~~~Episode Fifteen~~~
The group slept silently in Zeph's dugout. Yuri was curled up on a guest bed, and Haku lay on a couch, fast asleep. Suddenly, a light clicked on. Zeph smiled, walking to the center of the room,
"Wake up you lazy snowpiles! We've got to get moving!"
Yuri yawned, rubbing her eyes.
"Wha? What time is it..." she mumbled, still tired. Haku glared at Zeph, "You better have a damn good reason for waking me up." he said. Zeph shook his head, "You two are worse than children...come on, we've got to get moving. From what I've learned, the Dark Beasts are already making their way down into the tunnels. We need to get out of here before they pick up your scents."
That info had gotten Haku and Yuri moving, and soon they were running along a dark back tunnel, Zeph leading the way with a lantern in hand, the blue flame casting eerie shadows onto the walls.
"It'll be a while before we reach the castle, so we can slow down now. Running the entire way would just exhaust us."
Zeph said as he slowed his pace.
Haku and Yuri slowed as well with no complaint. Yuri looked ahead, her eyes finally adjusting to the darkness.
"Will the Dark Beasts track us still?" she asked. Zeph nodded,
"Definetly. If they're given a mission, they complete it at any costs."
Zeph looked ahead,
"But if we keep moving, we'll probably reach the castle before we run into any of them. I'll just take us through all the back tunnels."
"Great, I've always wanted to be a prarie dog." Haku muttered.
Zeph blinked,
"A what?"
"Its a furry little rodent thats usually chubby and cute!" Yuri said. Zeph shrugged,
"We dont have any of those here." he said. Haku shook his head,
"Dont try explaining it Yuri, it'll be useless."
It had been almost 5 hours, and Yuri's eyes were narrowed. She was tired, and the constant dark had dampened her usual happy attitude. Even Haku seemed to be less...Haku-ish. A sudden howl caught their attention, and they turned. A dark figure stepped out into the tunnel, its tail flickering. Haku had his katana unsheathed with one swift movement, glaring.
"They found us." he said as several more Dark Beasts appeared beside the first. Yuri and Zeph tensed as well, Zeph lowering the lantern.
"We've got to take them out, and fast."
Zeph said.
There was an silent pause as the two groups faced one another, and then the Dark Beats ran forward, ears pinned back against their black heads.
"Go!" Zeph said. Haku and Yuri jumped to the side as Zeph lashed forward with his whip, cracking it against one of the Dark Beasts. As the whip hit the ground, a sparkle of ice spread, catching and holding one of the beasts to the ground. Haku ran forward, cutting into it with his katana angrily and killing it, the creature dissapearing in a cloud of black smoke. Yuri stepped back a little as a Dark Beast locked onto her, and she thrusted her hands forward, "Firaga!" she yelled. All the Dark Beasts turned, shrieking in anger at the flames as it engulfed on of the heartless. Zeph was staring at Yuri,
"You...you use the forbidden element..." he said, a mixture of awe and fear on his face. Haku ran up beside Yuri,
"Make a fire wall! Those things hate the flames!" he said. Yuri nodded,
"Firaga Wall!" she yelled, casting the flames up into a burning wall that blocked off the hall.
"Lets go!" Haku said, snapping Zeph out of his stunned stance. Zeph nodded, quickly running onward with Yuri and Haku close behind.
Once they got far enough away, Zeph turned on Yuri.
"You can use the forbidden element?! No wonder Giox wants you!" he said.
Haku blinked, "Forbidden element? You cant be talking about fire-"
"Of course I'm talking about fire! Its an element that isn't here! It dissapeared long ago along with the beauty of this world, and no a soul has been able to wield its power."
Yuri looked at her hands,
"Wow, and fires always been my favorite to use. I have a real knack for it."
"Thats good. The Dark Beasts -as you saw- are terrified of fire...that should come in great use."
Zeph sighed,
"Geez, that freaked me out when I felt that warmth." he said. Haku suddenly looked ahead,
"Hey, what the heck is that thing?" he asked, motioning ahead. Zeph and Yuri turned, and Zeph smiled.
"Wow, we're already here." he said
"Here?" Yuri asked.
Zeph nodded,
"This is the gate Giox put up to keep us peasants out of the castle. But..." he looked at Yuri,
"I bet you can open this thing with a flame or two."
Community Member