"Cat's intuition"
"Perfect…Absolutely perfect…" Soujiro's words echoed in the cold and dreary room.
"S-Soujiro..?"
"Rin…" He punched the wall, "Darn it I let my guard down. I should have known there would be a trick like this."
I crouched where I stood and held my head with my hands. I couldn't explain why, but I was scared. So scared. Soujiro obviously hadn't planned this like I had initially believed. To make things worse, it was getting gradually colder. If we didn't hurry and move, we'd freeze to death. But I couldn't find the will to move at all.
Pathetic is the perfect word for how I felt. Without Riki, I wasn't able to gather the courage to do anything. This wasn't like me. It was like the old me. Maybe I had become too dependent on him, but I wonder if that's really a bad thing? It's because of him that I was able to change, of course Kyousuke helped but I mainly credited Riki. Perhaps I credited him too much, for too many things.
"You have seniority over me, so where should we go?" Soujiro asked, walking slowly over to me.
I didn't respond. I couldn't. I didn't know what I was going to do, or how I was going to get out of this scrape. If Kyousuke was here, then perhaps he would actually have a plan. He'd have searched the room before even entering in an attempt to find an easy escape route. Riki would have just found it by accident, which is what would happen based solely on my luck. I felt light headed, and realized that the room was losing air slowly.
If there was a draft, which would make us both cold, then that meant there was a chance we'd find an escape before too long. In my head, I envisioned what would happen. I'd stand up, walk over to the center of the room and try to follow the breeze. If I couldn't find the breeze, then I'd trust my eyesight to spot an opening or crack.
"Rin? Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," I lied, "See if you can find where the draft is coming from. I need a moment to think."
Partly true. I was going to try and think like Riki. And, with any luck, I'd have the same dumb luck he always seemed to have. In my head I pictured him first, and then Kyousuke. Then Kud, and then Komari. Next came the faces of Kengo and Masato. Haruka and Nishizono followed that. And that is when I recalled my promise. I'd be stronger than I was at the time. At this rate, I'd fall back into my old ways.
Unable to accept that fate, I pushed myself to stand straight. Then I searched the walls carefully and meticulously in hopes of identifying a way out. With some miraculous luck, I spotted a hole that seemed big enough to fit a hand in. Slowly, I made my way over to it. Upon looking more closely at it, I noticed a lever. Whoever had made this place seemed to love levers. I noted that, as it may be a question later on.
I touched my hand to the lever, and then pulled it as best I could. Unfortunately I was too short to get the best grip, but somehow it still worked. There was a loud clicking noise, and a passageway on the opposite side of the room opened up. From where I stood, I could see that it lead to a maze. A maze usually marked the ending of a dungeon, so maybe it marked the ending of wherever we had stumbled upon. Or maybe it was just another trap designed to kill whoever was foolish enough to enter.
Of course it would have been Kyousuke who had pushed us to go investigate. He was always getting us into trouble. But deep in my heart I guess I loved him for that. He was helping us create memories that would last forever. It was his gift to the friends he had made over time. Without Kyousuke, I never would have met Komari or Riki. High School would have been hell without them.
My resolve to make it out of here alive seemed to be strengthened as I made my way to the now open door. I knew one thing for sure, if I ever found out who had designed this deathtrap, I would punch them in the face. I barely noticed that Soujiro had fallen in line beside me. At first, I had been scared that he had been planning to do something to me. But now, I saw a new side to him. He really was a nice guy. It was almost enough to make me forgive him for hurting Riki. Almost. Granted he was nice, no matter how I looked at it I always saw it as a purposeful injury. Remembering back to that angered me.
The instant I stepped into the maze, the mood around me changed. It was much darker than I had originally anticipated. I glanced around and noticed that there were several paths that looked right. But one stood out. It looked like it was much harder to pass through. At first, I was tempted to follow any of the other paths, but then I recalled a poem I had once heard:
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I —
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
After reciting the poem in my head I decided to travel the harder one. But when I stepped towards it, Soujiro grabbed my arm.
"What are you doing?! That one is obviously too dangerous."
"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I — I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference," I recited that part again for him, "A poem I once heard. I can't explain it, but I have a feeling these two are connected. If we take this one, then it should lead us to the exit."
And with that I led him through the maze. I kept to the one that was worn and seemed dangerous. Eventually, much to my expectation, we reached a door. I opened it and entered a new room. This room was large and cold. Part of me felt as if we had somehow doubled back and were now back to the entrance. But the only half didn't want to believe it. And then I heard a voice calling my name.
"Rin!" Riki called out from somewhere.
"Riki I'm in here!" I called out hoping he would hear me and come find me.
My legs were shaking now. I hadn't realized it until now, but my legs felt somewhat numb. I fell to my knees in an attempt to stop the shaking. I looked around for Riki, wanting so dearly for him to run up to me and hug me tightly. But even I knew that was asking for a bit much. I didn't even react when I noticed Riki walking towards the center of the room cautiously. I was too exhausted. I had expended too much energy working up the courage and strength to lead the hopeless Soujiro through the maze.
I numbly accepted Riki's hand when he helped me up, and I leaned on him. I didn't question why Kyousuke wasn't with him at first, I didn't even notice until Soujiro asked about it. I listened to Riki's story of the encounter with the large chess board and how Kyousuke had willingly stayed behind to complete the challenge and allow him to leave to rescue me. For the first time, I understood what it meant to be separated from family. The pain I felt was too much for me to handle alone.
"Rin? Are you okay?" Riki asked, "I know you're worried about him, but Kyousuke made his choice. I feel really bad for leaving him, so if something happens to him I won't forgive myself. But you aren't alone in this, I'm here. You and Kyousuke saved me that time, so now it's time for me to save you. If you want to cry, then go ahead. If you want to be mad, be mad at me. Just don't feel—"
And just like that, he stopped talking and I caught a glimpse of his eyes. They were dull and lifeless. It was the first time I had been so close to him when he had a narcolepsy attack. I just stood trembling while he fell to the ground unconscious. But I knew my face had twisted in worry and fear. I fell back to my knees. The events of the day had trained me of my energy completely. I didn't scream for him, and I didn't cry.
"Riki? Hey Riki! Rin what's going on?" Soujiro asked.
I opened my mouth to speak, but no words came out. Riki had gotten lucky honestly. I had realized we were still inside the traps. I had to suffer through it, but Riki could sleep through it. I touched my hand to his, and ran my thumb over his knuckles softly.
"Narcolepsy," Kyousuke had found us so suddenly that I jumped, "He suffers from it. Soujiro carry him. I'm going to carry my useless sister."
When he picked me up I didn't fight it. I was too confused of what was going on. I felt delusional. I felt like what was happening wasn't reality, but some horrible nightmare I'd wake up from back at the dorm. But deep down I knew that wasn't the case. It was really happening. I hugged Kyousuke tightly, and whispered my words.
"I love you...Kyousuke..."
Kyousuke smiled, "I know. Sleep like Riki for now. I'll get you back no matter what."
I didn't argue with him. I was already falling asleep. But one question resonated in my mind: What was this place?