Tears of the Phoenix Chapter 5: Falling Head over Heels
Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction; the characters depicted do not
belong to Platinum Dragon or War-Ouki with exception of the following:
Megumi (Platinum Dragon), Jay (Platinum Dragon). Please do not sue us; we
have no money in any case.
Comments, Criticism, Insults, Flames and/or Death Threats should be
directed to Platinum_Dragon@usinternet.com and Kawaii_Death@hotmail.com.
Author's Note: This story arc is set in the same 'universe' as Bonds
of Trust by Platinum Dragon (Shameless plug, I know); some of the
references made here won't make sense if you haven't read that story, such
as the 'bond' between Genki and Pixie.
Author's Note 2: This story arc takes place roughly seven and a half
years after the events in Bonds of Trust.
*****
"Genki!"
Holly spun, and tackled Megumi as she leapt toward the crumbling cliff
and her brother, as both he and Pixie fell from view. She got the wind
knocked out of her as they landed, but before she'd even started to
recover, Megumi had somehow extracted herself from her grip and was
scrambling back toward the edge, shouting her brother's name. "Golem,
catch her before any more of that cliff goes!" she called. The big guy was
already in motion, one huge hand sweeping down just in time to snatch her
away as another large chunk of cliff broke away. She struggled against his
grip.
"Let me go, you walking pile of rubble! Let me go!" she shouted,
before abruptly breaking down to tears. "Genki�" Mount Dendaria, almost
as if it was in remorse for making her cry, slowly subsided down to the
occasional slight grumble. Holly motioned Golem to set her down next to
her; Megumi collapsed against her, sobbing. She knelt, and gently placed a
hand on her shoulder. Megumi abruptly glared up at her, tears stopping as
if by a switch. "Why did you stop me!"
"Because, I don't think that Pixie could carry both of you, not and
make it down safely. For that matter, I'm not sure that she'll be able to
get Genki down all the way by herself; he's a lot bigger now than he was,"
she said gently. Megumi shook her head, the tears slowly starting up
again.
"You don't understand, I saw - a stone hit her as they first fell, and
I think that it knocked her out!" she exclaimed. Holly started in spite of
herself, her stomach twisting into a cold knot. Not far away, Tiger's eyes
widened as well; he looked over the edge as if considering going after
them. Almost, she told him to go; she knew from experience that he could
run straight down a cliff and land safely. If Pixie had been knocked
unconscious, then they both would have fallen - No! She knew better than
that. Genki and Pixie always came through things even stronger than
before. Always!
"Listen to me, Megumi. Genki and Pixie will be fine - before you know
it, he'll be back to pester you," she said, giving her a grin that felt
almost painfully hollow. "I know, I've seen them come through worse
situations than this," she said. Megumi slowly frowned at her in
curiosity. She needed a distraction, something to keep her mind off what
had happened� A bit of blue on the ground caught Holly's eye, and she
smiled, getting an idea. Carefully, she picked up the stuffed Tiger from
where Megumi had dropped it.
"So, I guess that you must like Tigers a lot, to carry this around all
the time," she said, handing it back to her. Megumi nodded uncertainly,
seemingly caught off guard by the sudden change of subject, as she accepted
the toy from Holly.
"Genki� gave him to me not long after he came back - from here, I
guess. I was only five," she said, before pausing. "I used to have really
bad nightmares at night. He promised me that Tiger would scare away the
bad dreams and just let the good ones in for me," she said slowly. "After
that, I didn't� have them anymore. I know it's kinda childish, but�"
Holly smiled broadly.
"It's not childish. I should know - I like to keep my own Tiger close
by to help scare away my nightmares," she said gently, glancing at the blue
furred monster. He was frowning slightly, probably wondering what she was
up to. Megumi looked at her in surprise.
"You have nightmares too? I thought that grown-ups didn't have
nightmares," she said. Holly smiled a little wistfully.
"I used to think that too; I wish that I could say it was true. See,
when I was about your age, my village was destroyed by Moo, the tyrant that
your brother helped us to defeat the first time he came here. For a long
time, I used to have nightmares about that night. Then, while I was
traveling with Genki, we met up with Tiger of the Wind. Now, at first, we
thought that he was a Baddie - he and his pack stole the Magic Stone - the
stone that your brother wears - from me," she said.
"Did you give him his pendant?" asked Megumi in curiosity. Holly
nodded.
"In a way. It was a sacred treasure passed down in my village for a
long, long time. When we defeated Moo, the Phoenix, a magical, beautiful
firebird that also helped us, told him that it could take him back home,
but only if he was wearing it as he stepped through the portal, so I gave
it to him so he'd be safe. But that's a different story. After Tiger took
the stone, his pack was attacked by some real Baddies; he was hurt badly,"
she said. The memory started playing back in her mind; Tiger, so proud,
refusing their help; Genki reminding him of the lesson he'd taught Genki
earlier that day. "He didn't really want our help; he'd been hurt by
humans before, but Genki won him over, and he became one of our closest
friends. Anyway, not long after he joined us, he found out about the
nightmares I had, and he made me a promise. He promised to scare them away,
if I would listen to a story now and then."
"What kind of stories?" she asked slowly. Holly smiled again.
"Oh, there were all kinds of stories; places that he'd been, tales
he'd heard from other tigers, lots of different things. And you know?
After he started telling them, I didn't have those dreams anymore. I would
dream about the places he told about� He really was scaring away the bad
dreams, in a way," she told her, before signaling him over. "And you know,
I bet he knows a good story that you might like to hear, if you want."
Megumi blinked, as Tiger joined them.
"What's the matter, Holly?" he asked. She smiled at him fondly. They
really had grown close; most of the time she didn't know what she'd do
without him, especially after Suezo had been taken.
"I was just talking to Megumi about how good a story-teller you are,
and I was just thinking that she might like to hear about when the Scaled
Jells came after us - you remember, don't you?" she said, her eyes
flickering toward the ledge Pixie and Genki had gone over for a split
second. Tiger slowly nodded.
"I suppose that I might be convinced to tell her, if she won't
interrupt me every few seconds like Genki used to. Since she has such a
good taste in monsters," he said slowly, eyeing the stuffed toy. Holly
grinned.
"Oh, would you please? As a favor to me Tiger?" she asked, as she
gently guided one of Megumi's hands to rest on the soft fur at the base of
his neck.
"Yeah, please! I'll bet you could tell me some good ones about Genki,
I promise I'll keep quiet," she exclaimed. He caught Holly's eye as he
sighed, grinning just slightly.
"Alright, alright, I'll tell you about what happened," he said
gruffly, laying down. "Climb on kid, I'll let you ride while I tell you."
Megumi laughed in delight, as she scrambled over his back. Holly knelt
beside her, grinning secretively.
"I'll tell you a secret," she whispered, knowing full well that Tiger
could hear every word. "If he starts getting grumbly, just scratch him
between his ears and his horns. He'll never admit it, but he loves that."
Megumi grinned and nodded, and then gasped in surprise, as he stood up.
"Alright kid, so you want to hear about when the Scaled Jells attacked
us, eh?" he asked, as he trotted off. She watched them go, and then rose,
looking toward the cracked and crumbling ledge as Golem came up beside her.
"They will be alright, Holly. Genki and Pixie are alike; they do not
give up until they have succeeded," he rumbled. Holly nodded sadly.
"Yeah, I know, Golem," she said. "But I'm still worried about them.
That's a long drop; if it was anybody else, I'd know they were gone
already. But�" Golem gently touched her shoulder.
"They will be safe," he reaffirmed. She smiled in spite of herself,
looking up at him.
"Thanks Golem."
"We should move ahead; there is not much light left for our eyes,"
said Big Blue, coming up beside them. Holly nodded.
"Right."
It took Genki a moment to realize that they were falling; one second
he was telling everybody not to joke about the mountain anymore, the next,
his stomach was in his throat. He slowly managed to get himself turned
around in the free-fall, and saw Pixie not far away, already starting to
spread her wings. But before she got them even half open, one of the many
stones around them glanced off her forehead. She jerked, and then went
limp in mid-air. Genki frowned, thinking fast. The lagoon was coming up
at them fast - the lagoon! Hadn't she said it was surprisingly deep?
He shrugged out of his backpack, and tossed it toward dry land. His
blanket and some dry clothes were in there, and if they survived the
splashdown, their lives might depend on that stuff staying dry. Then he
flailed about until he was as close to Pixie as he dared be when they hit
the lagoon. The water was rushing up at them impossibly fast; several of
the stones that had gotten ahead of them splashed down, stirring the
surface to a froth. "Hold your breath Pixie," he muttered, sucking in as
much air as he could.
Almost as suddenly as he'd started falling, he was underwater. The
impact disoriented him for a few minutes, while he tried to figure out
which way was up. His clothes and boots dragged on him, but slowly he
managed to orient himself and swim up to the surface. He looked around for
Pixie, but she was nowhere to be seen. Then abruptly surprise, panic, and
almost painful terror flooded through the bond to him from below - she was
still underwater! Taking another deep breath, he dove, following the bond
toward her. Before he found her though, the bond shivered, and seemed to
dim away, until he could barely sense her.
Suddenly very afraid, he cast about; his lungs were beginning to get
tight, but he knew if he went for air, there wouldn't be a Pixie to find.
Abruptly his hand brushed across something more substantial than the water.
He swam down a bit farther, and suddenly Pixie's face was before him. She
looked� Too peaceful. Starting, he wrapped an arm about her waist, and
then began pulling them both to the surface as fast as he could. It was
hard going; her wings dragged through the water, and she herself was a -
his mind shied away from the first description he came up with. She was
just unconscious, that was all. Come on, come on! Where's the surface! he
thought to himself, as his lungs started to scream for oxygen.
He broke through to the surface with Pixie, sucking in a deep breath.
Looking around quickly, he saw the shoreline not far away, with his
backpack hanging half-off a rock at the water's edge. He made for it,
pulling Pixie with him, and dragged her up from the water. Now he got his
first good look at her. Her skin was blue, and she felt cold as ice. But
there was still that faint, faint sense of her; he knew that she was still
alive. Not for long, if he didn't help her though.
"Don't give up on me yet Pixie," he said, racing to remember his
school-required CPR course. But he kept drawing a blank on it, no matter
how hard he struggled to remember it. "Come on, the one time I'm actually
going to NEED to remember something I learned in school!"
Check to see if she's breathing, came the too-calm voice of his health
teacher suddenly. Dropping to his knees quickly, he bent over her to
listen for the sound of breathing. There was none, and her chest was
still.
Tilt her head back, close nostrils with thumb and forefinger, and
cover her mouth tightly with yours. Give her two full breaths. He nodded,
and did as he'd been directed. "I hope you'll understand this Pixie," he
said, before leaning down and placing his mouth over hers. He exhaled into
her twice; her chest rose and fell in time.
Check her neck for a pulse. His fingers found the spot, but there was
no pulse; his health teacher continued. Begin chest compressions. Maintain
the head position and place the heel of your hand 2 finger-widths above the
lowest notch of the victim's breastbone, where the lower edge of the
ribcage meets in the middle. Place the heel of your other hand directly
over the heel of the first hand, lock your elbows straight, and lean your
shoulders over your hands. Firmly press down into her chest about two
inches fifteen times, keeping the compressions rhythmic, but steady,
directed his teacher's voice calmly. Crossing his hands, he did as he'd
been told, but there was no change.
Repeat.
No change. "Come on Pixie, I know you're in there!"
Repeat.
No change. "Come back Pixie! Help me out here, you aren't gone yet!"
Again!
There was still no change; his own heart was starting to feel tight,
as he moved to give her two more breaths. "Please Pixie, don't leave me,"
he whispered, before pressing his mouth over hers again. The first breath
went in; and then the second. Then abruptly she spasmed; he leaned back,
remembering at the last moment to roll her to her side so that she wouldn't
re-swallow anything that came up. She made a gurgling sound, and then
suddenly coughed explosively, expelling a stream of water.
He lightly held her shoulder, steadying her as she tried to gasp for
air and cough at the same time. More water came up, before she finally
managed to gasp out, "C-cold�" He nodded, and stretched out, snagging his
backpack and tugging out his blanket.
"Can you sit up?" he asked her gently. She coughed a few more times,
bringing up a little more water, but slowly started to sit upward.
Carefully, he helped her, and wrapped the blanket around her, being careful
to avoid her wings. He saw now that they were somewhat ripped and torn up;
she wouldn't be able to fly for a while. "Better?" he asked. She nodded
slightly, shivering, and then suddenly shuddered and began to sob, leaning
against him. He brushed away the flickers of the dream that flashed in his
mind as he enfolded her in his arms. "It's alright, you're safe now," he
whispered gently. She shook her head, burying her face into his shoulder.
"You don't� under-understand�. T-that was how� was how my M-master
used to� to discipline m-me, by hold� holding me underwater�- came the raw
sending. Genki started, and began to pull back to look at her, but she
clung to him fiercely suddenly, nails digging slightly into his back. -NO!
Just� Just hold me, please�- Genki slowly nodded, and stayed as he was,
gently rocking her back and forth. After a time, she started to speak.
"I used to� used to dread water d-deeper than my calf. I c-couldn't�
couldn't even fly o-over it, much less� much less wade in-into it," she
slowly sobbed out. "Wh-when I realized that-at I was� was underwater, I
panicked. I tried to s-scream, and wound� wound up drinking h-half the
lagoon. Pretty dumb, h-huh?" She was slowly calming down, to his great
relief, and seemed to be slowly warming back up; the side of her face,
which was pressed against his neck, no longer felt like ice. That's one of
us, Genki thought to himself, as the adrenaline from the rescue began to
wear off. He was soaked to the bone, and his thigh was throbbing
painfully.
"No, of course not! It would have scared the daylights out of me too
if it had of happened to me," he said gently. "You had me real worried
there for a bit, Pixie. I was afraid I might have to explain to Big Blue
what had happened." She started, and then gave a short, raw laugh. He
smiled slightly, patting the back of her head, and then blinked in spite of
himself. What was he doing? There was a difference between getting her
calmed down and getting way too familiar. She didn't seem to notice,
though. A stiff breeze started to blow around them, and it was slicing
right through his soaked clothes. He shivered slightly, frowning.
Brilliant, bonehead; you're cold, and so you start thinking about how
chilly the wind is.
Abruptly Pixie pulled back a little, starting and looking at him. Her
eyes were red-rimmed, but much more calm then they had been when she first
came through. "Genki, you're ice cold! And what's wrong with your leg, it
feels like you must have twisted it-" she began, shifting slightly to look
at it. Abruptly she winced; automatically he twisted to look at the back
of his leg. All that he could see was a slowly spreading dark stain on his
pants. Then Pixie turned his head back toward her. "Don't look, it'll
just hurt more," she told him. He frowned.
"What will?" he asked. She winced again, shifting slightly.
"You've got a chunk of stone buried in your thigh, can't you feel it?"
she asked. He blinked, shaking his head.
"My leg hurts, yeah, but I can't really fe - YEEEEEEOOOOWWWWW!" He
shouted in surprise as she touched the shard, sending lightning waves of
pain shooting through his leg. After a few moments, they faded off, and he
looked at her, wincing. "Yeah, I definitely felt that," he muttered. She
grinned slightly.
"I'd never have noticed," she murmured. He blushed slightly. "Stay
still, I'll pull it out," she said. Genki nodded, steeling himself for the
blast of pain, and wondering how long it had been in his leg. Could he
have had it there before he'd hit the water? Then suddenly she was pulling
it out, and pain was overloading his senses. Slowly, the pain faded away;
as his vision cleared, he saw her holding a fair-sized chunk of stone with
about an inch of blood covering one end. It was fairly thin, though, and
not very wide, so the wound probably wasn't that bad, if rather deep. She
frowned at it, and then set it aside, beginning to chant a healing spell.
"No, wait Pixie. Save your energy," he cautioned her, shaking his
head and shifting until his leg was straight out before him.
"But-" she began to protest. He shook his head again, smiling
slightly.
"I've got some bandages in my backpack - it'll heal pretty quick on
its own thanks to the bond, right?" he said. "If you really want to use up
some of your energy, I'd rather have a fire so we can dry out; these wet
clothes are a lot more life-threatening than a little hole in my leg," he
told her softly. Pixie frowned at him.
"I shouldn't even be listening to this� Are you sure, Genki?" she
asked uncertainly. He nodded, doing his best not to shiver; it wasn't
easy.
"Am I ever unsure?" he asked her, grinning lopsidedly. Pixie gave him
a dry look, and then laughed softly.
"You don't really want me to answer that, do you?" she said, before
sighing. "Alright, a fire. We'll need some wood," she said, touching his
shoulder for a moment, and then rising.
"I think that I saw some small bushes and shrubs over that way on our
way down," he said, pointing. Then he grinned. "I'm not sure, though -
firewood wasn't exactly top on my mind while we were falling." She grinned
slightly, nodding.
"I'll be back soon," she said, starting to unwrap the blanket.
"Don't," he said quickly. "I've got a change of clothing in my
backpack too." She frowned at him a moment, but then nodded.
"Alright."
Pixie pulled the blanket around her a bit tighter, as the wind picked
up again, and looked around. Genki had said the wood was over here, and he
was right, a fire to keep them warm was more important than healing that
wound, and� and why was she trying to kid herself? If the excuse to split
up hadn't come when it did, what had happened in that dream most likely
would have happened again, only there would be no waking up from it this
time. She'd been so close to giving in that it almost hurt to think about
it.
In all her life, she didn't think she had ever been so terrified as
she had been when she'd come to underwater, with no idea how she'd gotten
there and no idea which way was up. Most pixie weren't particularly good
swimmers in any case, because of their wings, and she herself was still
afraid of deep water, though she had managed to get to the point where it
didn't terrify her, under normal circumstances. She'd done the first thing
that had come to mind. She'd taken a deep breath, and screamed.
At least, she had tried to. Being underwater, she'd only managed to
inhale nothing but water. She had been certain that she was going to die�
but somehow, she just hadn't been able to find it in her to struggle
against it. She'd just closed her eyes, and waited for the darkness to
claim her, and it had come quickly.
For a moment, there had been nothing, and then� Slowly, she'd been
aware of shadows forming around her, and of soft whispers just slightly too
quiet for her to understand. Some of the shapes of the shadows seemed
familiar, while at the same time the memory of how she'd gotten here
dwindled away quickly, but she couldn't quite recognize any of them. She
looked around in confusion, wondering where she was. Then suddenly the
whispers faded, and the shadows faded away, leaving behind only a single
form. This one, though, she did recognize.
"Grand� Grandmother?" she asked slowly, in disbelief. Why did it feel
so odd to see her? For that matter, why couldn't she remember how she got
here, or where here was? The elderly pixie smiled broadly, cheeks
wrinkling.
"You do know me, child. At first, we weren't sure if you would. Many
do not, when they come here; it is so that they may speak of themselves
impartially," she said gently. Pixie blinked, looking at her.
"We?" she asked, looking around. "But� you're the only one here."
"Why, all of us child! Your friends, your family. All of us are
here, but you chose me as your guide, and so, until it is over, you will
not see any of the others. Do you not remember the legends I told you?"
"I� no, Grandmother. I can't� can't remember anything but you," she
said, looking down in embarrassment. Her grandmother lightly touched her
chin, turning her face back up toward her, and smiled.
"It is no matter child. That is the nature of this place. This is
Tier'dal; the judging. Do you know where you are now?" she asked. Pixie
slowly nodded, as her grandmother's words set off a memory. Tier'dal,
where a pixie's life was judged, and from there to Fier'dal, the dead
lands; or Sier'dal; the Great Forest.
"Have I been judged already, then, Grandmother? Are you here to lead
me away?" asked Pixie quietly. She was sure that she already knew her
destination; only those who had led just lives were granted the right to
enter Sier'dal. But to her surprise, her grandmother shook her head.
"Not exactly, my dear. You see, you have not fully entered Tier'dal
just yet, and you may not be judged until you have. Once you do, though,
there is no turning back. You understand that, don't you child?" she
asked. Pixie nodded, confused.
"Yes, of course. What do you mean, not fully here? I'm either dead
or alive, aren't I?" she asked. Her grandmother smiled.
"Can't you hear him calling you, child? His voice is clear; he hasn't
given up on you yet. Would you give up on that faith so soon?" she asked
gently.
"Who hasn't? Who is calling me? I don't understand, Grandmother,"
she replied, shaking her head. Her grandmother smiled again, and then
lightly tapped her left breast.
"You know the answer; you must simply look for it here. The choice is
yours, still. You may either hear him, or take the final step into
Tier'dal," she said, and then raised her hand to Pixie's cheek, smiling
broadly once again. "We have always been proud of you, child; we have
never been disappointed in you." She smiled one last time, and then
vanished, leaving Pixie alone again. She looked around, slowly.
"I don't understand�" she whispered, before shivering suddenly. "I'm
so cold�"
"�I know you're in there�" She turned slightly, as a voice echoed
through the air.
"Who's there?" she called, shivering again. Why was she so cold
suddenly? She felt like she was being frozen slowly from her feet up; her
toes wouldn't move. "Who is it!"
"�Pixie! Help me out, you aren't gone�" came the voice again. It
sounded so familiar� So cold� She couldn't move her legs anymore, and no
amount of rubbing her arms warmed them.
"You know the answer, child; you simply must seek it�" Her
grandmother's voice was almost too soft to hear, but just loud enough to
catch her attention; at the same time, now she couldn't move her torso any
more.
"Please Pixie, don't leave me." The chill had started creeping up her
neck, as she struggled for the name. Her grandmother had tapped her
breast� over her heart. She reached deeply into it, as that strange,
freezing feeling began to spread through her face.
"Gen� ki. Genki�"
And just as suddenly as she'd managed to get it out, she'd found
herself freezing cold, soaking wet, and coughing up what felt like a gallon
of water. She hadn't been able to help it, once she'd gotten a few deep
breaths in. She had just broken down and started sobbing. Then she'd felt
his arms go around her� It had just been too much to handle all at once;
instead of fighting it, she had just let herself relax in his embrace. The
truth of it was, she had needed that safe, protected feeling right then,
and she knew it� and it hadn't frightened her, like it had that morning,
after the dream.
She shook her head, spraying a few droplets of water from her
still-wet hair. Wood for a fire. They needed warmth more than whole
bodies right now, with night on them and the temperature dropping. She
spied some sparse bushes near the cliff wall, and bee-lined for them. They
were pretty scrappy up close, but they were better than nothing. She was
about to start breaking off a few of the branches when she saw something
else.
Just beyond the bushes, behind a sort of fold in the rock that had
hidden it from view before, was a fissure in the wall. It looked just wide
enough for Genki to squeeze through. She walked over to it, and looked
inside. The fissure was fairly deep; even her night vision couldn't
penetrate all the way back. She followed it in, out of the wind. About
twenty feet in from the entrance, it suddenly widened into a rather sizable
cave, with more than enough room for both of them. And it was warm, too;
the walls were mildly hot to the touch.
"Must be near a vein of magma," she said to herself. This would be a
perfect place to stay; it was warm and well out of the wind. The entrance
was small enough that she could defend it alone if she had to, and the
bigger monsters wouldn't be able to get into it. She nodded in
satisfaction, and then followed the bond back to Genki quickly.
"No l-luck f-f-finding firewood-wood, I s-s-see," he said, as she came
up. She frowned, and knelt beside him, noting as she did that he'd changed
out of his damp clothing. He was shivering constantly even so, his teeth
chattering, but when she touched his forehead it was extremely warm.
"You're burning up, Genki!" she exclaimed. He shook his head.
"C-can't be. I f-f-feel like a ch-chunk of ice-ce," he told her. She
pulled off the blanket and wrapped it around him. He weakly tried to stop
her, but his attempts had no energy behind them. "N-no, I'll be f-fine,
k-k-keep it Pixie." She shook her head. Looks like it's my turn, she
thought to herself.
"Come on, can you stand? I found a cave we can stay in. It's warm,
and there are some bushes nearby we can burn if we need the extra heat,"
she said. He nodded slowly, and started to stand. When he tried to put
his weight on his injured leg, though, he went back down to his knees. She
shook her head, and pulled one of his arms around her shoulders.
"Naturally, I go to your world looking for a hero, and I end up bringing
back a guy that can't even hold his own weight up," she said dryly, smiling
to hide how worried she was suddenly. His injury, she could heal, but if
he was sick� Not that it did any good, she realized abruptly; she could no
more hide her emotions from him than he could from her, not without him
knowing it.
"B-brings back m-m-memories, t-though, doesn't-t-t it?" he said,
laughing slightly, as they began a stumbling path back to the cave.
"C-c-cept that you w-were the one with t-the in-injured leg that t-time."
"My wings were damaged then too, though," she reminded him.
-I remember how much of a pain I was back then. I'm sorry; I guess
I'm still being one,- he told her slowly. The telepathic sending almost
sounded like he was having trouble keeping enough concentration to speak
that way.
"A pain, you? I was the one too blind to realize you were just trying
to help me because you were worried for me," she said. When he didn't
reply, she glanced at him. His lips were set in a determined line, and he
was very pale. "Hold on a bit longer, we're nearly there," she told him
softly.
She led him to the fissure, and helped guide him through. It was a
bit of a tight fit for him, but he made it in. Once they were in the cave,
she helped him lay down; Genki fell asleep almost as soon as his head
touched the ground. Pixie sat down beside him, and lightly touched his
forehead, wincing as she felt the burning heat there. His leg injury, she
could heal with her magic, but sicknesses were just another story. All
that she could do was wait.
She leaned back against the wall, and let herself doze off, not really
noticing it as her hand wandered down to his, and held onto it tightly.
Tiger paused, as Holly called them to a stop; Megumi shifted slightly
on his back. She had long since fallen asleep. He shook his head a
little, smirking at Holly. He supposed that Megumi falling asleep was
something of a blessing in disguise; at least asleep she couldn't think
about what had happened to Genki and Pixie. "How is she?" asked Holly
gently.
"Out cold. She fell asleep not long after I started talking," he
said.
"You see, it's like I always said Holly. Listen to Tiger long enough,
and he'll bore you to sleep," said Hare, grinning at him mischievously.
"Hare, just consider yourself lucky that she is asleep and on my back,
or I'd send you looking for Genki and Pixie via the express route," he said
gruffly. Hare smirked, as Holly sighed.
"Enough you two," she said, stepping into their lines of sight.
"Tiger beat me to what I was going to say; we have to find a way to look
for them."
"The question is how?" agreed Hare, nodding. "The only way to that
canyon I saw was the route that they took."
"You know� if this volcano is like a typical one in my world, then
it's probably honeycombed with caves and passages. If we're lucky, we
might find one that would lead down to the canyon," said Jay, joining them.
"Of course, the catch is that it's those same caves and passages that the
magma uses to reach the surface."
"And with as active as Dendaria is, there would be a big chance of
collapse," added Hare, frowning.
"It's also our only suggestion so far," pointed out Holly, sighing,
and then looking up at the sky. "It's too dark now to search for one
anyway. Let's get some sleep for now, and start fresh in the morning," she
said. They nodded, and Tiger lay down.
"Wake up kid, we're stopping for the night," he said quietly. She
stirred, taking in a deep breath.
"Huh?" she asked sleepily.
"We're going to stop here for the night," he repeated. Megumi slowly
nodded, and slid off his back.
"Oh� I must have dozed off, I'm sorry Tiger," she said guiltily.
Tiger shook his head.
"Don't worry about it kid. You needed the sleep. I'll finish telling
you tomorrow, alright?" he said. She sighed and nodded.
"Ok� I guess that I can wait till then," she said quietly. Tiger
grinned in spite of himself. She had a way of growing on a tiger, a lot
like Genki. Then again, they are siblings, aren't they? he thought to
himself dryly.
"Yeah, well� maybe after I get done with my rounds and we get the
camp set back up, I'll finish telling you," he said gruffly. Her eyes
widened in excitement and she threw her arms around his neck, hugging him.
Hare caught his eye, smirking. Tiger scowled at him. If that blasted
rabbit says one thing about this� "Go on kid, I gotta make sure the area
is safe," he said. Megumi nodded, and then jogged over toward Holly and
Jay, as Hare drew near. "Not one word, you overgrown hairball," he
growled. The giant rabbit grinned innocently.
"Tiger, I'm hurt! Would I tease you about taking her under your
wing - err, paw, that is," he said dryly.
"In a second," replied Tiger flatly. Hare affected an injured
expression.
"I see how it is� Alright then, I'll just move along. I can tell
when I'm not wanted� Uncle Tiger!" he laughed, dashing away. Tiger just
sighed, and let it slide for once, instead running a circuit of the small
plateau, smelling for enemies. Smelling for any scents, really; he didn't
like air that was this empty. Sure, there were the scents of his friends;
Holly's quiet, calm scent; Hare's wily, mischievous one. The golem, of
course, didn't have scents. There was Megumi's; fresh, energetic, but with
a healthy dose of worry mixed into it. It was over her brother and Pixie,
he was sure.
He paused, as he thought of those two, nose wrinkling. They'd been
sending off enough pheromones to knock out a dragon at thirty paces. It
had been making him a little heady, and he'd been well ahead of them with
the wind blowing toward him. Of the entire group, only he and Big Blue
knew about their bonding, though he thought that Holly might have suspected
seven and a half years ago. In any case, he was fairly certain that even
Big Blue didn't realize that it had reformed; he was the only one with a
sense of smell strong enough to pick up the odd, double scent they gave off
as a side effect.
He sighed, and started moving again, speculating on how much of an
accident it had actually been that they'd gone over together. He didn't
put too much stock in fate himself. It made him uncomfortable to think
that his future had already been decided for him, but sometimes he
wondered. He wasn't too worried about them coming back; they always did.
Genki and Pixie were too close, too strong when they were together for a
fall off a cliff to slow them down. No, what had him wondering was the
sheer attraction between them that he'd been able to see, not to mention
smell, all day long. How much chance was in it that those two would be
separated from their group?
Abruptly he chuckled, shaking his head. They'd be back; he knew Genki
and Pixie too well to believe otherwise. The question was how strongly
bonded they'd be when they got back; how things between them might have
changed. He grinned slightly, as he finished his rounds. That was, of
course, none of his business, but he supposed that Hare was right, in his
earlier statement that he could hardly call Genki a kid anymore. He
trotted back toward the center of the camp; Megumi intercepted him half-way
there, grinning from ear to ear. Tiger shook his head again, and tried to
remember where he'd left off.
"Report, Ioribaiwa."
"They are moving up the mountain; I heard them say they were planning
on looking for a passage where they can get down to the lagoon, so that
they can look for Genki and Pixie. They were standing on a cliff that
crumbled when Dendaria exploded."
"Can you confirm that they are dead?"
"No, Master. But I can not believe they fell that far and survived
without severe injuries. If the fall did not kill them, then the night's
cold will."
"Do not make the mistake of underestimating them, Ioribaiwa. Their te
nacity alone served to carry Holly and the others through the battle with
Moo. I do not think you have seen the last of them just yet. Be on the
look out. In the mean time, continue as you have. We will be ready to
move in four days, and then it will be too late."
"Yes, Master."
----
The Platinum Dragon
"'When the devil finished, Johnny said, 'Well you're pretty good old son!
But sit down in that chair right there and let me show you how it's done!'"
Dragon's Masaki Shrine of Tenchi Muyo - http://dragonsanime.com