Leorio's mouth did not seem to have a pause function.
"I'm cold."
"It's dark."
"How long do you think the tunnel is?"
"I'm bored."
"I'm thirsty."
"I need to pee." He whined. And I couldn't disagree. It's been ages since I last went. The strap from my bag was digging painfully into my shoulder, I don't know how Kurapika does it. His bag is similar to mine and he hasn't even switched the weight to his other shoulder. I pulled out my fourth lollipop and jammed it in my mouth. Mmm strawberry~ I waved one at Gon and the kid gladly accepted it.
"Hey, Risumi-chan, you got these at Whale Island!" His brown eyes widen in realisation.
"What?" I said absentmindedly.
"I know the lady who makes these!"
"Oh, she make these too?" I asked, pulling bags and bags of candy. Three heads swivel in my direction. "What?" I ask defensively.
"Yeah, she made those too," said Gon, recovering fast. "Isn't she great?" I nodded enthusiastically. The blonde turned away looking sick. Who gets sick by the sight of candy? The stuff is magic.
"Mind your teeth, missy," Leorio criticised. I waved one in his face by way of offering. The man caught it in his teeth. Okay, I didn't expect that. Silence lapsed again, save for the occasional (often) crinkling of lolly wrappers from my direction, and Gon's, I swear.
"Oh, stupid old woman!" Leorio shouted, "It was two hours two hours ago!" and again, I couldn't disagree. I think Leorio is very open with his thoughts, unlike Kurapika who is introverted and Gon who only says nice things. The dark tunnel felt eternally cruel and endless. We'd been walking for some time but no one had thought to bring a watch.
I wonder who invented candy, was it an accident? The candy on Whale Island was the first I had since I was a kid and it wasted like such magic I bought more than I could afford on everything; lollipops, gum, fruit flavoured, cola flavoured, caramel, butterscotch, marshmallows, gummy bears, chocolate, pocky, you name it. Sweet heaven. How could anything on earth beat this? I like books, have heaps of them back at the dojo. None of the heroines had a mad crave for sugary treats, hahaha, maybe I'm just not that kind of girl hmm? Whatever, ice cream… Del better remember to stock the ice cream, Nicky eats way too much of the strawberry flavour for a guy. I gazed dreamily at the darkness in stretched out in front of us.
"Rusimi!" Kurapika called, looking annoyed.
"Yeah, what?"
"I've been calling you for ages, are you okay?" His eyes softened into concern.
"Yeah." I didn't tell him what I had been daydreaming about…
"May I ask what kind of weapon you're carrying?" The blonde reverted back to formal. Isn't it tiring to talk like that?
"Hmm? Scythes," I replied, "bribed a blacksmith near home to make it." He gave me a strange look. The scythes were in holsters on either side of my hip, connected by a chain that bounced on my butt when I walked, as Gon had so helpfully pointed out.
"Why not get big scythes?" He wondered.
"Harder to control, and harder to carry," I reasoned, "I'll have to worry more about cutting myself than my opponents. Where do you keep your swords anyway?" Kurapika lifted the back of his tabard, where a pair of wooden swords were strapped in response. Aren't they heavy? How can he not choke? Silence washed over us once again. I moved onto a packet of grape flavoured gum. There were instructions on the back about blowing bubbles. I folded the gum over my tongue and succeeded in chocking.
"What the heck are you doing, you idiot?" Leorio asked, as he slapped me across the back.
"Are you okay, nee-chan?" Gon gazed at me with wide, innocent eyes. I nodded, coughing, as Kurpaika rolled his eyes at me. After a while, I had the gum wrapped around my tongue but when I blew the purple gum went flying out of my mouth.
"Oh, so that's what you chocked on."
~oOo~
Finally, my breath expanded the blob of gum, I kept blowing and blowing, until I had stretched the rubber to its limit. It exploded in my face. The scent of grapes filled the air. "What?" I asked, affronted, at the people staring at me.
"Nee-chan, your face is purple." Gon said, matter-of-factly.
"Thanks," I said, dryly, as I peeled purple off my face.
"Are you okay, Risumi-san?" Kurapika asked. What a considerate guy. "In terms of mentality?" Hmm… maybe not…
I glared at him. "Lose the -san. And yes, my brain is fine." Said brain did a zoom-in of his face as he leaned in.
"You have more," he said, "stuck in your hair." His breath brushed my cheek as he peeled a piece of gum off my hair. My brain reeled from the close proximity, my body took two steps back.
"I know!" I protested.
"Nee-chan, your face is red now!" Gon said, happily. Thanks, your live broadcast of my blushing makes me extremely grateful. Leorio grinned.
~oOo~
"Look," Gon shouted, "I see light!"
We poured on the speed for the last stretch of tunnel and burst out of the gloom into . . . more gloom. It was already evening. We were in that godforsaken tunnel for a minimum of four hours. Crazy old lady, two hours my ass. I smacked Leorio upside the head to shut him up. He wasn't the only pissed about losing so much time in a concrete cylinder.
A long, muddy track winded its way up the mountain. Cold wind whipped at our clothes and I drew cloak tighter around my body. I couldn't help but replay the close-up of Kurapika's face. The four of us hurried along the path. A sign saying 'Beware of Magical Monsters' leered at us. Magical Monsters sound kind of cute. What is there to even beware of? Do they even exist? So vague . . . .
Kurapika's hair isn't vague. The pale blonde, highlighted by the moonlight, gleamed. This guy has nicer hair than I do. My hair's all black and boring and bluntly cropped.
The same message was stamped into nature in several more ways. Scratched into rocks and traced into dirt, hung from and nailed into trees. "Sheesh, this is creepy." Leorio shivered. No, not creepy, it was stupid. Who were they trying to psych with a billion signs saying the same lame thing? Oh yeah, Leorio.
Our strange quartet reached a wooden cabin bordered by trees. This must be where the couple lived. Now this was creepy – everything had become still, even the wind. Nothing moved as if nothing breathed. There were no lights on in the cabin, did they even exist? The others climbed tentatively up the wonky stairs and I followed a few steps behind, because if it was rigged they'd hit it first.
Leorio knocked, "Hello, anybody home?" We were greeted with silence. This is creepy, people are supposed to live here and there ain't no sign of livin'. Nerves taught and body freezing, I jerked my leg back and kicked the door open.
"Risumi, that's rude." Kurapika scolded. We caught someone in a kidnapping act. A fox-like monster loomed over the body of a male and carried a female in its jaw. The man was bleeding and the woman knocked out. Furniture broken and red stained the floor. There had obviously been a struggle. "Mue-hue-mue-hue," it laughed, pushing past us.
"M-my wife," the bleeding man groaned, "save my wife!" he pleaded. This seemed to snap everybody out of their trances. Leorio dashed to the man's side and flipped open his briefcase.
"I'll take care of things here, you guys go after the monster!" He commanded. We obeyed. We dropped out bags on the floor and ran after the general direction of the monster.
"This way," Gon said, his eyes keenly searching the expanse of darkness before us. I could see it without straining my eyes but Kurapika looked at Gon, impressed. I ran up a tree and tracked it from above, ignoring the fact that I was wearing a skirt which was literally held down by the chain bouncing on my butt. Gon leaped up beside me. "He-he, I have an idea," he grinned, mischievously. By now we were almost on top of the animal Kurapika defined as a Kirriko. "Hey, Kirriko!" Gon shouted, as he took a flying leap and smashed his fishing pole on its head. Seriously, kid, I thought, that's your grand plan?
But to everyone's surprise, the Kirriko let out a surprised yelp and clutched at its head, "Crazy kid!" The lady fell out of its arms, screaming hysterically. Kurapika dived and caught her in his arms. Good going, blondie!
"It talks!" Gon yelled, "It talks!"
"Yeah, that's why it's called a magical monster." Kurapika said through gritted teeth.
I kept running after the Kirriko, Gon caught up at my heels. When I got close enough I flung one of my scythes at it, holding onto the other one so the first would return. The sound of the blade whirring through the air may have been slightly too loud, because the Kirriko ducked and all I cut were a few strands of its fur.
The dense foliage of the forest rushed past in blurs of green and brown.
Somehow while we were leaping across branches we ended up climbing even higher. Maybe 20 metres or so . . . I sprinted to catch up with the animal so that I was slightly ahead of it – and jumped, landing awkwardly on its back.
The Kirriko shook its head madly to dislodge me from its neck. "Stupid girl!" It growled. The beast jumped erratically to try shake me off, but my arms didn't go through all that training for nothing!
"You ha – a – ave nice f-f-uuurrrr." My voice bounced every time the beast jumped off a branch
"Get offa me, crazy woman!" The animal yelled.
"Nnaww," I drawled.
Suddenly, it did a backflip of some sort and my world whirred and blurred. I felt my hands lubricate with sweat and my grip loosened. Wind roared past my ears, my hair and clothes streamed out vertically in front of me.
Oh. My. God.
~oOo~
