Chapter Four: Persephone Awakes:

Back at Kitty Cherry Splash, the girls noticed that Anna was gone.

"Where'd Anna go?" Willow asked.

"She said she was going home," Rihoko replied.

"Think we should call her?" Willow asked.

"Nah," Lucy cut in. "She'll be fine." Rihoko and Willow looked at her.

"You sure?" Willow asked.

"Barbie's not a child," the Goth said. "She'll be fine; she's probably in the shower right now or something." She noticed the concerned looks on Rihoko and Willow's faces. The Goth rolled her eyes.

"Fine," she sighed. "I'll go check on her." Rihoko and Willow smiled.

"Thank you!" Willow said.

"Whatever," Lucy said. Anything to get out of this glittery hell, she thought as she walked out the door.

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She made it to Kimoto Manor in under fifteen minutes. Lucy slid open the door. "Hello?" she asked. "Anyone here?" The Goth peeked inside. "Barbie? You sleep?" she whispered. "Hello?"

Lucy stepped inside and looked around. They must be sleeping, she thought. Still better check, though. It took her a minute to take off her black platform lace-boots at the doorway. Lucy sneered as she did so. I hate Japanese customs at times, she thought. So annoying. Once the boots came off, Lucy went down the hall. Normal so far, but then she saw the bathroom light on.

Hm? What's that? The Goth trailed the bright light and found Anna still sitting on the bathroom floor in a catatonic state with open blank eyes. A puzzled look came on Lucy's face.

"Barbie?" she asked. "What are you doing on the floor?" She received no answer. Lucy walked forward. "What happened?" she asked. "What are you doing?" The Goth waved her hand in front of Anna's face. "Barbie? Barbie?" she asked. Lucy tapped her on the arm with two fingers. Nothing; no response.

"Hm, strange," the Goth said. This does not look good� She checked for a pulse in Anna's neck. Pretty faint, but there. "Okay," Lucy said. "Alive, but not good." She looked at Anna again. Right� Lucy drew out her phone and dialed for help.

"Tokyo Emergency," the operator said.

"Uh yeah," Lucy said. "I'm in my friend's bathroom and I think there's something wrong with her. She's just sitting on the floor in a daze."

"What do you mean?"

"Kind of hard to explain, really." Lucy turned to Anna. "She's sitting on the floor staring out all zombie-like."

"Is she responsive?"

"No. She's not moving at all."

"At all?"

"Nothing at all."

"Is she breathing?"

"Yes, but barely. Can you please send rescue?"

"They're on the way. What's the address?"

"Kimoto Manor, block seven, Meguro, subarea four."

"Help is on the way."

"Thanks."

"Bye."

"Bye." Lucy hung up the phone and sat next to Anna. She straightened the tsukai's hair. "Help's on the way, Barbie," the Goth whispered. In twenty minutes, the ambulance took Anna to the hospital. Lucy phoned everyone to alert them.

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Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip.

Anna slowly drew her eyes open. A cool breeze waved over her face. A soft scent filled her nose. One of jasmine, cinnamon, ginger to be certain. Anna blinked in a haze. Scented oil? Scented oil? Scented oil� A small flame teased her ears.

Fire� The rising scented oil brought her back to her senses. She tried to stay calm as she looked around. Burning scented oil danced at her bare heels. Her eyes trailed above her head. Thin, steel wires held her in place. Despite the heat at her feet, she felt cold all over. Anna shut her eyes and wished this was a dream. Icy, ghost-like fingers felt up her naked breasts.

"Good my dear, you're awake," a voice purred in her ear. Anna jerked her eyes open as a warm tongue caressed the skin.

"Asato-kun?" she whispered. She gasped as a blade touched her ribcage. The woman took in slow breaths as she felt ice steel drag down to her left hip. His hunger spiked at the crimson wine escaping the wound.

"So beautiful," he mumbled. "Skin so beautiful to cut." He licked up the blood on the blade.

"Mmm! I can tell you are a goddess," he said. "Because you taste divine!" The knife found her right inner thigh and trailed down to her ankle. Such sweet, heated blood leaked out of the cuts and made thin trails down her body. The heated drops landed on the floor. He stepped back before it landed on his shoe. Next came her abdomen. The knife treaded on slowly down her skin. He licked his lips with hunger.

Back to the ass. He felt himself growing hard in his trousers. However, he blocked out the sensation to focus on the foreplay at hand. Left leg to ankle. His breath quickened with each cut into her pretty skin. So beautiful.

She wanted to scream, but no sound came out. Her brain felt as if it was floating through murky water as tried to grasp what was to unfold before her. The knife cutting into her skin didn't help either. Pain and a stupor blocked out any cohort thoughts that could help her fight back.

Asato-kun, why? Why?

And that's just the first bite of the appetizer. He hadn't even started her nightmare.