The peaceful sound of waves made Kurumu feel calm. She was lying on her back with warm sand pushed against her skin. The clear blue sky stretched endlessly above her. It was so beautiful.
A familiar figure stepped into view. Long arctic blue tresses and a massive bosom barely contained in a bright pink bikini top with white frills. The woman sat down beside her, shifting the sand.
"Are you so lonely that you are trying to see me again?"
Kurumu sighed, refusing to look at her mother.
"I was visiting my boyfriend's home."
Mommy giggled in that same annoying way Kurumu was all too familiar with.
"I'm being serious!"
Her mother stopped, placing a hand on Kurumu's head. Fingers started to run through her hair.
"Kokoa saw nothing good for you here. Stubborn girl."
Kurumu scowled, glancing at the phantom teasing her. Naturally that swimsuit had a flattering, matching bikini bottom. But it was not a swimsuit her mother had ever worn.
"She never said someone would try to kill me!"
Mommy smiled softly, withdrawing her hand from Kurumu's hair.
"You know her powers don't allow her to hear words or thoughts."
Kurumu grit her teeth, knowing this was not Kokoa's fault. Kokoa's power would have been limited to what Kurumu could see with her own eyes. Considering how dark and desolate the environment was, there was probably little context for Kokoa to work with. That must have been why Kokoa had declared Umiman to be a safe place for her.
"Well I don't have much reason to stay in Aranami now. His mother hates me and his father won't be back until the weekend anyways."
Mommy sighed, looking in the direction of the sounds from the waves.
"Unfortunate that you didn't make things work with Tsukune."
Kurumu groaned. She tried to lift her hand up but her arms felt like they were glued to the sand.
"He has Moka. I'm happy for them."
Her mother giggled, favoring her a look of sympathy.
"I know that you think you are doing the mature thing here but if I had been like that, you would not have been born."
Kurumu scowled at this manifestation within her mind.
"Nijiro loves me. And I love him."
Mommy reached out to brush Kurumu's bangs. Kurumu was unable to move to stop the caress.
"Love is more than commitment, my child. How long do you think you can keep up this ruse?"
Kurumu swallowed thickly.
"I want to do more for him. I barely do anything for him."
Persisting with the caresses, her mother smirked.
"You certainly cause him much distress. Posing for a naughty comic book. Breaking up his family. Having Tsukune's illegitimate child."
Kurumu could not hide from herself. This crushing belief that she was ruining his life felt inescapable. It was hard to breathe. Like she was being smothered yet it felt so warm.
"Open your eyes, my love. It's time for me to go."
Kurumu gasped out a breath, feeling the chill against her face as the image of her mother vanished. Her eyes fluttered open as her beach surroundings were replaced with reality. She was in a dimly lit room quite similar to her hotel room. Glowing plants were held in slits of glass framed in the ceiling.
"Back from the dead, I see."
Kurumu shivered but her body was surprisingly warm. She sat up and her head began to spin. Lifting her hand to touch her head, she realized her fingers were enveloped in this black bodysuit that covered most of her skin. Even her toes felt warm.
"Truly remarkable. Most would not have survived that."
She looked in the direction of the voice. An undine with silvery hair and silver eyes was seated nearby. Like many other men, his loins were hidden beneath a black speedo. His leathery torso was paler than the other undines she had seen, making her wonder if this was a sign of age.
"Who are you?"
The undine's lips pulled back in a fierce grin.
"Kawakuchi Shinichi. I understand that you are familiar with my grandson."
Kurumu let out a slight laugh which came with a puff of whiteness. Her face felt cold but the rest of her body was fine. She touched the fabric which fit snug about her chest but was loose in other areas.
"What is this?"
"A very thick wetsuit. I apologize for the fit but that one was meant for a taller man."
Kurumu felt herself up, thinking this was just like her diving gear but less cumbersome.
"What happened to my diving gear?"
The undine chuckled, standing up slowly.
"Damaged. While you could put it back on, the helmet was destroyed. You'll never have a proper seal with it so it would be no better than that wetsuit at protecting you from the crushing water pressure."
Kurumu flinched, recalling the incident before she had lost consciousness.
"Are my friends okay?"
Elder Kawakuchi nodded, moving toward the open hatch.
"The girls are fine. They woke up hours ago with some broken bones that should be healed by now. Don't forget that we are undines. Short of something being torn off or completely crushed, we quickly recover when immersed in water."
Kurumu managed a smile, noting the digital clock in this room. Nine forty two. Only a little more than ten hours ago.
"I'm glad."
"As am I. Little Watakoma told me you are part undine."
"Yes. My birth mother was an undine."
"You are blessed. You may not have inherited the ability to breathe underwater, but you have the natural instinct to adjust the water pressure about you."
Kurumu nodded, supposing that was a compliment.
"Is my oxygen tank okay?"
Elder Kawakuchi gestured to the left.
"That equipment room is sealed independently of these special rooms. But since that tank is fitted for your diving suit, I'm not sure if it can work with that wetsuit."
Kurumu swung her legs about as she bent her knees. She pushed up into a kneeling position.
"This is a lot easier to move in."
"Are you ready to put your instincts to the test?"
Kurumu frowned when the elder gestured at the open hatch.
"What do you mean?"
"That we take you out of this room."
"But I won't be able to breathe!"
The elder chuckled, stepping into the antechamber.
"No need to worry. I'll make a small air pocket about your head."
Kurumu grimaced at his reassurance. Lifting up on her feet, she padded over to the elder.
"I won't be able to see."
The old man chuckled as Kurumu hopped over the lip into the small antechamber. Grabbing the hatch by the wheel, he tugged it shut.
"There is not much to see, Ms. Kurono. Nobody lives in Aranami for the scenery."
Kurumu laughed softly as the elder turned the wheel to tighten the hatch. She absently hugged herself in the absolute darkness while the undine finished his task. Moments later, a motor whirred and she heard water rushing into the room.
"You'll need to hold your breath for a minute or so. This room needs to pressurize before I make that air pocket for you."
Kurumu swallowed thickly, actually feeling the water level steadily rise. She was so much more aware of her environment in this wetsuit. It was cold but not unbearable. She shivered as the frigid liquid passed over her arms, coming closer to her chin.
She gasped when it touched her bare skin. That was really cold. She took in a sharp breath, holding it as the water swept up over her face. This stung so badly. She closed her eyes tightly as she was enveloped. The motor sounded so much louder through the water.
Gritting through the pain, Kurumu focused on her heart beats. She counted each one as she felt the grip of the water tighten about her. It was like she was in the hand of a giant, being squeezed with increasing force. She stiffened up, resisting this deathly embrace.
"Relax, child."
His calm words cut through the encroaching terror. She resumed her count while relaxing her body. The water squeezed her but she scolded it, forcing it to be gentle. The grip was firm but comforting. Feeling more confident, Kurumu opened her eyes.
"As I thought. A natural."
Kurumu gasped when the pressure about her face was suddenly gone. She whimpered from the chill of the air pocket, feeling the old man move away from her.
"So cold!"
"I should get the hood that goes with that suit."
She heard the wheel of the other hatch being turned.
"While you can control the water pressure like an undine, your mixed blood is too hot."
Kurumu trembled, feeling icicles form in her hair. Yet despite how cold her face was, the rest of her body was quite warm in the confines of this wetsuit.
"Don't understand. I couldn't manipulate water like this when I trained with Ms. Kiyomizu."
She heard the squeal of hinges as the hatch was pushed open. A hand touched her shoulder.
"Is this Kiyomizu an undine?"
Kurumu hesitated to answer, considering Kiyomizu was much more than an undine.
"Yes. She's a teacher at our school."
The elder's webbed hand slid down, grabbing her by the wrist.
"Did she train you underwater?"
Kurumu let out a laugh as she felt him tug on her. Kicking up from the floor, she allowed him to steer her through the darkness. Somehow he was able to keep this chilly air pocket about her head.
"Of course not. I can't breathe underwater."
"Some things we only learn out of necessity. Your training environment must not have required you to unlock your natural talent."
That made sense. It was not like she had ever been in any danger when training with Ms. Kiyomizu in that alternate world the Headmaster had given them access to before the school festival.
"Seems we have guests."
Kurumu shuddered when they passed through the thick boundary of a large air pocket. The elder helped her get her footing inside the hotel's main chamber before letting go of her. Before she could register her surroundings, Tarumi sprung to her side and wrapped her up in a hug.
"Kurumu! You're alive!"
Kurumu meekly returned the embrace, noting several displeased looks leveled in her direction. Even Tarumi's mother seemed upset with her, holding her son protectively. The glowing plants on the walls and ceiling remained submerged in water, giving barely enough lighting to distinguish features.
"Yea. I'm glad you're okay too."
Tarumi giggled, pulling back to arm's length.
"I don't know what happened, but something broke my ass. And with my shoulder dislocated, I could barely move when Dad left for work this morning."
"Now that your witness is awake, we shall see if your theory has any substance."
Mr. Akenuma scowled at Mr. Takikawa. The hotel owner stood behind his counter with a dark haired woman at his side. His daughter, Hiyori, was standing by the door near two dark haired women whom were maintaining this air pocket.
"In all of the years I've operated this hotel, I have never had an accident like this."
An undine with blue eyes and gray tresses lingered beside Mr. Takikawa. He had the same aura about him as Elder Kawakuchi.
"Erosion is a thing, Aoto."
"Sharkpiss. This was clearly attempted murder."
"That is a heavy accusation, young man."
Attention shifted to another undine whom also had silvery locks. He had sky blue eyes and was in the company of another undine whom looked like a younger version of himself.
"Do you have any proof?"
Mr. Akenuma huffed, shaking his head.
"How about the fact that all three town elders show up at my doorstep within hours of the incident?"
Mr. Takikawa huffed, crossing his arms.
"It's a small town. Word travels fast."
"It was practically midnight!"
The silvery undine with sky blue eyes chuckled.
"You've spent too much time with topsiders, boy. Not everyone keeps surface hours."
Mr. Akenuma let out a frustrated sigh which prompted the woman beside him to grab him. The lady caressed his shoulders as the hotel owner regained his composure.
"I'm not an idiot. That was sabotage. At least one of you is upset about them trespassing."
The older undine beside Mr. Takikawa chuckled.
"Nonsense. If that was the case, the guards would have not brought the girls back to you."
The silvery undine nodded.
"Yes. To my knowledge, neither of those girls have done anything to warrant what you are suggesting."
"Excuse my ignorance, but what is this about trespassing?"
Mr. Takikawa huffed at Elder Kawakuchi.
"Ms. Kurono and the Watakoma girl wandered into the scavenger's lair two days ago. The guards found them unconscious and brought them back here."
"It was a silly mistake that my Tarumi won't repeat. She now realizes how dangerous scavengers are."
Kurumu shot a sidelong glance at Elder Kawakuchi.
'We found a scavenger locked up and tried to free it. When the guards came, it panicked.'
The elder let out a sharp whistle.
"Telepathy. You are full of surprises, Ms. Kurono."
"What did that girl tell you?"
Elder Kawakuchi turned to regard the undine beside Mr. Takikawa.
"That you probably do have a motive, Naoki. This girl is dangerous."
Kurumu frowned at his words.
"I just told you what happened."
"I know, child. But you are a threat to the peace of our community."
Kurumu scowled, feeling betrayed.
"Why? Because I know the truth about your scavengers?"
"Don't, Ms. Kurono."
Kurumu shot the hotel owner an angry look.
"They're akaname! And you have them chained down there like slaves!"
The room went silent for the span of several heart beats. Kurumu trembled with anger that none of them immediately shared her outrage.
"What's an akaname?"
Mrs. Watakoma turned a smile upon her confused son.
"A cursed child. Often the result of mixed breeding which is why you should marry an undine."
The silvery undine snorted with a shake of his head.
"Even then there is a chance of having an impure child. I have a grandson down there."
"What?"
The silvery undine turned to address the younger one that resembled him.
"Your first nephew."
"But he died."
"It made things easier on your sister that way."
"Perhaps we should not put all of our cards out on the table, Masaru. There are children present whom do not need to know these unpleasant things."
The silvery undine huffed at Elder Kawakuchi.
"My son is old enough, Shinichi. Unlike you or Naoki, I care little for the secrecy."
"You put your grandson in shackles?"
The silvery undine regarded Kurumu with those emotionless, sky blue eyes.
"Not all akaname are kept in shackles, young lady. We do the best we can for them."
"By enslaving them?!"
"What future do you think they have? Fairy Tale doesn't care for monstrels. And most akaname have issues with control. They would never survive in the human world."
The elder beside Mr. Takikawa nodded.
"I agree with you, Masaru, but most people in Aranami are happier not knowing about this. I hope these kids understand that this is not something to share with their friends."
Mrs. Watakoma nodded firmly.
"My kids won't say a word."
"Good. I trust your daughter will also be quiet."
Mr. Akenuma scowled at Elder Takikawa.
"What choice do I have? You'll probably break my hotel again if she isn't."
"This was an accident, Aoto."
"Well maybe you shouldn't schedule an accident on my premises while I have a topsider guest. I do have a reputation with Fairy Tale to keep intact."
Mr. Takikawa held his hands up.
"Enough. I'm the one that told Father about the accident. And I only found out because I happened to be out on a walk when Mr. Watakoma rushed to your place in concern for his daughter."
"Yes. And it was Naoki whom brought this to my attention. I considered not coming but my grandson was worried about little Watakoma."
Tarumi frowned at the silvery undine's revelation.
"Mako was worried for me?"
"Yes. Though he refused to come."
While Kurumu detected amusement from the silvery undine pair, her attention was drawn to one man whom she felt did not belong here.
"What is Mr. Junsui doing here?"
Mr. Akenuma huffed, gesturing at the undine standing apart from the others.
"Mr. Junsui happened to be nearby when this happened. He claims he saw someone hastily swimming away from my hotel shortly after the cavitation of your room."
The man quickly held his hands up defensively.
"That person could have just been out on a walk like I was. I just thought it odd that they went away from the sound instead of rushing towards it like I did."
"He changed his story real fast when the elders showed up but he did help me save you."
Kurumu clenched her jaw, tightening her hold on Tarumi.
"Convenient that he was nearby."
Mr. Takikawa snorted, making a dismissive gesture.
"That's what I thought. But Aoto here wants to blame the elders for this accident."
"Mr. Junsui has no motive to do anything to Ms. Kurono unless he was under your orders."
Kurumu stared at Mr. Junsui, reaching out with her mind.
"I wouldn't say that. He has his own secrets he might want to protect."
Mr. Junsui looked at her with his dark blue eyes.
"Ms. Kurono. Manami was right next to you."
Kurumu immediately felt guilt as she invaded his mind. The man was afraid that she would accuse him of something he had not done. He had been out on a late walk after comforting Nijiro's mother. Apparently Nijiro had been very direct, effectively disowning her for affair. His mind had been reeling over how they should deal with the situation once their relationship was exposed when he had heard the sound. And there had been another figure hastily fleeing from that direction.
"Kurumu?"
Kurumu closed the connection, averting her gaze. She shivered from more than the cold.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Junsui. It wasn't you. I'm sorry."
"I take it that you read his thoughts."
Kurumu nodded at Elder Kawakuchi's deduction.
"This girl is a nuisance. How soon can you get her out of our town?"
Mr. Akenuma huffed at Mr. Takikawa.
"Her diving gear was busted in the 'accident' so I can't say. I had Tsuneo run her suit back to old man Dorohiki to see if he will give us another one."
"She doesn't need the suit. The girl has enough undine in her to withstand the water pressure."
Tarumi giggled at Elder Kawakuchi's endorsement.
"I always knew you were special."
"Even without the suit, that oxygen tank would need to be adjusted for a mouthpiece."
Mr. Takikawa grunted at Mr. Akenuma's statement.
"My boy can help with that. He still has gear from when he worked for that kappa."
"He may have worked for Mr. Dorohiki, but I don't feel comfortable entrusting her life to a kid whom quit after two months. He might not have a clue how to hook it up."
Mr. Takikawa huffed, stalking towards the door.
"And your nephew might come back empty handed. What then? How much time do you want Ms. Kurono to spend down here? The poor girl is obviously freezing."
"Don't act like you give a damn about Ms. Kurono."
"Are we almost done? This is very tiring."
The tremor in the woman's voice caused several men to chuckle. The woman whimpered, keeping her hands up to hold the water back.
"You're doing fine, Mia. We are almost done."
The other woman nodded at Elder Kawakuchi's encouragement.
"Hang in there. This is good practice for you."
"But we've been holding this for hours."
Even the woman at Mr. Akenuma's side chuckled.
"Listen to your mother. Holding a pocket for hours will be necessary when you have a baby."
"Says the woman whom kept our babies in our topsider rooms."
"Oh hush."
Kurumu managed a smile in the sudden shift of mood. Her eyes settled on Mr. Junsui. He was only here to make certain she was okay. Nijiro had asked this of him.
"You should go and tell Nijiro that I'm okay. I would like to see him and Manami again before I leave."
"Of course. I'll do that when I'm allowed to leave."
Kurumu had to laugh, guessing they were all being held here until a direction was decided upon.
"Mr. Takikawa is right. I don't want to be here any longer than I have to be."
"But we don't know if we have a place to stay in Umiman yet. Ms. Ranryuu only left this morning."
Kurumu favored Tarumi a smile.
"We'll just have to take our chances."
Elder Kawakuchi clapped his hands.
"Sounds like we have a plan. I'll go get the hood for that suit so Ms. Kurono's head doesn't freeze and Mr. Takikawa's son will adjust the oxygen tank to work with his snorkel. And since I doubt Ms. Kurono can make the journey back to Umiman on her own, she will need at least one escort."
"I'll do it!"
"You are hurt, Tarumi. Absolutely not!"
Kurumu squeezed Tarumi tight against her, causing the girl to gasp.
"I would prefer her with me."
Mrs. Watakoma sighed with a slight shake of her head.
"Not if it's just the two of you. Send one of the boys with her."
"Hiyori."
The girl flinched at her father's shout.
"You want to spend the rest of the week in Umiman?"
"Dear."
"What? She's always bored at home."
Hiyori laughed nervously.
"Maybe. Couldn't we wait for Tsuneo?"
Mr. Akenuma snorted.
"It's over a three hour swim. He's not even in Umiman yet."
"Yea but how long will it take for them to get Ms. Kurono ready?"
Mr. Takikawa shrugged, glancing at Kurumu.
"I can't imagine it would take more than an hour."
"I agree. It should not take that long."
Kurumu frowned at Elder Kawakuchi's remark.
"You seem eager to get me out of town."
"I simply feel that is in your best interest. Is your daughter accompanying Ms. Kurono?"
"Not it I don't have to. I bet Takanuma would be willing to go with them."
"You're going with them, Hiyori."
"But Dad!"
"I'm sure you'll run into Tsuneo on the way. He can escort Ms. Kurono the rest of the way."
"I'm not coming back alone!"
"Would you rather stay here and help me fix the hotel?"
Hiyori grimaced, glancing away from her father.
"Fine. Maybe Aka's parents won't mind me staying over a few days."
"That works, but don't tell them about the attempted murder."
"It was an accident, Aoto. Get it through your thick skull."
"Whatever you say, Kenzo."
Mr. Takikawa scowled, gesturing in Kurumu's direction.
"We are done here. Take that girl back to her room so we can all return to our normal lives."
Elder Kawakuchi chuckled, retreating towards the murky hall.
"This way, Ms. Kurono. We will get you out of here soon enough."
"Just a moment. Are we good, Mom?"
Mrs. Watakoma sighed at Tarumi's query.
"Fine. If you're with Hiyori, I do feel better. But you still don't know if Mr. Ranryuu will agree to this."
"Yea but I can talk to Dad. He might have an idea."
"You better talk with him even if you don't need help. I don't want to explain to him why you are gone when he gets back from work."
Tarumi giggled, tugging Kurumu towards the corridor where Elder Kawakuchi waited.
"I will. I'll see you later."
Kurumu had to admit that Tarumi's ability to remain cheerful in this situation was beyond normal.
The trip back to Umiman had been eerily calm thus far. It was nothing like the nerve wracking experience days ago. The water coiled about her, respecting her will. She could make it hold her tighter like a lover if she wanted it to. In a way, it was comforting.
But there was nothing to see. It felt like the light on her scooter was only good for keeping sight of her companions. They were moving as fast as her scooter allowed through this endless abyss.
As predicted it had taken less than an hour to get her out of town. Right after Elder Kawakuchi had taken her to the room, he had left with her oxygen tank. When Mr. Akenuma had come back with this hood protecting her head, the tank had been fitted with this breathing apparatus that she had stuck in her mouth. This hood has also came with googles for her eyes, though her sight was extremely limited.
Ten thirty three. That had been her last look at the digital clock before leaving the hotel room. The trip was under four hours but she had no idea how long it had been since departure.
'Wish I had seen Nijiro and Manami before leaving.'
"You still whining about that? Don't worry. Manami won't skip my birthday party."
Kurumu breathed through the device, harboring doubts. Tarumi had no idea about Mrs. Amesuki's affair and Kurumu was not about to enlighten her. Kurumu could see why Manami might not attend the party.
'Whom is this Aka you mentioned?'
Tarumi giggled as Hiyori glanced back at Kurumu.
"That's Shiraike Akatsuki. I mentioned her before."
'You mentioned a bunch of names all at once.'
"She lives next door to the Hasegawa family. You might know their daughter."
"Of course Kurumu knows Hasegawa. She knows almost everybody at Yokai Academy."
Kurumu did know Hasegawa but could not recall if she had ever spoken with that girl. She had been in Moka's homeroom and was in the kimono club with Fukai Ishiko, Kokoa's friend.
'Her brother graduated this year.'
"See. Kurumu knows everybody."
"Well Aka is very shy so don't expect her to let you stay with her."
"We're not even going to try that. I'll ask a friend in Ikinakawa to put us up before resorting to anyone living underwater."
'Do you think Nagisa would help us?'
"Taniguchi? That depends on her parents. They are very uptight."
"They have every right to be. Her uncle is the guardian."
"It's not like her dad is a town elder. Protecting the town isn't the same as running the town."
"I guess. But her uncle does whatever the town council asks so it may as well be the same thing."
'What about Numasaki Ayame?'
Tarumi giggled, twirling in the water ahead.
"I bet she would be okay with it. Her mom is very friendly and her dad would probably love you."
"She does know Numasaki's father is human, right?"
"Duh! That's why Kurumu suggested them. She knows they will be more tolerant."
The thought of staying with Numasaki's family made Kurumu feel more at ease. As they plunged deeper into the endless void, Kurumu mulled over what sort of conversation she should strike up next. They had already harassed Tarumi over both of her potential love interests. She had no idea what was up with Urafune Mako and refused to admit any interest in Kiyomizu Kazuhiro. Hiyori had tried to tease Tarumi over the latter only to get called out as having a crush on the guy. Both girls had dropped the subject.
Naturally they had avoided talking about the hotel incident. The only thing Kurumu had told Tarumi was that it had not been an accident. Kurumu was glad that Tarumi had not asked her to explain any further since Kurumu had no real answers. She only knew that Mr. Junsui was innocent. As far as she knew, it could have been someone under Elder Kawakuchi's direction. It was not like she had perused the minds of the three town elders in search of the truth.
In light of recent events, Tarumi was going to keep her birthday plans simple. They would do a movie, karaoke and a hot meal in Umiman. She did not want her family to go through the hassle of renting clothes for a trip to Kuminagawa and there was no reason to drag them to Ikinakawa. They could do those things on Sunday without her family around.
Despite her initial reluctance, Hiyori was agreeable to the idea of hanging out with them until Kurumu's Monday afternoon departure. The only thing she had opposed was staying at Mr. Ranryuu's home, declaring it would be too crowded with all of them there. Tarumi had teased the girl over needing a locker for her rental clothes but Hiyori felt it would not be needed if they were only spending one day in Kuminagawa. Apparently swimsuits were acceptable attire in Ikinakawa.
They had talked about several random things but it would not surprise Kurumu if it had only been an hour since leaving Aranami. It was not like the bus trip to Tsushimi village had taken an hour but that conversation had covered several topics. And considering this was not the first long chat she had shared with Hiyori, there was not much she felt like she had forgotten to bring up.
She had already talked about Hiyori's brothers and her cousin's family. Hiyori had wanted to register for home economics but her father had made her put the business elective as her first choice since he really wanted her to inherit the hotel. As she was curious about the undine girls from Umishiro, Hiyori was thinking about giving the literature club a try. Naturally she would encourage Kiwi to join her.
As for Tarumi, Kurumu had crossed paths with that girl so many times over the last few months that she felt like she knew everything she needed to know about the silly girl. She was outgoing, outspoken and lacked confidence in her looks. She admired Kurumu which made her so easy to be around.
'Do you think Manami still likes me?'
"Where did that come from?"
'She got hurt because of me.'
"Don't worry about that. The town is going to pretend like that was an accident."
"Yea. They won't tell her the truth."
"As if we know the truth."
Kurumu flinched when she heard a beep on her back. At first she thought it was her imagination but the beep sounded again and again. A steady cadence that could be heard over the din of the scooter.
"What is that?"
A shudder coursed down Kurumu's spine.
'Is that my oxygen tank alarm?'
"That tank has an alarm?"
"Father said the tank alarm means she has about a half hour of air left in her tank."
"Really? Are we that close to Umiman?"
Incomprehensible terror gripped Kurumu's heart.
'I have never heard the tank alarm before.'
"You haven't? But we were outside of the hotel for more than three hours several times this week."
That was true. They had almost gone to four hours that time she had visited Tarumi's family.
'Is it my tank?!'
"Calm down, Kurumu. You'll use more air if you panic. Does that tank have an air gauge?"
"I can check."
Kurumu forced her mind to steady which relaxed the water pressure around her. Hiyori drifted out of sight above her, feeling her back and harness for a moment.
"If this is her air level, it should be full."
"Do you know how to read a gauge?"
"I think so. Look at it yourself."
Kurumu shivered as Tarumi also slithered behind her. Her scooter continued to zoom forward into the darkness. Hopefully it was still on the right course.
"Well this can't be right."
'Is it my tank alarm?'
"Yes, Kurumu. It's flashing but the gauge says your air is full."
"That gauge must be broken."
"I thought that equipment room was undamaged. How did the gauge get broken?"
Kurumu immediately suspected someone had deliberately sabotaged her oxygen tank.
"Maybe it broke when you two had your accident in the scavenger's lair?"
"You're right! It's not like Kurumu was outside the hotel for long yesterday."
Kurumu trembled, trying to quiet her fears. Hiyori's explanation sounded reasonable.
'How close are we to Umiman?'
Tarumi zipped in front of her, twirling about.
"I have no idea. But the trip is under four hours. We must be close."
Kurumu clutched the handles of her scooter tightly as they pressed on. She could not think of small talk with this looming threat over her head. She intentionally took short breaths as she counted the beats of her heart. Each passing minute felt like an eternity with no end of the darkness in sight.
"Someone is up ahead."
Tarumi shot out of view, causing Kurumu to shudder. Long seconds passed before she saw Tarumi hastily return with two figures. One was the serpentine form of a naga while the other was a familiar undine.
"Having tank issues, I hear."
Kurumu whimpered about the mouthpiece as Akenuma settled in beside her.
'This is not funny.'
"I know. How much time does she have left?"
"I don't know. Maybe fifteen to twenty minutes."
"Well we're not an hour away from Umiman but we're not that close either."
"I thought you were coming back with a new suit for Ms. Kurono?"
Akenuma snorted at his cousin.
"That old man refused to do anything when I showed him the broken helmet. He wants the rest of his equipment back before he'll even consider helping."
"Any particular reason why you were with Ms. Ranryuu?"
"She happened to see me having lunch at Kairi's Chuubou after my unpleasant chat with Mr. Dorohiki."
"I was planning to come back to Aranami with Tarumi's father but since Tsuneo was around, I decided to head back with him."
"Could you take the scooter from Ms. Kurono? I can swim a lot faster."
Tarumi rolled on her back, keeping ahead of them as Ranryuu slipped beneath Kurumu.
"Can you get her to Umiman in ten minutes?"
"Not a chance. But we can get closer. One of you girls will need to keep up and give her some mouth to mouth when her air runs out. I'll be too busy swimming to do that myself."
Kurumu would have laughed if not for the mouthpiece and the dire circumstances. Feeling the tug on the scooter, she let Ranryuu take it from her.
"If it's any consolation, my father is fine with you staying the weekend. Though I can't promise he will be happy about you showing up today."
Akenuma chuckled, grabbing hold of Kurumu from behind.
"Okay. I'll make this happen."
Undines were way faster than that scooter.
A steady beep demanded her attention. Kurumu groaned as her senses gave up on a nonsensical fever dream. She was resting on a stiff surface with her upper body slightly inclined. A thin fabric was loosely wrapped about her torso with a coarse sheet lying on top. Her right arm was stretched out to her side with something tightly bound about her elbow. Her middle finger was enclosed in a stiff plastic device. Her eyes fluttered open, revealing a white acoustical tile ceiling above her.
Kurumu swallowed thickly, glancing to her right. A steel rack held plastic bags of fluids beside her bed. The small tubes slipped out of sight before coming up the side of the bed, ending at a needle jabbed into her forearm. Gauze held the needle firmly in place while the thing holding her finger was connected to the machine monitoring her pulse.
Her stomach growled. Kurumu whimpered, weakly moving her left hand to caress her empty tummy. She wondered how long she had been out. The last thing she remembered was being pulled fast through the darkness by Akenuma. There had been no moment of panic or choking. She had just blacked out.
Though the room was dark, light filtered in from a window framed in the wall to her left. This room resembled the many hospital rooms she had been in before. There were cabinets and a counter lining the wall on the right. At the end of the counter near the corner was the only door. In the other far corner was an unoccupied armchair with black cushions. A black stool was on her left directly by her bed.
Suspecting this bed would have a button to call the nurse, Kurumu fumbled about with her left hand. She eventually found a device connected to the bed by a cord. She pulled it up into her lap before pressing the red button. She sighed, listening to her stomach grumble.
What a horrible spring break this had been. Kokoa could have warned her about ending up in a hospital. At least she was in Umiman so the threat of death was no longer a strong likelihood. She only had to hold out for a few more days before the bus driver took her back to the safety of Yokai Academy.
As the minutes passed with only her thoughts and a protesting tummy to keep her company, Kurumu began to whimper. She pushed the button three more times in quick succession. She had no idea what time it was but someone had to be on duty.
She had no idea if her enthusiasm had made any difference, but it had only taken a few more seconds before the door opened. The woman entering the room had light blue, shoulder length hair and was sporting a white blouse with a white pleated skirt. Her flats clipped the floor as she strolled over to the machine, holding a clipboard in her hands. She smiled with mint green eyes.
"Looks like you are awake, Ms. Kurono. You gave your friends quite the scare."
Kurumu laughed weakly as the woman made notes on her clipboard.
"I'm starving. What time is it?"
The woman lifted up her thin arm, glancing at a silver watch secured about her wrist.
"Eight thirteen. The kitchen is closed but I can see about getting you something."
"Still Wednesday, right?"
"Yes. Do you need anything else?"
"Where are my friends?"
"I believe most of them have gone home but I can check the lobby. While it isn't visiting hours, I can make an exception if it's just one guest."
"Thank you."
The nurse nodded, retreating to the doorway.
"I'll also get you some water. Be back soon."
Kurumu sighed, absently stroking her abdomen through the course blanket. Wednesday night. In her haste to leave Aranami, she had not eaten anything. Her last 'meal' had been stale snacks about twenty seven hours ago. She hoped that the nurse brought something of substance.
Monday afternoon felt so far away. Once she was back in Mononoke, she would help Tsukune throw a birthday party for his mother on Tuesday. Next Wednesday she would be in Disneyland while Thursday was her trip to Agano with Yukari. She was going to visit Sakamori Hinoko.
Sakamori was a shojo whom had been in Kurumu's home economics class up until Sports Day in October. Her mother had taken her out of Yokai Academy due to Sakamori having poor mental health after being raped by the men whom had robbed the Mononoke bank over summer break. Kurumu had tried to 'fix' Sakamori by making her forget the kidnapping after Sakamori had tried to kill herself. In a letter Kurumu had received earlier this month, it seemed her efforts had failed since Sakamori had made a second attempt. The shojo was now staying in a facility in Agano that had twenty four hour supervision.
Agano was home to Hisoshi High, a rival school that might take away Yokai Acacemy's prefectural status. From conversations over the last few months, Kurumu had picked up that Agano also had a junior high, hospital and a main Fairy Tale office. Sakamori was being held in the prison since the hospital was not capable of preventing suicide attempts.
She had no idea how much time had passed before she heard the knock on the door. She glanced as the door was pushed open. The nurse strolled in with a tray in her hands and a smile on her face.
"You have a visitor."
Kurumu managed a grin as Tarumi slipped into the room. The undine was garbed in the same bikini she had worn for days. She was in her human form with her braided indigo bangs almost obscuring her peridot eyes. Kurumu weakly waved with her left hand as the nurse carried the tray over to her bed.
"Hey, Tarumi."
"Hey, Kurumu. I'm glad that you're finally awake."
Kurumu chuckled softly as the tray was placed in her lap. She glanced at the meal, noting it was a white ceramic bowl of steaming rice porridge with a white ceramic tumbler filled with water. A thick plastic spoon rested on the tray beside the bowl.
"Will I get seconds?"
The nurse chuckled, pushing the button to elevate Kurumu's upper torso higher.
"I will consider that if you can finish this."
Kurumu sighed, reaching for the spoon. She flinched as a sharp pain coursed up her right arm. Deciding it was not worth the trouble, she grabbed the utensil with her left hand instead.
"I must have passed out before any kissing happened."
Tarumi giggled nervously, moving over to the stool. She tugged the seat back before clambering up on top of it. As Kurumu struggled to fill her spoon with porridge, Tarumi folded her hands in her lap.
"Hiyori and I took turns but we had no idea if it was working or not. We were so scared."
"You girls did well. Ms. Kurono most likely would have died without your efforts."
Kurumu blew across the steaming spoon as the nurse fiddled with the plastic bags on the rack.
"I'm glad they were with me."
Kurumu stuffed her mouth, shivering when the hot mixture touched her tongue and the top of her mouth. She withdrew the spoon, gasping out steam. Her stomach groaned in anticipation.
"We got you here as quickly as we could. I'm sorry we couldn't do better."
Kurumu bravely swallowed down the thick mixture. She barely registered the taste as it crawled down her throat. She scooped up another dollop of porridge.
"I'm going to head out now. Push the button if you need anything else."
Kurumu hesitated from having her second spoonful, watching the nurse retreat to the door.
"Do I have to spend the night here?"
"Yes, Ms. Kurono. A doctor has to clear you before we let you go. I'm sure that he'll check up on you first thing in the morning."
Kurumu whimpered, hating the idea of spending a night in the hospital.
"Can Tarumi stay with me?"
"If she wants to. I can bring a blanket."
"That would be cool."
"Then I'll have one when I come back. Let me know when you are done with your meal."
Kurumu would hardly call this a meal but said nothing as the woman exited the room. Blowing on the next spoonful, Kurumu stuffed it into her mouth. Either it was not as hot or her mouth was too scalded to notice. If it had taste, it was too faint to matter. At least it felt good to swallow.
"We brought you straight here. You were so blue. The guards thought we had brought back a corpse."
Kurumu grimaced as she fished another spoonful out of the bowl.
"Did the others go home?"
"I think so. I was up here until they kicked me out. I had a late dinner with Ms. Ranryuu and her father before coming back here."
Kurumu swallowed down another mouthful. Her belly felt warm as it processed this gruel. Taking a deep breath, she awkwardly wielded the spoon to scrape up more of this white paste.
"Hiyori?"
"She went to visit Shiraike. I'm assuming she was allowed to stay since she was not with Ms. Ranryuu."
Kurumu nodded, taking in another spoonful. She was convinced that there was nothing wrong with her sense of taste. This stuff was just bland. Kurumu swallowed it down.
"You would think she would at least tell you that she was okay."
Tarumi laughed softly.
"To be fair, I didn't think about asking. She'll probably be here tomorrow morning."
Kurumu sighed, gathering up another spoonful.
"Yea. What about Akenuma?"
"He returned your scooter and oxygen tank to the scuba gear place. I don't get the impression that went over well since he was mad when he came back here. He went back to Aranami to see if his uncle could do something about getting you a refund."
Kurumu sounded out an acknowledgment after swallowing down more porridge. She absently scraped about the bowl with the spoon, figuring she only had about two or three servings left. Despite doubting that would sate her stomach, Kurumu was reluctant to ask for another bowl.
"It would be nice if I got some money back."
"Maybe you should talk to the owner. He might be more agreeable with you."
Kurumu stuffed her mouth, leaving the spoon against her tongue for a long moment. She did feel it was unfair that she should pay for a ten day rental that only lasted five. It was not like it was her fault that it got broken even if it had been a genuine accident.
"I guess we can try when they let me out of here."
Tarumi grinned, leaning forward. That posture with that bikini might have been provocative if the undine had a bosom to boast about.
"It's not like we have much else to do. In the least he should give you different gear."
Kurumu frowned, scraping out the last remnants of porridge from the bowl.
"For what?"
"To visit Umiman! You've only seen topside. There is so much more to this city."
Kurumu grimaced, putting the last serving into her mouth. She wondered how the underwater portion of Umiman would be any different than Aranami. Withdrawing the clean spoon, she swallowed.
"I guess we have to pass the time somehow."
Tarumi sat up straight with a cheerful grin.
"Exactly. You won't regret this."
Kurumu withheld the urge to inform Tarumi that she already did in regards to most of this trip. She had no hopes that she would have any fond memories about this trip in the future.
