Summary: Tohru receives tickets for the luxury cruise upon the Poseidon for her birthday, along with 9 other people from the Sohma family. Midway through the cruise, the ship is fatally struck by a rogue wave, and is capsized. Now Tohru must find out where everyone else is and escape the bowels of the ship before it slips under the ocean's waves. But not everyone can survive fate. . .

Poseidon

Chapter Nine

Escape Impossible

The Poseidon vibrated slightly, as her descent between the waves became more inevitable.

Tohru looked from Kyo to Shigure "We've gotta get out of here, any way we can – I don't trust what that guy just said"

"Neither do I," replied Shigure, kneeling next to Tohru "But what can we do?" he added, surveying the room

"I don't know," Tohru looked at Shigure "I don't feel too confident about Kyo moving. He could have given himself any injury"

"I'm fine" said Kyo, pulling himself up more "I told you, didn't I?"

"Okay!" said Tohru "I'm just concerned for you!"

"I know you are" replied Kyo, pulling himself up more

He looked outside the blackened window; bubbles were rising past it, an unwelcome sign to them

"Um, we'd best start moving!" said Tohru, also noticing the bubbles

New determination pulsed through them, and Tohru reluctantly helped Kyo to his feet. They slid down the broken staircase for a sign of a map, or something that would help them get out of the ballroom.

A man in uniform walked past them, cradling his right arm with his left. He winced slightly as he walked past them.

Suddenly, Tohru got an idea.

"Excuse me!" she called to him, running over to the injured man. He turned around "We were wondering if there was a map or something around here for us to use?"

The guy stared at them for a few seconds, taking each detail in, in turn and said "There's one over there" he pointed to the wall opposite them, under the up-turned balcony, where, sure enough, an upside-down map of the Poseidon was. "Why is it you want to know, exactly?" he added, eyeing Tohru suspiciously

"W-Well, um..." Tohru sighed "Fine. We're looking for a way out of here. Regardless of what that captain guy said, we don't believe a word of it. So, we're getting out of here before we all... Well, die..."

"Oh, well, if it's an escape you want, I can help" he said, leaning in closely "But it's gonna cost ya..."

"What?" said Kyo, enticed with rage "You're gonna milk us from this disaster?"

"Gotta keep my own living" replied the man "You can't possibly think that I'd get a lot of money suing this cruise line when there are so many on board thinking the same?"

"I'm sure that's the last thing on most people's minds!" said Tohru "I'm pretty sure the death of a loved one is more important"

"You'd be surprised" replied the steward "Look, do you want any help or not?"

Kyo pulled Tohru and Shigure aside "I don't think we should..." he said sceptically

"I think we should" replied Tohru, looking at Kyo

"Are you crazy?!" retorted Kyo "That guy wants money to get us out of here alive!"

"Well, what other choice do we have?!" replied Tohru, raising her voice slightly "I'm sorry, but he knows the ship better than we do... We could benefit from his help"

"I'll alert the Sohma Estate after we get back home about it, I'm sure they'll pay for part of it..." said Shigure, looking at them both "C'mon, we gotta get out of here"

They walked back over to the steward, Kyo had a menacing glare on his face

"We're gonna take your help" said Tohru, crossing her arms "But we wanna know what your demands are?"

"I want 250,000" replied the steward

"You extortionate piece of crap!" shouted an enraged Kyo

"Those are my demands," replied the steward, barely batting an eyelash at Kyo's retort "Take it or leave it"

"Fine," came the voice of Shigure behind Tohru and Kyo "But let's go, now. I don't know how much time we have left, and I'm not wasting what little of it we do have making negotiations!"

"The name's Matake, by the way" said the steward

"Shigure" replied Shigure quickly

"I'm Tohru" said Tohru

"Kyo" said Kyo, looking away to the makeshift staircase opposite them

They headed over to the map of the ship. It was a lot higher than they originally thought it was, seeing as it would best be suited for passengers voyaging with the ship right-side up. Tohru had to climb onto Shigure's shoulders to see it properly.

Well, the disco is two floors down... Which is now up... So there's our first stop!" she said brightly, Shigure dropping her.

"What?" said Matake "Why are we going there? That's such an unnecessary stop!"

"Our friends are down... Up there, and we wanna find 'em" said Kyo shortly

"Fine" replied Matake "Let's go"

"I'm guessing we'll be taking the slope" said Shigure, gesturing everyone over to it

Tohru paused for a moment, she picked up a steak knife off the floor and began hacking away at her dress, until it was short enough for her to move more freely "I'm ready, let's go"

And with that, they began their ascent to the disco, as the mighty Poseidon creaked and groaned around them, swaying, slightly with the ocean's waves...

(A/N: sorry about the very long update period – I've been so busy I've had no time for much else! Anyway, updates will keep coming on this and Outcast, so keep tuned!)