There was once an ancient Greek Philosopher, born in the great city-state of Athens, who likened the life of man to time spent shackled since birth inside a cave.
He proposed that man only knew but a pale shadow of what was real, as he spent al his days in darkness, never leaving his prison, and thus unable to comprehend life outside.
However, should this man ever escape, what wonders would he find, and how would he cope upon returning?
Ryu smirked sardonically at the idea of comparing himself to the philosophical mind of which the 'free man' was an abstract. He was intelligent, but dwelling on the meaning of life was far too troublesome for one such as he.
Still, with a keen wit and a thorough upbringing, he had the knowledge, and his mind was seeking to distract itself from the anxiety he felt about the task ahead.
Who he, Ryu mused, bring the light of truth to the darkness, or would his poorly adapted eyes leave him stumbling in shadow?
The blond haired boy shivered a little though the night air was far from cold. He had a…dislike, of dark, confined places, ever since the end of his tenth year. Though the evens leading to that fear were another nightmare altogether.
His torch cut swaths through the inky night, illuminating a small path that led amongst the thinning foliage and into the maw of a small, but ominous looking cave.
He didn't relish going inside, but if the sword were truly in there, then it would be one less nightmare to plague his rest.
He cleared the last of the obstacles, brushing a few stray twigs and leaves that had taken residence in his spiky mane as if some passing bird had anointed him the perfect nesting spot, and coming to a halt at the mouth of the cave.
He scanned the light over the interior briefly, seeing nothing more threatening than the occasional low hanging stalagmite. Not even any bats or other such nocturnal creatures, which was less comforting than it would be to someone city raised.
Animals should have flocked to this spot as an ideal shelter, and its state of abandonment didn't bode well for whatever was awaiting him inside.
Though he didn't truly believe even half of Yui's tale, a wise man had once told him never to take lightly either gods or demons, and he had been proved right in the past, so now was not the time to ignore such sage advise.
Clapping his hands together three times, Ryu uttered a swift prayer to the Kami that resided within the cave, hoping such a display might hold back any creature that lurked within the shadows long enough for him to take a quick look around and leave.
He tried to move only to find his feet wouldn't obey his commands.
At first paranoid thoughts of vengeful Guardians come to life danced through his mind until he squashed them. This had nothing to do with spirits he knew, his jaw clenching as the full force of his disgust washed over him in wake of the fear nibbling at his innards, enabling locked limbs some freedom of movement once more.
He stared defiantly into the cave, as if daring the darkness to question his resolve, forcing one foot in front of the other, all the while trying not to let his eyes leave the safe path the torch cast, lest he catch sight of the reason he hated the shadows.
A pair of glowing red eyes.
He was sweating by the time he crossed the threshold, his breaths begging to be allowed to come in short, shallow gasps rather than their regular, even pattern.
The heart crushing terror fled into a pulsing fear at the back of his mind as soon as he was inside, his brain registering that he was within the darkness with no intention of leaving and taking up damage control.
He refused to allow himself to feel pride at accomplishing something even a child should have been able to do, focusing instead on his objective.
The tunnel he was currently in was completely plain, all of it natural, undisturbed rock. There were no signs of ancient ruins of Turtle Gods, but it was far to early to discount this place yet.
Yui had claimed the men from her story were renowned archaeologists. Surely they wouldn't have missed this place if it were obvious there was something here.
No, he would have to look much further if he hoped to find anything.
Ryu followed the winding tunnel for a number of minutes, his discomfort slowly easing the long he spent inside the cave.
He knew this was not a conquering of fear, but merely a shutdown of his fear response to prevent damage to the sympathetic nervous system, just has his analysing the process was in itself another form of defence put in place by his mind.
He paused as the tunnel branched up ahead, scowling at the uncooperative terrain.
What did I expect, he chided himself, schooling his thoughts to patience, Sword of unbelievable mystic strength thirty meters to the left?
Taking a cue from his own inner sarcasm he picked the left hand tunnel, praying that his sense of direction carried with him underground as he walked.
Perhaps he should have gone back to the Hinata House first and retrieved the case?
Ryu mulled it over as he walked, his eyes swinging left and right in time with the torch, alert for anything that might hint at human tampering.
No, the contents would not be required for this. Yui's story had been just that after all, there was no need to panic or berate his decisions.
Besides, if he had gone back first there was always the possibility the others might have awoken as he tried to slip back out toward his target.
One young man poking around in the dark in a supposedly haunted cave could be passed off as an act of foolish bravado, or over play machismo, but the same young man carting around a heavy looking guitar case in the same circumstances would raise questions, even in a place like the Hinata Sou.
Ryu resolved not to think on it again. Dwelling on what you had done wrong was a pointless exercise…even if it was the very reason he was here in the first place.
The blue eyed boy pivoted sharply as something scraped against the rocks behind him.
His torch quested out, its beam cutting aside the darkness, but revealing only old stone, and his own footprints on the dusty ground.
The fear he had ignored previously was back with a vengeance, clawing at his mind, trying to arrest control of his functions and urge him to flee, but he managed to fight it back long enough to assess the situation logically, impassively.
Loosing his calm in a place like this and giving in to his emotions would be bad for a number of reasons.
The noise had probably been his imagination, fuelled by his desire to find a reason to leave and nothing more, or perhaps he had been mistaken and there were a number of creatures living within the cave.
Either way, fleeing like a coward would be foolish and counterproductive.
Ensuring his resolve was firm once more, Ryu resumed his trek, though as a concession, he did cast the occasional random glance in the direction he had come from.
If nothing else, perhaps he spot a clue of some sort he had missed in his first inspection of the area, and it would also allow him to memorise the look of the tunnels from the opposite direction, which would help when it came time to double back and check the second passage if that became necessary.
He had travelled for an unknown amount of time when he heard it again, the sound of something scraping across rock.
One more a hurried inspection revealed nothing, as if the very cave itself were mocking him.
The muscles in his jaw wound tight as he glared back into the tunnel.
Resuming his journey he had not gone more than a few steps before he heard it again, but this time he didn't turn.
Though leaving an enemy at your back is a foolhardy thing to do, playing by your opponent's rules is an equally stupid track to take.
He slightly closed his eyes, reducing the amount of information coming in through his visual senses to enable him to hear everything around him more effectively.
He could hear it perfectly now, the soft scrap scrap, where before he had only heard when whoever or whatever was following in hit a small outcropping as they stalked him.
What he couldn't figure out was why. Neither, why he was being followed in the first place, or by whom, but also, why his assailant was being so noisy and clumsy about it.
Were they perhaps inexperienced in what they were attempting, or just so sure that he posed no threat they didn't care to conceal their presence.
The young man clenched his free hand angrily.
He was not one to be toyed with, no matter the person.
As he listened further, he failed to distinguish any more useful information from the footfalls following him.
The acoustic set-up of the tunnels meant that his 'shadow' could have been any conceivable size or shape, and though his movements seemed clumsy at the moment, that didn't mean anything in a fight.
Ryu had seen people change in an instant in the heat of conflict, as if a switch had been thrown and a new person, with their own sense of poise and balance had stepped in, the only resemblance to the previous person being in that they happened to look alike.
Another shuffle.
Maybe they couldn't see where they were going. That thought stuck him as preposterous at first. Who would attempt to tail someone if they couldn't see?
No, that wasn't right in this case. They didn't need a light of their own, did they. That would just give them away even faster.
Ryu glanced down at the torch resting in his hand.
All anyone following needed to do was stick close enough to make out the light he held and they could navigate with a reasonable amount of confidence as long as they maintained a careful distance between him and themselves.
Of course such a plan also had a number of flaws, one of which he had been experiencing for the past several minutes.
Ryu cast his gaze ahead, seeking a way to make use of this new information.
Up ahead, the tunnel split once more into two different passages branching away from each other.
Perfect, Ryu thought, an almost feral look of satisfaction crossing his face for a moment.
It was about time this little game of theirs came to a head.
Picking up the pace, Ryu jogged toward the left hand tunnel, listening as the footsteps behind him hesitated for a moment before reluctantly matching his new speed.
He estimated the gap between the two branches as best he could.
The blond stooped as he ran, lowering the torch to the ground and dropping it so that it faced into the left most tunnel.
Spinning sharply on the ball of his right foot, Ryu prayed he hadn't gotten the size of the gap wrong. Face-planting into solid stone and knocking himself out wouldn't aid him in the slightest, and depending upon the intentions of the one following him, he just might be making their job easier.
He bit back a curse as his right wrist impacted soundly with the wall as he sailed smoothly into the opposing tunnel, crouching low so as he was out of the glare of the torch in the other passage and settling in to wait as he kneaded his throbbing joint.
He didn't have long to wait.
Even as he had finished making himself comfortable, adjusting him position for maximum view while compromising his hideout as little as possible, a shadowy figure came skulking around the bend, heading straight for the light, seemingly without a second thought.
Ryu frowned in the dark.
Just who was this person? How had they managed to follow him so far without him noticing before hand, even in his current state, when they showed such a lack of skill and grace?
Even as he watched, the shadow stumbled a little, making the same noise he had been hearing for the last several minutes.
Tensing he watched as they stole up to the light, the backwash of the beam only enough for him to make out their height and general build.
His would be stalker was smaller than he, and finely built, not much in the way of an opponent unless they were hiding their true skills extremely well.
If this truly was the lair of some god or other, perhaps this was an acolyte. According to Yui this place should be fairly well known of now if any of her story had been true, and all sacred places attracted followers at some point.
It could be that this worshiper feared he was here to desecrate their holy ground and was following him to prevent such a thing.
Ryu's eyes narrowed as he watched them ease closer to the tunnel he had discarded his torch in.
Or perhaps this person was some sort of custodian left to watch over the Sword.
If that were true he would have to move quickly and capture them in case there were others.
Nothing could be allowed to stop him.
Moving swiftly out of his crouch as they moved into the tunnel, he slunk forward, rounding the corner like a viper, his fist drawn back and ready to strike as his other hand darted forward.
"Oi", Kanna groaned as something dug into her side, one hand swatting at the source of the noise that accompanied the prodding.
"Oi, get up", it called again, her hand encountering only air.
"No, sleep", she mumbled stubbornly, putting her hands over her head and willing the annoying moving alarm clock to go away.
"Fine, if that's the way you want to play", the alarm clock sounded positively evil as it said that, but what could it possibly do?
"Aiiiiiiiiiiiiieeeeee!", Kanna screamed as a set of fingers ran up her sides, lightly skirting the outer curve of her breasts. Her eyes now wide open as she fought off the perverted alarm clock that was molesting her in her sleep.
She would have to remember to talk to Chii about letting Yui play around with her designs.
When sleep released its hold on her, she realised that she wasn't looking at an alarm clock, but a devilishly grinning Yui.
"Awake now sleeping beauty?", the tanned woman asked playfully as Kanna blushed, trying to ignore Mizuki's peels of laughter, and Natsuki's innocently phrased but embarrassing comments.
"What do you want?", she asked grumpily, sitting up when Yui stepped back to give her room, yawning widely, her hands absently racking her hair back into order.
"We're going back in now", Ema explained as she doused the last of the fire's embers, "Yui suggested leaving you out here as you'd probably sleep through the night without any trouble anyway".
Kanna gave her friend the stink-eye, to which the older woman just grinned.
"When I vetoed that, she volunteered to wake you up…sorry about that", Ema rubbed the back of her head sheepishly in apology.
"Fine, fine", she groused, yawning once more and standing, wincing at the pins and needles sensation that shot through her left leg as she did so.
As she followed the others, she noticed something, or rather someone, was amiss. In fact, two such persons were absent.
"Were are Ayu-chan and Ryu?", she asked, looking around again in case she had just missed them the first time.
"We think they went on ahead of us", Natsuki said, one finger on her chin.
"Oh", Kanna said, a sinking feeling developing in her gut, like she'd just been sucker punched, though she couldn't explain why, "Wait, what do you mean, 'we think'?"
"Well…we don't really know for sure", Ema confessed, unsure how her most volatile resident would react.
"They were gone when we woke up", Yui chimed in cheerfully, her expression leaving no doubt as to what the Molmolian woman believed they were both up to that required them to sneak away from their friends in the dead of night.
Kanna was having similar thoughts, and each image brought with it a fresh wave of anger at the resident pervert, and something…else, that she couldn't identify.
"That good for nothing", Mizuki and Yui smiled at each other as Kanna began to build steam, her pace increasing with every word, forcing the other girls to begin jogging to keep up, "low down, lecherous, perverted, amoral…".
The list went on until they reached the dorm, ending with a resounding, "JERK!", as she slammed the front door aside, as if she were calling him down from wherever he may be.
"Ryu!", she called, stomping into the living area like a bull in a china shop, her figurative tail swishing angrily, "Ayu-chan! Where are you! If you can call out to me and we'll come save you!".
"She certainly has quite the imagination, doesn't she?", Ema whispered with a weak smile as Kanna began searching the rooms of the ground floor one by one.
"This is nothing", Mizuki replied with a Yui-esk smile, "You should see her at school when Ryu and Ayu-chan go to lunch without waiting for her first".
Further discussion was halted when Kanna came storming back into where the other residents were still assembled.
"What are you all standing there for! Come on, we need to find them, who knows what he could be doing to poor little Ayu!", Kanna smacked her hands together for emphasis.
"Jealous", Mizuki whispered behind her hand to Yui as Kanna began barking search orders, arranging them into groups and giving them each a floor.
"Jealous", Yui agreed, keeping her face carefully neutral as Kanna marched past them.
The fun just never ends with those two, Yui thought with an internal smirk, Now I wonder what you've gotten yourself into this time Ryu-kun.
Ayu had awoke to find Ryu missing.
At first she had panicked a little, but had calmed herself, assuming he had just gone to use the bathroom and would be back momentarily.
As she had made t lye down again she had seen a torch snap on in the distance and sat up again, expecting to see Ryu returning to camp, and wanting to take advantage of this quiet moment to talk to him.
About what exactly she had no idea, but this was a perfect chance to talk alone, well, more or less, and she wasn't about to waste it, even if her heart was going a mile a minute just thinking about it.
There was also the issue of his 'date' with Kanna. Both parties had claimed it was nothing of the sort, but they hadn't offered an alternate explanation either, and that left her somewhat…unsettled.
She liked Ryu more than she had ever liked another boy before, even if she hadn't known him that long, but she wasn't the kind of person to step on another person's toes so to speak.
If there was anything going on between him and Kanna, she needed to know so that she could leave them be, no matter now much that would hurt.
However something was wrong.
Ryu's light was heading away from the clearing not toward it.
Where could he be going? That wasn't the way back to the house at all.
Ayu was on her feet before she remembered standing, dithering by the dimming firelight for a moment as she debated over following him herself, or waking one of the others to go with her.
Realising that if she woke someone else, all her chances to talk to him alone would go flying out the window, Ayu made a snap decision.
Balling up her small fists as if the act would lend her courage, something she had learned to do a long time ago without ever noticing when she started doing it, she took off into the night.
It was hard catching up to the bobbing light in the distance that comprised Ryu, but she eventually made her way closer after a few bumps and falls, holding back tears of frustration when her dress got caught a number of times.
When she staggered into an area where the trees began to thin, she did so just in time to witness something rather odd.
Standing outside an old cave, Ryu appeared to be praying, though there were no shrines, or holy markings visible that she could see from this angle.
His hands held like that, and his face even more serious than normal if that were possible, he looked nobler than ever, and she drifted into a half dream, almost missing it when he broke his meditation and walked into the entrance with slow, measured steps.
Ayu realised that if she wasn't quick he would be long gone by the time she got there, so she scrambled out of her hiding place and ran down to the cave, pausing momentarily as the darkness of the cavern seemed to loom outward menacingly.
Swallowing heavily she couldn't help but wonder what in the world Ryu was doing in such a place.
Timidly, she took a step inside, each one getting a little easier as she progressed, even as it brought with in a moment of spine tingling anxiety.
Spotting the light ahead, Ayu picked up the pace. The sooner she was by Ryu's side the safer she would feel.
As she drew nearer, the blue haired girl found herself slowing.
Ryu had been praying outside hadn't he? What if this place was some sort of shrine? She didn't know much about his family, none of them did. What if he had family buried in here somewhere, or perhaps he secretly a priest, and there was a temple concealed within this system of tunnels.
Ayu recognised that thought as silly. It was like the plot from one of the manga she secretly read and collected, but it would explain a lot about Ryu's unbending nature and inner discipline.
Deciding that rushing ahead without knowing what was going on would be foolish of her, Ayu hung back a little, keeping just close enough to see his torch, but hopefully not close enough to be spotted herself.
She followed him like that for a number of minutes as he progressed deeper into the cave network, no sure if he knew where he was going, or if he was just taking a random route, and equally unable to explain why he would be doing so if that were the case.
Disaster almost struck when she stubbed her toe on a rocky outcropping.
She managed not to cry out, but Ryu heard her anyway, and she was barely able to duck behind a large boulder in time as his light swept past.
Once she was sure it was save, she peeked out, clambering to her feet awkwardly and hurrying after the dwindling light.
She made the same mistake a number of times, fortune smiling on her and providing her with ample hiding places each time.
Until the last time.
Her breath caught in her throat as she hit something in the dark once again and found nowhere to hide. She closed her eyes, waiting for Ryu to spin around and demand to know what she was doing following him like this.
That moment never came.
When she got up the courage to open her eyes he was hurrying down the passage and she began to sprint after him even as her confusion surfaced.
When she lost track of him for a moment, Ayu feared she would be left lost and alone in these caves forever, unable to navigate her own path, and deeply regretting not having the forethought to grab a torch for herself before taking off after the object of her affections.
Luckily it appeared he'd stopped somewhere up ahead, at a new intersection, perhaps to examine whatever he'd come here to find.
Slowing, Ayu waited for him to move on.
When it didn't appear as if he planned to move from that spot for a while she came to a decision. She didn't really want to risk getting lost in the dark again if she could help it.
Besides, sneaking around like this wasn't something she was cut out for, and it was kind of childish.
Even if he was mad at her for following him, she would be happier accepting his wrath than stumbling around in the dark for the rest of her days.
She managed to hit something again as she walked over to the new tunnel, but it didn't matter this time, she was more focused on the light…the light which appeared to be coming from the floor.
Ayu paused again.
Why would Ryu put his torch on the floor?
Feeling anxious once more she edged cautiously closer, peering into the passage and finding only the torch. No sign of its owner however.
Suddenly she remembered Yui's tale about the Turtle God. She had been trying not to listen as she didn't really like scary stories, but it was hard not to when Yui was the one doing the talking. She held an uncanny knack for entrancing people with her words the way she often did men with her looks.
In particular, Ayu remembered the part about the vengeful Guardian, who would seek out those who had defied it before on nights just like this one.
She was trembling as she stepped into the tunnel, looking at the torch as if it might jump up and bite her at any moment.
What if the Guardian had mistake Ryuuya for one of the men from before and taken him?
Her eyes widened, her hands coming up and clasping together in front of her throat.
What if it decided she was one of the 'Holy Maidens' from the story in disguise and came after her as well?
The was a whisper of movement behind her and something grabbed her shoulder, spinning her around viscously.
Ayu closed her eyes and screamed.
"What the…Ayu?"
When she realised that she wasn't being devoured by an angry turtle deity, and that she recognised the voice talking to her, Ayu carefully cracked open one eye then the other, immensely relieved at who she found looking down at her with equal parts confusion and annoyance.
"Y-yes, sempai?", she asked, unable to stop shaking, but not from fear. Ryu still hadn't taken his hand off her shoulder, and he was still staring at her.
"What are you doing here?", he asked, removing his hand and folding his arms, "Are you the one who's been following me?"
"Ano…um…I…", she suddenly felt as if she had been caught doing something she shouldn't have and began playing with her fingers nervously.
He waited for an answer, sighing when it became apparent one wasn't forthcoming.
"You shouldn't be wandering around places like this at night", he warned her, "It's dangerous".
"I know semapi", she said in a small voice, mustering the strength to look him square in the chest, "But…what are you doing here then?".
Ryu sighed again but she didn't know why.
"Yui's story piqued my interest so I thought I'd check it out for myself", that was the truth, just not all of it; though Ryu was surprised he had answered that question at all.
"Oh…", she was quiet for a moment.
"I think it would be best if you go back home Ayu", he couldn't see her face as she had lowered her head so that her bangs hid it, "It's not safe for you here".
Ayu was fighting the urge to cry. He was dismissing her just like that. He hadn't even asked why she had followed him, or if she wanted to help him.
She couldn't help but wonder; would he have done the same if she was Kanna?
"I don't have a torch", she found herself saying in an uncharacteristic burst of stubbornness, still unable or unwilling to meet his gaze.
Ryu rubbed the back of his head softly, trying to control his irritation at having his search interrupted.
There was nothing he could do about her being here unless he took her back himself, and that would waste valuable time.
"Fine, come on then", he said, stooping to retrieve the torch and starting off down the passage, "I want to finish up here before I do anything else, and I suppose two heads are better than one".
Ayu looked up in disbelief.
He wasn't going to escort her back to the entrance, or try to get rid of her.
A smile blossomed across her pretty face as she hurried to catch up to him, falling in silently beside him.
Whatever else may happen from this point on, this was one of the happiest moments of her young life.
This was one of the worst moments of her life.
They had searched the house top to bottom and come up dry. No sign of Ayu, and no sign of the deviant who had taken her.
Kanna was currently personally researching the first floor in hopes of finding something the others had missed, some clue or piece of evidence that would help them in their quest.
All of which had led her to her current location.
Kanna swallowed thickly as she drew near to the door to Ryu's door, the simple paper panelling seeming suddenly sinister, like a tiger cage with a faulty lock.
Griping the handle she froze.
There had been the sound of shuffling feet coming from inside, and she was sure a shadow had passed by. There was someone in there. If it was Ryu this could be her only chance.
The dark haired girl tugged lightly on the handle, applying more force and grunting with excursion when it refused to budge.
Locked.
He had locked himself in, and if Ayu was in there as well…
Kanna wouldn't allow herself to complete that thought. Winding back she lashed out with her foot.
The door seemed to bend for a moment, as if made of rubber, like it would simply spring back into shape as soon as she stopped applying pressure to its surface.
As strange as the phenomenon was, it only lasted a bare handful of microseconds before the flimsy wood collapsed inward with a tearing of paper and a loud crash.
Kanna stood panting lightly as the dust cleared, ready to leap in and beat the stuffing out of the resident pervert if he was doing anything weird to her friend.
"Ok! I have you now you sick little…Yui?", she asked, finding her friend crouched over Ryu's Guitar case, her hands still lingering guiltily on the lock.
All too soon Kanna's emotional track reverted to its default setting for that evening and she found herself shaking her friend vigorously.
"Ayu-chan is out there somewhere alone with that jerk, and your in here trying to steal his things rather than looking for her!", she shouted between shakes until Yui could prise her hands free from her top.
"Ok, ok I get it, look now investigate later", Yui drawled, trying not to sound too disappointed.
Once again she had been oh so very close, but there would always be tomorrow.
"Any luck?", Mizuki asked, having heard the crash like the others and come to investigate. She had expected to find one crumpled Ryu and a confused young Ayu being towered over by Kanna, not her best friend grumbling like a spoiled child.
"No", Kanna bit out, her earlier anger finally giving way to genuine concern.
Where could they have gone, and why? She knew the answer she wanted to believe, but without her rage to back it up, she was forced to acknowledge the likelihood of Ryu actually doing something like that was fairly low.
The stupid jerk doesn't have any interest in girls anyway, she thought, recalling his reaction to their almost kiss back on the Ferris Wheel.
Kanna felt the bile rise in her throat. What if it was just that her preferred younger women? Could he and Ayu have decided to run away together leaving her behind?
Why the hell am I even thinking about this, she berated herself, It's not as if I actually care if they like each other or not. I'm just worried about Ayu.
Having reaffirmed her purpose, Kanna let the conversation going on around her filter back in.
"…had no luck either", Natsuki and Ema were saying, now showing a little concern of their own, rather than merely indulgence of her, in their eyes, ungrounded fears.
"So they're not in the house then?", Yui asked, sitting up a little straighter, her voice oddly serious for her. It appeared she too was beginning to worry.
This was serious, they had to find them, Kanna no longer cared about the reason, she just wanted to know both her friends were safe.
Ema tumbled roughly into Natsuki as Chii jostled past both of them without sparing a glance, her intent expression causing Kanna to take an unconscious step back as she approached.
Chii didn't seem to notice or care about her cousin's friend's behaviour, just stopped and thrust out one hand in Kanna's direction, presenting a small silver device.
About the size of a modern palmtop, it was square in shape, most of the top surface taken up by an interact display screen that rippled every now and again like it was made of water.
On it there was a set of vaguely familiar lines displayed, and a pulsing yellow dot near one corner.
Kanna looked at the younger girl curiously, "What is…"
"Find", Chii said, nodding slowly at the device Kanna held.
"Chii-chan, I don't-"
"Find", the other girl repeated, stretching the word out as if it helped convey her point better.
"It's a tracking module", Yui explained seeing the still blank look on Kanna's face and her cousin's mounting irritation, "Probably keyed to either Ayu or Ryu's genetic signature…I think".
Yui looked to her younger cousin for confirmation. Technology wasn't her strong suit, such skills resided mostly in her aunt's side of the family, though her father was proficient enough with the basics, enough so that he could usually stop anything his cousin made without outright destroying it.
However such skills had not passed down to her, she was her mother's daughter in almost every respect bar one.
Kanna smiled as she stared at the blinking dot.
Now that she knew what the hell it was supposed to be, she recognised the map projected on the screen before her, and was pretty sure she knew where it was.
"Everyone grab a flashlight and follow me", Kanna ordered, taking note of about where she thought the device was showing Ryu and Ayu to be and orientating herself.
It looked like they were going to find their friends after all.
They had been walking for what felt like hours to Ayu, deeper and deeper into the caves as Ryu systematically picked tunnels and passages for them to take, all the while never actually telling her what, if anything, they were actually looking for.
Still, he had given her a task that showed a great deal of trust in her and she was determined not to fail, hoping that if she spotted whatever Ryu was looking for, it would somehow be obvious enough to catch her eye.
The formations in the cave stared back at her silently, unknowable and menacing, and once more she found herself wondering if it would be ok to take Ryu's hand, just to make her feel a little safer so she could concentrate properly.
Every time she thought she had worked up the courage to do so however she would back out at the last moment, her hand unable to close the last few inches.
Ayu sighed.
Why was it so hard?
Well, if she couldn't do that, surely she could at least talk to him like she had planned to do in the first place right?
Be brave, she told herself, You can do this.
"…Sempai?", there, that was a good start, no stuttering.
"What is it Ayu?", he asked, not looking back at her, but she knew he didn't have to to pay attention, and this might make it easier to talk to him.
"I…", come on, don't give up already, "I was wondering…about those pictures…the ones Mizuki showed us".
He tensed up and Ayu feared he's simply tell her it was none of her business and fall silent on her.
"There's nothing to tell", his voice was cold, but at least he hadn't simply shut her out, he never did. Could any of the other girls say that?
Clinging to that small beacon of hope she pressed onward.
"But, um…why were you and Kanna-chan…", she cursed her inability to complete that question, but she feared what answer he might give if she asked why they had looked so close, so…intimate, in the pictures.
"Nothing happened", he said, seeming to instinctively guess the thrust of her questioning, "Kanna was still made at me at the time. Kei and Mai set us up as a way of fixing things, that's all".
She was glad the darkness hid her smile, she would have died with embarrassment had he been able to see and questioned why his answer made her appear so relieved.
If there was truly nothing between him and her older friend, then perhaps…
Ayu was blushing and she hadn't even said anything yet.
She had been thinking that maybe, if Ryu was willing to take Kanna out on a date, even if he hadn't considered it one, then maybe, just maybe, he'd be willing to do the same for her.
She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye.
Now all she had to do was ask him…
She was about to open her mouth when she spotted it.
Ryu had told her to point out anything unusual, and a set of giant steel doors; easily double again her height certainly fit the 'usual' category in any context, let alone a cave.
"Sempai", she tugged his sleeve to get his attention, pointing toward the doors as he tracked the light in the direction she indicated.
She watched as his usually emotionless face took on an expectant, almost excited look, and she felt a small thrill as he thanked her for pointing the doors out.
She had actually done something to help him out, and now he was proud of her.
Ayu had to resist the urge to faint as he took her hand and began leading her toward the doors.
His larger hand almost completely swallowed her own, but it was pleasantly warm, and smoother than she had thought a boy's hand would be.
When they reached the doors she was a little saddened that he let go, but it couldn't really compete with her elated mood.
"This has to be it", he was whispering when she finally started to pay attention again, pushing on the doors experimentally, grunting as they gave only slightly and with a sharp screech that indicated rusting had long since set in.
"Ayu, help me push", he said, bracing a shoulder against the door to make room for her and she uncertainly placed her hands on the cool steel.
"It's ok, just push when I do", he told her when he noticed her biting her lip.
Waiting for a nod to indicate she understood, he counted up to three, both of them throwing their weight and all of their strength against the structure.
It ground open fractionally more.
"Keep going", he commanded, drawing a shaky agreement from her, "Itchi, ni, SAN!"
The door fought them tooth and nail the whole way, but eventually it opened, swinging aside abruptly as the rust gave way and almost dropping both of them on their faces.
As it was, Ryu jarred his wrist, still weak and sensitive from its previous impact, and the torch went skittering into the cavern beyond the doors, randomly illuminating just enough to make it clear that this room was not made of stone like the rest, but too fast for him to really make out the details.
"Are you ok Ayu?", he asked his companion, assisting her to her feet as he stood himself.
"I'm fine sempai", she said, dusting off her hopelessly dirty dress even though she couldn't see if she was having any effect of not.
"Wait here", Ryu told her as he picked his way across the new room toward the torch, things he couldn't identify crunching under foot.
There were also a number of strange towers as he found out the hard way after bumping into a number of them, and even knocking one down.
When it fell he was sure he heard the sound of breaking glass.
What the hell?, he frowned, realising he had picked that exclamation up from Kanna, but it did suit the mood of the situation.
"Sempai?", Ayu called nervously from nearby the door.
"I'm ok", he shouted back, finally reaching the errant torch and retrieving it. Standing his noticed something glinting metallically in the torchlight and looked up…straight into a pair of glowing eyes.
Every muscle in his body seemed to turn simultaneously into stone and into jelly as shock annihilated his voluntary thought process, his mind choosing now to unleash all the pent up anxiety and terror he had felt since entering this place, plunging him into a kaleidoscope of nightmares and memories, all revolving around a sight just like the one that had left him frozen.
He didn't even hear Ayu scream as the beast before him let loose a throaty roar, his eyes widening in mounting terror as it lashed out, swatting him aside like a fly, the torch spinning out of his grasp and smashing against something in the darkness.
Ayu screamed again as he crashed through a number of the mystery towers, glass racking through his clothes like paper and leaving fiery lines of pain and blood down his back as he skidded roughly to a halt.
He wanted to curl into a ball and pray that this was just another of his dreams, but the pain he felt prevented such comforting illusions.
This was all very much real and once more there was nothing he could do about it.
A part of him was desperately screaming at him to get up, to move, to run away, attempting to remind him of the difference between this event and the last which made their similarity an impossibility.
Strangely it was not these survival instincts, or the cool, logical centre of his brain which prevailed in bringing him out of his stupor.
It was Ayu.
For some reason, when she cried out this time, he found his eyes drawn out from beneath his arms, noticing that the blazing orbs in the darkness were no longer focused on him, but on the trembling girl in the doorway.
The girl who shouldn't have been there in the first place.
There was a great heavy footfall as the creature sized her up, stalking toward her slowly, probably planning to enjoy her fear before moving in for the kill.
Pushing aside the pain in a way only someone associated with Kanna's temper can learn to do so, Ryu dragged himself to his feet, allowing his terror to give his feet wings as he traversed the distance between himself and Ayu.
Grabbing her hand roughly, he half guided, half dragged her behind him as he fled, his knees almost giving out as the monster behind them bellowed in frustration, its anger shaking the walls and raining dust and loose rock down on them as they ran.
Without the torch they had no hope of navigating, but as the sturdy steel doors behind them were rent inward like they were made of cheap plastic, Ryu decided that they had more immediate concerns than navigation.
The creatures roars and footfalls echoed along the tunnels, making them seem even louder and more menacing than they previously were, as it tore through passages, debris crashing loudly in its wake.
Ayu might have been crying, he couldn't tell, only able to make out the occasional word about turtle gods or something similar, and he didn't really care at that moment.
He angled down every passage and turn he could find, hoping that at least one would be too narrow for the beast to fit through and praying that he wouldn't run into a dead end.
His lungs burned and his heart was threatening to burst through his chest, but still he ran, spurred on by a terror he had never felt before.
He lost track of both the time and the number of turns he took, but eventually the roars and the chaos faded into the background, and eventually, faded all together, but he didn't stop until his body betrayed him, forcing him to a halt as it frantically tried to calm his system with a blissful wash of endorphins.
He staggered against the wall of a particularly large cavern they had somehow found themselves in, releasing his death grip on Ayu's delicate hand so that they could both slump down against one of the cool stone walls and pant away their exhaustion.
Ayu was in no better shape than he. She was completely breathless, her legs felt like rubber bands and her heart refused to stop racing.
She swiped at the tears pouring down her face as she hiccupped a few times, her breathing reluctantly returning to normal as she leant her head back against the wall.
She felt a grin slowly spreading across her face as she realised what they had done. They had escaped the wrath of the Guardian from Yui's story after entering its inner sanctum, and were still alive to tell the tale.
For now at least.
Now that she was no longer running for her life, Ayu noticed that they didn't have a torch with them any longer, and even if they did, they had taken a completely different and random route than the one they had used to get to the lair.
They were lost and alone in the dark.
Ayu forced herself to look on the bright side of things as her breathing and heart rate threatened to skyrocket again.
Ryu had actually saved her after she'd assumed him dead when the turtle Guardian hit him. There had certainly been some worrying noises after he had been knocked aside, but just when the creature had turned its attention on her, and she felt sure it would kill her, routed to the spot with fear as she was. Ryu had taken her hand once more and led her away from danger.
He'd saved her life.
Ayu felt a swelling feeling in her chest. Ryu had saved her from a monster just like the hero in all those manga she read, and she wanted to say something, anything to thank him for that.
As she turned to him, her eyes wet with gratitude, she heard his mumblings. Starting off low they were slowly getting louder and more fevered.
"Too dark…walls…no way out, there's…there's no way…", no longer having anything immediate to focus himself on and assuage his terror, the feeling were back in full force, compounded by the realisation that he had gotten them lost during his made dash, and now they were trapped here in the confining darkness with no way out.
Sempai is Claustrophobic, Ayu realised with a start, watching as his outline seemed to fold in on itself, like he was hugging his knees to his chest and gently rocking.
"No way out…", he babbled his voice cracked and his eyes wide and almost manic as wave after wave of pure fear washed away the layers of his sanity. At any moment he feared he'd see those terrible eyes again, and then he truly would loose it.
He almost screamed when something gently took hold of his shoulders, confusion vying with fear as he found his head pillowed on something soft and warm, a pair of slender arms around his shoulders.
"What is-"
"Shhhhh", Ayu hushed him softly, her voice gentle and kind as she held his head against her chest, glad the darkness wasn't being peeled back by the force of her blush, "It's ok sempai, your not alone".
In his current state he couldn't do anything but lye there as he felt the anxiety slowly flooding out of him, a great weariness taking its place.
Ayu smiled as she felt him relaxing, instinctively drawing him closer, "That's it sempai, we're safe now, you saved us…saved me".
He might have mumbled something into her chest, she wasn't sure, but it didn't matter much, as long as he didn't pull away.
"Thank you", she whispered, feeling the change in his breathing that indicated sleep and giggling to herself.
Feeling a little awkward doing so, but known there was a good chance they would both die here, she let herself run a hand gently through his spiky blond hair, savouring the texture against her slender fingers.
It looked like she'd never get a chance to ask him about that date after all, but she wasn't as sad as she would have expected.
Still stroking his head she whispered softly to his unconscious form, "…I love you, sempai".
The tranquil peace was broken moments later, just as she felt herself sliding toward the realm of dreams, by a loud scuffling noise from the direction of the tunnel they had entered through.
Ayu's heart leapt into her throat. Could it be that the monster was back? Had it tracked them here somehow?
As the sounds drew closer they roused Ryu. Springing out of her grasp he crouched low, slightly in front of her protectively.
Though his movements betrayed the fact he was still half asleep and unaware of what he was doing, the action didn't fail to touch Ayu.
Up ahead a number of lights appeared out of the gloom, dazzling both Ryu and Ayu and forcing them to shield their eyes.
Flashlights?, she thought waiting for her eyes to adjust, Why would a monster need a flashlight?
"Hey! Hey, I found them!", that was Natsuki's voice, and Ayu's confusion gave way to relief as she found that the older woman was followed by the rest of their friends and fellow residents.
"Where!", that voice could only belong to Kanna.
"Seriously, you two need to find a classier place for a make out session", Yui joked, drawing sniggers from Mizuki and an exasperated sigh from Ema.
"What the hell were you thinking bring Ayu to a place like this?", Kanna demanded, all too ready to lay into Ryu for his stupidity.
"Just doing a little sight seeing", he replied attempting to stand and failing.
Kanna bit the inside of her cheek when she noticed the blood staining Ryu's shirt, and the fatigued expression that haunted his features, quickly passing her torch to Yui moving to his side.
Her face paled when she found the cuts on his back, "Oh my god, Ryu what happened to you, are you alright?"
Her emotional switch from angry friend to doting girlfriend hadn't gone unnoticed, but even Yui didn't seem inclined to comment this time.
"There was a monster", Ayu explained, feeling a burst of jealousy was Kanna slung one of Ryu's arms over her shoulder, helping the protesting boy to his feet and supporting him to help him walk.
"A monster? You mean the Mecha Tama MkXII?", Yui asked, "Chii shut that down when we found it stomping around while we were looking for you guys. My aunt had a lab around here I think, it must have been one of her unfinished projects".
"Obsolete", Chii said, her voice more distasteful than any of those gathered had ever heard it before save Yui.
Yui knew her cousin's dislike of ineffective or faulty machinery.
As the girls offered to help Kanna carry Ryu, much to his embarrassment and annoyance, Ayu found herself trailing behind the group as they began to make their way back out of the caverns.
She still felt an unexplained wave of resentment toward her friend for the way she was behaving around Ryu, but she knew it would pass, probably nothing more than a by-product of the stressful encounter they ha just been through together.
Besides, she had shared something with Ryu that none of the other girls knew about, and she also knew something about him that they didn't and had helped him through it.
She smiled shyly as he looked back at her briefly, his usual impassive mask slipping for a second and revealing a look of gratitude that melted her heart before Kanna accidentally jostled him, kick starting another argument between them that no one paid much attention to.
As they stepped out into the clear night air, Ayu couldn't help but smile in the pale moonlight.
Despite everything, she had managed to spend time alone with Ryu, and even told him how she felt, though he hadn't been able to hear her at the time.
After going through all that in one night, perhaps asking him about that date wouldn't be so hard after all.
---Author Notes---
Hmmm, a rather lengthy chapter if I do say so myself, over 15 pages in Word, not the longest I've ever written but a surprise for sure.
I hope you all enjoyed the cuteness that is Ayu/Ryu, and hopefully my kawaii little girl has a few more fans to rival those who support Kanna lol.
Coming next: Chapter 8: What Lurks Beneath; The residents have been plagued by a lot of strange goings on in the basement of the Hinata Sou in the dead of night. What could be hiding in the house's ancient bowls? It's up to Ryu, Kanna, Ayu and Chii to find out.
Till next time, Betweenheavenandhell