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This is the last chapter I wrote in November, so this it for the time being. Hopefully that'll change soon…
Chapter 4: Boiling Point
Bouquet cranes her neck back, gazing up at what's above her in awe. The trees are huge…! Try as she might, the tops of them remain out of her line of sight. There is a constant flow of dripping water that comes from above – she isn't sure if it's rain, precisely, but it might as well be. She considers pulling up her hood, but then decides against it – it's probably a good way to get sick, but the sort-of-rain feels so nice on her face that she can't bring herself to mind too much.
"Everybody try to stay in sight of each other, okay?" Shu's words call her back to reality. Realizing that she is, in fact, losing sight of the others, Bouquet hurries after them. She follows the sound of her Darling's voice; the most reliable guide that she has in life. After all, he has yet to steer her wrong. "This is a big place, and it's easy to get lost…"
"There isn't anything…" Hibiki's tentative voice pauses for a moment, then continues. "…dangerous around here, is there, Aniki?"
Bouquet steps over a large root as Shu answers in the distance, "There are probably dangerous things all around us." At the three frightened whimpers that follow, Shu lets out a light chuckle. "It's okay, it's okay. Don't worry about it. That's what I'm here for, and Noi and Bouquet too. That's why I'm telling you to stick close. Don't be scared; we won't let anything happen to you."
She ducks under a tangle of deep green vines, staggering and shivering a bit when her foot plunges into an icy puddle. Shaking her foot out, Bouquet straightens up – then brightens as she sees Taichi's orange shirt. Glad that she's finally caught up with the others, she rushes to join them-
Bouquet pauses, then starts walking backwards, tilting her head back to get a better look at what she saw out of the corner of her eye. When she finds it, she comes to a stop, letting out a soft breath. "Oh," she says wonderingly, taking a step toward it. "It's so pretty…"
The flowering plant is nearly her height, looking very striking with its colors of red, yellow and purple.
She spares a glance behind her, then quickly returns her attention to the oversized bloom. The boys won't mind if she just takes a peek, right? She'll be right there; they won't even notice she's gone…
Shu is picking leaves out of his hair when he hears Bouquet shriek.
He whirls around, and immediately knows that he's moved his body the wrong way. The realization comes too late for him to correct his mistake, though, and he goes crashing to the forest floor. His front half is almost completely submerged in one of the pools that have formed due to the water constantly pouring down on their heads. He grips a handful of moss to give himself leverage, trying fitfully to free his feet from the knot of twisted roots that tripped him in the first place. Knowing that this will take too long, Shu grits his teeth and shouts, "Noi, go to her! I'll catch up!"
The boy takes off like a bolt of lightning, practically leaping through the foliage that they'd just crossed through. Then, much to Shu's alarm, the trio follows after Noi.
"Wait!" Shu struggles, cursing as he forces his right foot free and slices open his shin in the process. "Tsubasa! Taichi! Hibiki! Come back!" There's no response; they've probably gone too far ahead to hear him now. Groaning in frustration, he squirms for several more seconds before he finally extracts himself from the imprisoning undergrowth. Swaying as he gets to his feet, he takes off at a run, hoping that he isn't too late to stop whatever it is that's happening.
He crashes through the plants that block his way, having to take a moment to free his shirt from a branch before resuming his mad dash toward Bouquet. Spotting the boys clutching at each other in a clearing, seemingly unharmed, Shu only allows himself a second to feel relieved before he slides down the incline, kicking off near the bottom and landing only a foot away from them. He straightens, head snapping from side to side as he searches for the threat-
The first thing he notices, inexplicably, is the blushes that cover the boys' faces. It's confusing enough to give Shu pause. Bewildered, he turns toward whatever it is that holds their attention-
Shu nearly chokes on air.
Bouquet.
At first, the only things he can see are her legs, waving wildly up and down; from the angle she's at, her shorts are showing (probably what has the boys flushed in the first place, though it's likely the fact that they're able to see up her skirt at all that has them red-faced; the shorts aren't quite as revealing as regular underwear would be).
And then he realizes that's the only thing he can see of Bouquet – because she's being eaten by a huge flower.
Just as the situation becomes apparent to Shu, Noi lunges forward and bites the stem. Before Shu gets the chance to say that might not be a good idea, a vine wraps around the boy's waist, hurling him away into a tree trunk. Smacking against the wood hard, Noi collapses into a crumpled heap; he remains conscious, but seems like he'll be dazed for a while and unable to help.
Swearing, Shu rushes forward. As he approaches, he makes a split-second decision and flings himself at Bouquet and hopes for the best. Unlike he'd feared, the apparently living flower does not instantly attack him (it must only respond when someone makes direct contact), and so he takes the opportunity to wrap both arms securely around Bouquet's hips. She immediately tenses, then begins to thrash around even more, letting out a muffled shout. "Bouquet!" He tightens his grip, teeth grinding together; between the flowering plant trying to devour her, the rain making her slippery, and her constant moving, he's just barely able to hold onto her. "Bouquet, it's me! It's Shu!"
Her movements slow down. Then, suddenly, she goes lax in his grip and gives a miserable cry that sets off an ache in his chest. "Hang on!" He presses his fingers into her skirt and the little bit of skin that hasn't been swallowed up completely, hoping that she'll find some reassurance in both the pressure and his words. "I'm going to get you out of there, okay?" Taking a deep breath, Shu begins to pull with all of his might.
For a moment, he feels hope rise in him when Bouquet slides toward him a little. If he yanks hard enough, maybe he can get her free-
But then the flower seems to tug back, multicolored petals sucking her further inside, and it uses so much force that it actually pulls Shu's hands inside of it. He makes a noise of disgust; the interior is slimy and unbearably hot. Gross. But at least if nothing else, he can get a better hold on Bouquet. He leaves one hand on her hips, but moves the other up to her abdomen-
Horror floods through him as he feels the hitch in her stomach. "Oh, God," he croaks hoarsely. It's suffocating her!
There's a flash of blue light that covers everything, and when Blue Dragon summons, he honestly can't tell if it's just his Shadow acting independently again, or if Shu did it himself subconsciously through his fear.
"Looks like you really did it this time, Shu." Blue Dragon comments offhandedly.
"Why don't you help instead of that?!" For the most part, Shu sounds exasperated. But even he can hear the keen edge of desperation that has entered his voice.
"Alright," there's a sharp sound, like a sword being drawn, that Shu recognizes as Rusty Nail. "Let's chop this thing to bits!"
"Wait!" He feels aggravation ripple through him, knows that it belongs entirely to Blue Dragon. "You'll hurt Bouquet like that!"
There's a tense moment where nothing happens, but then he feels the magic slip inside him as, with a muttered curse, his Shadow shakes Rusty Nail free. Shu lets out a relieved breath. "You have a better idea, then?" Blue Dragon's tone is as sharp as a razor.
He spares only a second or two to debate with himself about it before nodding. "Yeah," he jerks his head towards the flower. "Try to hold open its mouth, or whatever it has that passes for it. I'll try to pull Bouquet out in the meantime."
Blue Dragon snorts. Shu's already shaky confidence wanes even more. "Fine." But despite how unwilling he may seem, Blue Dragon complies with Shu's instructions.
The thing won't budge at first; it's like trying to pry open a vice. Shu gives him more power, though, and that does the plant in – it releases its hold like a steel trap being sprung apart, and Bouquet flies out of it.
However, since Shu has been pulling at her without ceasing, they both go flying, landing in a discombobulated pile on the forest floor.
"Ouch." Shu winces as he gets an elbow digging into his side. Discomfort is soon forgotten as he realizes that he has Bouquet in his arms; she's gasping for air, but she's okay, and that's what matters. Relief tightens his throat as he murmurs her name, "Bouquet-"
"Shu!" There's a warning in Blue Dragon's voice, and he knows instinctually to look up-
A horrible, piercing screech echoes through the area, making his skin prickle and his teeth clench together. He knows that it comes from the flower, which starts wriggling all over the place suddenly, leaves and vines reaching out like they're going to grab one of them-
Shu doesn't give it a chance. Throwing himself over Bouquet as a shield, he gives Blue Dragon everything he's got and shouts, "Blue Explosion!"
The blue burst of fire and light completely encompasses the flower. It lets out one last shrill cry before the attack finishes it completely. When the blast has faded, nothing remains but a smoking pile of ash, which slowly begins to be carried away by the continual shower.
Shu stares for a moment, then falls back on his arms, letting out a tired huff. "Finally…!" Just as his eyes nearly slip shut, they snap open again as he hears a whimper. He scrambles forward, sitting fully upright, glancing down at the black head of hair pressed against his chest. "Bouquet? Are you okay?"
She grips his shirt tightly in both hands, then lifts her head, gazing at him with teary amethyst eyes. "Darling…! I thought it was going to eat me…!" Then she buries her head against him again and begins to bawl in earnest.
Shu blinks at her. Then he sighs and places a hand on top of her head. "You went and wandered off again, didn't you? What am I going to do with you?"
"Honestly, Bouquet," he turns at the sound of Noi's voice, annoyance mixed with amusement. "I thought you'd know better than to go near something like that."
"It wasn't moving when I went near it," Bouquet pouts in Noi's direction, almost sulking. "I thought it looked pretty."
Everyone but Bouquet groans.
"I didn't know what would happen!" She wails, looking ready to cry again. "I wouldn't have gone anywhere near it if I'd known!"
"Don't worry about it," Shu tries to soothe her. "It didn't get the chance to hurt you, so that's the important part, right?"
"Mm," she nods, then manages a small smile. "But that's because you saved me."
Oh. Oh, no. That glimmer is in her eye, that shine of adoration and love. The weight of her body pins him to the ground; he won't be able to escape. The only thing he can do is try to diffuse her, and that chance is slipping away by the second. "I-I didn't do a whole lot…" He waves a hand in dismissal.
She shakes her head. "No, it's because of you, Darling. You rescued me!" Bouquet leans forward, pressing against him further. Her back is soft against the inside of his arm, and he can feel the curve of her hip on top of his thigh-
Stop! He thinks desperately. Stop it! You can't-! "N-no, Bouquet, I-"
"Shu." Noi's urgent tone cuts through the haze in his head like a knife. "Something's wrong."
"What is it?" He glances around. Despite his sudden clarity, he's still in the dark about whatever it is that has Noi's guard raised. With the flower gone, nothing stands out. The forest seems peaceful, if anything.
"I don't know." Noi wavers slightly, seeming a little distressed. "But whatever it is, it feels… off."
Shu breathes out from his nose. "Alright." He nudges Bouquet off so he can stand, then offers her a hand to help her up. The "romantic mode" (as he calls it) she'd been heading towards has been averted for now, her attention redirected towards the unseen danger. "If you say something's up, Noi, then I believe you. But I need some kind of idea about what it is. Otherwise, for all we know, we'll be walking straight into a trap-"
Movement, out of the corner of his eye. Shu twists around, calling out a warning that will reach the boy too late. "Hibiki!!" His heart leaps toward his throat-
Noi is faster, though – he shoves the smaller boy out of the way as the flowering plant lunges at the spot where Hibiki had stood seconds before. Taichi and Tsubasa yell in fear, then follow suit.
The forest suddenly comes alive with them – large, living flowers identical to the one that tried to swallow Bouquet. There's a dozen at the very least, all of them letting loose with those terrible shrieks. Shu doesn't know what's attracted their attention – there are plenty of possibilities – but the fact remains that for whatever reason, the plants now have set their sights on the group. He swears mentally. There's too many to fight here; we'll never be able to defend ourselves from this position. "We have to get out of here!" Shu shouts to the others, then summons Blue Dragon again (the fact that he didn't even realize his Shadow had unsummoned probably says everything about his state of mind). "Blue Dragon, let's go!"
His Shadow scoops up everyone in a single motion before flying off at full speed, weaving through the trees with only mild difficulty; the only reason it presents a problem is because Shu is distracted from trying to help everyone onto Blue Dragon's back. As it is, Shu himself nearly slides off.
Once everyone is secure, Shu chances a look back. Much to his surprise, he discovers that none of the plants are in sight. The corner of his mouth pulls up into a half-grin. "I think we lost them-"
"Shu!!!"
"Aniki!!!"
Everyone is shouting for him, and he knows, without even turning, that whatever he'll see is bad. He snaps his head forward again-
-and sees the intricate web of vines they're about to fly into. He makes a distressed noise, knowing that there isn't enough time for Blue Dragon to dodge it.
All of them are thrown off of Blue Dragon, who becomes tangled in the vines. Shu hits the ground hard, the impact jarring through him painfully. He tries to sit up, and is hit with an intense wave of dizziness that nearly causes him to blackout.
"Shu!" It's Blue Dragon calling him; he's surprised that his Shadow hasn't unsummoned yet, considering how disoriented Shu is. There's urgency in Blue Dragon's voice, like something dangerous is approaching. "Shu, get up!" He tries to comply with the demand, but his body is so uncooperative that it verges on being unresponsive.
His strength returns to him, though, when he hears Tsubasa's terrified cry.
Hauling himself up, he lifts his head just in time to see one of the plants looming over the younger boy, and the vertigo impedes him so much that Shu knows he'll never make it in time-
And then Bouquet is pulling the boy out of harm's way by the wrist, dragging him away as quickly as she can. She disappears with Tsubasa into a tangle of vegetation, the flower giving chase a second later. Shu shakes his head, desperate to clear it – and then Noi is pulling him along by the elbow, the other hand clutching at Taichi, who has Hibiki tucked against his side. "Come on!" The shorter boy forces him to move, and it's all Shu can do to keep up as they crash through the greenery.
As soon as they've passed through, the ground turns into a slight hill. With his head spinning around, Shu has to struggle to not end up falling flat on his face. The constant shrieking, a sign of the flowers approaching from behind, adds an unwanted layer of tension to the situation. Noi glances over his shoulder, then comes to a stop; Shu staggers as he's released. "You guys go ahead," he says. "I'll handle these guys back here!"
"But-" Taichi starts protesting.
"Just go!" Noi shoves them, and Shu bites the inside of his cheek as he narrowly avoids dropping. If he hits the forest floor, he isn't getting back up again; the plants will be on him before he ever has a chance to regain consciousness. Snatching up Taichi's wrist, he hurries up the slope; he's worried, but tells himself to trust in Noi. The boy would not have sent Shu ahead if he thought he couldn't handle it. But even once Shu has reassured himself about Noi, there is a lingering sense of dread that he can't shake.
When he reaches the top of hill, he knows why.
Shu tried. But he's too late.
Though it's to blame, it isn't the plant itself that does them in. It isn't Bouquet's fault; with her full attention on the flower and keeping Tsubasa away from it, there's simply no way for her to know. Not in time to do anything about it, at least.
"Bouquet! Tsubasa!" The strangled scream that is their names somehow finds a way out of Shu's constricting throat, a warning that goes out too late to let Bouquet know that she and Tsubasa are about to step off the cliff.
She's falling, plunging into a steadily darkening abyss that encompasses her a little more every second.
Not just her, though; Tsubasa is here, too. That thought is what snaps her out of the icy terror that should render her immobile, and instead she curls around the boy protectively, hoping that she'll be able to shield him from some of the impact when they hit the ground.
It's not as bad as Bouquet expects, but it's still pretty awful. She hits the hillside hard, instantly rolling down the steep dive. Rocks and branches bruise and cut her on the way down, but she never lessens her hold on Tsubasa.
The descent seems to go on forever, at least in her mind. Eventually, though, it finally comes to an end as Bouquet fetches up against the base of a tree. Her back throbs and aches; she has to bite back the pained moan that tries to push out of her. She has to be strong; someone is counting on and depending on her to be okay - or, at least, okay enough to get the both of them through this. "Tsubasa?" Bouquet says his name tentatively. "Are you okay?"
"Anego…" The small head pulls back, and then dark eyes are looking up into hers questioningly. Though she doesn't know why, there's a faint tinge of pink that covers his cheeks. "I… think I'm okay. What about you?"
"I'll be fine." She hopes it isn't a fib. With shaky limbs, she pushes herself onto her hands and knees. "We should get out of here, though. It isn't safe."
"Bouquet! Tsubasa!" The horror of what's happened rises up in his chest, grips him with unrelenting insistence as it chokes him; strangles him. They had only been out of his sight for a minute, maybe even less. It doesn't seem possible that he could lose them both in such a short time.
Then he sees the plant creeping towards him, its leaves stretched out as if to grab onto him, perhaps to smother him.
Fury wells up in his chest, sudden and intense. To think, after everything that he's been through, that he would lose two of his friends (his family) like this, after all of the life-threatening situations that he has weathered, all of the opponents he has faced – to lose anyone to an enemy so inconsequential that fighting it should have been unimportant enough to not even warrant thinking about…
Shu screams; a scream full of potent, boiling rage. He brings out Blue Dragon again, calls up Rusty Nail in an instant, then tears into the living flower with reckless abandon.
They've stolen away what's dear to him. And Shu won't let a single one of them escape.
Bouquet's hand slips on the rock she'd been using to prop herself up, the surface slick with moisture. The continuous shower reaches even here, it seems. The area is dark and dreary, making it difficult to see where she's going. The lack of visibility doesn't sit well with her; not when there are hostile creatures so close at hand.
Regardless, she keeps a tight arm around Tsubasa, who clings to her like she's some sort of anchor. Whenever her stamina begins to wane, she needs only to think of him, and of Shu, and her strength returns. She refuses to fail either of the boys.
She'll keep trying, no matter how hard it gets.
And then she's brightening as she sees an ideal spot for them to hide out.
Shu pants hard, trying to catch his breath as he straightens out of his battle stance. Torn plant bits litter the ground around his feet. Scowling, he kicks away the scrap closest to his right foot.
"Yeesh," Noi says it under his breath, but Shu still hears him anyway. "Shu really tore into these things, didn't he?"
He fights the urge to snort; anything that he finds funny about the comment passes quickly, anyway. Instead, he rushes toward the cliff edge and starts hollering at the top of his lungs, "Bouquet!! Tsubasa!!"
There's no response, save for the echo of his yell. A dozen scenarios flit through his head, and none of them are good.
"Come on, Shu. We can't stay here," Noi calls to him. Even as his stomach twists at the words, Shu knows that he's right. "There's no point shouting over a cliff and drawing attention to ourselves. Let's get bandaged up and then head down to look."
"Tsubasa? Tsubasa, can you hear me?" The voice rises out of the darkness like a submerged leaf coming up to the water's surface. He scrunches his closed eyes, then lifts them open – and finds himself staring into lovely purple eyes that are still shinning despite how dim their surroundings are. She leans back, giving a warm smile, and his heart skips a beat. "There you are. You dozed off, I think."
He looks around, trying to get his bearings. It appears they're under some sort of rock ledge; it isn't deep enough to warrant being called a cave, but they aren't exactly out in the open either. Roots hang over the edge, and a pang of longing goes through him as he thinks about home, remembering the spot that he and Aniki and the boys would meet up at. His eyes sting a little as the homesickness hits him full force. I wish I was home now...
A soft hand presses against his forehead, and suddenly Bouquet is all he can see (both literally and figuratively). He fights against a flush, afraid that she'll notice it due to her close proximity. "How are you feeling?"
"B-better, I think…" Tsubasa swallows hard.
"Good." She leans back. He has to force himself to not let out an audible breath of relief. Something sad works its way into her smile. "All of this excitement must be a lot to handle. You probably needed a break." Sighing, she settles herself beside him. Don't tense up, Tsubasa instructs himself. Don't tense up. From this close, she'll notice. She giggles, a little tiredly. "I think I could go for one, too."
Tsubasa glances at her from the side. Bouquet… One of his worst fears has become reality – he's stuck with her, alone and with no one else around, for a prolonged period of time. He rubs his suddenly sweaty palms on his dark shorts. She's as beautiful as the first day he saw her.
Calling Bouquet "Anego" had been Tsubasa's idea. True, he hadn't thought of it until he heard her Shadow call her that, but Tsubasa had been the one to propose it to Taichi and Hibiki. It hadn't taken any convincing; both of them had liked the suggestion from the beginning. He had been hopeful; maybe if he could call her "big sister", he could remind himself that she was in love with Shu, and Aniki, at the least, liked her back a little. Maybe by calling her Anego, he could stop his breath from quickening when he talked to her or stop his heart from racing if her hand made contact with his.
…It didn't work.
"Hey… Bouquet?" Tsubasa clears his throat, pressing a hand firmly against the pounding in his chest. It's the first time he's said her name since the day he met her.
"Mm?"
He chooses his words carefully. "You… really like Aniki, don't you?"
She beams at him. "With all of my heart."
Tsubasa is thankful that he avoids outwardly flinching. He couldn't help but ask; he had to. It still stung, though. He isn't jealous of Shu, though; not even close. He cares too deeply about Aniki to let something so petty and foolish like jealousy eat away at a friendship that strong. Aniki's more than his friend; he's his family. I just wish somebody would give my heart the memo that Bouquet's going to be my family, too. He tries to hold it in, but a slight sigh pushes out of him anyway.
Bouquet grins at him. "Missing Shu already, huh?" When he starts to splutter – because really, how is he supposed to explain this one? – Bouquet puts an arm around his shoulder and rubs his arm soothingly. His heartbeats start coming faster. He can only hope that she won't feel it or, though less likely, even hear it. "It'll be okay. I'm sure that Darling's already on his way. He's probably really worried about us…" She frowns momentarily, like this has just occurred to her, but then she smiles down at him again. "But even if he isn't coming, that's okay too. Because as soon as we rest up a little, we'll start looking for everyone. Alright?"
Tsubasa nods. "Mm."
"Good." Bouquet practically hugs him to her, and so Tsubasa gives in, pressing himself fully against her side. I could stay here next to her forever, he thinks, feeling drowsily content, I could stay here with Bouquet forever and I wouldn't mind at all.
Then, out of nowhere, Bouquet goes rigid, and he wonders in alarm if he somehow spoke his thoughts aloud without realizing it-
She clamps a hand over his mouth. When she whispers to him, her voice is as tight as piano wire. "Don't move. Don't make a sound."
He can't move his head very well with the firm grip that Bouquet has on him, but manages a single nod. Tsubasa doesn't know what's going on, but something has Bouquet spooked very badly. But what?
Tsubasa thinks he may have received an answer when, from a little ways ahead of them, two round lights glint in the dimness. It takes a second for his brain to catch up with what he's seeing and put together that the shiny things are actually a pair of eyes.
Bouquet doesn't think, only reacts, grabbing Tsubasa with both arms and leaping away from where they'd been sitting. There's a terrible, sharp noise that sets her teeth on edge. When she turns around, her mouth goes dry as she sees the deep gouges that now mar the rock wall.
Her breathing speeds up as a low, rumbling growl comes from the darkness. She backs up into the opposite wall, keeping Tsubasa behind her and shielding him with her body. The glimmering eyes approach at an almost lazy pace, before their owner finally steps into a patch of light.
She knows the creature well because she's transformed into it before, has walked in its footsteps. But that doesn't necessarily mean she's strong enough to fight one.
And Bouquet cringes as the Steel-Eating Tiger lets out a fearsome call.
Shu is just kneeling down to wrap some gauze around his shin when he hears the bellowing cry.
His head shoots up, and something – instinct, perhaps, or maybe Blue Dragon – tells him that he has to go now.
He gets to his feet and propels himself towards the edge, hopping off the hill and sliding down the incline, paying no mind as Noi shouts his name.
The Tiger begins circling. Bouquet has to think fast now; time is of the essence. A single second could decide their fate.
Don't question anything; just do it! Nodding to herself, she talks to Tsubasa without turning, "Make sure you stay out of the Tiger's line of sight at all times." At least if she can draw its attention, Tsubasa will have a chance to run once it's distracted enough. What she'll do then, she doesn't know – but it doesn't bear thinking about now. To survive, she has to think of only what's happening right this instant and not even pay attention to what comes after.
She moves swiftly, lunging to its right. The Tiger growls and prepares to pounce on her. She hits the ground rolling, already summoning Hippo-chan as she tumbles head first. "Let's go, Hippo-chan!" She has to trust that he'll be able to read her intentions without vocal instruction. Bouquet usually doesn't transform on the go like this – if she doesn't do her usual movements on top of Hippo-chan's head, (and) or if she's moving but it isn't transforming stances, there's a chance that she'll screw up and lose hold of her transformed self and turn back into herself; it's tricky like that – but desperate times call for desperate measures. Her pulse ratchets up as she hears claws raking the ground – if she hadn't been dodging, she'd probably be in ribbons right now – and Hippo-chan swoops in and curves around her-
Changing into a boy used to be difficult, in the early days when she was still a little girl and was in the process of getting used to having a Shadow; the lack of weight from her breasts always made her feel like she was either floating in the air or about to topple over at any second.
Bouquet may not be an adult, but she is not a small child anymore. And she wears Shu and Blue Dragon's form like a second skin.
She probably should have transformed into his ten year old self, though; using his attacks is a little easier that way since that was the age he'd been when he used them on Bouquet, so she could copy them with her then-new Power Up from the Extra Seven. Unfortunately, the only attack she has access to is Rusty Nail; Fire Crisis had practically become obsolete at that point, and Shu has always been scared of using Blue Explosion on her. And Bouquet has always been touched by that, but she'd really appreciated having it right now.
"Hah!" She strikes out with Rusty Nail; Blue Dragon's right arm blade whistles through the air like a sword as it sails toward its target.
But the Tiger is faster. It's already gone by the time the attack has struck, and the only thing that gets cut is the grass. Shoot! She pulls her arm back, I have to try again-
"Anego!" The panic in Tsubasa's shout lets her know that she's in trouble.
Bouquet whirls around – just in time to see the clawed paw only inches away from her.
The only reason she doesn't instantly die is because she's transformed. The strike is basically degraded to a glancing blow, but even that is stronger than Bouquet can tolerate. She lets out a choked noise, the transformation sliding off her with a puff of pink smoke as the blow slams her into the ground, stealing the air from her lungs. Breathing hurts, and she wonders distantly just how badly it's injured her.
She forces her head up, winded and worn out, and she sees the gleam in its eyes – the killing intent. This can't be it, she thinks helplessly. It can't end like this.
But then a rock smacks the tiger on the side of its head. It snarls, infuriated, twisting toward whatever threw the projectile-
"Leave her alone!!!" His voice breaks and he sounds scared out of his mind, but there's a familiar, unwavering determination that rings true. She knows it well, because it belongs to Shu.
Tsubasa. He's drawn attention to himself now. The Tiger can kill him without even batting an eye.
No! Her teeth grind together. I won't allow that to happen!
She doesn't even look at the Tiger, concentrating entirely on launching herself in the direction of Tsubasa's voice. She's fortunate enough to catch him on the shoulder, sending them both sprawling to the ground as the Steal-eater digs its claws into the wet dirt where Tsubasa had stood. Panting in effort, she crawls over the boy, draping herself over him as protectively as she can manage. "I won't let it hurt you," she feels the backs of her eyes sting. "I swear, I won't let it hurt you. I- I'll try to distract it, but you have to run away, okay-?"
"Anego, watch out!" She feels Hippo-chan's arms wrap around her, and he struggles to pull her to safety, weakened due to her own poor state-
Bouquet screams as a claw manages to slash her leg, ripping through some of her thigh-high. Even without fully hitting her, the strength behind the swing is enough to send her, Hippo-chan and Tsubasa all flying.
She works herself into a kneeling position, eyes darting around for Tsubasa. Bouquet sees him only a foot away from her. Standing on shaky legs, she spins around, fists raised in the air. She meets its sharp stare with a narrow glare of her own. Transforming is pointless now, considering how easily it reverted her to her true form. Without transformation, she and Hippo-chan simply don't have enough power to stand any chance against it.
But if it wants Tsubasa, first it has to go through her.
Its legs muscles tighten; it's preparing to spring, and Bouquet braces herself for what she knows will be the end-
-and instead sees a shining blue arm blade slice open a wound on the Tiger's face.
Incensed, Shu has Blue Dragon hit it with Rusty Nail again, leaving a twin cut on the other side.
He is sick and tired of nearly losing both Bouquet and Tsubasa. And Shu's patience is spent.
The Steel-Eating Tiger growls at him, likely angered that a formidable opponent is standing in the way of its meal. Shu would love to beat it to a pulp, but knows that it's too unsafe. If he fights with it, he'll go all out, and there's a chance that Bouquet – who's already injured, and he tries not to think too hard about the terrible gash on the back of her leg – or Tsubasa could get caught in the crossfire. And perhaps that chance isn't extremely likely, but it's a risk that Shu is not willing to take.
So, instead, Blue Dragon lets out a tremendous roar, loud and powerful enough to shake the ground (which actually glows blue for a second), feeding off of Shu's pent up anger and multiplying it tenfold.
The Tiger shrinks back, letting out a slight growl before taking off into the forest, just as he suspected it would. Steel-Eating Tigers are notorious for being territorial. But it's obvious who the stronger predator is here.
Shu turns slowly. Bouquet and Tsubasa are both gazing at him in disbelief, like they aren't sure he's real. Then he's running toward them, feeling tears slip down his face before he even reaches them, and he hugs the two of them, hard, fingers digging into Tsubasa's hair and his palm pressed tight against Bouquet's shoulder. They probably shouldn't be just standing here like this, considering that the three of them are practically half dead on their feet – Bouquet is actually bleeding – and there are dangerous creatures prowling around – Shu hopes that the Tigers and living flowers will do the world a great service by killing each other horribly (and in brutal agony, please and thank you) – but he can't help it, he can't help it, because they're really here and if he'd been even a microsecond slower he would've lost them forever. The thought brings on a torrent of more tears. Bouquet is sniffling into his already-soaked shirt, Tsubasa is wailing into his side, and Shu is faintly mortified as he realizes that he's started to make those very embarrassing sobs and hiccups he makes when he cries really hard.
But it doesn't matter – because he has Bouquet and Tsubasa in his arms, hurt but alive, and that's all he could ask for.
Scenes 1-6, and Paragraphs 1-16 of Scene 7 were written on November 30th. The rest was written today, December 1st, which is the reason why posting was delayed so long. I apologize for the inconvenience.
This chapter turned out to be so much more dramatic than I anticipated! (The previous one did, too, though not to the same degree; I kind of expected everything that happened there.) To think, this was originally supposed to be one of the sillier chapters. :P (…Oops?)
That's all of it for now! Hopefully it won't be too long before this gets updated... Anyways, I'll be around. See you soon! :)
1/4/2013 - Minor edits made. Mostly incorrect words being replaced with the right ones, and a few that were exchanged in favor of a more accurate and/or descriptive word.
