Blue had no idea where she was. Well, not quite: she knew she wasn't where she had been, but somehow she didn't know where that was, either. It was hard to think, she was so comfortable. The thick golden liquid in which she was suspended was warm like sunlight, but more so. Her mouth opened in wonder, and it flowed into her lungs, more refreshing than any breath she had ever taken.
She breathed and drank at the same time, to take in more of the precious stuff. Her arms lifted from her sides to spread upwards, or at least towards the light which shown towards her. She opened her eyes wide to gaze on it, and was mildly startled to see that her arms had become translucent, with tiny, threadlike branches of light inside them. As she watched, the lines began to blur and fade, dispersing their light into her surroundings. Her eyes drifted shut as she felt the joy of it, an embrace that felt strangely like that of her sisters.
Chichiri stretched to draw the next line, and winced as his broken ribs cried a protest. The Nyan-nyans hadn't had time to heal him completely; they had been too busy trying to bring Blue out of her coma.
He shook his head a little and fought back diziness. Thinking about that wouldn't do any good. There was nothing he could do, and his self-recriminations wouldn't wake Blue-chan up. He completed the second line of the pentagram, and moved on to the third.
He had come here, to Taitsukun's workroom, to distract himself from what happened. He had arrived by simply floating into Taitsukun's hands, literally a bubble on the breeze, and even in his half-conscious state had expected Blue to soon follow. However, it had been more than an hour before Blue reappeared - and then it had been in a crash into the apple tree beside the road. Taitsukun and the Nyan-nyans had her in a bed almost immediately, but that had been late afternoon. It was almost dawn now, and still Blue had not stirred.
Chichiri started, then cursed as his chalk snapped. He ought to sleep, but he couldn't. He had thought that maybe working on this particular spell, one he had tried multiple times and never completed successfully, would take the edge off his nervous energy, but it seemed he was wrong. He doubted this attempt would be any better than the others.
In almost rueful resignation he began to chant, focusing his chi to the center of his careful diagram. With the blessings of Suzaku, by the end of his chant Blue would finally awake.
Taitsukun watched the wan, still form intently, worry plain in the deep grooves between her brows and beside her mouth. Several Nyan-nyans also knelt around the bed, uncharacteristically silent, heads bent in prayer. Rather than the usual glowing globes, the room was lit only by candles, in stands set up at regular intervals along the walls.
Suddenly, despite the stillness of the air, all the candles began to flicker. The Nyan-nyans looked towards Blue's prone form in wide-eyed alarm, although they did not rise or unfold their hands.
Taitsukun nodded once, sharply, and floated to the bedside. She placed one withered yet strong and capable hand on Blue's forehead, and began to sing. Her voice was smooth and steady, and soon accompanied by the higher counterpoint of the Nyan-nyans.
Blue felt a vague discomfort, as if someone were . . . tickling her from inside her head. She opened her eyes and mouth wide to let more light in, and it eased.
*Blue!* cried a voice, but Blue's only answer was a cry of protest as she felt herself thrust upwards through the water. There was a pressure all over her body, but mostly on her upturned face and eyelids. She wanted to stay, but something pushed her up . . . until the water broke and she gasped, coughing in the chill air.
*What happened . . . where am I? I feel different, somehow.* She opened her eyes to a world that looked much like her own, but in shades of gold. *Oh! It's so beautiful!* She paddled towards the grassy shore, almost laughing aloud.
Her swishing feet hit somewhat solid ground, and she waded to waist height. She looked down at the sparkling sand under her feet, searching for plants, seashells, fish . . . anything that might tell her where she was. She was disturbed to find nothing but sand and small rocks. *No sign of anything living in the water. Except maybe the water itself?* A shiver passed through her and she quickly scrambled up the slope to shore.
Panting a little, she leaned against a tree which spread it shade on the water. The wind rippled through her hair, and she raised her face to it, and gasped in suprise.
*What . . . what is this? Is it day or night?! The stars . . .!* The sky was a bright gold that seemingly sourcelessly illuminated everything, but is was also speckled with an infinite number of stars, in no pattern Blue had ever seen before. They winked at her, and despite the fact that they remained perfectly still Blue was reminded of children playing.
Blue smiled tenderly. *This place is so nice, surely it would be alright . . . I'm so tired . . .* She lay her head against the bark of the tree and slept.
Chichiri looked at his set spell in frustration. He had done everything correctly, it was primed and ready, yet it would not activate. He blinked wearily and wondered if he should simply deactivate the construction and try to sleep.
Chichiri-sama?