Hakkai emerged from the surface, gasping for air. "Yaone-san?!" he called,
"where are you?" He looked around. Yaone was nowhere to be seen. Taking a
deep breath, Hakkai plunged underwater. He could see a blurred figure of
Yaone, sinking slowly. He swam towards her and grabbed her by the arm, and
swam towards the surface. 'A bit more,' he thought. And he made it to the
surface, gasping for air once again.
"Yaone-san?" he called softly. Yaone was motionless, not to mention cold, "please be alive." The river bank was not too far away, but the current was strong, and he was exhausted. As though someone was helping them, a log floated by. Hakkai hauled Yaone up and hung on to the log, panting heavily. "Kyu!" Hakaryu called. It circled Hakkai and Yaone in the air.
"Hakaryu, you came." Hakkai muttered, forcing a smile, "arigatou." Hakaryu seemed to nod happily and smile. All of a sudden, Hakkai's expression changed. He concentrating on something. Turning around, his eyes widened. Amongst the noise of running water, his voice was barely audible. "Waterfall."
With Yaone still in his grip, Hakkai let go of the log, grabbing a low-hanging branch of a tree near the riverside. The branch was feeble, and began to snap. Hakaryu immediately flew down and grabbed his shirt, trying to pull him up. The small dragon's attempts were obviously unsuccessful. "Gomen, Hakaryu," Hakkai said. The branch snapped. He let go of the broken branch and drew Yaone close to him. This time, he definitely was not going to let her go. Suddenly, a crescent-shaped blade flew down, somehow hooking unto his sleeve.
"Oi, Hakkai! Are you going to die so easily?" Gojyo yelled. Hakkai sighed in relief. But his sleeve ripped apart, the blade sliding up, against his skin. The white piece of cloth (A/N: what IS it called, anyway?) he always wore also got ripped off. Hakkai screamed in pain as the blade cut him deeply. Still, he bore with the pain, refusing to let go of Yaone. He looked down. Sharp rocks lay at the bottom of the waterfall, as though placed there just to kill them. Hakkai closed his eyes, turning so that Yaone would be above him, giving her a greater chance of survival. But the blow never came. He opened his eyes once more. Everything was gone. He was no longer staring at the blue sky. He was staring at a metal ceiling. Pain shot through his spine as he hit the hard floor, passing out.
A metal door slid open, revealing Nii Jien behind it. "Nani? What's this?" he said, looking at the unconscious pair, "and just when I needed human subjects to test on."
Meanwhile, back at the top of the waterfall, Dokugakuji was scolding Kougaiji. "What in the world were you trying to do?!" Dokugakuji yelled. "In case you haven't noticed, Yaone and the traitor just went down that waterfall, and I'm going to rescue her!" Kougaiji shot back angrily. "Then I will do it." Kougaiji was silent. He could see the seriousness in Doku's eyes. "No, I will. You just keep me from dying," Kougaiji said.
"That's all you need to do."
"Yaone-san?" he called softly. Yaone was motionless, not to mention cold, "please be alive." The river bank was not too far away, but the current was strong, and he was exhausted. As though someone was helping them, a log floated by. Hakkai hauled Yaone up and hung on to the log, panting heavily. "Kyu!" Hakaryu called. It circled Hakkai and Yaone in the air.
"Hakaryu, you came." Hakkai muttered, forcing a smile, "arigatou." Hakaryu seemed to nod happily and smile. All of a sudden, Hakkai's expression changed. He concentrating on something. Turning around, his eyes widened. Amongst the noise of running water, his voice was barely audible. "Waterfall."
With Yaone still in his grip, Hakkai let go of the log, grabbing a low-hanging branch of a tree near the riverside. The branch was feeble, and began to snap. Hakaryu immediately flew down and grabbed his shirt, trying to pull him up. The small dragon's attempts were obviously unsuccessful. "Gomen, Hakaryu," Hakkai said. The branch snapped. He let go of the broken branch and drew Yaone close to him. This time, he definitely was not going to let her go. Suddenly, a crescent-shaped blade flew down, somehow hooking unto his sleeve.
"Oi, Hakkai! Are you going to die so easily?" Gojyo yelled. Hakkai sighed in relief. But his sleeve ripped apart, the blade sliding up, against his skin. The white piece of cloth (A/N: what IS it called, anyway?) he always wore also got ripped off. Hakkai screamed in pain as the blade cut him deeply. Still, he bore with the pain, refusing to let go of Yaone. He looked down. Sharp rocks lay at the bottom of the waterfall, as though placed there just to kill them. Hakkai closed his eyes, turning so that Yaone would be above him, giving her a greater chance of survival. But the blow never came. He opened his eyes once more. Everything was gone. He was no longer staring at the blue sky. He was staring at a metal ceiling. Pain shot through his spine as he hit the hard floor, passing out.
A metal door slid open, revealing Nii Jien behind it. "Nani? What's this?" he said, looking at the unconscious pair, "and just when I needed human subjects to test on."
Meanwhile, back at the top of the waterfall, Dokugakuji was scolding Kougaiji. "What in the world were you trying to do?!" Dokugakuji yelled. "In case you haven't noticed, Yaone and the traitor just went down that waterfall, and I'm going to rescue her!" Kougaiji shot back angrily. "Then I will do it." Kougaiji was silent. He could see the seriousness in Doku's eyes. "No, I will. You just keep me from dying," Kougaiji said.
"That's all you need to do."