Hey guys! Sorry for not posting quickly, I had a busy week :P Anyways, I finally published Shugo Chara: The Alternate Personality :D Thanks to all my reviewers and readers for being patient!
"The blood of a mortal?" Chihiro echoed. Glancing at Akira, her knuckles turned white. "We're not doing this," Haku said, reading her mind. Although disappointment arose, they decided to swim back for the time being. Just as they were about to emerge from the seaweed, Haku dragged the two siblings back.
"What's wrong-" Haku hushed Akira before he could say any more. Taking a peek at the open water, long eel-like fish swam swiftly through the water, looking for prey. "Are they eels?" Akira thought. The dragon spirit shook his head.
"They can smell anything. Even if there is one prick of blood or movement from us, they will follow the scent." Chihiro brought her younger brother closer to her, fearful of the long spirits. "What do we do then?" the boy wondered.
We need to find Daichi, the girl thought. Observing the eel-like spirits, their fangs appeared from their small mouths, their scales shining silver-blue. A shiver ran down the back of her neck. Determined, she was not sure if her plan would work.
"I'm sorry, but Akira," she told the two boys. "You have to use some of your blood. Just one prick." Akira's shoulders tensed. Knowing it was for his sister's sake, he nodded determinedly.
Haku stared at her. "You can't do this, Chihiro. Once they smell him, they'll come within a second." The girl grabbed the sides of his head. Touching his forehead with his, she closed her eyes for a moment. Don't worry, she assured. He slowly touched her wrists, giving her a tight squeeze. Releasing him, she looked at his anxious sea green eyes.
Protect him, she insisted. Swimming away, he painfully released her arms. Quickly, Chihiro swam out of the seaweed. Just as Haku had mentioned, the eels immediately reacted. Slithering towards her, their fangs emerged. Taking a deep breath, she used her new powers to compete against the spirits. With her spirit senses active, she recognized the scent of Akira's blood.
Just as she had noticed, so did the eels. Uninterested in the girl, they retreated back to the seaweed where Haku and Akira were. "Hey!" she shouted at the spirits. "No! Come at me! Stop!"
Not knowing what to do, she swam furiously after them. What can I do! she thought. Nearly slamming into a rock, she felt the pain race up her cursed arm. Wait… My arm! The curse! Bracing herself, she unwrapped the bandages. Rubbing the cursed arm against the sharp rock, black blood flowed in the water.
As she thought, the eels stopped in their tracks. Turning around, they caught Chihiro and her bleeding arm. Run… Run… Run! She panicked. Quickly swimming away at full speed, she heard their anticipated snarls and hisses of excitement.
Nervous, she tried to turn around. Just as she did, a strong, hard body crashed into her. Chihiro! a voice echoed in her head. We got the rock to open! Hurry, before the door closes! Acknowledging Haku's warning, she tried to escape the spirit's grasps. No matter how much she squirmed, the eel spirit's body tightened around her waist.
Digging her nails into its scales, she cried out in pain. Daichi! Somebody! But as she did, it did not sound like a regular scream. Similar to the Dark Fear's, a dragon-like roar erupted through the sea. The spirits froze at the sound, the atmosphere becoming tense.
Feeling the water underneath them twisting and forming into a whirlpool, the spirits immediately escaped. However, Chihiro remained where she was, trying to take in breaths of air. The water sucked her in, bringing her into the deep sea.
Thinking she would hit the sea floor, she shut her eyes tight. Instead, cold air refreshed her face. With a thump, she felt the cold ground beneath her. Slowly opening her eyes, she heard the echoes of water drops.
Sitting up with a sore body, she glanced around. Where am I? she pondered. Finally, she found movement by the shore. "Akira… Akira! Haku!" Their attention turned towards her. The two ran to her in relief. Feeling her younger brother's wet body jump on her, she laughed.
"You're alright!" he cheered. Haku kneeled beside the two. "Haku?" she blinked. "Are you okay? Nothing happened to you guys, right?"
He quietly looked at her wounded arm. Ripping a part of his sleeve, he tightly wrapped it around her cursed arm. "T-Thanks," she said nervously, not knowing whether he was angry or relieved. Catching her by surprise, he pulled her to him and embraced her, as if he was afraid of letting her go.
Akira wiggled his way out, leaving Chihiro in his arms. Using his powers, the water quickly dried off of Chihiro. "You're safe," he murmured. "That's all that I need to know." Smiling, she weakly raised her arms on his back. Turning her head to Akira, she asked, "How did you do?"
Giving her an accomplished and proud smile, he revealed a tiny scratch from his finger. "It didn't hurt that much," he replied. "I'm glad you're okay, sis." Nodding, she turned back to Haku. His eyes were closed, his expression calm and peaceful.
Relieved that he had finally taken a break, she brushed her lips against his cheek. Gently laying his head on her lap, the two siblings sat in silence.
"By the way, how did you get here?" Akira asked. Wondering the same as he did, she frowned. How did I? Hearing a soft rumbling from the water, goose bumps crawled up her skin. Prepared to protect the two, she began to stand up. "Who is it?" she questioned with a dark tone.
As if the cave itself was talking to her, a deep voice answered, "You called to me, didn't you?" The center of the pool of water began to ripple, a figure emerging. A shadow was casted over the shore, revealing an ancient creature.