Evening, June 15, 1999

[loveandwillpower]

Three are down, three are dead.

Haruhi. Rosa. Alice.

The Princess will be free of her chains soon, Hope from Pandora's box bright and innocent and so easy to be crushed by the unscrupulous. Enemies lie everywhere - the sisters, no matter which side they take, they're out of the way for now. If there are still enemies to take care of, if she's still alive at the end of the night, she'll see if she needs to drag anything out from under their skins.

Four to go. Tomosuke's message had been clear. A turncoat twice over, no fit familiar for a witch. Even a treacherous witch.

With Maria's betrayal, there's really no time to waste. Can't check on the prince, if he's gone then that's just wasted time, if he's not then that's still wasted time, if he's taken a turn for the worse and died then too bad for him, Maya's reign'll just have to kick off with a tragic star-crossed romance, it's his fault for getting in the way.

Time, time - wires strung across doorways and stairwells, ancient crossbows dredged up from the basement, sharp stakes and slippery steps in strategic places, all the traps her wild ingenuity can summon into being, and, of course, a certain upgrade for the power of Venus, purchased with the help of papa's credit card.

Mia will be back to free Maya tomorrow, so it has to be tonight.

A challenge must be issued to the worst of the demons remaining. With the power of love and beauty, she'll defend this household, and with that, she dials Nui. With Alice's cell phone, of course. She might not pick up for Minako, but she definitely will for Alice. Power of love. It's what she's got and she'll use every single tool at her disposal for the sake of her liege.

Comments

[all_onis_are_true]

[He stands a bit away, unnerved.]

Just... be careful, all right? This house is far less safe than it should be.

[ohmygah]

[She gives them what she hopes is an encouraging smile, trying to look less worried than she is.]

Don't worry guys, Ah'll be right back.

[This was a lie. But to be fair, Osaka herself didn't know it.]

[itwasfeyt]

Okay! Let's be careful, Osaka.

[There's just a bit of renewed confidence in Maya's tone. Yes, she was worried, and they had to be safe. But what's the worst that Minako could do?

She slowly opens the door.]

Here we go.

[ohmygah]

[Osaka glances down the steps cautiously. Its too dark to see much beyond the first few steps. But there is something down there. A slight gleam reflecting back at her. She squints at it, trying to make it out. Maybe a mirror? She takes a step down the stairs. Almost immediately, she starts to feel her balance slip away from her. She takes another step while trying to find some sort of handrail to catch herself on. Her hand passes through nothing as the world starts to twist and slip out of her control. She lands on her back, letting out a quick yelp of pain as she slips further down the steps. Every bump is another sharp bruise on her legs or arms. The railing finally appears, connecting the wall of the stairs to the ground of the basement. She tries to grip onto and push herself upward to her feet. She slips again and push herself forward toward the ground. Toward the steak knives awaiting her. The bruises suddenly don't hurt as much anymore. She just wishes she could breath.]

[loveandwillpower]

[itwasfeyt]

[In hindsight, if letting Nui take the "bullet" at the front door was the beginning of the end, letting Osaka go down the stairs first would be the follow-up. There was no telling what was in the house, after Minako set up here, she knew that.

So, why did she let her go first?

It's dark, and Maya could see just as much as Osaka did as they peered down the dark steps. She noticed the bright gleam in the depths, just catching the light from where they were. They both seemed to think the same thing, as Osaka acted first, while Maya look for anything else that might be a trap. There were no tripwires at their feet...

But she noticed too late, the sheen of some odd substance on the steps. Osaka was already slipping over herself and falling. Maya thought fast and tried to grab for her.]

Osaka!

[Only... Maya missed. Her hand found nothing but air and she slipped on the first step. She would have slid down all the way, if not for her grip on the door. She hung there, panicking and trying to find her foot.

And then she heard a sound. A very, unpleasantly squishy sound.]

O-Osaka!!

[all_onis_are_true]

[No... no way...

Everything happens before Hiroshi has any opportunity to really gauge it. Only when the unpleasant sound of metal entering flesh echoes from the bottom of the steps does he suddenly regain his focus. Too late, it seems.]

She... trapped the stairs. Minako trapped...

[That feeling of nausea wells up in his stomach again. He barely contains it. He should have gone first, he should have been the one, maybe they could have stopped this...]

[ohmygah]

[It hurts.... Its hurt a lot. She can't move a single inch without feeling a sharp pain in her stomach and throat.

Is anyone coming? Anyone that can help her? Please won't someone at least be there and tell her its okay and she'll be fine and her friends aren't really dead and they can all go have lunch together and laugh and smile and be happy again?

But if someone walks down those stairs, they could get hurt too.

She tries to say something. Anything. A warning. Encouragement. Goodbye. Just something to do. Something that doesn't make her feel like its all for nothing. That she helped save the day. Anything. Please.

She manages a few gasping breaths before it all fades away.]

[happyhalloween]

Osaka!?

[Maria's voice is suddenly very small and unsure.]

Maya-oneesan, what happened to Osaka?

[itwasfeyt]

[Slipping slipping slipping. Somehow, Maya manages to pull herself up again.

Her face could generously be described as pale.]

She.... s-she just.... and I...

[She can't look at either of them.]

It happened again....

[happyhalloween]

[Maria stares up at Maya... then she hugs her tightly.]

Sorry. Maria is so sorry.

[She's not even sure what she's sorry for, unless it's helping Venus before, but she is. So sorry.]