Beta read by bbybear85, and Mew Universe. I am thankful for their assistance. ;)

Seizure

Leaning against her silent, ever vigilant sentinel Yuri rested, attempting to recover from her very near death experience. Since that tragically fateful eve five years ago, however, the rejuvenating solace of sleep had been like the brass ring on a ghoulish and twisted carousel; fleeting, and always out of reach.

Her petite form shifted as the nightmare began manifesting in her mind's eye yet again, the long sleeves of her costume concealing stark reminders of constant torment and guilt.

It was an evening like any other, the summer sun casting a coral-hued glow across the sky as it descended slowly toward the horizon. The school year having ended only a few weeks prior, twelve-year old Yuri Nakamura was engaging in her favorite activity; playing with her three younger siblings in the front yard of their new home. It was an older, spacious dwelling set just off of a sparsely traveled road, the surrounding landscape giving refuge to all manner of wildlife. It was the perfect setting, safe and beautiful, with a host of places to play hide-and-seek.

Until it wasn't.

Suddenly, an inexplicable sense of dread fell over the green-eyed girl after gently informing the trio it was time to gather their toys and head inside. She glanced sideways as a shadow darted quickly in and out of her peripheral vision. Cringing inwardly, she turned just in time to find her five-year-old brother chasing the ball they had been playing with earlier into the road. Running after the little boy, she watched as he stumbled, fell hard on one knee and began to cry. Panicked, Yuri reached the youngster and began soothing him while coaxing the boy to his feet. As they stood, Yuri l looked up to find an unearthly, solid black mass in human form towering over them. Clasping the boy's hand tightly, she stared up at the entity frozen in fear, an unheard scream catching in her throat.

:::

Several hours later, the smell of disinfectant and the steady beeping of a heart monitor slowly infiltrated her unconscious state. Straining against the harsh, white glow of the overhead florescent lights, Yuri opened her eyes, her head screaming in protest.

Woozy, and disoriented from the pain medications and sedative, she carefully raised a hand to her forehead shielding her eyes. It was clear from the bandage encircling her arm she had been injured, but as to how, she had little recollection.

Just then, the soft clicking of her room door opening and closing caught the tween's attention. Turning her head, the girl looked over to see her father.

He smiled wearily, pulled a chair up to her bedside , and sat down. "How are you feeling?"

"Not great. Where's Mom?"

He looked away for an instant. "She...she went outside for some fresh air. You know how she feels about hospitals. Do you remember what happened?"

Yuri pondered for a moment, then shook her head. "Hiiro ran into the street, and I went to get him...and now I'm here."

Her father sighed, and folded his hands together. Breaking the news was not going to be easy.

Noda watched as Yuri stirred, tempted to wipe away the tears she had begun shredding during her unconscious ordeal. He wasn't sure when or where, but he had heard that waking someone from a nightmare was thought to be unsafe, although the thought of letting that person suffer needlessly seemed beyond ridiculous, if not cruel. He had known for sometime about Yuri's nightmares, but only Hinata, her second in command, knew of their origin.

In short order the normally spirited, and always headstrong girl opened her eyes, absently wiping them with the back of her hand, then turned to her purple-haired companion. "Any sign of Hinata and Yui?"

Noda shook his head. "No, and I don't like how quiet things have gotten since the storm passed. It's creepy."

Yuri stood and dusted herself off. "Suggestions?"

"I say we call one of the other teams."

Yuri bit her bottom lip and considered this briefly. "If it weren't so late I'd agree, but as it stands, it'd be daybreak by the time they'd get here." She waved a hand casually. "And just between you and me, the others aren't experienced enough to go in unsupervised."

Noda glanced back toward the mansion's front door and back at Yuri. "And those morons are?"

Yuri nodded with absolute certainty. "Yep, they're both more than qualified, trust me."

"I don't suppose you'd mind telling me why you're so sure about that."

She shrugged. "I'll consider it, but right now we have more important-" As the image of her baby brother appeared and faded only a few feet away, she froze.

Noda watched as she paled, and stared silently into the darkness. "You saw something, didn't you?"

Yuri blinked and shook her head. "I..I don't know what it was, but it definitely wasn't Hiiro." Her hands clenched at her sides as anger, and steely determination replaced confusion, and shock. "Damn it!" Turning sharply on her heel she stepped off the porch and headed around the side of the house toward the back of the property.

Temporarily stunned by the magenta -haired girl's abrupt departure, Noda quickly followed. "Yurippe! Where are you going?! Who's Hiiro?!"

"I'm going to get Hinata and Yui."

When he was finally close enough, Noda reached out and grabbed Yuri's arm stopping her in mid-step causing her to stumble slightly. "Are you crazy? That thing almost killed you. What makes you think it won't try again?"

She turned, her expression stern, and her voice authoritative. "As team leader and founder of this organization, I hereby order you to stand down immediately."

Having little recourse, the purple-haired teen released her arm from his grasp.

Yuri's ardent gaze lingered for an instant before she turned back toward the path. Just then, a mist appeared several feet in front of the pair. She blinked, the image of the woman in black forming in her mind. She placed her hands on her hips and addressed the anomaly. "I'm really not in the mood to play games, so if you have something to say, say it. Otherwise, get lost."

The spirit's weak voice echoed in her ears. 'Trapped..'

Yuri drew in a deep breath, steadying herself as a strong feeling of weakness washed over her body. Instinctively, she knew that the weakness was not her own, but rather the woman's.

There was a pause, and then another image: that of the third floor living room, and the open panel. Yuri nodded, closed her eyes briefly, and exhaled. "Yes, I understand now. Thank you." Glancing at her companion, she motioned for him to follow before continuing down the path at a brisk pace.

Minutes later, the pair found themselves in the third floor living room. The scene was exactly as the displaced spirit had indicated. Yuri pulled out her cell phone activating its flashlight app, and began descending into the pitch blackness with Noda close behind. In short order, they reached the bottom, and the closed steel door. She sighed and shook her head. "Damn. I knew this was too easy." Stepping back against the wall, Yuri regarded her partner. "Well, have at it, strong man."

His weapon was strong, and finely honed, but even Noda wasn't sure he could break down a solid steel door. Still, he had to try. Luckily, time had taken its toll, and with one well-placed swing, the door collapsed, falling inward with a loud groan, and landing merely inches from the now free Hinata and Yui.

Hinata shot Yuri a pointed glare. "Took you long enough."

Yui huffed and crossed her arms. "No kidding. How long were you planning on leaving us down here, anyway?"

She ignored them, pushing past the pair into the room. Centering herself, Yuri focused on locating the spirit of Mr. Tanaka, but was met with only silence. Unsatisfied, she retrieved a small recorder from a pocket sewn into the interior of her costume's cape and turned it on. "Mr. Tanaka, are you here?" After letting the device record for several seconds, the green-eyed girl pressed the rewind button, and hit play. Her blood ran cold, and the others gasped as the silence on the tape was suddenly broken by a deep, guttural snarl.

Hinata absentmindedly took Yui's hand. "I don't think that was Mr. Tanaka. I'm not even sure that was human."

Yuri sighed dramatically, and rolled her eyes, pushing her fear back into the recesses of her mind. "Thanks for clearing that up, Captain Obvious."

:::

The four friends ventured back upstairs, and out of the house, unsure of what they had just encountered. More than ever, each one was ready to get back to their normal lives unaware that in the hours to come, they would learn that 'normal' was a very relative term.

Authoress's note: I'm guessing you probably have questions. Not to worry though, I have answers! Sadly, I think the next chapter will be the one to wrap this story up, although I am planning a "bonus chapter" of sorts.. I hope you will be patient with me because there are good things in store. Yes, very good things, especially if you're a fan of warm fuzzies.

Stay tuned! ;)