Heeeyooo! Happy Halloween! I was watching the new Blair Witch while writing this. I'm very disappointed, it's pretty freaking terrible. Anyway enjoy the chapter!

Reviews:

SakuraKoi: Yep, it's a pretty evil doll. And it has big plans *evil laugh*. Thanks for reviewing!

Copy-Nin's Daughter: Indeed it will. Shiemi does have quite a big mouth sometimes, so we'll see if she talks or not. Interesting that you don't like Takara...But I guess he isn't innocent really. Thanks for reviewing!

Anon-here: Oh alright I was wondering if that might've been you. Ha, yeah Shiemi just got dragged into it. Glad you didn't mind Takara's pov thing. I'll be using it more in the future.

Shiemi ran as fast as she could towards the fountain, tripping on her kimono. Her arms held several boxes of medical supplies, herbs, summoning papers, and rags. She had hooked a mop beneath her armpit.

Oh please let everything be okay please let everything be okay please let everything be okay...

Her breaths came out in short squeaks, trailing behind her in the cold morning air. She kept telling herself that everything was fine. She was overreacting. But Shima had sounded so...

Weird.

Shiemi let out a small cry as she ran across the bridge. The ribbon in her hair came loose and floated away, but she didn't even notice. Her footsteps sounded pathetic to her own ears. Underwhelming and small and terribly slow.

No. Be brave Shiemi. Shima-san needs your help! And you're his friend!

Doubling her efforts, she finally made it across the bridge. She felt slightly better, being on solid land. But she had no time to dwell on that. Shiemi headed for the fountain, then froze as another set of footsteps clashed against her own.

She craned her neck, and saw a professor strolling towards her. She yelped, then realized he hadn't spotted her yet as he was looking through some papers. Shiemi panicked.

To her left was one of the boy's dormitories, and she quickly ducked inside. The professor drew close. Her heart pounded against her frail chest. She peeked through the lock with a teary eye.

Come on...please hurry up sir...please...I need to find Shima-san!

The professor whistled as he passed, shuffling the papers and pausing to adjust his tie. Shiemi held her breath. Her arms ached with the weight of the boxes.

"Come on..." She whispered, frustrated. The professor turned to glance at the door and Shiemi nearly screamed. Then he walked away. He was barely out of sight when Shiemi burst through the door and ran for the fountain once again.

She was about to turn the last corner when the smell hit her.

Tangy. Ripe. Heavy. Whatever it was, it made her feel sick. So guiltily, she slowed down to a walk as she made it around the bend.

And there she discovered several horrifying things.

Shiemi stopped dead, eyes bulging in fear.

Because for one, she had found the source of the stench. A puddle of crimson liquid, snaking into the cracks of the cobbles. And lying in that puddle, the very lifeless form of Shima Renzou.

A box fell from her hands to smash onto her foot and she yelped, jarred back into reality.

"SHIMA!" She screeched, collecting the fallen box and rushing over to him. She dropped to her knees and shuddered as the warm blood crept through the folds of her clothes.

"Oh no...oh no oh no oh no oh no!" Shiemi mumbled, tears dripping down her face. She began to hyperventilate, scared and shocked and not knowing what to do!

Please...please no this isn't real!

Shiemi clutched at her hair, her chest, anything to keep her grounded. Until...

"Sh'meh..." A barely audible word flitted through Shima's lips. Shiemi placed a hand over her mouth in relief and horror.

He was alive!

You...you can still help him! You're not too late! Just do it and don't think so hard!

New found resolve exploded throughout Shiemi's body. She set her jaw, straightened her shoulders, and grabbed her summoning papers.

"Nii-chan, I need you right now," She whispered lovingly. Then her familiar emerged from nowhere, waving cheerfully. Shiemi mumbled something in his ear (or at least, where she presumed his ear should be) and he produced a few small herbs.

"Thank you," Shiemi bowed her head, then quickly began applying the leaves to Shima's wounds. She worked fast, becoming more and more steady.

Soon his skin was clear of blood and he was completely bandaged. Shiemi sighed in relief. The sun had come up considerably, and she knew that soon there'd be people around.

I need to clean this up...

Allowing herself a moment to breathe and regain her nerves first, she grabbed the mop.

"Please be okay Shima," Shiemi whispered, then she got to work.

Shima woke up in a bed that wasn't his. He didn't even need to open his eyes to be able to tell. The mattress was worn in all the wrong places, and he wondered for a second if that was the cause of the pain in his shoulders.

He shifted, uncomfortable. There was an itch at the back of his mind, he like was forgetting something.

Puppet blood pain fight hate strength

A rush of pictures played behind his eyelids.

Puppet blood pain fight hate strength!

Again. The images were so fast, disturbing. Shima recognized himself in them, and a black towering mass that had to be Yamantaka.

PUPPET BLOOD PAIN FIGHT HATE STRENGTH!

He jerked upwards, still not opening his eyes, but now understanding. The memories finally clicked into place and he felt a new confusion.

How was he still alive?

Unless...unless well...

"Moriyama?" He tried.

There was a surprised squeak that could only come from the tree-hugging girl and Shima smiled weakly, finally opening his eyes.

He was in a dorm room, and Shiemi sat next to him on a chair.

"Shima!" She smiled, patting him on the arm. "I was so worried I thought at first you were dead but then you weren't dead and I put those bandages on you and then I had to clean up all the blood and I almost threw up five times but I did it and I barely managed to take you here you're really heavy by the way and also class started twenty minutes ago so we're both going to be in so much trouble but friends are friends and-"

"Whoa hey, you're giving me a headache. I'm okay. Thanks to you," Shima laughed. He sat up experimentally and found that the pain wasn't as bad as he'd expected. Shiemi really was a miracle-worker.

Then he noticed that he was naked except for his underwear, and Shiemi was in nothing but her hadajuban.

"Where are our clothes?" He asked, massaging his head.

Shiemi turned bright red and widened her eyes.

"Oh! Well they were all bloody and so I'm washing them..." She sputtered. Shima laughed.

"Um so...um...Shima-san..." Shiemi started. "What happened to you?"

Shima hesitated. He didn't know how far he could trust Shiemi to keep her mouth shut...but she had just saved his life.

No. Too unreliable. Shima sighed, and was just starting to construct an elaborate lie when the door burst open.

Both of them jumped, then jumped again when they realized who had come inside.

"What the hell is this Shima!?" Bon screeched, holding up a painfully familiar K'rik, caked with drying blood.

Cliffhangers yay! Also, in case you wanted to know, a hadajuban is the underdress that goes beneath a kimono. Scandalous, right? Lol. Anyway, please review and I'll see you later!

Wolf Out...