Thank you for all the wonderful reviews! They did make me write this chapter a lot sooner, but I kept forgetting to put it onto my computer, and for that I aplogize for keepin you wonderful people waiting.
I hope you enjoy!
Natsuki finally pulled away from the taller woman. She looked up into Shizuru's eyes. Her eyes were still slitted like a serpents but she didn't seem to notice.
The dark haired woman grabbed shizuru's hand "come, we need to leave now!" She said while tugging the other woman along. Natsuki grasped her ribs with her free hand. Sharp pains kept shooting through her body with every step she took almost brining her to tears. Brushing it off she pushed ahead. Natsuki hesitantly poked her head through the doorway peering both ways before turning to Shizuru "which way did you come?"
"The left" Shizuru spoke, her fingers tightening their hold on the smaller woman. Shizuru looked down the right passage as Natsuki dragged her to the left.
Natsuki came to a stop and suddenly turned pulling Shizuru into a small crevice that led off of the tunnel. "These cracks always lead to a way out…" Natsuki said, her voice wavering with uncertainty.
The walls began to narrow and the ceiling lowered. Shizuru felt her chest begin to tighten. The taller woman could feel the ceiling scraping against her hair.
Natsuki was moving as quickly as she could when she was forcibly pulled to a stop. Glancing back she saw Shizuru standing near the entrance, the sound of pounding footsteps echoing in their ears.
Natsuki pulled on her hand, but Shizuru didn't move an inch. Shizuru leaned down to her ear "It's to small. I won't fit!" She hissed.
Viola followed Natsuki to the entrance to the large cavern, but every time she would refuse to step out of the large cave. Natsuki turned to her "Viola-san, please come with me. You don't have to stay here!" She said grasping at the warm hands.
Viola just shook her head. "My dear Reaper, I wish I could…but there are just some things we are cursed to live with. I'd rather wait for you here." She said smiling.
Natsuki glared "but why? I don't see any curse holding you back! I want you to be with me…" She said the last part quieter.
The tawny haired woman opened her mouth to respond only to think better of her answer. "It's not that I don't want to be with you. I can no-"
"No! Don't lie to me. Tell me what it is!"
The hydra stared at the emerald eyes, before looking at the narrow entrance to the tunnels. "The tunnels…they are small. I just-I don't know how to explain." She spoke; she'd never had trouble speaking her thoughts before.
Natsuki glanced at her questioningly. "You're afraid?"
The hydra just nodded solemnly
"Oh…"
Natsuki pulled herself out of her sudden memory. Peering up at the taller woman she placed her hand on the side of her cheek. "Shizuru, It's not to small. I promise you that we will get through this, you just have to trust me" Natsuki smiled at her.
She felt the light haired woman nod slowly. The dark haired woman moved back to the crack. Squeezing her way between the rocks she turned her head forward and began to push through.
She felt Shizuru began to move behind her. Natsuki released a breath of air in relief only for her side to scrap against a sharp outcropping of rocks, sending aganizing pain right to her core. Sucking in air she held her breath, hoping that it didn't make to much sound.
They had been side stepping there way through for what felt like forever to Shizuru. She had become used to the scraping of stones, but not the overwhelming feeling of being pressed down upon. The only thing keeping her moving forward was the dark head that was moving in front of her.
Shizuru began to notice Natsuki was slowing down, and even stopping. Sounds of shallow breathing and sharp intakes of breath were coming more and more often. The next time Natsuki came to a stop Shizuru spoke up "are you alright Natsuki?"
She heard a small grunt from the woman in front of her, before a quiet "yes" followed.
She began to move again, her breathing seemed to even out, though it sounded more forced then natural to Shizuru. She was about to ask if the other woman was hurt, when she felt a tug and then Natsuki's hand was ripped out of hers, she heard a distant splash soon after.
"Natsuki!" Shizuru yelled. Pushing herself faster she wasn't paying attention to anything other then finding Natsuki, when her feet were suddenly no longer on stone and she plummeted down into cold waters.
"You let her go!" He screamed. Reito was pacing the cell, muttering angrily to himself.
The red head cowered in the corner head hanging. She hadn't thought the other woman would be a threat. How was she supposed to know she was some supernatural creature as well!
Reito finally came to a stop in front of her, eyes burning with rage. "What happened?" He growled.
Nao swallowed quickly "I had her, okay! But she was with someone when I grabbed her. How was I supposed to know she could travel through the portals! Humans can't unless they are dead! But she did, and she came out of nowhere. She almost killed me!" She said.
Reito glanced away, his voice becoming quieter "you didn't know that you were in the presence of a supernatural creature?" Glancing down at her, he paced away. "You did not hear her coming down the passageway?" Turning he walked back. "You were so unaware that you couldn't even fight back, when you had a steel door between you?" His voice grew deeper.
Nao gasped as his hand grabbed her throat, slamming her against the cell wall forcing the air out of her lungs. She brought her hands up to try and pry his off of her throat but it was not use.
"Why do I keep you around!" he spat out, throwing her away from himself. "You will stay here, when I am in need of your lack of skill I will send for you. Until then…" He turned to her smirking and walked out, slamming the door behind him.
Natsuki felt the cold water engulf her. The sudden need for air overriding any other thought. Kicking frantically, she fought against the ripping currant toward what she could only assume was the surface. Her head came up above the water for only a second, she gasped in air before being pulled back down. This is it…I'm going to drown she thought.
Natsuki felt a hand grab her arm and tug. Her body was pulled out of the water and dragged to the shore. They both stumbled out of the water dripping wet, and freezing cold. Natsuki began coughing up water; her lungs feeling like they didn't want to be in her body any more and the only solution were to cough them up.
Finlay after much gasping, she glanced up at her saviour. Glowing ruby eyes stared back at her. "Natsuki…My dear Reaper, would you mind explaining to me why I'm saving you from drowning in an underground river?" She said in a lilting voice.
Natsuki straitened up "d-don't call me that Shizuru, you know I'm not a reaper anymore" She huffed in annoyance.
Shizuru just stared at her confused "ara… I must have been gone a lot longer then I originally thought," she muttered to herself.
"Come on, let's find away out of the place" Nastuki said. The dark haired woman opened her eyes wider in an attempt to see better. But the darkness was impenetrable. She was used to not seeing at this point, but the sound of rushing water was disorienting her.
She stumbled away from the waters edge, placing her palms against the cold stonewalls. She began to make her way down stream.
"Still having trouble with the shadows?" Shizuru questioned.
"Yes…but that's not it, it's so dark down here no one could see any goddamm thing!" She exclaimed angrily. "…Wait what do you mean still?" Natsuki asked hesitantly.
Shizuru moved closer, "you don't remember? Before I was taking away from you, you couldn't stop the shadows at all unless I was there." She placed her hand on the darker woman's shoulder. "Natsuki you didn't forget about me did you?" she asked in a broken voice.
Realization bean to dawn on the smaller woman, her mouth dropped open. Natsuki couldn't seem to comprehend what was going on. "But you can't be…I watched you die! Viola-san…you are dead!" Natsuki could feel herself loosing control, as tears began to prick at the corners of her eyes.
"My dear Natsuki, you call my other self by their first name, you can also call me by it" she placed her hand on the Natsuki's cheek. Leaning forward spoke again "I didn't die…I was just gone for a short while. I would never leave you alone forever."
Natsuki felt a puff of air against her lips, as Shizuru leaned forward pressing her lips against the dark haired girls.