We wandered around for a long time, I lost track of hours towards the
beginning. I got dizzy, staring at the same wall for so long. My hand
turned red and blistered, but I refused to take it from the wall. We were
going okay, no dead-ends or surprises when I turned the corner and walked
straight into a wall. I shook my head to clear it of the ringing and turned
to glare at my chuckling companion,
"Well? Now what? We got it all wrong!"
"Yes, we did something- wait. Maybe we didn't." Kurama started running his hands over both walls, checking for.something.
"What are you looking for?"
"A switch, lever, or button for"
"Why would we need something like that?" I interrupted him.
"I was going to tell you but you stopped me." He answered calmly.
"Oh."
"Anyway, we're looking for the switch or whatever it is to open the wall. I have a feeling that this isn't just a regular wall."
"Ooooooh!" I said, understanding. I took one wall, he took the other and we ran our hands over every inch, "I can't find anything, but I know you're right." I complained to Kurama as we sat for a break.
"I know I'm right too, Nari-chan, but I haven't found." He stopped talking and put his chin in his hand, thinking.
Suddenly, I had an idea, "Wait! What if the button was."
"On the wall!" We exclaimed simultaneously. I got up, invigorated by the idea, and rushed to the dead-end wall. Finally, after searching and searching, we found a little panel that, when pressed, popped open to reveal a little blue button.
"Be careful," Kurama warned, "We don't know what's past the maze."
"I know. Who pushes the button?" I replied.
"You can."
"Fine, Fox-Boy-- but if I die, it's your fault." I joked and pushed the button. With a hiss, the door lifted and we looked into a very curious room.
The area was humongous, I could hardly see the opposite wall, and filled with lava. A few feet in front of us was a stone platform with a large star carved in the middle. A few feet past that was another platform with a sun carved on it. Past that was a moon-platform, then a few others whose emblems I couldn't see.
At the very end of the room was the biggest platform, made of stone. I squinted and just managed to make out a stand with something on it. I looked around the room and was amazed to find that there were no traps, no security alarms, nothing. The creators of this place obviously didn't think anyone could get past the lava. What they hadn't counted on was a pair of youkai thieves.
I grinned at my partner, "This is gonna be fun." He smiled back and we leapt onto the first platform. Immediately, a loud voice spoke,
"What is greater than God, worse than the devil, rich people need it, street urchins have it, and if you eat it, you shall die?"
"What?!" I yelped, "Now we have to solve riddles too?!"
"Shhh!" Kurama hissed, "It'll think that's the answer!" My eyes widened and I clapped my hands over my mouth, and then closed my eyes to think. As we stood there, big brass doors appeared at the end of each platform.
"I think I've heard this one before." I whispered, trying to remember, "Oh! It's nothing! The answer's nothing!"
"Good," Kurama whispered back, "Now say it out loud."
I did and the door opened. We backed up and ran forward as fast as we could, then jumped. I soared through the air, but suddenly I was falling too soon! I looked in panic towards the other side and saw that I couldn't possibly make it.
Suddenly, strong arms gripped my by the waist and I felt myself being pulled up into the air again. Whoever had saved me and I finally landed on the bank of the other side. I sank to the ground, weak with relief. Finally, I looked up to see who had helped me across. Kurama stood over me, frowning. I hadn't expected that. Unexpectedly, he crouched and hugged me hard. I sat there, stunned, for a second, then awkwardly hugged him back.
"What was that for?" I asked curiously.
"Don't ever scare me like that again!" He scolded me and I grinned, "It's not funny!"
"Okay, I'm sorry." As if I meant to! I stood up slowly and the same voice spoke again, "Never thirsting, ever drinking Clad in mail, never clinking Thinks an island Is a mountain Thinks a fountain is a puff of air. So sleek, so fair!"
I glared at where I imagined the voice came from. "How are we supposed to- wait. That reminds me of." I tried to remember where I'd heard the riddle before, but it wasn't clicking.
"A few years ago, you took an AP Class in Literature and they had you read The Two Towers, do you remember?" Kurama whispered and I stared at him.
"How did you know that?" I demanded suspiciously.
He looked down, "Never mind, that isn't important, but the point is that.I talked to someone in that class and he mentioned this riddle. I think I remember the answer, he told me. Let me think."
While he said this, my mind had drifted to another subject. If I have a human form, why shouldn't he? I wonder who it is? Will he tell me, if I ask him? I doubt it; he was pretty secretive about everything before.
"Nari-chan? Are you listening?" Kurama asked and my mind snapped back to the present.
"Yeah, I am now anyway." I smiled as he rolled his eyes. "Can you remember the answer? See, I was listening."
He heaved a sigh and I stuck my tongue out at him. "I'm almost there, just let me think."
I shrugged and sat down, twisting my hair around my finger.
"I remember!" Kurama exclaimed. I jumped up and clamped my hand over his mouth,
"Shut up, remember?" I hissed, giving him my best death glare. He smacked his forehead and I removed my hand. "What do you remember? What's the answer?"
"Hm." He pondered, trying not to grin, "Should I tell you?"
"Tell me, Fox-Boy, do you want to die?" I asked in a pleasant voice.
"Not quite yet, thanks."
"Then tell me! Otherwise, we're gonna die here!"
"Fine, then." He answered in a mock-hurt voice, "No need for violence, gosh! The answer is fish."
"Fish. You aren't serious?!" I practically yelled, but remembered just in time not to.
"Quite so."
I rolled my eyes, but shrugged, "Whatever. Then say it out loud. And if we both die, it's your fault-again."
He smiled and said the answer in a loud voice. The doors opened and we jumped again. This time, I made it without assistance.
And so, we went through all the other platforms, and luckily, made it through. At the last platform, the loud voice spoke again,
"The beginning of eternity
The end of time and space
The beginning of every end,
And the end of every place."
I stared at the door as if that was where the voice had come from, although, in truth, the voice had come from all around me.
"What kind of riddle is that?" I whispered and Kurama waved his hand at me, signaling that he was thinking. I rolled my eyes and sat down. I started writing out the riddle randomly when an idea struck me. I hurriedly finished the riddle and stared at it intently. I swear, if I think any harder, I'll be able to hear the gears in my head whirring! I thought as I imagined the gears.
Hm.what do they have in common? Letters? The number of letters? What could.Wait! I looked over each line separately, and an idea began in my mind.
"Well? Now what? We got it all wrong!"
"Yes, we did something- wait. Maybe we didn't." Kurama started running his hands over both walls, checking for.something.
"What are you looking for?"
"A switch, lever, or button for"
"Why would we need something like that?" I interrupted him.
"I was going to tell you but you stopped me." He answered calmly.
"Oh."
"Anyway, we're looking for the switch or whatever it is to open the wall. I have a feeling that this isn't just a regular wall."
"Ooooooh!" I said, understanding. I took one wall, he took the other and we ran our hands over every inch, "I can't find anything, but I know you're right." I complained to Kurama as we sat for a break.
"I know I'm right too, Nari-chan, but I haven't found." He stopped talking and put his chin in his hand, thinking.
Suddenly, I had an idea, "Wait! What if the button was."
"On the wall!" We exclaimed simultaneously. I got up, invigorated by the idea, and rushed to the dead-end wall. Finally, after searching and searching, we found a little panel that, when pressed, popped open to reveal a little blue button.
"Be careful," Kurama warned, "We don't know what's past the maze."
"I know. Who pushes the button?" I replied.
"You can."
"Fine, Fox-Boy-- but if I die, it's your fault." I joked and pushed the button. With a hiss, the door lifted and we looked into a very curious room.
The area was humongous, I could hardly see the opposite wall, and filled with lava. A few feet in front of us was a stone platform with a large star carved in the middle. A few feet past that was another platform with a sun carved on it. Past that was a moon-platform, then a few others whose emblems I couldn't see.
At the very end of the room was the biggest platform, made of stone. I squinted and just managed to make out a stand with something on it. I looked around the room and was amazed to find that there were no traps, no security alarms, nothing. The creators of this place obviously didn't think anyone could get past the lava. What they hadn't counted on was a pair of youkai thieves.
I grinned at my partner, "This is gonna be fun." He smiled back and we leapt onto the first platform. Immediately, a loud voice spoke,
"What is greater than God, worse than the devil, rich people need it, street urchins have it, and if you eat it, you shall die?"
"What?!" I yelped, "Now we have to solve riddles too?!"
"Shhh!" Kurama hissed, "It'll think that's the answer!" My eyes widened and I clapped my hands over my mouth, and then closed my eyes to think. As we stood there, big brass doors appeared at the end of each platform.
"I think I've heard this one before." I whispered, trying to remember, "Oh! It's nothing! The answer's nothing!"
"Good," Kurama whispered back, "Now say it out loud."
I did and the door opened. We backed up and ran forward as fast as we could, then jumped. I soared through the air, but suddenly I was falling too soon! I looked in panic towards the other side and saw that I couldn't possibly make it.
Suddenly, strong arms gripped my by the waist and I felt myself being pulled up into the air again. Whoever had saved me and I finally landed on the bank of the other side. I sank to the ground, weak with relief. Finally, I looked up to see who had helped me across. Kurama stood over me, frowning. I hadn't expected that. Unexpectedly, he crouched and hugged me hard. I sat there, stunned, for a second, then awkwardly hugged him back.
"What was that for?" I asked curiously.
"Don't ever scare me like that again!" He scolded me and I grinned, "It's not funny!"
"Okay, I'm sorry." As if I meant to! I stood up slowly and the same voice spoke again, "Never thirsting, ever drinking Clad in mail, never clinking Thinks an island Is a mountain Thinks a fountain is a puff of air. So sleek, so fair!"
I glared at where I imagined the voice came from. "How are we supposed to- wait. That reminds me of." I tried to remember where I'd heard the riddle before, but it wasn't clicking.
"A few years ago, you took an AP Class in Literature and they had you read The Two Towers, do you remember?" Kurama whispered and I stared at him.
"How did you know that?" I demanded suspiciously.
He looked down, "Never mind, that isn't important, but the point is that.I talked to someone in that class and he mentioned this riddle. I think I remember the answer, he told me. Let me think."
While he said this, my mind had drifted to another subject. If I have a human form, why shouldn't he? I wonder who it is? Will he tell me, if I ask him? I doubt it; he was pretty secretive about everything before.
"Nari-chan? Are you listening?" Kurama asked and my mind snapped back to the present.
"Yeah, I am now anyway." I smiled as he rolled his eyes. "Can you remember the answer? See, I was listening."
He heaved a sigh and I stuck my tongue out at him. "I'm almost there, just let me think."
I shrugged and sat down, twisting my hair around my finger.
"I remember!" Kurama exclaimed. I jumped up and clamped my hand over his mouth,
"Shut up, remember?" I hissed, giving him my best death glare. He smacked his forehead and I removed my hand. "What do you remember? What's the answer?"
"Hm." He pondered, trying not to grin, "Should I tell you?"
"Tell me, Fox-Boy, do you want to die?" I asked in a pleasant voice.
"Not quite yet, thanks."
"Then tell me! Otherwise, we're gonna die here!"
"Fine, then." He answered in a mock-hurt voice, "No need for violence, gosh! The answer is fish."
"Fish. You aren't serious?!" I practically yelled, but remembered just in time not to.
"Quite so."
I rolled my eyes, but shrugged, "Whatever. Then say it out loud. And if we both die, it's your fault-again."
He smiled and said the answer in a loud voice. The doors opened and we jumped again. This time, I made it without assistance.
And so, we went through all the other platforms, and luckily, made it through. At the last platform, the loud voice spoke again,
"The beginning of eternity
The end of time and space
The beginning of every end,
And the end of every place."
I stared at the door as if that was where the voice had come from, although, in truth, the voice had come from all around me.
"What kind of riddle is that?" I whispered and Kurama waved his hand at me, signaling that he was thinking. I rolled my eyes and sat down. I started writing out the riddle randomly when an idea struck me. I hurriedly finished the riddle and stared at it intently. I swear, if I think any harder, I'll be able to hear the gears in my head whirring! I thought as I imagined the gears.
Hm.what do they have in common? Letters? The number of letters? What could.Wait! I looked over each line separately, and an idea began in my mind.