbing nothing. She was a little peeved, but calmed down and tried to take a nurse's pen as she walked by. Kasumi caught sight of her sister and Genma rounding the corner just as she tried to grab another pill bottle. She had meant to be close by and this failure caused her normally mild-mannered temper to boil.

"Damn you! It shouldn't be this hard! DAMN!" she screamed in frustration. Every small item around her suddenly shot into the air in all directions. Glass cups shattered, lenses shattered, and even the counters rumbled. The chaos her scream generated snapped her out of her anger. Her wondering eyes had trouble taking in what she had caused before she realized that she had to catch up to Nabiki. With a hasty apology that no one heard she took off running.

-Restaurant dining room-

The sight that greeted Ranma's eyes was of two former rivals embracing one another in a gesture of comfort. Shampoo cried into Ukyou's shoulder as the young chef stroked her back softly. Tears fell down her face as well but not as hard as from the young Amazon. The blue-eyed boy sighed at the sight but there was nothing he could do. No measure of comfort he could give but something was already being done he noticed. He chuckled wryly at his own arrogance. Assuming that everyone needed him to fix everything when in reality, given the time, they could handle everything themselves.

"Airen really gone…" Shampoo said dejectedly from her position in her former rival's arms. The brown-haired chef holding her tight, her hands moving in slow circles along her back to comfort her. The once bubbly Amazon didn't know how to act or feel. The love of her life was dead and one of her supposed enemies was here comforting her. It was strangely reassuring to be held. Mousse had gladly volunteered to comfort her, but she needed genuine comfort and not some stupid duck boy trying to take advantage of her. With Ukyou she knew that nothing of the sort would happen.

"He could be such a jerk…but he shouldn't have died. Why did he have to play the hero?" the chef cried, but really couldn't fault his choice. Her grief had yet to run its course but still she knew he had died living true to his beliefs. It was even more tragic that Kasumi hadn't survived either. The fact that she was dead bothered her greatly. It meant that Ranma had given his life for nothing. She felt the misery radiating from the girl in her arms. Swallowing her own grief, the young chef wanted to help her through this. They may not have seen eye to eye but they weren't enemies. Shampoo was holding her tight, her whole body wracked by sobs. It had started out how it usually did between them with glares and threats of violence, but a lot of the heat had gone out of their fight. Cologne had scolded them both for acting so immature not even a whole day after their friends were killed. She left them to their own devices after telling them she was preparing a meal for the Tendo family. It didn't take them long to begin reminiscing about things past and for the healing tears to start flowing.

"Well this isn't so bad." He commented. Just as he was about to leave, the girls suddenly looked up in panic. Ranma blinked as they began searching the room for an unknown assailant. When he locked onto what they had detected it almost made his blood run cold. The menacing figure from the hospital was there. A long blade was slowly pulled out from its cloak before being brandished in a gesture to instill fear but it only served to annoy the pigtailed boy.

"…do not resist…" a whisper floated on the breeze carried from within the cloak. It took a single step forward, chains flowing around its feet like living snakes, hooks and pincers on the ends, setting up a fierce rattle. The darkness concealed its feet yet the cries of the dead did unnerve him a little.

"What do you want?" he asked as he imperceptibly moved into his non-stance. The figure gave the impression of a smirk as a black gloved hand reached out and stroked Ukyou's hair teasingly causing the girl to shriek in fear. Even the figure seemed surprised before a hollow chuckle could be heard.

"…So martial artists can perceive the dead…" it remarked.

"…One chance to come with me or she dies…" the figure said as it brought the wicked blade up. Shampoo was trying to snap her friend out of her trance but it wasn't working. The chef girl swallowed hard as her head was visibly pulled back with the weapon poised to strike. When it looked back to Ranma it felt something that it had previously instilled in others: fear. The boy was burning with a powerful destructive force. The sneer on his face told his opponent that he was ready to battle. The weapon pulled back, but before the swing could be completed, the dark shape was flying out through the front door and into the street.

"You had your chance to run but you threatened my friends. I can never forgive you for that." Ranma growled as he stepped through the door, his determined stride had told scores of opponents what was in store for them.

"…you cannot kill me…" the figure said as it stood up defiantly, the blade hanging low. The dark figure with the ever-present leer was ready for battle but he had no idea that he was truly unprepared for this fight. Chains exploded from the ground, weaving about menacingly, before suddenly flying for Ranma. The pigtailed boy stood his ground before howling in anger, the powerful aura that had built up inside of him exploded violently, knocking the chains away as if they were gnats. With a sudden lunge, the vengeful martial artist closed the gap between them, delivering a powerful blow to the gut. His opponent doubling over from the massive strike, but otherwise remained unharmed. Ranma on the other hand felt fear lance through him just by merely touching the shrouded figure. His instinct to flee had grown so strong that he almost tripped over his feet trying to get away.

"What the hell are you?" he asked through chattering teeth.

"…death…" was all the figure said before leaping back into the fray, his blade gleaming with an infernal light. The battle would soon be over.

-Hospital-

The feeling of danger was mounting by the second and Kasumi was panicking. She had no idea how she would protect her sister even though her self-assurances that Uncle Saotome would let nothing happen to her gave her a measure of comfort. They were walking just ahead of her as they walked into the morgue. As she touched the door leading into the room a wave of malice swept over her. She didn't want to go inside but it left with her no choice. With a steeling of her nerves she stepped through the door and into the morgue. It was strange for the girl as she realized that she would be seeing her own body.

"This may be difficult." The doctor said to them. He had regained much of his bedside manner considering that Genma already expressed concern with his rude attitude. He led them to two bodies already pulled out, ready for viewing. The first cover was pulled back to reveal Kasumi's face. The comment about the corpse looking like it was sleeping was obviously a joke. Nabiki could only bear to look for a moment before the sobs burst forth.

"That's her…That's Kasumi…Oh Uncle Genma!" she wailed before throwing herself into his arms. The man held her gently, rocking her gently. The doctor really did not enjoy this part. Something seemed wrong with the cover over the other body but he pulled it back anyway. The first he noticed was the fresh blood all over the underside of the sheet. He gagged in revulsion at the sight before him. Genma took a look at what the doctor was upset over and nearly let go of Nabiki in shock. The girl had wanted to look, but Saotome's hand on the back of her head kept her from seeing.

"What the hell is going on?" Genma demanded. On the gurney was a girl, obviously naked under the sheet, with a steel wire biting into her neck. Her eyes were closed and she looked peaceful. The doctor pulled the sheet back more with morbid curiosity. There was a bloody wreckage where her chest should have been. Her ribs had obviously been shattered and pulled outward. He had to swallow the bile that rose up in this throat at the sight before him.

"Oh kami I'm gonna be sick…" he moaned. A skittering sound came from behind him but when he turned to see who was there he could find nothing. His head whipped back around when a hand touched his shoulder. A cry of shock died on his lips when he noticed Genma regarding him. Sheepishly, he put the sheet back on the dead girl so that Nabiki didn't see it.

"What happened? I saw the body so don't even try to hide it." She demanded. It was better than being sad over her sister.

"I don't care let's get out of here." Genma said as he began to steer her out of the room. The sight of the dead body called long dead instincts into play. Violence on this scale was best left to those with proper training, but his real reason was because he didn't want this poor girl's life to be cut short like that. She wanted to protest, but the look of anxiousness on his face told her that he would not be swayed. With a weary sigh, she went to leave with him. Sounds of a brief scuffle could be heard from behind them and a sickening pop and rip. The two of them turned to look at the sight. On the floor lay the body of the young doctor while standing behind him was a person holding his head out as if to present it to them. It was hard to make out details due to poor lighting. A light laugh filled the air just before the head was chucked at them with the speed of a fast ball. Nabiki screamed and cowered while Genma knocked the projectile aside, but when he searched for the killer the party had disappeared.

"Why is this happening?" Nabiki asked hysterically.

"A rampage." Genma said as his eyes swept the room seeking out their would-be killer. The Tendo girl's scream alerted him to the danger only a fraction of a second too late. A maniacal laugh filled the hair as Genma found himself stabbed several hundred times in the space of a few seconds. His eyes widened in shock at the face of his murderer, but before he could say anything, he slumped to the ground in a pool of his own blood. The killer had chosen their position wisely. The Tendo girl couldn't see the enemy's face but knew they were there. Judging from the body, however, she received a shock. The killer was a woman.

"Wanna play?" the girl asked in a light sing-song as she twirled the scalpel in her hand along her fingers, the bright flash of the wicked steel promising death. Nabiki turned to run from the room just as the person whipped her arm down, flinging the small instrument with lethal accuracy. The sharp object streaked towards the target before it seemed as if the weapon flew slightly off course, burying into the door beside Nabiki as she fled from the room.

"Run all you want… This is my world now." She said with a grim smile as she stepped over Genma to leave the room. The hunt had begun.

As the murderous bitch left the room, Kasumi rushed to Genma's side, feeling slightly weak from diverting the scalpel. It had taken considerable power to redirect it. She looked upon Genma sadly. He didn't deserve to die. When she knelt beside him, Kasumi noticed that his eyes were open, but not from death. His eyes found Kasumi and locked onto her.

"Oh Uncle Genma…" Kasumi whispered mournfully. She needed to save Nabiki but she hadn't the strength to fight. His eyes narrowed as he realized that he was seeing her. The brown-haired girl blinked in shock but realized he must have one foot in the grave to see her, yet something amazing happened. With little apparent effort, he got to his knees. The blood running down his chest and from a neck wound, but otherwise he seemed alright.

"K-Kasumi…That person…was…" he tried to say weakly but Kasumi tried to hush him.

"Please be silent, conserve your strength. I need to-" she began but he cut her off with a surprisingly strong and commanding voice.

"That girl was…" but before he could continue, a scalpel buried itself in his eye, killing him instantly. The girl had returned at the sound of his voice in shock but had dispensed with him easily enough.

"Who were you talking to?" she demanded. Perhaps it would have been more effective if she had asked when he was alive. The girl giggled at her silly oversight but wouldn't do so again. What bothered her was that she had no idea why the scalpel missed. Oh well, c'est la vie. She bent down to retrieve her knife before a chill ran up her spine.

Kasumi was enraged at the casual brutality of this cold individual. She felt her eyes burn at the thought of what she would do to this girl if she had the power. When she noticed the person break into Genma's chest the flames burned hotter. With revulsion she saw the girl lift out the heart with her bloody hands and take a juicy bite. Her eyes were clearly gleaming in the darkness and were rolled up in ecstasy. She felt the scream building up inside of her but she was too low on energy to do anything.

"Who are you?" Kasumi asked as she wandered over slowly, but somehow it was too dark to see. As she drew nearer she had to fight down her disgust and grief as this thing finished its grisly feast. She swung her fist with all her might but saw it pass through, seemingly without effect. The girl's head swung around in apprehension before the cruel light returned to her eyes. The face made Kasumi blanch in horror.

"No…It can't be you…" she whispered in shock.

End Chapter

Author's Notes: Aren't cliffhangers fun? This story is not for the faint of heart. I wanted to try my hand at another horror story and this is my offering to you my loyal readers. Thank you for your comments and criticisms! Ja ne!