Chapter 7

I sat down on top of the nearest rock near the river & shook the flask, listening to the water splash around inside. I had finally done it. With Brad's help, of coarse. I didn't know why I was so crazy about making it. Maybe I did know. I wanted to taste it again. That small amount wasn't enough for me. I had searched about the area where Brad searched, looking for the right ingredients. I kept running back to him to ask him a few questions about the herbs then I would run back where I was searching, finally knowing which ones he meant.

I was sweating from running back & forth & all around the area. And maybe sweaty from my urge just to taste it again. My zoris were soggy, chilling my feet & my hands were covered in dirt, deep under my nails, too. Although I couldn't see it, I was sure my hair was a mess, too. I could feel strands of it coming out of my ponytail & sticking to my skin.

I was really hot. I grabbed my shirt to keep it off my skin & stretched out my pants, too. Then I turned back to the flask. My heart was beating so quickly. I held the flask, tightly & put it near my lips. That's when I noticed my hands were shaking. And a voice seemed to stop me from putting it anymore near my lips.

Kasumi, what're you doing?! This is wrong! Do you know what can happen?!

I quickly lowered the flask on my lap.

I'll just take a sip then give it back to Brad, that's all . . .

Before I knew it, I had thrown my head back & was drinking from the flask again. My head throbbed as the cool liquid slipped down my throat faster then I thought. I guess I did it too quickly.

A sip, Kasumi, a sip!

It was too late for that. Just like last time, I had engulfed the whole flask & was trying to get more.

A refreshment. I'm fine.

I didn't think I would get dizzy & stagger about like Brad does. I didn't think that several gulps of it would intoxicate me at all! But I was wrong. As soon as I tried to stand, it felt like the world was falling over. I didn't realize I was until my face hit the ground.

How strong is it?!

I placed my hands on the ground to pick myself back up again, the rocks dug into my hands. Afterwards, I started off back to where Brad & the fire were. Or so I thought . . .

I could feel that my hands were sweaty, really sweaty & that the flask had slipped out of my hands. I stopped so I could pick it up again, but it had suddenly rolled off in front of me.

Where is it going?

Without a warning, the world fell over again & I fell over onto my hip. Realizing that I couldn't walk in a straight line anymore, I decided to crawl on my hands & knees to where the flask disappeared. The grass was scratching against my skin, giving me an itchy feeling, but soon I didn't feel it at all for some reason.

As I continued to crawl, the dirt started to feel colder than usual on my palms. Sort of like the ninja's hands. I could even feel the smooth surface of his hands from my palm to my fingertips. I blinked a couple of times to make sure it was the ground I was actually touching. It was the ground, but . . .

I gasped in shock when my hands sunk into the dirt inch by inch. I tried pulling them out & to my surprise, I had brought a pair of hands out with me.

The ninja's hands . . .

They were his hands. I recognized those black gauntlets. I nearly screamed when his head just shot out the ground. His hood was covered in dirt. His hands reached up & took my shoulder & my face & tried to pull me under with him. I struggled against him, his fingertips pressing into my skin in his tight grip. I could barely breathe with his hand covering my face which surprisingly smelt of gentians.

I was really scared & confused as to what was happening. The ninja was dead. There was no way he could have survived that suicide he performed on himself. I tried screaming for Brad, but it was no use. I guessed Brad would have been in a drowsy state, unable to hear my muffled cries.

The ninja was too strong for me. He dragged me under with him. My face hit the dirt first then came my shoulders & the rest of my body. All I could feel was the many clumps of dirt hitting face, my arms, my legs, & my stomach. I was terrified. I kept getting hit with the moist dirt that I could barely open my eyes to see what was happening.

But it finally ceased after a while. And when I was about to open my eyes, I had collided with something hard & fell down onto the soft, cool grass. My chest & head ached. I placed a hand on my chest & could my heart beating quickly through my wet shirt. Then I sat up & opened my eyes so see where I was. A forest for sure, but what part, I didn't know. I noticed the trees were taller than ones I've seen. Each of them had long vines swaying from them in the wind that I could not feel. The grass was green & seemed nourished & moist. There were many logs lying around with moss growing on them, blending them in with the grass.

Have I been here before?

I noticed another thing: the ninja was nowhere to be seen.

I was dizzy & could barely stand. But I didn't hurt. I looked forward to see what I had run into & there was a tree. I looked up at the tall tree then it happened so quickly that I was unable to retaliate. Two vines cut through the air & wrapped themselves around my shoulders. I struggled & screamed, trying to get away. I got loose, fell hard onto the ground, and then tried crawling away, ignoring the pain for now. But the vines wrapped themselves around me once again. This time they held a tight grip around my waist & chest, keeping me from moving my arms. I looked up at the tree & noticed something atop of my head. It was the flask. I stopped struggling to watch it tilt from side to side then finally spilling onto me. I closed my eyes shut as it soaked my whole face & I choked on it. I shook my head trying to get it out of my face so I could breathe.

"Kasumi!"

. . . I know that voice . . .

I opened my eyes & looked forward. The river, a plain, & an orange sky were ahead of me. They blurred then came back into eyesight when I blinked. And I could feel the wind blowing through my ears & on my bare skin, chilling me. I knew it must have been a dream or something close to it then.

My face was covered in water. I shook my face then heard his voice.

"No more wine for you."

I noticed Brad had his arms wrapped around me. They weren't vines at all. When I noticed this, he let go of me & stood up from the side of the river, looking down at me. I looked up at him, his tired eyes.

Did I wake him up? What happened? . . . Was I . . .?

I was about to stand up when a sharp headache hit me. I held my head trying to soothe the pain as best as I could. I had learned my lesson that night.