Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction / X/1999 Fan Fiction / Fruits Basket Fan Fiction ❯ Then came an angel ❯ Conflictions Will Rise ( Chapter 15 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: Sapadu 
Whew! Look at THAT!
Anime/Manga: Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction / X/1999 Fan Fiction / Fruits Basket Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Thriller / Romance / Action | Type: Crossover | Uploaded On: 08.04.2005 | Pages: 4 | Words: 5.1K | Visits: 216 | Status: Work In Progress
Whew! Look at THAT!
Anime/Manga: Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction / X/1999 Fan Fiction / Fruits Basket Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Thriller / Romance / Action | Type: Crossover | Uploaded On: 08.04.2005 | Pages: 4 | Words: 5.1K | Visits: 216 | Status: Work In Progress
Chapter 13
By Sapadu
A/N: I was struck by lightning and it spurred on a brainstorm. Also, inspired by the latest Furuba manga, #11, in which Akito was such a bastard, I had to include it in the fic.
Tohru's first worry of the next day was that Shigure wasn't at breakfast. He'd left a note saying he had 'errands' to run, but Yuki and Kyou were even more suspicious of that. Tohru had made a simple breakfast and the three of them had eaten in silence.
Tohru's second worry was that she got to the classroom and Uo-chan and Hana-chan were both bandaged. Immediately, Tohru started to panic.
"U-U-Uo-chan... Ha-Hana-chan... W-w-what happened? Are you alright?" She stammered, until Uo slapped her on the shoulder.
"Daijoubu, Tohru... It's not bad- see? I can still use my arm!" Uo's right arm was bandaged and tightly bound, but she still lifted it and flexed her muscles.
"We're fine, really, Tohru-kun. All that happened was that the library roof collapsed on top of us and just gave us a few cuts." Hana added, tenderly putting her arm around Tohru's shoulders and smiling (Don't you just love how Hana is always so calm?) Her face had a big patch over one cheek and both her hands were wrapped up in bandages. Tohru's face went white.
"C-C-C-COLLAPSED?! YOU TWO GOT CAUGHT AS THE ROOF FELL?!" Tohru almost screamed, in her quiet manner.
"It was on the news all last night. You mean you didn't know?" Uo asked, incredulously- in a way that was usually reserved for when she was calling Kyou an idiot, but Tohru didn't catch it.
"Yeah, I saw. The reports said it was an earthquake and that the roof on the public library collapsed. Yet, somehow, nobody was seriously injured or killed, nor were any books or computers damaged beyond a little dust and rubble, even though huge chunks of roof hit many people and shelves. Strange, huh?" Hatsuharu, just entering the scene, butted in. Tohru's hair stood on end as she made a panicked noise.
"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHH?!?!"
********************
"So.... there's another, now? More outsiders..." Akito raised a sickly pale finger for his bird to perch on. Shigure sat on his feet, waiting for Akito to continue. Loyally, he'd gone to tell the head of the family, but, personally, Shigure was expecting more of an outburst.
"Why didn't Hatori just erase their memories... like all those other times...?" Akito wondered vaguely, and the Dog wondered if he expected an answer or if it was rhetorical and the head of the family was trying to figure it out for himself.
"Unless... he wasn't informed... Clever... Momitchi-kun..." Akito finally said, on his own. Shigure was relieved- Akito didn't take too kindly to people answering his rhetorical questions and back-talking to him.
"Shigure-san..." Akito ordered, sitting up and turning away from the window to face his most loyal reporter. Shigure sat up straighter- just to brace himself in case Akito turned violent.
"Hai, Akito-san?" He asked, quietly. Akito crawled over to Shigure and gently caressed the side of his face.
"Find the girl. Find those Outsiders who saw. And bring them to me. I want to speak with them... personally." He hissed, one of his nails slightly digging into Shigure's cheek.
The Dog obediently nodded.
********************
Ken immediately rushed to the gates of Kaibara High as soon as his school got out. Yugi, Joey, Tristan, and Tea followed him, wondering WHAT the hell was wrong with him, until he skidded to a halt.
"KEN-CHAN! What're you doing here?" Samantha asked, immediately glomping onto the silver-eyed boy. Ken wormed his way out of her arms and stood straight. Uo caught sight of him and did a double-take.
"Hey! You're the kiddo who was pushing people out of the library, yesterday..." She said, pointing at him. Hana nodded in agreement.
"Yes. You grabbed my arm and dragged me out." She noted. Ken's cheeks went bright red.
"Ken-chan... why would you be so chivalrous when you prefer men, anyway?" Samantha wondered. Ken went an even deeper shade of crimson and before he could start to stammer, Tohru panicked, misinterpreted his expression, and waved her arms, apologetically.
"D-D-D-DEMO... IT'S NOT LIKE THAT'S SOMETHING TO BE ASHAMED OF... I MEAN... IT'S PERFECTLY NATURAL AND EVERYTHING... IT JUST MEANS THAT THE PERSON YOU LOVE HAPPENS TO BE A MAN... AND IT'S NOT LIKE WE'D HOLD IT AGAINST YOU OR... WE THINK THAT SORT OF THING IS DIRTY OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT... I'M SORRY IF WE'VE EMBARRASSED YOU... WE DIDN'T MEAN TO..." At this point, Sammy put a hand over Tohru's mouth and effectively cut her off.
"I was wondering if you'd let me get a word in, edgewise." Ken muttered, now a rather brilliant shade of ruby red, which was clashing with his eyes quite horribly.
"So... what're you doin' here, squirt?" Uo asked, massaging her shoulder. Ken took a deep breath and started to explain.
"I just figured I'd better see if you were okay after that earthquake thing, yesterday, Miss Ann." Ken explained in an even tone. By the way, Yugi & Co. were around the corner, watching. Samantha put a hand over her heart.
"Ken-chan, worrying about people is MY job." She said, in a tone that was half way between touched and betrayed. Ken's face dropped.
"And my mom wanted me around so you could know she was coming. She wants to show off the motor bike she got and is RIGHT around the corner." Tristan looked behind him. HE didn't see anyone behind them.
"So... what's she waiting for...?" Samantha asked.
"The drama." Ken replied. Just on cue, around the OTHER corner, a light, yet mean-looking motorcycle whipped out of hiding and burst into speed, screeching to a halt just in front of Samantha. The woman on the bike wore a sleeveless shirt, once again revealing her arms, but with black silk gloves, and a red spider stitched into the back of her shirt. Her skirt was long, but narrow, with two long slits cut in the sides for her legs, which were covered with red Capri's that had a spiderweb design stitched onto them. Her shoes were low-heeled boots that laced up the sides, and her brown hair was short, covering one eye. Today, she wore no face mask, but she did carry a nasty looking lightsaber in her belt.
"Well, thanks for ruining my entrance." She snapped, playfully. Ken smiled back, not remorseful in the least. Uo's jaw had dropped.
"Kyo... ko... san...?" She breathed. The woman's head snapped towards her, and the single gray eye revealed it was NOT Tohru's late mother. Tohru bowed, deeply.
"S-Sumimasen... You just look a lot like my mom... and... well..." But before Tohru could get going, Kenda extended her arm and stopped Tohru in mid-bow.
"No sweat. I get that a lot." She said, grinning. She looked JUST like Kyoko.
"Nice bike." Samantha finally commented. Kendalina grinned even wider and stretched her arms over her head. Ken had turned around and was doing some frantic gesturing to someone behind Sammy, whom didn't notice in the least.
"Well, I told them: Something fast, something maneuverable, something with good gas mileage." Kendalina said with a shrug. With out warning, something jumped on Samantha from behind, it's hands covering her eyes.
"Guess who?" It said. Sammy didn't guess- she just spun around as fast as she could and landed her knuckles solidly in the flesh JUST below the junction of Tristan's ribs (You know- that spot where you put your hands during the Heimlich maneuver...) Tristan let out a wheezing noise, frozen in his spot, Samantha's fist, a good inch and a half, making an indent in his thoracic cavity.
Slowly, Tristan keeled over and landed flat on his back. Tea, Yugi, and Joey came running up, looking rather panicked for Tristan. Ken looked disgusted.
"I TOLD you not to sneak up on her like that, Tristan." He said, in an 'I-told-you-so' tone of voice.
Tohru quietly watched, along with Uo and Hana, as Samantha, shaking, pale, and her hair turning stringy and black, striped with white, backed away from everyone. Slowly, she rose one hand and pointed straight at Tristan, who'd regained consciousness.
"Don't..." She started, her voice cracking and soft, "You ever... FUCKING... dare... pull that SHIT... on me... AGAIN!" And then, she turned and ran her way home, hair trailing behind her like a black silk veil. Kendalina watched, expressionless. Hatsuharu had also just observed the incident.
"Pity. She was in such a good mood, too." Kendalina mused, watching her friend flee.
"I didn't know Sapadu-san was one to snap like that... Mystery..." Haru said, just as calmly. Kendalina stuck her lower lip out, pouting.
"Heya, Tan-kun, maybe you'll THINK, next time, before you pull a stunt like that." Kenda said, calmly glaring at the boy in question, whom was making all SORTS of interesting noises. It was quite plain that there wouldn't BE a next time.
"Why'd she DO that?" Tea asked, staring at the spot where Samantha had been standing.
"Sammy's got a problem with being jumped on and grabbed like that, especially by strong, muscular guys who are older, taller, and a LOT bigger than she is. But ANYONE who puts ANYTHING over her eyes is pretty much ASKING to get the shit kicked out of them, even if she's expecting it." Kendalina explained, leaning back against her motorcycle and lighting a cigarette. Haru looked at her curiously.
"That's really bad for your health, you know." He said, in a voice that suggested he really didn't give a damn, anyway. Kendalina ignored him.
"Why does she react like that?" Haru added. Kendalina took her cigarette out of her mouth and blew smoke in his face. Hatsuharu, somehow, managed not to cough.
"THAT." Kendalina said, pointedly, "Is none. Of your fucking business." And she put the cig back in her mouth, the matter closed.
********************
Hatori carefully reread the address Akito had sent him to. It was a small, dumpy little house in a city called Domino, but apparently, Momiji KNEW for a fact that one of the people who had seen him transform lived here. Before erasing his memory, Hatori could ask who else had been here and where to find them. Just that simple.
Either way, Akito had ordered it.
Hatori rapped on the door with his knuckles, a churning in his stomach telling him that he shouldn't be here.
The door opened and a girl with purple eyes and brown hair in braids, who looked REMARKABLY like Honda-kun, peeked out at him.
"Oh... Hatori-san, hello." She said, politely. Hatori blinked. He was quite sure he'd never met this girl before, so how did she know his name? He didn't question, nor let his confusion show. He just entered, not waiting to be invited in. Something about this girl had him on edge- whether it was that she knew his name before introductions, or because she resembled Honda-kun so much, Hatori didn't know.
"Did Akito-san send you to erase Bakura-san's memory?" She asked, and before Hatori could even gape, she continued, "I wouldn't do that if I were you. Ring-san was in trouble enough with me the first time I got mad at him, so if anything happens to Bakura-san, Ring-san knows I'll hold HIM responsible. Thus, if you try to do anything to Bakura-san, Ring-san will come out and send you to the Shadow Realm." The girl plowed on. Hatori wasn't sure if he wanted to know what the business about 'Ring-san' and 'Shadow Realm' meant. He had a feeling, though, that it was roughly equivalent to Hatsuharu versus Black Haru.
"I'm also here because you apparently know." Hatori replied. The girl smiled at him, and it made Hatori shiver.
"Now, now... Hatori-san... you wouldn't do something like that to a fellow dragon, would you?" She asked, and her voice and tone made Hatori's blood run cold.
"Samantha? Is someone at the door?" A British voice called through the doorway and a young man with white hair came out of the kitchen. Samantha smiled at the other boy.
"Bakura-san, meet Hatori-san: The dragon of the Sohma family zodiac. Hatori-san, this is Bakura-san, and somewhere under his shirt is Ring-san." Samantha made gestures between the two. As soon as Sammy mentioned 'Ring-san' Bakura pulled out a pendant from under his sweater that hung on a leather chord. The pendant was a loop of gold, with a triangle that bore an Egyptian eye in the center, and six spears dangling off the outside of the loop. So... that was 'Ring-san'.
"Well... if you can promise to keep the secret, I'll leave." Hatori said. It was the best he could come up with- he wasn't used to having to improvise and either way, he'd have to lie to Akito, otherwise he would be QUITE annoyed that Hatori hadn't followed orders.
"Not much use, is it? Some rather important members of Japan know. The 13th head of the Sumeragi clan was here and he saw, as well as the 13th generation of the Sakurazukamori- he was following Subaru-kun, anyway. I know you wouldn't dare try to fiddle with THEIR memories, lest they decide the Sohmas are a threat to Japan's functioning. Then, there's Kamui-kun, and I highly doubt you would try to even get close to him when, quite literally, everyone around him thinks that the fate of the world depends on him, just in case they misunderstand and go on the defense of their 'Savior'. And, of course, Bakura-san's classmates saw, but Yu-kun has Puzzle-san to guard him. I doubt HE'D be too willing to let you come close to Yu-kun and his friends without a fight. And then Tsu-chan and Soka-chan... what does it matter if they know? They're dead, anyway." Sammy said, and the look she was giving Hatori was truly eerie. The Dragon wanted nothing better than to run as fast as he could to get away from her.
"Very well, then." Hatori sharply turned and left, managing to salvage his dignity for a block before he could be assured nobody would see him, and then he broke out into a run- he'd parked his car in a public parking lot about two blocks away from the house because he hadn't wanted to pay a parking meter.
Back at the house, Samantha watched Hatori run away, snickering.
"That was... bizarre. How'd you do that?" Bakura asked, pulling his favorite cream-colored sweater over his head. Samantha pulled away from the window and leaned against the wall.
"I'm a dragon-spooker. It comes in handy when dealing with dragons. Apparently, it extends to dragons in human form, as well." Sammy looked rather reflective, putting her hands behind her back. Bakura raised his eyebrows, but said nothing. Samantha's freaky look disappeared and she smiled.
"Naa, Bakura-san, what do you want to do, today?" She asked. Bakura's gaze shifted before he looked straight at Sammy.
"I want to go out and do something. Anywhere, anything, but..." He said, decisively. Sammy's eyes lit up.
"Well... today, let's go shopping, and then, on my next day off, I'll take you out with me." She said, her hair curling. Bakura frowned.
"Out? Where?"He asked, and the Ring agreed, wholeheartedly.
"Clubbing. I do it every week. And I think that will be a nice change of pace for you." Sammy said, and with that, promptly dragged Bakura out the door for their weekly friend-date. Bakura went willingly: he'd been doing so ever since they'd started this tradition, ever since Sammy had met Bakura.
********************
Tatsumi shuffled papers on his desk, waiting for Samantha to report. While she'd indeed kept her word about doing her work and pulling her weight around the office, despite still being in school, the idea that she had such close ties to people in the world of the living was gaining a few frowns and 'mild' reminders from the people upstairs that the shinigami weren't supposed to interact with them.
Sapadu-san's visits to the people of the living world would have to be cut.
There was a knock on the door.
"Enter." Tatsumi said, resting his head on his hands. The door creaked open and Sammy timidly stepped in.
"You wanted to speak to me, Tatsumi-san?" She asked, quietly. Tatsumi leaned back in his chair and gestured for Samantha to take a seat.
"Kacho has been pleased that you've been keeping up with your work, thus far, Sapadu-san. However, now that you've gotten most of your paperwork done, we have a case in Area Four. One of the usual shinigami for that area has been injured, so I'd like you to fill in." Tatsumi said, and handed her the file. Pretty basic: a series of souls disappearing, bodies found, souls occasionally showing up to haunt their death places, but no evidence of how or why they were disappearing. The area four shinigami had been working on it for months now. Sammy looked over the file and then looked back up at Tatsumi.
"It'll be done by tonight." She said, firmly. Tatsumi blinked at her, before she stood and left, presumably to get the work done.
********************
"Sapadu-senpai, do you have a moment?" Samantha's head whipped around to see Yuki watching her with a carefully guarded expression. Sammy smiled and followed him out of the way of her classmates.
"Yes, what is it, Yuki-san?" She asked, sweetly. Yuki didn't look at her- he was looking out the windows, a calm fury resting in his eyes.
"Shigure wanted me to tell you this... maybe because he's too much of a coward to say it himself... or maybe just because I could be certain to see you today... but... Akito wants to see you. Hatori had come back, saying he couldn't erase anyone's memories... and so... Akito wants you to come and visit him... I'm not sure why, but it can't be good." Yuki said, cautiously. Sammy studied his expression carefully and decided that he was only passing on the message out of lingering fear for this 'Akito'.
'Just like I thought.' She wondered to herself. And she didn't blame him in the least- she knew too well what that was like.
"Don't worry, Yuki-san. I've got to go see Akito-kun, anyway." Sammy reassured him. Yuki's eyes went wide and he looked positively stricken at the mere idea of Samantha addressing Akito that way.
"Besides... it's not like he can DO anything to me, right?" She added, and Yuki thought back to the few times he'd seen Samantha- he had a feeling she was a lot tougher than she looked.
"Just be careful. Akito is... skilled at manipulating people." Yuki warned, before he realized Sammy was laughing. He raised an eyebrow at her.
"Akito-kun is so insane, he's almost more idiotic than you say Kyou-san is. What are you TALKING about? All that you need to do is ignore him, just keep reminding yourself that he's got NO IDEA what he's talking about, and that he's just being a big, spoiled, bratty baby. Just that simple, and where's his power THEN?" Sammy said, and Yuki was left speechless as Sammy walked away. That's when Yuki noticed her right hand's fingernails were stained red.
********************
"Tatsumi-san, you still have Sapadu-san going into the human world. Too frequently for a shinigami." The Count reminded Tatsumi, twirling, unseen, in his chair. Tatsumi resisted the urge to wipe his forehead- he was sweating so terribly, he was almost afraid he'd lose weight.
"Hakushaku-sama, she's merely completing her education. And during that time, she's earning extra money to pay for her tuition, and half of the profit she has leftover is going to help pay for Juochou's debts. I assure you... it's strictly business." Tatsumi explained, feeling vaguely ill. The Count had a tendency to do that to people.
"And these humans she keeps visiting... what is the meaning of a shinigami keeping such close relations with the living world?" Hakushaku questioned, swiveling his chair so that he faced Tatsumi. Tatsumi swallowed hard- some how, despite all his efforts, Samantha had always managed to make time for visiting her... 'friends'... on Chijou, which the Count was obviously not pleased about.
Two hands clasped Tatsumi's shoulders and a woman with long, long dark hair appeared behind him. The dress she wore was so black, it blended in with the dark wall of the Castle of Candles, and left her looking like she was just a floating head and hands.
"Hakushaku-kun, it is not your place to decide what is and is not proper. Stop it, or I will be back to change your mind." She said, simply, bluntly, yet eloquently. Tatsumi resisted turning his head to seeing her face. The Count, if his face could have been seen, would have sneered.
"That's amusing, coming from you, Sapadu-san. Why do you think I should listen to you?" Hakushaku asked, simply. The woman, apparently, sneered back.
"I'm not the girl you call 'Sapadu-san'. But, where she goes, I go, and if you don't forget, she IS a vampire. She will travel as she pleases, or next time, she won't be quite so spineless as to not come here herself. And, Hakushaku-kun, and... she is more powerful than me: If I did damage to you, it would be nothing compared to her." The woman's hands lifted from Tatsumi's shoulders, and then she simply disappeared into thin air.
Hakushaku excused Tatsumi, both of them feeling somewhat nauseous.
********************
"Solar, I'd REALLY appreciate it if you'd stop popping in and taking possession of my body at random intervals."
::: Oh... but Sammy... They were threatening to prohibit your visits to Earth. And then you'd run out of food, and never get to see Bakura-kun or Tohru-kun or Ken-kun again...:::
"Solar... people mistake you for me, just like they do for Yu-kun and Puzzle-san, and Bakura-san and Ring-san. Do you have any idea how much SHIT I get for that?"
::: I doubt I can imagine. But, either way... where you go, I go, and I DO want to keep going back to the world of the living, despite what you may think.:::
"Well... thanks, at least, for coming back when I said I needed your help."
::: I caused you a whole decade of grief and heartache, all because I wanted you to kill Gabriel and exorcise Yule so we could be together again, without the slightest consideration that maybe, just maybe, you didn't want to kill anyone nor see anyone get hurt. I killed your first love, called you a freak because you're bisexual and polyamorous, harrassed you about absolutely every phobia, like, dislike, and treasure you had, no matter how justified you were in having it, and I still always managed to be an overbearing bitch, even when you NEEDED my help. I think that qualifies me to be in your debt.:::
"By the way, Ken-chan stopped by yesterday while I was butchering. He said his mom had heard that I was taking Bakura-san out clubbing and she's got an outfit that might fit Bakura-san. Except for the pants, but Ken-chan stole a pair from Skywalker."
::: Wow. They know you better than I thought.:::
"Solar, the first time I met Ken-chan, he was the same size as my thumb, and you know that."
::: *frowns*:::
"That's... not really... possible... is it? Let me think..."
::: You mean when you were with Kendalina for her ultrasound?:::
"YEAH! THAT'S IT!"
********************
Bakura and the Ring both frowned at seeing the outfit they'd found. The shirt was mesh, for one thing, though it did have some actual threads running through it, an alternating pattern of red, black, and silver. Considering, not only that the threads were right over where his chest would be, but also that the shirt was about three times smaller than him, Bakura decided it had originally been made for women.
There was a second shirt, one made out of silk, which was sleeveless, black, and had silvery sequins in the pattern of webs dangling down the top half of the shirt. That wasn't so bad, if it weren't for the fact that it had no buttons, and thus, couldn't be closed.
The Ring liked the pants that Luke Skywalker had "donated"- they were about half a size too small, which meant they could be sexy without being uncomfortable. They were black, with red pockets, and looked like they were made out of leather, but were really made out of silk, lined with a jean material. Bakura admitted they would look good on the Ring, if he chose to come out and possess Bakura's body, but thought they looked terrible on him. Besides that, they didn't button or zipper up, but there were brown leather lacings that ran up the sides, from the ankle to the hip, as well as short gold chords where a zipper would normally be for pants. They were short enough that the pants closed completely and didn't leave a lot of chord dangling, but it made the leather lacings up the sides even tighter.
Finally, for shoes, a pair of white, zipper up boots completed the ensemble. Bakura liked these- they were comfortable, not too flashy or obtrusive, and he could easilly tuck his socks into them.
Either way, he knew the night when he went out in public wearing this would bode no good.
********************
Triclops was having a bad, bad dream. He saw the docks, and a platform. On the platform, there waited a speeder bike, much like the one Kendalina had taken quite a shine to. A boat pulled up, and a long board descended. Two people came walking down the board- one was tall and broad shouldered, a forbidding figure silloutted against the sun, and the other, the figure of a teenage boy, with long blond hair and tan skin. Both were garbed in dark violet cloaks.
The boy, somehow, seemed to see Triclops and turned around. Triclops saw the face of the man in his first dream- who would destroy his wife, a second time.
Triclops woke, but not with a start as his other dreams had caused him to do. No violent action took place, so there was no need to panic, but he still felt terribly sick.
Kendalina was awake and smoking by the window as Triclops got out of bed and tiptoed over to her. Kendalina, ever on her guard, wasn't surprised when Triclops wrapped his arms around her waist from behind.
"So... The Battle City thing starts tomorrow, right?"Triclops asked, quietly. Kendalina smiled softly and stubbed out her cigarette on her hand.
"I'll be fine, Trike. Honest." Kendalina reassured him, for the nth time, putting her hands over his and interlacing their fingers.
Triclops was silent for a long time, staring out the window, before he spoke again.
"It just hurt so much when you died the first time... I can't lose you again..." He whispered. Kendalina sobered and leaned back against him, craning her neck and pressing a kiss against his forehead.
********************
Wakaba looked over the papers for the case that Sammy had returned to her. Apparently, Samantha was as good as her word- she'd solved the case before 11 o'clock, the day she'd gotten the files, all the souls had been returned to their bodies, and then moved on, and the man behind it all... Samantha didn't give specifics, but she'd noted that she had... "dealed" with him.
Apparently, the man had been gathering souls to extend his life, and in the act, he killed people. The thing was, he spent most of his month living outside of the city where all the murders had taken place, so, once a month, he went back, killed someone, absorbed their soul, and left for his normal home. During that time, all the other souls would cause hauntings, and thus, everything fit.
Considering that Tatsumi had been rather convinced this was a difficult case, Wakaba was... on edge. Especially since Sammy had come back the next day with a body bag and a stack of reports, all filled out. Wakaba had asked Samantha how she'd done it all by herself in one night, and Sammy had explained it away by saying she'd just known where to look.
Wakaba put the file back in the out box and went to see Terazuma. Maybe it would cheer him up to know the job he'd been injured on was finally solved.
********************
Samantha stopped by her apartment to change from her school uniform and emerged wearing a pair of jeans with paint splattered on them and a red shirt that read in white letters "Saving Throw vs. Having a Life" with a picture of a ten-sided dice on it. In her hair, she wore, instead of her braids, two buns with long bunches of hair dangling down and pieces of sinew from her latest vitcim wrapped around them.
Why not? Akito didn't deserve any respect, anyway.
A/N: It seems so incomplete, and yet.... I think I did a good job on this one.
And look! Look how soon I updated!
By Sapadu
A/N: I was struck by lightning and it spurred on a brainstorm. Also, inspired by the latest Furuba manga, #11, in which Akito was such a bastard, I had to include it in the fic.
Tohru's first worry of the next day was that Shigure wasn't at breakfast. He'd left a note saying he had 'errands' to run, but Yuki and Kyou were even more suspicious of that. Tohru had made a simple breakfast and the three of them had eaten in silence.
Tohru's second worry was that she got to the classroom and Uo-chan and Hana-chan were both bandaged. Immediately, Tohru started to panic.
"U-U-Uo-chan... Ha-Hana-chan... W-w-what happened? Are you alright?" She stammered, until Uo slapped her on the shoulder.
"Daijoubu, Tohru... It's not bad- see? I can still use my arm!" Uo's right arm was bandaged and tightly bound, but she still lifted it and flexed her muscles.
"We're fine, really, Tohru-kun. All that happened was that the library roof collapsed on top of us and just gave us a few cuts." Hana added, tenderly putting her arm around Tohru's shoulders and smiling (Don't you just love how Hana is always so calm?) Her face had a big patch over one cheek and both her hands were wrapped up in bandages. Tohru's face went white.
"C-C-C-COLLAPSED?! YOU TWO GOT CAUGHT AS THE ROOF FELL?!" Tohru almost screamed, in her quiet manner.
"It was on the news all last night. You mean you didn't know?" Uo asked, incredulously- in a way that was usually reserved for when she was calling Kyou an idiot, but Tohru didn't catch it.
"Yeah, I saw. The reports said it was an earthquake and that the roof on the public library collapsed. Yet, somehow, nobody was seriously injured or killed, nor were any books or computers damaged beyond a little dust and rubble, even though huge chunks of roof hit many people and shelves. Strange, huh?" Hatsuharu, just entering the scene, butted in. Tohru's hair stood on end as she made a panicked noise.
"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHH?!?!"
********************
"So.... there's another, now? More outsiders..." Akito raised a sickly pale finger for his bird to perch on. Shigure sat on his feet, waiting for Akito to continue. Loyally, he'd gone to tell the head of the family, but, personally, Shigure was expecting more of an outburst.
"Why didn't Hatori just erase their memories... like all those other times...?" Akito wondered vaguely, and the Dog wondered if he expected an answer or if it was rhetorical and the head of the family was trying to figure it out for himself.
"Unless... he wasn't informed... Clever... Momitchi-kun..." Akito finally said, on his own. Shigure was relieved- Akito didn't take too kindly to people answering his rhetorical questions and back-talking to him.
"Shigure-san..." Akito ordered, sitting up and turning away from the window to face his most loyal reporter. Shigure sat up straighter- just to brace himself in case Akito turned violent.
"Hai, Akito-san?" He asked, quietly. Akito crawled over to Shigure and gently caressed the side of his face.
"Find the girl. Find those Outsiders who saw. And bring them to me. I want to speak with them... personally." He hissed, one of his nails slightly digging into Shigure's cheek.
The Dog obediently nodded.
********************
Ken immediately rushed to the gates of Kaibara High as soon as his school got out. Yugi, Joey, Tristan, and Tea followed him, wondering WHAT the hell was wrong with him, until he skidded to a halt.
"KEN-CHAN! What're you doing here?" Samantha asked, immediately glomping onto the silver-eyed boy. Ken wormed his way out of her arms and stood straight. Uo caught sight of him and did a double-take.
"Hey! You're the kiddo who was pushing people out of the library, yesterday..." She said, pointing at him. Hana nodded in agreement.
"Yes. You grabbed my arm and dragged me out." She noted. Ken's cheeks went bright red.
"Ken-chan... why would you be so chivalrous when you prefer men, anyway?" Samantha wondered. Ken went an even deeper shade of crimson and before he could start to stammer, Tohru panicked, misinterpreted his expression, and waved her arms, apologetically.
"D-D-D-DEMO... IT'S NOT LIKE THAT'S SOMETHING TO BE ASHAMED OF... I MEAN... IT'S PERFECTLY NATURAL AND EVERYTHING... IT JUST MEANS THAT THE PERSON YOU LOVE HAPPENS TO BE A MAN... AND IT'S NOT LIKE WE'D HOLD IT AGAINST YOU OR... WE THINK THAT SORT OF THING IS DIRTY OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT... I'M SORRY IF WE'VE EMBARRASSED YOU... WE DIDN'T MEAN TO..." At this point, Sammy put a hand over Tohru's mouth and effectively cut her off.
"I was wondering if you'd let me get a word in, edgewise." Ken muttered, now a rather brilliant shade of ruby red, which was clashing with his eyes quite horribly.
"So... what're you doin' here, squirt?" Uo asked, massaging her shoulder. Ken took a deep breath and started to explain.
"I just figured I'd better see if you were okay after that earthquake thing, yesterday, Miss Ann." Ken explained in an even tone. By the way, Yugi & Co. were around the corner, watching. Samantha put a hand over her heart.
"Ken-chan, worrying about people is MY job." She said, in a tone that was half way between touched and betrayed. Ken's face dropped.
"And my mom wanted me around so you could know she was coming. She wants to show off the motor bike she got and is RIGHT around the corner." Tristan looked behind him. HE didn't see anyone behind them.
"So... what's she waiting for...?" Samantha asked.
"The drama." Ken replied. Just on cue, around the OTHER corner, a light, yet mean-looking motorcycle whipped out of hiding and burst into speed, screeching to a halt just in front of Samantha. The woman on the bike wore a sleeveless shirt, once again revealing her arms, but with black silk gloves, and a red spider stitched into the back of her shirt. Her skirt was long, but narrow, with two long slits cut in the sides for her legs, which were covered with red Capri's that had a spiderweb design stitched onto them. Her shoes were low-heeled boots that laced up the sides, and her brown hair was short, covering one eye. Today, she wore no face mask, but she did carry a nasty looking lightsaber in her belt.
"Well, thanks for ruining my entrance." She snapped, playfully. Ken smiled back, not remorseful in the least. Uo's jaw had dropped.
"Kyo... ko... san...?" She breathed. The woman's head snapped towards her, and the single gray eye revealed it was NOT Tohru's late mother. Tohru bowed, deeply.
"S-Sumimasen... You just look a lot like my mom... and... well..." But before Tohru could get going, Kenda extended her arm and stopped Tohru in mid-bow.
"No sweat. I get that a lot." She said, grinning. She looked JUST like Kyoko.
"Nice bike." Samantha finally commented. Kendalina grinned even wider and stretched her arms over her head. Ken had turned around and was doing some frantic gesturing to someone behind Sammy, whom didn't notice in the least.
"Well, I told them: Something fast, something maneuverable, something with good gas mileage." Kendalina said with a shrug. With out warning, something jumped on Samantha from behind, it's hands covering her eyes.
"Guess who?" It said. Sammy didn't guess- she just spun around as fast as she could and landed her knuckles solidly in the flesh JUST below the junction of Tristan's ribs (You know- that spot where you put your hands during the Heimlich maneuver...) Tristan let out a wheezing noise, frozen in his spot, Samantha's fist, a good inch and a half, making an indent in his thoracic cavity.
Slowly, Tristan keeled over and landed flat on his back. Tea, Yugi, and Joey came running up, looking rather panicked for Tristan. Ken looked disgusted.
"I TOLD you not to sneak up on her like that, Tristan." He said, in an 'I-told-you-so' tone of voice.
Tohru quietly watched, along with Uo and Hana, as Samantha, shaking, pale, and her hair turning stringy and black, striped with white, backed away from everyone. Slowly, she rose one hand and pointed straight at Tristan, who'd regained consciousness.
"Don't..." She started, her voice cracking and soft, "You ever... FUCKING... dare... pull that SHIT... on me... AGAIN!" And then, she turned and ran her way home, hair trailing behind her like a black silk veil. Kendalina watched, expressionless. Hatsuharu had also just observed the incident.
"Pity. She was in such a good mood, too." Kendalina mused, watching her friend flee.
"I didn't know Sapadu-san was one to snap like that... Mystery..." Haru said, just as calmly. Kendalina stuck her lower lip out, pouting.
"Heya, Tan-kun, maybe you'll THINK, next time, before you pull a stunt like that." Kenda said, calmly glaring at the boy in question, whom was making all SORTS of interesting noises. It was quite plain that there wouldn't BE a next time.
"Why'd she DO that?" Tea asked, staring at the spot where Samantha had been standing.
"Sammy's got a problem with being jumped on and grabbed like that, especially by strong, muscular guys who are older, taller, and a LOT bigger than she is. But ANYONE who puts ANYTHING over her eyes is pretty much ASKING to get the shit kicked out of them, even if she's expecting it." Kendalina explained, leaning back against her motorcycle and lighting a cigarette. Haru looked at her curiously.
"That's really bad for your health, you know." He said, in a voice that suggested he really didn't give a damn, anyway. Kendalina ignored him.
"Why does she react like that?" Haru added. Kendalina took her cigarette out of her mouth and blew smoke in his face. Hatsuharu, somehow, managed not to cough.
"THAT." Kendalina said, pointedly, "Is none. Of your fucking business." And she put the cig back in her mouth, the matter closed.
********************
Hatori carefully reread the address Akito had sent him to. It was a small, dumpy little house in a city called Domino, but apparently, Momiji KNEW for a fact that one of the people who had seen him transform lived here. Before erasing his memory, Hatori could ask who else had been here and where to find them. Just that simple.
Either way, Akito had ordered it.
Hatori rapped on the door with his knuckles, a churning in his stomach telling him that he shouldn't be here.
The door opened and a girl with purple eyes and brown hair in braids, who looked REMARKABLY like Honda-kun, peeked out at him.
"Oh... Hatori-san, hello." She said, politely. Hatori blinked. He was quite sure he'd never met this girl before, so how did she know his name? He didn't question, nor let his confusion show. He just entered, not waiting to be invited in. Something about this girl had him on edge- whether it was that she knew his name before introductions, or because she resembled Honda-kun so much, Hatori didn't know.
"Did Akito-san send you to erase Bakura-san's memory?" She asked, and before Hatori could even gape, she continued, "I wouldn't do that if I were you. Ring-san was in trouble enough with me the first time I got mad at him, so if anything happens to Bakura-san, Ring-san knows I'll hold HIM responsible. Thus, if you try to do anything to Bakura-san, Ring-san will come out and send you to the Shadow Realm." The girl plowed on. Hatori wasn't sure if he wanted to know what the business about 'Ring-san' and 'Shadow Realm' meant. He had a feeling, though, that it was roughly equivalent to Hatsuharu versus Black Haru.
"I'm also here because you apparently know." Hatori replied. The girl smiled at him, and it made Hatori shiver.
"Now, now... Hatori-san... you wouldn't do something like that to a fellow dragon, would you?" She asked, and her voice and tone made Hatori's blood run cold.
"Samantha? Is someone at the door?" A British voice called through the doorway and a young man with white hair came out of the kitchen. Samantha smiled at the other boy.
"Bakura-san, meet Hatori-san: The dragon of the Sohma family zodiac. Hatori-san, this is Bakura-san, and somewhere under his shirt is Ring-san." Samantha made gestures between the two. As soon as Sammy mentioned 'Ring-san' Bakura pulled out a pendant from under his sweater that hung on a leather chord. The pendant was a loop of gold, with a triangle that bore an Egyptian eye in the center, and six spears dangling off the outside of the loop. So... that was 'Ring-san'.
"Well... if you can promise to keep the secret, I'll leave." Hatori said. It was the best he could come up with- he wasn't used to having to improvise and either way, he'd have to lie to Akito, otherwise he would be QUITE annoyed that Hatori hadn't followed orders.
"Not much use, is it? Some rather important members of Japan know. The 13th head of the Sumeragi clan was here and he saw, as well as the 13th generation of the Sakurazukamori- he was following Subaru-kun, anyway. I know you wouldn't dare try to fiddle with THEIR memories, lest they decide the Sohmas are a threat to Japan's functioning. Then, there's Kamui-kun, and I highly doubt you would try to even get close to him when, quite literally, everyone around him thinks that the fate of the world depends on him, just in case they misunderstand and go on the defense of their 'Savior'. And, of course, Bakura-san's classmates saw, but Yu-kun has Puzzle-san to guard him. I doubt HE'D be too willing to let you come close to Yu-kun and his friends without a fight. And then Tsu-chan and Soka-chan... what does it matter if they know? They're dead, anyway." Sammy said, and the look she was giving Hatori was truly eerie. The Dragon wanted nothing better than to run as fast as he could to get away from her.
"Very well, then." Hatori sharply turned and left, managing to salvage his dignity for a block before he could be assured nobody would see him, and then he broke out into a run- he'd parked his car in a public parking lot about two blocks away from the house because he hadn't wanted to pay a parking meter.
Back at the house, Samantha watched Hatori run away, snickering.
"That was... bizarre. How'd you do that?" Bakura asked, pulling his favorite cream-colored sweater over his head. Samantha pulled away from the window and leaned against the wall.
"I'm a dragon-spooker. It comes in handy when dealing with dragons. Apparently, it extends to dragons in human form, as well." Sammy looked rather reflective, putting her hands behind her back. Bakura raised his eyebrows, but said nothing. Samantha's freaky look disappeared and she smiled.
"Naa, Bakura-san, what do you want to do, today?" She asked. Bakura's gaze shifted before he looked straight at Sammy.
"I want to go out and do something. Anywhere, anything, but..." He said, decisively. Sammy's eyes lit up.
"Well... today, let's go shopping, and then, on my next day off, I'll take you out with me." She said, her hair curling. Bakura frowned.
"Out? Where?"He asked, and the Ring agreed, wholeheartedly.
"Clubbing. I do it every week. And I think that will be a nice change of pace for you." Sammy said, and with that, promptly dragged Bakura out the door for their weekly friend-date. Bakura went willingly: he'd been doing so ever since they'd started this tradition, ever since Sammy had met Bakura.
********************
Tatsumi shuffled papers on his desk, waiting for Samantha to report. While she'd indeed kept her word about doing her work and pulling her weight around the office, despite still being in school, the idea that she had such close ties to people in the world of the living was gaining a few frowns and 'mild' reminders from the people upstairs that the shinigami weren't supposed to interact with them.
Sapadu-san's visits to the people of the living world would have to be cut.
There was a knock on the door.
"Enter." Tatsumi said, resting his head on his hands. The door creaked open and Sammy timidly stepped in.
"You wanted to speak to me, Tatsumi-san?" She asked, quietly. Tatsumi leaned back in his chair and gestured for Samantha to take a seat.
"Kacho has been pleased that you've been keeping up with your work, thus far, Sapadu-san. However, now that you've gotten most of your paperwork done, we have a case in Area Four. One of the usual shinigami for that area has been injured, so I'd like you to fill in." Tatsumi said, and handed her the file. Pretty basic: a series of souls disappearing, bodies found, souls occasionally showing up to haunt their death places, but no evidence of how or why they were disappearing. The area four shinigami had been working on it for months now. Sammy looked over the file and then looked back up at Tatsumi.
"It'll be done by tonight." She said, firmly. Tatsumi blinked at her, before she stood and left, presumably to get the work done.
********************
"Sapadu-senpai, do you have a moment?" Samantha's head whipped around to see Yuki watching her with a carefully guarded expression. Sammy smiled and followed him out of the way of her classmates.
"Yes, what is it, Yuki-san?" She asked, sweetly. Yuki didn't look at her- he was looking out the windows, a calm fury resting in his eyes.
"Shigure wanted me to tell you this... maybe because he's too much of a coward to say it himself... or maybe just because I could be certain to see you today... but... Akito wants to see you. Hatori had come back, saying he couldn't erase anyone's memories... and so... Akito wants you to come and visit him... I'm not sure why, but it can't be good." Yuki said, cautiously. Sammy studied his expression carefully and decided that he was only passing on the message out of lingering fear for this 'Akito'.
'Just like I thought.' She wondered to herself. And she didn't blame him in the least- she knew too well what that was like.
"Don't worry, Yuki-san. I've got to go see Akito-kun, anyway." Sammy reassured him. Yuki's eyes went wide and he looked positively stricken at the mere idea of Samantha addressing Akito that way.
"Besides... it's not like he can DO anything to me, right?" She added, and Yuki thought back to the few times he'd seen Samantha- he had a feeling she was a lot tougher than she looked.
"Just be careful. Akito is... skilled at manipulating people." Yuki warned, before he realized Sammy was laughing. He raised an eyebrow at her.
"Akito-kun is so insane, he's almost more idiotic than you say Kyou-san is. What are you TALKING about? All that you need to do is ignore him, just keep reminding yourself that he's got NO IDEA what he's talking about, and that he's just being a big, spoiled, bratty baby. Just that simple, and where's his power THEN?" Sammy said, and Yuki was left speechless as Sammy walked away. That's when Yuki noticed her right hand's fingernails were stained red.
********************
"Tatsumi-san, you still have Sapadu-san going into the human world. Too frequently for a shinigami." The Count reminded Tatsumi, twirling, unseen, in his chair. Tatsumi resisted the urge to wipe his forehead- he was sweating so terribly, he was almost afraid he'd lose weight.
"Hakushaku-sama, she's merely completing her education. And during that time, she's earning extra money to pay for her tuition, and half of the profit she has leftover is going to help pay for Juochou's debts. I assure you... it's strictly business." Tatsumi explained, feeling vaguely ill. The Count had a tendency to do that to people.
"And these humans she keeps visiting... what is the meaning of a shinigami keeping such close relations with the living world?" Hakushaku questioned, swiveling his chair so that he faced Tatsumi. Tatsumi swallowed hard- some how, despite all his efforts, Samantha had always managed to make time for visiting her... 'friends'... on Chijou, which the Count was obviously not pleased about.
Two hands clasped Tatsumi's shoulders and a woman with long, long dark hair appeared behind him. The dress she wore was so black, it blended in with the dark wall of the Castle of Candles, and left her looking like she was just a floating head and hands.
"Hakushaku-kun, it is not your place to decide what is and is not proper. Stop it, or I will be back to change your mind." She said, simply, bluntly, yet eloquently. Tatsumi resisted turning his head to seeing her face. The Count, if his face could have been seen, would have sneered.
"That's amusing, coming from you, Sapadu-san. Why do you think I should listen to you?" Hakushaku asked, simply. The woman, apparently, sneered back.
"I'm not the girl you call 'Sapadu-san'. But, where she goes, I go, and if you don't forget, she IS a vampire. She will travel as she pleases, or next time, she won't be quite so spineless as to not come here herself. And, Hakushaku-kun, and... she is more powerful than me: If I did damage to you, it would be nothing compared to her." The woman's hands lifted from Tatsumi's shoulders, and then she simply disappeared into thin air.
Hakushaku excused Tatsumi, both of them feeling somewhat nauseous.
********************
"Solar, I'd REALLY appreciate it if you'd stop popping in and taking possession of my body at random intervals."
::: Oh... but Sammy... They were threatening to prohibit your visits to Earth. And then you'd run out of food, and never get to see Bakura-kun or Tohru-kun or Ken-kun again...:::
"Solar... people mistake you for me, just like they do for Yu-kun and Puzzle-san, and Bakura-san and Ring-san. Do you have any idea how much SHIT I get for that?"
::: I doubt I can imagine. But, either way... where you go, I go, and I DO want to keep going back to the world of the living, despite what you may think.:::
"Well... thanks, at least, for coming back when I said I needed your help."
::: I caused you a whole decade of grief and heartache, all because I wanted you to kill Gabriel and exorcise Yule so we could be together again, without the slightest consideration that maybe, just maybe, you didn't want to kill anyone nor see anyone get hurt. I killed your first love, called you a freak because you're bisexual and polyamorous, harrassed you about absolutely every phobia, like, dislike, and treasure you had, no matter how justified you were in having it, and I still always managed to be an overbearing bitch, even when you NEEDED my help. I think that qualifies me to be in your debt.:::
"By the way, Ken-chan stopped by yesterday while I was butchering. He said his mom had heard that I was taking Bakura-san out clubbing and she's got an outfit that might fit Bakura-san. Except for the pants, but Ken-chan stole a pair from Skywalker."
::: Wow. They know you better than I thought.:::
"Solar, the first time I met Ken-chan, he was the same size as my thumb, and you know that."
::: *frowns*:::
"That's... not really... possible... is it? Let me think..."
::: You mean when you were with Kendalina for her ultrasound?:::
"YEAH! THAT'S IT!"
********************
Bakura and the Ring both frowned at seeing the outfit they'd found. The shirt was mesh, for one thing, though it did have some actual threads running through it, an alternating pattern of red, black, and silver. Considering, not only that the threads were right over where his chest would be, but also that the shirt was about three times smaller than him, Bakura decided it had originally been made for women.
There was a second shirt, one made out of silk, which was sleeveless, black, and had silvery sequins in the pattern of webs dangling down the top half of the shirt. That wasn't so bad, if it weren't for the fact that it had no buttons, and thus, couldn't be closed.
The Ring liked the pants that Luke Skywalker had "donated"- they were about half a size too small, which meant they could be sexy without being uncomfortable. They were black, with red pockets, and looked like they were made out of leather, but were really made out of silk, lined with a jean material. Bakura admitted they would look good on the Ring, if he chose to come out and possess Bakura's body, but thought they looked terrible on him. Besides that, they didn't button or zipper up, but there were brown leather lacings that ran up the sides, from the ankle to the hip, as well as short gold chords where a zipper would normally be for pants. They were short enough that the pants closed completely and didn't leave a lot of chord dangling, but it made the leather lacings up the sides even tighter.
Finally, for shoes, a pair of white, zipper up boots completed the ensemble. Bakura liked these- they were comfortable, not too flashy or obtrusive, and he could easilly tuck his socks into them.
Either way, he knew the night when he went out in public wearing this would bode no good.
********************
Triclops was having a bad, bad dream. He saw the docks, and a platform. On the platform, there waited a speeder bike, much like the one Kendalina had taken quite a shine to. A boat pulled up, and a long board descended. Two people came walking down the board- one was tall and broad shouldered, a forbidding figure silloutted against the sun, and the other, the figure of a teenage boy, with long blond hair and tan skin. Both were garbed in dark violet cloaks.
The boy, somehow, seemed to see Triclops and turned around. Triclops saw the face of the man in his first dream- who would destroy his wife, a second time.
Triclops woke, but not with a start as his other dreams had caused him to do. No violent action took place, so there was no need to panic, but he still felt terribly sick.
Kendalina was awake and smoking by the window as Triclops got out of bed and tiptoed over to her. Kendalina, ever on her guard, wasn't surprised when Triclops wrapped his arms around her waist from behind.
"So... The Battle City thing starts tomorrow, right?"Triclops asked, quietly. Kendalina smiled softly and stubbed out her cigarette on her hand.
"I'll be fine, Trike. Honest." Kendalina reassured him, for the nth time, putting her hands over his and interlacing their fingers.
Triclops was silent for a long time, staring out the window, before he spoke again.
"It just hurt so much when you died the first time... I can't lose you again..." He whispered. Kendalina sobered and leaned back against him, craning her neck and pressing a kiss against his forehead.
********************
Wakaba looked over the papers for the case that Sammy had returned to her. Apparently, Samantha was as good as her word- she'd solved the case before 11 o'clock, the day she'd gotten the files, all the souls had been returned to their bodies, and then moved on, and the man behind it all... Samantha didn't give specifics, but she'd noted that she had... "dealed" with him.
Apparently, the man had been gathering souls to extend his life, and in the act, he killed people. The thing was, he spent most of his month living outside of the city where all the murders had taken place, so, once a month, he went back, killed someone, absorbed their soul, and left for his normal home. During that time, all the other souls would cause hauntings, and thus, everything fit.
Considering that Tatsumi had been rather convinced this was a difficult case, Wakaba was... on edge. Especially since Sammy had come back the next day with a body bag and a stack of reports, all filled out. Wakaba had asked Samantha how she'd done it all by herself in one night, and Sammy had explained it away by saying she'd just known where to look.
Wakaba put the file back in the out box and went to see Terazuma. Maybe it would cheer him up to know the job he'd been injured on was finally solved.
********************
Samantha stopped by her apartment to change from her school uniform and emerged wearing a pair of jeans with paint splattered on them and a red shirt that read in white letters "Saving Throw vs. Having a Life" with a picture of a ten-sided dice on it. In her hair, she wore, instead of her braids, two buns with long bunches of hair dangling down and pieces of sinew from her latest vitcim wrapped around them.
Why not? Akito didn't deserve any respect, anyway.
A/N: It seems so incomplete, and yet.... I think I did a good job on this one.
And look! Look how soon I updated!