Chapter 2
The tunnel was dark, cold, and very, very long. Before five minutes had passed, I could no longer see the sun. I felt my mind starting to panic. Get a grip, Elsa. Calm down! Freaking out will help no one! Taking a deep breath, I resumed walking, albeit at a slightly faster pace. As I got deeper, it got colder, and I felt more and more at home. This was my element. I was an ice demon, simple as that. The cold made me feel more at home than anywhere else.
After half an hour, I sat down to rest for a bit against a large stalagmite. I guess I was feeling quite comfortable there in the cold, and soon my mind drifted off into strange, wild, colorful dreams, filled with memories and a mysterious brown haired man, his face covered by shadows by my mind. He wore a long dark cloak, and, as I gazed on the shadowy representation of a face that my mind gave me, I felt the most curious of sensations. Strange warmth, a sense of belonging, flowed into my mind. It wasn't love, but it was pretty darn close. Smiling in my sleep, I sank into a deeper realm of sleep, without dreams to disturb me.
Later, Koenma's POV
I walked along the dark tunnel, the last natural gateway between my home of Reikai and Ningenkai, the human world. It was absolutely freezing in the tunnel. Pulling my cloak tighter around myself, I quickened my pace, in hopes of finishing my long journey in record time. The tunnel had always unnerved me. There was a strange, unnatural feel to this place…
Speaking of strange, why had Father sent me here in the first place? All he had told me was that I was to head to the Gateway Tunnel and leave for Ningenkai immediately. No names, no places, nothing. He didn't even tell me why! How rude is that? Still, he was King and I was only prince, so I was unable to complain. Speeding up once more, I failed to notice a dark figure lying against a rock, directly in my path.
As fortune would have it, I noticed the form too late, and, tripping over what I assumed (at the time) were stones, went sprawling to the hard, unforgiving rocky floor. "Owww… what was that?" I crawled back to my feet, checking for injury. My hands were a bit scraped up, and I had a bruised knee, but those would heal. Turning around, I caught my first glimpse of a strange girl sleeping against a large rock. She had long white hair that seemed to capture what little light was in the cave and refract it into a thousand tiny rainbows. Her nails were long, delicate claws, either painted or naturally black. She wore a simple tunic and sandals, the style reminding me vaguely of the Atlantean peasantry garments. As I watched, she stirred, murmured something, and opened her startlingly red eyes, looking straight into my own, chocolate colored ones.
Elsa's POV
I felt a strange something hit my legs and heard a dull thud, then: "Owww… what was that?" Moving slightly, I opened my eyes, and found myself staring at the young man from my dream, his face fully visible now. He was, it seemed, as shocked as I was, wide mahogany brown eyes. "Hello," I said, making sure to keep my voice level. "My name is Elsa, of Atlantis. Why are you here?"
"I am Koenma, Prince of Reikai." I felt my eyes widen with surprise. "What?" He asked. "You are the one I had come down here to find! I am pleased to meet you, Koenma-sama." Koenma seemed amused at this. "Just Koenma, please. My father sent me here, no explanations. Why did you come down here?" Was Enma insane? Telling his own son to go to an unknown location, and not offering anything in explanation? "My home, Atlantis, is under attack by malevolent demons from Makai. I came to request your help, Koenma." He seemed shocked by the fact that Atlantis needed help, and who could blame him? Our forces were strong enough to hold back almost any force on earth, and the golden barrier had held for centuries. "And what of the barrier?" He asked. "By this time tomorrow, it'll be destroyed."
Koenma's POV
By this time tomorrow, it'll be destroyed. I couldn't believe what I had heard. I myself had created the barrier, using the same amount of power that filled the Reikai barrier! It would never fail, unless someone drained it of its power! I felt my mind working slowly, in shock. As if from far away, I heard her voice, "Koenma? Are you alright? Hello-o-o-o, Earth to Koenma! Come in, Koenma!"
Her sarcastic tone startled me out of my mind-cage. "What? Oh, sorry. It shocked me that the barrier would shatter so easily. I created it myself, using the same force as the Reikai barrier itself. I don't understand how it could break." She smiled at me with the same expression as someone who was correcting a child who gave a foolish answer to a question. "Why, the demons have found a way to drain the energy, my dear, silly friend."
I smiled back at her smirk. It was, in a weird way, kind of refreshing to talk to someone who showed me little to no respect whatsoever, after all the bowing and praising and other nonsense back at the palace. "I gathered that much from what you had told me before. My question is: How? They have never been able to do this sort of thing before…" Her expression changed to one of puzzlement. "That's what I'm wondering too. But first, let's leave this place. I want to see the sun again."
I nodded my agreement. Being underground gave me the jitters, and ice was starting to form on my sleeve cuffs. "Ok, but let's hurry before I freeze to the floor, Elsa." She laughed at this, and patted my shoulder gently, sending a weird tingly feeling, similar to having a foot fall asleep, racing up my arm, knocking off the ice crystals in the process. "Now, we wouldn't want that, would we, Koenma-sama?" "Just move…" I said, my teeth chattering slightly. She instantly became more serious. "Right. It's a long way back, so hang in there."
Elsa's POV
After about ten minutes, I noticed Koenma's footsteps getting more hesitant, slower, and unsteady. Dang, the cold's getting to him. Gotta hurry… I slowed down a bit, so that he could catch up. When he got close enough for me to get a good look at him, I saw that ice crystals sparkled in his glossy brown hair, and on his sleeves and collar. This wasn't good at all. He'd freeze if he didn't reach warmth soon!
I tugged at his sleeve, getting a soft groan of discomfort from the Reikai prince. "Come on, Koenma. You'll freeze if you don't hurry! Come on! You can do it!" I whispered to him. There are times like this that make me grateful that I'm an Ice Demon. If I wasn't, I'd be in the same state as poor Koenma, with his skin almost the color of my hair, and frost decorating his tunic and cloak, though it did add a nice sparkle to his brown hair…
Focus! I scolded myself. How much longer do we have to walk? Koenma's feet barely left the floor now, causing him to stumble at the slightest irregularity. "Koenma… you need to move a little faster if you want to keep up with me. It's hard for me to walk that slowly." He made an obvious effort to speed up, managing to hold the speed for about ten seconds before stumbling, falling, and failing in an attempt to get back up.
I heard the thud of his body hitting the floor, and turned around quickly, nearly unbalancing myself on a patch of ice. Seeing him immobile on the ground, I dashed over to his side, checking for any sign of consciousness. Apparently, he'd fallen, hit his head on the rocky ground, and the pain, cold, and effort from trying to get back up had knocked him out. Don't get me wrong, Koenma was a strong individual, but even he couldn't last long in extreme cold and exhaustion.
With a soft sigh, I took hold of his wrist, and, careful to avoid further injury, lifted him off the floor, putting my other arm around his waist for support. Here, again, I was thankful to be an ice demon. We get stronger in the cold, so Koenma's presence barely registered to my tired muscles. Too bad it was an uphill path, or we'd have been out of this accursed tunnel by now. Sighing again, I trudged up the path, keeping my eyes trained on the tiniest of lights in the distance, the literal "light at the end of the tunnel." I hoped it wouldn't be too long before reaching the exit. Even I would not last forever.