Sorry for the fake out but I seriously need a hand. Right now this story is at a dead end. It can either start following the Yu Yu Hakusho plot in a twisted way or die out and to be honest, I'm leaning towards die out. However, there is an alternative, I can start rewriting this story without the challenge and with a new plot direction. At this late in the game it's too late for the new plot direction due to the build up of material that contradicts it. So this leads me to why I need a hand. I'm not sure if I should just kill the story off, redo it while keeping the same direction for you readers, or redo the story completely. I have a poll up on my profile for you guys to vote since a lot of you don't seem too keen on reviewing. If you have ideas or comments, PM me. DO NOT REVIEW! Reviews are meant for feedback on the story while PMs are for talking and I'm not sure how the Admins would take reviews of this nature so please PM me if you have comments directed towards the direction of this story.
Thanks and here's what I have for chapter 22.
Operation Code 22-2200
"We're going to make it, Yukina. We're going to make it," Keiko muttered as they ran.
Her friend struggled to reply but her heavy pants made it difficult. The black cloaked man was still on their tails. He would catch them in a manner of minutes unless they did something to lose him. If he caught them, then it would be over. Demon World would kill them without a second thought or worse, brainwash them like they had the creature that was racing after them. However, Keiko had a plan. The girls were almost at the crowded mall. If they could make it into the crowd, they would lose their tail. They would be safe and, for the first time in ten years, they would be free.
The alley ahead of them widened and Keiko could see the people walking through the parking lot towards the mall. A group of schoolgirls passed the alley, laughing and chatting. If she hadn't been running for her life, Keiko would have felt jealous at the girls' care-free nature. But she was running and Yukina had tripped. Keiko shrieked to a stop as she ran back towards her friend. The black shadow was coming closer. A blade was thrown at the fallen girl but Keiko was ready. She raised her hands in preparation for an energy blast rather than the shield she had been using lately. She raised her hands so that the palms were facing the blade headed for her friend. She inhaled and then released her energy as she exhaled. The blade continued towards Yukina. Nothing flew from her palms. There was no energy blast. Her energy did nothing.
Before Keiko could realize what had happened, the blade had landed. It remained stabbed into the ground and Keiko stood frozen even as Yukina pulled on her arm to get her running again. It took Keiko a second to return to the world and remember Yukina had rolled out of the way before running to Keiko's side.
The shadow was closer now. They had lost precious seconds. They had to run. Keiko turned on her heel and rushed towards the mall with Yukina at her side.
They had to make it. They had to survive. They had to live.
However, even as Keiko ran, she had to wonder. What had happened to her energy? And why hadn't she been able to protect Yukina?