Fushigi Yuugi Fan Fiction ❯ Legend ~ Book Two: Misadventure, Mayhem & Really Hot Guys ❯ Ten: Her Handy-Dandy Dimension-Hopper's Guidebook ( Chapter 10 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

   Brady and Kimiko made it to the Clubhouse with no further disruptions, stomping up the steps and attempting to shake the worst of the snow out of their clothes. Kimiko frowned upon noticing the dusting of snow on the wooden porch … and the second set of prints that marred it. "I was right. There are two trails," she murmured.

   "Good work, Sherlock!" Brady stumbled into the Clubhouse. "Geez, KC, way to leave the door wide open. Let's let all the snow drift in!"

   "The wind's blowing the wrong way for that," Kimiko deadpanned.

   "Whatever. Yeesh, even my tits are frozen! I'm gonna go find the power box."

   "You do that." Kimiko shoved the heavy backpack she'd been carrying into Brady's arms. "Turn on some heat and clean up the place a little while you're at it."

   "Sure, Mom. Whatever you say, Mom." Brady rolled her eyes. "What're you gonna do while I'm in here doing all the work?"

   "Figure out who followed KC out here, of course."

   "Go get 'em, Tiger."

   Kimiko ignored her and followed the single set of footprints that veered to the left, continued to the end of the porch and stopped just at the window. The disturbed snow beneath gave testament to the intruder pausing there; a quick glance at the window gave clear view into the interior of the Clubhouse. She blew out a breath. This didn't seem good. Then she frowned, noting that, although the prints headed this way, there were none leading back.

   She glanced over the edge of the porch. It wasn't a far drop to the ground, only two or three feet and, unlike the house porch, this one had no railings. It was easy enough to jump right off instead of using the steps. They'd all done it on plenty of occasions. She peered over the edge and searched the ground. There were no footprints, just the drifts of snow piled a foot below.

   And a small, silver object that lay half-buried in it directly under the porch.

   Kimiko dropped onto her stomach and scooched forward until she could reach and snag its black strap. She sat up to examine the small video camera in her hands and realization struck her with a force that dropped her stomach clear into her feet.

   "Oh, no."

~*~*~*~*~

   Brady nearly jumped out of her skin when Kimiko came crashing into the room like her coat was on fire. "The hell, Kimi!" She clutched at her pounding heart. "Give a girl a stroke, why dontcha?"

   "Did you get the power turned on?" Kimiko swept her damp sleeve over a pink, child-sized dining table, effectively wiping off years of dust in one fell swoop. Barbie's faded, smiling face briefly appeared through the grime before Kimiko plopped her bag directly atop it and began to riffle through.

   "That's seriously gross. You're gonna have to wash your coat now," Brady tsked.

   "The power?" Kimiko prompted, impatient.

   "Yeah, I turned it on. And I found a space heater in the closet, but the thing is ancient. Who knows if it even works anymore? I'm scared it'll catch fire or blow up or something. Speaking of blowing up, the bulbs all did when I tried to turn the lights on. I guess the cold made 'em pop. Does that potato trick really work, 'cause I think we might need one.

   Kimiko paused, brow furrowed as she deciphered Brady's babbling. She shook her head with another sigh. "It's fine, just leave them for now. There's enough light to see from the windows. I just need power to charge my laptop." She dragged the small table to the nearest window, located a power outlet beneath it and plugged in the computer she'd unearthed from her bag.

   "So, what's the sudden urgency?" Brady asked.

   "I found this outside. Recognize it?"

   Brady eyeballed the small camera with a frown. "Looks like my sister's GoPro."

   "It is." Kimiko turned it over to reveal the R.S. written in loopy print with a glittery purple paint pen on the bottom.

   Brady's jaw dropped. "Are you frikkin' kidding me?" she screeched. "That nosey little—! I'm gonna—! Gah!"

   "Later. This is more important." Kimiko fiddled with the camera and removed the memory card, inserted it into her computer while Brady pulled two pink chairs over for them to sit on.

   She frowned. "You know, I remember these chairs being a lot bigger."

   "Seems fine to me. Maybe your ass just grew out of 'em," Kimiko murmured distractedly as she pulled up the file menu on the card. She ignored Brady's insulted huff as she clicked one of the files dated the day before.

   "That's from the party yesterday," Brady commented as they viewed the chaos playing across the monitor. "Reagan had that thing in everyone's faces all day."

   Humming, Kimiko closed the video and scrolled down. Opened another file, watched for a few moments before closing it again.

   "What are you looking for?" Brady grumped.

   "I dunno. Clues?"

   "To what?"

   Kimiko fixed her with a Look. "Don't you want to know how your sister's camera ended up outside the Clubhouse? Sans sister?"

   Brady blinked, opened her mouth, then closed it as she thought it over, a puzzled frown appearing.

   Kimiko scrolled to the bottom of the long file list. "Most of these clips are only four or five minutes long. Except this last one. It's an hour and twenty-three minutes," she mused. "Let's see what we've got."

   When the video started, it was clearly nighttime and Reagan was on the move through a silent house, the camera facing her so she could record herself. Her eyes lit with the eerie glow of the night-vision setting as she whispered, "So, faithful viewers, Brady and KC—That's my sister and her friend, FYI—have been acting weird all day. Sneaking around and whispering and all that. They probably think I didn't notice, but I did, and I'll bet anything that they're up to something. I saw KC sneaking past my bedroom just a bit ago. She was wearing her coat and carrying a whole bunch of stuff so I'll bet she's going out to the Clubhouse."

   She paused to turn the camera around to face the empty hallway. When she turned a corner, her own reflection caught in a decorative mirror made her yelp and jump back in surprise.

   Brady hooted with laughter and Kimiko shushed her.

   Reagan recovered quickly. "Like, supposedly Brady and her BFFs are having a big study session in the Clubhouse tomorrow," she continued, still focused on the reflection. A roll of her eyes topped with air quotes emphasized her disbelief. "I don't buy that for a second. Brady doesn't study for anything."

   Now it was Kimiko's turn to snicker. "She knows you well," she teased with a smirk.

   Brady swatted at her. "Shut up."

   Reagan finally moved on to the first floor and headed for the kitchen. She paused in front of the man cave and peered inside for a second, then pulled away before any of the adults could spot her. "They'll be sleeping off hangovers all day," she muttered, "which means I'll get stuck babysitting. Again. Unless I can catch KC doing whatever it is she's gonna do. I'll bet she raids the liquor cabinet and sneaks booze out there, but Brady probably put her up to it. KC's too nice to do something like that on her own."

   "Hey!" Brady protested. Kimiko just snickered again.

   "Anyway, faithful viewers, I think we'll title this video session 'How to Blackmail your Bratty Older Sister'." Reagan giggled at her own joke. "Step one: catch her in the act of breaking the rules. Step two: record it. Step three: threaten to show Mom unless she agrees to take over babysitting for you so you can go to the movies with your friends." A brief pause, as if considering. "Also, make her pay your way! And let you wear her new Armani sweater."

   "Oh, hell no!" Brady slapped her hand against the table. "That brat is so dead when I catch her," she growled and was shushed by Kimiko again.

   On screen, Reagan reached the kitchen just as a tall, blonde man emerged from the pantry, arms laden with food. He turned to shove the door closed with his foot and Reagan squeaked and scrambled backward into the hall, turned to make a quick dash to another door. Her hand appeared as she opened it to reveal a closet; the camera shook as she hastily ducked inside. A clatter and a dull thud, followed by a muffled yelp; she'd apparently tripped over the vacuum. She faced the cracked-open door, waited until Nicolai passed with his armload of snack foods and beer. Her breathing sounded too loud in the microphone. After a few more moments, she inched forward and pushed the door open further, crept out again and swung the camera in both directions. Coast clear, she made a dash for the mudroom, opened the door and stumbled out to the porch.

   Just as the floodlights flicked on.

   She instantly hit the deck, aimed the camera through the porch railings to the lawn, where a dark figure sprawled in the snow. "There's KC," she hissed. The white cloud of her breath momentarily fogged the camera lens. After a minute or two the lights turned off. KC slowly pushed herself to her feet and started to walk, only for the lights to instantly snap back on.

   Reagan, in the process of getting to her own feet, immediately dropped again with a low curse. "Okay, that's gonna be a problem," she muttered. KC stared at the porch for a few long moments, seemed to decide that there was no immediate danger, turned and started struggling through the snow again. Reagan used the opportunity to scramble to her own feet and duck back into the mudroom. There was an electrical box on the wall just inside the door. She opened it and flipped a switch, and the outside lights snapped off. "Problem solved," she said smugly.

   She headed back out and bounded down the steps. The camera jerked and bounced as she followed KC's haphazard trail, breath harsh and uneven in the silence. KC had already gotten inside the Clubhouse by the time she reached the porch. She crept up the steps and veered toward the window. "Whatever you're doing in there," she whispered, "I caught you red-handed!" She shoved the camera at the frosted window, able to get a clear shot of the other girl just standing there, laden down with bags, a small, red book clutched in her hand.

   "What the heck are you up to?" Reagan mumbled.

   KC stood quietly for several long moments, clearly hesitating over something. Her back was half-turned towards the camera, her face in profile. She looked pensive, uncertain … but then she squared her shoulders, as if coming to a decision, and decisively opened the book.

   And the laptop screen immediately blurred into the brilliant, red-gold light that shot from the opened pages.

   "Holy shit!" Brady yelped, nearly falling off her chair in shock. Kimiko didn't respond, her eyes glued to the screen.

   "Did you just hear a bird shriek? I swear I just heard a bird shriek," Brady continued to babble. "What's going on? I can't see anything!"

   Kimiko still couldn't reply, too busy gaping like a stunned fish to get a word in edgewise. The sun-like brilliance slowly began to fade and when it finally disappeared, so had KC and all of her belongings. The book hung open all by itself in midair, still glowing gold around the edges.

   "Holy shit," Brady breathed again, awestruck. "It happened. It really happened!" She eyeballed the floating book and shivered. "Damn, that's creepy. It's like Poltergeist or something."

   "I don't think it's done yet," Kimiko murmured, white-faced.

   On screen, Reagan appeared to be in the midst of her own panic attack. "It's an abduction!" she squealed. "Like … like aliens or something! I … I gotta call the cops or … or … or NASA or—kyaaaaaaahhh!"

   Her panicked babbling melted into a high-pitched shriek when the book abruptly flared again, the light that erupted from its pages morphing into a cold and sinister-looking blue. She scrambled away from the window, tripped and fell; the scene spun wildly as the camera skittered across the frozen porch and off the side.

   It stilled, lens aimed skyward, the view half-obscured by the porch overhang. But the background was bright as day thanks to the blue light pouring through the window, the bottom half of Reagan's body still caught on camera outlined in silvery brilliance.

   "Don't just sit there, you moron! Move!" Brady yelled at the monitor.

   But Reagan did not move. She appeared frozen and her final scream of "No! No no!" was nearly drowned under the low, feral roar that resonated from within the light. It completely engulfed her, flared brilliantly, and then—as suddenly as it had come—it vanished. And so did she.

   Brady and Kimiko continued to gape at the screen as the video played on, capturing nothing but darkness. "Wh-what … what the hell was all that? What just happened?" Brady ventured after a few moments of stunned silence.

   Kimiko's fingers visibly trembled as she reached to toggle the video forward at higher speed. Nothing else occurred, but they continued to watch until the clip inevitably ended in a burst of static when the camera's battery finally gave out.

   "Did that thing just eat my sister?" Brady groaned, face buried in her arms. "Mom is gonna kill me!" Her head popped up a second later so she could glare accusingly at the computer. "What was that blue light? KC never said anything about blue light!"

   "I … I don't know," Kimiko stuttered. She appeared to be at a loss for words, completely shaken by the spectacle she'd just witnessed. "Th-there could have been blue light before, but KC wouldn't have seen it if she was already gone by then."

   "So anyone who gets close to the book risks getting sucked in?" Brady looked horrified.

   "No, look. We have to be rational about this." Kimiko tried hard to gather her tattered composure.

   "Rational?" Brady looked at her like she'd just sprouted a second head out of her armpit. "We just witnessed our best friend and my baby sister get sucked through a magical portal to who-knows-where and you think we should be rational." She sucked in a deep breath. "What am I supposed to tell my mother?"

   "Calm down," Kimiko snapped. "Freaking out isn't going to help anyone."

   "Then what will?" Brady rejoined.

   "…I don't know."

   "Isn't there some way we can bring them back? At least Reagan! This wasn't part of the plan!"

   "I don't know."

   "Well … aren't there some sort of … of instructions or guidelines in regards to this sort of thing? I mean, you're the sci-fi geek here! Didn't they cover this in Space Trek or Doctor Whodunit or whatever?"

   Kimiko huffed, her temper finally snapping. "Well, gee, Brady, just give me a second to consult my handy-dandy Dimension-Hopper's Guidebook and I'll get right back to you on that!"

   Brady blinked, ire forgotten. "...You really have one of those?"

   Kimiko calmly reached for the coffee thermos and threw it at her.

~*~*~*~*~

   They made it out of the city without incident, riding in relative silence through the quieter streets of the outlying village. The houses grew smaller and less elaborate the further they got, fields and gardens growing more expansive as estates gave way to farming homesteads.

   KC did her best to take it all in. During the first trip, she'd spent the majority of her time inside the palace walls and the rest of it feeling too sick and miserable to care anything about a change in scenery. Now she watched farmers working in their fields and rice paddies and wished heartily that her freshly-charged camera wasn't packed in one of her bags. She tried for a while to poke around and see if she couldn't dig it out, until Nuriko growled at her to quit squirming so much or he really would dump her off the horse.

   "Why are you suddenly so grouchy?" she huffed as she straightened in the saddle behind him. "Lighten up! You're the one who told me to enjoy the ride." She shifted and grimaced. "Although I really wish you'd have picked a smaller horse. Hard to enjoy much of anything when my butt's going numb!"

   "A smaller horse wouldn't be able to carry the both of us and our bags. That's why I chose Zhurong here." He patted the stallion's sleek neck. "Besides, this isn't a pleasure excursion. We're in danger and I'm fairly certain we're being followed. The further I get you from the city, the better."

   KC's good mood vanished. "Followed? By who?"

   "Offhand, my guess would be Kutou spies." He closed his eyes as if concentrating. "They're still a way off but they're closing in pretty fast."

   She glanced hastily around and he snorted. "You're not going to see them, dummy," he scolded. "They're spies."

   "Then how do you know they're there?" she challenged.

   "I can sense their chi, of course. Can't you?"

    "Of course not!"

   He hummed. "Have you ever tried?"

   She glowered at the back of his head. "Do I look like Son Goku?"

   "Who?"

   She ignored him as she considered. A year ago, Brady had taken a brief interest in yoga and meditation and had spent several weeks touting the benefits of "relaxing the mind and opening the chakra paths for greater self-awareness". KC was pretty sure the gorgeous yoga instructor they'd met at the mall had a good deal to do with it, but she'd humored her friend for awhile. She couldn't have cared less about opening her mind to let in the "greater spirit"—To her, that sounded like a surefire way to get yourself possessed by something unpleasant—but this whole chi-sensing business seemed like a pretty similar deal.

   Out of pure curiosity, she tried for a few moments to "clear her mind" so she could sense chi but, having utterly no idea what she was supposed to be looking for, quickly gave it up as an overall dumb idea.

   Besides, she was pretty sure Brady had lost interest in the whole meditation thing around the same time she'd discovered her yoga instructor was gay.

   "I don't sense anything," she complained after a bit. "Are you sure you're not just being paranoiyeeeee!" She squealed in fright when, without warning, Nuriko dug his heels into Zhurong's flanks with a loud "Hyah!" and the stallion immediately leapt into a hard gallop. KC wrapped her arms around his torso and hung on for dear life as they bolted down the muddy road.

   They hurtled into the cover of the forest where, to KC's horror, he forced Zhurong off the main road. Her protests were drowned beneath the thunder of pounding hooves as he guided the stallion around trees and through and over tangles of underbrush. All it'd take is one tree root, KC thought frantically. Just one root or rock to trip them up and they'd go down hard, crushed under four hundred pounds of horse.

   She thought she heard something whistle past her ear. A hiss of air to her right and Nuriko cursed and Zhurong screamed and bolted left, nearly clipped a trunk. KC just whimpered and tightened her grip. She was probably crushing Nuriko's ribs by this point but she didn't care. Let him yell at her later. It'd serve him right! She had never realized before just how easily her tailbone could bruise before she was forced to endure having it smack repeatedly against the hard rim of the saddle. She did her best to bear it, determined not to let him goad her (or kill her, which he was totally trying, she just knew it). But after a particularly hard bounce that she was sure made her entire spine crack, enough was definitely enough.

   "Damn it, Nuriko, you're gonna kill us! Slow the hell down already!" She dared release her grip long enough to reach up and pinch his ear, dug her nails in hard to make him screech.

   This, in turn, startled Zhurong, who squealed and slid to an abrupt stop, reared and bucked and nearly unseated them both before Nuriko was able to bring him back under control. He slid from the saddle but KC, in her attempts to follow, managed to just fall off. She would've had a painful landing if he, in a surprising display of thoughtfulness, didn't quickly catch her in his arms, instead.

   "You okay?" he asked as he steadied her. And damned if he didn't actually look worried.

   "I swear, you can be such an ass," she grouched, shoving him away. "What the hell were you trying to pull?"

   His concern melted into a scowl. "Excuse me? I'm trying to save your life and that's how you thank me for it?"

   She stared at him blankly, before exploding, "And exactly how was all that saving my life? Not to mention the poor horse!" She gestured at the exhausted stallion, who stood with legs splayed and head bent low, dirt-streaked sides heaving. "He looks half-dead!"

   Nuriko frowned as he approached Zhurong, running his hands over the sweat-dampened body. "I told you, we're being tailed by spies! At least one assassin, from the look of things."

   KC faltered. "Ass-assassin?"

   Nuriko reached between the bags lashed onto the saddle and gave a hard yank. Fabric ripped and Zhurong squealed and kicked, head swinging around to snap at him. He evaded easily, turned and held up a long, black arrow with a barbed tip coated in blood. "It hit my pack first, luckily. If it had gone in any deeper we would've gone down for certain."

   He snapped the arrow in half with a push of his thumb and tossed it into the bushes, then set about removing the bags and saddle from Zhurong's back. "There are two of them, as far as I can tell, but I think we lost them. For now, at least. They weren't mounted but Kutou spies are nothing to scoff at. They'll find us again if we linger here too long. We need to keep moving."

   "But won't we put Tamahome in danger now if we go to his village?"

   Nuriko considered, then shook his head. "We'll just have to make sure we shake them for good before we get that far. I didn't tell anyone at the palace where I was going or where I was planning to take you. I slipped a note to Mei Lin to give to His Majesty as soon as she can, explaining the circumstances. She's a sly girl and she really likes you, so I'm sure she'll be able to sneak it to him somehow."

   So, Hotohori didn't even know she wasn't coming to the palace yet? KC opened her mouth to question further, but a low groan grabbed her attention and she glanced over just in time to witness Zhurong—now free of packs and tack—take a few, staggering steps forward and simply … collapse. She gasped as he hit the ground with a heavy thud, sides heaving and tongue lolling from his gaping mouth. He struggled to get up but couldn't seem to get his legs underneath his body again. His flank was streaked with the blood that oozed from his wound and bloody foam flecked his muzzle as he labored to breathe.

   Nuriko hastened to the stallion's side to examine him. After a few moments he released a litany of curses and rocked back on his heels.

   KC raised her eyebrows. "What kind of language is that for a lady to be using?" she quipped weakly.

   "Stuff it. It's not the time," he growled. "Zhurong's been poisoned."

   She blanched. "Th-the arrow?"

   "One would assume." He rubbed a tired hand across his brow. "The stable master is not going to be happy. I didn't exactly ask permission to borrow him…"

   Zhurong groaned, lifted his head weakly before letting it drop again. Even from several feet away, KC could hear an ominous rattle deep in his lungs. "So … so what do we do? Can we find a vet?"

 "I don't know what that is," Nuriko sighed.

   "A veterinarian," she clarified. When he just looked at her blankly, she tried, "A doctor? Someone who specializes in animals."

   Comprehension dawned, but he shook his head. "The small villages around here rarely employ specialists like that. The palace employs one but we're not going back to the city. We won't make it before he dies from the poison, anyway. It … would be better to end his suffering quickly." He stroked the stallion's long neck, comforting, then wrapped both arms around it. He hesitated, glanced at KC. "Look away," he commanded.

   "What? Why?"

   "Just do it!"

   She scowled and turned around. Zhurong suddenly squealed, but the sound was strangled. A commotion, as of a brief struggle and her eyes widened in horror as she belatedly realized what was happening. A dull, heavy snap resounded and she whipped around as the struggling horse dropped like a puppet with all of its strings cut. She shrieked, hands flying to her mouth in horror as Nuriko released Zhurong's limp head and sat back, panting slightly.

   "You killed him!" she cried.

   "He was already dead." His voice was subdued and his eyes looked overly-bright. "All I did was end his pain sooner, in the most humane way I could."

   KC wanted to protest further, appalled that he had been able kill a living creature that easily, poisoned or not. But something in his manner gave her pause. The defeated slump of his shoulders… The tears brimming his eyes that he subtly attempted to swipe away… He seemed truly upset about what he'd just done and she reconsidered the situation. After a few moments of silence she shifted closer, considered hugging him in an attempt to comfort but quickly decided they weren't nearly close enough for that much awkwardness. So she instead settled for resting her hand on his shoulder and giving it a stiff pat. "I'm sorry," she said. "I guess you did a good thing but I'm sorry you had to do it."

   He'd stiffened in surprise, but now he relaxed a bit and after a few moments shrugged her hand off. "Okay, now," he said with gruff embarrassment. "Enough of that. We don't have time."

   He pulled one of his packs over and riffled through. "Here, put this on." He handed a bundle of clothes to her.

   She held up a shirt with a confused frown. "This isn't mine."

   "No, it's mine. You need to blend in and you won't do that in your own clothes." He examined her critically. "You should probably cover your hair. It's too … noticeable."

   She shot him a dry glance. "Pot, meet kettle."

   He rolled his eyes. "Just put them on. I'll … take care of the rest." He turned his back to give her some privacy.

   KC ducked into a patch of thick bushes and stripped from her coat and pajamas, hastily donned the bra she'd dug out of her pack and then pulled on the pants and tunic. They were a little big, but at least Nuriko wasn't that much taller than her and he was pretty skinny, to boot. She'd probably be swimming in Tamahome's or Hotohori's clothes!

   She rolled the pant legs twice and clumsily tied a wide sash around her waist to cinch the tunic. She considered her snow boots and decided to exchange them for sneakers. Just in case she was forced to do any running.

   When she emerged, Nuriko had disappeared and so had Zhurong's body. She stubbornly forced down a brief moment of panic at finding herself completely alone in a strange forest (that may or may not be teeming with trained killers), distracted herself by rearranging the contents of the large duffle to make more room for her clothes and boots.

   Only a few minutes passed before Nuriko returned from wherever he'd gone to dispose of the body. He looked KC over and nodded. Frowned a bit at her choice of footwear but didn't comment. He instead put his hands on her shoulders and turned her around, where he proceeded to finger-comb the worst of the tangles from her hair. She endured his fiddling in silence—despite his not-so-gentle tugging—and after a bit he stepped back with a satisfied air. "There. That ought to do it."

   She reached up to touch her head, found that he had tucked her hair into a light scarf to hide it. "My highlights aren't that weird," she grumbled. "At least they aren't purple."

   He ignored her as he gathered the discarded tack and saddle and shoved it all under the thick cover of bushes until it was hidden from sight. Then he hitched his packs over his shoulder and looked at KC expectantly.

   She sighed. "We're gonna have to hoof it, aren't we?"

   "If by hoof you mean walking, then yes. Do you see another horse standing around?"

   She slung the smaller bag crossways over one shoulder, then hung the larger one opposite like she'd done before. She grimaced at the uncomfortable pull on her neck as she staggered to her feet and nodded that she was ready.

   Nuriko eyeballed her with pursed lips for a moment. Then, without a word, he stepped forward and pulled the large duffle from around her neck and added it to his own bundle. She blinked at him in surprise as he turned on his heel with a short "Let's go", scrambled to keep up when he started off at a quick pace.

   "Do you even know where we are?" she panted after several minutes of what felt to her like aimless walking. "You took us pretty far from the road."

   "The river is close," he replied. "If we follow it upstream we'll reach the nearest village in no time. From there we can gather our bearings, maybe barter for another horse."

   KC's heart sank; after the death race she'd just survived, the very last thing she wanted was another horse ride. She still felt guilty over poor Zhurong's fate. Still, if a horse would put greater and faster distance between them and whoever was trying to kill them, she supposed she could endure riding just a bit longer.

   "You know, I still can't believe you never once realized we were being tailed," Nuriko began after several minutes of silent hiking. "You need to work on your chi-sensing skills."

   KC pouted at the light scolding. "Oh, sorry. Guess I was too busy trying to not die to pay attention," she sniped back.

   "And I was busy trying to help you not die, but I still knew we were being pursued."

   She huffed. "Give me a break! What the hell do I know about chi-sensing and all that yoga New Age crap? I'm not the one with the mystical powers here!"

   "Mystic—!" Nuriko glowered at her over his shoulder. "Look, you. I'll have you know my abilities are completely natural! There's nothing mystical about them!"

   KC snickered. "Hate to break it to you, but in my reality, possessing the strength to lift boulders or crush rock with your bare hands isn't natural. Unless you're a mutant or an alien or something and those don't exist!" She paused to consider her own words for a moment. "I don't think." She cocked her head. "Honestly, I'm not sure what's real or imaginary anymore. Everything I thought I knew has been pretty much flipped onto its head." She gestured dramatically. "The earth is blue! The sky is green! Library books are trans-dimensional portals to ancient civilizations! And lemme tell ya, it'll be a cold day in hell before I ever open a history textbook agaimmmmmph!"

   Her playful tirade abruptly ended with one strong hand slapping across her mouth and the other pressed into the back of her head as Nuriko roughly silenced her. Her heart stuttered a few fearful beats as she unwillingly recalled how easily those same hands had just snapped a full-grown horse's neck.

   He noticed the way she flinched and his cheeks bloomed with color as his hold gentled. "I need you to be quiet," he explained gruffly. "The spies are closing in again. We'll never be able to outrun them at this pace and we're still too far from the next village seek help. I don't think they'll give up as easily as I'd hoped."

   "So … so what are we gonna do?" KC whispered.

   He sighed heavily and started walking again, grabbed her hand to force her to follow. "The river is just this way. It's where I dumped Zhurong's body. First off, I'm going to hide you. Next, I'm going to do the only thing I can at this point and take the fight to them."

   "But—!" KC dug in her heels. "They could kill you! They could kill us both!"

   He turned on her, expression grim. "No, they won't. You are my Priestess and I am the warrior sworn to protect you. Nobody will harm you as long as I live."

   She huffed. "That's all very noble but I need you alive as much as you need me alive, remember? If you die, then the entire reason for me being here is moot. And I swear if you get yourself killed and strand me here forever, I'll follow you into the afterlife and beat the death outta you!"

   He gaped at her for a moment, then abruptly dissolved into giggles. "Aw, Priestess, I never knew you cared," he teased.

   "Shut up!" She slugged him in the arm but couldn't stop the unexpected grin from twitching her mouth. "This is no time to be laughing! We're in a dire situation, here!"

   "No, you're right. You're right," he agreed, coughing. "Back to business. Right here's the river and if I recall, there should be—Ah-hah!" He pointed to a low outcropping of rock on the bank beside the shallows. "It's a cave, it will be perfect to hide in."

   "A cave? Like, a cave with wild animals and snakes and spiders and all sorts of other creepy-crawlies in it?" KC balked.

   He rolled his eyes. "Well, what's more dangerous, a few giant centipedes that may or may not be in there or a few poisoned arrows in your back?"

   Her gaze narrowed. "Trick question. Aren't giant centipedes poisonous, too?"

   "Oh, just get in," he huffed and she grumbled and cautiously made her way past the low opening into the cool, damp interior. It was uncomfortably narrow and the ground squelched suspiciously under her feet. She was almost sure she heard something skitter away to the back of the cave and stopped before she inadvertently found it again. "Okay, I'm in. Now what?"

   "Watch these." He dropped his bags on the ground at her feet and ducked out of the cave for a few moments.

   "What're you—?"

   Her question cut off as a black shadow abruptly filled the entrance. A heavy thud as something large and immovable dropped over the mouth, cutting off the light. "The hell?" She shoved her shoulder against the huge, moldy rock in a useless attempt to push it away. Daylight filtered in around its edges and she could just squeeze her hand through, but that was it. "What're you doing?" she yelled, helpless and angry.

   "My job," came the muffled rejoinder. "Don't worry, Priestess. I'll let you out as soon as I take care of this."

   "Yeah, unless you die and I'm stuck in a cave to slowly starve to death!" she screeched.

   He snickered. "There's enough food and water in one of those packs to last a few days, at least. I'm sure you'll be missed soon enough and someone will be along to fetch you before you starve."

   "Nuriko!" She pounded the boulder with her fist. "Nuriko!"

   There was no reply. He'd already left and all KC could do was sit and wait in frustrated silence for the inevitable outcome of her Seishi's incredibly reckless plan.