Chapter 8: Down to Size

As it turned out, the hole I had found was indeed a small tunnel leading who knows where. Well, there was only one way to find out where it led.

The tunnel was relatively straightforward, without any other passageways branching from it. We walked along in silence, anticipating whatever lies ahead. Then I saw that something was off about Kiyoko.

First of all, she remained quiet, when normally she would be the one to break the silence. She acted nervous, which we usually never saw in her. She was looking down steadily; occasionally glancing up, then just as quickly turned her gaze back to the ground.

None of it made any sense to me, until I noticed something else. Her gaze, when she was looking up, was directed at Issun, and she looked away when he looked back at her. That seemed particularly odd, unless she . . . it couldn't be! It was hard to tell in the dark tunnel, but it looked like she was . . . blushing? That's when it clicked together in my head.

Kiyoko had a crush on Issun.

I wondered why she would suddenly have such a change of affections for her long-time friend, and then I remembered that she had never seen him up close before. I pitied the poor girl. Why did she have to crush on Issun, of all people?

Everyone knew that he's a notorious pervert, chasing after every pretty lady he sees. I was fairly certain that he did not feel the same way for Kiyoko, though . . . or did he? It was impossible to tell with him—he would never show his feelings like that.

But, having said that, I realized that he took no note of Kiyoko's peculiar behavior. Then again, being the dense idiot that he is, he probably didn't even notice.

Kiyoko decided to be a little bolder. She inched closer to Issun, but stayed at a respectable distance. I could see she was still too timid to make any other move. I smiled to myself. I would never have guessed that the fierce yet carefree Kiyoko would be turned shy. It only proved that, in spite of herself, she was a young, innocent maiden. Her mother was that way, as well. Kushi . . . she's so pure and innocent to the ways of the world, and it seems she has passed that on to her daughter.

I looked to Waka. I'm not sure what his thoughts were on this as he watched the scene with an unreadable expression on his face. His eyes met mine, and we silently agreed to leave those two be. This was their business, and we should let them take care of it.

We fell back a few steps, watching and waiting to see if anything would happen between the two.

At last, Issun finally acknowledged Kiyoko's shy glances, turning his head to meet her gaze. Their eyes locked, and for a second I thought I could sense a spark or two between them. And, it may have been a trick of my own imagination, but I think I might have seen something almost like a blush coloring Issun's cheeks.

So maybe I was wrong. Maybe these two both have feelings toward each other. But it dawned on me that it would never work. With Issun being no bigger than a flea, that relationship would be doomed from the start.

After what seemed to be an eternity, darkness gave way to blinding light as we made it through the end of the tunnel. Once I recovered from the sudden brightness, I saw that the Lucky Mallet had returned us to normal size. I then looked around to see where the tunnel had led us.

The tiny tunnel had conveniently placed us on the island on which the Guardian Sapling was located. This one had completely wilted, its power stolen by evil. In one swift motion, I used Bloom to revive the tree.

The Guardian Sapling's power now restored, the curse faded, life returning the North Ryoshima Coast. Kiyoko's eyes widened in awe, her first time witnessing what was known as a Great Divine Intervention. North Ryoshima, no longer under the influence of evil, was now back to its beautiful self.

At that moment, I saw a floating scroll out of the corner of my eye. A Demon Scroll, the embodiment of evil. Touch one, and you will be engaged in battle with the demons trapped inside. Caught in its line of sight, the scroll raced towards us, making contact.

A barrier emerged around us, and a handful of imps appeared. Nothing we couldn't handle; we took care of them in a matter of less than a minute. The barrier disappeared, and it was over just like that.

Then, I caught sight of something worse than a Demon Scroll—a Devil Gate. Like Demon Scrolls, they throw you into battle upon contact. Unlike Demon Scrolls, which consists of one battle, Devil Gates send wave upon wave of enemies, each tougher than the last.

Foolish as she was, Kiyoko headed straight for it, unknowing of the danger she was about to face.

"Kiyoko! No!" I cried. "Don't go in there!"

Taking no heed of my warning, she entered the Devil Gate. I chased after her, trying to prevent her from fighting alone, if anything else. But it was no use. The barrier had already formed, locking me out.

Kiyoko had to do this by herself, without our help.

We tried desperately to break through the barrier, attacking it over and over, to no avail. All we could do was look on in horror as she fought off the demons on her own. Our only comfort in this was that at least she wasn't totally helpless, with considerable knowledge in self-defense.

She slashed away at the demons with her sword, holding her own against the onslaught. The demons kept on coming at her, one after the other. Finally, the demons' numbers diminished as each turned into flowers at death. The barrier dissipated at last, signaling the end of the fight.

I let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding. Kiyoko made it through unscathed, with only cuts and bruises. All of us crowded around her, relieved to see she was all right. She looked up at us, out of breath, with that smile she always seemed to have on her face.

"So," she panted, "what was that thing anyway?" She turned to where the gate was to find that it was gone. "And where did it go?"

"That was a Devil Gate, Kiyoko," I explained. "And you are very lucky to have made it out alive." I looked to the spot where the gate once stood. Freed from the grip of evil, the life there returned.

". . . ? What's that over there?" Kiyoko was staring at the wall near where the Devil Gate used to be.

I followed her gaze to see a hole in the wall there. "Looks like some sort of cave."

"Well, what're we waiting for? A written invitation?" Issun interjected. "Let's go in there!"

We made our way to the cave, unaware of the danger that awaited us . . .