Not sure wether to be happy with this one or not... You decide... Review please!

Chapter Eight: The Trap is sprung

Chihiro happened upon the trap door by accident. She tripped over a rug, while looking over her shoulder, and revealed a small door. Curious, she knelt to open it. She had expected it to be locked, but it opened easily, with a quiet sqeak. A foul smell wafted up from the hole, that was so strong, Chihiro wondered how she hadn't noticed it before opening the door. She wasn't quite sure what it was, but she certainly didn't think it was anything good. She thought about just closing the door, and going to Zeniba about it when she heard a faint yell come from somewhere in the darkness. She thought for a moment it was her imagination, until she heard it again.

Although she couldn't make out what it was saying, she had a pretty good idea of who it was.

Gathering her courage, she started to climb down into the hole. She heard footsteps behind her, and a breif wave of heat, before soemthing collided with her head, her mind went blank, and she descended into darkness.

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First Lin, now Chihiro, and Ryu... Haku hated to admit it but he was scared. Scared for Chihiro, scared for Lin. Things were starting to get crazy in the bathhouse, random fights breaking out, everyone in foul moods... If he hadn't known any better, Haku would have thought there was a bit of magic at work here... Or maybe there was... One day everything was fine, the next, people were going insane... That seemed like a spell at work to him. And worse, he couldn't seem to contact Chihiro, mentally. Which meant she wasn't awake, wherever she was...

"Hey Haku?" said Boh, "Have you seen Kei? She isn't around anywhere..."

"Kei too? What is going on here?"

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"So, you're here too, huh?" said a voice nearby, waking Chihiro. "Hey, dope, wake up."

Chihiro opened her eyes, and found that she couldn't see much better than she had with them shut. "Lin?"

"Yeah, it's me. You alright?"

"I've been better. You?"

"Same... Could be worse."

"How?"

"We could be dead."

"Good point."
Chihiro tried to get up, and move, and found she was chained to the floor. The smell of smoke was drifting down from above. "Lin... Do you smell that?"

"Yeah, been there for about an hour now... Wonder where it's coming from..."

"The Bathhouse!"

"Wha? How do you know?"

"This place is underneath the bathhouse... There's a fire up there!"

Both women sat in silence for a long time, both growing more and more worried as the smell of smoke, and burning wood got stronger. At least the floor of the bathhouse is stone... Won't have to worry about burning wood falling on us... Though heavy stones might be worse... It was at least an hour later, when footsteps echoed from what Chihiro assumed was the direction of the door. She could make out the faint outlines of two people. The shorter one was carrying something. It threw the something in her direction. A dull thud, and a groan, made Chihiro look. Haku lay in front of her, unconcious.

Fire balls came from nowhere, and zoomed around, lighting torches on their way.

There was only one person standing in the door way. Both Lin and Chihiro were shocked to see who it was."

"Ryu!"

"I'm sorry..." he said, hanging his head... I didn't want it to go this far, but..."

Chihiro tried to wake Haku, while listening to him, until she saw a small furry being reveal its self from behind Ryu's legs.

"Kei..." Lin said, as if she weren't surprised.

"KEI!" said Chihiro. She was shocked, "What're you doing?"

"I should think that would be obvious," said the cat, "I'm helping Ryu... or rather, he's helping me..." The cat began to change form, and grow larger, until finally, standing beside Ryu was a tall, tan-skinned, beautiful woman, with ravens-wing black hair. She wore a kimono that matched the colors of her coat, when in cat-form. Her hands sported unnaturally long claws, and her eyes had kept the same amber-gold color as when she had been a cat. "Oh and, I'm not a cat..."

"You wench!" Lin said to Kei, "We trusted you!"

"Correction, Lin... They," she pointed at Chihiro, and a still unconcious Haku, "Trusted me... you hated me." She looked at Chihiro, "I told you, you would need good luck, girl... Looks as though I was right."

"Why are you doing this? And Ryu, why are you helping?" Chihiro demanded, pulling Haku's limp form to her chest, holding on to him tightly.

"Why? Why?" Kei scoffed, "My dear girl, for power of course. You see, I collect the powers, and souls of anyone who dies around me... or anyone I kill... As for Ryu, he has no choice. He can help me, or I slice his throat before he knows what's happened."

Ryu grimaced, and looked at the floor as the woman said this, looking ashamed. "The bathhouse is gone..." he muttered, "Most everyone is dead..."

His words hit Chihiro like a kick in the gut. "Everyone?" she said in disblief, as Lin just stared. Ryu nodded. Kei laughed, coldly. "and I have every ounce of power, and life from them all. This has been fun, dears, but it's time to end this, I think... What do you say, Ryu? Take the dragon while he's unconcious, or wait till he can at least give me some challenge?"

"No!" Chihiro shouted, her cry echoing throughout the chamber, "Please, don't..."

"Chihiro," Lin warned, "Don't..."

"Shut up, Lin.." said Kei, "Let's hear the child's pleas."

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Haku had been pacing, back and forth, trying to get some kind of connection with Chihiro, when Ryu had shown up. "Ryu? What're you doing here? Where's Chihiro?"

"She's... somewhere else..." Ryu had replied, making a ball of fire, appear in his hands. He lazily tossed it in the corner, igniting the wall, and the drapes.

"The hell? Ryu what're you doing?" Haku had demanded, in shock, and outrage, but Ryu had continued throwing fire, until there was no longer a way out of the room.

"Sorry about this, Haku... But it's you or me... "

Haku had tried to escape, but due to the fire, it was somewhat of a cramped space. Not needing to worry about being burned, Ryu had the advantage, and he used it. A few well placed punches had put the young dragon out cold.

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Ryu was trying as hard as he could not to look at the two captive women, and the dragon. His deal with Yubabba had been get in, create a little chaos, by way of a few fires, then leave, and she would deal with the larger things. He got his payment, and went on his way, without these peoples' deaths on his conciense. But he'd ended up liking them. He still could have done his job, even after that... Until Kei came along, and ruined everything. Everything had been fine, until she had found out who he was, and that he was there on Yubabba's orders as well.
Her position had been as a spy, which was easy for her to do, considering her ability to take the form of a cat, that could slip in and out of places without ever being seen or heard.

And now the woman was talking of emotionally torturing a young girl, simply for amusement's sake. He was shaking with rage, by this point, his fists clenched, and flames apearing, dancing around his hands for breif seconds at a time. Kei had used him, to further her own lust for power, and had threatened him. She wasn't getting on his good side, and while it wasn't something he was proud of, he did have the power to roast her, if her back was turned, and she couldn't defend herself... Once the fire was set, there was no putting it out...

"Don't kill him, please!" Chihiro was pleading with Kei... Ryu could have told her it would do no good. Kei didn't know the meaning of mercy.

"Why shouldn't I, girl?" Kei asked, as if it were a normal question, and someone's life wasn't being threatened.

"Do you not even care about what you've done?" Lin spat, though she looked as if she knew the answer would be...

"No."

"Kei, maybe you should just-" Ryu began, but Kei spun, and back-handed him, sending him back a ways, "Silence boy!"

Ryu rubbed his jaw, and heat began building up in the air around him. Kei had successfully pissed him off. "That's it..." he muttered, so she couldn't hear him, "You've asked for it, bitch."

He straightened, hands bursting into flames. He needed a distraction. Something for Kei's attention to focus on for more than a moment... Just so he could get one good punch in, and then he would fry her.

He got his distraction. Kei got close enough to Chihiro, to grab Haku, and the girl lept at her. Ryu made his move, aiming for Kei's back.

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Chihiro had seen Kei moving towards her, and acted before she even knew what she was doing. As the woman grabbed Haku, Chihiro lept at her. She saw a flash of orange, somewhere behind Kei, and realized it was Ryu. Thinking he was coming to aid Kei, she shoved the woman back, and she heard Ryu swear. Kei heard it too, and in one swift movement, she had pulled a tan shukusen from her obi, snapped it open, and spun around. Chihiro winced, at the sound of blades slicing through flesh. As Kei comepleted her turn, a circle of blood sprayed from her shukusen. The blood struck Chihiro, making her flinch.

Ryu stood, gasping, and choking, as blood poured from a deep cut in his chest, and pooled at his feet. The flames that had covered his hands moments ago, disappeared, as he dropped to the ground. Kei began to laugh, hysterically, and Chihiro realized what she had done.

Laughing even louder, Kei looked at Chihiro, "Thank you Child... You've just rid me of my biggest threat... And aided in your own death..."

Chihiro backed against the wall, pulling Haku with her, as Lin began to shout at Kei.

We're going to die... We're going to die... She screamed in her head, clutching Haku.

We're not going to die... A voice replied, We'll be fine...

It took a moment for her to realize it was Haku, but before she could reply to him, she noticed movement from Ryu... He was alive! He ignited his hand once again, and slowly reached for the edge of Kei's kimono... Just a little bit farther.

Just one more inch, and he could have her.

That one little inch.