They Don't Approve

Colrath

The echo of Colrath's roar was still fading as the trio sprinted over the drawbridge, racing against the glitch. The green wall approached steadily, devouring dead trees with sickening snaps.

"It's locked! The keys! Where are the keys?!" Adam yelled grabbing the two handles and shaking them back and forth.

"At the bottom of the ocean with the satchel!" Mira shouted back, spinning to watch the green wall slowly advancing on them. Her eyes filled with panic.

Kai whimpered under his breath before turning to the door with fearful determination. A flame appeared in each hand and he shot them at the double doors screaming, "Open up, open up!" When the fire faded, the wood was unfazed.

"Get out of the way," Adam commanded, holding the Ishibo out in front of him. A dark purple glow grew rapidly over the staff and he held it over his head. With the glitch so close he could feel the tug on his clothes, he hit the Ishibo forward into the door. It evaporated with a hiss, and the three found themself looking into a black void. Mira wasted no time jumping through the portal, and Kai was just stepping through when Adam grabbed his hand.

"Adam? C'mon!" The ginger said exasperatedly, eyes flicking to the glitch. The drawbridge they were on was starting to disappear. 

"Kai... if something is about to happen... if we lose our memories again..."

"What are you talking about?!" He shrieked in panic. "Let's GO!"

Adam growled in frustration, not knowing how to get his point across. He wasn't good with words; he was a person of action, and it showed.

He leaned forwards and captured Kai's lips in his own, the rush of the glitch disappearing in his mind as the adrenaline took over. The wind whipping his hair around seemed to slow from a howl to a quiet mumble as Kai's arms wrapped around his neck in a way that seemed all too familiar to the both of them. Adam, carefully holding the Ishibo in one hand as to not accidentally hurt either of them, looped his free arm around the other's hips, laying his hand on the small of his back and pulling him closer. He didn't know what caused him to do it... but it just felt right, deep inside.

The kiss didn't even last a full two seconds before an arm, Mira's arm, popped back out of the void and grabbed Kai's collar, yanking them both in.

The door exploded in a blur of green pixels as the darkness took them.

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When Adam opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was the rock ceiling and the single fluorescent light in the middle of the prison. It was quiet for a moment, the only sound being the buzz of electricity and his gentle breathing. He smiled, his hand reaching up and touching his lips; the ghost of Kai's still dancing across them.

Then the reality clued in.

He sat up quickly, groaning at the sudden lightheadedness. He was met with two almost identical groans from Mira and Kai as they sat up as well. The two boys made eye contact and couldn't stop the faint smiles that crept onto their faces.

"Oh no...we're back where we started," Mira muttered, getting to her feet. They followed suit.

There was a deep rumble in the middle of the room and the walls quivered, showering the three with dust.

"That wasn't here before," Kai said, pointing to the obvious new addition to the room. A stone pillar stood in between the three of them. It was made of white rock, maybe marble, and stood out against the grey, dirt caked walls. A single green button was on top.

"What is it?" Mira asked.

"It might be a way out of here," Adam responded, only now realizing that his fingers had found their way back to his lips. He tried to lower them to his chin inconspicuously, but Kai caught his eye with a smirk.

Mira didn't seem to notice. She was bent over, inspecting the button, as if looking for a label. "Should we press it?"

"It's green. That means it's good, right?" Kai said, his voice cracking slightly. The fear in the room was palpable. For the first time, no one had any clue what to do.

Time decided for them. There was a crackle and a few of the large bricks shuddered, quickly swallowed by the glitch. The room was dissolving.

"Shit," Kai whispered.

"We don't have a choice." Adam commanded, and for the first time, Kai wasn't annoyed by his bossy tone. He found it... dare he say endearing?

"Ready?" Mira asked, taking a deep breath. The trio placed their hands on the button in unison and slammed it down, not bothering to prepare. As the room flashed away with a bang, Kai squeezed Adam's hand in his.