I'm back minna! Haha sorry it's been a while but it was my birthday over the weekend so I was out celebrating and then suffering from the hangover... Anyways I'm back so I hope you guys enjoy the update! Lot's of cool stuff so I hope you like it! By the way cisda83-san, Minami isn't a heartless puppet sorry if I'm misreading your comment but I'm just making sure everyone knows.

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Chapter 17
The next morning Atsuko woke up to the sound of loud thunder. She was expecting to see a bright sunny sky but instead the sky was as black as night with on occasional flash of lightening. Atsuko walked down stairs to the main room where she was surprised to see everyone sitting on the floor huddled around her TV.
"What are you guys all doing here?" Atsuko asked.
"Our power went out." Mayu said.
"Jurina is afraid of storms." Rena said.
"We were out and needed a place to take shelter." Sayaka said.
"So you all came here in the middle of the storm?"
"Yep." they all said.
"Where is Minami?"
"In here!"
Atsuko walked into the kitchen and there was Minami who was making snacks for everyone. Atsuko walked over and told her she didn't have to do that. She walked back into the room and told everyone that if they wanted snacks they could get them on their own. Minami was not their puppet was hers and Atsuko hugged Minami possessively showing ownership. The others groaned and got up while Minami and Atsuko walked over to see what was on the TV about the storm. Looks like it was almost a typhoon and the weather man instructed everyone to stay inside. Looks like the two weren't going to go anywhere and they were both pretty happy to get a chance to relax. Atsuko wrapped herself around Minami holding her as she watched the television. Then there was another bright flash of lightening and then there was an explosion. The power had gone out and now the house was totally dark.
"Kya!!!!!!"
There was a scream coming from the kitchen. Minami and Atsuko ran in and they couldn't see anything but they could hear a lot of shuffling. There was a loud thud and the sound of something breaking. Minami felt her way over to the drawer and pulled out a flashlight. She shined it on the people in the kitchen and there standing was Mayu, Yuki, Sae and Sayaka.
"Calm down guys!"
There was a glass that had fallen and broke as well as a chair was knocked over. They cleaned up the mess and then went off to find the others. Jurina and Rena were upstairs so they had to bring them back down and then once everyone was gathered, Atsuko lit some candles to bring light into the room. Since the power was out it was time to find another thing to entertain each other.
"Alright who's up for some scary stories!" Jurina said.
"Scary stories?" Mayu said.
"Yeah! It'll be fun! Wanna try?"
"Alright."
"Good then I'll start!"
Jurina took a flashlight and held it under face making her look somewhat scary.
"Once there was this guy who my neighbor knew. He lived in an old apartment complex with just him and his girlfriend. They were a pretty happy couple until one day there was a weird scratching sound coming from the walls. Every time the guy turned on the light to see where it was coming from, the sound stopped. The scratching sounded like something was clawing at the walls but he could never find the source. Every night the man would wake up to that awful scratching sound and every time her looked the source was no where found. Eventually his girlfriend left him saying he was crazy and it was just him. The more he stayed in that apartment the more crazed h e became.
Then one night, when he heard the scratching once more, he was able to pinpoint the spot to one part of the wall. There was a tiny hole and a dim light coming from it. Then when he looked into the hole, there clawing at the wall was a woman who had been trapped clawing at the wall making that awful scratching sound. The man didn't say anything but when he tried to back away he made a noise. The woman turned and saw him smiling from ear to ear. When the man tried to escape, the woman clawed through the wall and killed him. All that remained was claw marks on the floor. Now whenever you see scratch walls on the floor, be careful because you could be next."
"That wasn't scary at all." Mayu said.
"Yeah it was pretty dull." Yuki said.
"Then why don't one of you give it a try." Jurina said throwing the flashlight to Mayu.
Mayu picked up the flashlight and held it under her face.
"There once was a woman who lived in a house deep in the woods. She moved there with her and her two children, a brother and a sister, and they were a happy family. Then one day while the kids were playing, they discovered a secret room. The mother told the two never to go into the room and she sealed it shut. However being kids, they wanted to know what was in the room so they disobeyed their mother and went inside. There the kids found the bodies of two children who had lived before them. When they tried to escape, the doors shut and behind them, the spirits of the former children rose.
That was the last thing they saw before the children's lives were taken. The next day the mother searched the house for her children fearing that they had gone off somewhere. To her relief she found the children playing normally in the main room. The mother relaxed and went to bed that night. Then the next day, the police found the mother dead and the children gone. The house was cleaned out and filled with new tenants however they were killed as well. Five people were killed in that house and so therefore the home was closed. Now if you ever find a house in the middle of the woods, don't go inside because it could be your last visit."
"Lame~" Jurina said.
"I actually thought that was a little disturbing." Yuki said.
"Thank you Yuki."
"Mou you two. So anyone else wanna give it a try?"
"I will!" Sae said."
"Alright here."
Sae took the flashlight and began her story.
"A years ago I heard from my neighbor that there was a young girl who went missing from a house not too far from my place. She was only five years old and no one knew where she went. They gave up on searching and now the mother grieves over the loss of her child. A couple days ago my neighbor complained about hearing the laughter of children coming outside his door. However whenever he looked outside there were no children there. The next day the man's dog was found dead and his son went missing as well.
One by one children around my area went missing and no one knows where they went. The police tried to investigate but there was still no sign as to the children's whereabouts. Then one day I was watering the plants when I saw a little girl staring at me from across the street. When I tired to walk over to her a car drove by and she was gone. It wasn't until a couple months later when I told my neighbor what I saw she said that I may have just saw the ghost of the little girl who went missing years ago. I told the police and the hunt was back on. Then one day I was told they found the body of the girl and all the other children who went missing. They say the girl took the lives of the children so she wouldn't be lonely in the afterlife. The police cleaned the bodies and the girl was finally buried and put to rest. All was supposed to be peaceful but then just a couple days ago... I saw the same girl staring at me right outside my house."
"Kya!!!!"
Everyone looked over and saw Jurina hiding in Rena.
"I don't wanna hear anymore!" she said.
"Relax Jurina it's just a story. This didn't actually happen." Sae said.
"It didn't?"
"No you silly."
"Mou! I was really scared you know!"
"Haha what a scaredy cat you are." Mayu said.
"Shut up Mayu!"
"Hey if you guys don't mind.. Can I give it a try?" Minami said.
Minami took the flashlight and held it over her face.
"Long ago in an old village, there was a young girl who lived with her mother, father and brother. They were all a happy family who loved each other dearly. Then one day, the father came home upset that he lost his job. The family was now getting no money and would starve if they didn't find any soon. The family was already poor so they knew things were going to get bad. However the mother managed to reassure hope in the family. That hope ran out soon as the father used his children for work and took the money they earned to buy alcohol. He would get drunk and then take out his anger on his wife. The children would hide and watch as the father beat the mother.
One day the father forced the little girl into prostitution against her will. The daughter was used as sex slave and was treated horribly by the men she was forced to sleep with. One day the daughter came home to find her entire family dead. Turns out the father owed money and because he couldn't pay, the people took his life. They were about to take the girl's life as well but she managed to escape. She ran and ran until her little legs couldn't take her anywhere else. For two years the girl lived her life as a beggar begging people for money and food. She would eat trash or sometimes even dirt. Anything to satisfy the hunger. However one day the girl had not eaten. She was nothing but skin and bone. The girl laid there against the wall as the flies hovered over her waiting to start devouring her flesh. As the girl stared at the sun hopelessly she wondered why did things have to happen to her. Why was God so cruel to her? As the girl took her last breathes, a hooded figure walked over to her. With a woman's voice it asked,
"What a shame.. Fate has deceived you and know you have been left out here to rot int the sun. You were not given a fair chance little one but I am here to offer you a second chance. Will you accept?"
The girl nodded her head yes and the woman smiled.
"Then come with me child and I shall have you reborn."
The woman held out her hand and the girl weakly took it. From that moment on the girl's life completely ended or so she thought. When she woke up, the girl was in a bed in a nice home. There the woman was sitting there cooking food. The girl herself did not feel hungry nor tired. She felt perfectly fine. However the food looked good so she reached out and grabbed a piece. When she ate it though the food tasted horrible so she spat it back out. The girl tried to sleep but she could not. Not even the latest of nights would her eyes closed. When she asked the woman why she said,
"You have been reborn as my servant. From now on you live to serve me and me only."
In the end, the girl sacrificed her life to be reborn only into an eternal life of servitude."
"Wah what a creepy story!" Jurina said.
"I have to admit that even scared me." Mayu said.
"Very scary." Sae said.
"Ah well it's just a story so relax you guys. Otherwise I'll call you all a bunch of wimps~"
"Oi don't you dare call me a wimp!" Jurina said.
Everyone laughed and at that moment the power came back on. Outside the rain had stopped and now the sun was starting to break through. Everyone ran outside to see the sky. As the clouds were breaking and the rays of sun broke through, the sky looked as if heaven itself was beginning to shine.
"Hey look a rainbow!" Rena said.
There in the distance was a beautiful rainbow that stretched for miles. Everyone gazed at its beauty admiring it all. All except Minami who was staring at her reflection in a puddle of rain water. She had a look on her face saying that she wasn't with the world but somewhere else. Atsuko reached out and held Minami's hand snapping out of her strange trance.
"Are you alright?" Astuko asked.
"Yeah I'm fine." Minami said.
Atsuko was about to ask her something else but then suddenly there was a bright flash high in the sky. They all watched as suddenly a building high in the clouds started to form and build. It turned into a giant stadium and then there was a loud voice.
"ATTENTION ALL PUPPETS AND THEIR MASTERS! WE ARE NOW BEGINNING TO ACCPET ENTRANCE INTO THE TOURNAMENT! PLEASE HAVE YOUR HEART SHARDS IN THE NEXT THREE DAYS! THANK YOU!"
"What is that?!" Yuki asked.
"The tournament."
Everyone turned around to see Mariko standing there.
"What is it?" Jurina said.
"That is where the tournament is going to be held. You guys have three days to gather the shards in order to enter." Mariko said.
"Oh wow..."
Everyone stared at the stadium and then Atsuko felt the grip on her hand tighten. She looked over at Minami who had a determined look in her eyes. It looked like she was ready to fight and Atsuko knew that she was going to help her win no matter what. As they were standing there they didn't hear the group of puppets come up from behind. There was a loud blast and it was heading straight for Yuki.
"Yuki look out!"
Mayu grabbed Yuki and the two managed to dodge. Everyone looked over and there was Sasshi, Ami, and Rie.
"Guess who's back!"
The three of them charged and the others quickly went into battle as well. It was obvious they were outnumbered so they thought they were going to win. Then suddenly, Sasshi divided into hundreds of clones. Turns out that was Sasshi's power and now it was a hundred to ten. Everyone prepared for battle and then they were off. Mayu sliced down as many clones as she could with her sword while Sayaka was blowing up a ton. Rena was also trying up clones and destroying them along with Miichan who was slicing and slashing everywhere she moved. Minami was in the air taking down clones everywhere however Rie and Ami came out and tried to attack. Minami dodged and then sliced Rie right in half killing her for good. Ami tried to attack as well but Minami was quick and stabbed her several time before finally ending her.
Meanwhile down on the floor Sayaka took a ton of roses and threw them across the sea of clones. With one swift movement all the roses exploded getting rid of all the clones. All that was left was the real Sasshi was now all alone with no one to come and save her. Mayu sliced an arm off while Rena took the other. Miichan took a leg and Sayaka blew off the other. All that was left was to finish her off and Minami dive bombed straight into her chest crushing it. Her exposed chest cavity showed a purple human heart beating and all. Minami raised her hand and was about to crush it but then suddenly Sasshi opened her mouth and a blast shot out knocking her off. The blast exposed Minami's two hear shards.
"Minami look out!"
Sasshi's chest sprung legs similar to a spiders and she started to move once again. She jumped at Minami and tired to finish her but missed and Minami flew low taking out two legs. She then swooped around took out another three. She was about to finish off Sasshi but then there was a surprise attack as the bodies of Ami and Rie held her back as Sasshi stabbed her piercing through Minami's chest.
"Minami!!"
Sasshi was about to move and finish Minami when suddenly someone got in her way. Sasshi hit and red blood came out. Minami realized that the one standing in front of her was Atsuko and Sasshi had slashed Atsuko's shoulder.
"Atsuko!"
Atsuko fell over and Minami watched as her blood started to flow out. It was at that moment something in Minami's body exploded and a huge burst of power filled her body. Minami grabbed onto her leg and pulled it out. She shook off Ami and Rie and then quickly dashed towards Sasshi. She slid avoiding the attacks and the managed to take off another leg. She ran straight to the heart and then she reached out and grabbed it. With one good tug, Minami ripped out the heart and Sasshi died right there. Purple blood splattered everywhere getting on everyone. When the battle was all over, it was only Minami who stood holding the heart. She threw away the heart and ran over to Atsuko to make sure she was ok.
"Atsuko!"
Atsuko weakly opened her eyes and made a small smile.
"Atsuko you baka! What were you thinking?!"
"I..I wanted to protect you..."
"That's my job!"
"Haha.. gomenne?"
That was the last thing Atsuko said before passing out. Minami screamed and started to panic but then Mariko rushed over and told her to calm down. They rushed Atusko to the hospital where she was treated and now resting. Minami held onto Atsuko's hand cursing herself for not being stronger. For not being able to protect Atsuko. She was hurt once again and it was all her fault. As Minami sat there, she felt someone place their hand on her shoulder. She looked over and saw Mariko standing there.
"It's not your fault Minami. Atsuko did that on her own will. She did it because she wanted to protect you. You shouldn't be blaming yourself. Atsuko is something very different from all the other masters I've seen. She cares and loves you Minami. Instead of blaming yourself use this as an opportunity to learn and grow stronger. The tournament is coming up and if you want to win then you need to get over this and expect the worst."
"Thank you Mariko."
Mariko left and Minami sat that there thinking about Mariko's words. She was right about the tournament and she was right about Atsuko. She was going to have to see this as a message to get stronger. She was going to win the tournament and then she could be there for Atsuko not as her puppet but as someone else. Possibly her lover. Minami was now set that she was going to win the tournament and no one was going to stop her.
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Wah the tournament is coming up! Get ready for the epic battles guys! Ah it's good to be back~ well it's not like anyone missed me but hey I'm just glad to be back!