As the group walked in silence, Liz clutched to a now forgiven Patty, in case there where monsters. There was no sound but their empty sounding footsteps that echoed off of the walls and traveled down for what seemed like endless space beyond the shadows that stretched in front of them.
However, Koji was getting worse. She definitely needed a break, but she didn't want to disappoint Rida. Every step she managed dragged and made her throbbing head pulse with pain. She leaned against the wall for support, head hanging for what seemed like endless hours until finally, her knees buckled harshly.
Thudding to the stone ground, everyone crowded around her crumpled figure on the floor.
Soul shook his head and slurped loudly. "Dude, she can't do this for much longer."
Tsubaki knelt down and placed a hand on Koji's sweat drenched forehead. "She really way overused her soul length."
Maka had her brows furrowed. "Her wave length is weak… Weird… it looks like it's even darker in color…"
Rida jumped. "That's impossible!" He nearly screamed the words.
Nodding his head, Black Star shrugged. "Maka, he IS right. Soul wave lengths don't just CHANGE color—or else mine would be gold, because I'm the star. YAHOO!"
Kid sighed, shook his head, then as Tsubaki stood knelt down in front of Koji as well. His voice was quiet when he spoke, almost soft. "Koji, if you want I will have you brought right back to campus-"
Rida was about to agree, but Koji made a throaty noise to shut them up and dragged herself to a sitting position against the wall. "N-No… Just… Just go ahead." They gave her skeptical looks, and she forced a smile through the pain to re-assure them, opening her eyes. "Really… I-I can catch up later."
"Koji, don't push yourself-"Rida bent down on one knee to meet her eyes, but she stuck a hand out and gently stopped him.
Then, Koji winked and laughed meekly. "Don't worry Boss, I won't letcha down…"
Ride looked into her eyes for a few more moments, and then stood turning to the dark, dank hallway hey where going to go down. "Well, you heard her. Let's go!" Without another word, he took off down the hallway.
"Hey, wait up!" Liz gasped and took off after Rida, a dreamy look in her eyes. Paddy charged on after her.
Kid sighed, cast a look to Koji, and then muttered. "Well, they aren't waiting. Come on Maka, Soul."
The three took off, Kid on his levitating Skate board and Maka and Soul running in tow.
Only when she could hear no sign of her friends at all, did she begin to let tears slip out from under her lashes.
Her Soul Wave length was evil, she knew that much, so it fed on power and life force. Now that she had over stressed it and sued all of its power, her soul was taking what it needed from her life force.
It burned.
No, not like normal burning, this was like an internal inferno dissolving anything that got in its path. Every time a new wave of fire washed over her body, she felt herself inching closer to unconsciousness.
A harsh, strong wave of burning hit once more, and she yelped slightly, eyes closing.
She wanted to curl up and sleep, eyelids feeling steadily heavier by the second.
Yes, it would be so easy just to relax, and fall… into… sleep…
"No!" Koji's eyes snapped open to her own voice, which sounded disconnected and distant. "Get up, Koji… Come on…"
Unwillingly, Koji pulled herself to her feet. Using the back of her hand, the silver haired girl wiped tears from her cheek and then popped her neck. "No… I will not let you kill me. I will not lose to the monster I created. I WON'T!"
Taking a rough step forwards, Koji staggered and nearly fell. However, her hand caught the wall and she helped herself along the darkness that lay ahead.
Koji was not sure for how long she walked, but the monster was winning. She only knew through the waves of pain to keep moving, keep moving, keep moving…
Koji looked up with a sheen of sweat shining on her skin, just in time to gag and hurl in exhaustion.
Gasping for air and trying to straighten back out, Koji wandered where Rida was. Maybe she had even gone the wrong way… Maybe she was lost forever.
"Dear one, you seem lost."
Koji tried to whip around to see who had spoken from behind her, but she had no strength. Instead, she tried to suck up all the pain and weakness and whispered in a hoarse voice, "Who… Who is it?"
"My…" The voice rounded her left ear, and then a figure came into view. The boy's face was hidden by bandages that wrapped around his entire head, but his stunningly golden eyes shone from two holes. She could tell by several patches sticking out that he had black hair. "You do not seem well. You vomited from exhaustion, did you not?"
She stumbled backwards from him, but ended up losing her balance and truly falling. She hit the ground hard, and then gave up and simply lay back, eyes closing.
"You definitely are not well. Well," He sighed heftily. "Time to go." Through fuzzy vision Koji saw that he snapped and tendrils of black crept from the shadows, slithering towards her.
At first Koji was sure that they were going to hurt her, but they gently slithered under her back and lifted her from the ground, carrying her in waves after the black haired boy, whom continued to talk casually.
"Tell me traveler, where do you come from?"
Mustering up the strength to whisper again, she whispered "Russia."
"Where?"
"I was born in Russia…"
"Never heard of this 'Russia place'. Is it nice?" He must be smiling from under the bandages, she realized, and this made her smile weakly.
"…It's…. very cold."
"Ah, I see."
Koji swallowed thickly, and he kept walking with swinging arms. Soon enough, the boy stopped in place and the waves of tendrils beneath Koji stopped as well. He tapped on a brick in the wall and it sank under his touch. For a moment, all was still, and then suddenly a whole chunk of the wall sank back as well and slid out of the way.
He stepped inside and Koji was carried in as well.
The door sealed shut behind them, and Koji realized that she had no idea which brick he had pushed to make an escape.
Watching with half dead eyes, Koji lay limp as the boy looked at her for a long while, then snapped his fingers. The tendrils responded immediately, writhing. "Go ahead, my pets."
Suddenly the tendrils of pure darkness got very, very cold. Koji felt gooseflesh rise on her arms and tried to squirm, but was too weak. A squeak escaped from deep within her throat. Soon, the sticky threads began to latch themselves to her face. Quickly they wrapped over her mouth and she watched with wide eyes as the boy laughed at her.
Black began to swarm her vision, and then everything was masked.
Koji opened her eyes to realize that the tendrils where unlatching themselves and slithering back into the darkness.
The next thing she realized was that all pain had evaporated from her muscles, and she felt a strange strength that pulsed through her veins.
Her wavelength was restored.
Standing shakily, she immediately gushed to the mysterious boy. "T-Thank you! You…. Saved me…."
The boy nodded, and she wondered if he was smiling beneath the bandages. He waved his hand at her and winked the one visible eye. "Oh, you're too much."
Koji was about to thank him once more, when he asked. "What is your name, traveler?"
She immediately felt as though she should bow, but knew that the only person she would bow to ever was Rida. "My name is Koji."
"What about your last name, Koji of Russia?"
She blinked, taken back slightly. "O-Oh… I guess I don't have one~" Smiling sweetly, she was feeling much more like herself. "Just Koji. What's yours?"
"King Tutankhamen himself, the ruler of the desert!" He boasted, doing a mini-bow to her as if to introduce himself.
Koji froze, and her smile flipped into a very sad frown.
Tutankhamen stood straight, alarmed. "What is it, Koji of Russia?"
Koji felt like she might cry. "I was sent here to kill you."