Chapter 4

Toshuki managed to get up, but gingerly. All this dimension jumping was making him feel sick constantly. He felt weak. He felt tired.

Toshiki: "make it stop!" Toshuki called to no one in particular.

Maybe he was going crazy. Perhaps none of this was happening, and it was all part of his imagination...? No, Toshuki was not so lucky. He needed to stop feeling sorry for himself and go find a solution, if there was any. If not... He would try to get to seiko. She was comforting and made him feel warm inside. What was he saying? He had known the girl five minutes, how could he say that? In a place like this though, what was there to lose?

Mysterious voice: "BIIIIIIGGGGG BBBBRRROOOOOTTTHHHHHEERRRRR!".

The young girls voice sounded scared and alone. This was no ghost.

Toshuki started running towards it. Where was it coming from? The echoes of this place made it seem like the voice was everywhere.

Toshuki turned a corridor, went up some stairs, passed another corridor and... Got lost. Great. He turned a corridor and nearly had a heart attack.

Voice: "BIIIIGG BR- AAAAHHHHH!"

Toshuki had run into the person (a young looking girl) and nearly knocked her over.

She looked frightened when she saw him.

Toshuki: "what's your name little one?" Toshuki asked, trying to sound nice. He didn't want to scare her more.

Girl: "w-well.. Who are you?" She asked.

Toshuki: "I'm Toshuki. Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you." He answered.

She looked suspicious of him but seemed to decide he was not a threat.

Yuka: "my name is Yuka" she said, looking happy to be near his protection.

Yuka: "will you help me? There's someone who wants to hurt me..." She said, sounding upset.

Toshuki gasped. Somone was trying to kill her? But she was so... Cute. Though supposedly, cute does not get you safe from ghosts.

Toshuki: "who's trying to hurt you?" Toshuki asked.

Yuka: "I don't know, but he's not a ghost or anything!" she sniffed.

Toshuki's blood went cold. A living person what trying to hurt her? Then he had a thought.

Toshuki: "was he shrouded in mist or something?" Toshuki asked.

She shook her head.

Distant voice: "I'm going to kill you Yuka!" It cackeled.

Yuka and Toshuki both jumped.

Toshuki: "hold my hand. We're going to run away from here okay?".

Yuka: "yeah,..okay" She replied.

Yuka looked comforted that Toshuki was holding her hand.

Toshuki: "let's go. Try to keep up but if I'm going to fast, say so and I will slow down."

She agreed to do as she was bid.

After a bit of running, the voice returned.

Insane voice: "come back! I'll kill you quickly!" The manic sounding man screamed.

The voice sounded much closer. Yuka made a terrified squeaking noise.

Toshuki: "what's wrong with you you sicko!? Trying to murder an innocent defenceless girl!? COWARDLY I'd call it!" Yoshiki retorted, trying to sound confident.

The man was now so close Toshuki could hear his foot steps. He was laughing manically with every step.

Toshuki started running faster.

Yuka: "your going to fast! I can't keep up" Yuka pleaded.

Toshuki turned around, scooped Yuka up in both his arms and started running again.

Toshuki: "save your stamina, you'll need it" he whispered to her.

Yuka: "w-why?" She whispered back, confused.

Toshuki shushed her.

After a few more minutes of running, Toshuki decided to go go for a desperate act. When the man was so close Toshuki could hear the man breathing, Toshuki plonked Yuka down and screamed "RUN!". Yuka did not need telling twice. Toshuki was going to stall this guy for as long as he could. Who knows? Maybe Toshuki could even stop him.

The man came to a halt.

Man: "who do we have here?" He grinned.

Toshuki took a step backwards.

Toshuki: "wh-who are you?" he stuttered.

Man: "awwww, nervous are we? Don't worry, this'll only take a second".

Toshuki: "who are you?" Toshuki repeated.

There was another fit of insane laughter.

Man: "I am kizami"

He bowed, revealing a large knife. It glinted in the small amount of darkness.

He took another step closer.

Toshuki was not feeling so confident now. In fact, any small trace of confidence he had left had just evaporated. He desperately searched for any item that could help him but all that surrounded him were splinters and small, charred bits of wood. None of it would help him. He had considered tHe splinters but they were to small.

kizami lunged.

Toshuki: "gha-!" Toshuki made out before he was body slammed. Kizami tried to lunge with the knife but missed, giving Toshuki a chance to grab it. He couldn't TAKE the knife but he did manage to smash it into the floor, making it difficult for kizami to get. Kizami unexpectedly punched at Toshuki, the first attempt missing but the next catching him full in the face. Toshuki fell backwards, flat on his back as he felt the wind get knocked out of him.

Kizami: "AHAHAHAAA! We have a struggle!".

He heaved the somewhat blunted knife out of the floorboard and lunged to stab Toshuki with it. Toshuki grunted and swung mightily at him. It caught him in the face and this time, He fell to the ground. But he was soon up and on the attack again. Kizami jumped on Toshuki, this time keeping the knife in front of him protectively. Toshuki grunted again as he received the combined weight of the two of them as they hit the floor. Now kizami was on top of him, his knife inches away from Toshuki's face. Toshuki freed his hands from underneath himself and grabbed the knife. They both wrestled for it. Toshuki span the blade around so it was facing kizami and pulled him sideways. Toshuki got the top and use all his might (and weight) to force the blade into kizami's stomach. He gasped in pain.

Suddenly, an earthquake broke out. Toshuki was thrown off kizami as his vision faded and was helpless as everything was thrown of tables collapsed over his head. His vision went dark...