Part Four
He awoke the next morning to piercings of light that leaked through the miniscule cracks between rocks. It was just enough to brighten the cave so that he could see everything with a fair amount of detail. He shifted a little, and realized that Delaney no longer lay next to him. He picked himself up and saw her back to where she had been the evening before- sitting with her back against the wall and her knees pulled up to her chin.
She must have moved earlier, thinking that I didn't know what she did last night, Kaiba reasoned. Nice try.
He stretched his arms up. Spending the night on the floor of a cramped little cave was not the best way to get a good night's sleep. He flexed his fingers, trying to shake out the tingles. He had slept on his arm all night, and it had in return fallen asleep. He looked around, getting his first decent look at his surroundings. A few hundred feet deeper into the cave it split off into two branches. And he couldn't for the life of him remember where they led.
Delaney walked up beside him. "Any bright ideas, whiz kid?" she asked mockingly.
"Well, gee, I could give the run-of-the-mill answer that we split up, but what fun would that be?" Kaiba retorted. "I wouldn't get to watch if you fell into a hole or were attacked by giant man-eating bugs..."
"You are well-practiced in the art of being a prick, you know that?" she interrupted.
"And damn proud of it," he replied. Kaiba could already feel his anger rising.
What a lovely way to spend the day, he thought contemptuously. "Come on, this way." He grabbed her arm and started dragging her down one of the passages. Then he heard a loud *SMACK* and felt a sharp sting on his hand.
"If I have to tell you one more time not to touch me..." Delaney warned.
Kaiba spun around to face her. "You'll what?" he asked viciously.
Delaney met the fierceness in his gaze with her own, but didn't answer him. Instead she asked, "Do you even know where you're going?"
Kaiba turned back around and walked deeper down the passage. "If my calculations are right, just by having you around puts us at about the fifth circle of hell or so," he answered. "So it's only downhill from there, right?"
To his surprise, Delaney said nothing. He braced his back, ready for a smack, a kick, a punch, anything. When nothing happened, he stopped and turned back to look at her. She was still standing near the entrance to the passage, her face expressionless.
"Are you coming or not?" he asked impatiently.
"Since it would seem that you are so much better off without me," she started. "I think I'll stay back here."
"And what do you propose to do about food and water for yourself?" Kaiba asked.
"Why do you care?" she shot back.
"Fine. You want to stay here, be my guest," he answered sharply. He turned his back and started walking through the passage again. After a few more feet he stopped and turned to look back at her. She wasn't there anymore.
She must have gone down the other passage... His thoughts were interrupted by an echoing scream. Delaney! His instincts took over and he ran back to the main part of the cave and down the other passageway.
"Delaney!" he called. This corridor was too dark to see much of anything.
"What are you doing here?" the angry answer came.
God, doesn't she ever let up? Cautiously wandering a little farther, Kaiba found her hanging onto a ledge on the opposite side of a large hole in the middle of the path. "What happened?" he asked.
"I was trying to commit suicide," she answered sarcastically. When Kaiba didn't answer she yelled angrily, "The floor caved in, what the hell do you think happened?!?"
"I told you I wanted to be around to see this," he said mockingly.
"Just help me out of here!" she ordered.
"I'm quite enjoying this, actually," he said. Instead of another biting remark, Delaney's answer was another scream as she slipped a little.
"Help me!" she pleaded, desperation setting into her voice.
Kaiba sighed. Then he backed up and took a running leap over the chasm. He landed on the other side, but one of his feet didn't quite make it. It slid off the edge and he let out a surprised yelp. Delaney shrieked as her grip slipped a little and she fell farther down. Fortunately, Kaiba had managed to hang on with his arms and other leg and pulled his foot up onto the rest of the ground. He grabbed Delaney's wrists and grunted with effort as he pulled her up out of the fissure. Then he fell backwards and she fell to her knees, both of them out of breath.
"Took you long enough," she said between breaths.
"I got here didn't I?" he asked. The two continued to try and catch their breath.
After a moment, Delaney spoke. "Thank you," she said quietly.
Kaiba looked at her in mild surprise. "Don't mention it," he said, falling flat onto his back.
See, a part of his brain said. It's not so bad having someone else around...
Finally able to move again, the two continued their journey through what had become quite a long and winding hall through the mountain. The scenery changed from the dull brown and grey rock that had formed the entrance to shimmering stalactites and mineral-rich walls that sparkled in every color imaginable.
"Wow," Delaney breathed. "This is beautiful."
Kaiba couldn't help but grin a little as Delaney admired their surroundings. It was very encouraging that she at least thought the scenery was realistic. Then he stopped short. Maybe a little too realistic, he thought as gazed at the land bridge in front of him.
It was only a few feet wide, and probably a good few hundred feet to the other side. It was the only crossing over what appeared to be a very long way down that would end in sharp stalagmites rising from the floor.
Delaney had stopped behind him, put now peered over his shoulder to see what was going on. She took one look at the slim bridge and the ground- or lack thereof- beneath it, and her eyes widened in fear.
"No thanks, I choose life..." she said.
"I'll go first," Kaiba offered.
"Can't we just go back?" she asked.
"What, you're not afraid are you?" he teased.
"Hell yeah I am!" she answered.
"Look, if we were to go back, what would happen? We'd have to start all over again down the next passage and probably end up right back here anyway," Kaiba reasoned. "Look, I'll start across to make sure it's safe. I'll give you a signal of when to follow, ok?"
Delaney nodded her head reluctantly. Kaiba got on his knees and started to crawl across the land bridge. He would put pressure with his hand on the next space before he went on. After fifty or so of these paces, he called back to her.
"It seems solid enough. Come on."
Delaney got on her hands and knees and followed suit. Kaiba waited until she was right behind him before moving on. He tried not to look off the edge of either side, but he accidentally caught a glimpse. Ooohhh... that ground looks so far away... he thought nervously.
He and Delaney made their way slowly across the land bridge. Almost there... he thought, but in the next move he felt his hand slip off the bridge and could feel himself start to fall.