Chapter XX

-Rutledge Asylum-

When they arrived at the asylum, the group were surprised to see that there were no signs of the "Lost Ones" anywhere. And here Sherlock thought Medusa would be more prepared. Was she making it easy for them. "No Lost Ones?" Korra said, "That's odd." "Where do you think they are?" McGee asked. "Maybe there inside." Envy said. "Let's not worry about that." Sherlock said, "Right now, we've got a little girl to find."

"My thoughts exactly." Shadow said, getting out his sword.

-Blood Letting Room-

Sakura shrieked in agony as the black blood continued to pour into her veins; tears had escaped from her eyes. Medusa had just finished placing the last of her blood inside her veins. She chuckled when she after seeing the results.

"I must admit, you've done in not dying so far." She said, "However I did not expect the blood to get to your head so quickly."

Sakura continued to scream and shout, "MAKE IT STOP! MAKE IT STOP PLEASE!"

Medusa had chuckled, "I can't say that you'll make a perfect puppet for him but you will make a fine test subject for the next projects I have in store."

The snake witch soon sensed a familiar presence in the room. "What is it Nazo? Can't you see I'm busy?"

"My lady." Nazo said while kneeling, "They are here as you predicted. They bought the prey with them as well."

"Excellent." She said, "Proceed as planned."

"Yes my lady."

Both she and her S.I.C walked out of the door leaving Sakura alone in the room, in her own little world.

"Please… Help me…"

-Meanwhile-

The group had searched through the halls, and every room they had passed. "Damn it! She isn't here!" Shadow shouted slamming a door shut. "This is proving to be more difficult than I thought it would be." Sherlock said. He turned to Gibbs team who were just down the hall.

"FIND ANYTHING!?" Sherlock shouted.

"NO! SHE'S NOT IN HERE!" Gibbs shouted back to them, "WE'VE SEARCHED EVERY ROOM!"

"SEARCH AGAIN!" Shadow yelled.

"WE DID!" Envy replied, "HELL, WE EVEN TRIPLE CHECKED!"

"SHE MIGHT BE FARTHER DOWN THE HALLS!" Korra said.

"Than let's waste no time." Sherlock said, "Let's head down there now."

With that the group went further down the halls. When they got to the end, they saw double doors that lead to where the patients used to take group therapy. They had entered only to find skeletons of Medusa's previous victims. "My god…" John said, "There are so many of them…" Ziva said.

"Well it's safe to say that the kiddo ain't in here." Envy said.

"Than where could she…" Shadow said with his words trailing off.

Suddenly they heard laughter from a familiar voice.

"So you came back, McDumby!?"

"It's so nice to have you back!"

"I know those voices." Shadow said with his anger rising up again.

The doors on the other side slammed open revealing Minatsuki Takami, and Toto Sakigami. "Toto! Minatsuki!" Envy and Korra shouted.

"It's nice to see the two of you again." Sherlock said.

"Nice to see you too, Mr. Holmes!" Minatsuki said with her usual smile, "Seeing all of these familiar faces is just so gorgeous!"

"And I see three of my favorite little toys that I'll enjoy playing with." Toto said going close to Envy which caused him to shudder.

"GET AWAY FROM YOU PERV!" Envy shouted while pushing him away.

Toto and Minatsuki let out a chuckle, "We got orders from Snakey to keep all of you busy." Minatsuki said, "We are also told she didn't care if we happened to kill you in the process, so we'll have so fun, for us that is."

"Where are you keeping her!?" Sherlock shouted.

"Now, now, we wouldn't want to spoil the surprise now would we?" Toto said, "Ah, that's it, we'll play a game. Whoever is alive last, we'll tell you where she is."

"Sure, why the hell not?" Korra said. Everyone got their weapons ready and prepared to attack. Than Minatsuki and Toto made the first movie.

I couldn't take it, couldn't stand another minute

Couldn't bear another day without you in it

All of the joy that I had known for all my life

Was stripped away the minute that you died

"BRANCHES OF SIN! WHIP WING!"

"BRANCHES OF SIN! INVISIBLE BLACK!"

The attacks came at them, luckily all of them immediately jumped to the side and dodged the them. Gibbs team started to fire at them but they dodged and sliced the bullets with their blood like weapons.

Korra and Envy made their move.

To have you in my life was all I ever wanted

But now without you I'm a soul forever haunted

Can't help but feel that I had taken you for granted

No way in hell that I could ever comprehend this

Korra started to throw punches and kicks which spat out fire and rocks at Minatsuki, while Envy turned his arm into a blade and attacked Toto head on.

"Get going! We'll hold them off!" Korra yelled.

"Got it!" They yelled and they pressed on.

However as soon as they got out of the room they soon exited the room and got a good distance, they were soon ambushed, by Nazo and a couple of Lost Ones.

I wasn't dreaming when they told me when you were gone

I was wide-awake and feeling they had to be wrong

How could you leave me when you swore that you would stay?

Now I'm trapped inside a nightmare every single f'ing day

They took cover when Nazo shot what had appeared to be electric balls at them.

Sherlock started to fire his gun (John's gun actually) at him but it didn't seem to phase him.

"Attack." He said to the Lost Ones, and they went forward and Nazo continued to fire.

"Spilt up now!" Gibbs said to his team. They started to attack the Lost Ones.

It's like a movie but there's not a happy ending

Every scene fades to black and there's no pretending

This little fairytale, doesn't seem to end well

There's no knight in shining armor to awake me from the spell

As the team lead the Lost Ones away, Nazo still fired at Sherlock and Shadow. "Stay here." Shadow said to Sherlock and John. He drew out his sword and ran head on right at Nazo. Nazo stopped firing and blocked his attacks.

I know you didn't plan this

You tried to do what's right

But in the middle of this madness

I'm the one you left to win this fight

Shadow swung his sword to Nazo, but he continued to block it, that was until Shadow managed to get Nazo to fall right on his back and Shadow went on top of him and put the sword to his neck.

"Where is she?!" He cried out.

Nazo said nothing to him, all he did was give a stern look to him.

"Answer me damn it!"

Nazo then hit him on his wounds which caused him to cry out in pain and kick him right off.

Nazo grabbed a hold of his neck and slammed him right on the wall.

"You were foolish to come here with your wounds still healing." Nazo said, "I'm beginning to think that living with the humans rubbed off on you."

As Nazo was about to punch him, a bullet had suddenly went through his head.

Red like roses

Fills my head with dreams and finds me

Always closer

To the emptiness and sadness that has come to take the place of you

Nazo dropped dead right on the floor while dropping Shadow. He turned to see Sherlock was the one who pulled the trigger.

What Shadow didn't know is that Nazo had just twitched.

"GET UP AND RUN NOW!" Sherlock yelled.

I know you're broken down by madness

You feel that I left you in this world of madness

Wish I could talk to you, if only for a minute

Make you understand the reason why I did it

Sherlock and Shadow both started to run as Nazo began to chase after them. As they ran Nazo shot more balls of what seemed to be electricity; They both struggled to dodge them.

"YOU KNOW, I'M ALWAYS OPEN FOR SUGGESTIONS IF YOU'VE GOT THEM!?" Shadow yelled as they continued to run.

"LET ME THINK!" Sherlock said.

I wanna tell you that you're all that ever mattered

Want you to know that, for eternity I'm shattered

I tried so hard to protect you, but I failed to

And in a prison of abandonment, I've jailed you

Sherlock struggled to think of a plan, until…

"SHADOW, I HAVE AN IDEA FOLLOW ME INTO THAT ROOM!" he yelled.

"WHAT!? WHY!?" Shadow shouted.

Sherlock then grabbed a hold of his arm, "JUST DO IT!"

They got to the room and Sherlock slammed the door shut and locked the door.

I never planned to leave you there alone

I was sure that I would see you when I made it back home

And all the times I swore that it would be okay

Now I'm nothing but a liar, and you're thrown into the fray

"Why the hell did you bring us in here?!" Shadow yelled, "There's only one exit!"

As as Sherlock caught his breath, he quickly examined the room, than he found somethings they could use.

"Quick! Help me move these!" He said. After Shadow helped him get everything in place Sherlock turned to him and asked, "What other talents can you use?"

This bedtime end with misery ever after,

The pages are torn, and there's no final chapter

I didn't have a choice, I did what I had to

I made a sacrifice, but forced a bigger sacrifice on you

Outside Nazo managed to break down the door. He was shocked to see that no one was in the room. He looked around cautiously, wondering where they were. He continued to look trying to sense their presence.

I know you've lived a nightmare

I caused you so much pain

But, baby please don't do what I did

I don't want you to waste your life in vain

It wasn't long until he stepped over a certain area, he triggered a rope and just like that oil was dumped on him.

"SHADOW NOW!" He heard Sherlock cry out.

Shadow came out from hiding and spat out fire right on top of Nazo. He started to cry out in pain as the flames in engulfed him. They quickly bolted out of the room and shut the door, leaving Nazo in there to burn. To be safe Sherlock shut the door and used a nearby pipe to lock the door.

Red like roses

Fills my head with dreams and finds me

Always closer, to the emptiness and sadness

That has come to take the place of you

They both slid down the door and sat down catching their breath. "Setting him on fire…" Shadow said, "Good plan…"

"Indeed it was…" Sherlock said, "Although I didn't expect you to have the power over fire…"

"Neither did I…" Shadow said letting out a small smile to Sherlock who just smiled back at him.

After they caught their breath they stood up and dusted themselves off as they heard Nazo screams die down.

"You think that'll stop him?" Shadow asked, "It'll probably slow him down for a bit." Sherlock replied, "Right now we have to-"

They heard a loud shriek through the halls, a voice that sounded familiar.

"Hey doesn't that…" Shadow said.

"Sound familiar?" Sherlock

The sounds continued which caused Shadow and Sherlock to look at each other.

"SAKURA!" They both shouted. They quickly ran in the direction of the sounds, making twists and turns through the hallways, until they stopped at a room that had said "Bloodletting Room" where the screams were as loud as they could be.

Shadow broke down the door only to see an I.V capacitor in her arm and black blood being poured into her.

"SAKURA!" Shadow cried out. They both ran toward her; Sherlock immediately got the I.V capacitor out of arm and her screams died down. "Sakura!" Sherlock said unstrapping her from the bed and grabbed a hold of her shoulders, "Sakura! Sakura! Answer me!" They saw the child slowly open her eyes, but the minute she did, she started to try to get out of Sherlock's grip.

"GET AWAY FROM!" She cried out, "GET AWAY FROM ME!"

"Sakura stop!" Sherlock yelled, "It's us! Sherlock and Shadow!"

Sakura immediately stopped and took a moment to just stare at them. She threw her arms around both of them, "Shadow! Sherlock!" Sakura said through her tears, "I thought I wouldn't see you guys again!"

"It's alright Sakura…" Shadow said, "We're here to get you out."

"You're going to be alright now." Sherlock said, "We promise."

Sakura pushed herself away from them and nodded her head as she wiped away her tears.

"Let's go than." Shadow said to Sherlock, "We'll meet the others outside."

Sherlock nodded his head and turned to Sakura, "Let's get of here and get those wounds looked at."

Sakura nodded her head, and got herself out of the bed only to fall to her knees when she tried to walk.

Shadow ran over to her, "You alright?"

"I… I think my leg is broken." She said.

Shadow then turned so that his back was to her, "Here climb on."

"Are you sure? You're still hurt."

"I'll be fine, now come on."

Sakura smiled and nodded her head. With that she climbed on his back and Shadow stood up; He felt Sakura rest her head on his shoulder just letting herself rest.

"Let's get moving than." Sherlock said, "And keep your eyes open."

Shadow nodded his head, and they proceeded far from the blood letting room.

-Meanwhile-

Envy and Korra kept on dodging whatever attacks that the Mocking Bird and the Humming Bird threw at them. Eventually they managed to duck behind a couple of desks. "Damn!" Envy said, "This is getting us nowhere!" Korra said, "There's no way we can beat them without drawing blood!" "Wait a minute I have an idea, but it's a bit risky!" Envy said.

"COME ON OUT BITCHES!" Minatsuki shouted, "COME ON OUT SO WE CAN RIP YOU TO SHREDS!"

Toto moved forward and said, "YOU CAN'T HIDE FOREVER! NOT FROM US YOU CAN'T!"

All of a sudden the lights gave out. "Oh now what?" Minatsuki said. All of a sudden they heard Korra and Envy shout, "BURN SUCKERS BURN!" Both Korra and Envy (Who turned into Korra) created a circle of fire.

"RUN NOW!" Envy yelled while changing back into himself.

They ran out of the room letting it crumble.

"HOW MUCH TIME DO WE HAVE?!" Envy shouted to Korra.

"I'D SAY WE ONLY HAVE MINUTES BEFORE THE BUILDING COLLAPSES ON ITSELF!" Korra shouted back, "SO LET'S FIND THE OTHERS AND GET OUT THE HELL OUT OF HERE!"

"LET'S JUST HOPE THEY FOUND HER ALREADY!" Envy said as they continued to run.

-At that Moment-

Eventually they came across a room which both Sherlock and Shadow have never seen in an asylum. The room was large and had a total of two exits and no windows. The room had a pool that was filled with both black and red blood, which also had corpses floating within the pool. The room also had an awful stench within, of course it was the smell of the dead.

Both Shadow and Sherlock were horrified to see this room. "Jesus christ…" Shadow said, "Tho-those corpses… That's her family… Is this really where they ended up…?"

"I've never seen anything like it…" Sherlock admitted, "But why are their corpses here…?"

"You wouldn't believe if I told you."

Sherlock and Shadow both saw the last person they wanted to see right in front of them.

"MEDUSA!" They both yelled.

"Indeed." She said with her usual smile, "And here I thought you wouldn't show up here again Shadow."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Shadow said, "Oh you'll see." she simply said. She turned to Sherlock, "Sherlock Holmes." She said, "I didn't think you would come here. I thought all humans were cowards."

"Well you thought wrong." Sherlock said pulling out a gun.

"What?" Medusa said, "You're going to try to stop me like Alice? Well we all know how that turned out."

Shadow placed Sakura in a safe spot in the room, and went by Sherlock and drew his sword. "He won't be alone on this." Shadow said.

Medusa let out a loud sadistic laugh, "Really? Come on! You're just being ridiculous Shadow! I mean you barely know this man and yet you're still willing to help him!?"

Shadow stood there in silence, until he said, "That may be true, but I know him a lot better than you do."

"Shadow." Sherlock said, "Don't you understand she still wants you for something, I don't know what it is but you need to get out of here now with Sakura while you still can."

"Sherlock…" Shadow said, "Whenever I turn my back on someone close to me, they always end up dead and I always beat myself up on not saving them. This time, I'm not going not to run anymore, especially not from a person like her."

The snake witch chuckled, "How very poetic. But it's too bad that all that effort will be for nothing."

"I'm going to draw her attention." Shadow whispered to Sherlock, "Think you can get an opening."

Sherlock turned to Shadow and said, "Don't worry about me just focus on what your doing."

He nodded his head, and stepped forward. "Come on Medusa, give me everything you got."

Medusa let out another smile and materialized a sword within her hand.

"Let's put an end to this shall we?"

Just like that, they attacked each other head on.

-End of Chapter Twenty-

Merry X-Mas Everyone! Hope you all enjoy the holiday :)