The Red Bridge

9: Mission Successfully Failed?...

  Itsuki had to fight to stay awake. The gentle swaying of Chikao's steps were tempting him to close his eyes every second. That, and it was so quiet...
  The still far off city was loud and boisterous, it's crazy sounds carrying far out into the desert. Those sounds were soft from this far away, like laces brushing against each other in the trees.
  "Let me walk," Itsuki whispered, "I won't be able to keep my eyes open for much longer like this."
  Chikao set him down, "just keep up."
  Itsuki nodded, rubbing at his eyes with his free hand. "How much longer do you think it will be?..."
  Chikao looked ahead, "maybe a few hours at the pace we're going."
  "How injured is he?" Hiroto called over his shoulder.
  "It's not so much my injury that's bothering me," Itsuki explained, "I'm just exhausted at this point."
  "Then you can sleep for a long as you want when we get there!" Hiroto clapped his hands together.
  "Don't you think it's taking a bit too long?" Lady Koharu sighed. "I ought to do something about it." She crouched down and held her hand out, "I'll just carry you all. It's a pain to take a step and wait for you to catch up with me."
  "My lady's generosity knows no bounds!" Hiroto helped Tontie up as Chikao and Itsuki stepped onto her palm.
  "It must be so inconvenient to be so small!" Koharu chuckled as she began walking.
  "Not that much," Hiroto shook his head, "it makes hiding easier, for one."
  "Ah, I see. And I suppose you eat a lot less, too," she nodded to herself. "But being big let's me get anywhere I want as quickly as I want. I wouldn't want to trade places."
  "I just hope there will be lodging big enough for you, My Lady."
  Koharu sighed, "if not I guess I could make myself smaller... but only for a few days at most."
  It was a matter of minutes before Koharu was standing at the edge of the bustling city, which had paved, stone walkways. She crouched down and let everyone step off of her hand, "I'll have a look around outside while you find a place to stay. Won't my little samurai accompany me?"
  Tontie grew to his beastly size and grunted happily.
  Hiroto took a nervous breadth in, "alright... just be careful..."
  Lady Koharu wasn't listening, she was giddily looking in at the city from above.
  "Ah, well, let's be quick, shall we? Your..." Hiroto stared at Itsuki for a long moment, not sure what to call him. "Uh, sorry, are you a retainer as well?"
  "Uh, sort of," Itsuki had no idea what he qualified as at this point. He'd been called a host, a bride, a bother... All he knew for sure was that he was tired.
  "Well, either way, you need rest, yes? So I'll get you two settled and go back for My Lady and your Aardvark. How does that sound?"
  "It sounds like a solid plan to me," Chikao inclined his head.
  "Great! Then let's get going!" He turned on his heels and led the way.
  The city was bustling with monsters and spirits of all shapes and sizes. There were beasts shouting from stalls, selling their goods for outrageous prices.
  Itsuki had never been anywhere quite this busy before. He stuck close to Chikao even though he knew the veil would keep him unnoticed. Most of the walk was a blur of bright lights and colors shifting around, along with a strangely sweet smell in the air. It was floral, but it wasn't familiar to Itsuki...
  Itsuki also stuck closely to Chikao because many of these spiritual beings were frightening to look at. Large, burly beats with sharp teeth, along with lithe, lanky creatures with sharp nails mixed and mingled about the crowd. Chikao had even tried to shake Itsuki off because of how tightly he was clinging to him.
  "There's nothing to be afraid of, they can't even see you," Chikao muttered angrily.
  Itsuki nodded, but he walked very closely to Chikao, still.
  Then the Kitsune stopped, so Itsuki stopped too. The human looked up to find himself standing in front of a very, very tall building. It looked like it could be a palace from how extravagant it was. Though, Itsuki had never actually seen one...
  Hiroto was shaking hands with a... Itsuki blinked a few times to make sure he wasn't seeing things. Hiroto seemed to be shaking hands with a Kappa, a turtle-like humanoid creature.
  Hiroto pulled a pouch from his sleeve and handed the Kappa several shining coins. The Kappa gladly excepted, handing Hiroto two wooden slabs in return.
  Hiroto turned to his company and held out one of the slabs, "I'll go find my Lady and the Aardvark, here's the key to your room."
  Chikao turned it over to inspect it. Then he shrugged, "alright." On the wooden slab was a symbol for the number 998.
  "I'll be back soon. Be safe," Hiroto inclined his head before hurrying off.
  Chikao looked at the large, imposing doors. "I almost feel bad for wanting to sneak out," then he pushed the doors open and stepped inside.
  It was much darker inside, the lighting red and moody. The lanterns were decorated with red flowers to match the rug that ran down the halls.
  Chikao sniffed the air and muttered to himself, "interesting..."
  Itsuki wanted to ask what that was about, but there were a few spirits milling about in the lobby.
  Chikao pulled Itsuki across the room to doors Itsuki hadn't even noticed. Above the doors was a placard that read in messy writing "Lift".
  Chikao slid the door open to reveal a woman standing to one side of the box-shaped room.
  Her eyes narrowed from above the fan she held in front of her face. "What floor?" She wore a red kimono, which also matched the lanterns and carpet. It was aesthetically pleasing, but also somewhat eerie. What added to her creepiness was that she was somewhat transparent.
  Chikao showed her the "key" with their room number as he stepped in. The doors slid closed behind them a little too quickly.
  She giggled to herself, but didn't say anything outright. Then she took a step back to reveal a vent in the floor. She lifted her fan up and harshly swung it down, pushing a large gust of air into the vent.
  The lift began slowly moving upwards, which was a little confusing to Itsuki. The woman turned to face them, stepping back over the vent and covering her face once more. "How long is your stay?" Her voice made it sound like she was ever so interested in them, but neither Chikao nor Itsuki could read her eyes at all.
  "Just tonight," Chikao answered. He really wished he could fold his arms.
  Itsuki shifted his weight nervously. He'd never heard about rooms being able to move like this. But it was certainly better than walking up a ton of stairs to get to room 998.
  "Well, enjoy your stay," she inclined her head with a short giggle. Then the doors slid open once more.
  Chikao quickly stepped out, pulling Itsuki along again. Across from the lift was room 961. Itsuki looked back at the lift to find the doors closed. There was no way they got so high up that quickly...
  "Don't think about it too much. Magic isn't going to make sense no matter how hard you try to rationalize it," Chikao headed down the hallway to the right where the numbers on the doors increased.
  Itsuki shook his head and forced his legs to move again. The doors were quite a bit far apart, making Itsuki wonder just how spacious the rooms were.
  Itsuki started to feel like he was in some sort of trance as they walked down the red hallway. He got more and more tired with every step, feeling like he was going to collapse the farther he went.
  Then Chikao stopped walking. Itsuki almost fell forward and probably would have if Chikao weren't holding his hand. The Kitsune turned to face the door with the number 998 painted onto it. He held up the wooden slab called a "key" to the door so the identical numbers faced each other.
  Both sets of numbers glowed red faintly and then the door slowly slid open. Chikao put the key into his sleeve and pulled Itsuki inside the room.
  This room was also lit with red lights, but felt much more welcoming than the hallways or the lift. Itsuki felt relieved, like he was safe at last.
  Chikao turned and closed the door, "we don't know how long Hiroto will be, but we need Tontie in order to find Yumiko Ran." He tucked away the "key" in his sleeves.
  Itsuki nodded, "yeah... Why do you hate her so much?... I mean, I understand that she sealed you away-"
  Chikao sighed loudly, "because she *wrongfully* sealed me away. She's a liar and a rotten old woman. She'll say whatever she wants to paint me as the villain but she started it!"
  Itsuki hesitated before asking quietly, "started what?..." He looked around the room, feeling just a bit more awake.
  "I may have been an upset child, but she's the one who hurt innocent people." Chikao folded his arms, forcing Itsuki to hold onto his sleeve instead.
  The human was a bit surprised, but not really. He didn't think Chikao would do something horrible without reason... Then again, he did eat that exorcist the moment he woke up...
  That reminded him...
  "Oh. LItsuki's eyes widened.
  "Oh? Oh what?" Chikao sneered. "Have something smart to say? Was I wrong to try and harm a murderer?"
  Itsuki shook his head, "no, not that. I just remembered something. The other day Nori wanted to know your opinion on me and you had said that you already told me."
  Chikao's expression changed instantly. His ears shifted backwards and he looked surprised. Then he went back to drowning, "It's about time. It took you this long to remember?" He scoffed, "humans are so-"
  "You said I was cute," Itsuki finished.
  Chikao rolled his eyes, "and? Did you really have to interrupt me?"
  Itsuki paused, "no. But I didn't want to hear you talking about how much you hate humans again. It's starting to get old."
  Chikao grimaced, "think whatever you want, my stance on the matter won't change."
  "It's just... that's such an odd thing to say when you first meet someone. You were threatening to take my life and then-"
  "Does it really matter?" Chikao walked farther into the room dragging Itsuki with him as he started inspecting the surroundings. "I'm the only thing keeping you alive right now, shouldn't you be a little nicer to me?"
  "I wasn't being mean..." Itsuki's brows came together.
  "Speaking of your life, you should sleep while you can. Once Hiroto returns Tontie to us, I plan on escaping and continuing on."
  Itsuki had to agree. Sleeping sounded so nice. But then he had to voice his concerns, "is it really okay? If I'm sleeping then you can't do anything, either."
  Chikao frowned, "must you rebel against what you need? I've noticed humans love to deprive themselves of necessities. And I thought you were one of the better ones."
  Itsuki shut his mouth. He didn't know what to say, or why Chikao seemed so irritated right now. Itsuki felt incredibly safe and relaxed in this room... did the ambiance have the opposite effect on Chikao?
  Chikao grimaced and pointed at the bed, "go to sleep. I've got my own thinking to do."
  Itsuki sat down, "about?"
  "Ugh, you are so nosy," Chikao sat beside him and crossed his legs, "if you really must know, I'm going to be thinking about how I'm going to rip Yumiko Ran to pieces."
  Itsuki didn't believe him and he shook his head. "Okay, okay, I'll leave you alone..." he laid down, keeping his hand clasped around Chikao's sleeve.
  Chikao sighed quietly as he folded his legs and closed eyes, "get as much rest as you can. We may be close to her, but who knows what she may throw at us."
  Itsuki nodded, letting his eyes fall and allowing himself to let go of everything.
  As he did, he began to drift off into dreamland...
  He dreamt of walking through hell alongside Chikao, except they weren't holding hands and Tontie was not with them.
  They stopped before a towering building that looked like a palace.
  "This is where Yumiko Ran lives?" Itsuki asked, looking up at Chikao, "I didn't think she was royalty... Isn't she just a priestess?"
  Chikao chuckled dubiously, "Yumiko Ran doesn't live here. I do." He spoke like the main villain in a children's story; with a condescending tone and an evil smile.
  Itsuki gasped, taking a step back, "what???"
  Chikao laughed, seizing his arm and pulling him inside the large double doors. "Did you really think I kept you around because I needed your help?!"
  "I- but I thought we were friends?!" Itsuki was fighting against his grip and failing miserably. His arm were like wet noodles, all his muscle mass gone!
  The Kitsune laughed again with a wicked and sadist smile across his lips. "I've been waiting to eat you from the start! You humans really are stupid! All it takes is a few kind words and a little dependency, then you are ever so trusting!"
  Chikao rushed Itsuki down hallways and up stairs, the human fighting against him to no avail the whole way.
  "Now!" Chikao dramatically threw open another set of doors, leading to a dining room filled with starving beasts from hell. "WE FEAST!!!"
  "Wait!!!" Itsuki shrieked. "Wait! But we're friends! We've been through so much together! Does that mean nothing to you?!"
  Chikao didn't even hesitate as he dragged Itsuki to the set table, his claws digging irl his arm. "Friends?! You think a powerful being like me would make friends with the likes of you?! A stupid, human, farm boy?! HAH! As if! All we Kitsune use humans for is food!"
  Then Chikao lifted Itsuki by his clothes and threw him onto the table. "This is the only way humans and spirits interact! *This* is the reality of the world we live in, Itsuki!"
  Chikao held his hand up, his sharp nails glistening in the firelight. The beasts in the room gnashed their teeth and clamored to the table, all grabbing onto Itsuki and holding him down.
  Chikao plunged his claws into Itsuki's guts, causing him to scream in agony.
  Then the rest of the hosts ripped and tore at Itsuki's flesh, eating their fill as the human breathed his final breaths.
  "Do you see the truth now?" Chikao chuckled sweetly, blood smeared across his face and hands. "This is how things are."
  "It doesn't have to be..." Itsuki's eyes closed for the final time.
——————
  Chikao used his quiet time to think of the best way to go about traveling through the city. It was nearing the nighttime hours, so that meant the streets would be just as lively and twice as sickening. The city would probably be littered with certain women hunting for clients, along with considerably more air pollution.
  Chikao's nose already hurt from the sickeningly sweet scent of dugs on their short walk earlier. Thankfully, their lodging was relatively clean of that smell. And it was a bit of a surprise to find Hiroto probably hadn't been scammed. The room was nice and the bed was comfortable. Though, Chikao didn't know how much Hiroto paid for it anyways.
  Itsuki shouldn't be a problem while going through the city. He had the veil and he had been good at being quiet so far. Tontie was the real issue. He liked to run ahead, and he was very obviously not dead. That was going to draw a lot of attention, which was going to make their travel time a lot longer than needed.
  Chikao thought long and hard about what sort of magic he might be able to use to make this any easier.
  Maybe if he could make Tontie look or smell dead, like he could do to himself.
  Then his mind brought something completely off topic to the front of his thoughts. He remembered when he, Itsuki, and Nori were experimenting on the bridge. How the rope had been sliced in half when the seal kept Chikao on the property.
  If that's how it worked how come Itsuki was able to hold onto Chikao's clothes without the Kitsune getting sent back?...
  Chikao looked down at Itsuki. The human was sleeping peacefully on his side, his right hand closed around Chikao's sleeve. The veil wasn't even covering his face and looked quite silly. Chikao certainly didn't want to try anything, in case it didn't work. Then everything would get so much worse. Well, for Itsuki, anyways...
  Chikao would just be back at Itsuki's house with nothing to do.
  Actually, Nori might try to kill him and that would be mildly entertaining for a while. But Chiasa would probably be upset as well... Chikao didn't really want to have to deal with the wrath of two women.
  The Kitsune sighed, taking to focusing on Yumiko Ran's presence.
  At the moment, she felt close by. Much closer than she had felt when they were at the edges of the city. On their walk Chikao noticed that there were quite a lot of people funneling towards the middle of the city, he wondered just what was so interesting. Then he frowned, thinking that maybe Yumiko Ran was causing a scene. The last thing he wanted was a bunch of random hell inhabitants knowing he was stuck to some commoner's house like some low level spirit.
  It was a few hours before Chikao was broken from his thoughts, which were mostly plans on how to avoid problems while outside.
  There was a quiet knock at the door.
  Chikao gently shook Itsuki's arm, "I think they're back."
  Itsuki sat up and nodded. The two of them stood up and headed to the door.
  Chikao paused before slowly opening it. There was a chance it could be something else...
  There was Hiroto and behind him a human-sized Lady Koharu with Tontie in her arms.
  Koharu kissed Tontie on the head before holding him out, "be a good boy for me!"
  Tontie grunted happily at the sight of his closest companions. He jumped out of Koharu's arms and started rubbing himself against Chikao and Itsuki's legs.
  "Sorry to wake you, and for making you wait so long," Hiroto inclined his head, "my Lady had wandered off, ahaha..."
  Itsuki shook his head, "no worries."
  "Then, we will see you in the morning," Hiroto and Koharu entered into room 999.
  Chikao pulled Itsuki and Tontie back into their room and closed the door. "I want to check something." He headed across the room and peered out the window.
  Then the Kitsune frowned, "of course..." He had been right. He could even see the clouds of who-knows-what-kinds of intoxicated and drugged air that was hanging around the city. From this high up Chikao could tell that the clouds stretched for quite a ways.
  He shook his head, "we'll have to make quick work of this."
  "Why?" Itsuki asked, "won't the veil protect me from it?"
  "Yes, but I don't have enough spiritual power to keep Tontie and I from being affected." He pointed at the animal and a thin line of string wrapped around Tontie's abdomen, the other end wrapping around Chikao's wrist. "I know Yumiko Ran can't be much farther away, she feels close."
  Tontie's ears perked up at hearing his master's name. Then he laid down, grunting softly and in a depressed way.
  "Tontie is alive, right? Then shouldn't he need rest, too?" Itsuki asked.
  Chikao grit his teeth, "we don't have time for this. We have to get moving." He turned and started pulling everyone out of the room.
  After closing the door he stopped in front of room 999 and put the "key" to 998 in front of the door.
  "Shouldn't we leave a note, at least? I feel a little bad for them..." Itsuki said.
  "Don't. If they're down here there must be a reason for it. Now, stop talking before we get into any more trouble," he started down the red hallway once more.
  Tontie grunted quietly, sniffing around nervously. Itsuki as glad he wasn't the only one anxious about this. They were about to step into an oasis city teeming with dead people, monsters, and other malicious spirits.
  Chikao pulled his group to the lift quickly. "Tontie, try to be quiet so we don't get stopped on our way," he flicked his wrist and the chord connecting him to the animal shimmered. Then Tontie shivered and he suddenly looked less... alive...
  Itsuki wasn't sure why, but Tontie definitely didn't seem as alive as he did a second ago. Maybe his eyes were a little less bright... mayhe his grey-ish skin was more... grey?
  "I'll change myself once we get outside," Chikao said quietly, "I have a feeling we'll see a familiar face on the way down..."
  As the group stepped up to the lift doors, they slid open unprompted.
  Standing in the lift was the same red-clad woman from before. She still held her fan in front of her mouth, her eyes curved into delighted crescents.
  "Going out this late at night," she giggled, "I certainly hope our venerable guests aren't looking for trouble,"
  Chikao scoffed as he pulled Itsuki and Tontie inside. Then the doors slid closed on their own again. "Just take us to the bottom floor."
  She giggled, "of course." Then she used her fan to blow air upwards and into a vent above her head. The lift started to move just as smoothly as before.
  "But if you *are* looking for trouble, I could recommend a few places," she giggled once more.
Chikao scoffed, holding onto Itsuki tighter. The human put his free hand over their clasped hands, trying to tell Chikao to calm down. This really wasn't worth getting worked up over.
  The the lift doors opened back out into the lobby. Chikao was quick to get everyone out.
  "Enjoy your evening~" the woman laughed as the doors closed behind the men and their aardvark.
  Chikao growled under his breath as they all started walking towards the front doors.
  Outside was an absolute mess of noise. Vendors yelling out deals, spirits bartering prices, and others getting into arguments.
  None of this helped Chikao's already sour mood. His form shimmered and his tails and ears went away, making him look like any other humanoid spirit around. Except he looked a lot better than them. "Stay close," he said through his teeth as he started pulling his baggage through the crowds.
  The night air was crisp and there was a gentle breeze going around. It was a much welcome feeling, compared to the previous heat in the desert.
  Tontie was quick to take the lead, sniffing around happily. He seemed to be used to this environment. There were even a few spirits he wandered towards, perhaps familiar faces to him.
  Then, after just a few minutes of weaving through the crowd, Chikao started to get restless. He kept looking around angrily, as if waiting for someone to try and pick a fight with him.
  Itsuki was about to ask what was wrong, but then remembered he wasn't supposed to speak. He squeezed Chikao's hand, instead.
  "We're getting closer," the Kitsune said. "Up ahead is the middle of the oasis, she's bound to be around there based on how close she feels."
  Tontie sniffed the air dramatically and turned to the right excitedly. He started waking faster, pulling the other along with him.
  He almost crashed into several spirits, then Chikao growled at him to slow down and watch where he was going. Then the Kitsune coughed into his arm, seemingly choking on nothing for a moment. He waved the air around his face, "disgusting."
  Itsuki remembered how Chikao said he wouldn't be protected from whatever was polluting the air. He hoped Chikao could hold out until they found Yumiko Ran... and he hoped she wouldn't make it worse, too...
  Then Itsuki's ears filled with the sounds of giggling. He couldn't tell where it was coming from, but it sounded like several people were thoroughly enjoying a good laugh.
  Chikao continued to grumble as they went along. "Don't listen to anything anyone says. Some spirits can bewitch you just by speaking."
  But Itsuki couldn't help but hear everything, when everyone was yelling so loudly.
  Tontie continued onward diligently, sniffing the ground as he went.
  Chikao only got more and more restless and aggravated. The littlest things added to his anger. And with every one of those little things—someone laughing too loudly, someone stumbling about, etc. etc.—he held onto Itsuki and the rope around Tontie tighter and tighter.
  Itsuki held onto Chikao with both hands, trying to pry his fingers off so he wouldn't be hurting him so much.
  Chikao grumbled and growled at him, absolutely refusing to loosen his grip. He seethed, "we're so close..."
  Was Chikao in pain, too?...
  "Tontie?! Tontie!!!" A familiar female voice rang out. But not a good familiar. This was not Yumiko Ran's voice.
  Itsuki's blood instantly went cold and Chikao's hair stood on end. The Kitsune's appearance changed again, shimmering into his more plain looking disguise.
  Tontie excitedly pulled them over to a woman with outstretched arms. Three sets of outstretched arms and ripped, dangling red sleeves from her robes. Six of her eight eyes were closed slits as she wrapped her appendages around Tontie.
  "Oh, it's been forever since I've seen you or Mama Ran!" The previous spider queen pet him lovingly, "you aren't causing her any trouble are you? You need to stop wandering off on your own, you know!"
  Tontie licked her hands dramatically, grunting happily.
  Then the queen noticed the rope around him and followed it with her eyes to the men on the other side.
  Chikao pushed Itsuki behind himself to hide him from her sight. She probably wouldn't recognize Chikao, but he wasn't sure of the full extent of her power. Itsuki pressed into Chikao's back, holding as still as physically possible.
  "Are you returning him?" She stood up with a smile, "Mama Ran lives just on the other side of the spring!" Then she blinked all her eyes, the mandibles at her cheeks clicking, "you don't look so good... are you alright?"
  "I'm fine," Chikao frowned, pulling at Tontie to get him to leave the spider spirit alone. She couldn't exactly be called a queen when she had no subjects left.
  "Are you sure?" She reached into her robes, "here, smell this," she uncorked a vial and held it under Chikao's nose.
  Chikao instinctively slapped it away, but not before the sweet aroma of honey filled his nose.
  She gasped and stepped back, "sorry, sorry, I'm *so* not used to being down here! You know, I was recently sent back after having my own domain upstairs for a couple hundred years. Forgive me!"
  Chikao grumbled, but saw this as a good opportunity to get some information. "A domain? How'd you acquire one of those?"
  Her smiled grew sinister, "a man approached me one day, saying he needed help governing some land and offered me power *and* a whole domain! I couldn't believe it! It was the best deal I've ever stricken! But after he gave me the domain and power he never contacted me again. I figure he died again and couldn't make it back up or something!" She sighed, "it's kinda strange though, he seemed pretty strong to me... and the landmark he gave me never dissipated or anything..."
  "What'd he look like?" Chikao asked.
  "Like anyone else," she held her arms out in a shrug. "But there was one thing odd about him. He had a limp with his left leg and he had the best hair I've seen in quite a while! He didn't wear it up and it was such a beautiful green color! Oh, I was just so jealous!" Then she shook her head, "excuse me, I got sidetracked! Uh, yes, he had a limp, but didn't carry a cane or anything to help him."
  "Is there anything else you can tell me about him?" Chikao's grip on Itsuki got tighter again, his hand shaking and twitching now.
  "Hmm, not really... but he isn't an easy man to find, I'll tell you that!" She chuckled. "I've asked around a bit, but no one else seems to know who he is. I'm not too keen on finding him, considering I lost the domain he gave me, ahaha..."
  "You don't know what kind of spirit he is?" He tried.
  The spider shook her head with a sigh, "no. He seemed human for the most part, but he had such a strong Yin presence that he must be a full fledged spirit. Sorry I can't be of more help, but I don't think he has any domains left to give out. Do you need any help finding Tontie's owner?"
  "No," Chikao held up his hand, "I'm confident that Tontie will lead us there."
  "Me too," she giggled, "take care!" Then she hurried off towards one of the more decorated buildings where many women were laughing inside.
  Chikao scowled, wiping his nose before tugging at Tontie's lead. "Come on, no more distractions."
  Tontie grunted and started waddling in the direction the spider spirit had pointed in earlier.
  Chikao let out an annoyed sigh, "that could have been worse. We're lucky she didn't recognize us. I don't think I can defend us right now. I'm low on power *and* who knows what the hell she just had me breathe."
  Itsuki remained silent, though he wanted to speak to communicate better. He wanted to remind Chikao to stay calm, it wasn't worth getting so worked up over when they were so close to Yumiko Ran.
  Chikao held onto his human ever tighter and Tontie quickly lead the way forward, sensing the Kitsune's sour mood. The little Aardvark weaved through the crowd expertly, though failed to realized that his companions were much larger than him.
  He got growled at by Chikao a good amount of times. Itsuki pressed his free hand against Chikao's arm, trying to get him to be a little quieter. Many spirits were starting to eye their group. Chikao grumbled and pushed at him in annoyance.
  Then Itsuki saw through the crowd beautiful crystal blue waters. There was a large, well, oasis. The ground slowly became sandy again and sickly looking plants were sprouting in multiple places. Even though these plants looked dead, they seemed to be growing without a problem. As if they were supposed to look so nasty. Itsuki chalked it up to be more weird hell stuff.
  Itsuki put a hand over his ribs, once again becoming conscious of his aching body. He sighed quietly as he was pulled along. He hoped their negotiation with Yumiko Ran would go quickly... And hopefully she could help them get back home, too... Because that sand monster took them who knows how far and because of the giant caterpillars, too, there was no way they could backtrack...
  Unless Chikao had an amazing memory? Itsuki looked up at his counterpart.
  Chikao really wasn't looking good. His lower eyelids were starting to get irritated, and his upper eyelids seemed heavy. His steps were sloppy and he sort of swayed from side to side as he moved. His breathing was ragged and his grip on Itsuki loosened.
  Tontie was struggling against the lead around him, madly scrambling for one of the stalls. It didn't have a sign out and there wasn't anything being sold, nor was there anyone manning it. It seemed the stall was connected to a house of sorts.
  Itsuki put his free hand on Chikao again as they got close to try and help.
  But that isn't how Chikao saw it.
  The Kitsune harshly pushed Itsuki's shoulder into the wall, seething angrily. "I don't need your help! If you haven't noticed you're only alive because of me."
  Itsuki could see the rage in Chikao's eyes. And behind all that rage was a tired heaviness. Had Chikao slept at all since he was awoken?... Now that Itsuki thought about it, he had never actually seen Chikao sleep...
  Itsuki held his breath, trying very hard not to make a sound. Chikao had already attracted enough attention and they were so close to their goal! The door was literally just a few steps away!
  Tontie was frantically scratching at the door and whining.
  "Your life is in *my* hands," Chikao held onto him harder, "I could just let go of you and wait for the next person to buy the property. I don't need anything from you."
  Itsuki nodded quickly, trying to get Chikao to look at Tontie or at all the spirits starting to stare.
  The door opened, but even then Chikao stared angrily at Itsuki only.
  "Goodness, you boys can't even make it in the door without making a scene!" Yumiko Ran laughed. This time she wasn't see through. She was the real thing.
  She lifted Tontie into her arms, "awww, I've missed you, too! Anyways! You should hurry inside before that sedative Little Missy gave you kicks in."
  Chikao sneered over at her, "what sedative?!" Then Chikao's eyes rolled to the back of his head and he collapsed forward.
  Itsuki was hardly able to catch him, freaking out and almost screaming.
  "Well, come on in already!" Yumiko Ran laughed as she headed inside.
  Itsuki awkwardly pulled Chikao into the house with him. Once he entered the doors closed behind him. Itsuki didn't think he would ever get used to all the creepy doors in hell...
  "And don't worry, you can speak in here," Yumiko ran was digging through a chest. "I've got a ton of incantations on this building so scream as loud as you want and no one can hear you! HAHAHA!"
  Itsuki nervously sat Chikao down against the wall. Chikao was definitely passed out but he had a pained expression on his face. "Uhm... is it safe to wake him up?..." He felt so lost now that Chikao wasn't with him...
  Yumiko Ran chuckled, "oh, absolutely not. Little Missy—that spider spirit you spoke to before—has a special venom that makes her prey give themselves a reason to succumb to death. Brutal isn't it?"
  "Uh, yeah. We've run into her before," Itsuki said quickly, "isn't there something we can do? We can't just wait for him to wake up on his own."
  Yumiko Ran shrugged, "eh. I never really cared for him that much. Besides, her venom mixed with all that yuck in the air is sure to give him the nastiest of nightmares. Who knows if he'll wake up? Teehee..."
  "But..." Itsuki took a deep breath, "we came all the away to ask you something important. The least you could do is hear him out."
  The old woman laughed, "do you really think you're in a position to make demands??? That's hilarious!"
  Tontie grunted as he waddled over to Itsuki.
  Yumiko Ran sighed with a smile, "but I suppose you two have been quite entertaining. I *guess* I could help you help him. Hehe, but..."
  "But?..."
  "I dunno, I just wanted to keep you guessing!" She laughed. "Here, take this and sit down!"
  Yumiko Ran handed him a silver coin. It wasn't any currency he recognized. He flipped it over a few times, "what is it?..."
  "Something that will help me pull you out if I have to." She clapped her hands together, "who knows how dangerous his mind is, after all! He *is* a nine-tails!"
  Itsuki worriedly looked down at Chikao, still holding onto one of his long sleeves. "So... I'm going into his mind?..."
  "You said you have ran into Little Missy before so you have at least had a taste of how strong her venom is. No doubt it's more potent down here, haha! Good luck!!!"
  Yumiko Ran clapped Itsuki on the back. "Try to be quick, will you? Neither of you will last a whole lot longer down here and I don't want to see my work unfinished!"
  "Huh? What do you mean?"
  She smirked, "that doesn't matter right now. What matters is that you get moving!"
  Yumiko Ran then gave Itsuki a strong push, sending him falling forwards and onto Chikao.
  Or he thought that was where he was going to land. His sensation of falling never stopped. He went *through* Chikao and everything went black.
  Itsuki sighed internally at the regrettably familiar feeling.
  Then Itsuki saw something unexpected. An enormous, sleeping, nine-tailed fox appeared before him as he continued to fall. But this one wasn't white and black. It was orange and black.
  It took a deep, shuddering breath in. As it exhaled back out, Itsuki felt himself start to accelerate and he began to panic about here he might land.
  Itsuki looked down to find only darkness below him. He looked back up at the fox, thinking of perhaps calling out, but it was gone. Itsuki was enshrouded in this heavy darkness.