Kai cast a spell to preserve the body and threw a tired glance at Link, waiting. Link cast a worried look at Tierra, asking, "You doing all right?"
She replied tensely, "Yeah. I…think."
Link looked at her one last time, then closed his eyes, trying to get inside Star's mind. Kai picked up the pup, stroking her fur worriedly, looking down at Tierra, who was sitting, leaning against the wall. She wanted to scream! The pain was so horrible….but she wouldn't. She wouldn't scream…Kai, seeing her look of agony, said reassuringly, "Ti…you'll make it. Stay strong."
Link opened his eyes again, staring at the floor blankly, feeling like a failure. "I can't…I can't do it."
Kai sighed and handed the puppy to Link, who held her with one arm. Kai tried, despite everything, to relax. Suddenly another place began to fade into view, a land of mists. He shaded his eyes a little, glanced around, and called, "STAR! It's Kai! If you can hear me! Just call back!" He listened to the empty echoes. He walked forward a bit, seeing something in the mist. Quietly, as though from far away, he heard Link ask him, "Found anything yet?"
He replied, "Just empty echoes…and a skiff."
Kai could clearly hear the bewilderment in Link's voice as the Hylian said, "A skiff? That's odd…"
"Yes, very," agreed Kai. "Otherwise, there's just emptiness…but she's here somewhere. I'm in the skiff now, but I don't know where I'm going, it seems to go by itself…" And he was right, for the skiff had started cutting a path through the still water on its own. "I'm so lost in here…I KNOW she's….I mean…she has…to…be…" He got out of the skiff and onto dry land.
"We think," Link added.
Kai tripped over a rock and clutched his sore knee. "Gah!"
"You all right?" he heard Link ask.
Trying to wave the fog away from his eyes, he replied, "Yep." He sat up and turned around, hearing a twig snap. "Strange…."
Back with Link, Tierra dragged herself to the bed and leaned against it, grimacing. She clutched her sides, breathing shallowly. "Tierra?" Link looked over at her. "Hang in there…"
She opened her eyes briefly and nodded a bit.
Kai looked for his staff, finding he didn't have it. "Drat…" he muttered. Suddenly a rock flew past him, narrowly missing him. "Ah!" he exclaimed, moving to the side quickly and turning around. "Where…" Kai picked up a rock and tossed it, hitting something. He stepped forward into the thicker mists.
Tierra's hair fell in front of her eyes, and she was near sobbing with pain. Link went over to the bed and checked for a pulse on Star, and finding none, he gasped. Kai heard him and said, "Link? Bud? What's going on over there?"
Link said nothing, just looked down at Tierra. Kai called out again, "STAR!!" He clutched his heart for a moment then charged into the mist, running straight into water. "Ah!" he spat some out.
"Water…?" said Link when Kai told him. "That's odd…"
Kai began to tread, then he felt his hand brush slime. "Eh…." He grabbed onto it, pulling himself up, then sliding down again. "Dammit…a wall?" He was silent a moment, then called again, louder this time, "STAR!!" Something creaked.
"Kai I….I'm not sure if you'll find her…she doesn't have a pulse…her heart's stopped…" Link said, feeling utterly broken.
"I have to tr—" Kai started, but he was pulled underwater.
Link could feel through a connection with Kai what was happening and yelled, "KAI!!"
Tierra whispered, "No…"
Kai struggled viciously, losing the battle. Suddenly the wind was knocked out of him and he sank.
Author's note: MWA HA HA!!!! I know this was a really short chapter and I do have more written, I really do, but I want to have a cliffhanger chapter!! What will happen next?! Will Kai survive?! *Mysteriously* Who knows…MWA HA HA! Oh and sorry for those who are confused about the characters…I made Kai and Tierra up, and I don't have any other stories about them…so yeah.