Chapter 3 � Attack of the Demon Pig! Gosunkugi�s Secret Power!

Hikaru Gosunkugi ran through the dimly lit streets of night-time Nerima almost blindly. His breathing was
so heavy his body shook with each panting breath, his normally pallid cheeks flushed and glistening with
the sweat which dripped from every pore of his body.
*I�ve got to save Akane!* he thought desperately as his legs pumped, faster than ever before, yet feeling
like lead weights which threatened to drag him down at any moment. *I�ve got to find that - that thing,
and stop it from hurting her!!* his thoughts were interrupted as he suddenly espied a dark, fluid shadow
up ahead, and realised it was his target.�Halt, demon!� he yelled as loudly as he could, skidding to a stop in the street. *I hope this works...*
he thought feverishly as the shadowy blood-pig stopped and turned to look at him with glowing pink eyes.
Gosunkugi closed his eyes, looking almost serene in the twilight, and began chanting incoherently under
his breath as the blood-pig rushed toward him in an animalistic tidal wave of fluctuating crimson fluid.
Just as the blood-pig was moving in for the kill, a sphere of white light expanded outwards from
Gosunkugi�s body to envelope them both. The let out a terrible, echoing screech as it felt it�s liquid
body being burnt, ripped away, leaving only the pink glow of Akari�s magic, which in turn slowly faded
away, as did Gosunkugi�s own. The last remnants of the unearthly scream died on the wind.

In her room, Akari winced as she felt the destruction of her fearsome creation. �Damn,� she muttered,
narrowing her eyes, �I wish this weren�t necessary, but... Katsunshiki!� she called sweetly.
Nervously, her largest and dearest sumo pig edged into the room. �Bwee?� he asked cautiously as he
stepped into the rough chalk symbol on the floor.
�Don�t be scared, Katsunshiki,� Akari said, smiling gently at him from the centre of the stained
pentagram. �Just give me your trotter.�
�Bwee,� he uttered quietly, placing his trotter in Akari�s outstretched hand, which gripped it like a
vice.
�This won�t hurt,� she said, slowly raising a jet black, wicked looking dagger. �Much,� she added as an
after-thought, bringing the dagger down in a slashing motion and beginning to chant. Katsunshiki found he
couldn�t move, even as the sharp black metal of the dagger sliced coldly through his skin, sending hot
pinpricks of pain shooting up his front leg as it slit a vein. The bright red blood poured out like a
miniature waterfall, spattering on the floor and mixing with the blood the others had left there. As his
sight faded, he saw through a dim haze Akari using the dagger on her own firm white flesh, the dark
crimson blood from her newly-slit wrist flooding out, mixing with his, becoming part of him, he becoming
part of her...
As Katsunshiki�s drained corpse thudded to the floor, Akari�s body shuddered, the crimson blood
corruscating snake-like around her. Slowly, her hair changed colour, fading until it was as white as
bleached bones, except the streaks of red, which beacame darker, richer, like freshly-shed blood. Her
eyes snapped open and glowed redly. They had awoken.

In the back of the Nekohanten, Mousse was preparing for battle. Replacing his usual white robe with a
silver and blue version, he picked up some oddly engraved weaponry and stowed it in the sleeves.
Carefully, he opened an ornate rosewood box, taking out the white ribbon inside and using it to tie his
hair back in a low ponytail. At first glance it appeared to be a plain ribbon, but under closer
inspection you could just make out several Chinese words embroidered on the end with white thread. Just
as he finished putting on his glasses, Cologne hopped into the room, closely followed by Shampoo. {What�s
up old ghoul?} he asked wryly.
{It is most strange,} Cologne replied, frowning but allowing his insult to slide in light of the
situation. {A few minutes earlier, I sensed a battle between the blood-spell and a white-sorcerer, during
which the blood-spell was destroyed.}
{Ah. That�s good, isn�t it? Apart from my getting dressed up for nothing, I mean.}
{So I thought; but then I sensed the casting of more blood spells, and even worse, the personal familiar
version,} replied Cologne, noting that both Mousse�s and Shampoo�s faces had gone pale. {This person is
far more powerful than we first thought. Even with the possibilty of an ally, they will not be easily
defeated.}
Mousse managed to regain his composure. {No matter, I still have to fight them. Let�s just consider it
training for my fights with Ranma,} he finished with a small smile.
�Mousse no use on Ranma! Is too too dangerous! Only for demons!� exclaimed Shampoo.
�I was just kidding!� Mousse said hurriedly, sighing when Shampoo hmphed and turned slightly away from
him.
�You should stop kidding and get going, Mr. Part-time!� Cologne snapped.
�Okay, I�m going!� he replied, hurrying out the door into the night.
�Mousse be careful and no get hurt,� Shampoo murmured worriedly once he was gone.

Gosunkugi lay slumped against the wall, panting heavily from having to deal with several more blood-pigs.
Raising his hand to wipe his sweat-drenched brow, he noticed movement in the shadows beyond the circle of
the nearby streetlamp�s light.
�Who�s there?� he called wearily, jumping slowly to his feet. A small chuckle escaped the darkness,
chilling his blood.
�Why Hikaru dear, it�s just me,� said Akari, stepping into the orange light. �Just little old me, Akari
Unryuu,� she finished with an icy smile.
�A-Akari,� he stuttered nervously, �wh - what happened... to your hair?�
�Hm?� Akari raised a hand to her hair, which now fell in luscious white waves down her back. �This? It�s
just a small side-effect, no biggy,� she shrugged.
�S-side-effect? Of what?�
Akari smiled seductively, an effect only slightly spoilt by the orange light of the street-lamp. �This
little spell I cast. Do you like it? My hair, I mean,� she asked slowly, gliding closer.
�W-well...� Gosunkugi stuttered, feeling the heat rising in his cheeks as he nervously backed away, his
bony back bumping against the cold, unyielding wall behind him. �I guess it�s k-kinda n-nice.
D-different, anyway.�
�I�m glad,� she said silkily, moving until she was only inches away, her warm breath washing over him
gently, �that you like me,� she finished smoothly, looking at him with soft eyes like liquid chocolate.
Gosunkugi felt like he was drowning in those eyes, being swallowed up in a sea of warmth from her breath
on his face and her body close to his.
�I... I...� he stuttered, feeling the blood rushing to his flushed face, his sweat trickling down his hot
cheeks and soaking into his black shirt, darkening it with damp, salty patches. �I�m s-sorry...� he
gulped, squeezing his eyes shut and turning away from her coldly beautiful face.
�No, Hikaru,� she said softly, placing one arm on his shoulder. Startled, Gosunkugi opened his eyes to
see tears dripping down her cheeks. �It�s me who�s sorry,� she breathed, her voice just above a whisper
as her hand flashed to his chest. Gosunkugi felt a sharp pain pierce his ribcage.
�Wh-what?� he gasped as the jagged pain burst into his chest, and he realised that she had stabbed his
heart with the dagger she was now pulling out of his chest.
�I can�t let you save Akane,� she whispered in his ear, before moving her head so that her lips brushed
gently against his. �Which is what you would do if you lived,� she added, moving away and placing her
wrist against his bleeding chest.
Gosunkugi gasped as he felt something probing his chest, pulling the blood out of him into Akari�s wrist.
�A-Akari...� he muttered, coughing up a little blood as he faded into unconsciousness. The last thing he
saw before the darkness of oblivion overwhelmed him were Akari�s tears turning red as they ran down her
cheeks.
�Farewell, my Hikaru. You should not have tried to stop me,� she said as the last of his blood drained
into her. She retracted Katsunshiki�s blood spirit into her arm and slipped off into the night.

Around five minutes later, Mousse stepped into the circle of light cast by the street-lamp, covering his
mouth with one hand as he got a closer look at Gosunkugi�s body lying crumpled in an oddly small pool of
slowly darkening blood.
�Ugh. I hate this job,� Mousse muttered as he knelt down by the lifeless corpse and gingerly placed his
right hand on Gosunkugi�s cold, clammy forehead. Closing his eyes, Mousse looked into Gosunkugi�s mind,
reading his last memories.
He saw a girl with hair like bloodstained bones, speaking to him with a voice like ice and fire. �I can�t
let you save Akane,� she said as she gently kissed him, the touch of her lips like feathers. �Which is
what you would do if you lived.�
�A-Akari...� he heard his voice say, tasting the salty sweetness of the blood he coughed up even as he
felt it being sucked out of his body through the hole in his chest.
The last things he saw were the tears of blood she cried.
Mousse gasped, drawing his hand back sharply as his eyes shot open. �Akari...� he muttered. *Hibki�s
girlfriend. She�s the black sorceress? She did look different... evil... I wonder what made her do this?*
he thought back on what he had seen, heard and feltm his eyes widening as he realised the truth. �Akane
Tendo! For some reason, Akari is after her!� he exclaimed, leaping onto a nearby rooftop and racing
through the darkness to the Tendo dojo.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Member 30 of SSoAGMA, Deadly Everyday Object Weaponary Technique, Dragon Warrior Style
Mousse no miku; Generally dangerous English otaku; Supporter of cliched pairs;
Member of the Chan club; WoS; SCG; COURT; SOotCiP;CotMHW - Launderer of the Robes of Death;
Head Castrator of the Hotnit Feminisation Project; Keeper of the Moneybags for the Hotnit Fan Club;
4th Gen. EOE; Image Consultant For "That Guy"; #WASHU#;AKPReSS, Gen. Div.; SLAP;
____/\____________________________
|___||_____________________________\
    \/
Coming soon to list near you.. the legendary 50 foot sig of Team Chan !