A/N: Hurray for random inspiration. Here's a 1-shot to tide you over until I finish Chapter 6 of Kishi no Kakera. Enjoy!


Rika ran through the woods in a blind panic. Branches tore at her arms and nightgown, but she barely even noticed. The men chasing her would not pause due to a scratch from a tree branch, and so, neither could she. She didn't know exactly who was trying to capture her, but she knew what would happen if she was caught. She also knew that this flight through the forest was almost guaranteed to end in failure. And yet she ran.

The forest grew thinner, allowing Rika greater freedom of movement. This didn't comfort her, however, as her pursuers would enjoy the same advantage. She could only continue to run, and hope that somehow, someway, she would evade capture. But then what could she do? Her home was no longer a safe haven for her, and returning would only be leading herself into her enemy's clutches, and worse, possibly exposing Satoko. No, she couldn't return.

She could attempt to hide with one of her other friends, but that would lead danger to them, and they were probably being watched for that exact reason. Her options seemed pitifully limited; all she could do was run, hide, or give up. Hiding never worked, and giving up was simply not acceptable to her. That left running.

The trees gave way to a wide open gorge, a single bridge leading across. Rika smiled, at last, something that could work to her advantage. If she crossed and cut the ropes, then her pursuers would be unable to follow her, giving her time to seek help. She gritted her teeth, ignoring the pain from her tired legs and aching lungs, and crossed quickly.

Unfortunately, the bridge was not the safe haven Rika had imagined it to be. Men emerged from the forest, blocking the end of the bridge. At the same time, her pursuers had reached the end of the bridge she had entered, leaving no avenue of escape.

"Come now, surely you realize there's no way to get away, just come quietly and save us the hassle." The leader of the pursuit unit told Rika. There was no compassion in his eyes, simply a dead look that conveyed terror to those he was speaking to. Rika sighed, and closed her eyes.

"There is but one way for me to escape now. Farewell." With all her options exhausted, and capture imminent, Rika took the one, final choice available to her. She fell back, and plummeted from the bridge. Below, the rushing water raged, clearly much too powerful for Rika to resist. She sighed.

"Perhaps in the next world, I'll bring a life jacket."


A/N: I'd like reviews on this, but they are not necessary, as always. This evolved from a short exercise on practicing my writing style, into a short, coherent story. I hope you liked it.