The Center Cannot Hold

Sword blades. She was in a corridor of sword blades. The floor was a carpet of long, flat blades. The walls were lined with katanas. Blades hung overhead, points ominously pressing down
Lily sighed. "Great. Just great."
So she did the only thing she could: she began to walk.
Here and there, doors were hiddden behind the thicket of steel, out of reach behind the blades. Lily reached for one; ithe swords began to rattle dangerously. She drew her hand away, thoughtfully. Reaching into her pocket, she palmed a pebble, and tossed it. The sword blades flashed.

The swords lept from their places and sliced the rock until nothing remained but dust. The other Kiou had laid these traps long ago just in case Lily did return. Of course, she had never made proper traps before so they were crude and easily made. Swords fell harmlessly to the ground with a loud clang as the old hallway from before was revealed to her oncemore.

The woodwork had changed since last time. Now, the walls and floors which used to be done in shiny and deep finishes of varying intensities of laqure now were aged and worn. The wood popped and split as the harmony of the two minds that had previously held the space in condition had fallen away.

The floor creaks and moans beneath Lily's feet as she steps inside what was a fine house. It resembles a ruin now, well on its way to decay. Shadows scuttle just on the corner of vision, keeping Lily darting wary glances. Corridors stretch away, empty and bleak.
For a moment, Lily stands still.
"Sod this." she mutters, then raises her voice. "Hello? Anyone home?"
There's a scuttling, leathery sound far off, but not far enough for comfort.
Then, the explosive whap of wings. Something dark dives over Lily's head, leaving her yelping and diving for cover.

The owner of the wings landed softly near her. Ebony wings shimmered in the low light that the house provided. As he turned to her, the very house began to warp and change. Time slipped down the hall towards her as the wood aged and rotted instantly in a cascading effect before turning to dust. As the hallway disintegrated it revealed the same temple scene from before only this time, the setting sum reflected the crow beak on the tengu's face.

"You should not be here."

Slowly, he drew his sword as he eyed her. "You are not of the mistress' world nor has she made mention of you to arrive. You will die a trespasser's death."

With a yelp, Lilly rolled between the thing's feet. "Shit oh bloody hell I'm gonna die oh shit!" Her roll crashed her into the wall, shattering into a thousand fragments the glass blades.
A moment later, Lily blinked. She was still alive; a surprise. Standing, she very carefully checked for injuries. Nothing.
That done, she glanced up..and swallowed hard.
She was in a landscape of bridges. Bridges of a thousand styles, over pools of black water in which red lotus floated like rubies.
Cautiously, Lily approached a bridge. The water beneath was as smooth as glass. Peering into it, she was surprised to see, not her own reflection, but Kiou's face.

The Kiou that looked up at her smirked evilly. "You, are trespassing. At least it will be gratifying to finally kill you you flower bitch." The black water rippled a moment before the Kiou in the water reached up for her. The water pulled and rose like taffy in the shape of her arm. Once the first one was fully formed, more arms rose out of the water; each reaching for Lily in hopes of dragging her down into the depths.

"Oh hell!"
Lilly took off running, dodging and leaping across bridges. Some of the figures laughed, some wept, but most simply tried to kill her, reaching with talons and spears of water, with tidal waves, with whatever they could come up with, all of them yammering in her ears.
At the end of a pagoda bridge, there was a gate. Lily barreled into it, shoving it aside and....
She was in a room, and a little girl was crying in the corner. Taking a moment to get her bearings, breathing hard, Lily leaned against the far wall warily.

The little girl sobbed loudly as she looked to Lily. With a wail, she hopped to her feet and ran to her. Her little hand gripped at Lily's legs as she sobbed and wanted to be held.

Carefully, Lilly sank to the child's level. "Hey, hey, what's the matter? You're okay. Nobody's going to hurt you." Awkwardly, she patted the girl's back. She'd never done much with children,never had the chance. What did you do to get a kid to stop crying anyway?

"It hurts... Everything hurts..." Slowly bruises began to appear on the girl as she clung to Lily for comfort. "She's hurting us..." The bruises slowly spread over her arms and legs before climbing up her face. "We're breaking...."

As Lily stared in shock, the little girl shattered into a thousand slivers, whispering away like sand on the air. She gaped. "Christ on a pogo stick...an' I thought she was weird the last time."
Slowly, she stood. And that was when the floor gave way beneath her.

From the moment she fell, taiko drums began to play in a chorus. The vibrations and deep tones vibrated the blackness and with each blow of the deep drum different memories appeared in the blackness like drops on water. Some were simple memories, of a festival with paper lanterns and sweet riceballs grilled on sticks. Others were of her mother and grandmother. Tender images of laying in the sunshine and napping as well as calligraphy. The only thing that held true was the fact that these were not the memories of the Kiou that wanted her dead. These were the lighter Kiou's memories. Still the drums played.

All at once, the other Kiou's voice reverberated through the darkness. "These are not for you. You may be falling... But I will catch you soon enough." Below Lily, a flicker of light grew. the drums played with a heated fervor as the light grew into a wooden room. It was a box really and the nicer Kiou, weakened from her treatment lay prostrated within it. When she landed on the floor, the drums ceased instantly and a roof slammed down on top of them to prevent escape.

Slowly, Lily stood, studying the girl and the room alike. "If I get you out of here, can you handle it?" she asked, quietly in case anyone was listening.

"I'm not sure if I can..." She looked to her sadly. She's taken a lot from me. So many memories... I don't remember too much anymore..." She sighed as she laid there on a makeshift futon. "I'm so tired..."