Jjz_Ranma@Hotmail.com
(Jesus "Jesse" Zamora)

If you have trouble with this address, please use the other two
below (if you do so, make sure to say that the message is for
me).

Saint@Shadow.net
(Henry "Ho-Sung Pak" Lee)

Dyluc@aol.com
(Andre the Giant)
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() Soundtrack info
<> Character thoughts
[] Notes
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                        B L O O D    O M E N

                  L E G A C Y    O F    K A S U M I

     Based on "Blood Omen:Legacy of Kain" from Crystal Dynamics.
_________________________________________________________________

                                Chapter 2:
                       The pain of a new existence...

Kasumi opens her eyes to a well of endless darkness.  Carefully,
she slowly raises a hand in front of her, and feels some sort of
wood, perhaps oak, in front of her.  A little push let a dim
light, just barely enough to see the ceiling of the structure she
was in, something made from concrete.  A push more, and she
removes the covering, which clatters to the floor.  She sits up
and looks at her surroundings.  In front of her, next to the
wall, lay a broom and other cleaning equipment, as well as a
majestic iron sword.  Next to the thing she is in rests a torn
blouse and skirt.  The rest of the room is empty, and dark and
dingy to boot; the only light coming from a few candles along the
walls.  Getting out of her resting place, she walks about a bit,
then looks back at where she was.  She sees an oak coffin,
polished to a shine, the seal, which was the thing she had
removed, rest on the side opposite the clothing.

KASUMI[looking down at herself and seeing a suit of black iron
armor]:So, it wasn't a dream... It all happened... [A tear runs
down her eye, which she quickly wipes away with a deathly gray
hand].

Quickly taking the sword from the far wall, she walks out of the
door on the right of the room, which lead to the outside.  The
light of the sun pierced her eyes, causing a burning sensation. 
Her skin begins to burn as well; not so much as to put her in any
danger, but rather just enough to cause discomfort, as though she
had been sunbathing for hours on end.

KASUMI:My god... That the sun, in which I once found solace, is
now so cruel...

Ignoring the pain, she walks around the field in front of her,
which is laden with tombstones.  Passing by some of them, she
reads some of the names, taking them into memory.

KASUMI:Linna Yamazaki, Sylia Stingray, Ken Kanagawa, William F.
Guile, Hikari Misoto...

She comes across an open grave site, the coffin yet to be placed
within.  The name on the tombstone shocks Kasumi to the core.

Kasmui Tendo.

KASUMI:So, this is it?  I'm just to be tossed in a coffin, buried
in this hole, and be forgotten?  While my killers go free?  [Her
newfound flame begins to spark within her].  No... I won't let
those bastards get away with what they've done to me...

Kasumi runs out of the cemetery and on the forest path to
Ziegsturhl, where her targets surely would be.  Within minutes,
she sees a large group of hooded men setting camp in the
distance, on the same path as she.  She stops running and hides
behind a tree to spy on them.

KASUMI:<Well, this is a large group.  Looking for grieving women
to violate, are we?>

One of the men removes his hood, revealing the jade-eyed bald man
who had finished her.  Straining her ears, she listens to the man
as he begins a conversation with one of his hooded comrades.

BALDIE:I got a weird feeling, man.

HOODIE:Why's that?

BALDIE:I dunno.  I just think that maybe that shit we did
yesterday might come back to haunt us.

HOODIE[sounding concerned]:What, you think that maybe someone may
have saw us?

BALDIE:Maybe.  Either that, or someone may have found us on the
way from Ziegsturhl, while we were joking about it.

HOODIE:I doubt it.  And even if someone DID find us, what can
they do against a band like us?

BALDIE:Perhaps...

The two men go back to their normal activities, Baldie putting
his hood back on.  Kasumi, seeing this as her time to act, runs
over to the camp, her sword at the ready.  One of the bandits
notices her.

BANDIT:Who the hell is--.

             (BGM:"Dance of the Dope Fiends [Remix].")

Kasumi gets close to the bandit and effortlessly cuts him in
half, his blood gushing from him as his parts flopped to the
floor.  The rest of the group grab their swords and run after
her, save for four men who stay behind them, daggers at the
ready.

KASUMI[diving into the fray]:<Kill... Kill... Kill... Kill...>

With one swing, she severs the heads of four men.  Another man
grabs her blade, struggling to hold it in place.

MAN:NOW!!  Kill her!!

Two others leap over to help their comrade, swinging at Kasumi's
torso.  Seconds before those swords meet her flesh, she lets go
of her sword and rolls back away from her would-be assassins. 
Seeing some more sword singers after her in addition to these
three, she leaps back to the ones with her sword and knocks them
out with an unbelievably fast flurry of punches and kicks. 
Picking up her sword, she runs after the others.

KASUMI:<Kill... Kill... Kill...>

She effortlessly hacks the rest of the group to death, then turns
to face the last four, her chest visibly inflating and deflating
as from her heavy breathing.  The man remove their hoods,
revealing the bald one and "sir" from her assault, as well as two
men with green eyes and matted green hair.

BALDIE:Shit... It's her...!

"SIR"[confidently, to Kasumi]:We put 'cha down once, we can do it
again!

The green haired\eyed men run up to Kasumi, daggers out.  One man
is impaled through the heart with Kasumi's sword.  She leaps away
from the other man quickly, dropping her sword, then runs at the
man furiously.

MAN[panicked]:OH, SHIT!!!!

He tries to swing at Kasumi's head, but she dives to the earth,
avoiding the blade just in time and landing with her face under
his groin.  Taking advantage of the situation, she turns to face
her opponent's tool and rips the cloth covering it with her
nails.  Seconds later, in a savage, bestial motion, she embeds
her teeth into his sack and dick, then rips them off.  She spits
the equipment out and rolls out from under the bleeding man's
legs, standing up when she's three paces' distance from him. 
"Sir" and Baldie stay where they are, petrified with fear.

MAN[in severe pain]:AARRGGGHH!!  [Falls to the floor in terrible
pain, and gets into fetal position]

Kasumi giggles hysterically as she walks up to the prone man in
front of him, then grabs his neck with one hand and pulls his
neck to her mouth.

KASUMI[whispering, a strong hint of pure evil in her voice]:How
do you like how I give head NOW?  [Sinks her teeth into her
victim's neck and draws his blood instinctively.  Within seconds,
she drains him completely and drops his now dead form in front of
her.

"SIR":What trickery is THIS!?

BALDIE:C'mon, it ain't worth it!  We have to get outta here!

The two of them turn around and run for fear of their lives. 
Kasumi follows in hot pursuit.

KASUMI:<Kill... Kill... Kill...>

Kasumi catches up to "Sir" and breaks his neck in one smooth
motion, then turns her attention to Baldie, who trips a few
seconds later.

BALDIE[Turning to Kasumi, voice trembling from fear]:No...

Kasumi jumps onto Baldie, wrapping one hand around his neck. 
With all her force, she crushes his throat, and eventually severs
his head from it's neck.

                          (BGM fades away)

KASUMI[relaxing]:It's over... It's all over...

REZO'S VOICE:No, not even close.  These fools were merely the
INSTRUMENT of your murder, NOT the cause.  Look toward their
masters.  Look toward... The pillars...

KASUMI[angry]:Where the hell are you!?

No response.

KASUMI:The pillars...?  What did he mean by 'not the cause'?  And
what do the pillars have to do with it?

She puts a hand to her mouth, feeling blood all over her lips
that she knows is not hers.

KASUMI[afraid]:my God... What have I become...??  [Shouting as
loud as she can] WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO ME, REZO!!!!????

Confused, angry, and depressed, Kasumi recovers her sword, then
walks the long and lonely road to the Pillars of Nosgoth.

_________________________________________________________________

     "Dance of the Dope Hats [Remix]." By Marilyn Manson.  From
     the cd\cassette "Smells Like Children."  Nothing\Interscope
     Records.

     COMING SOON!!!           CHAPTER 3:Beware the Unspoken...
_________________________________________________________________

Let's get on with it.

                             Chapter 3:
                        Beware the unspoken...

Kasumi steps into Ziegsthurl, the burning of her eyes and skin
going away with the coming of the night.  Seeing someone by the
inn, she walks up to him with a friendly smile on her face.

KASUMI:Hello, sir.  I was wondering if you could--.

The man looks at her and sees her face.

MAN[terrified]:VAMPIRE!!!!   [Desperately opens the door and runs
into the inn, making no effort to hide his fear]

Kasumi, saddened further by the welcome she was given, walked
away from the inn and toward a woman taking care of some flowers
in front of someone's house.

KASUMI:Hi there, lady.  I was wondering if you could--.

The woman looks up from her flowers at Kasumi.

WOMAN[fearful]:GET AWAY!!!! [Runs into the house].

Kasumi, realizing that she wasn't going anywhere trying to speak
to anyone, leaves the town and walks farther into the forest.  
After walking for a few minutes, she comes across a bridge over a
shallow river, guarded by two men; one in an orange cloak, the
other in a dark purple one.

ORANGE:Oh, shit!  It's a vampire!  [Pulls out a long knife]

PURPLE:Let's get rid of it, quick!  [Pulls out two throwing
knives].

Orange runs toward Kasumi, extending his knife arm toward her,
looking for a quick kill.  Kasumi simply sidesteps to dodge the
attack, then slices her attacker's chest open with a swing of her
sword.  Her attention then turns to Purple, who stands ready to
fight.

PURPLE:Take this!  [Throws his knives at Kasumi]

Kasumi ducks under the first, then jumps over the second.  As
Purple looks for more knives in his cloak, Kasumi runs up to him
and lands a left uppercut square in the chin, followed by a right
hook to the gut, which sends Purple falling on his ass, dizzy.

KASUMI:Little fucker.  

She gets down on her knees in front of Purple, then pulls his
neck to her lips and bits him, drawing his blood into her through
her fangs.  when his body goes limp with death, Kasumi releases
her grip and lets the empty flesh and bone fall to the floor. 
She then stands up and dusts herself off before continuing
onward.

KASUMI[breathing heavily]:Why am I... Doing this?

Farther along, she notices something in the distance, beyond the
forest, nine dark gray pillars pierce the sky and go as far up as
the eye can see, standing regally.

KASUMI[admiringly]:The Pillars of Nosgoth... How beautiful...

Seeing her goal so close, she continues to run like madness
through the forest as the night becomes darker.  The fact that
she could still see well amazes her, as does the flood of
strength raging through her veins.

KASUMI[happily]:I feel so wonderful now!  How strange that I was
in pain but minutes ago.

Kasumi navigates through the path for another hour until she sees
an unnatural light yards away.

KASUMI[questioning]:Rezo?

Kasumi walks cautiously toward the light, revealing the bases of
nine pillars in a forest clearing, situated in a crescent
formation, save for the center one, which rests a pace in front
of the others, upon a gleaming marble platform.

KASUMI[amazed]:Woah, I never thought I'd see them this close!

She walks unto the platform and looks at the pillars, looking at
the inscriptions on each pillar in order from left to right.

KASUMI:... The Pillar of the Mind... The Pillar of Energy... The
Pillar of Conflict... The Pillar of Nature... The Pillar of
Balance <This one's a pace in front of the others.  I wonder
why.>... The Pillar of Dimension... The Pillar of Time... [voice
hardening]... The Pillar of Death...

WOMAN'S VOICE[mourning]:Yuta... Your madness has shattered our
dreams and blinded you...

Kasumi leaps toward the stares, then faces the Pillar of Balance,
getting into a kendoist fighting stance, her sword gleaming in
the pale moonlight.

KASUMI[nervous]:Wh-who's there!!

A ghost of a woman emerges from the Pillar of Balance, in a torn
gray dress that would have once gripped her curves tightly.  Her
neck ended without her head, which she cradled in her arms.

KASUMI:Keep your distance, or I'll send you back to hell,
spirit!!

GHOST[Her lips not moving]:You have nothing to fear from me,
vampire.  I am but a shadow of my former self; Mana, the balance
of the Circle of Nine.  However, I can still help you find what
you seek.

KASUMI[unnaturally cold]:I SEEK only a CURE!

MANA:There is no "cure" for death.  There is only release.

KASUMI:<Hmph.  So she says.>  What happened to the pillars? 
Aren't they supposed to be gleaming white perfection, instead of
dull gray and covered with cracks??

MANA[sad]:Yes, what you say is true... The Pillars of Nosgoth,
and the Circle of Nine, are corrupted... By a traitor.

KASUMI:A traitor?  Amongst the chosen nine who protect the world?

MANA:Yes.  My murder at the hands of this beast drove my love
Yuta mad.  Now, he spreads pain and misery throughout the circle. 
Kasumi, do you understand what this means?

KASUMI[shaking her head]:Nor do I care.

MANA:Look around you.  The world is dying slowly because of this
chaos, this corruption of the Pillars.  You must restore balance. 
You MUST restore... The Pillars of Nosgoth.

KASUMI:I don't care about the fate of this world!  I just want to
go home to my family in Coorhagen!

Mana lets out a small, humorless giggle.

MANA:Then what of yourself?  Do you think your family would
accept you, a vampire?  Only this way can you find peace.

KASUMI:<She's right... Oh God she's right...> So, what do I do?

MANA:You must kill Yuta, and bring an offering to the Pillar of
the Mind, which he serves.

KASUMI:I see.  This shouldn't be too hard.

MANA:Listen to me, Kasumi.  You will go through a lot of pain and
anguish throughout your quest.  Were I still alive, I would help
you... Yet I am not, and can not.  Please, be brave, and careful.

KASUMI:Okay... [Turns around to leave]

MANA[sternly]:Kasumi.

[Kasumi turns back around].

MANA:Beware the unspoken... [Disappears back into the Pillar of
Balance.]

Kasumi looks at the pillar, dumfounded.

KASUMI:Beware the unspoken?  What is that supposed to mean??

With a heavy heart, Kasumi starts off on the way to Vasserbunde,
and her battle with Yuta.

_________________________________________________________________

COMING SOON!!!     CHAPTER 4:A lesson as to the value of blood.
_________________________________________________________________

This episode introduced one new character:Mana.

Mana (Mermaid Saga) is a person who gets emotional at a slight
provocation, and is so close to Yuta as to be confused for
another limb.  If Yuta were ever to die or go insane, Mana would
certainly lose her good nature.  That was the main reason I chose
her to replace Ariel for this fanfic.  By the way, Ariel does NOT
have her head in her arms in the game.  I created that image of
Mana due to the fact that the only ways to kill someone who has
eaten the mermaid flesh (which will not be featured in this fic)
is to decapitate him\her or to burn him\her so completely that
the head falls from the body.

Thanks go out to those who deserve it.  Chapter 4 may be longer
than the previous ones have been, so I'm debating rather or not
to make a 4+5 block.  C&C is welcome at my address
[Jjz_Ranma@Hotmail.com].

     "I know what's coming to me is never going to arrive."
                         -Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails
                         From the song "Last."

     "I ain't fuckin' round with the gauge or a rope."
                         -B. Real of Cypress Hill
                         From the song "Illusions."
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