Is That You? By: OtakuSailorV

Chapter 10: Across the River

Genki smiled at them all as he got to his feet again.

"Alright, let's go."

Genki marched toward the rickety bridge and started across, Tiger behind him. Pixie glided lazily under them, examining the slow-flowing water under her.

Genki froze as the bridge suddenly swayed dangerously as a breeze blew past. The loose boards creaked, and showed signs of crumbling under the smallest touch. He clenched his teeth together, holding his body rigid until the breeze had passed.

Letting out a small sigh, he started across again, being careful of how he placed his feet this time.

Tiger gave a gasp-like growl as one of Genki's feet split a board and the boy started to fall through. Genki caught himself, and, pulling himself up, gave a goofy thumbs-up to his friend.

Pixie waited on the opposite shore, watching their slow procedure of testing the planks before placing their feet on them.

They were only halfway across the bridge minutes later, and Pixie was becoming impatient. Sighing in frustration, she floated back up into the air, and glided over toward them.

"Do you need a hand?" She asked, crossing her arms with another sigh.

Genki didn't dare look up from his meticulous task of testing the boards to speak to her. "Nah, that's ok, Pixie. We'll be across in no-" He stopped suddenly as the board that he stepped on creaked loudly. He winced and pressed more weight slowly on the board. It creaked louder and a small cracking noise could be heard. Genki, barely breathing, brought his foot back up and stepped over the board, trying for the next one.

Pixie watched him the whole time, calculating which boards would prove the most trouble.

Genki's foot hit a sour one, but he didn't seem to notice, for the board didn't not squeak or give way under the pressure of his step. And, carefully, he started to cross it when it snapped.

He gasped, and his arms swung out to try and catch a rope. His leg stung as the broken bits of wood scraped him.

He was sure his whole torso would slide through the hole when Pixie caught his arm and pulled him back up. "Now, do you want help?"

Genki grinned, rubbing one finger under his nose gleefully. "Yes, thank you, Pixie."

Pixie shrugged and lifted him up out of Tiger's way, heading back for the shore.

Tiger, with Genki out of his way, sped across the bridge, boards creaking and breaking under his skillful paws. He smirked to himself as the bridge swayed and jolted from his force and speed. He jumped into the air as he came to the end of the bridge, the wood and ropes rising up and dipping back down as he rose into the air.

"Not too high Tiger, or you'll hit the bridge!" Genki called from the ground beside Pixie.

Tiger smirked wider as he darted back for the ground, the rickety old bridge still swaying and bobbing behind him. His paws touched firm ground as a blast of air from his descent hit his comrades.

Genki and Pixie shielded their eyes against wood fragments and dirt clods as Tiger regained his balance.

With a small, contented smile Tiger started forward for the place that he and Genki had come from in the woods.

"Wait!" Genki called after him.

Tiger stopped, expecting his friend to congratulate him on such a trick as racing across a rickety bridge. But instead his friend pointed down the shore.

"We have to find holly and the others before returning."

Tiger, suddenly remembering the others, nodded and swayed back toward his friend and trotted down the shoreline.

* * *

It was cooler out, and Genki's hair stood on end from frequent chills that ran down his spine and made all his bones clatter. Pixie and Tiger, immune to the slight cold, stood close, trying to warm him with their heat.

"D-do you hear or see anyone yet, Tiger?" Genki asked, his teeth chattering slightly.

Tiger sniffed the air, and turned his head from side to side before shaking his head.

Genki sighed, and directed his friends toward the cover of the trees. "Maybe, we should wait for them here. It can't take them too long to get here. . ."

* * *

Meanwhile, Hikari, Holly, Suezo, Mocchi, Golem, and Hare were all still avoiding cars by the highway.

"I'm sorry guys. I didn't know that it would still be daylight out when we reached the highway. We'll have to wait until nightfall to cross the road." Hikari apologized, slumping into the grass.

Holly smiled at her. "It's ok, I'm sure Genki has already completed his mission of finding Pixie. They might even meet us here before we get across this 'highway'."

Hikari nodded with a small smile.

"According to my calculations, it won't be dark enough for us to move without being seen for another 2-3 hours." Hare stated, moving the beads around on his abacus and holding his chin in his palm.

Mocchi gave a small sigh of boredom, playing with a leaf at his side. Golem moved uneasily in his seat. Suezo looked over the objects in his green satchel, and the two humans watched the sky for signs of increasing nightfall.

* * *

Genki could feel his eyelids drooping. The world around him started to seem like it was on a tilt, and he leaned his head to one side lazily to correct the tilt.

Pixie sat against a rather large rock, her eyes closed and arms crossed in thought. Tiger lay on the cool sands, his eyes also closed. But Genki wouldn't allow himself to fall asleep. He would be the ever watchful guard. . .

But, slowly, his eyelids drooped, and he felt himself yawning more and more frequently. He let out a soft moan of protest before his eyes fully closed, and he felt his whole body fall into a dream-like suspension.

* * *

Genki's eyes darted open at the sound of sirens and the smell of smoke. He felt his entire being go into panic almost immediately, and a hundred bad thoughts crossed his mind.

Pixie and Tiger were fighting the police.

Someone had found them, and was taking Tiger and Pixie away.

Hikari and Holly had been captured with the other monsters, and Tiger and Pixie had gone to their aid.

He felt his feet move underneath him before he could take a good look around himself.

Rising, he moved toward the edge of the water.

The smell of smoke and the sirens seemed more distant now, but he knew that they were not moving farther away. He gaped, wiping the sleep from his eyes as a helicopter zoomed overhead.

"Genki!!"

Someone's startled cry rang in his ear, and he quickly turned to face them.

Holly was running toward him, Hikari and the others were striding from the cover of the forest on his side of the shore.

As Holly approached, there was the sound of something hitting water, and Genki half-turned around to see Tiger swimming across the dirty river, ignoring the dangerous bridge that he could have crossed.

Holly smiled at him, but the smile faded as she smelt the smoke and heard the loud blare of the sirens.

Tiger shook the river water from his coat, and started toward Genki at top speed.

"There's another monster." Hikari announced calmly before tiger had opened his mouth.

Everyone turned to see her shielding her eyes from the morning sun, and staring at the tall buildings of the city.

"Another. . ." Genki mumbled and shook his head. He turned to Tiger who nodded and started back across the dirty, nasty water of the river.

Holly looked at the shadowed city with worry. "Genki, what's been going on here?" She asked.

Genki shook his head. "I don't know, I really don't know. . ."

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Yo, sorry it took me so long to update everyone. And I'm sorry if this chapter is short or boring. =_= It'll get better in the next couple chaps though, I promise. ^_^ Ok, well, hope everyone had a great spring break (or is having a great spring break), and thank you for all the wonderful reviews everyone. ^_^ Thanks heaps. ^_^

Ok, well, ja!!!!

Review please!!!