If you recognize it, I don't own it.

10. Dreams of Blood and Gore

Tasuki snored away. It had taken Koji and Sen several tries to get him inside his room and into bed, but they finally managed to do so. Now the duo was leaning to the wall outside the bandit lords room.

"He's really phiclastered." Sen giggled.

"Yer not all that sober either ya know...?" Was the reply she got. They walked (sort of) down the corridor and turned from the corner.

"I know." She smiled. "But hic damn, that was a good party."

"I think we need to get ya to bed too." He laughed when she slumped against him. He casually threw her over his shoulder.

"hic Oi, I'm not a bag of potatoes!" She protested, but soon quieted down as she found the wiev on his backside rather nice.

"What the hell is a potato...? Damn girl. Whatte hell did they feed ya there. Yer as light as a feather..." He muttered as he stopped by her door. "Come on oneesan, in ya go."

---

Sen woke up in a very dark room. She yawned and stretched her arms, waiting for the hangover headache to kick in. But it never did. With curiosity to the fact that she might have beaten the hangover for the first time in 4 years, she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. And then the room flashed into bright white light making her shield her eyes with her hands.

"What the...?"

"So you have come." Said a deep voice. "You, who are destined to stop me."

"Eh?"

"But do you even know who you are facing now?"

"What?"

"Answer the question woman!" Came an inpatient reply somewhere near. Sen could hear a whizzing sound and then there was pain on her sides. Quite a lot of pain. Her hands dropped to cover her sides and she found herself standing in a pool of blood. What the hell? Her mind screamed, but she was able to let her eyes wander to the man standing some feet away. He was coiling up something that resembled a whip, but was far too thin to be one. He smirked at her in a way that made her blood run cold.

"Where am I? Who are you?" She questioned.

"I am Yousui." Answered the man in front of her. It seemed like she should have recognized the name, but all he got was a blank look.

"Who?" Her question resulted into world of pain as the wires he had been coiling up suddenly shot out, slashing her skin. She dropped down to her knees and tried to shield her face with her hands. The smell of blood made her feel nauseated.

If only I had my fan, she thought, waiting for the wires to pull away. They did eventually, but Sen found herself unable to stand up. It hurt too much to even try.

"Yousui." Called the deep voice.

"Yes my lord?" The man answered.

"That is enough for now."

"Yes my lord."

Sen peeked between her fingers. She could see a hazy image of a man with white hair standing up from the pool of blood. She couldn't make out his face.

"Wha-What do you want w-with me?" She managed to stutter. She was loosing the feeling on her feet and hands. It scared her more than the man now standing in front of her.

"I'm here to tell you the truth you have been seeking."

"Oh yeah? What truth?"

"The truth about the man behind the mask."

"Chi-Chichiri?"

"Is that what he calls himself today...?"

Sen tried to stood up, but was pushed back by the man. She could feel the blood rise up to her neck. Is he going to drown me? She wondered, but he stopped just when her face was about to submerge.

"He was known as Houjun once. Houjun Ri." He started. "He was engaged to the prettiest girl in the village, but is was a story that eventually got a very sad ending." He smiled, it made Sens stomach turn.

"I know that." She lied.

"But did you know she killed herself soon after their engagement?" Sen stared him with wide eyes. "Ah, I see that was new to you. But it is true, she killed herself and soon after that, this Houjun, this selfish, jealous, petty Houjun killed his best friend."

"You're lying." Sen hissed between her teeth.

"Am I?" He lifted her up a bit, drawing her face near his. "Now, why would I do such a thing?"

"I don't know." Sen tried to turn her face away. "Maybe you're just mental!"

"Silly little girl." He smiled. "Did you ever ask him about that scar of his? Hmmm?"

"I had no need..." Sen tried, but it came out as lame as she thought it would.

"You should have, my dear, you should have." he gave a theatrical sigh. "For he got that scar when he committed the ultimate crime, and took the life of his best friend since childhood."

"Why.. Why are you telling me this?" She could feel tears in her eyes.

"I'm on not going to lie to you my dear." He smiled again. "I'm telling you this because you are the one called out to stop me, but as you can see, I can't be stopped by a little girl and a murderer, but if I must I just might be tempted to show you just how powerful I can be."

"That's.. a..Lousy..Explanation." Sen growled, calling up what was left of her power. "You liar!"

"The man you should trust has lied to you, and still you stand in front of me calling me a liar?" He seemed genuinely surprised.

"Yeah."

The smile died. He dropped her body to the blood. The pain was starting to go away, she wasn't sure it was a good thing, but it made it easier for her to try and get up.

"Then you really are not a match for me..." He started to walk away. "And after I destroy your little bandit friends, you'll be nothing."

"W-Wait.." Sen reached out for the man, earning yet another onslaught from the wires. "I said wait goddamit!" She screamed. It made the walls of the pool grumbled and the wires dropped dead to the pool of blood. It also made the man turn and look at her with surprise. "Who the hell are you?" She questioned, wiping the blood away from her face. "Who the hell are you? And what the hell do you think you're going to accomplish by this?"

"So you do have spirit after all."

"Just answer the damn questions."

"Time for you to wake up."

"What?"

---

And she woke up to the world of pain. Her skin was full of cuts, the blood was starting to dry and it was gluing her to the mattress. She tried to scream, but all the noise she could make out was pathetic whining. She gasped for air, tears were running down her face.

"Help me..." She silently cried. "Someone.. Please..." She gasped for air. "Chichiri..." The image of the monk played in her mind. I didn't even get to explain myself, I didn't get to say.. Anything. I'm going to die, and I didn't get to tell him why I left, she cried harder. "I don wanna die.." Her hazy mind traveled to the bandits. Tasuki-chan, Koji-kun.. He said he would kill them, I can't let him. Their my bothers goddammit!

"My family.." She whispered in weak voice.I can't let my family die. "Not again..." Then get up and save yourself! She mentally slapped herself. Get up Sarah Elisabeth Nolan! Get up or you're going to die!

With great effort, she was able to drop to the floor and drag herself to the door. There she stopped to breathe for a while. It's funny, she thought, it really seems that when you're dying everything slows down. She gasped and reached out to open the door. When she finally managed to the it open she fell again. Scream, she tried to mentally force herself, scream, dammit!

"Help... Me." No use, it still came out as a whisper. "Anyone..."

---

Tasuki woke up like someone had hit him to the face. He stood up and was out of the room in seconds. He dashed to the empty corridors, looking for something. Something, he wondered, whatthe hell am I doing? He stopped dead on his tracks.

And that is when he heard the whisper.

---

Half a kingdom away, Chichiri woke up in cold sweat.

---

TBC

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AN: Haaa! Her name, the whole name, for the first time! How many of you noticed it, hmmm?

I promised blood and gore, didn't I? Didn't I? But the next chapter will be more.. well, fluff..I guess...It shall be called 'Never sleep again.' (From the song in Nightmare on Elm street, the best horror movie, EVER! ...Eheh... I have.. issues.. I know... ;)