Chapter 29

Hey! I know I haven't updated in…I don't really know! I totally lost track of time but anyway, the important thing is that I updated; the reason I didn't update is because we extended our stay in the beach and I had absolutely no access to any laptop in awhile.

By the way, so sorry I spoiled some of you about the latest episode from my previous chapter! Ugh…I should've thought twice. Thanks for the reviews!

So um…On with the story!


The guardians looked everywhere, high and low, even behind and under boulders but they couldn't seem to find him!

"Nagi!" Yaya cried. "Nagihiko!" Rima screamed. Soon enough, everyone was screaming his name. "Nagihi-" Amu never got to finish for a loud rumble was heard from the sides of the cave. Rima fell then clutched onto Amu's arm.

"Um…I think there's an earthquake…Do you guys think Holy Crown can work in this case…?" Tadase asked nervously. Rima shuddered at the thought of being squashed by huge rocks. "W-worth a try…" She stuttered.

Tadase placed his staff above him. "HOLY CROWN!" He said out loud with obvious hesitation.

The move seemed to work, for the rocks and boulders, although they were heavier than before, bounced of. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

"We're sa-" "Hey…". Amu was cut of by the voice of what seemed to be like a young girl's.

"Are you the…guardians…?" The voice asked. Everyone turned to the voice, only to see the shadow of what seemed to be from a nine-year-old.

"Who are you?!" Utau demanded. The girl stepped out of the shadows, only to show her aqua bouncy hair and lacy red dress. "No time to explain" She said. She looked around as if she were hiding from someone. When she was sure that that someone was nowhere nearby, she turned to the guardians.

"If you're looking for your friend, take that path" She pointed towards a little passage that seemed hidden. "Once you're inside, look around the bunch of boulders closest to the wall. He's there. Once you get him, run! Run to the exit without looking back! The cave will collapse, all the rocks will fall on you guys! It's a force not even Holy Crown can keep you safe from. Now go!" With that, she disappeared.

The guardians looked at each other, clearly confused. "She seemed like she was in a hurry" Kukai pointed out.

"What are you waiting for?! Let's go!" Utau screeched then ran towards the passage. Everyone else followed.


"Ow, Yaya!" Rima glared at Yaya, making Yaya squeak in fear. Rima gave a 'humph' then turned away. "We need to be in single file. This passage is narrow." Rima said. Amu smiled. "Good thing none of us are fat" She said, at the same time smirking at Ikuto, who was already crawling due to his tall size.

Midori gave put a soft giggle. "You're like a gigantic cat" She muttered. Yoru then appeared in front of her. "He is a big cat ~nyaa! Check this out! Character Change!" Yoru chanted. "Yoru! No!" Ikuto tried to grab his chara but just when he got him, cat ears and a tail popped out of his body.

He then noticed the bunny ears of Dear Baby, as it wobbled and bounced at Yaya's every step. He jumped on top of her, only to have her scream at his sudden movement but he didn't mind. He just played with her bunny ears with his gigantic paws.

"Iko-kun!!! Get off of me!!!" She cried. Ikuto shook his head then continued to play with the ears.

Although it was cramped, everyone still managed to watch in amusement. Midori, on the other hand, was mortified.

"T-that is…" She started. Amu held Midori's shoulder. "He really is a gigantic cat isn't he…" She giggled. Midori's eyes flashed. "And I love cats!"

Splashing noises and rumbling drowned the sound of the guardian's laughter.

Kukai, who was at the last of the line, was the first to identify the source of the sound. "W-water's heading towards us!" He yelled. This had everyone look up at him wide-eyed.

"Hurry up and crawl faster!!!" He stated.

"And they wonder why I'm always slim no matter how much I eat… It's because of what you guardians get me into!" Utau yelled, clearly motivated. "Let's crawl and burn some calories!"

Everyone crawled faster than normal. Their shoulders ached and their hands were sore, but they never stopped, much to their discomfort.

"It's coming closer!!!" Kukai protested, beads of sweat already visible on his forehead. "I…can't…crawl…faster!!!" Amu cried. "It's hopeless! We can't out-crawl it!" Tadase stopped. "No it's not!" Ikuto seemed like the most fearful of water. "I am a cat and I will not swim!" He stated.

"There's nothing we can do about it! Everyone get ready to swim!!!" Tadase said hurriedly. "NOOOO!!!" Ikuto cried.

Water then rushed towards the group of friends, hitting them in every part of their body. Tiny and sharp rocks hit and scratched them. As much as they did not want to panic, they just had to. The force was so hard they couldn't tell if they were alive. If they ever attempted to open their eyes, all they could see were bubbles going through different directions and tiny pebbles that would hit them, even on sensitive spots like the head. The exit seemed so far away. They haven't been breathing for what seemed like three minutes and they weren't sure how much longer they could survive.

Finally, the water poured out of the tiny passage, slightly flooding the tiny part of the cave where their said lost friend was.

Everyone coughed out loud, not even thinking of standing up for they were too tired and wet. It took them a few minutes to catch their breaths until Kukai spoke up.

"*cough* Is everyone okay?!" He said. Midori looked around. "Where's Ikuto?" She asked, alarmed. "H-he's still gripping me!" Amu squeaked. Everyone turned to the big cat, who was still chattering and gripping onto Amu as if his life depended on in. Amu was blue, obviously due to the tight grip.

"A-Amu-chi you okay?" Yaya asked, clearly concerned. "Just get him off of me!" She screeched. Rima then got him by the cat ears then dragged him away.

"Wait." Rima suddenly let go of Ikuto's ears, obviously because she remembered something. She quickly turned to Temari and Rhythm, who were slowly fading. Everyone seemed to notice her glance then they too looked at the two charas, only to be wide-eyed with panic.

"Temari! Rhythm!" Rima screeched. "Where's Nagihiko?!" She asked. "And Nadeshiko?" Amu continued. "H-here…" Rhythm stuttered.

"Rhythm!" Kusukusu and Miki yelled.

Rima immediately dug around the water in search of something or someone. "Everybody help me out!" She panicked.

There you go! I finally done with chapter 29. Rate and Review! Constructive criticism is very much welcome :)