Disclaimer: The day I kiss Liam John on the lips is the day I'll own breath of fire.
Author's note: thank you Swords-babe for reviewing again, Silver dragoon and myria schonai well the review was very uh weird but anyway I'm glad you think the story's cool, I really do appreciate my reviews.
Paths Of The Heart:
Chapter IX: The rescue, part 2
"Oh… crud…" Ryu saidThe man sneered "Crud indeed, now any last words?" he said pressing the gun flat against his forehead.
"uh…" Ryu didn't know what to do, this looked like the end, he would never rescue Nina, he would never get back home, he would never see Cray, Ursula, Scais and Ershin again…
"He might not have anything to say but I do!" Erma said surprising everyone.
"Goodnight!" she said smashing a flowerpot over his head, the flowerpot once resided on the table, bringing a little colour into the room, though the flower was wilted and not looked after. Anyway let's get off the subject of the flower and onto the man, he was effectively knocked out, slumping to the ground in a heap.
"Erma?" asked Ryu completely and utterly puzzled.
"What, I couldn't just stand there could I?" Erma said putting her hands on her hips.
"Hello, is anyone going to help me?" Steve asked, still stuck in the cage.
Erma and Ryu turned to each other smiled, and answered simultaneously
"No."
"Warps… warps… warps…" Deis muttered, sitting at a wooden desk, books strewn in front of her, she herself looking very frustrated.
"… oh that's it I give up, why should I help dragon-boy anyway, I could be having a lovely beauty sleep now, for another 100 years!…" She shouted in anger, she raised her fists to the sky (or rather ceiling, seeing as she was underground.) and shouted.
"If there is any other god out there, give me a sign, a hint, anything!" as she slammed her fists down on the table, as a book fell on her head.
"YEOW! Oh hey this is it…"
"Thank god, it was getting stuffy in that cage, but you know I had ALMOST
finished my plan to escape." Steve said brushing the dust off his brown jacket, Erma rolled her eyes.
"Sure, I expect all you needed was another two years." She said sarcastically.
Steve shook his head, fixing his glasses afterwards from their disheveled state, "No, I'm not that optimistic, I'd say about 4…" Erma slapped her hand to her head.
"Brothers…" she muttered.
"Say Ryu, didn't I hear something about you trying to rescue someone as well?" Said Steve, trying to changing the subject.
"Huh? Oh yeah, Nina…" Ryu said coming back from a bout of intense thinking.
"Well I must say, that unless I am mistaken, new subjects are usually taken to the top of this drab complex, I have learned a few new things here." Said Steve, Ryu was starting to get the idea that Steve was the brain of the family.
"Well then, Erma, Steve I must go and find her, goodbye." Ryu said turning round in a flash of blue and walking back towards the corridor.
"Wait!" Erma bellowed sprinting after him, Ryu blinked and turned.
"Well… I… uh… um… let us come with you, we'll show you the way, It's the least I can do for helping you save my brother, even though we argue, I still love him." She said switching back to 'shy' mode.
"Hmmm…" said Ryu in deep thought, true they could show him the way, but that would put them in danger as well.
"Please…" Erma said desperately.
"Well… all right, but don't get killed OK?" Ryu said smirking.
"Yes, sir." Said Erma raising her hand to salute Ryu.
A snickering was heard behind them.
"Oi! Don't forget about me old chap!" Steve shouted jogging towards them. Still smiling, Ryu noticed something on the wall, just about them and turned to it: a map of the complex.
"Ah, I see that's where we are." Ryu said pointing to a Red Cross signaling the where abouts of the corridor.
"And that is where your friend is." Erma said pointing to another cross, with a rough line marking 'top secret area' on the last floor.
"Good, let's go!" Ryu said with enthusiasm running to direction of the stairs the map had portrayed.
"Yeah!"
"Colour warps… tree warps… day warps… Blah blah blah…Space and time warps, yes this is it."
Deis said skimming the contents page of the book that had 'fell' on her head.
"Page 206, right." She said turning to that precise page, and found herself staring at a picture which looked suspiciously like the warp she had seen Ryu and Nina disappear into just yesterday, and began to read the text at the side of it, she had only two words to say at it.
"Oh my…"
We last left Ryu and CO shouting 'yeah!' dramatically, however now we find them sprinting up a VERY long spiraling staircase, seemingly never-ending.
" How- long… is this- staircase?" Erma asked out of breath.
Ryu replied not at all tired, "looks endless."
Erma shook her head, still running. "But- nothing… is endless."
"…"
"You don't… agree?" Steve added, joining the conversation.
Ryu stopped, the others almost smashing into his back.
"You do not believe in the Unfading ones, in this world?"
"What?" Erma said, getting her breath back. "What do you mean the unfading ones?" she added.
Ryu shook his head, smiling slightly. "No matter."
Erma tilted her head "well… If you're sure…"
Ryu nodded "Let's press on."
"Good Idea, but Maybe we should find a quicker way, I've been cramped up for two years, and my legs aren't used to such exercise." Steve said stepping next to Erma, rubbing his legs.
"There is another way, though it does take longer." Erma said pointing to a door on the left.
"Right, lead the way." Said Ryu swiftly, as they set off again, though this time at a walk seeing as all of them were now rather tired, not that Ryu would ever admit that though. Past more and more and more dingy corridors they went looking all the same, like one of those fun houses where you always smash into mirrors and hurt your nose. It was all very tiring work, apparently according to Erma they were looking for a lift, this agreed Steve was a much better plan than running up miles of stairs, however even with Erma's guidance they were now officially lost.
"Now we go left… or was it right… or maybe straight forward… um," Steve slapped his head and whispered quietly into Ryu's ear.
"She always had a bad memory, not me though, mine's spiffing."
Apparently not quiet enough.
"STEVE!"
"Oh dear…"
Then came a long argument.
"How dare you! I don't have a bad memory, I'd like to see you find your way around here! And I think that-" Ryu blocked out their voices and sighed, leaning against the wall, closing his eyes and folding his arms.
"AH!" Ryu screamed in surprise, the wall sliding back to reveal a secret passageway.
"Huh?" Steve and Erma both said simultaneously, both turning round.
"What the…" Ryu muttered, picking himself off the floor, and turning round to gaze at the gloomy narrow passageway that had just appeared behind him, he turned round to Erma and Steve.
"Looky what I found."
Erma scratched her head "I didn't know about that," She said coming round to inspect the gap,
"Looks like a secret passageway." Erma said, pointing out the obvious.
Steve rolled his eyes, "Well duh…"
"What was that?" Erma said, her voice rising, Ryu once again sighed.
"Oh don't start again…" They both looked at him surprised.
Ryu said nothing, walking forward into the darkness.
"Uh, isn't that a bit dangerous it looks… a bit dark…" Erma said nervously, obviously afraid of the dark.
"Just come on." Ryu said simply, starting to disappear from Erma and Steve.
They both looked at each other, and then ran after him.