Chapter 7- Revelations Version 2.0

Chapter 7- Revelations Version 2.0 Part 1

Chapter 7: Revelations



"Oh god...Oh god no...I couldnt...I wouldn't...but how?", Vaugn whispered in a terrified voice, more to himself then anyone else, and with a wave of shock sweeping over him, his knees buckled and he stumbled backwards.

Vaugn's mind had frozen. He stared at his hand and the blood dripping from his fingers. Strewn around the car, several people had been desimated, their bodies shattered and broken. Blood was dripping from the roof in a disturbing red rain, splashing into the large pool of blood that was slowly seeping over the floor. And even though Vaugn's hands were stained and soaked in blood, he was sure that he hadn't or done this, because he didn't remember what had happened a mere minute ago. Yet everywhere he looked, the eyes and faces of everyone around him said quite clearly that Vaugn had indeed this sencless act of carnage.

Even though Vaugn knew he didn't do it, he had no desire to stay on the train, the center of his fellow riders accusing and terrifed stares. He wanted to run, run far away, far from the civilized city and the people around him. He didn't know why, but a feeling deep inside was telling him to escape.

It was with a great feeling of relief for Vaugn, that with a gentle shove forward, the train began to slow down, and a moment later, came to a stop with a gentle hiss. The doors slid open with a muted hiss of escaping air,Vaugn dashed out of the doors at top speed, wanting to escape as quickly as possible.

"Vaugn! Wait!", Imari called out after him as he ran out of the car, but it was to late, as by the time the words had escaped her mouth, Vaugn had disappeared up the busy stairs, pushing and tossing aside several shocked and annoyed looking passengers.

"Come on guys, we have to go after him!", Imari said turning to her friends and looking desperately from shocked face to shocked face.

Imari couldn't help but notice that each of her friends were not only looking terrified, they were looking reluctant, as if they didn't want to find Vaugn. But despite their ill feelings and any inclination of not wanting to find Vaugn, they nodded and dashed from their seats, stepping over the pools of blood and bodies on the floor and sprinting out of the car, through the gates and up the stairs onto a busy Tokyo street, somewhere near the center of the city, in hot pursuit of Vaugn..

None of the sun's light made it past the large buildings in the middle of Tokyo, blocked by the tops of the large skyscrapers. The only light that illuminated the heart of the city came from the large neon signs, street lamps and the many buildings that were standing tall around the street. The city was alight with red, yellow, blue, white, green and purple light, in a constant dance of flashes, swipes and streaks. All around the five friends, light's where flashing from the signs, strobe lights from the different clubs on the higher floors of different buildings, TV screens showing different shows, and many other sources that added to the dazzling light show of downtown Tokyo. Many people were out and about, sitting in outdoor cafes and resturants and enjoying the night, laughing and having a good time.

The sidewalk was crammed full of Tokyo citizens out enjoying the night. Many of the citizens sidestepped the group of friends, as they grouped together, craning their necks over the heads of the people of Tokyo, their eyes scanning desperately for the unmistakable mop of blonde hair that was Vaugn. But despite their best efforts, it was all in vein, as no matter where they looked, they saw nothing even remotely close to Vaugn.

"We have to split up.", Nikkai said, looking at his friends desperately, he and the group being jostled back and forth by the crowds of people cramming the sidewalk,"It's the only way we'll find Vaugn."

"Good idea Nikkai.", Imari agreed, knodding feverishly, looking desperately at the others for help to find Vaugn.

But for some reason, Nikkai and Imari seemed to be the only ones who wanted to find Vaugn. The two couldn't but notice that he others were looking very apphrensive. It looked to Nikkai and Imari as if the others suddenly didn't want to find Vaugn.

"You three do want to find Vaugn, don't you?", Imari asked rather coldly, looking at her friends suspicously.

Asuke, Kihari and Shentin looked at one another, their eyes meeting in an unmistakable silent conversation. All of them had the same, weary look on their face, but yet none of them spoke. Slowly, they all turned back to Imari and Nikkai with the same weary look, yet none of them said anything.

"So let me get this straight.", Nikkai said, rather viciously, "Vaugn, our friend, is out there somewhere, probably scared out of his mind, and here you three are, acting as if you would rather have teeth pulled then find him!.", Nikkai almost shouted, though his voice still much louder and angrier then he would have liked, which caused several passers by to stare at him very taken back.

"I'm not saying that we don't want to find him,", Asuke said slowly and with the air of someone choosing their words carefully, "But you saw him back there. You saw what he had become. Something is wrong with Vaugn, and who's to say that if we find him, we won't end up like those guys on the train.", she finished to nods of agreeance from Shentin an Kihari.

"We don't know that! But we can't just stand here and wait to hear that Vaugn has killed someone or something before we go and find him. We have to atleast try. You all know we do. If that was us out there, Vaugn wouldn't care what we had become or done, he'd try his damnedest, because he knows what it means to be a real friend. He'd be our friend to the bitter end, and I can atleast try to do the same for him.", Nikkai said to the others, and he was happy to see them all quail under his iron stare.

"That's right. Now, if you don't want to help us, fine. We can't blame you. What ever Vaugn became we can't explain, but that doesn't mean he's anyless of our friend. What Vaugn did was terrible, but you all know aswell as I that Vaugn would never do that if he were in the right state of mind. Nikkai and I have our cell phones so we can keep in touch through them. You all can stay in one of the clubs here. Shentin and Asuke have their phones; we can call one of them if we find Vaugn. But regardless of what you decide, me and Nikkai are going. We're not going to let our friend go through this without us.", Imari said, and the others saw that her eyes were bright with a furious passion to find Vaugn, "Come on Nikkai, let's get started.", she added to Nikkai, and with a knod, they started to turn there backs when Shentin spoke.

"We never said that we didn't want to help, but I just don't think that we'd be safe from that...that thing, whatever it was, just because we're Vaugn's friends! All we're saying is we have to approach this carefully.", Shentin said in a very heated tone, causing both Nikkai and Imari to stop in their tracks with their backs to the three. He had obviously took the words of Imari and Nikkai as a personal insult, "We agree with you two, Vaugn wasn't himself. And because he wasn't himself, what makes us anymore safe then the average person on the street?", Shentin asked fairly, Asuke and Kihari agreeing feaverishly.

"Shentin's right. What we saw was not Vaugn. It was like some sort of monster took over Vaugn's body and was using it for it's own evil actions. It may look like Vaugn, but that's not our friend. For all we know, we could be the ones that it really wants to hurt. Until we know for sure what we can expect, we shouldn't do anything. Those guys on the train could just be a warm up for us. Chances are what happened to them would only be like a pin prick compared to what he'd do to us!", Kihari said, and she too obviously took Nikkai and Imari's words as a personal insult.

Slowly, Imari and Nikkai turned back and faced their three friends. The group of friends, usually so well glued together, seemed to be coming apart at the seems. On one side, Nikkai and Imari wanting desperately to find Vaugn, regardless of what they found or happened to them. On the other side, Shentin, Imari and Asuke, wanting to play it safe and not take any chances of being Vaugn's next victum.

All around them, people on the street bustled around them. None of them were paying the five kids any attention and the silent battle raging on between the five friends.

The silence between the friends was absolute. Every single one of the friends seemed to hear nothing around them. Infact, all that was filling their ears were the sound of their own nervously beating hearts.

Shentin stared into the eyes of Nikkai. Nikkai stared into the eyes of Shentin. Usually the best of friends, more like brothers then anything else, these two seemed to have met an impass. One path -the path that Nikkai had chosen- lead to the certain unknown, and could lead to his very death, yet it was a path of true courage and reckless abandonment. The other path -Shentin's path- was the path most illuminated, one bathed in certainty and saftey, yet unmiastakably the one of cowardice yet common sence.

The girls were no different. Imari stared into the faces of her best friends, stubborn determination all over her face, her eyes blazing with a passionate determination to find Vaugn at any cost. Asuke and Kihari looking stubbornly at Imari, their faces set in a look of utter determination not to hand themselves over to that monster Vaugn had become and die needlessly. None of them wanted to back down, but they knew that one side would lose, and the outcome would not be good for the losers. Respect and trust would be lost amongst them, possibly forever. It was that thought that none of the friends backed down, yet continued to wage their silent, raging war of wills.

Finally, after what felt like a lifetime of the strong-willed stalemate, Nikkai was the first to speak, and it was with some relief to everyone that it was in a voice of calm and common-sence.

"Listen. You guys are my best friends, just like Vaugn. I know how you three feel about this. I don't want to put any of you through this against your will, because if something did happen, it'd be better if only I was killed or maimed, not all of us. You don't have to help us if you don't want, and I wouldn't blame you. I may not like it, in fact I don't like it, but I do respect it because you are my friends. I'm not saying that Imari and me will find Vaugn, but we're sure as hell going to try. We'll try even harder for you three. But with me and Imari standing here, we're doing nothing for Vaugn. We're gonna get going now, but we'll let you know if anything happens.", Nikkai told the others failry, Imari nodding in agreeance, and together the two turned their backs on their friends to go and begin the desperate search for Vaugn.

Together, Imari and Nikkai pushed their way through the busy sidewalk; past laughing and smiling girls laidened down with shopping, boys dressed for a night at the clubs in fine suits, slicked back and shining hair, or else happy couples and groups of friends enjoying large pieces of cheese cake or bowls of ice cream at the many cafes lining the street.

"So where do you think he's gone.", Imari asked Nikkai as they cut a small path through the bustling sidewalk, her face alive with worryment.

"I don't know. This is a big city with lots of places to hide, so he could have gone anywhere.", Nikkai replied, running his fingers through his hair with a look of hard thought on his face, though at the same time looking slightly weary of the thought of hard it could be to find Vaugn.

"That's what we were just thinking."

Nikkai and Imari's heart skipped a beat, and without meaning to, they both stopped cold in their tracks, several people behind and infront of them bumping and jostling into them, grumbling angrily about stupid kids. Looking behind them, both of them hoping against hope, they saw that Shentin, Kihari and Asuke were walking briskly up to them.

"If were going to try and find Vaugn, we'll split up like you guys wanted.", Asuke said, and Nikkai and Imari were glad to see that she and the other two were wearing looks of determination. They had clearly changed their minds and now wanted to help find Vaugn just as bad as Nikkai and Imari.

"Why the sudden change of heart?", asked Nikkai with a friendly note of reliefe and a smile to match.

"You two were right.", Kihari said simply with a shrug, and she didn't need to elaborate as Nikkai and Imari knew exactly what she meant.

Both Imari and Nikkai breathed a huge sigh of relife, and together they smiled at their friends with looks of thanks and appreciation. With the bad feelings that had been present moments before gone and forgotten, the group of friends put their heads together and began planning what seemed to be the impossible task of finding Vaugn in the bustling city that was Tokyo.

Ten minutes later, the group had split up once again, but this time with Imari and Nikkai were searching a area full of empty and silent office buildings, Shentin searching an area full of bustling clothe and music shops, and Kihari and Asuke searching an area full of arcades, dance clubs and brightly lit cafes.

Though they were all determined to find Vaugn, all of them full of new hope and spirit, it couldn't mask the feelings of dread and worry as to what they'd find when they did find Vaugn. Would it be Vaugn they found, or would the same monster they saw him transform into back on the train? None of them could say, or even imagine for sure. Even Imari and Nikkai, possibly the most determined to find Vaugn, were probably the most nervous of all of them, having the greatest hopes that Vaugn was back to normal, and hoping against all odds that the monster they had scene earlier was gone.

Meanwhile, as his friends searched desperately for him, Vaugn was undergoing a transformation.; A horrible, painful, monstrous transformation.

In a dark alley way between 2 high skyscrapers, cluttered with squashed boxes and overflowing trashcans, Vaugn was leaning against one of the walls, his body throbbing with sheer agony.

The pain was unworldly. Every second seemed to stretch for an enternity, he could feel as lungs fill with cold air as he panted and gasped for breath. His bones and joints ached, feeling as if his legs were about to explode from the terrible effort keeping him standing, his muscles feeling as if white-hot, rusty knives were being dragged through every one, slicing and tearing them to pieces. Deep inside his body, a burning, raging inferno was growing stronger and stronger, his soul feeling as if it were slowly being torn in half. His heartbeat furiously against his rib cage, pulsing what could only be described as liquid anger to every inch of his body.

Through out his pain, Vaugn didn't scream, his mouth to sore to so much as move let alone form words. Instead, Vaugn prefered to suffer in silence, swallowing every scream and not letting out so much as a groan of pain. He didn't want anyone from the street to find him down the alley way, incase what happened on the train happened again, but this time to innocent bystanders. Vaugn would not let that happen, regardless of mind-blowing pain he had to endure.

As if the pain wasn't bad enough, Vaugn's mind began flashing horrible visions or events unseen by himself, the images seemingly being projected on to the inside of his eyeballs like they were movie screens.

He saw acient wars from the Roman Empire being fought in such clearity that it was if Vaugn was truly there. He saw the countless, nameless soldiers being cut down by horse riders, and archers arrows piercing the hearts and skulls of their enemies. He watched as limbs flew from bodies, the fingers and toes still twitching. He eatched as blood poured from dead and dying soldiers, their corpses eventually engulfed by the enormous lake of blood that was flooding over the battlefield. He watched and heard as soldiers screamed in agony, ancient doctors and surgeons trying to save the wounded soldiers, their teeth gritted and hands clenched as they felt the surgeons knife cutting into their flesh to try and fix their wounds. Like a tidal wave of humanity, Vaugn watched as wave after wave, soldier after soldier fell at the hands of the enemies, their lifeless, mutilated bodies being mindlessly trampled by their enemies and allies.

As if straight out of history class, Vaugn saw visions of World War 2. He watched as fighter pilots rolled dived and rocketed upwarsds, their powerful guns blazing as they launched wave after wave of glowing bullets into the air in an attempt to shoot down enemy aircraft the size of a pencil eraser in the distant sky. He watched as the planes bodies were torn to shreds by bullet after bullet, smoke trailing from each and every wound, cumilating in a blinding, yellow explosion in midair, the wings and tails thrown through the air likejazelines. Vaugn watched as bullets shot through the airplane canopy, the pilot's chests being torn open or their heads exploding, their bone and blood splattered over the windows. From high above the battefield, Vaugn watched as the lives of countless soldiers came to an abrupt and painful end. He saw as men were being cut down by thundering machine gun fire, the countless glowjng bullets shooting like lightning through the air and tearing their bodies to pieces, the soldiers limbs being torn from their bodies and scattered over the battlefield. With powerful explosions, deafening blasts and a plume of dirt a hundred feet high, Vaugn watched as men were thrown like rag dolls through the air as mortars exploded at their feet, their lifeless bodies falling to the blood soaked ground like a ragdoll. Vaugn heard the painful screams and cries as men lay bleeding on the ground, their legs having been blown off by a mine, nothing remaining but a bleeding stump and jagged bone. Vaugn watched as men huddled down for safety, but all for not, as a moment later, the sides or their heads exploded as a sniper's bullets tore through their skulls, splattering their skull and brain over the battlefield.

Like he was watching someone else memories, Vaugn had a front seat to the closing moments of the scared and injured men. Through the pain that was tearing his body apart, he could feel the pain of the men he was watching flooding into his body like it was the tidal surge.

And yet, despite the pain he was feeling, something inside his body was slowly rearing, feeling great pleasure and joy at the death and destruction Vaugn was witnessing.

With every change of these vicious memories, Vaugn heard a voice in his mind, a voice of pure evil, and it would always say the same thing as if it were a broken record; "Witness my power. Witness my legacy. For soon, you shall join me."

Finally, the pain had reached it's breaking point. With a terrible lurch of his stomach and a spasm of pain that shot through his spine, Vaugn collapsed onto the ground and toppled onto his back, ritheing in pain, clenching his teeth, determined to suffer in silence and protect the innocent people around him.



***

The friends had been searching the streets of Tokyo for an hour, and yet despite checking every alley way and empty building they came across, they hadn't so much as scene Vaugn as they had a brown city rat. But they might as well have been sitting in a coffee shop for the good it did. The city was so large, with so many hiding place, that Vaugn could be anywhere.

"I don't know Nikkai, maybe Shentin and the others were right. Maybe we should have sat tight and let Vaugn come back to us.", said Imari, with a slight note of doubt in her voice.

"No. We agreed to find Vaugn, because that's what Vaugn would do for us. It maybe seem hopeless, but if we give up now, then it is hopeless.", Nikkai replied in a very determined voice, and with a quick glance and Imari, he could see that she was looking somewhat disappointed in herself.

Looking at Nikkai, Imari saw that even though he knew the odds were against them in finding Vaugn, he was still looking confident, a reassuring smile on his face. Knowing that Nikkai was good to his word, and despite her misgivings, Imari couldn't help but smile a somewhat weak smile and nod her agreeance.

Together, Imari and Nikkai slowly carved their way through the busy downtown center. For 45 minutes, they ducked and weaved in between people and buildings, their eyes scanning for even the slightest sign that Vaugn had been nearby, yet seing nothing at all.

Looking down at her phone, Imari saw that it was now eight o'clock. Looking down a narrow alleyway, Imari never saw Nikkai throw out his arm and without so much as slowing down. she ran right into it at neck height, winding and choking her.

"What's up Nikkai?", Imari coughed, rubbing her neck. Looking up at Nikkai to see what was the matter, to her surprise, she saw that his face was alive with glee, looking like he had just found a pot of gold.

"Look Imari, on the wall of that building.", Nikkai breathed, pointing to the wall of a white marble skyscraper across the busy street from them.

Giving Nikkai a slightly quizical look, Imari squinted across the street and through the traffic and focused her attention on the point where Nikkai was pointing.

Shining on the wall was something that looked like red paint that had been spread on the wall and let to run and drip down the stone face. What appeared to be paint was smeared in five long marks, each one sitting above the other, looking almost like finger marks.

"Is that...?", Imari asked uncertainly, staring resolutely at the glistening spot on the wall.

"Yeah, that's blood. Vaugn's close by. Phone the others.", Nikkai said as he and Imari dashed across the busy street to the opposite sidewalk and began searching every alley way they could immediately.

The darkness that had consumed the alleyways was absolute, with barely enough light making it out so as to disquinish the ground from the trashcans. As Imari hurriedly dialed Asuke's phone number, Nikkai squinted into the darkness soaked alleyways, watching for even the slightest sign that a human was taking refuge within the darkness, and when seeing nothing, hurrying on to the next one and searching it the best he could.

Checking his forth alleyway, Nikkai was shocked by what he saw. The alley way was darker then the rest, the light that was shining in seemingly destroyed on the spot, while the darkness itself seemed to be creeping along the ground like a black fog.

But with the eerie darkness that seemed to have engulfed the alleyway, a wave of reliefe swept over him. Grabbing a corner of the sleeve of Imari's top, Nikkai gave it a quick tug to draw her attention. Imari, who had been facing the other way, a finger in her ear as she spoke loudly into her phone to Asuke, cast Nikkai a quizzical look, and seeing that he was smiling, quickly turned around and squinted down the alleyway to see what had caused Nikkai such happiness.

Lying on the ground in the middle of the dark alleyway, his body twitching, his hair shining slightly in the light that there was, was none other then Vaugn.

"Vaugn.", Imari breathed into her phone, positively stunned,and without meaning to, her phone and finger fell from her ear as she stared down the alleyway in slight disbeliefe.

"That's right Imari. It's Vaugn.", Nikkai said, turning a smiling face to Imari and sounding highly relieved, who turned her own shocked face to Nikkai.

For a moment, the two friends stared at eachother, both of them enjoying the fact that they had found Vaugn alive and well. Despite her shock, Imari couldn't help but smile as the reality set in that they really had found Vaugn, and he was alive and well.

"Well, shall we?", Nikkai said, as he and Imari turned their gaze back to the darkness filled alleyway, and despite the fact that he was smiling, he couldn't help but hide the slight note of caution in his vioce.

Focusing on Vaugn, Imari sured here will inside her, and taking a deep, steadying breath, she nodded without saying a word. Treateding lightly on the ground, Imari and Nikkai crept down the alleyway, each making sure that they walked at the same pace as the other, neither of them wanting to be in the lead.

The darkness around the two friends was as perfect as perfect could be. The darkness pressed in on their eyeballs, and any light that shone in from the street behind them was instantly stopped as if it had ran into a brickwall. The details of the concrete below their feet were completely hidden within the darkness, the only inclination of something littering the ground being when it snapped or popped underneathe their feet

The silence in the alleyway was as perfect as the darkness. The silence was louder then anything they could have imagined, the still air seemingly pounding its mute symphony on their ear drums. Every sound from the street had been drowned out completely, the happily chatting people and the puttering cars nothing but soundless objects in the short distance behind them. The sound of Nikkai and Imari's hearts pounded loudly in their ears, the only other sign of life within the dark alleyway except for the slow, gentle patter of their feet on the dark concrete.

But as they crept further and further into the dark alleyway, something very unusual began to slowly reach their ears. Splitting the silence like thunder in the night, low rumbling growls would echo off the hard building walls. As soon as the growling had reached their ears, Imari and Nikkai stopped immediately. To them it sounded as if they and Vaugn weren't the only ones in the alleyway. The growls were cold, raw, animalistic snarls that meant nothing but danger. Standing as still as possible, Imari and Nikkai's eyes darted back and forth, searching the alleyway around them the best they could in the darkness, looking for any sign that there was something other then three teenage humans in the alleyway. Yet, the more they searched, rooted on spot, the more they realized it was only them and Vaugn in the alleyway. Then, with a horrible air of realization, both Nikkai and Imari came to the same conclusion: The growling was coming from Vaugn.

The more they listened to the strange growls echoing around them, the more they realized that those weren't the only sounds of life within the alleyway. Though the growling was prominent, and undeniably terrifying, they couldn't over power the occasional groans of pain that would escape from deep inside of Vaugn's throat, followed by the unmistakable piercing crack of breaking bone.

Though the light was low, they could make out Vaugn quite clearly, not because he seemed to glow in the darkness, but rather because he seemed to be darker then the darkness around him, the dark walls and ground of the alleyway the ones that were glowing around Vaugn. And through the glowing blackness, Nikkai and Imari could see that Vaugn was on the ground, splayed on his back, clearly squirming and ritheing in pain.

Imari and Nikkai were tranxsfixxed on Vaugn, their eyes glued to him out of fear. It was just like back on the train. It was as if Vaugn had disappeared and was replaced by something not of this world.

Cold sweat dripped down Imari and Nikkai's faces. They had expected to find Vaugn, which was a given, maybe huddled in a resturant bathroom, white face and terrified at what he had done. But what was happening to their good friend now, what was unfolding right before their eyes, nothing could have prepared them for that. With some difficulty, the two friends looked at eachother, their necks frozen out of fear, and through the darkness, they could see that their faces were white and lips trembling. Feeling it was best to get to the bottom of whatever was happening, they took a deep breath and knodded at one another.

"Vaugn? Is that you?", Nikkai asked, his voice slightly constrained out of fear, turning his attention back to his ritheing friend.

"Who else would it be?", Vaugn snarled, but something was amiss. His voice, usually so warm and friendly, was now murderous and full of hate.

Nikkai and Imari were taken aback. They had never heard Vaugn sound like that, let alone shout. Neither of them had ever heard anything so cold and evil. It was as if their friend had been replaced by a cold blooded serial killer, a person who enjoyed causing pain and suffering and lived every minute for the thrill of tearing human bodies apart.

As Nikkai and Imari watched on in shock, the once quiet, echoing growls began growing louder and louder, their deep rumbling notes rattling Nikkia and Imari to the core. With every passing second, bone after bone seemed to be shattering in Vaugn's body, their stomach-churning meledoy of snaps and cracks growing louder and louder and more sickening.

As Nikkai and Imari stood rooted on spot out of fear of what was happening to their friend, Vaugn's spine lurched, shooting his stomach upwards, his body curved like a bridge. Spluttering, gurgling, and choking soon added to the sickening sounds that were eminating from Vaugn, as white, thick foam began bubbling and flying from Vaugn's mouth in a cascade of mist and bubbles.

"Vaugn, what's going on? Are you okay?", Imari asked desperately as she grabbed at Nikkai's arm out of fear.

"Why the hell are you two still here!", Vaugn snarled furiously, and turning an towards his friends, Nikkai and Imari saw that it was bulging threatening to pop from his head, "Get as far away as you can!"

With a a last desperate gasp of air, the dark silence of the alley was suddenly cut with an explosion of shattering bone, his body arched skyward even further then before, as if his spine had snapped in half, and for the first time since the horror had began, he screamed.

Vaugn's screams echoed madly around the alleyway, drowning out everything that could be heard. To Nikkai and Imari, it sounded as if his body was set aflame and burning his body black from the inside-out. Surely, Vaugn's screams would carry to the street and the people who had been enjoying the evening would hear. Casting a quick glance behind them, Nikkai and Imari's insides froze as they saw person after person passing by, laughing and talking happily, every single person unaware of what was unfolding in the cluttered alleyway they had just passed. With a a wave of dread washing over them, Imari and Nikkai realized they were all alone, left to deal with whatever had taken over their friend all by themselves.

With each passing second, Vaugn's screams grew louder and louder, the pain he was feeling unimaginable by Nikkai and Imari's fear stricken brains. Vaugn's arms and legs were shaking as his back continued to arch further and further upwards, looking as if he was having a terrible seizure. With a tremendous spasm, each and everyone one of his muscles lurching at once, Vaugn was flipped onto his stomach and began jerking and twitching on his stomach.

"No...I won't let you! You're not going to win!", Vaugn gasped, his voice as terrified as it was in pain, "No..no...NO!", Vaugn shouted, and like a man trying to keep his head from exploding, Vaugn's hands shot up from the ground and his fingers closed around his skull. Like a giant hand had grabbed the back of Vaugn's shirt, Vaugn was lifted off his stomach and thrown backwards onto his knees.

Even in the darkness, Nikkai and Imari were horrified by what they saw. Vaugn's hands were bubbling, and his skin was stretching and pulling, as if they were made of liquid wax. His fingers were stretching and lengthening, and with loud crack and a spasm of his fingers, the tips of Vaugn's fingers lengthened and pointed themselves. It was quite clear to Imari and Nikkai that Vaugn's fingers had become the claws of some sort of monster. Long and jagged, the claws looked as if they could cut a man in half with out even trying. Like his hands, Vaugn's feet were undergoing the same monsterous transformation as the rest of him. Through the leather of Vaugn's shoes, Imari and Nikkai could see his feet bubbling like wax in a roiling boil, and a moment later, the ends of his shoes exploded as ten very long, very sharp claws tore through the end of Vaugn's shoes.

But the transformation wasn't stopping there. Along the entire length Vaugn's spine, large bumps were pushing up against his skin, only to sink back into the depths of his body. It was if Vaugn's body was full of small creatures straining to escape. As the two friends watched, the bubbling began becoming larger and larger, each bubble bulging higher and higher and strainging Vaugn's skin even further past it's tearing point. Finally, it all become too much, and with one final surge of bubbles of along Vaugn's back, the shirt he was wearing exploded as his skin tore open.

Ripping through the back of his shirt and sticking straight out from Vaugn's own spine, his back was lined with long, needle sharp spikes, that at their tips, had large dropplets of Vaugn's own blood dripping silently to the ground.

With the grusome appearance of the spikes lining Vaugn's spine, his body seemed to be at a standstill in it's mutation. Vaugn's screams dided away as quickly as they began and all that escaped his mouth were tiny gasps for breaths. His strength evaporated and the mutation subdued, Vaugn's body went limp and collapsed forward on his hands, his arms and body shaking terribly in the aftermath.

"Do you see why I ran? Do you!", Vaugn panted heavily, his voice quivering with pain, "There's something inside me! It's taken over and it's controlling me! No one is safe!", Vaugn gasped as his stomached lurched violently and he vomited on the ground infront of him.

"We came to help you Vaugn! We want to help!", Imari said shakily, and for the first time since seeing Vaugn transform, was able to take a quivering step forward.

"Stay where you are! There's nothing anyone can do for me! This isn't something that faith and prayers will cure! If you try and help you'll only be killed! If you want to help...then RUN!", Vaugn shouted and his voice echoed madly around the alley.

From the street behind them, Nikkai heard several puzzled voices echoing down the alleyway for the first time since finding Vaugn, and with a quick glance behind him, saw a group of people squinting and pointing down the alleyway, as if they for the first time could hear and see what was unfolding down in the alleyway.

"Go! Now! While I'm still in control!", Vaugn yelled, his voice breaking as a fresh wave of pain ripped through his body.

"Vaugn, we're not leaving without you!", Imari said desperately, her eyes wide with desperation.

"No Imari! We have to get out of here right now!", Nikkai shouted hurridly, grabbing her arm and pulling her away as hard as he could.

"No Nikkai! I'm not leaving without Vaugn!", Imari said, straining against Nikkai's powerful grip as she tried to stay with Vaugn and help him.

But despite her best efforts, it was all for nothing.

On his hands and knees, Vaugn's heart was suddenly racing, the sound of his racing heart deafening within his ears. The pain that had subsided a moment ago for Vaugn was building once more in terrifying speed, his brain and nerves overflowing as they tried desperately to process what was happening to him. Vaugn's muscles were on fire; his heart was raging, close to exploding; every bone felt as if it was about to shatter; His vision was fading, darkness slowly creeping in from the edge of his eyes; His throat felt as if a giant hand was squeezing it closed, his lungs crying out for oxygen.

The pain was too much for Vaugn. With his eyes close to going dark and tears of fear and pain streaming forth from their blue depths, Vaugn threw his head to the heavens, and let out one last long, echoing, torturous scream, that as fast as a street light turning from red to green, morphed into loud, cold blood curdling roar. Once again, like an enormous invisible hand was dragging him, Vaugn was lifted to his knees, his arms hanging limply at his side as he continued his monsterous roar to the heavens, seemingly unable to control himself.

Nikkai and Imari froze in their tracks, their blood chilled to nithing and their bodies paralzyed by fear from the roar escaping from their friends mouth. It was a roar unlike they had ever heard. It was more monsterous then monsterous, a roaor of pure evil and hatred.

As quickly as the terrifying roar had exploded from Vaugn's mouth, it just as quickly died like a fire doused with water, the few remaining trills of the once powerful roar fading quickly into nothing but a few wabbling echoes. With the silencing of the roar, Vaugn's strength seemed to have vanished once more, as his body gradually began swaying back and forth, before he collapsed limply forward with a dull thud on the concrete ground.

Imari and Nikkai were rooted on spot and the people behind them who had been gazing into the alleyway moments before were just as stuck to the ground as the two friends. Their hearts were racing, each beat punding against the inside of their chests. Their faces were white and soaked with sweat while their eyes were wide with terror. What had just happened to Vaugn? And more importantly, was it over?

Vaugn lay motionless on the ground in front of Imari and Nikkai. He was alive, the two friends knew that, as his now clawed fingers would occasionally twitch while his back steadily rose and fell as he breathed slowly, looking almost as if he was asleep.

Though Vaugn was still horribly mutated, his fingers and toes now sharp, flesh tearing claws and his back lined with long, sharp spikes, Nikkai and Imari were releaved. Even though Vaugn was still very bizzare looking, they were releaved that Vaugn had stopped mutating. Now all that they had to do was get Vaugn home and hopefully find away to return him back to normal.

As Nikkai and Imari watched, more and more motion gradually returned to Vaugn's body, his twitching clawed fingers slowly balling and unballing. After what felt like an hour of watching their motionless friend laying on the ground before them, life returned to Vaugn's arms as he slowly pulled them to his side and pushed himself slowly up to all fours. With what looked like an enormous effort, Vaugn slowly pushed himself off his hands and gradually climbed to his feet.

Imari and Nikkai stared wth baited breath at Vaugn's back. His arms were hanging limply at his side and his head was dangling lifelessly on his neck. He was swaying on his feet and his arms resembled limps noodles as each slightly sway of his body sent his arms swinging back and forth like clock pendulums.

Through the silence of the alleyway, Imari and Nikkai could listen to the gentle rythme of Vaugn's breathing. He was breathing deeply, each breath escaping with a soft rumble in his chest.

"Vaugn? Are you okay?", Nikkai asked slowly, unsure what to truly say or do.

Vaugn's head slowly turned on his shoulder, and even though his long hair was covering his face, it hit them like a ton of bricks. The instant that Vaugn's hidden gaze struck them, a wave of pure hatred washed over their bodies, constricting their breathing and squeezing their hearts as if they were being crushed by an enormous hand. Whatever had happened to Vaugn clearly wasn't over, but rather was just getting started.

Slowly turning around on spot, Vaugn stared at Imari and Nikkai through his curtains of blonde hair, his face completely hidden behind hair and darkness. Vaugn's head was tilted to one side, giving Imari and Nikkai the uneasy feeling that he was studying them closely, as if trying to decide which would be the easier of the two to kill.

As Vaugn stared at Imari and Nikkai -his hiden yet unblinking gaze sending chills up their spines- the crushing weight that had wrapped itself around their chests was beginning to squeeze the life from them. Each breath was painful in their chests as their hearts beat furiously against their chest, threatening to to tear from their chests at any moment.

Tossing his head back, Vaugn's hair flew backwards and fell lightly into it's usual resting place, and for a moment he stared upwards into the glowing night sky, as if mesmorised by it his face hiden from view from Nikkai and Imari completely. Slowly Vaugn's gaze fell from the sky and back to the dark alleyway before him and to the people around him.

Imari clapped her hands over her mouth to muffle her scream and Nikkai's breath caught in his throat when they saw Vaugn, and what he had become.

Vaugn's eyes were no longer the warm ash-blue his friends knew so well, but had warped into black orbs split in half by red, cat like slits, his pupils glowing as if they were on fire. His mouth was now lined with razor sharp fangs, the longest of them poking past his lips like pointed crystals. He was no longer flat footed, but rather standing on the balls of his feet and balancing on his clawed toes, resembling what one would expect a dog to look like if it were to stand it's hind legs.

Vaugn wasn't the snarling monster that he was on the train. Instead, his expression was blank, a small frown creasing his fanged mouth and his frozen and unblinking stare. If anything, Vaugn -or whatever is was- was more terrifying then the snarling beast he used to be, as the expressionless face seemed to be hiding a truly uncontrolable monster that was a heartbeat away from escaping.

The feeling of great evil was stronger then ever now. Imari and Nikkai couldn't help but shiver as they stared into Vaugn's -or whatever had taken over Vaugn- eyes. Gone was the warmth and laughter that usually filled Vaugn's eyes, instead replaced by pure evil; an evil so great that it was darker then darkness itself.

Neither Nikkai nor Imari knew what to do. The fear that Vaugn's mutated face had struck in them had robbed them of any feeling they had, rooting them on spot like living statues. They both knew that something horrible had happened to Vaugn, something unworldly, but nothing could have prepared them for what was staring them in the face.

Time seemed to be standing still as the three friends -rather Imari, Nikkai and what they assumed was Vaugn- stared at eachother. Everyhing around the three had seemed to come to a complete standstill. All sound within the alleyway had died completely, the beating hearts of Imari and Nikkai somehow louder then ever before. The people on the sidewalk on the street behind the two friends were once again ignoring what was happening in the alleway only feet away from them, their mouths moving soundlessly as they strolled past.

After the shock of seeing Vaugn's new mutated look had worn off slightly, Imari's hands slid from her mouth and she managed to speak, even though the shock had virtually paralyzed it.

"Nikkai...w-what's happened to Vaugn?", she whispered, her lower lip trembling and looking as if she were about to cry.

At the mention of Vaugn's name, the creature's face broke into a wide, insane fang filled smile, and its eyes began glowing brighter and brighter, as if glowing with pleasure. The creature's eyes slid over Nikkai and Imari's scared faces, savouring their looks of utter fear.

Casually, and with a slight swagger, the creature started forward towards Imari and Nikkai, a wide insane smile spreading across its monsterous face with each step. The creatures eyes slid over Imari and Nikkai, resting on every inch of their bodies, as if deciding how best to kill them. Neither of the two seemed able to move, the crushing weight of evil that was eminating from the creatue had paralyzed them on spot.

Imari's heart stopped as the creature's eyes stopped sweeping over her and Nikkai, and rested souly on her neck. At the creature's side, its clawed hands were balling and balling quickly, as if excited at the thought of tearing Imari apart. Raising it clawed hand to head level, the creaturd pointed it's fingers, forming a large spear like hand, and planting it's feet, prepared itself to pounce on Imari and cut her down with one swipe.

No matter how hard Imari tried, she couldn't get her body. Even though she knew was staring down a monsterous creature intent on ripping her to pieces, preparing to kill her in a mere heartbeat, her body wouldn't move. Her legs were as heavy as lead, her arms feeling as if they had been carved out of solid stone. Her heart was beating furiously in her throat, constricting it and making her light headed. Sweat was dripping from her forehead and streaming down her face. In a matter of seconds a monster that used to be her friend would cut her down and she was powerless to stop it.

Bending low, the creatue slid it's feet apart, resembling something like an olympic speed skater waiting to start, and with a murderous smile at Imari, lunged forward.

It happened so fast that it took a moment for everyone to realize what had happened.

Fast as lighting, the creatue shot forward, pulling its clawed hand as far back as it coulsd, roaring with fury. Imari screamed, and with feeling and motion returning to her arms, threw them over her head to protect herself, no matter insignificant it maybe. Nikkai to found motion had returned to his fear stricken body, and only thinking of protecting his friend, threw himself infront of Imari like a human shield, his eyes shut tight as he waited for the deathblow to fall.

Second after second passed by in a heart pounding, terror drenched haze. Nikkai's eyes were shut tight and his arms spread wide, protecting Imari completely with his own body. Nikkai was sure he was already dead, as he hadn't felt an ounce of pain, and given how intent the monster was on killing him and Imari, he was sure that it would torn through a brickwall to get to them.

And yet, despite what he was sure had happened, it didn't feel quite right to Nikkai. Nikkai's body was still numb with fear, and his heart was racing, beating a painful meoldy in his throat. If he had been struck down like he was so sure he was, he should be calm and at peace, not full of fear and struggling to breath because of how hard his heart was beating.

Nikkai wasn't sure what made him think that he could, but with some great difficulty, he managed to raise one of his eyes lids. To Nikkai's great surprise, he was alive, and managing to open his other eye, saw that both he and Imari were both in one piece.

It was strange that they would be alive when a second before they were only feet from dying, but yet there they stood: Nikkai with his arms spread wide, while Imari cowered behind him, her arms thrown over her head, crying hysterically. The alleyway was completely silent around them, except for the echoing rumble of the cars passing by behind them.

Before the enormous feeling of reliefe that he was still alive could set in, a deafening, monsterous roar shattered the silence in the alleyway like a cannon firing. The roar slammed into Nikkai's eyedrums so violently his eyeballs shook slightly within their sockets.

In the alleyway before Nikkai, the creatue that was once Vaugn was thrashing around violently. Its clawed hands were clasped tightly around its head, as if trying to stop it from shooting off it's body. The monster was stumbling around drunkily, slamming hard into one wall after another as it struggled to keep itself balanced. The creature was roaring furiously, as if it was in a great deal of pain, and it's eyes were glowing brighter then ever before.

Steadying itself the best it could, the creature ripped its clawed hands from its head and with a deafening roar of fury, threw itself head first into the wall of the alleyway, reducing the spot where it hit into dust and blowing out a large crator in the wall. Sinking it's clawed hands into the wall, the creature ripped it's head from the wall, its hair -that is to say Vaugn's hair- covered in grey dust, and once more threw its head forward and rammed it against the wall, the bricks of the wall cracking and creaking. Over and over the creature ripped its head from the wall only to ram it back into the wall, and finally with one last powerrful headbutt, a large section of wall collapsed and cascade downwards on the creature below.

Shattered brick and debris rained tumbled down from the destroyed wall, bricks and pieces of steel bouncing off the creature's head and crashing noisely to the ground below. A cloud of dust rose thickly into the air, blocking out what little light was able to make it to the alleyway and engulfing the creature within its grey mass.

When the dust cleared, the creature was burried from the waiste up in brick and steel derbis. A single clawed hand hung limply over the edge of the pile of rubble, completely motionless and free of life. The monsterous roars that had beeing using Nikkai's eardrums like a drum had died immediately, leaving nothing but the occasional clatter of falling brick to be heard. The shower of rubble seemed to have done in the creature as even the slightest spasm of life was absent in the creature's body.

"Nikkai? W-what happened?", a voice behind Nikkai asked shakily, causing him to jump terribly.

Behind him, Imari had regained her composure as was no longer crying, but her face was still terribly fear stricken and she was looking as if she was about to throw-up out of fear. Her legs seem to have given out as she was on her knees on the dirty alleyway floor.

"I don't know Imari, but I have a feeling that Vaugn had something to do with it.", Nikkai said shakily with a trembling smile towards Imari.

"So...is it over then?", Imari asked shakily as Nikkai took her hand and helped her up from the ground and to her shaking legs.

"I think it is Imari.", Nikkai said with a huge sigh and a smile, mopping the sweat from his brow and taking a deep, calming breath.

"So now what do we do?", Imari said, steadying herself against Nikkai as she took several deep calming breaths.

"Well, I think our best bet is to..."

"Nikkai look!", Imari shouted without warning, pointing behind him and cutting across Nikkai's train of thought.

Spinning around, Nikkai saw that the pile of rubble covering the creature that Vaugn had become was moving, pieces of stone and brick falling from tbhe top of the pile and clattering loudly to the ground below. The creature underneath the pile was stirring, rising, falling and heaving, and a moment later, the pile exploded skyward in a cascade of debris.

Pushing itself up from the remaining pile of rubble, the creature slowly rose to its feet, looking as if it hadn't noticed that parts of a buildings had just fallen on it.

In the silence, Nikkai and Imari could hear creature panting heavily, clearly enraged that it had been robbed of the oppritunity of killing Imari and Nikkai. The creature didn't seem to notice that Imari and Nikkai were both standing only feet from it, easy targets for it it should so desire. Infact, it seemed to be deep in thought with itself and seemingly uncaring of what was around it.

Nikkai was so sure that the monster had been finished when it had been burried underneath all of the rubble that he hadn't bothered to think of what would happen if it should get up.

Before Nikkai could even formulate an escape plan to get them as far away from the monster as possible, the creatues head turned on it's shoulder, and he and Imari found themselves fixxed within the sights of the creatures snarling face.

Imari and Nikkai tried to stand still as best their shaking legs would allow. Neither of them knew if the monster was going to continue it's attack on them or not, but even though it didn't need any provocation before, they weren't about to give it any.

Behind him, Imari's hands wrapped around Nikkai's arm and were squeezing it for dear life, the blood flow to his fingers being cut off in a matter of moments. Casting a quick backward glance behind him, Nikkai saw that she was wide eyed and pale faced, looking as if she was about to throw up again. Imari had almost been killed once already, and Nikkai knew that she was thinking that she was surely going to die this time.

Unsure if the monster would try and finish what it started, Nikkai slowly slid infront of Imari and used his body as human shield once more, locking eyes with the monster in a look of utter defiance, though in all reality he knew that once his head was lopped off, Imari would stand no chance against the monster.

Without even the slightest sign of caring, the creature stared at Nikkai in his stance of defiance, and Imari as she cowered behind him. It didn't seem to want to attack them, yet its clawed hands never stopped balling and unballing.

After studying the two friends for a minute or so, the creature let out a loud snort from its nose, and smiled at the two friends.

Nikkai and Imari stumbled backwards as the smile had hit them harder then the crushing evil could have ever done. The smile was tuly evil, born out of hatred, pain and suffering, the creatures red eyes glowing happily within its head.

Pulling it's eyes away from Nikkai and Imari, the creature turned its attention to the dark wall that towered above it and studied it for a moment before slowly bending down, and with legs as powerful as springs, rocketed skywards with it's arms pinned at it's side.

The creature lept what must have been fifty feet into the air straight up as if it was nothing at all. Its body soared upwards inches from the wall face as if driven by rocket motors. Throwing out its arms, the creature soared skywards like a bird for a moment, before ramming its clawed fingers into the wall and stopping instantly on the side of the building. Kicking its clawed feet powerfully into the wall, its clawed toes sunk deeply into the brick wall. With all the grace of a spider climbing a wall, the creature swiftly climbed the wall as easily as if it was walking along the street, it's claws tearing bricking from the wall and leaving long slash marks in the hard face.

Imari and Nikkai watched in shocked awe as the creature climbed what must have been a twenty-five-story building in a matter of seconds and gracefully crawled over the top of the roof and disappeared from sight.

Staring at the spot where the creature had disappeared, Nikkai breathed a sigh of reliefe after a minute when he was sure that it wouldn't return. The creature was gone and they were alive and whole. Given how bad it could have turned out to be, all was good right now.

Taking several deep calming breaths, Nikkai's legs wobbled and buckled and lasting longer then he had expected too, he fell backwards and landed hard on his backside beside Imari.

"Nikkai! Are you alright?", Imari asked desperately, dropping to her knees beside Nikkai and looking as if he had just been shot

"I'm fine Imari.", Nikkai said with a slightly weak smile, giving himself a small poke in the thigh "I just have no feeling in my legs right now.", he said with a weak chuckle as he tried to sound as casual as possible.

"I'd like nothing more then to let you rest up after what we went through,", Imari said with a weak smile at Nikkai, "But we gotta go and follow that thing before we lose it."

"I guess we do, don't we? I guess it's not enough that we're alive, but we have to follow it and get Vaugn back.", Nikkai sighed as Imari grabbed his arm and pulled him back to his wobbling legs with all the strength she could muster.

Hobbling slightly to the end of the alleyway -their legs still shaking to much to let them run let alone walk properly- Imari and Nikkai emerged once more in the bright and busy sidewalk that passed uncaringly by of the dark dank alley behind them.

The sidewalk was as they remembered it. Many people were still out and about, shopping and laughing with one another, or else going into or coming out of the many coffee and resturants that were scattered around the street. Cars were still rumbling by, their occupants laughing and joking as music blarred from their speakers, which shook and rattled the cars mercilessly.

It truly looked as if no one had noticed what had happened in the alleyway only mere feet from the sidewalk, and admittedly, now that they were out of the alleyway and in the openess of the city, the crushing weight that had been wrapped around them had instantly lifted, letting them breath and think properly for the first time since finding Vaugn.

"Where's that thing?", Imari asked quietly as she and Nikkai were jostled by the evening goers on the sidewalk as they passed by.

Squinting upwards into the sky, Nikkai skimmed the rooftops of the buildings around them for some sign that the creature that had hi-jacked Vaugn's body was still around. Although it was slightly difficult as each buildings was atleast twenty-stories tall, so from the street anything human sized on the rooves would look like a bird on a ledge.

"Nikkai! Up there!", Imari shouted, pointing straight up in the air at the building that they had scene the creature climb in the alleyway.

Following Imari's finger and squinting into the dark sky, Nikkai saw what she was pointing at after a moment of steady studying.

Sitting on the edge of the building was the creature that used to be Vaugn. It was squatting on the ledge, resembling a stone gargoyle by the way the claws on its hand were piercing the stone of the building and holding it tighly on the rooftop.

The creatures head was slowly going back and forth, its red eyes scanning every inch of the city it could, passing over the bright neon signs, to the flashing lights of the dance clubs and arcades, to the raging river of humanity on the sidewalks and streets below its towering purch. From what Nikkai could tell from his low down vantage point, it seemed almost curious about it's surroundings, looking as if the simplest objects of modern human life mystefied and fascinated it.

As the creature's eyes sweapt over the sidewalk below, it spotted Imari and Nikkai, the only humans who were looking up at it. Staring at them curiously for a moment, the creature snarled at them, flashing it's very long pointed fangs, and prying its eyes away from them and turning its attention to the building across the street, pushed off the edge of the building and soared silently across the street below, landing on the rooftop of the building opposite and vanishing from sight

***

"That's right, we've found Vaugn! But he's- he's not himself, he's a monster! He's running along the rooftops right now!.", Nikkai shouted into his cell phone as he and Imari pushed their way through the crowded sidewalks as they followed the creature that was leaping from rooftop to rooftop.

"What do you mean ‘running along the rooftops?", Shentin's voice came over the ear piece, the background din telling Nikkai that he was busy checking out a busy arcade.

"We'll explain when we see you!", Nikkai shouted back as he and Imari darted into the middle of a busy intersection, causing several motorists to slam on the brakes and screach to an halt, honking in protest, Imari waving apologies to the angry motorists.

"Well where is he headed?", Asuke asked over her phone and Nikkai could hear Kihari describing Vaugn to groups of passing people to see if they had seen him.

"I dunno, but he seems to be heading in the direction the Kojuni Office Building!", Nikkai yelled in his phone as he leapt like a hurdler over a man who had stopped to tie his shoe, Imari following suit and leap frogging over the man as his friends laughed heartily at their circus like dispaly

Nikkai was right that the creature did appear to be heading towards the Kojuni Office Building, which towered like a dark mountain over the Tokyo skyline. It did appear that the creature that had taken over Vaugn's body was heading for Kojuni, as it continued to leap a straight path from building top to building top on a path that would inevitably end at the foot of the Kojuni Office Building.

"So what's the plan then?", Shentin asked as Nikkai and Imari sprinted along the sidewalk, keeping their eyes on the creature as best they could.

"Just try and find us the best you can! We can't handle this thing by ourselves so get here as soon as you can!", Nikkai shouted into his phone, flipping it closed and pushing it into his pocket, his attention now fully attuned to the task at hand

Together, Nikkai and Imari sprinted as hard as they could down the sidewalk, weaving and dodging bag laidened shoppers and club goers. The two friends, in their attempt to keep as close as they could to Vaugn's body were taking risks that Vaugn was sure to appreciate when they told him. They would dart in and out of traffic, running in between the many rows of moving cars -their faces turned skywards as they followed the creature that was their friend- or else sprinting at top speed through intersections in the slight moment from when one side turns red and the other turns green.

Angry motorists were honking maddly and swearing profusely as Imari and Nikkai sped and weaved their was through the streets in hot pursuit of their friends hi-jacked body, showing almost no concern for their own personal health in their chase for Vaugn's body. The two of them were attracting quite abit of attention from all sorts of people as they dashed through the city, Nikkai especially as he leapt from slowly moving car to slow moving car, figuring it was easier then weaving in between them. He nearly landed in trouble when he jumped from the roof of a large van and almost landed in a the back seat of silver convertible full of laughing and giggling girls, but thinking quickly as he flew through the air, Nikkai grabbed the backseat headrests and pushed off powerfully like a gymnast from a pommelhorse, flipping through the air like a gymnast and landing gracefully on the hood, accompanied by the gasps, shrieks, whistles, and the request for his phone number, from the surprised and impressed passengers of the car.

Just as Imari and Nikkai were attracting their own sorts of attention, the creature that was now controlling Vaugn was starting to attract quite a bit of attention itself.

At first no one had noticed the creature leaping from rooftop to rooftop, but as it plunged further and further into the city, it beagn drawing more and more attention. As the creature leapt from rooftop to rooftop, more and more people on the sidewalks below began pointing skywards, telling their friends that they were positive they had just seen something human like jumping from building to building. It took very little time for the word to spread that there was some sort of thing jumping from building to building in downtown Tokyo, and with the spreading word, it took very little time before every face was turned skyward for the brief glimpse of the mysterious being that had become the talk of the town.

The creature seemed to know that it was now the center of attention, as every few buildings the creature would disappear only to re-emerge as it crawled down the side of the buildings slightly, looking somewhat like a salamander crawling down a wall. Everytime the beast would appear like this, a barage of camera flashes would go off, and people could be heard shouting that they had video of the creature that they were going to upload onto the Internet and let everyone see. The street had come to a complete standstill, and the once flowing traffic had ceased completely, the drivers and passengers parking their vehicles and climbing out for a better look at the airborne creature.

As Imari and Nikkai sprinted in between night goers with upturned faces, they heard several people shout, and looking up to see what the creature was doing, they skidded to a halt in mid-stride and watched in awe as the creature plumetted earthwards with arms spread wide like a skydiver and the largest smile they had ever seen. People all around Imari and Nikkai were screaming while others pointed cell-phone cameras at the falling creature, while still others. Even though the creature had fallen from an enormous fifty- story building, it had taken only seconds for it to reach the end of it's trip.

Like a meteor speeding through the sky and crashing into the earth, the creature crashed hard into the concrete ground, landing easily on all fours like a cat. The air exploded all around the creature in an enormous shock wave that ripped through the street, cars that had been idling on either side of it when it had landed were lifted into the air and thrown to the side like toys. Countless people watching the creature fall to earth were forced to dive and leap for cover as cars flew over their heads and crashed through the walls of the skyscrapers lining the street. Above Imari and Nikkai, the countless windows of the skyscrapers exploded as if they were waffer thin, cascading down onto the street below in a shimmering rain of glass. The concrete below the creature caved and cratered under its weight while enormous cracks and tears ripped through the street as easily as if the street was fragile spring ice.

Looking skyward as the glass finally began to hit the ground in it's shimmering mist, the creature smiled evily, as if pleased with itself and what it had done. Turning its face back to street level, the creature gazed around the street, observing everything from the cars that had be thrown through building walls, the cars that had landed ontop of another and crushed it, to the people who were covering their heads from the falling glass and the shocked and awed expression on their faces.

Throwing its face skyward, the creature let out a joyous roar that echoed maddly around the buildings, and with almost an unatural show of strength, the creature pushed off the ground hard from all fours and rocketed back up into the air.

"What is this thing?", Imari asked breathlessly, brushing glass from her hair and watching as the creature flipped over in midair and collided with a tall black granite office building, sinking its claws into the hard face and climbing briskly to the top, disappearing over the roof a moment later.

"I have no idea, but we gotta keep going before we lose it!", Nikkai replied hurriedly, grabbing her hand and dragging her forward behind him as they once again set out in search of the creature through the crowded Tokyo cit center.

Deeper Nikkai and Imari plunged into the city center. The creature was starting to draw all sorts of attention, as traffic had now come to a complete standstill and the drivers were now gawking skyward, watching as the creature lept from building to building like an acrobat. It was very fortunate for Nikkai and Imari that traffic was now at a standstill as they could now run through the rows of cars undisturbed, their attention occasionally turning skywards to make sure that they hadn't lost the creature.

The two friends were unsure of how long they had been chasing the creature, the adrenalin coursing through their veins slowing down their sence of time. Their legs were starting to ache from the running, their muscles protesting with each powerful stride and their lungs burning with each breath. It was with some reliefe when Imari and Nikkai watched as the creature flipped forward in mid leap and fall feet first to back down to earth like a spear.

In a matter of seconds, the creature had disappeared behind a wall of stunned Tokyo citizens. Just like a bomb had exploded in the center of the crowd, a deafening boom shattered the air and a plume of grey dust rose into the air like a mushroom cloud.

The intersection was one of the busiest in the city -two large six lane city thoroughfairs criss-crossing one another- as on all four corners of the intersection sat huge fifty-story buildings that housed resturants, dance clubs, movie theaters, concert halls, arcades and bath houses. Crowding the sidewalks were people dressed in a wide variety of clothes; everything from tuxedos and ball gowns to people wearing loose fitting jeans and shirts who were joining up with friends to go and watch movies, play video games or ready to dance all night long.

Pushing their way through the well-dressed crowd, Imari and Nikkai caught up with the creature as it was stepping off the now crushed front end of a car that was stopped at a busy intersection. The driver of the car -a balding man wearing a comb-over styled toupee- was white with shock. His face was white and sweating, his jaw slack and quivering, and his hands gripping the wheel so tightly that not only were his knuckles white, but the seizure like tremors that had started in his hands quickly spread to the rest of his body, causing his wig to slide sideways on his shining head and fall out of sight into the passenger seat of the car.

Stepping off the crushed piece of metal that used to be the front end of a car, the creature casually strolled away from the car as if nothing had happened, and not even looking as to see where it was going, meandered its way into the middle of the busy intersection.

Imari and Nikkai watched with baited breath as car after car slammed on their brakes, their tires shreaking as they left smoking streaks of rubber behind them, while some drivers had the unfortunate luck of being unable to stop soon enough and left only to crash into the car infront of them with the unmistakable din of crunching metal. Drivers punched their fists into the center of the steering wheels, blaring their horns in protest, while some rolled down their windows and yelled furiously at the creature as it strolled through the intersection, but all of this was insignificant as they drowned out by the deafening blast of a huge air horn that thundered through the night air like cannon fire. Hurdling down the street and unable to stop, an enormous silver and blue semi-trailer was on a collision course with the creature.

Glancing down the street to see what had caused such a racket, the creature's eye were met with the large silver mesh grill of an out of control truck that consumed it's entire vision. In the cab, the driver was waving and screaming frantically for the creature to get out of the way, his face livid with fear at the thought of what would happen when he collided with the creature. The creature didn't jump or whince, but instead stared at the shining grill as it barreled down on it, each passing heartbeat taking it clsoer and closer to flattening the creature, which was only feet from meeting a messy end at the hands of it's shining chrome bumper.

With a loud snort of disdain, the creature pulled its attention away from the speeding truck, and without showing any sign of caring of what was about to happen, lazily waved its hand as if shooing a fly.

A deafening roar shattered the night air and the earth shook terribly as powerful explosion after powerful explosion ripped the through the truck. Fire balls burst threw the trucks skin in brilliant orange flashes that blossomed and thundered their way along the entire length of the truck -resembling a coriographed fireworks display- cumulating in blinding, earth shattering explosion that engulfed the entire truck and creature in its roaring orange fire storm.

Rearing skywards like a dragon, the enormous fireball rose quickly into the air above the street. Flaming wreckage of the truck shot from the top of the fireball, arcing beautifully through the air like meteors as fire trailed behind in glowing orange tails.

Like a tsunami of seawater flattening a small village, the shockwave of the explosion tore through the crowded streets with merciliess wrath. The countless windows of the buildings the stood silent like sentinals were shattered instantly, obliterated into mere whisps of glass that sparkled and twinkled in the night sky like stars, falling over the city in a fine dust. Light posts were torn from the street and thrown the air like javelins, impaling buildings and vehicles alike, while city benches and trees were obliterated instantly, reduced to splinters that shot through the air like bullets.

On the street below the towering buildings, the countless members of the shocked crowd were blasted backwards by the powerful wave, lifted off their feet as if they were feather light and thrown through the air like ragdolls. Desperately, men in fine suits held onto their wives in fine dresses and friends clung for deal life to one another as their bodies became mere objects, devoid of all self control as they were slammed into cars, bounced and tumbled off the cold concrete street, thrown against buildings with sickening thuds, or lifted high into the air and thrown through the empty window paines several stories off the ground.

The once idling cars were now turned into objects of destruction as they and their terrified occupants were ripped from gravity's clutches and thrown through the air like boulders, their hard metal bodies blasting through the hard concrete walls of the buildings around them and crushing anything they fell on as they crash landed back on the ground like a metorite from space.

Nikkai wasn't sure what happened to him, for as soon as the truck exploded, the shockwave had blown him and Imari into the air and thrown them backwards along the sidewalk. Dust had been forced into his eyes, blinding him and searing his eye with stinging pain. His mind had become somewhat frazzled from the explosion, his many thoughts, memories and ideas all breaking free from their cerebral prisons and flooding together in a collage of colours, sounds, smells and tastes. His ears were ringing like he had just stuck his head into an enormous bell, the ringing so powerful it felt as if his ear-drums would pop at any second.

The instant he had been hit by the shockwave, Nikkai had grabbed Imari and once again used his body as human shield, holding her tightly as his body was slammed and rocked against the ground. Over and over again Nikkai was thrown against the ground only to be picked up again and thrown painfully against the ground. Nikkai's body was rocked and winded with each painful collosion with the unforgiving ground, his arms, ribs and spine only a matter of seconds away from snapping from the unearthly abuse. Imari's added weight wasn't helping the situation in Nikkai's oppinion, as with each painful crash landing, her weight would crush his chest, flattening his lungs and heart while strainging his ribs well past their breaking point.

The world around Nikkai was a blur of colour interupted by a terrible stab of pain. Everything had seemed to blur together in the chaos of the explosion, birthing one giant collage of dazzling smears and indistinquished shapes. The last thing Nikkai reembered was looking down and seeing Imari holding onto the front of his shirt for dear life before a painful blow struck him the back of the head and like the lights dimming in a movie theatre, Nikkai's eyes went black and everything around him disappeared.

***

Nikkai's heartbeat was steady in his ears, a constant drum rattle that echoed slightly in his ears. A jolt of pain shot across the back of Nikkai's head and a spasm of pain rattled his body, every muscle twitching at once. The pain was enough to jump-start Nikkai's brain which seemed to have died momentarily, althoughtNikkai couldn't think of any reason why it would have.

Air weakly began filling Nikkai's lungs, but with every psuedo breath, a bolt of pain shot through Nikkai's chest, a sure sign he had broken a rib or two. Nikkai tried to raise a hand to his throbbing head, but a shock of pain rocketed through his arms, paralyzing it at his side. Nikkai's body was paralyzed with pain, his brain feeling it more important to figure out what had happened to him and dealing with the constant stream of painful signals from the rest of his body then wasting energy trying to move it.

Concentrating as hard as he could, Nikkai managed to stiffly open his eyes. Blurred objects and shadowy figures were dashing in and out of his sight, their features and shapes blurred and distorted. Flashes of red and blue light were cutting across his vision, flashing across the walls of the towering buildings around him, illuminating their shattered windows and crumbling walls. Nikkai had no idea were he was or what was going on, his brain still to frazzled to so much as let his eyes focus then understand what he was seeing.

"kai...kai...ikkai...Nikkai", a distant voice called out to him, cutting through the ringing in his ears and bringing him back to his sences slightly.

Popping out of the side of his fuzzy vision, a dark shadowy head loomed above him, it's face concealed completely in darkness and haze. There was a familiarity about it that Nikkai was sure he recognized, yet in his aching and bewildered state, he couldn't remember who it was.

"Nikkai...okay...please b...ay....have to...kai...", the same distant voice said, sounding very close.

Nikkai's brain, for one reason or another, appeared to be cutting in and out. When it was on, he'd hear the mysterious voice calling out to him, but when it turned off, he'd hear nothing. The effect was like listening to a broken radio signal.

Nikkai could tell that he was in very rough shape; there was no denying that. He just hoped that Imari was okay, she was after all just the average sixteen-year old high school girl, and he did take the trouble of using his body as human shield after all.

An explosion of pain rocked Nikkai's head, as with a sudden flash of rememberance, he remembered that Imari had been with him when the truck exploded. She had been holding tightly to Nikkai as they were being bashed along the sidewalk, but now that he had come to a rest, Nikkai could tell that she wasn't with him anymore. With a rush of anxiety that something may have happened to Imari, Nikkai knew he had to get up or else he might lose a second friend that night.

Focusing all his will and nerve the best he could, the blurry shapes and figures that had once been Nikkai's vision slowly cleared and defined themselves.

Paramedic crews were running past at lightning speed, stretchers in toe and large yellow bags swinging maddly at their sides. People were screaming and crying, and the scene was full of people calling out desperately for help while shouts of pain and agony echoed wildly around. Helicopters roared by overhead in a smear of blazing spotlights and sirens screamed and wailed loudly as more emergency crews hurried to the scene.

Right above Nikkai, casting a shadow over him like a black cloud, Imari's cinnimon brown hair was hanging like curtains around her pretty face. Despite the darkness that was clouding her face, Nikkai could tell that she had been crying slightly, as her eyes were slightly red and puffy, and her cheek was bleeding slightly, an obvious result of the ordeal they had just gone through.

"Hey Imari.", Nikkai groaned, his jaw and tongue aching terribly as he spoke, "That was one wild ride huh?", he said, trying to sound as casual as possile yet whincing with pain none the less.

"I'm sure it was Nikkai, but we got a job to do now.", a familiar voice said from somewhere to Nikkai's left side.

Turning his head slightly on his aching neck, Nikkai saw that Shentin was kneeling down next to him, smiling at his friend yet looking highly releaved none the less. Turning his head to the other side, Asuke and Kihari were both looking just as releaved as Shentin and they, like Imari, looked as if they had been crying.

"I see you guys found us.", Nikkai said with a slight groan but smiling weakly at his friends none the less.

"And none to soon either.", Shentin said seriously, looking very grim, "When we got here you were barely breathing and not moving. We thought we had lost you man.", he said seriously, looking as if he was about to start crying.

"It'll take more then being bashed against a wall or two to keep me down.", Nikkai groaned, and forcing his arms to bend, awkwardly wiggled himself to a painful sitting positions, "Especially when we gotta get Vaugn back.", he panted, the effort of his moving his body sapping any and all his energy.

"Nikkai! You shouldn't being moving, not after what you've been through!", Asuke hissed desperately, her hands clenching tightly on her knees, worry for Nikkai written all over her face, "The paramedics are here, so we'll get one of them to take you to the hospital..."

"No!", Nikkai cut across Asuke loudly, stopping her abrouptly in mid-sentence, "It was my idea to find Vaugn, and no matter what happens to me, I plan to to make good on that promise.", he added slightly viciously, looking Asuke in the eye and the flame of determination burning brightly.

"But you could have died Nikkai!", Imari said shakily, her eyes brimming with tears"What if something like this happens again? You could really be killed this time!"

"What if? What if I slip on a bar of soap in the shower?", Nikkai said with a slight scoff in his voice, "I'd probably be killed then...But since I don't see any soap or showers around here, I guess my time hasn't come yet.", he added on a slightly definitive note.

Taking a deep breath, Nikkai planted his hands on either side of him and prepared to lift himself on the ground. His arms were shaking terribly and his muscles were pulsing with pain. But none of that matter as Nikkai had set his mind to find Vaugn, and that was what he was planning to do. With an enormous effort, Nikkai slowly pushed himself up off the ground, despite how hard his muscles protested, and pulled his feet under him, his legs feeling as if they were made of solid lead.

Pushing his muscles as hard as he could, Nikkai managed to get himself to a proper standing position. Nikkai's head was spinning slightly, the effort of pushing blood to his head almost to much for his heart, which seemed tobe close to giving up its job and wanting to do nothing, like the rest of his muscles were doing.

Around him, his four friends looked at eachother desperately as if hoping someone would say something, anything, to make Nikkai reconsider his decision, but none of them could think of anything, and settling for merely shaking their heads in exasperation, each of them pulled themselves off the ground and to their feet, all of keeping a close eye on Nikkai.

"So I guess we're all agreed then?", Nikkai groaned, draping an arm across his stomach like a make shift sling for his surely broken ribs, whincing terribly as each breath seemed to be causing him hrrible pain.

With a last look at eachother, the four friends knew that no matter what happened to Nikkai, he'd still try to find Vaugn, and figuring that it was the right thing to do, no matter how pig-headed and suicidal it may be, it was the right thing to do. The four friends had to hand it Nikkai, as he struggled to keep himself standing, that despite doing a great impersonation of a human punching bag, he was still determined to find Vaugn. Feeling that he had more then enough determination for the four of them, Shentin, Imari, Kihari and Asuke couldn't help but knod and agree with Nikkai.

"Then let's go then.", Nikkai said with a horrible whince, but smiling all the same at his friends.

With what seemed like an enormous effort, Nikkai managed to get his legs to move, and in doing so, pushed himself forward in what must have been a painful limp, his body shaking and his face whincing with pain every step he took.

Though the explosion had managed to pick-up trucks and cars as easily as if they weighted nothing at all and thrown hundreds of feet away, Nikkai and Imari had been somewhat protected from the expelled debris by a large city bus that had been thrown down the street like everything else and had been toppled over onto it's side, acting like a shield and windbreak for Nikkai and Imari.

A large light pole was sticking through the bus floor, demonstrasting not only the power of the explosion and the damge it did to the city, but just how lucky Imari and Nikkai had been.

Now that Nikkai and the others were up, new sounds seemed to flooding his ears, giving him a blurry idea of what was happening. In the distant, the booming patter of helicopter blades and engines could be heard, holding steady in the air somewhere beyond what Nikkai could see. Voices thundered across the din of the valley of buildings, twisting and jumbling with the other sounds into something undescernable. It almost sounded like a criminal had been cornered by a police helicopter and the pilots were telling the person what to do from their spot high above the ground.

Hobbling around the front of the bus -his friends staying close and keeping a close eye on him incase he collapsed from exhaustion- Nikkai was blinded by a brilliant white flash that reduced his sight to a glowing white mass. A moment after being hit with the white wall of light, the blazing glow fade from Nikkai's vision, and what met his eyes stripped his body of what strength he had found.

Like a scene out of a war movie, the street that Nikkai and Imari had been on was almost unrecognizable. The street was now a spider web of shattered and collapsing concrete, large holes the size of cars collapsing into the sewer below. A gyser like column of water erupted from the street and shot five stories into the air, a clear sign that an enormous sewer pipe had been broken. Over turned, flaming, and torn apart cars littered the street and sidewalk in a heap of twisted and strewn metal that consumed the whole of the warzone like scene. The windows of the buildings standing tall around the street were shattered and destroyed, their remains sparkling on the ground like crystal. Cars that once had called the street their domain had been tossed and rammed through the walls of the buildings, or thrown several stories above the ground and into the dark office buildings and their prison like cubicles. The walls of the buildings that had been destroyed by discarded cars were groaning and creaking menacingly as the buildings enormous weight began detroying itself, large slabs of concrete cracking and breaking free, left to free fall to the ground below like a meteorite. All around the street, several buildings had been engufled in raging infernos, the flames roaring thirty feet high and scroching the buildings black, their enormous figures glowing like torches in the night.

The street was a pandomonium of phrantic commotion. Torrents of water were rocketing from the end of the countless firefighters hoses as they tried desperately to stop the flames from the various burning cars and buildings from engulfing the whole of the Tokyo downtown.

Bodies were strewn around the street like war victums caught in the crossfire, hanging from windows, sprawled on the sidewalk or laying face down in a pool of blood in the middle of the street. The streets were stained red as people bled profusely from head and necks wounds, their bodies trembling as with each beat of their fear stricken hearts, they drew closer and closer to dying. Like survivors of a terrible natural cataclisim, countless people stumbled around in a shocked daze, their faces smeared and stained with their own blood and their mere tatters of clothing that barely clung to the trembling bodies. Men cried desperately for help as they held their wives and girlfriends, their jackets and shirts torn from their backs and draped around their partners in an attempt to comfort them as they laid unconscious in their arms. Women held their husbands and boyfriends and spoke words of comfort and solice to them as they pressed their hands firmly to their necks or foreheads in a desperate attempt to stop the profuse flow of blood spurting from their trembling and spasming bodies. Shouts of pain of desperation echoed maddly around the scene, people crying out desperately for help that seemed unable to keep up with the tragedy that was unfurling before them.

Every second an ambulance would arrive in a blaze of sirens and screech to halt, and without so much as missing a beat, the rear doors would fly open and several paramedics would dash from the back and sprint at top speed to join their fellow rescue-workers. With just as many paramedics arriving and joining the fray, just as many were sprinting the other direction, pulling stretchers behind them and whisking away a terribly injured person to the back of a waiting ambulance to take them to the nearest hospital.

At the far end of the path of destruction, a wall of humanity had gathered in the streets, countless people who seemed un-hurt had gathered together thirty bodies deep in what looked an enormous, bustling circle. Two rumbling helicopters were hovering high above the ground, a blindingly bright spot light blazing from their bellies and illuminating the ground below them like a pair of midnight suns. Whatever the lights were shining down upon must have been what drew such the enormous crowd, as people at the back of the horde were standing on their toes, strainging their necks for a glimpse at what was held within the center of the mass.

"Oh...my...God...", Nikkai gasped, his eyes devouring the scene infront of him

Nikkai's legs buckled under him, and what little strength he had managed to gain in his legs vanished instantly. His body was numb and the pain that he had been feeling a moment ago was gone, replaced by a comforting nothingless that the scene of devestation had brought to him. Swaying on a spot, Nikkai's balance disappeared and fell sideways into the crumbled front end of the over turned bus, using it for support of his suddenly numb body.

"Not to pretty, is it Nikkai?", Shentin said, stopping beside his friend and resting a comforting hand on Nikkai's shoulder, "I can see what you mean when you said Vaugn was a monster. That thing, whatever it is, managed to do all this with a simple wave of it's hand from what we've heard. We were probably seven blocks away from we heard and saw the explosion, and by the time we got here, the street already looked like this. We were lucky to find you alive. But I have a feeling there are some people out there who didn't have our luck on their side.", Shentin said sadly, surveying the carange with gloom in his eyes.

"And that thing? Where is it?", Nikkai asked shakily as a group of paramedics pushing six stretchers rushed by full of bleeding and injured victums to three rumbling ambulance waiting a little ways behind the friends.

"In the middle of that I assume.", Kihari said seriously, pointing down the street, past the destruction and carnage around them, and squarely at the crowd.

"Then that's where we're going.", Nikkai growled, and managing to regain his balance and feeling in his legs after the shock of so much senceless destruction, pushed himself away from the bus and stood tall on his own two feet.

Nikkai tried hard to keep his eyes pointed straight ahead, if only to try and not see all the pain and suffering around him. Nikkai found that each step he took, the longer the street seemed to become, and the more he was drawn into the chaos around him.

Nikkai's ears seemed to be focusing out the sounds around him, leaving only the sound of his racing heart to fill his ears in a loud, shrill ring. People all around Nikkai were screaming silently, their faces streaked with blood, dust, dirt and tears as they held on tightly to loved ones who were slowly bleeding to death in their arms on the blood soaked sidewalks. People waved phrantically at the five friends as they passed, desperately yelling for help for their hurt friend or family member, but being unable to provide any, offering only looking of apology as they slowly walked past in their daze. Paramedics dashed by in blurs of light green, blue and white, or else shouting instructions to one another as they worked desperately to try and save those who were laying on the sidewalk, their hands blurs of white and brown as they bandaged and taped their patients as fast as they could. Nikkai's heart almost stopped when his gaze fell upon a girl no older then ten years old, crying and desperately shouting for help as she held her two parents, who were both covered in blood and not moving.

Nikkai wasn't sure how he made it past the scenes of carnage around him, but without really noticing how far he had travelled, he suddenly found himself and the others slowly pushing their way through the gathered crowd when he escaped from the daze the scene of carnage had locked him. The crowd was undoubtedly gathered around the intersection that was the epicenter of the city shattering explosion that had caused all the pain and suffering around them. Nikkai's heart was no longer racing, instead replaced by a numbness in his chest at the thought of what he would find in the center of the crowd he was now a part of.

Imari and Asuke were sobbing to themselves, Nikkai could hear this as he pushed his way past gawking Tokyo night-lifers who seemed to be oblivious to the pain behind them, and he could feel Shentin shaking beside him slightly, as if he was about to be sick. The numbness in his chest was soon replaced by scorching anger, as Nikkai's ears soon atuned to the sounds around him, and he was forced to listen to the crowd that seemed more interested in what was going on infront of them then behind.

"Dude, I heard that thing is a monster!", one boy with red hair said to his friend as Nikkai pushed by in a rush to get to the front of the crowd.

"I'm so putting this movie on my Facebook!", a girl said excitedly to her friends as she held her cell-phone in the air and filmed what was in the center of the intersection.

"I bet we could sell these photos to all the rag-mags and make a killing!", a man with blonde hair and five earings said to his girlfriend, flipping through the photos that he had taken on his cell-phone.

"Bunch of animals the whole lot of them!", Kihari snarled to Nikkai and the others as the five of them shoved past the last row of gawkers and forced themselves into the front row.

In the time that Nikkai had been knocked out, large yellow police baracades had been erected around the street, forming a large circle that incorporated the entire intersection. High above the ground, two police helicopters rumbled loudly as they hovered on spot as enormous spotlights turned the night scene below them into day with their blazing spotlights. On the inisde of the police baracades, armed and armoured policemen stood still like statues, their shining black rifles pointed infront of them. In the center of the awaiting barage of bullets, and the center of the spotlights eye, was none other then the creature that had taken over Vaugn, looking quite relaxed as it stared upwards at the two hovering helicopters.

"We are the Tokyo Special Crime Unit! We have you surrounded! Give up peacefully and get down on the ground! If you do not resist we will not have to use deadly force!", a voice thundered overhead from one of the hovering helicopters.

The creature that used to be Vaugn merely smiled broadly to itself as the helicopter made it's thunderous declaration. It seemed to Nikkai that this creature seemed to find the thought of dozens of armed men pointing guns at it amusing, almost to the point that it could careless that it could be killed in a barrage of lead bullets at any moment.

"This is your last chance to comply! If you fail to comply we will have no choice but to use force", the same voice thundered from the helicopter, giving the creature one last chance to give up peacefully, which if it's actions of a few minutes ago had been any indication of it's intentions, it would be all for not.

And sure enough, the creature seemed un-phased by the warning, looking rather excited as it pulled it's gaze from the helicopters and looked around the police barricade, it's red eyes blazing like fires and fangs bared in an unmistakable snarling smile. Nikkai couldn't help but notice that several of the armoured policemen flinched and shuttered as the creature's gaze fell upon them.

"It's not listening men! You are all clear to use as much force as possible to subdue and capture it!", the voice from above called out to the men below.

Without hesitation, no matter how terrfied they may have been of the creature bizzare and blood-chilling appearance, the policemen firmed their grips on their rifles and slowly began advancing in unison upon the creature in the middle of their circle.

Every rifle was pointed squarely at the head of the creature, ready at the slightest sign of agression to kill it where it stood. The policemen looked like a pack of wolves circling their prey before going in for the final strike, the way each and every man moved as quickly as their fellow teammates, their steps perfectly cooridinated, none of the men breaking the perfect formation they had taken.

Like a kid in a candy store, the creature's head was now busy twisting it's head back and forth excitedly as the men slowly drew tighter and tighter around it. With an air of longing and desire, the creature's long clawed fingers began flexing and flexing at its side, as if waiting for them to get close enough to cut them down with a single swipe of its terrifying hands.

"What happens if they kill that thing?", Kihari whispered desperately, grabbing at Nikkai's throbbing arm and looking terrified at the thought.

"If they kill that thing, then they kill Vaugn.", Nikkai whispered, and even though he didn't like to admit it, he was powerless to stop what was unfolding before him.

The creature's vicious red gaze fell upon each man in turn, it's blazing red eyes meeting the men's and holding it squarely in it's sights for a moment. Behind their masks, the creature could see the sweat building on their brow and their wide, terrified eyes. Their clear masks were fogging and unfogging quickly with each breath, their hearts surely beating a thousand times faster then normal at the thought of what could await them with one wrong step.

As the creature's neck twisted around, its eye was caught by something; a battered and beaten looking person with black hair and red streaks. The creature recognized this person. It was the same person that it had seen in the alleyway. The creature didn't know how, but it somehow followed it all over the city and caught up with it.

Like Nikkai was a giant magnet, the creature's head stopped swivelling on it's neck, fixxing it's gaze firmly on Nikkai's face. Of all the people in the world that could have possibly found it, it hadn't expected the people it had tried to kill earlier. The smile slowly slid from the creature's face, reaplced by a very sour, hatred filled look.

Several people of the crowd gasped and backed away slightly from the barricade as the creatures gaze fell upon Nikkai, all of them clearly thinking that it was they who the creature was looking at. Unseen by the rest of the crowd however, the two being's locked eachothers gaze in an unflinching, unwavering stare. Nikkai strained his throbbing head and focused all his willpower into his single stare, trying his hardest to bore into the mind of the creature and see just what it was trying to do with his friend.

With a snort of disdain, a sour smile pulled at the lips of the creature, and it ripped it's gaze from it's silent staring contest with Nikkai. Spinning smoothly on its heal, the creature turned it's back completely on Nikkai and the others, as if it they were all something very ugly looking..

As a unit, the slowly advancing poice officers stopped, their bodies as rigid as a board. With a collective gulp of nervousness, the policer officers firmed their grips on the handles of their rifles, bringing the creature into the center of their sights as they held their guns tightly to their shoulders.

Sliding a clawed hand into the pocket of Vaugn's already torn jeans, the creature cast one last look around, down the barrels of the dozens of rifles aimed at it's face and the terrifed faces behind the butt of the weapons. With a snort of disgust, the creature squated slightly and pushed off gently from the ground.

Like a bottle rocket, the creature shot high into the air with ease, rocketing stories above the ground in a wide curving arc. The police followed the creature as fast as they could, their weapons pointing at it the best they could as they tried to keep up with the suddenly airborn creature.

"Fire at will me! Fire at will!", a voice boomed from the helicopter high above the street as it's spot light twisted desperately to try and keep the creature illuminated and out of the clutches of the all consuming darkness.

In thundering chain of explosions and blinding flashes, the once silent guns in the policemens' hands came to life, unleashing a hail of bullets that rocketed at the speed of sound.

Bullets shot by the creature faster then it could see them, the slip stream from the noses tickling it's cheek and ruffling it's hair, yet still missing it only by fractions of an inch. The bullets that whizzed by disappeared into the darkness only to re-emerge as small puffs of dust as they crashed into the sides of the darkness shrouded buildings.

The gawking crowd on the street watched as the creature soared through the air, and throwing out it's arms like it was trying to stop itself, landed on the wall of the a tall white resturant building that had all its windows shattered. Sinking its claws deeply into the wall, the creature cast one last glance down on the street below at the upturned faces that seemed to revering it like some sort of god, and with all the grace of a spider, started quickly clawing its way up the side of the building, undisturbed by the bullets that were piercing and exploding in the wall only inches from its flesh.

The helicopters reared backwards in roar of engines and propellers, shining their spotlights on the creature as it dashed up the wall. Unpertubed by the display of superhuman strength and grace, the policemen continued firing uncontrolled at the creature, their bullets missing only by hairs and exploding in the stonewalls all around the creature. In a matter of seconds, despite being shot at and held firmly in the blinding circles of the helicopter spotlights, the creature breached the top of the resturant building, crawled over the edge and disappeared from sight.

In a roar of engines and beating propellers, the helicopters climbed skywards as fast as they could, unleashing typhoon force winds on the street and crowd below, and birthing an enormous dust cloud that choked and engulfed the crowded street. With a roar of fury, the police officers on the ground threw their rifles over their shoulders and dashed to the barricades seperating them and the gawking crowd, hopping over them and pushing their way through the amazed crowd and to their awaiting vehicles parked at the edge.

In a matter of moments, the scene that seemed to be the downfall of the creature that had taken over Vaugn's body was now both void of Vaugn's body and the Tokyo Police force, the ones who seemed the best suit for taking down a monster who could destroy a truck with a mere wave of it's clawed hand.

"So, do we go after that thing?", Kihari asked, unsure if after seeing what they had if it was really wise to go after the creature that had taken over Vaugn's body.

"Ofcourse we do!", Nikkai said quickly, his voice alive with burning determination, "We have to get to that thing before the police do so we can get Vaugn back alive and in one piece!"

"Okay, but where is that thing even going?", Asuke asked as she and the others began pushing their way through the excitedly muttering crowd who were busy sharing their pictures and videos of what they had just scene.

"I don't know, but that doesn't mean we have to give up!", Nikkai replied energetically, "But how hard can it be to find that thing with every law officer in the city looking for it?"

With that very true point fresh in their minds, the five friends pushed their way through row after row Tokyo night goer, and moments later, broke through the last row of gawkers. Nikkai, who had been beaten quite thoroughly as it was tossed down the street like a ragdoll, seemed to forget the pain he was feeling as he pushed himself forward, dashing along the back row of excited Tokyo night-lifers with friends in tow, and pushing himself forward at top speed down the sidewalk of a street crowded with paramedics, injured citizens and destroyed vehicles.

Nikkai was determined to find his friend at any cost, no matter what happened to him. With that single thought to keep himself going, and the awe inspiring tower that was the Kojuni Office Building in the distance, Nikkai pushed himself forward, determined to follow the creature to any the ends of the earth if he had to.

***

The skyline of Tokyo was empty and cold, the cool breeze blowing and whistling over the empty rooftops of the countless skyscrapers of the city. The night sky was glowing black-purple as the innumerous lights below it chased away the darkness to the furthest reachs of the city's edges.

The creature that had taken over Vaugn's body was leaping gracefully from rooftop to rooftop like a frog from lillypad to lillypad. The streets below it were like cracks in the sidealk as it effortlessly soared over them, and the people crowding the streets like the many, scurrying ants that could be squashed under a single toe.

Excitement was coursing through the creature's veins. Even though it had been denied of tearing apart several mettling humans, it had none the less been able to spread unimagainable damage and destruction with the simple wave of its hand, and for that, it kind of made up for not being able to spill the blood of the humans like it wanted to.

"Who would have thought that the apes that control this world could provide me with so much fun!", the creature laughed outloud as it soared like a spear over a bustling street far below it, the cool air nipping at it's flesh yet feeling exhilerating nonetheless.

Landing gently on an empty roof, the creature dug it's clawed toes into the ground, and like an ice skater coming to a stop, slid gracefully to the edge of the building in a cascade of shredded concrete and stopped effortlessly at the edge. Taking a deep breath of the cool night air, the creature looked down over the city and the many people ignorant of what had been released upon the city mere hours ago. In the center of the city, standing tall like a magnificent centerpiece to a beautiful sculpture, the Kojuni Office Building towered high above everything else around it, drawing everyone and everything's attention to it in a heartbeat.

"Yes. I could get quite used to this world.", the creature purred evily, it's eyes blazing happily.



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