Fan Fiction ❯ Stars ❯ Hotflashes ( Chapter 7 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

~*~Michi groaned slightly as she came to her senses. Her hands were bound behind her back, her entire body was sore and her vision wasn’t clearing up as fast as she would’ve liked. She blinked as fast as she could, each blink was in sync with the rapid beating of her heart. Once her vision became somewhat clearer, she surveyed her surroundings. She was sitting against some random tree in the forest. How far they were from the battle scene was completely unknown to the girl. She tried to shift her weight, the tree root digging into her back was only reminding her of her extremely painful body. No matter how much she tried to push off the thing it just stayed right in the same place. Eventually she gave up and stopped moving around. Her captor wasn’t anywhere to be seen nor heard. Where could he of been? Did he just leave her there to die? She doubted that, he was very determined to take her alive. A wave of drowsiness overcame the girl and her eyes slowly began to close once again. The sound of rushing water and leaves scratching together in the wind was lulling her into a comfortable slumber. A loud crunch in the leaves ruined her lullaby and she opened her eyes fully to see the sorcerer walking forward. He walked with his head held high, his lavender tresses dancing in the wind. Michi was sure he was well respected, or well feared. She didn’t fail to glare at him as he stopped walking in front of her. He looked down on her with his lips pulled into a half smirk. Rubbing his hands together he crouched down so he was nearly eye level with the girl, he reached out a gloved hand and pushed some of her fallen hair from her face. She didn’t flinch under his touch, but it was obvious she wasn’t enjoying herself. He pulled his hands back and exhaled, he looked over his shoulder and then back at Michi. It was more than obvious she was still extremely exhausted. The way her eyes kept falling shut and her breathing was strained were only a few of the things giving her away. The girl eyed his neck, where she had cut him, there was no trace he had been wounded. She was sure all of his wounds we’re healed and he was probably feeling as good as new.“What the hell do you have planned for me?” Michi blurted without much thought, the question had been nagging her since she awoke. “I knew you were going to ask me that.”“Good for you.”“And that would be why I have thought out how I will answer you….”“hmmm?”“You’ll just have to figure that out for yourself.”Michi was just a mere second from bursting into a fit of rage, when a loud bang rang through the forest shaking the ground and sending many birds flying off with sudden coos of surprise and farewell. A rain of leaves had begun but didn’t last long. The amber haired girl tensed when the tree she was leaning against began to fall, not on her the opposite way. Kanaye didn’t pay attention to the girl, instead he was trying to sense where the disturbance had come from. He closed his eyes and whispered an old chant. The wind quickly picked up and the leaves began to dance. They spun around, directed by the wind, creating a blurring wall of brown and gold. Michi pushed herself onto her knees, then got to her feet, hands still trapped behind her back she walked from the tree. She walked behind the mumbling sorcerer and stared at the swirls of colours surrounding her. She glanced back at the boy, he was too deep in thought to notice anything. He probably hadn’t even noticed her standing right behind him.With him distracted she could defiantly get herself out of the place. First off was dealing with her hands. Masuyo had taught her a long time ago how to free your hands. Michi chuckled lightly to herself, remembering that cold day. Masuyo sensei had taken Michi to the lake one day, winter had just came out of nowhere practically. It hadn’t seemed like she had been learning under Masuyo sensei for very long, but in reality a whole year had passed.Why he wanted to bring her out to a place like this for training was way over her head. It was cold but he made her wear her fighting uniform. There was a lake, the setting sunlight battling in purple and orange in the waves of water. He had grabbed a piece of rope an told her to leave her weapons on the shore. They both walked to the edge of the dock, Michi peered into the water, there wasn’t any signs of life, she was sure throughout the spring and summer the lake was filled with many local fish of different shapes and sizes. “Michi, close your eyes.” She did as she was told her teachers rough, cold hands grabbed hers. He pulled her hands behind her back, brought her wrists together and then began to wrap them in the rope. The young girl’s heart began to beat faster. She wasn’t so sure she would enjoy this training as much as she had thought. ~*~Kiyoshi had stopped struggling a long time ago, the pain coursing throughout his body was unbearable. The dark sky was littered with many stars. Stars, the reason he was in this predicament and Michi was in trouble was because of a Star. He didn’t see beauty in the stars that shone upon him, he just saw little twinkling lights of trouble. He scoffed and rested his cheek back on the dirt of the ground. He was wondering when that girl he had saved would wake up, the sooner the better, she could run off and find help. He exhaled sharply from his nose, pushing the dirt away from his nostrils. His legs were now numb, soon they’d be rendered useless from no blood circulation and he wouldn’t ever be able to walk again. These thoughts sent shivers of worry and panic up his spine. A rustle of the ground and a small groan informed him that the girl had finally woken up. His heart beat rose as his hope and excitement were raised. She was awake, alive and could get help now. Things were looking a little better after all. Kimi sat up quickly and instantly regretted it, her balance felt off as her head sent her vision spinning. She placed her other hand down firmly on the ground and waited for the misleading feeling to end. Once she had regained her composure she looked around the dark forest. Not much light was there to help her see anywhere, as far as she could’ve known, there may have been someone standing only ten yards from her. Knowing that she was extremely vulnerable made her very uncomfortable.“Girl!” Someone nearby whispered.Kimi’s eyes darted around for any silhouette of a someone in the maze of trees. Her eyes didn’t pick up on anyone and her heart began to beat faster. Her fingers made contact with something cold and metal, something rather familiar.~*~Nanashi didn’t walk for too long after the battle, he was way too tired and sore. Instead he found a nice patch of grass under some eerie tree and slept. Nanashi hardly slept at all, only after battles did he even consider it. He felt too vulnerable to sleep.He lay there for only a moment before falling into his light coma. The wind picked up slowly, causing tree branches to sway and leaves to fall. The boy on the ground muttered something to the people in his dreams and rolled over. His cheek connected with something cold, solid and shaped extremely strange for any sort of tree root. Confused at what it could possibly be, he opened his eyes. Immediately a large smile planted itself firmly on his face. He sat up slowly, his jaw dropped and his hand extended. It was one of the most beautiful things he had ever seen.~*~“Alright just, try to move as fast as you can!”“You don’t say!”“Oh shut up!”The two had been bickering for a while, after becoming extremely startled by the trapped boy. Kimi realized what happened and was now trying to help him out. The boy just wouldn’t listen to her, she knew there wasn’t help near by and that she could get him out of the mess.“Ok! One more time! If it doesn’t work I’ll try a different way!” Kimi planted her feet firmly on the tree branch, she had used her shorter manrikigusari to sort make a contraption that helped hold her to the tree. The other one was carefully attached to the fallen tree. All she had to do was pull it up and let him crawl out.Easier said than done.She pulled, straining her muscles and making her eyes water. The tree did lift off of the ground, but the boy wasn’t fast enough. She shouted loudly to warn the boy she couldn’t hold it and tried as slowly and gently as she could to place it back down.Ok, plan B.After freeing herself, she jumped down next to the tree and crawled through the branches to the boy. “Please,” the girl said with sorrow filled eyes. The light from the moon and stars was just enough for them to see each other. “Let me try again, a different way. It wont hurt much.”The boy exhaled and spat the stick he had put in his mouth to guard his teeth. “Its not like I can argue. Do what you can.” Kimi smiled and nodded her head. Immediately she got to work. “Close your eyes.” The boy complied and Kimi began pulling at the earth, her hands moved quickly as she dug at the ground.“Just give me a little time and you’ll be out of here.”~*~
He was still distracted, good. She jumped up into the air, pulling her knees to her chest, she slid her hands under her feet, in front of her legs. Then gracefully landed back on her feet, and luckily he hadn’t noticed at all.This was a perfect time to act, it would’ve been better if she wasn’t so weak. Just re-positioning her hands had made her tired. But she was a ninja, she had no time right now to be tired. Her priority was getting out of here and finding Kiyoshi and her weapon. But first things first, she bit down at the knot that was securely holding her wrists together. She tugged and pulled but it did nothing but giver her a headache and a sore mouth. She looked around to see if there was anything useful. Anything sharp.Sharp… sharp.. Something sharp. All she saw was leaves, and tree roots. Her eyes ran up and down the sorcerer. He had several sharp things that would’ve been extremely useful. But she didn’t want his attention. The forest became silent, the wall of leaves dispersed the whistling of the wind she had just gotten used to had died in an instant. She looked at Kanaye, he looked over to her with confusion and surprise. He wasn’t the one who stopped his barrier, he hadn’t finished erecting it yet. The two looked around, turning in circles as they did. Michi continued to wriggle her hands trying to free her wrists. It was no use, the rope did nothing but chafe her skin. The girl sighed in annoyance, she closed her eyes and let her head drop forward, trying to figure out any way out of the mess she was in.Straining her mind Michi gritted her teeth and continued wriggling her hands. She raised her head and opened her eyes. They were pale once again. The thumping heartbeat in her ears began to grow louder. She wouldn’t be able to stay like that for long. ‘Using’ her eyes used a lot of energy, and at this moment she had almost no energy to spare. She looked through the trees, the auras were all normal, a bright green hue over the younger trees, the older trees were cloaked in a similar green… only darker. The ground and leaves gave off a very light green aura. Everything seemed to be in check, nothing out of the ordinary. Her eyes fell on Kanaye, his aura was like a camouflage of bold colours. The bolder the colour, the stronger the aura. Her vision snapped back to normal as the ground gave a violent tremble. She stumbled forward and backward, the ground raising and lowering in height as it pleased. Kanaye jumped across the area next to the girl and wrapped an arm around her arms and the top of her torso. “Just stay with me for a while longer girl.” he squatted down before pushing off the ground with great force, his right foot landed on a tree branch but he pushed off again, doing the same with his left foot. He ran quickly and quietly through the tree tops turning left and right where he thought suited best.“You still with me? Still awake girl!?” he said louder than normal. All he got in reply was a groan of discomfort from the girl. “Just stay awake.” he looked over his shoulder his eyes searching for anyone pursuing them.His speed slowed once he figured he had ran far enough to lose anyone that may have been following them. He let Michi go, she walked around staring at her surrounding again, trying to get over the wobbly feeling in her legs.~*~He flopped back onto the lumpy ground, his legs were numb but slowly regaining their feeling. Kimi lay on the ground next to him, panting heavily and covered in dirt. It hadn’t taken her too long to dig him out, but it felt like an eternity. He looked over to his savior, small snores escaped her throat, he didn’t blame her for sleeping, she did work hard. He reached over and grabbed the chain she had used to help free him. A girl carrying a chain around for no reason was in his book, pretty weird.He ran the chain through his fingers and once it reached his end he realized it was actually a weapon of some sort. Kiyoshi had seen a weapon like this once before, it was hanging on the wall of a shop he had been in long ago. He had never seen one in use, it must’ve been an amazing sight.The sky above him began to change into a dark purple, gradually turning lighter and lighter. The sun was rising, birds began to fly from tree to tree, singing their morning song. He was grateful these birds were in tune and knew how to sing, unlike the ones he had encountered a few mornings ago.~*~Nanashi knew if he were a girl he would’ve been squealing in delight. Luckily for him, he isn’t a girl therefore wasn’t squealing. He could barely hold in his excitement as he reached for the shining object, it stuck out from the leaves so obviously and elegantly. As he moved forward it looked as if the light of the upcoming sun shot across it at great speed. He reached down and gripped the object. He exhaled sharply glad to feel the cold metal in his uncovered fingertips. The leaves scattered as he pulled the object into the air. His eyes lit up in admiration, it was such a beautiful blade. This was a sword of magnificence. The blade wasn’t thin and curved like his katana. It was wide and thick and split into two half way up before finally splitting into two once again before the end. The handle was wrapped well for good grip and it shone in the daylight like a magnificent treasure. Nanashi got to his feet, pulled his katana from his waist and threw it on the ground. It made contact with something hollow, which was obvious by the sound that radiated from the ground. He kicked some of the leaves around the ground where the sword was and uncovered a skull, after more maneuvering of the leaves he had uncovered an entire skeleton. ~*~Michi stumbled slightly as she walked around, she tripped on a rock hidden by the leaves, instead of falling as she had expected, she felt a firm hand grab her arm and hold her in place. He let her go once she assured him she was balanced now. A loud crash of thunder shocked the forest, Michi had jumped and looked up right away. Nanashi continued to walk around the empty area, keeping an eye out for anyone suspicious. She watched as lightning tore through the sky, another clap of thunder followed. “Perhaps we should find some place to stay out of the rain?” She turned and faced Kanaye, he looked at her and shrugged. The ground began to vibrate again the sorcerer ran over to Michi and stood next to her. “I think we’re going to have some trouble.” The ground beneath their feet began to crack. Kanaye grabbed Michi once again and jumped to a different part of the ground. He let the girl go and stepped forward, lifting his face and letting his eyes scan the leaves. There had to be someone causing this. This was abnormal and unnatural. In the midst of his thinking Kanaye failed to notice the ground loosen, he turned sharply after hearing a startled yelp from the girl, but where the girl once stood was clear. She was no longer there, instead there was a large hole in the ground where she was.“Oh great.”With caution he leaned over the hole, he couldn’t see anything but darkness. He doubted he’d be able to get the girl back easily now. Another crack of lightening disrupted the silence that had fallen over the forest and the rain began to pour. Almost instantly his hair was plastered to his skin. His clothes clung to his muscular frame and goosebumps ran over his entire body. ~*~Michi raised her bound hands trying to grasp the sides of the dirt tunnel she was falling down. A jolt of nausea and pain ran through her body when the rope between her wrists caught on a tree root sticking from the wall. She hung there looking up and the small dot of light above herself. She looked down, no light just never ending darkness. A cold gust of wind came from below her and chilled her to the bone. Her wrists were throbbing in pain, and beginning to bleed at the strain of the ropes. She coughed the dust from her lungs then cleared her throat. She spat out the saliva that had gathered in her throat.“Get me out of here!” She demanded.She pressed her feet into the dirt trying to relieve her wrists of her weight. She heard the branch between her hands crackle slightly as she shifted.“Hurry up!”Kanaye shouted down to her but all that reached her ears was a muffled hum. Her feet kept slipping down the dry, crumbling wall. Another gust of air came from beneath her, this time it was warm. It would’ve been rather pleasant had she not been dangling by a tree root in the middle of a tunnel of dirt that led to god knows where. Then she began to wonder where a gust of warm air would come from this deep beneath the ground. She swallowed hard, her eyes darting around causing a headache. Another gust of warm air tickled her feet, her breathing became heavier and she frantically tried to crawl up the wall. It was no use she could hardy get her feet up more than a few inches. The blood trickling from her wrists was flowing slowly down her arm in thin slivers.Tears welled in her green eyes, wishing she could be home training with her beloved teacher. Everything had changed so fast, so suddenly that it was all beginning to weigh upon her mind. Another gust of warm air was at her feet, then another shortly afterward. With each gust the air became warmer, now it was hot. Another series of gusts came, she was now sweating from the heat and the fact she was very nervous about what could be causing it.Michi looked down and used the last of her energy to make her eyes flicker gray for 2 full seconds. Her breath had caught in her chest and her eyes widened. Now knowing what was below her, but not being able to see it was worse than not knowing anything at all. The heat on her feet was scorching, Michi closed her eyes tightly, trying not to move. Trying not to draw any sort of attention to herself. She continued to hold her breath the gusts of air were frequent and her feet were burning. The hot air ceased and Michi opened her eyes, all was silent. She breathed slowly trying to stay as quiet as possible, before she knew it her body was yet again in extreme pain she let out a long solid spine tingling scream before falling down the tunnel once again.
~*~Chapter 8, will be up a lot faster than this chapter was… you know how it goes… x-mas and school and family x.x;;…and editors taking their sweet ass time editing >.>;Converting /tmp/phpnLc3Qn to /dev/stdout