Disclaimer: You know, I'm starting to feel like one of those philosopher/mathematicians from the time before we humans collectively figured out calculus. I realized a while back that there was a certain distance to go until I finished this instalment of the fic... yet I keep dividing in half the distance and somehow even though the end is much closer now than it was at the beginning it seems infinitely further away. But don't you worry readers! The sexy and powerful ʃ is here, and she's going to help us find the area under that curve. ^.^
Also this fic, not unlike ʃ, is now rated M. So don't complain to me if you see something that can't be unseen. -.o ...or actually do. I crave feedback, even if you just want to tell me how my twisted mind has scared you for life. ^.^ K! On with the show!
-MH-BtVS-MH-BtVS-MH-BtVS-MH-
Mai was sleeping. She knew that she was sleeping, since she remembered vividly the sensation of falling into a cold, crushing darkness at the end of the spell she and Natsuki had performed. But although she was aware of part of her situation that should cause her a degree of urgency, her current dream was so pleasant that Mai couldn't quite yet bring herself to wake. It was so real though.
In her dream Mai was laying on her back in her bed at the dorm. That was the way she almost always went to sleep these days. When she was much younger she had preferred to sleep on her stomach, but recent... developments, had made that sleeping position much less comfortable than it used to be. Still, as comfortable as her warm bed was compared to the damp coolness of the cave where they cast the spell... That was not the thing that was making her want to stay in her dream just a little bit longer. No, it was Natsuki. Always Natsuki, who even here in her dreams seemed to hold power over her like no other. Natsuki was slightly different than normal as she lay next to Mai, as people and things in dreams often are; but also like is often the case in a dream, those differences seemed to make perfect sense when viewed through the distorted lens of Mai's unconscious mind.
Familiar green eyes were darkened to a shade of amber that somehow served to make Natsuki look even more predatory than their normal vivid colour and her hair seemed rougher in texture as it brushed against Mai's bare skin. The witch blushed as she realized she was naked. She still felt much too insecure about her relationship with Natsuki to go this far, at least not without something happening so that her inhibitions would be more than a bit lowered anyway. ...But it was just a dream. So what could be the harm of enjoying Natsuki's touch on her bare skin just a little?
Mai had only just formed the thought that she might consent to some intimate touches before trying again to waken. But before she could give voice to her thoughts, strong yet gentle hands were already sliding teasingly up along her ribcage and Natsuki's snub nose was nuzzled affectionately into the small warm hollow behind her earlobe. Mai shivered with a mixture of arousal and a pleasant sort of fear. The Slayer never waited for her consent. It had been given once in the heat of the moment, and apparently that was all that was needed for Natsuki to assume it was always given. Granted this was a dream but in this case the dream was simply mirroring reality. She was certain that if she just said she didn't want to allow Natsuki such liberties, her demanding love interest would immediately stop... but Mai couldn't ever bring herself to actually say the words. Mostly because you know you wouldn't mean them. Better to enjoy the present, my likely future broken heart be damned.
She whimpered softly at the feeling of a hot and wet tongue sliding over her earlobe. A calloused hand possessively kneaded one of her generous breasts not unlike a huge kitten searching for milk, as sharp teeth gently grazed the sensitive skin of her ear. The other hand was simply curled under her thigh, but fingertips sliding teasingly along the slightly ticklish skin made her legs spread just enough to allow Natsuki to shift so that her body was resting between them. Mai gripped desperately at the Slayer's back as silky smooth skin over hard abs slid effortlessly against her centre that was already practically dripping. How could she even pretend that she wouldn't always consent? Mai shuddered as she arched against the Slayer's body, now desperate for relief.
...But it was a only dream. And as often happens in dreams, just when one is finally getting to the really good part, some little niggling bit of reality will intrude. And then no matter how much one would like to ignore it and simply continue their pleasurable dream until its climax, reality ruthlessly makes the dream greyer and less vivid. It refuses to be ignored.
When Mai's amazing dream was rudely interrupted however, she didn't feel only the inevitable frustration that anyone would feel. She also felt no small bit of fear. Because her brain was trying to warn her that not all of the sensations of someone touching her bare skin were products of her heated imagination. There was a very real feeling of rough skin sliding and flexing pleasurably against her own. And her now extra sensitive nose identified strange scents that she didn't associate with Natsuki, most prominently a faint cinnamon that tingled pleasantly as entered her airway. The witch's heart started pounding almost painfully in her chest as she realized that there was something... not right about the body resting against her. It was easily heavier than Natsuki's light form, but it was coiled and its muscles rippled in a way that was distinctly inhuman.
Mai's body now trembled for a completely different reason and she found that she was utterly unable to move. She was caught somewhere in the space between fight and flight, feeling the desperate need to do both but able to do neither. Never had she gone so quickly from blissful sleep to waking heart stopping fear, but even if she was no Slayer, Mai wasn't one to simply accept a fate she didn't want. Hesitantly she slowly opened her eyes, trying her best to make sure she didn't make any sudden movements. A scream tried to flee from her throat at the sight that greeted her, but she ruthlessly swallowed it down as her now wide blue eyes took in the huge snake coiled lazily on what seemed to be a primitive bed with her. For a fleeting moment she dared to hope that she hadn't actually awoken and that this was simply her dream morphed into a nightmare, but the new sensations were exactly the same as the ones that drew her from her dream and the primal survival instinct inside her was absolutely certain of the reality. Mai also became vaguely aware that she was in some sort of cave. It was clearly a different cave from the one she fell unconscious in since it was also almost swelteringly hot. However compared to the fearsome beast coiled against her, those details seemed less than irrelevant.
Unlike many of the more stereotypical girls that she had been friends with before meeting Natsuki, Mai had never considered herself to be particularly frightened of snakes. Surely some of them were dangerous but she always considered them much more reasonable creatures to look at when compared to spiders or other bugs. But now she thought that perhaps her complacency had been due to snakes in Japan not getting quite this big, and her brain quickly re-evaluated its list of things that she needed to be frightened of.
At least the huge snake wasn't moving much, the sensation of its skin sliding against her own seemed to come more from the massive creature's breathing than anything else. In fact it seemed almost peaceful as it rested with her. Its broad head lay on her bare chest and some of its coils draped across her stomach and legs, while most of the massive beast trailed onto the makeshift bed beside her, its tail doubled back on itself such that it rested along Mai's side. The lightly twitching tip occasionally tickled at her ribcage, mirroring almost perfectly the sensation of Natsuki's teasing touch in her dream. Her stomach turned as she felt how the soft supple skin under the massive reptile's chin was rubbing in a disturbing way against her nipple that was still stimulated from earlier with each breath she took.
However despite its unnerving proximity, the snake didn't seem to have any overly sinister intentions toward her. Indeed its body language gave Mai every indication that the great beast was actually sleeping, even though large reddish eyes stared unblinkingly into her own. She recalled vaguely from somewhere that snakes didn't even have eyelids though... so perhaps it was asleep, but her human mind couldn't quite believe that faced with such an intimidating creature.
When long frightening moments passed and she still hadn't been eaten, Mai finally calmed down enough to start to appreciate that it was actually a fairly pretty looking animal. ...Even if it had even less understanding of the concept of personal space than Natsuki did. Most of its body was a pale sandy brown colour, with large splotches of a reddish mahogany that were brought into sharper relief with a small outline of black. Sharp scales almost like eyelashes ringed the top edge of those large rounded red eyes that were set inside one of the darker splotches, making the relative lightness of the iris stand out more against the darker background. A line of small indentations that she couldn't identify also ran along the creature's upper jaw and Mai smiled as the whole effect served to remind her of the curious tiny dragon that she had encountered during one of her first real experiences with powerful magicks. The snake though easily dwarfed the little dragon, and even she felt somewhat small next to its bulk. Those muscled coils would easily be able to crush the life from her if it decided it wanted to... if the snake wasn't venomous or something. Mai didn't know enough about the animals to know for certain and she wished that Natsuki were here because her friend would surely be able to tell her. ...Of course if Natsuki were here she also wouldn't have to worry about this snake at all since the Slayer would surely be able to take care of it for her.
Still, even if Mai wasn't a Slayer she was far from helpless. The witch raised her chin defiantly as she searched what seemed a pitifully small arsenal of spells, trying to find one that would allow her to put some distance between herself and the animal without making it upset or killing it outright. After all it was just an animal and hadn't really tried to hurt her. It probably didn't understand her human modesty and it almost certainly wasn't acting this way simply to make her uncomfortable. However before she could even settle on a spell that might be helpful, something happened that forced her to again rapidly re-evaluate her current situation.
The Slayer's pet is most thoughtful to not wish us harm... but why does she wish us to move at all? She never complains when her owner wishes to be close to her. The voice that sounded in Mai's mind was smooth, lilting and distinctly feminine. It was also vaguely familiar in a way Mai's fragmented thoughts couldn't place.
Startled by the reptile's unexpected show of almost human intelligence Mai suddenly found strength and speed she didn't realize she had. In one move she lifted the snake's large bulk from her body and was on the far side of the small primitively decorated cave almost before she had drawn another breath. Her heart pounded quickly as she turned to face the creature, pale hands glowing lightly orange as her magicks responded to the potential threat.
And suddenly now that I can speak my touch is more repulsive to the pet than it was before? The voice questioned, seeming to almost pout theatrically at Mai's rejection.
"Before I knew you could speak I thought maybe you didn't realize what you were doing." Mai said accusatorily, "But you must have known that you were making me uncomfortable."
The snake hid her face under one of her heavy coils, her long forked tongue flicking out from under them, I wasn't going to... but I was curious to see why the Slayer was so interested in the pet. I must admit I can see why she would be attracted to this one... so warm and soft.
"Yeah... well I don't know how it works for reptiles, but normally we humans prefer a minimum amount of time to get to know each other before we move on to naked touching."
Is that so? The snake again slid so that its red eyes could gaze up into hers, now obviously glinting with an intelligence beyond that of a mere reptile. Mai suddenly realized that its presence might have something to do with the spell she and Natsuki cast working. Could this be part of the trial somehow? She'd thought that only Natsuki would need to be an active participant and she merely offering assistance. From what I understand, the pet has not known the Slayer all that long. Though I will admit she is rather charming, so I could see where one might be willing to make compromises for her sake.
The animal's words stung Mai more than she thought they would and she crossed her arms defensively over her chest, trying to at least conceal part of her nakedness from those piercing red eyes. It was as though the creature was accusing her of being some slut who was only interested in the pleasure Natsuki could give, when here she was risking her very life and soul for something the Slayer believed in. And also... Mai's lowered her eyes to the floor, unable to hold the animal's intense stare any longer her voice barely louder than a whisper as she replied in meek tones that disgusted her. "Well even she hasn't seen me naked yet..." Growling at her weakness Mai continued more strongly and confidently, "And it's not just because she's beautiful that I care for her. She's a really kind and wonderful person. Anyone who spent time with her could see that." Feeling the rightness of her conviction she again found those uncanny eyes with her own, brave enough to even let a little of her normal quirky personality out to play. "Plus it helps that we're the same species."
Is the pet certain she wouldn't compromise just this once? I am the rich and powerful ruler of my own empire. I could give the pet security that her owner could never hope to. The snake asked hopefully, edging closer to the witch, seemingly unafraid of the dangerous magicks the witch wielded.
"...look even if I was that open minded I would never do something like that to hurt Natsuki." Mai defended herself diplomatically, backing away nervously from the advancing creature. "I mean... I'm willing to compromise if it was something she wanted. For some reason I recently helped her spend some time with another girl that she's in love with... but I'd still never give up whatever time I get to spend with her. She means too much to me for that."
At her defiant words suddenly the intensity of the snake's stare seemed to lessen and their colour faded to a less unnerving rust. It seems that the pet is unexpectedly loyal. She doesn't take handouts from anyone but her Master.
Mai nodded in agreement, not even thinking to dispute her status as being Natsuki's. After all that is what she felt like sometimes with her willingness to allow the Slayer almost anything. "She means more to me than anyone but my little brother. I'm here aren't I? I wouldn't be here if I didn't."
My apologies. And the creature's tone of voice did sound apologetic. I care for her as well... and for the pet too I suppose sense she is something that the Slayer cares for. ...That is why I am here as well.
"Wait... you know Natsuki as more than simply the person doing the spirit quest? Who are you? Can you help me find her?" Mai asked all at once, deciding all at once that she would trust this strange creature. Surely it had been mostly rude to Mai... but there was something so familiar about the mysterious snake and the way it seemed so obsessed with Natsuki. With a relieved sigh she felt some of the tension in her body from her rude awakening receding and her now relaxed blue eyes drifted around the small cave. She smiled as she finally noticed some of the more personal touches to the place, the crudely painted female warrior on the wall reminding her a bit of the apparently missing Slayer. "Where exactly are we anyway?"
You really do care about her don't you? Mai looked sharply back at the snake, the wistful, almost mournful tone to the reptile's mental voice at the revelation striking a chord with her.
"I do... It seems silly I guess that she already means so much to me, but the more I get to know her the more I realize how amazing she is..." She smiled warmly as she remembered how Natsuki was always inquiring after her little brother when most of her friends from junior high never seemed to comprehend how much she worried about him. The way Natsuki was so completely invested in saving Alyssa even before she knew they were sisters had really touched Mai as well, and Mai knew that the Slayer's intensely protective nature and her own tendency to care about people too much meant that they just understood each other on a basic level. She closed her eyes for a moment as she pictured the enthusiastic grin Natsuki got when she won at a videogame or something that was just for fun, remembering that the Slayer had the same grin on her face when she'd dusted two vampires on patrol last night. Mai realized that no matter how difficult Natsuki's life might seem to an outsider, she was still so passionate about everything she did. Things that most would view as a burden seemed to be almost badges of honour for the intense dark haired protector.
"I really respect her. I suppose I could be cheesy yet honest and say that she's sortof my hero... but she's more human than that. I don't know... I mean I know she's not perfect, and that she doesn't care for me exclusively the way I do her... but the more I'm around her the more those things seem like insignificant obstacles for me to put up with for a chance to be close to her." Mai shrugged helplessly, reluctantly leaving her memories behind for now and opening her eyes to again look at her strange inquisitor. "I mean, she doesn't treat being Chosen for something so dangerous as a burden at all... but I can't help but feel like she deserves whatever I can offer to make her happy you know? The potential risk of getting hurt in the process seems completely worth it. ...I love her." She finished her declaration somewhat nervously. After all she wouldn't really expect someone who knew her to understand this reasoning; much less a total stranger who wasn't even human and likely wasn't even from Earth as she knew it. ...But the snake had said it somehow knew and cared about Natsuki. If she'd really meant that, surely she would understand. Mai just couldn't see how someone could know Natsuki well and not love her at least a little, even if they weren't as inclined towards emotionally self sacrificing behaviours.
For a moment Mai thought that she'd actually managed to break the creature in some way with only her words without even having to cast a single spell. The snake simply lay staring at her silently for long moments, and Mai shifted uncomfortably since those unblinking eyes made it impossible for her to guess what it might be thinking. You are right of course. Surely it would be impossible to not fall in love with her. The creature finally replied in the same wistful tone.
"...well can you take me to her?" Mai asked hesitantly, she still was not sure what to make of the snake's almost mournful tones, but more than that she was worried about what could be happening to Natsuki right now.
I'm afraid I can't do that.
"Why not?" Blue eyes narrowed suspiciously.
It is not because I would not want you to help her. I do not consider myself so selfish that I cannot acknowledge that the Slayer would be much safer with her pet by her side.
"...Then why...?"
Because the closer in proximity you are to her in this realm, the farther you will drift from your own. And then both of you could become lost here, unable to get home. Your bodies would die.
"So now I have to just sit here and do nothing while she's in danger?" Mai asked incredulously, "I agreed to this because I wanted to help her!"
You already are helping her. Without your presence here the Slayer would already be lost. It sounded to Mai as though it pained the snake greatly to admit this, and she frowned slightly despite its assurances that she wasn't completely useless here. Why was this creature so hostile about her closeness with Natsuki?
"Surely there must be something I can do to help her without getting too close and breaking my connection with our world." Mai pleaded, even though she hardly expected the animal to want to help... it seemed like it really didn't like her.
I already told you that I am not that selfish. I refuse to let something happen to a person so important to me simply because I have no wish to help my competition.
"Sorry...I know you said you care about her." Mai apologized, not really surprised that the creature could read her thoughts if it was already speaking to her telepathically. "I just don't understand why you would be upset with me... you and I don't even really know each other. And how do you know Natsuki? Is it because she's the Slayer?"
...Indirectly. I suppose you could say I know her because of that. The snake slid fully to the floor, moving toward Mai much quicker than the witch would have expected, the creature's powerful muscles making it simply glide over the dusty rocky floor of the cave. As it reached her it raised the front part of its body from the ground, allowing Mai to get a greater appreciation for its huge size as with not even a third of its bulk off the ground the massive snake now looked her in the eye. The Slayer's pet asks far too many questions, I refuse to answer more. The snake's tone was now extremely annoyed and Mai nodded agreeably, suddenly not so sure of her magicks when she was all alone with an angry creature that could easily kill her. There is one in this place who wished to meet you. He says that He regretted only getting to see you for a short while the last time you met. He wanted you to know that He understood what the Slayer had to do... but He still misses you.
"...Kagutsuchi." Mai breathed, remembering the soft affectionate purr of the tiny dragon, knowing immediately that He was the one the snake spoke of. The dragon's name had simply come to her as she petted his soft scales during the spell that she cast with Midori and Yohko, and she'd felt a deep connection to the little creature that she had no explanation for or even words to describe. "He's here? And you make it sound like he's met me more than once?"
The pet would not remember the other time. It was beyond the reach of her current mind's memory. The snake replied cryptically before ordering her impatiently. Come with me pet, his home is not far from here.
"Um... just one second." Mai pleaded, desperately searching around the small shelter for some scrap of clothing to cover at least part of her naked and vulnerable body. It had been bad enough with only the uncanny eyes of her new reptilian friend taking her in appraisingly. Finally she noticed a long crudely made shirt of sorts on the floor next to the large pile of skulls. Walking over to it she bent down carefully, hyper aware of red eyes on her body as she did so. She blushed from the feeling of being so exposed, but she felt even more embarrassed when she realized that the light grey shirt she was now putting on was made of shed snake skins.
The pet does look nice all wrapped up in me. The smooth and approving voice seemed to tease her as the snake again moved toward her, now wrapping its strong bulk tightly around her legs as its head and neck slid up her side. I wonder how the pet would feel if her owner let me borrow her just for a little while. Would she do as her Master ordered and let me have some fun with her too?
Mai's blush was almost painful now as she stared speechlessly into those now intensely red eyes again. "...I ...she wouldn't!" She protested, not believing for a moment that Natsuki would abuse her trust like that. But if she did... if Natsuki really wanted her to do something like that... would Mai be willing to go that far to make the Slayer happy? She shivered slightly when she realized she already knew the answer to that question, and red eyes seemed to glint knowingly as strong coils gripped at her more tightly. Mai stared into the animal's eyes defiantly despite continuing to blush at her new revelation of just how much she was willing to compromise herself for Natsuki. "So are we going?"She asked, her hands flexing impatiently eager to be doing something so that she didn't feel like she was just waiting around being useless.
Of course. I suppose it would not do for us to take too much longer on our own amusements. The snake conceded, again seeming to ignore Mai's intense discomfort with their situation. Quickly it unwrapped its long body from around her, its muscles rippling supply against the soft, pale skin of her legs. The strong tail slapped against her foot as it moved off towards the primitive animal hide flap that served to make the small shelter marginally more protected from the weather outside. Not waiting for Mai to follow it simply slid under it and into the sunlight. Mai was forced to run a short ways out of the cave to catch up to the snake before it disappeared from sight in the tall grass, the rough ground painful on the sensitive skin of her feet. Good girl. The snake praised her patronisingly; It's good to see that you will be able to keep up with me out here.
Mai growled softly in her throat, already panting slightly from even her small exertion in the choking heat. Luckily now that she was caught up it was easy enough to simply walk next to the animal, though it was difficult to keep it in sight when she was so tempted to look all around at this vast new and strange world she found herself in. The huge red sun burning in the sky and prehistoric looking versions of animals she had only seen on television combined with the seeming endless expanse of grassland around them made this a place she never dreamed of setting foot in. The position of the sun directly overhead made it impossible for Mai to guess what direction they might be travelling in, and they had only been walking for a short while when already she couldn't make out where the small cave shelter she'd woken up in was behind them. Unless they were travelling on a completely straight path away from it, there was certainly no way that she could get back to it now on her own.
The witch soon lost track of how long they travelled, not at all used to so much exercise and certainly not in such unpleasantly hot weather, it wasn't long before she was concentrating on simply putting one foot in front of the other. Sweat rolled freely down her face and drenched the crude clothing she wore, causing it to cling to her soaked body uncomfortably, and her feet now throbbed painfully from countless cuts. As beautiful and strange as this new land was, all Mai could bring herself to look at was the snake's long body sliding tirelessly in front of her, desperately trying to keep the creature who seemed not to care for her fatigue in sight, now fearful of becoming lost in this suddenly much more frightening wilderness. As she trudged on she slowly became aware of a faint but constant noise in her ears, and she wondered if she was starting to become slightly delirious from the baking heat. She didn't bring the noise to the attention of her now silent travelling companion, because she knew the snake would likely scoff at her weakness and ask how Mai thought herself worthy of someone like Natsuki if she couldn't take the discomfort of a little walk in the sun. From then on, thoughts of Natsuki were what kept her going, after all the Slayer would never give up if she was faced with an unpleasant task, and Mai refused to let her down by giving up if she was still living.
As they walked the noise became louder and louder, until suddenly Mai realized that it couldn't possibly be just in her head. She gasped as she looked up from watching the snake a few meters in front of her to see a vast deep canyon spread out before her, the sheer cliff of its gaping maw only about twenty meters away. She blinked in wonder as she realized the loud noise she heard was a huge waterfall coming from out of a large cave in the cliff face itself, deafeningly pummelling the red orange rocks as it plummeted down into the dizzyingly deep unseen depths below. And then echoing even over the deafening roar of the waterfall, she heard a plaintive keening cry from within the cave and then suddenly a huge creature bigger than any she had ever imagined appeared on a rock in the cave mouth. Before she could get a good look at it, it seemed to dive over the edge and her breath caught in her throat with worry before moments later it again rose into the air, its huge leathery wings catching the thermals rising up from the hot rock on the canyon floor.
Mai gasped in pure awe at the sight of Kagutsuchi in his true form, since she would recognize the dragon anywhere. He still had the same glistening leathery white skin and large yellow eyes that she could make out even from this distance, though she noticed with an irresistible smile that he was quickly approaching them. I'm going to go off and give the two of you some time to get reacquainted. ...And there are other things I need to attend to. The snake notified her, and before Mai could acknowledge its words, when she looked for it the large animal was simply gone. But her confusion at the snake's sudden disappearance was quickly forgotten as Kagutsuchi landed his bulky body near enough to Mai to touch with surprising agility and grace, the gust of wind from his massive wings as he folded them primly on his back feeling wonderful on her sweaty and overheated skin.
"Hey." She said in a hushed voice, hesitantly resting her hand on one of his massive talons, as though a tiny human like her could somehow scare away the dragon. "I'm so glad to see that you're alright." She said sincerely, searching a large golden eye as Kagutsuchi lowered his massive head onto the ground next to her. "I'm so sorry about what happened with that spell." She said apologetically, again scratching at his now much more massive eyeridge. She grinned as he let out a low rumbling purr that shook the ground slightly around them, leaning his huge head into her touch hard enough that Mai almost fell to the ground laughing. "Hey big guy, you have to be more careful with me now that you're not small enough to sit in my lap anymore." She scolded, giggling again when the dragon keened softly in apology. Then as if remembering something that she couldn't recall, he again nudged her with his head, but this time far more carefully, lowering his large body completely do the ground and rolling a rounded and muscled shoulder towards her. "What is it cutie?" She asked softly, not knowing exactly what he wanted.
He again made that keening noise, far too pitiful sounding for a creature of his size, and shifted so that his large cheek was pressed against her back, gently nudging her toward his shoulder. "...You want me to pet you there?" The dragon snorted loudly, shaking his massive head as dark smoke billowed out of quivering nostrils. Then as though remembering something from a past so distant she had somehow forgotten it completely, Mai realized what he wanted, and she hesitantly climbed up onto his offered forearm until she was sitting astride the dragon's shoulders as though he were nothing more than a friendly pony. Another satisfied deep rumbling purr went through his body, and she smiled at how sweet the dragon was to her. He seemed like a lost dog who had finally found his beloved owner after all these years, and she giggled as she had the thought of how amusing it was for a pet like her to have such a large pet of her own.
I hope you two are done getting reacquainted because Natsuki and I need your help desperately. The snake's voice sounded loudly in her mind, though even from the great height of the dragon's back she couldn't see the large reptile anywhere.
"Where are you?" She asked aloud wondering if the snake would be able to hear her. "And I thought you said I couldn't be near Natsuki here or we would both die?"
And if you don't help her right now Natsuki almost certainly will die. It is useless to me if you survive and she does not. The snake's tone was angered and ruthless as it snarled into Mai's mind.
Still she found herself nodding, its disregard for her life no different from her own at the thought of Natsuki dying. After all, the world needed the Slayer more than it needed Mai. "Just tell me where we need to go." She said confidently, and felt her heart clenching with pure excitement as she felt Kagutsuchi's muscles tighten under her and then suddenly the incredible surge of power as he leaped with all his strength from the ground and into the sky, his huge leathery wings deafening as they made their first down strokes. And then they were flying. The air on her face, blowing her hair back and drying the sweat on her body as they glided through the air was just like she always knew it would be, as though here in the sky was where she truly belonged. She gasped as the picture of where she and Kagutsuchi needed to be appeared in her mind, but she still rubbed her hand soothingly over the neck ridge in front of her as he let out a much more intimidating roar, as though he too now knew where they had to go. Don't worry Natsuki. I won't let you down, just wait for me.