Before Katie and Amanda left Linda's house, they arranged to meet Linda and Moira outside the west entrance to Ichinohashi Park the next day. Linda had offered to give Amanda and Katie a guided tour and go with them to the Cherry Hill temple. Moira, of course, was going along. She could never get enough of Ichinohashi Park, she said.
Getting in the rental car, Amanda showed she'd had enough of Shuten by slamming the car door. "The nerve of that guy," she exclaimed. "All that help for the Troopers, but not a scrap for us." She finished as she buckled her seat belt. "He didn't know a blasted thing except for what he wanted." "True, true," Katie replied as she started the car. "Y'know," Katie decided to point out, "isn't it a little strange that the only thing he asked of us was to free his buddies?" "You're right," Amanda agreed. "It's odd he didn't ask us for anything else. He never waited for a reply from us either. He just left after he said he couldn't really help us." "Yup," replied Katie, pulling out onto the road. "you've got that right," she concluded with a sigh. "I'm sure we'll find some way to do this if it's what we're meant to do," Katie said, trying to brighten up the situation. "Sure, but how?" asked Amanda. "If they're sealed off, then we can't possibly go in to get them," she summarized. "What if they could come out?" offered Katie. "Come out?" Amanda asked. "A while ago, I said Shuten made a mistake," Katie implied. "Now use that strategist's mind to think," she said. "Couldn't there possibly be another way out?" "Other doors he could have forgotten," Amanda said in mid thought. "Loopholes!" shed exclaimed. "Exactly," Katie said as she raised a finger. "I think we're the ones that have to make these loopholes wide enough so that they can get out." "Sounds logical to me," Amanda replied. "I guess the how will come later," she said, looking out her window. "Yup," said Katie. They then began their short drive out to the countryside, where they were staying for two months.
The next day, Moira, Linda, Amanda and Katie met outside the park. "It's quite busy today," Linda said, scratching her head. "Probably because of the tower," Amanda offered. "Oh yeah!" Linda said, smacking a fist into one hand. "That's right," she smiled. "Shall we go?" asked Moira. "Follow me," Linda said with a wave of her hand.
The park was extremely crowded and full of tourists. Not to
mention, those who were there, to make money off the fall of the
tower. "It almost has the air of Central Park," Katie
commented. "Almost," Amanda pointed out. "Well,
what I meant was, it's got the air of Central Park," Katie
finished, "That's what I intended." "Hmm,"
Amanda commented. "Oh!" Moira beamed. "What's with
the crowd?" "Huh?" Katie asked, "What crowd?"
"This one," Linda said as she walked towards it. People
stood at least 6 feet away from the man in the center, and they
had a good reason to be awed and fearful at the same time. "An
anaconda." Linda realized, "The manis holdingan
anaconda." She just stared at it and joined the rest of the
gawking people. "What is it, Linda?" Moira said as she
gently shook her best friend's shoulders. Since she was so tall,
Linda could see over most of the people. The rest of the girls
could not. "What's going on?" asked Amanda. "He's
gotan anaconda" Linda trailed off. "An anaconda?!"
Amanda nearly freaked. "You mean the vicious snake found
in the amazon that can eat men whole?!" "Uhhuh"
Linda said. Katie pouted. "I can't see," she said. "We
shouldn't even be near this," Amanda smiled nervously, "We
should go." She looked at Moira and Katie, then at Linda
who was still gawking. "That's so not her style," Moira
said concerned. "C'mon guys," Amanda tugged, "Let's
go see the Cherry Hill Temple!" "Aw! But I wanna see!"
Katie smirked, "Just one peek!" "And join all these
gawkers?" Amanda thumbed. "I'm not a gawker," Katie
objected, "I'm a natural hall wander." She winked at
Amanda and weaved her way to the front of the crowd. "Honestly!"
Amanda huffed and crossed her arms.
The man who was holding the snake was barely doing so. It was
a very large, very long, very thick, dark snake. The anaconda
had wrapped itself many times around the man's body, and was resting
its head in the man's hand The man himself had a lethargic appearance.
His hair was olive green, and badly styled as it stuck out everywhere.
His eyes were half-open, and his eyelids took on an unnatural
lilac hue. The irises of his eyes were so dark, they could not
be told apart from the pupils. Linda was willing to bet they were
black, she thought as she stared at him. The man was massaging
the back of the snake's head, her brow furrowed in disbelief.
Katie turned around at the front of the crowd to see that Linda
was still staring at the snake charming man.
The small movement at the front of the crowd caught the snake
charmer's eye. He followed the short lady's gaze upward to the
dark-hared lady that was staring at him intensely. He grinned
to himself realizing he had accomplished step one of his plan.
He looked at the snake he was massaging kindly, and made it disappear.
It had peacefully done its job. Linda noticed the snake had disappeared
and morethe man in the middle of the crowd was oddly dressed!
Her eyes went just a little wide as she realized he was wearing
a poor excuse for a tunic, sand colored and supported by only
one shoulder. It was held in place to his waist with a white chord,
and he wore loose pants, and no shoes. For his next defiance,
the green hared man asked an emerald-colored cobra to appear.
It hissed making most of the crowd jump in surprise. The snake
charmer merely closed his eyes, and silently waved one hand. "No
excessive movement," he thought. The emerald snake got straight
to work. Moving this way, and that, it hissed, scaring most of
the crowd. It was searchingsearching for an indescribable
aura. One of four would do, it thought, when it found one, front
row, right hand side. A little far to reach, but it could be done.
As the cobra tried to pull itself to the left of the snake charmer
he turned, slightly. Then the cobra lashed out! It was all slow
motion for her, as Linda watched it happen. She shoved everybody
out of the way, and got to Katie. Justification shone in her eyes
as she an arm in front of Katie's throat and pushed her a few
steps back. The look on Katie's face was shock. The snake finished
its job as it sunk its teeth into Linda's arm. She gritted her
teeth and hissed herself. "Linda!!" Katie screamed as
she raised her hands to her face. Moira and Amanda pushed their
way through the crowd at this.
The snake charmer looked up at Linda. "You're fast,"
he spoke. "I know," she shortly replied, staring at
him, her eyes a shade of very dark brown as she narrowed her gaze.
The man gave the snake two pats and it disappeared. He smirked
at Linda, and faded into the sunlight kissed air.
"Linda!!" Moi called and ran over to her. Amanda pushed most of the gawkers aside. "Give her some room!" she shouted at them. Katie looked at Linda's arm. "Oh my God" she mumbled. "We've got to get you to a hospital!" Katie told her. Linda looked at her arm. "So much for the park," she commented. "C'mon, let's go," Amanda urged. "We've got the car," she finished. "The park can wait," said Moi sternly. "I'm driving," Katie thumbed at herself as she and the other girls joked to the rental car.
At the hospital, the emergency room wasn't overly busy, so
the girls really lucked out. Linda explained her cause to the
nurse on duty and showed her the bite. The nurse told her something
they didn't understand and picked up the phone. Linda sat back
down with Moira and company. "What did she say?" asked
Moira with worry in her face. "She's calling the specialist,"
Linda said tiredly. "She doesn't look so hot," Katie
thought. Linda was a little paler and her breathing was slowing.
Amanda looked worried. "That specialist had better haul ass,"
she commented. "Don't worry," Linda said with a wave
of a hand, "they're good here." She smiled. A few minutes
later, a man in a white coat and glasses came down with a stretcher
following him. He introduced himself and so did Linda. "What
kind of snake were you bitten by?" he asked as he knelt down
in front of her. "A bright green one," she rasped. "A
cobra," Katie put in. Mizuno-isha looked at her. "Are
you sure?" "Yes," Katie nodded. "She saved
me from it." Dr. Mizuno turned back around to face Linda.
"Well Kimiko-san, you didn't tell me you're a heroine!"
he smiled at her and helped Linda into the stretcher. "Lie
down," he told her kindly. "We've got you now and everything
is going to be just fine." Then the doctor and nurse whisked
her away to the elevator, double-time. "He'd better be good,"
Moira said, staring at them.
The green hared man could only think the same thing, as he stood behind the three girls. He held a little garter snake in his hands. He too, stared at the elevator doors. The snake charmer then placed the garter snake on the ground. But before doing so he cupped his hands and whispered to it, "Stay close to the wall and let no one see you. Find out where the lady is." The little spring green snake slipped out of his hands and made it's way over to the corner of the wall and waited. When the elevator doors opened, it quickly slithered in. This all went unnoticed by Moira, Amanda, and Katie, as they were too worried about Linda. The heavy-eyed man knew he'd played this to his full advantage. Now, all he had to do was wait for the poison from the cobra to exhaust Linda and make her fall asleep.
Dr. Mizuno had given the poison antidote to Linda, and told
her to put on a hospital nightshirt and pants. "This is just
incase any swelling occurs," he told her. "However,
we gave you the antidote in time, so I don't think there will
be any swelling. We'll keep you here for a while for observation,"
he concluded. "Okay," Linda mumbled as she drifted off
to sleep. Dr. Mizuno smiled at her then looked at the nurse. "Put
Kimiko-san in 206," he ordered. "Alright, Dr. Mizu-"
The nurse cut herself off as something caught her eye. "Iyaaaaaaaaaaa!!"
"WHAT?" demanded Dr. Mizuro as he whipped his head around.
"I," the nurse stammered, "I saw a little green
snake," she finished. "Oh?" he questioned, "Where?"
"By the door," the nurse pointed, but it was gone. "You're
sure you haven't been bitten yourself?" he kidded. The nurse
gave him an angry look. "No, but I'll take Kimiko-san now."
She pulled the rolling stretcher out of the ER. The little green
snake had curled on the bottom of the stretcher as it rolled into
the elevator.
When the elevator stopped, the nurse got out and stopped in front of the nurse's station. She filled out a form and had two male nurses follow her to room 206. They carefully picked Linda up and placed her on the bed. They all walked out, and the men took the stretcher with them. The little green snake sat on the floor and flicked out its tongue. It smelled the lady. It was in the right place. It climbed up the leg of the chair next to Linda's bed, which was no easy task. It took the little green snake a full 20 minutes to get to the top of the back of the chair. It stared at her, then flicked its tongue out again it balanced itself on the rail of her bed, slithered along past her fingers and dropped down onto the edge of the bed. It made its way onto Linda's gently rising torso, curled up, and went to sleep.
Moira looked at her watch. They'd been waiting for 40 minutes. "I'll be right back guys, " she said to Amanda and Katie. She walked up to the nurse at the station. "excuse me, where is Linda Kimiko?" "Room 206," the nurse said after typing in Linda's name into the computer. "Thank-you," Moira replied. "She's in 206, let's go!" said Moira to Amanda and Katie. "Alright!" said Katie. "I hope she's alright," said Amanda. The girls walked over to the elevator and pressed the up button.
In her sleep, Linda found herself in the middle of Ichinohashi Park. It was strangely quiet. Nothing but the sounds of a few singing birds and the odd car. The sun was out, with only a few clouds in the sky. In front of her sat the green hared man with anaconda. It was wrapped around his upper body and he massaging the back of its head. "You!" She addressed the man, yelling. She was ready to call her armor. "Yes, me," he replied calmly. "What do you want?" Linda demanded. "I want you to take something," he replied and looked up at her. She stared at him with suspicion this time. The man shut his eyes and shook his head. He held out his free hand. When he opened his fist, there appeared a little spring green colored garter snake. "I want you to take it," he told her. She stared at the little snake and frowned. "It doesn't bite," the man said a tad offended. "Don't turn up your nose." Linda took a step forward. "Why?" She asked. "Because you're the only one who can," he commented. He held out the snake to her. "Take it," he ordered. "It's the right thing to do." Linda frowned at it, but moved in to pick it up. When she had the snake cupped in her hands, it flicked its tongue and looked at her. Then it nestled its head back down and shut its eyes. Linda held it up to her eye level and stared at it. Then lowering it, she asked, "What now?" The man smiled dangerously at her, or at least, he appeared to. "Wake up, Linda," he said to her. "How did you?" she demanded of him. "You need to wake up," he replied. "But-" she refused, "my name!" "I have ears too," he smartly replied. "wake up, Linda!" he commanded her. She started to glow faint amber as she stared at the green-hared man. "Your name" she trailed off, wrinkling her brow at him. He smiled at her and waved.
When Moira and co founded Linda's room, they all shuffled in and shut the door. Linda was mumbling in her sleep. The girls just stopped in their tracks. Linda was glowing a faint amber, her brow wrinkled about something only she was involved in. "Linda?" Moira said. "ah" Katie piped in. "She's got a snake in her hands!" she said, tugging Amanda's sleeve. "A snake?" Amanda questioned. Moira walked up to her best friend. "Wake up, Linda," she said, shaking her friends' shoulders gingerly. "Mmm" Linda replied. "Linda wake up," Moira said louder. "Buh.." Linda said. Her hands that held the snake jerked. It opened its eyes and flicked its tongue. Then it stared at Linda. "Wake-up, Linda!" Moira shouted at her. Linda bolted straight up in bed. "The snake!" she thought and looked to her hands. There it was, just as the man had asked her to do. "You okay?" Moira asked. "Yeah," Linda said slowly, "I'm fine." "What's with the snake?" Katie asked with a raised eyebrow. "I had to take it," Linda said looking at the little snake, which stayed glued to its spot, flicking its tongue. She looked it wonderingly, when the snake turned its head to the door. It flicked its tongue a few times. Standing in the slim window of the door, was the snake charmer. Linda's gaze narrowed as she flung off the covers and shoved down the bed rail. "Huh?" said Amanda, "What is it?" Linda marched right towards the door and literally ripped it open, right off the hinges. Everybody's eyebrows raised 2 feet off their heads, even the snake charmer's.
Linda held out the little snake to him. "You broke the door," he pointed out. "How did you know my name?!" she demanded. "I told you I have ears," he said calmly. Then, just to annoy her he pointed out again, "You broke the door," using an index finger. "I know," Linda said as she stared him down. Amanda, Moira, and Katie could only watch them in the hallway. "How did you know my name?" Linda demanded again. The man pointed at the snake. "That's my body," he said. "What?" said Katie and Amanda in disbelief. Linda shot him a look. "You're serious," she said sarcastically. "Yes," he replied. "That's how I know your name. Your friend was calling for you," he smiled, then gently took the snake from Linda's hands. As he held it, the snake curled around his wrist and faded into his skin like water into sand. None of the girls said anything. "The bite you received was on purpose," the green-hared man continued. "You carried my soul." Katie's lip twitched and she made a nasty face. "Ewww," she said to herself. "I don't believe I asked for comments from the peanut gallery over there!" he said sharply to her. Katie rolled her eyes. Linda stared at him with a wrinkled brow. "How?" she asked. "I don't know," the man replied. "Only you could tell us how you did it, for all I know, I could have gotten lost if it wasn't you leading me here. Now I'm free. You truly do have power," he commended her. Then, he untied the chord of his waist and placed it in Linda's right hand. "Thank you," he said gratefully. "Uh..You're welcome," Linda said slowly.
As the man turned to leave, his poor excuse for a tunic slipped off his shoulder. He grabbed it and tied it around his waist, and continued to walk on. Amanda coughed. Katie blushed and looked away. Moira and Linda just stared. "He didn't say his name," Linda finally spoke after a minute. "Can't anyone else see him?" Katie asked. "They're gonna stick him in the Mental Ward if they see him," she finished. "I think we're the only ones who can see him," Amanda said. "I don't think so," Moira commented. "Look at all the people watching him!" she was right. Every pair of eyes watched the green hared man walk to the elevator and stepped inside. Before the doors closed, he waved at Linda. Then he was gone.
"You're awake?" another voice asked. The girls turned around to face a smiling Dr. Mizuno. "How do you feel, Kimiko-san?" he asked, adjusting his glasses. "I..um.." was all she managed to say." "Hmm" he looked at her sternly. "You must still be waking up," he confirmed. "Why don't you go have a seat on your bed, and I'll make sure you're good to leave." Linda nodded and went back to her room, and Dr. Mizuno followed. Moira Company stayed outside. Dr. Mizuno whisked a curtain around Linda's bed and did his job. About fifteen minutes later, Dr. Mizuno left Linda's room and handed the nurse at the station a clipboard. Linda followed and got her clothes and belongings.
In the parking lot, Linda apologized. "For what?"
Amanda asked. "For the park," Linda said. "and
the temple." "It's alright," Katie replied. "It
wasn't your fault. Besides, it can be done some other time."
"How long are you here for?" Moira asked, concerned.
"Two months," Amanda commented. "Oh?" Linda
asked as she got in the back. "Then I've got an excellent
idea for all of us!" "Oh?" Amanda asked. "Yes.
We'll have to discuss it at my place though. I've got the brochures.
I really think you'd love it," Linda told them. "Alright,"
Katie said as they backed out and dove off.
At Linda's house, the girls were surprised by Linda's idea.
"A train?" asked Katie with delight. "A scenic
route by train," Amanda said dreamily. "Sounds wonderful."
"Uh-huh," Katie agreed. "There's discounts in these
brochures, so it shouldn't be too expensive. I hope," Linda
said. "Sounds great," Moira commented. "I've never
been." "So, what do you think?" Linda asked Amanda
and Katie. "Is it a go?" "Hmm," said Katie,
"Think we can swing it?" "I think so," said
Amanda. "It's only a day so it's not too bad." "Great!"
beamed Moira. "It's a go then," Linda smiled. "This
will be super," she finished.