A Fox's Whisper

20: |几卂尺|

Whoever decided breathing was necessary for life and allowed it to be one of the most painful things in the world at times is a fool.
When I opened my eyes after what felt like an eternity, my first realization was that I couldn't breathe. It felt like someone was shoving a red hot sword down my throat. My chest felt tight and constricted.

"Inari? Are you alright?" Someone asked.

No, I wanted to say. I can't exhale. But my lips wouldn't form the words.

I tried sitting up. I tried moving my hands. But I couldn't. I was frozen in place, and it only made me more panicked. I wanted to say something, anything, but someone may as well have been holding my jaw shut. A sickly rattle started settling in my lungs, aching with every attempted breath I made.
My head started going fuzzy, and the phantom feeling of the ocean trying to pull me down to its murky depths caused me to try and breathe harder. My sight started to swirl and spin, black spots swimming before me. My hearing faded in and out. Snatches of voices and phrases I couldn't understand punctuated the suffocating darkness I was sinking into.

Then someone pressed down on my chest. Hard. I started choking, coughing up seawater. I was wide awake now, rolling onto my side as I gulped down oxygen. My esophagus burned from the effort and all I could taste and smell was salt and brine. My hair clung to the back of my neck and forehead in damp strands. My clothing and skin felt stiff and sticky with salt.

"Oh, she's alive!" Haru exclaimed. I believe he meant to sound relieved, but it came off as far too forced to be genuine.

"Finally," Sora grumbled. "I swear if Kazuha turned any paler at the way you were breathing, Fox Girl, he would've looked like a yurei."

I pushed myself up, blinking as my eyes adjusted to the light. I was back on the boat. We were docked at a small wharf off of the island. The storm was gone the clouds parting to reveal a sky so faded it looked white.

Kazuha sat cross-legged beside me, and he was smiling gently like all was right with the world, which it certainly didn't seem to me because I was thoroughly sick and tired of almost dying.
"Are you alright?" He asked after I'd caught my breath, ignoring the comments made by the other two.

I gave a one-armed shrug, realizing too late that it was a mistake. I winced and grimaced at how much it hurt. "I've been better," I muttered. "How'd we get here?" My voice sounded gravelly and unnatural to my ears.

"Well, we were stranded in the shoals for a while. But Kenji came back for us," he explained.

"You're lucky you didn't drown," Legion said. "You behaved like a fool, Kaedehara Kazuha."

Kazuha's pleasant smile wasn't deterred. "It was well worth it. And look. We've finally made it to Narukami Island. Granted it took much longer than expected, but here we are."

I didn't share much of his joy. I couldn't until we made it to the Shrine. I'd be able to breathe easier there, knowing that I'd finally learn the kitsune's fate at last. As it were, we weren't at the Shrine, the chances of Dorobo killing me only growing with every passing second.

"So when are we leaving?" Sora wondered. "How soon till you're upright and normal, Fox Girl?"

"Geez, Sora, give her a minute!" Haru said. "Does Inari really look like she's up to walking?"

Sora arched an eyebrow, adjusting her grip on her bow. How she'd managed to keep it throughout the storm was a mystery. That reminded me. My kitsune mask. I hardly dared to look down. What if the sea had claimed it?? My fingers inched towards my waist. I breathed a sigh of relief as I felt the cool clay of the mask at my side. I still had it.