Me: Wow, I'm really in a writing spree! This is the third chapter for this story in two days! Thanks a lot for all of the sweet replies, guys! It's great! I just wanted to tell you, my project weeks (= homework free weeks) are now officially over, so I may post later... This is just to make up for that I guess? Nah, it's because I have nothing better to do and you guys leave such sweet reviews. I'm so happy!

IE-Cast: Well, we're not!

Me: Why not?

Kirino: You made me a mermaid!

Kariya: I got shot because of my dub name.

Shindou: You make me fall in love with my best friend!

Me: *sigh* Kirino-kun, for the last time, it's a merMAN. Kariya-kun, don't worry, I have something in mind for that. As for Shindou *snickers* well, you two are just really cute. *skips happily away* ~And you're gonna kiss~

Shindou: What? Hey, come back here! *chases me*

Kirino and Kariya: *looks at each other, shrugs* Lotus Sword does not own Inazuma Eleven. Enjoy our suffering!

"Quench your torches!" Shindou screamed from the top of his lungs. Luckily, the other boys obeyed him immediately. All but one. Kariya was still clutching on to his leg and whimpering, therefore he couldn't quench the torch that laid near him. Shindou looked up at the opening to see two men standing there, both armed with bow and arrows. One of them was positioning himself for shooting again and Shindou knew that the man was aiming for the helpless boy on the ground, who had nothing do defend himself and was a clear target because of the torch.

Klang!

The collision of the metal arrowhead with the rock caused a rain of sparks and made a very unpleasant sound. The arrow had missed Kariya by a few inches and Shindou sighed in relief, but there was no time to sit back. Before any of the men could shoot again, Shindou dashed forward and picked up the torch. "Take cover!" he shouted at his teal haired junior and then he ran away. He didn't know how well trained the archers were, but he heard stories about people who could even hit targets in the dark when they focussed on its location. That was why Shindou didn't just quench the torch: if those men turned out to be that well trained, then they would still target Kariya.

But now that Shindou dragged their attention by running with the torch lifted up high, it would be harder for the men to determine the exact location of the other boy again. There was only one flaw in his plan, Shindou thought as he felt something hit the ground right before his feet. Now his life was in danger.

Klang!

It was an another arrow and Shindou jumped over it, even though that wasn't really necessary. He was almost at the lake when the other man shot an arrow again. Shindou felt, heard and saw how it hit the wall right in front of him. He tripped and with a loud splash! he fell into the water.

"Damn it, he got away," one of the men grumbled.

"Don't worry, keep your arrows ready. He has got to come up for air sooner or later," the other said and both men positioned themselves for that moment. The cave wasn't exactly pitch black, but the men's eyes had to adjust to the sudden darkness after the torches were extinguished. One of the boys beneath them had pulled his injured companion behind a few rocks and the others hid as well, so it was impossible for the moment to hit them. That was why they waited for the last boy, who would be helpless once he came up.

However, after ten minutes, the boy had still not reappeared and the younger man was getting impatient. Before the other could stop him, he shot a couple of arrows at random places in the lake.

"Spare your arrows," the older one said as he placed his hand on the other's shoulder. "No one can stay underwater for so long. He must be dead already." The younger one seemed to think a moment about this and then he nodded.

"What about the others?"

The other one didn't reply. Instead, he grabbed his knife and started to cut the rope. There was still enough left for him and his companion to climb up again, but the people in the cave wouldn't be able to use it. "There's no way they'll get out. Now let's return to the base and let nature do its work."

They climbed up again, leaving the four boys beneath them sigh in relief. But their relief didn't last long as three of them casted worried looks on the lake, secretly hoping that their captain would be alright. But they knew he wasn't. As the man had said, no one can stay underwater for so long.

Kirino hid in the shadows when something suddenly came into the water. He didn't have trouble at all with the little light in the water. It took him a few seconds before he realised what the thing in the water was: it was the doubletailer that he had seen before. He pushed himself harder against the wall, desperately trying to become one with it.

Now the doubletailer would see him too. Maybe it would even speak to him. Would he be entranced or something like that? Kirino realised that he never actually thought about how doubletailers 'lured you into their webs of lies with their silver tongues'. He had just assumed that it would be alright as long as he didn't talk to them. But what if they talked to him? Maybe they lured someone with their voice rather than with their words? Maybe all a doubletailer had to do was talk to him and he would be trapped?

But the doubletailer didn't notice him at all. The creature was busy with something on his back and from the looks of it, he was struggling to get it off. Despite his fear, Kirino left his hiding place and cautiously neared the creature. It looked quite like him, except for those strange tails. The longer the doubletailer was in the water, the more aggressive his struggle became. His movements were more vigorous than before and they seemed a bit... desperate? Then the creature slowed down as he sunk deeper and deeper into the lake, clearly being pulled down by the weight of the thing on his back.

Kirino, now more curious than ever, swam even closer to the creature. The doubletailer seemed in need, but Kirino didn't really understand why. Even so, he wanted to help it. A little voice in his head told him to swim back to the safety of the shadows and leave the creature be, but he ignored it. Another voice reminded him of how he promised his father that he wouldn't talk to them, but he shrugged it off. Besides, he wasn't going to talk to it. He would just get a little closer and see if he could help it.

He approached the creature from behind and he saw how it's hands were still pulling at the straps on his shoulder, though it didn't use as much force as before. The straps ran over it's back and kept a sword and a shield in their place. Those were there so they wouldn't bother the doubletailer while he was doing other things like climbing, but now they caused it to sink deeper and deeper. Kirino hesitated for a moment, but then he closed the remaining distance between him and the doubletailer. He grabbed the straps and pulled as hard as he could, successfully lifting them off of the creature. The straps slipped down it's arms and the sword and shield sank to the bottom.

Kirino expected the doubletailer to turn around and maybe thank him or attack him or... well, do something. But he was wrong: the creature didn't move at all. It kept on sinking, though slower than before as it was lighter without its weapons. Kirino scowled and inspected the creature. What was it doing? Was it tricking him? It didn't seem like it, but he wasn't sure. After all, it was a doubletailer.

Its hair sank slower than the rest of its body and thus it was lifted up, revealing the doubletailer's neck. And that was when Kirino saw it. The doubletailer lacked gills! The small openings in its neck through which the water could leave its body weren't there. Did that mean that the doubletailer couldn't breath underwater? Well, that would certainly explain why the creatures lived on land instead of underwater. But that also meant that it was suffocating!

Kirino completely forgot his fear as he tried to figure out what to do. Of course, his father told him to stay away from doubletailers, but this was an emergency. He couldn't let it die, now could he? Okay, okay, okay. Easy Ranmaru! Think. Okay, doubletailers don't have gills. They look a lot like the merfolk, so maybe they have lungs? If that's the case, all it needs is oxygen.

When he had figured that out, the solution was simple. He turned the doubletailer around until the creature faced him. Its eyes were closed and its mouth was slightly opened. Kirino placed his hands on its chest to prevent it from sinking deeper. He let his lips cover the doubletailer's mouth and closed his eyes. Then he breathed calmly, inhaling through his nose and exhaling through his mouth.

He felt the water float through his gills after the oxygen was assimilated. And because he was so calm himself, his body didn't need all the oxygen. Therefore, he breathed the remaining amount of oxygen in the doubletailer's mouth. The two of them were still sinking, so Kirino pushed the creature softly against the wall, not pausing his CPR session for even a second. He could feel the doubletailer's heartbeat, which was slow but steady.

Then, he was surprised. The doubletailer suddenly spat water in Kirino's mouth and its upper body began to move with jerking movements. Kirino was startled for a second, but then he realised that the doubletailer's body simply tried to get rid of the water in its lungs. He calmed down and continued breathing in the creature's mouth. The water that was spat in his mouth quickly left his body again through his gills.

Shindou coughed and coughed to get rid of the salty water in his lungs. It hurt his throat, but he didn't care about that. Thank goodness, he had been saved. When he fell into the lake, the torch went out and he had been blinded and disoriented for a few seconds. When he realised what had happened, he noticed that his heavy sword and shield were pulling him down. So he struggled with the straps on his shoulders, trying his best to get rid of his heavy burden. The longer it took, the more he had panicked and the burning feeling in his chest, caused by his lungs that were screaming for air, didn't help at all.

And then, his vision got darker. He realised that he was losing his consciousness due to lack of air. He would die here. He accepted that fact rather quickly. Just as he closed his eyes and opened his mouth - letting the last air in his body escape - he felt how his burden was lifted. Then it went black.

But he must've been pulled out somehow. Maybe Tenma or someone else dived in and pulled him out of the water? But there was something odd, something that didn't seem right. And then it hit him.

He was still in the water! He could feel the water pressing against his skin. He felt how something held his shoulders and pushed him against the wall. Was he dead? Was this a sick, last minute game from his mind? Had he drowned in the lake after all? Was he in heaven? Was that why he could breath? But why was heaven underwater? Wasn't heaven supposed to be... well, in the air? These questions and many more passed his mind as he tried to understand what was going on.

He opened his eyes and blinked until they were used to the salty water. Then he tried to look around, but his view got blocked by something pink. When he took a better look, he saw that a pink haired girl was kissing him. Well, he certainly didn't expect that one! She had placed her hands on his shoulders and kept pushing him against the wall while her lips never left his.

He started to struggle, wishing the girl would stop so that he could ask her what was going on. The girl pushed him harder against the wall, clearly not intending to let go of him. He pushed harder, determined to know what was going on. He felt how her lips left his and immediately after that, he nearly choked on the water.

"Be careful," the girl said to him and when he looked at her again, he got the shock of his life. Instead of legs, the girl had a tail. It was a mermaid! Completely in shock, he blurted out all air that was left in his body. The mermaid quickly swam towards him again and placed her lips on his once more. And then he felt how air filled his tired lungs once more. Once his heartbeat was at a normal pace again, he tried to process what was happening.

He was clearly still alive, but he was underwater. There was a mermaid kissing him and that enabled him to breathe. He wanted to go up to the surface, but he was afraid to break the liplock once more. So he tapped her shoulder slightly and after she softly squeezed his shoulders, she pulled away. Since he couldn't say anything, he pointed upwards. The mermaid seemed to understand him. She swam towards him and kissed him once more while blowing air in his lungs. After two times, she squeezed his shoulder again and pulled away.

"It's still too dangerous up there. Before you came in, I heard a terrible scream and then th-"

She was interrupted by several projectiles that suddenly pierced through the water. She looked at the things with curiosity before she remembered his handicap and kissed him again. But Shindou had recognised the things. Arrows. Instantly, his thoughts drifted away to his wounded junior. Would the boy be okay? Would the archers still be there?

The mermaid kept him down there for about five to ten minutes. Every time she felt the need to tell him something, she squeezed his shoulder softly to signal him that she would pull away. But the last time she pulled away, she grabbed his hand and pulled him up. She made small but quick and powerful movements with her tail and they reached the surface in no time. The mermaid didn't raise herself above the surface, but she used the speed as a run-up to push him out of the water.

Shindou landed with his chest on the edge, gratefully taking in large gulps of air. When his breathing was normal again, he looked up and checked his surrounding. He immediately looked into the worried, disbelieving and even scared eyes of his four juniors.

Kirino: O.o

Me: *walks up to him* Did you like it?

Shindou: What happened?

Kariya: You didn't read it, Shindou-senpai?

Shindou: No, I was chasing her *points at me* So, what happened?

Kirino: Ehh... We err..

Me: You two had a five minute make out session before you even said a word to each other.

Shindou: We WHAT?!

Kariya: Ne, can't we ask Neru Vearin-sama to say that Att-san copied her story? Then she'll have to rewrite or delete it, right?

Me: ^^ Too late! Neru Vearin already left a review and said that it was okay.

Kariya, Kirino and Shindou: *groans*

Me: leave a review please!