10-D-0 Monstrous Judgement

"Transfer complete," said the maid.

Nabiki looked up from where she'd been checking into repairs. "So quickly?"

"It's been four hours, thirty two minutes, eleven seconds since the procedure began," stated the maid.

"What about that timer? It's still got time on it," pointed out Nabiki.

"Oh, that's the time before they wake up and are fully functional," said the maid. "Their consciousness has to recover from the transfer. Some people find it quite jarring."

"Uh huh," said Nabiki, idly wondering why Kasumi hadn't specified herself as the owner. Then realizing that Nabiki herself wouldn't have trusted Nabiki. Oh well.

Nabiki wandered around the showroom, looking at the various items and accessories available and only exclaiming once when she saw Tatewaki Kuno of all people race past the storefront.

Curious, she watched as he charged in with raised bokken into an old building that looked kind of like a cross between an evil sorcerer's tower and a mini-mart. The sign read [Monster Emporium].

Nabiki chewed briefly on her tongue, debating whether she should ask. Finally curiosity got the better of her. "What does 'Monster Emporium' do?"

A bloodcurdling scream sounded from across the street, followed by a brief glimpse of Tatewaki Kuno trying to fight his way out the friendly glass doors while dozens of gold-green tentacles tried to pull him back inside. After a brief struggle, Tatewaki Kuno vanished within. All the signs of him left were some skid marks on the ground and a wooden sword lying where he'd almost made it back out to the street.

"Never mind," said Nabiki. "I think I figured it out."

"Oh? The Monster Emporium?" asked the maid. "That's one of those Divine & UnHoly Justice kind of things."

"That's an odd combination," said Nabiki.

"Well, politics and retail make strange bedfellows," said the maid. "It's essentially a place where people face a form of Judgement. Those who fail, end up being transformed into some kind of monster. The actual type depends on what wrongs they've done to others over the years. What sins committed - that sort of thing."

Nabiki made a mental note never ever ever to go in there. "Looks like Kuno-baby failed. Sort of a Beauty & The Beast thing?"

"Sort of," said the maid, coming to stand next to Nabiki.

Neither could see inside, or they'd know that Tatewaki Kuno was becoming: