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Dominus Grim

Chapter Four: The Heads

Within a bright, very bright and very well walled room, there was one dark spot. In this dark spot, where half of all the wires in the room led, the sound of splashing and bobbing could be heard. A loud whoosh and a few clicks and clacks prodded along the activation of a few monitors by hands that were literally…detached. This went on a few minutes, until some footsteps signifying the arrival of a new player caused a momentary lapse in the typing.

"That still amazes me." Said the new player, sashaying in with a very long white business suit, as if strained to pay attention, the one typing stopped again with an inaudible sigh.

"I would ask you if the Bastard is here, but I have monitors to tell me that. I would also ask you to type for me, but I have hands for that. Tell me Miss Hai, why do I keep you around?" the one apparently called Miss Hai, smiled beneath the brim of her white hat, her red lips quite a contrast to her hauntingly pale skin. In a moment, the sound of something small and metallic being pushed against glass could be heard. The sound was so small and minute that one could actually wonder if they heard it at all.

"That's why you keep me around and he-"she motioned towards the monitor. "-is why I stay around." A garbled chuckle, like from beneath a body of water occurred causing ruby red lips to part, if only for a moment.

"Are they ready to introduce themselves, it has been something like twelve years." uttered the garble again. Ms. Hai nodded, retracting her hands and smiling in a very familiar manner, using her now free hand to adjust her thick black hair.

"And they've been ready for 'something like twelve years'. No problems, we'll get everything we want in the end. And already, we have something extra." The lithe woman said, tossing the Dominus Grim into the dark spot, where there was apparently a small body of water. No more words were needed at that point Ms. Hai walked back out of the room, though if one were perceptive enough, they could feel two grins although the reasoning behind these grins were as opposite as night and day.

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It was dark, so dark that the aptly named Lady Poison had to make her way by touching the walls. This of course meant that whatever danger might lay ahead would face an unready hand, but she had to take that risk. Oddly enough, although she couldn't see the Jackal in front of her, she could feel him or rather, his aura. And once more something odd the Jackal was merely walking straight, not needing to steady himself at all.

"Why is that surprising?" Himiko thought with a somewhat bitter smirk knowing full well that despite the numerous challenges and nigh hells that she and Jackal faced, Akabane would always be the one to come out with a smile and she…well not so much.

Nearly gasping as her finger caught in a gap in the wall, Himiko pulled back a bit and stared intently at the walls, trying to determine something, if anything at all about them. To no avail all she could surmise was that the walls matched the assumption she had from outside the building. Like a temple of some kind, the walls and building were elaborately almost intricately built with nary a stone or pattern out of place. So much like a temple it was there was no light source, at all.

"Something wrong Miss Himiko?" Akabane asked innocently (for him) from over Himikos shoulder. The said women instinctively slapped one hand over her mouth to keep from yelling and brought one arm nearly to one of her vials, only to stop within a tenth of a second upon realizing who it was.

"Uh no Jackal, sorry…it's just, I'm trying to figure this place out a bit. I mean there is no one here. And, well about-" Himiko was about to ask about Akabane or rather what he meant about that "Late Schooling" statement he made over a half hour ago, only to be (not literally) cut off by Akabane.

"There are people here Miss Himiko; they just have yet to reveal themselves. They are quite a shy bunch in truth." Akabane said with his smile. Himiko blinked once or twice and then upon realizing that Akabane was no longer visible had to continue following his foot steps. Surprised again, she then felt a gloved hand around her out stretched wrist.

"J-jackal?" she asked nervously.

"Forgive my lack of manners up until now my dear Lady Poison, but it would be more efficient if I guide you through." Himiko blushed a bit from the under tones that statement could mean. Shaking it off upon realizing the logic behind his words, Himiko let her self be guided, slowly but at least not fumbling over walls. It was then a thought crossed her mind. Here her arm was in the hand of a man who had killed so many for pure joy and she felt…nothing, no embarrassment nor fear, just nothing. What did that say about the life she was leading?

Himiko shook her head once, to clear those cob webs out, no use thinking that way, especially now of all times. No longer feeling the Jackals hand, Himiko stopped walking, but then found the reason. The room ahead was illuminated, almost like a miniature amphitheatre with an upraised platform overlooking the rest of the room. Seeing the thin ebony figure of the Jackal walk in with what looked like a practiced casual sway, Himiko followed, keeping a vial in hand just in case the need arose.

Not even getting past the entry way to the amphitheatre, Himiko and Akabane turned their heads and found someone waiting for them.

"That man?" Himiko said, not bothering or rather not knowing how to continue that sentence. It was understandable as the said man was in all black, with a coat reaching towards the ground. In fact with the exception of the yellow cheetah band on his bowler derby hat, the man was completely in black.

"You noticed too I assume?" Akabane said with a half smile. The man, who almost like he was napping, cocked his head up with a surprised look, then a grin.

"Hiya Kuroudo-Kun!" the man yelled out in what could only be aptly described as the voice of a clown with sick intent. Himiko was caught between shock and pangs of laughter: the former from hearing Akabane addressed in such a casual way and the latter from hearing Akabane being addressed in such a casual way.

"Laughing Phantom, silly me for thinking you above this place." Jackal said, with only the slightest bit of what sounded like malice spicing up his smile. At hearing his name, Laughing Phantom sauntered slowly towards the pair, his black coat swaying beneath him, almost dusting the floor. Himiko slowly began to look up, as the man was quite tall, at least six foot five inches, and sorry to say his face was quite handsome along with the neck length blond hair, he gave off the image of a western playboy. However, what Himiko found odd was that he had a chain wrapped around his wrist, and up into his sleeves, the chain itself looked ordinary enough but extended from his wrist out into the hallway opposite the room. With every step, the chain dragged loosely on the ground with a sound similar to ash being scraped across glass.

"Aka-Kun, so good to see you. And you have a lady friend? Didn't realize you were into the younger ones." Himiko could feel herself scowl at this but didn't have time to respond as Laughing Phantom did just that, laugh. Long and hard he laughed in higher and higher decibels and his face began to convulse and contort so extremely she could have sworn she saw his chin and jaw extend with his lower teeth, but he quickly stopped.

"Phantom-Kun, why are you here? I assume it's to add me to your little boys and girls harem?" Akabane asked, his eyes still closed, his smile just as wide. Himiko looked to him, then slowly to the grinning Phantom. They were different, Himiko knew, Jackal smiled, Phantom Grinned.

"Oh come on! You make it sound so seedy! Besides I don't keep them, only one or two on my person at a time. I don't keep as many as say…108?" Himiko felt Akabane smile even wider, if that were physically possible. Himiko decided to put her voice in, if her experiences had taught her anything it's that first impressions really do matter.

"Look, whether the Jackal is your lover or not is his business, we just came here on business." Himiko said, forcing all the authority and profession into it. Akabane looked charmingly perplexed, while Phantom bent his back to bring his face to Himikos.

"Lovers…nah, Akas' too skinny for me…and I've kind of soured on men for the time being. Speaking of which, you're cute, that tattoo makes you look delicious…so tempting and forbidden…" Phantom said bringing his face and lips closer to Himikos. Contorting with disgust, Himiko drew back and cast a field of one of her scents. Phantom leaped back and nearly landed on a wall.

"Calm down bitch-Chan, I'm not here to fight, yet anyway. Just to guide." This time Himiko was sure, she saw his chin bulge south at least two inches, but it then retracted just as quickly.

"Guide? Didn't you leave this place saying something about the 'Great Laughing Phantom will rule the world with his chain of infinite love?'…or something?" Akabane asked, tipped his hat up. Phantom coughed and began walking forward, stopping and jerking his head for the two to follow.

"I guess, no matter how far and hard I go in this world, this place has a way of drawing you back…eh?" Phantom said, looking back and shooting his eyebrows up and down repeatedly at the two. Jackal lowered his hat, still with a smile under the brim. It was all Himiko could do not to pound Phantoms face into paste. He was handsome, but so irritating…that was familiar. The duo turned trio walked around the 'stage' of the room towards another hallway. They followed this for a few minutes until the hallway became dark to the point of blindness again.

"How's the Transport business Aka-Kun?" Phantom asked.

"Oh, it's all right I suppose; better lately since I've been involved with some rather interesting people." The two chatted on the square like old acquaintances, and Himiko was left to fondle the walls again in the vain hope of following them. She then felt something on her ankle.

"Jackal, why are you holding my ankle?" expecting some witty retort or even some chuckles. Himiko was surprised to hear nothing, but still felt whatever it was on her ankle ascend her leg quickly until her neck was in a grip.

"Oh Buddha, a woman, been so long!" yelled out the raspy voice, Himiko froze for a moment and then thrust her skull back, connecting with what felt like a nose. Now free, Lady Poison stepped back and armed her self with a vial in each hand. Not waiting, she uncorked the one in her left hand and cascaded its contents over her assailant. Assuming it was a man; he coughed and lashed out at Himiko in the dark. Himiko, amazed at his speed ducked back and heard the wall being smashed and broken.

"The Sleep Scent?" Himiko asked out loud, knowing her poisons well enough to realize that was the one she had spread. The effect was usually instantaneous, especially the Sleep Scent. But she heard the man approaching her, lunging at her. Himiko jumped back…a lot slower than she thought. Only barely missing him that time, Himiko breathed in the other scent in her possession an let loose the flame scent. Using the brief illumination, Himiko was able to view her opponent. He looked old, with scraggly white hair and torn yellowing clothes, but his nails…

"The nails, I smell poison from them!" with dread, Himiko realized that this man had scratched her neck deeply and to her horror, found her movements were quickly being inhibited. To her rising terror, she also found the reason why her sleep scent hadn't worked, the man had no nose, and obviously it had been cut off. Luckily, he was currently on fire, so Himiko could stumble back and reconsider her moves.

However, the reconsideration would have to wait as Himiko soon found the walls had ears…and people rushing out of them. Like revolving doors, the fake stone spun, sending more and more human monsters into the halls. Being disabled, Himiko could only duck and dodge a few of them, and punch and kick even less. Before long she was being held against a wall, her arms being pulled to each side hard. The poisons effect becoming worse, she was now even less aware of what was going on, only that she was in a lot of pain.

"A woman, I want her." Said a new creature, this one mostly identical to the first man, only baring some faint traces of a former femininity signaling she was a woman, or was one at least. Drawing her closer, the woman violently bit into Himikos neck. Her arms and legs being and held and pulled, Himiko could only bite back the scream as the blood was let and the woman began sucking and licking it. Another soon joined, biting the other side of Himikos neck and repeating the formers pattern. This time, Himiko screamed. Everything was flashing, everything, the pain, the violation, her brother smoking, Ban smoking.

"Ban…kun…" she said in tears between the pain spasms. Accepting her fate, Himiko could only pray that all would be-

Suddenly, she was free, and the moaning and groaning from the creatures attacking her were gone to neatly sliced pieces.

"Jacka…Akabane?" Himiko said in a whispered awe as the most hated and feared man in the Transport business loomed in front of her. The remaining creatures leered backwards a bit, silent.

"A thousand apologies once again for my lapse in manners and judgment. My dear Miss Lady Poison, come, I'll be quick." Though his back was to her, Himiko could still see his smile, his eyes almost always closed. Then, with a dash of silver in each hand, his beloved tools, the Jackal disappeared and in quick succession brought each and every one of the creatures in the hall to the same bloody end as the first bunch. The letter 'J' being his signature goodbye to them. Retracting his scalpels, Jackal looked over the corpses a fraction of a second or two longer than normal, as well as putting out the pieced remains of the flaming attacker.

"Now," he said with a smile, dabbing the blood on his face with a handkerchief marked with a neatly sewn 'J'. "Let's go on, shall we?" Himiko breathed a few times, feeling like that act alone was a novelty. Trying to get up, she found she couldn't move her legs for the life of her and had no choice but to slump back against the wall. Raising his hat to see, Jackals smile dropped to a neutral expression.

"I'm not blind Miss Himiko, I'm sorry for not coming to your aid sooner. I suppose this place…makes me lose my sense of professionalism, if only slightly." Akabane said, standing perfectly still and making no hints or urges to move forward, he was simply waiting for his partner.

"It's not that." Himiko said between haggard breaths while sniffing her antidote scent to rid her body of the nail poison. Before realizing it, Himiko saw the Jackals face less than a foot from hers. Without time enough to respond Himiko felt an odd sweep motion on either side of her neck.

"Hold please." Akabane politely ordered. Himiko complied in holding the two pieces of cloth to the sewn cuts in her neck. "Unlike you Lady Poison I'm quite ignorant of toxins and chemicals; however, with lacerations and cuts I'm capable enough." And with that combination of antidote scent and skilled hands, Himikos neck was physically back to shape. Standing back up from his kneeling position, Akabane adjusted his hat and looked around.

"Rest if you need to Miss Himiko, I shall wait." Himiko waited a few moments to see if he was really serious, when he didn't move, Himiko rested.

"What about that man? Laughing Phantom?" she asked. Jackal smiled and looked back at Himiko.

"I rarely if ever think to consider him as does he, so no problem there." A few minutes passed.

"This place is so…different from Mugenjou." Himiko muttered.

"How so?" Akabane answered, not entirely disagreeing.

"In Mugenjou, they would steal money; they would fight, maybe even rape and kill over territory. But here its like they just swarm, like insects, they don't think just-"

"Kill? Yes my ducky, that's essentially what this place is about. Kill kill kill and its lovely and trusting cousin murder murder." Laughing Phantom said, walking out of the darkness, his chain extending backwards into the black.

"Oh, and I was hoping we had lost you." Jackal said, though smiling, no hint of a joke in his voice. Phantom grinned in response. Suddenly, he was jerked back a bit from an apparent tug on his chain. Looking back with some surprise, Phantom then smiled.

"Come come, we'll be late." He said walking forward down the dark hall again.

"Are you up to this my dear Miss-"before Jackal could finish, Himiko was back on her feet and cracking her neck.

"Yes, I'm okay. Let's just get the book, Akabane." Himiko said, walking past the waiting Jackal.

"As professionals indeed." He said following Himiko and the Laughing Phantom deeper and deeper into the darkness, and then into sudden light.

To Be Continued

AN: Well the story wasn't really supposed to be cut off there but I just wanted to post something. That and I have school tomorrow, so, yeah. On to the reviews:

Tysoyo Kalli: I'm glad you're so forgiving about Akabane, heh; anyway I hope he's still at appropriate levels of depravity.

Rabid Lola: Well, first things first, about Himiko and Hevn, well good old tactful Ban was insinuating politely that Himikos sexual preference leaned towards the feminine side. How's that for politically correct? For the heretic thing, all I can say is read on and judge for yourself. And wait…my writing gave away I was a guy? Cool I guess.

Friezaess: Thanks for the review and trust me, there's more dark stuff on the way.

Atropos' Knife: Hey no problems for late reviews, a reviews a review…review? Any who I'm glad to see that this Akabane is cool for you, and also I really appreciate the info on Akabane I do plan on using sometime in the future…wait no I'm not…act surprised. As for the Get Backers…hey look times up!

Well, that's all for today ladies and gents, I'll see you when I see you.