The arrival of Wist!
"AAAAAAHHH!!!" yelled one of the men at the back.
"What the…?!"
"IT'S A (BLEEPING) TRAP YOU FOOLS!! GET OUT OF THE CLEARING NOW!!!" roared the general.
Too. Late.
"I think I see a way out!" exclaimed one. He ran to escape; only to be caught by the laser and pit traps.
"You moron! Did you really think they'd let us escape so easily?! BE ON YOUR GUARD MEN!"
The warning went unheard. Screams of shock, horror and cries for help rang through the clearing. The children were still standing there, as if they didn't notice the chaos. To the foolish general, that meant that they were behind this. He charged; fully intent on killing the three. He narrowly avoided pitfall after pitfall; each one infuriating him further until he could no longer listen to reason.
"He's coming closer! What do we do, Iruka?!" whispered Gale.
"Stay calm. I won't let anything happen to you, Gale!" he whispered back.
The enraged fool continued charging toward them, as if he was immune to the traps. That alone scared the third boy, and he wanted to leave the trap now! He looked to Iruka in fear, only to see his stern, steadfast look on his face. Iruka was the oldest of the three; so naturally Rune put him in charge.
I'm going to kill those brats if it's the last thing I do! The general growled in his mind. That thought alone kept him going; never stopping.
"He's almost at the center of the trap. When I give the signal, we all activate the trap. I want you two to hang onto me; and don't let go, is that clear?!" Iruka said in a hushed growl.
The trap that was the easiest to get through was also the most deadly to trip. Most of the trainees who died; they were killed in this trap. That was why the teachers were angry at Gale for tripping it; she could very easily have died! It consisted of a small platform surrounded by a pit filled with Death itself. Rune had tripled the likelihood of dying in the hole by summoning the essence of Death, and she warned Iruka of what dangers lay within.
The enraged general was close to the edge of the pit. He would have continued, but he saw a look in the eyes of the older boy. He glared at him with anger and determination. The Hikari had to admit, the boy had the makings of a good soldier. But he was an enemy and he must die! He ran towards them when the boy yelled, "NOW!"
Gale, Iruka and their friend jumped high and threw three shurinkens at a small knot on the hole. Gale and the boy followed directions and held on tightly.
Please let this work!
Iruka called upon his magic and concentrated on a pair of black wings. They almost fell into the pit when…WHOOSH!! A pair of wings finally emerged from his back. He held the two closer and flew upward as hard as he could when he heard another set of wings approaching. He looked around in horror, and couldn't identify the source. He didn't dare look down; that would cause them to fall!
He felt sharp teeth grab the back of his shirt. His wings quickly went back into his body and the only thing keeping them from Death were the teeth. He heard someone through a muffled voice, and thought it was the other two. That was when he finally noticed that the other boy was gone. The teeth let them go gently on the ground, and he finally looked to see who saved them. It was a floppy-eared rabbit?!
"How cute!" exclaimed Gale.
"Kyu!" the rabbit replied.
"Poor Wist. He lost his grip and fell…" said Iruka, trying not to cry.
"Kyu, Kyu!" exclaimed the rabbit.
"I can't speak rabbit!" Iruka snapped.
"Come here little guy…" said Gale soothingly.
The rabbit went to Gale and plopped onto her lap. She gently pets it as Iruka went to inspect the traps that had been set off. He was so upset over Wist that he nearly got caught in another pit trap!
"KYU!!" said the rabbit as he once again took hold of his shirt.
"Thanks, I guess…" Iruka mumbled in reply.
"You're welcome!" said a familiar voice.
"WIST?! What the…?!" exclaimed Iruka.
"Iruka…you're not going to believe this but…"
"What is it Gale? What's w…" started Iruka as he turned around to face her. He came face-to-face with Wist, and quickly realized that Wist had the floppy-ears of the rabbit!
"WHAT THE…?!"
"Kyu! What's wrong Iruka?" asked Wist.
"What the hell happened to you Wist?!"
"Nothing."
"NOTHING! YOU CALL RABBIT EARS NOTHING?!"
"What's so weird about rabbit ears?"
"I know our family isn't normal, but this is ridiculous!"
"You're overreacting…" said Gale, worried.
"I'M NOT OVERREACTING!!!"
"Kyu, then why are you shouting?" asked Wist.
"Wist, can I ask you something?" said Iruka, trying to calm down.
"Kyu! Sure!!"
"What the hell are you?!"
"I'm Wist! You can call me Wiz if you want…" said Wiz upset.
"Iruka, could you PLEASE stop shouting?! You'll attract unwanted attention!" exclaimed Gale in a hushed voice.
"You mean like mine?" growled Krad.
"Oh shit!" said Iruka in horror.
Gale tried not to giggle. Iruka hadn't noticed where Krad was! (Stuck in a glue trap…)
"Iruka, looked to your left. I wouldn't worry about Krad if I were you!" laughed Gale.
"What do you…" started Iruka before he started laughing.
"Very funny! You almost had me, little boy; but now the last laugh will be…" said Krad before Wiz turned into a flying rabbit and started to bite him, unmercifully!
Dark came to check on them five minutes later. His reaction to Wiz's true identity?
"So you're really a rabbit? Rune will love this! Come on guys, I'm taking you back to camp!" said Dark.
"What about…?" started Gale.
"Yue will come to check on them in an hour. If they haven't freed themselves by then, we'll take them to the camp too!" answered Dark.
At the Niwa base camp, mixed reactions filled the air…
"I can't believe Wist is really a rabbit!" said Rune.
"Kyu!" said Wiz as he chomped on a large strawberry.
"He certainly likes strawberries…" laughed Syaoran.
"So, Wist or Wiz or whatever, why did you reveal yourself now?" asked Iruka. He shared the same room with Wist, and he never knew about his friend!
"Kyu! Because I wanted to help you! I didn't want my only friends to fall prey to Death!" answered Wiz.
"Thanks Wiz. But why didn't you tell us sooner?" asked Rune.
"Kyu, I didn't want to be treated differently. I'm the last of my kind…" said Wiz.
"You're more than welcome to stay here, Wist. But could you please warn us the next time you attack Krad?" asked Iruka.
"Kyu! Kyu!" said Wiz as he returned to his true form. He jumped onto his shoulder and acted playfully.
"Hehehe, I guess I should get used to this. But Dark, will Wist still be able to participate in the program?" asked Iruka.
"Sure, so long as he doesn't stir up trouble, I doubt anyone will care."
"Yay! Hey Wist, you want more strawberries?" laughed Iruka.
"KYU!!!" replied Wiz happily.
And so, Wiz the bizarre rabbit remained in the family. And if anyone is wondering, it's the same Wiz that Daisuke lets sleep on his bed! He lost his ability to talk in an accident, till Daisuke re-taught him. Next up, what happens to the Hikari army now that the general is gone?