To Turn Back Time

The First Obstacle

Coco stood in front of one of the heftiest gates she had ever seen. In one hand was an oversized, black bag. The other was clenched in a fist. A blue pack was strapped to her back. A cool sensation drifted through her stomach as she gazed at the top of the gate. The corner of her lip drifted up and she huffed a laugh, shaking her head.

"Finally," She breathed. "Almost there."

A gentle breeze drifted through her hair and she brushed a hand against the wall. A tingling sensation rippled through her body. She shivered, rubbing her arm as she stepped back away from the gate.

Coco dumped her bags in the grass and rolled her head, sighing. She began pacing in a circle while rubbing her shoulders. With a vigorous shake, she began jogging in place and rolled her wrists. She made a few short laps, before slowing to a halt and turning to face the gate once more.

"Coco?" Aisha's soft voice cut into her thoughts, "Can...can we please talk?"

"Why?" Coco closed her eyes, gently rubbing her hands together. She carefully shifted her weight back and forth, pushing her heels into the dirt. "We–"

"What are you waiting for?" Before Coco could finish her sentence, a third voice entered their conversation. Kalluto strode out from behind a tree that Coco swore hadn't been there before. A cloth-wrapped, lifeless form lay limp in arms. "You don't have long."

Coco clapped a hand across her chest and her heart jumped into her throat. She groaned, rolling her eyes, "First off, please stop doing that. I actually need a working heart to be able to do this. Second, I haven't had to do something like this in months, give me a minute."

Kalluto blinked, "You have twenty-four hours to get this done before her body decays beyond use." Kalluto kneeled down, gently setting Aisha's blanket-wrapped body inside the black bag.

"Yeah, yeah," Coco waved him away, "I got it." She turned to face the gate once more. She settled her hands on her hips, tilting her head back and forth. "You know I can't guarantee this is actually going to work, right?"

"It will." He straightened up, turning towards her, "It has to."

Coco shrugged, "Whatever you say. You have no promises from me."

He nodded stiffly before turning on his heel and disappearing into the thicket. Coco watched him go, arms folded over her chest as a long sigh escaped her chest.

"Coco..."

"Shut it, I have to concentrate." She threw the pack onto her back and set the black bag right in front of her feet.

Coco pressed her hands against the cold, thick stone, exhaling slowly. She shifted her feet, placing one behind and one in front. She flexed her fingers forward and back, a warm, prickling feeling flooding through her muscles. With a deep breath, she began to push.

She gritted her teeth and squeezed her eyes shut. Her good leg dug into the dirt, making tiny craters beneath her shoes. Her hands scrambled against the cold stone as she panted and pushed. Sweat dripped down her forehead and her back, soaking into her shirt.

After what felt like an hour, the gate groaned and creaked before sliding open. With as much speed as she could muster, she snatched the body bag and darted through the gate before it slammed shut behind her. She dropped her belongings once more and plopped herself down, panting.

"How...how did you do that?" Aisha's voice was laced with shock.

"I pushed it." Coco wheezed, leaning her head back against the cold stone.

"But...but it weighs at least a few tons! There's no way you could do that without help. You...how did you use Nen?"

Coco sighed, pushing herself to her feet. "I trained for a ridiculously long time like everyone else does. I don't know, what kind of question is that?"