Double The Fall

“Yukki,” I hear Papa call from a far-off place, awakening me from what seems like an unspeakably deep sleep. “Yukki,” he calls again, a bit closer. I can’t place how, but it’s different from Papa, less gentle. “Wake up, Yukki,” he says again. I feel a hand shake my shoulder and snap awake, sitting up and immediately regretting it. My entire body aches like I could keel over and die at any moment. I try to groan or scream, but even my throat feels like sandpaper has rushed through it. “Stop being dramatic. Your injuries are not life-threatening,” Khanethael assures. However, his words are cold and uncomfortable, and even my fingers ache. “You sustained no life-altering impacts. You are fine, save a few bruises and scrapes.”

“Thanks for that, I guess,” I say, feeling the initial shock and pain melt away and rising to my feet. My legs are in the same sorry state, but if I can walk, then I can’t be that hurt. “Where are we?” I ask, rubbing my eyes before I look around.

“On the roof of a skyscraper,” he says calmly. I drop to my knees again, bashing them on the hard concrete floor, but that doesn't matter.

“WHY IS IT ALWAYS HEIGHTS!” I cried, snapping my eyes shut to avoid seeing how close to the edge I was.

“Oh, please, you are a mere 100 meters above the ground; no need to cry.”

“YOU’RE NOT HELPING!”

“Well, neither are you,” he snaps. “You would not be here if you had listened to my suggestion.”

“I DID!” I retort, crouching lower to the ground as the wind blows through my hair. I place my hands on the floor to better stabilize myself and place my head on the ground, clinging to it like a child clings to its mother. “You said to let go and trust God, and then I was blown off the side of a mountain.”

“You used the wrong hand,” he said, more disappointed than angry. “You could have kept hold of Yui’s hand while releasing your Niqab. It’s your tradition to use the right hand when making the sign of the cross in any case.”

“SO NOW WHAT!?” I demand, still not opening my eyes. “What do I do now?”

“I cannot tell you what you must do, nor can I make suggestions other than that you should do what is right.”

“Then what is right, angel-sama?” I feel his gaze grow hostile at my words, but then quickly subside.

“You are not an infant, Yukki; you already know what to do,” he says, more disappointed again. “If you want someone to make decisions for you, then you will need another person for that.”

“Then go get The Abbot,” I demand. “He has authority, or at least he claims to, so let him tell me what to do.”

“I have already told you my orders. I cannot intervene and cannot alert him unless your life is in danger,” he says, sounding exhausted. “And as of right now, you are in no danger.”

“UUUGGGHHH!” I cry, fed up with him and his stupid orders. My desire to get further from him finally overpowers my desire to avoid seeing what lies beyond, so I open them and look out. Beyond, I see towering buildings all around; on the roof with me, I see small dirt plots and scattered garden supplies. Beyond, I hear the sounds of city life. On the other side, I see the mountain I was just on; its peak towers above where I am now. I dare not go near the bars, but I'm not too shaken as long as I can’t see how high up I am.

“If I could just find a door, then I could get out and-”

“There is no way for you to return to them on foot,” Khanethael says, interrupting my thoughts. “You managed to fly, well, fall, I should say, quite a distance away. You cannot hope to return to them in a reasonable amount of time.”

“For someone who supposedly can’t read minds, you always seem to know what’s on mine.” I think I am narrowly suppressing some other choice words.

“So what am I supposed to do then? Simply sit here praying?”

“Never let it be said I discouraged you from prayer,” he says, sounding more snug than I thought possible for him.

“That’s it!” I declare, striding towards the sidebars.

“What is it?”

“You're going to get The Abbot right now.”

“Know your place, girl; I do not take orders from you,” he says, his tone a mix of confidence and disdain.

“You said you’d get him if my life were in danger, right? Well, it’s about to be in danger.”

“No, Yukki, as I said, you are in no- what are you doing?” His tone changed from dismissive to worried as I approached the rooftop bars. I keep my eyes peeled upwards at the mountain peak, avoiding the sight below. “Take care to remember I am under no obligation to save you from danger you knowingly put yourself in.”

“Oh, perish the thought, Khanethael,” I say, grasping the waist-high bars placed around the building’s edge. “I’m just so worried about my two best friends fighting up there. After all, I have it on good authority that without them, I’d just be a friendless nobody, so who could blame me?” I grip the bars tightly as the sounds of the city crawl upwards to me, and my stomach churns. “And it would be such a shame if, in my grief and worrying, I happen to look downwards, even if for a half second, causing God knows what to happen.” I glare at Khanethael, who’s shimmering right in front of me now. “If only someone were able to catch me when I fall.” I feel him glaring at me more intensely than ever before; I can practically feel his breath upon my face as the wind whips around me.

“You are playing a perilous game, Yukki,” he says, ready to explode.

“Good thing the Lord has given his angel charge over me, to keep me in all my ways. Or need I fear striking my foot on a stone?” I ask, looking down at the street below. Instantaneously, gravity takes over and pulls my stomach down below my feet, straight through the concrete floor, and smashes through the buildings. All the strength in my legs and arms is washed away like a pharaoh's chariot. For a split second, the bright Tokyo skylight turns darker than the abyss.

“Do not put the Lord your God to the Test!” Those words roused me from the darkness and awakened me to my reality. I’m falling again; I see floor after floor whizz by my eyes. Above me, I see the light glow of Khanethael, not moving, not even a millimeter.

“Oh, right,” I think, recalling that story from Matthew as time seems to move more slowly. “So, does that make me the devil in this case? I guess it doesn't matter now. Is it too late to ask for forgiveness?” I wonder as the ground fast approaches. “Well, it can't hurt to try,” I think, moving my hands to pray. “Dear God. At this moment, I-” Is as far as I can think before I feel a sudden jerk at my back like a massive, strong hand is grasping at me. I try to look up, but the force on my neck is too much, forcing my head down.

“HHHHHAAAAAAA,” is all I can hear above the grinding sound of breaking concrete. When we’re about 15 meters above the ground, we’ve slowed significantly but are still traveling at a frightening pace. I feel another massive jerk at my back as I’m flung in the air. Though still in free fall, I don’t panic. Everything appears in slow motion as I arc through the air into a tree. Though the landing is rough, the branches whipping my face, body, and limbs are mild compared to the bamboo before. I close my eyes as I desperately reach out, trying to grasp a branch. Finally, I managed to clench around one and feel myself stop. I’m apprehensive about opening my eyes, so I slowly extend my foot, feeling for anything below me. When I think something lightly tickles my feet through my torn socks, I instinctively yank my feet back up. I slowly look down despite my fear that I’m still a way up. Just as I’m about to open my eyes and see how far up I am, a snapping stops me. I feel the branch in my hands give as soon as the sound reaches my ears. I drop down and desperately squeeze my eyes shut, hoping once again it’s all just a dream. I finally open my eyes just enough to see that the branch I’m clinging to is on the verge of breaking completely. I scan and see another branch I could swing to.

“But wouldn’t that make this one more unsteady? What if-”

*SNAP* The branch I’m on buckles again, and I run out of time to think. I swing my legs back and forth, once, twice, three times. On the fourth swing, I’ve started to gain some momentum, and I’m swinging back into the fifth swing.

*SNAP* The branch gives, and I begin falling on my back, only stopping when I land on two more branches.

“Ow,” I moan, reaching for the trunk, only to grasp something soft like fabric covering flesh.

“What the?” I think, feeling around it.

“Please stop groping me like that,” says a calm, even voice. I finally opened my eyes and saw The Abbot’s profile above me. His visor stuck out from the underside of his chin, which he held high as if gazing up at the sky. It only takes a moment to realize I’d mistaken his arms for branches and his body for the tree trunk. He had caught me and now held me in a princess carry. As I realized this, my hands clenched without me realizing it.

“Oh, uh, Abbot-sama,” I stammer, trying to think of what to say. “Thanks for catching me,” I finally decided.

“Really? ‘Thanks for catching me.’ What are we five?” I think, reprimanding myself as soon as the words leave my mouth.

“You can thank me by releasing my nipple.”

“Wha!?” I think, looking at my hand now clasped on his chest. I didn’t realize it until he pointed something out, but I was gripping in a certain way.

“Ahh, sorry!” I say, pulling my hand away. I hear a faint sigh of relief from him, followed by a “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” I say, lost for other words.

“Can you walk?” he asks, not moving his chin downwards.

“Huh oh, yeah, I think.”

“Good,” he says, lowering my legs and then helping my torso up once my feet are firmly planted on the ground. His right hand almost got tangled in my hair, but with a smooth flick of his wrist, he avoided pulling on my hair. As soon as I was standing on my own two feet, he produced a flask from his belt and began sprinkling his body with it.

“That’s a little tactless,” I thought, watching him start with his right hand and then move onto the rest of his body. I pinch a stray strand of my hair and sniff it, making sure it doesn’t smell weird. “Even if I haven’t had a bath today, I always make sure to wash my hair properly, so there’s no way it’s-” Panic shoots through my body like lightning as I realize that I can grab my hair without adjusting my veil. “Where is it!” The thought crashes through my mind. I hadn’t realized it, but I’d been missing my scarf since I woke up in the building. Now, not only was I out in public with my hair showing, but someone, a boy, had even seen my shame.

“No!” I cry, turning away from him and covering my head with my hand as best as I can. I look and see another tree and rush behind it, never taking my hands off my head.

“Here,” The Abbot calls, but I don’t answer. My mind is buzzing, trying to figure out what to do.

“I need to find my scarf. Could it be around here? No, the wind must’ve blown it far away; it’ll take nothing short of a miracle for me to find it. I need something else to cover my head with. I can’t walk into a store like this, maybe a newspaper? That’d look ridiculous, but maybe I can get one from a vending machine. I could pull up my dress a bit and pull it over my head to cover my hair in the meantime… But then-” My mind is buzzing as I continue spiraling in all directions, trying desperately to find a way to cover my head.

“GoKegawa-san,” The Abbot says again, closer this time, but I don’t look at him.

“Don’t look!” I demand, fearing he’s about to turn the corner on the tree and see even more of me. A moment passes as my mind continues to scurry in every direction, only stopped by the soft sound of tapping wood. I look up, not quite sure what to expect, but I’m ecstatic at what I see. There, above my head, is my veil. The Abbot holds it out, carefully placed on the empty sheath of his sword. “How’d you find it?” I ask, as I eagerly wrap it around my hair, forgetting a proper thanks altogether.

“I was out on patrol and saw it flying in the wind. I grasped it and saw you descending upon the building. I rushed to return it when I saw you plummeting from the roof,” He says, his words direct and cut to the chase like butter.

“You saw all that?” I ask, finishing the placement of my veil and rounding the side of the tree. There, I see him still holding the sheath toward me, and his eyes buried in his elbow.

“Yes, I did,” he said, not removing his elbow from his face. “Don’t worry; once I had a positive identification on you, I had my guardian block my vision of anything you’d deem indecent.”

“You can do that?” I ask, a bit unsure why he’s keeping his eyes buried in his elbow.

“You can have your guardian do a great many things once you’ve built up a relationship with him. Now, from the sound of your voice, you’re no longer hiding behind the tree. Are you decent enough for me to look, or do you require more time?”

“Oh yeah, I’m dressed; thank you for your understanding,” I say, bowing slightly.

“Good,” he says, removing his elbow from his face and glaring down at me. “Then I have just one more question for you,” he says, lowering his sheath and clearing his throat. “WHY ARE YOU FALLING FROM THE SKY?!” he yells, stabbing the sheathing into the tree behind me and closing the distance between us. The fury in his voice is like venom to my face. It’s so sudden, I take a step back in fear and would've fallen back if not for the tree behind me, but that only traps me between a tree and a hard place as he continues yelling in my face. “WHAT ARE YOU EVEN DOING OUT HERE THIS LATE?!”

“It was- I- we,” I try to say, but he’s caught me so off guard that the words won’t come out. Undeterred, he continues to press me for answers, only making my wavering tongue worse for wear. I want to crawl into a hole and disappear; part of me begins to think that rolling down the mountain was better than this. My lips began to quiver, and my eyes welled up with tears when Khanethael spoke up.

“She foolishly followed the lead of Yui, who led her and Hope to the sealed tree of Shino,” he said in an exhausted tone. After a moment, The Abbot stops yelling at me and looks up. His body language portrays his shift from a right to a confused fury.

“What do you mean they went to Shino’s tree?” he asks, placing his face in his hands. “They aren’t supposed to go there till next week,” he whispers, putting extra emphasis on the “next” as if the problem isn't what we did but when we did it. He removed his hand from his face and looked back at me, taking a deep breath before he spoke again. “I won’t yell; tell me what happened before I catch you quickly; the others are likely in danger.” His tone is calm and collected, yet also very stern, much like a first responder gathering information upon arriving at a scene. I quickly explained how Hope and Yui had determined the location of the demon boss and how Yui insisted we go. He released a heavy sigh when I told him she threatened to go by herself if we didn’t come along, and how I tried to threaten to tell him.

“Time to change their standing orders,” he whispers again, rubbing his forehead as if he’s more angry with himself than with us. “Don’t worry, we’ll fix that tomorrow, but for now,” he says, looking up at the open air. “Tell Iron Cross to come to the mountain; I don't care if she’s busy being the midwife for Mary, the Mother of God herself, drop it and get here.” His eyes shift towards the horizon and then to me. “And you, go home,” he commands matter-of-factly and turns to walk away.

“What?” I ask, nearly tripping as I follow behind him in protest. “I can’t go home; you just said Hope and Yui are in danger.”

“Yes, they are,” he says coldly, not turning my way. “And the last thing we need is for you to add to that list.”

“I won’t add to it,” I protest.

“Yes, you will,” he says, still not turning towards me.

“How can you know that?”

“Because you aren’t ready,” he says, jumping over a bush and onto the sidewalk.

“You don't know that,” I say, looking around for an alternate path to get by the bushes. Once I see one, I rush to it, but that only creates distance. I nearly lost him in the gathering crowd on the sidewalk, making it seem as if I’d given up on the conversation.“I can help,” I yell once I’ve found him again. “I can-'' I begin, but stop in my tracks. Before us, the building I had fallen from was now sporting a massive gash along its side. At the bottom, a sword juts out at about waist height. The Abbot wastes no time in approaching the sword and takes it in his hand to pull. When the blade doesn't release, he jerks it again before grasping it with both hands and pulling it with all his strength. I watch for a moment before realizing the opportunity before me. I rush to his side and hold him around the waist to add my strength to his own.

“He can’t say I won't be of help if I help him get his sword,” I think as I pull with him. After a moment of pulling, the sword comes loose with a sharp *CHING*. I was prepared to cheer at my accomplishment, but then I heard his reaction.

“SON OF-” he begins, clenching his teeth. I panic for a moment, unsure of why he’s displeased, but then I look at the sword. The blade is wrecked; not only had the tip remained in the building, but the remainder was chipped from hilt to tip and even cracked in a few places. I look at The Abbot as he takes a deep breath. “The Almighty God,” he finishes before returning the blade to his sheath. As he returns it to the sheath, the blade sounds like nails on a chalkboard. It scrapes, and I can see him using great force to jam it back into place. He finally gives up, with a few centimeters of the blade still showing. I stand staring at him.

“Does he really plan to go into battle with that?” I wonder as he turns back to me.

“Go home, GoKegawa-san,” he says again sternly. “You nearly got yourself killed last night, and I’m not going to let that happen again.”

“But I have to help Yui and Hope,”

“Iron Cross and I are already on our way to do that. You’d just be in the way,” he says, turning from me. He crouches down as if preparing to leap away, and all I can do is stare.

“No, don't go, I have to help them. I have to,” I think, but then I notice he’s still crouching as a statue for a long time. “Wait, nothing’s moving!” I realize that looking around and seeing everyone still with their colors dulled, even the air feels still and dulled. The only exception is Khanethael’s glowing form, hovering above The Abbot.

“Make your choice,” he says, his voice in a moderate but stern tempo. His aura seems hostile, but not towards me.

“What do you mean by ‘make my choice’?” I ask, still struggling to understand him. “Choose between what?”

“Are you going with him or not?”

“He already told me to go home; what else can I-” I begin, but he cuts me off.

“Did Ruth return home?” he asks, stirring up more confusion in me.

“What do you mean?”

“When Naomi told Ruth to return to her father’s house, did she follow Naomi’s words or her footsteps? Did Mary Magdalene stop anointing Christ with perfume and oil when his disciples told her to stop? Did Christ stop healing on the Sabbath when the Pharisees told him to? Are the commands of man the commands of God?” he asks, looking down at The Abbot. “Must you take his words as the words of God?” he barrages me with questions so fast that I can barely think of the answer before he asks the next one. “Are you,” he says, returning his gaze to me. “Honoring the name given to you by your parents?” His words linger in the air, making it more still than it already was as he awaits my response.

“My name?” That is all I can say. He lets loose a heavy sigh before speaking again.

“Perhaps I did not make the best choice in giving you so much time to contemplate this,” he says, hanging his head low. “His words last night about my accomplishments as your guardian left me… displeased. So, I thought I would adjust my approach. Never let it be said I failed in any of my duties at the end of days.” Again, his words linger, and I’m unsure what to do. “You have time to think, but it is not unlimited; nobody can make the choice for you.” With that, he vanishes from my sight, and I see that The Abbot has indeed shifted slightly. Now, he appears to be moving in slow motion, leaping away to Hope and Yui.

“Should I follow him?” I wonder. “What will happen if I don’t? If I go, I’ll have to face that crane again. I may be flung off the mountain again or into the ravine.” The thought makes my shoulders shiver and my knees buckle. “I can fight demons, I can face death, but don’t make me look down from heights,” I think, squatting and burying my head in my hands. I suddenly know all too well what Hope was feeling the night before we fought the squid, why her angel had to pull her by her hair to get there. But Khanethael wasn’t doing that for me. “Did he not care? Did he not want me to go? No, otherwise, he’d just let The Abbot jump away. But the way he spoke made it seem like he was just doing it to spite The Abbot. Think, Yukki, what would the consequences be for not going?” I ponder. “Will I be removed from the Maidens of Marie? Would that mean Hope could leave, too? She clearly didn’t want to be there; she had only come because Yui needed help. But she still came, despite her fear. She still…” I rise to my feet, make my decisions, and take perhaps the most important steps of my life. I accept the Abbot by the hand and wait for time to begin flowing normally. Everything begins flowing at normal speed. I feel a slight tug as if he’d just started to jump but stopped himself at the last possible moment. The Abbot looks back at me, then at my hands wrapped around his, and back to me.

“Let go,” he says sternly, tugging his arm away, but I don’t relent. I grip his hand harder, all but digging my nails into his glove.

“No! Not till you agree to take me.”

“I will not,” he says, pulling his hand from mine.

“Then I’ll make you,” I say, grabbing at his hand again.

“Your resolve is not strong enough,” he claims, pulling his arm back out of my grasp.

“Yes, it is,” I say, grabbing at his other arm, but he pulls back further, spinning on his heel and allowing me to fall past him. I’m about to fall on my face when he grabs my arm, pulling me back on my feet. He stares directly at me through his visor. I feel his eyes on me more intensely than Khanethael's, but I don't let it intimidate me. I stare back with as much determination as I can muster.

“Then demonstrate,” he says, not looking away. His grip loosens, and I could pull my wrist from his hand, but then another completely crazy idea pops into my mind. I adjust my wrist to hold his hand in the firmest handshake my fingers can muster, and then I pull my veil from my head and begin wrapping it around our hands. Over and over, I finish it with a knot, tightening it with my free hand and teeth. I look up to regain The Abbot’s gaze and notice it’s become noticeably softer.

“Take me with you,” I demand, flipping my hair out of my face and gripping his hand even harder under the knot. He looks down at me, then at the knot, and back to me.

“You think this can keep me?” he asks, disappointed.

“No,” I said immediately.

“And what if I still say no?”

“Then I guess I’m walking home with my hair in the wind.” I keep my eyes fixed on the dead center of his visor. I’m so fixated on his visor that I don’t even notice his free hand rising till it grips the top of the knot, pulling it loose and flapping my veil in the wind.

“I’ll be damned before I shame one of my maidens like that,” he says, holding it in front of my face. Even though I still couldn’t see his eyes, I could tell there was a smile behind the mask. “Let’s get going,” he said as soon as I finished adjusting my veil.

“So how are we getting there-?” I begin when he picks me up in another princess carriage.

“Hold on,” he says, leaping from the ground. That instant, G-forces push my lips backward into my teeth. It’s as intense as a roller coaster, as we climb so high, I’d swear we were flying.

“This is too much, I can’t do this!” I thought as the wind rushed against my eyes. It was so fast I could hardly keep my eyes open as we leaped and sprinted back to the mountain. The gaps of falling made my heart skip a beat, but the moments of running became even worse as I clung to The Abbot’s chest.

“Stop her screaming,” he said calmly. I hadn’t even noticed I was screaming till just before I felt my lungs stop moving.

“You trained your lung capacity to sing, not scream,” Khanethael said sternly. I settled for burying my face into The Abbot’s chest as we raced closer, taking special care not to pinch his nipples again. The skyscrapers and city lights slowly gave way to trees and moonlight. Once we were halfway up the mountain, I could hear the sound of gunshots in the distance.

Yui

“Yukki!” I shouted as I felt her hand let go of mine. The wind was intense, but I could keep my eyes open thanks to the mask. I turned back just in time to see her blown back, hitting a few limbs before she vanished into the forest. I wanted to chase after her; I wanted to leap and catch her, but I knew that all I’d do would be blow away with her, leaving Hope alone to face off against this demonic crane, and I couldn’t do that. I stayed steadfast and replanted my claws in the ground, waiting for the bird to tire. After what felt like an eternity, he finally stopped flapping those wings and looked at Hope and me. Her hair was somehow still flowing despite the breeze ending, but I didn’t have time to think about that; now was a time for action.

“Oh? And here I thought the lizard would be the one blown back,” Shino taunted, flashing his ragged teeth in a vain attempt to intimidate us. “No matter, the kitty cat’s blood will be sufficient for me.”

“My blood?” Hope whimpered under her breath. Though the lion’s fangs covered her eyes, I could still perceive a slight tremble on her lips.

“You won’t be getting her or anyone else's blood,” I yelled, stepping in front of Hope. I feel my jaw clench close as I stare down the crane. His body was small and thin, fragile as any bird. A few well-placed kicks, and he’d be done for. All I needed was to close the distance, a simple, straightforward path.

“Don’t be so reckless, Yui,” said my guardian beside me. His long whiskers curl back to stay firmly against his long, dragon-like face. “You remember what rushing in headlong got you last time? Take a moment to think.” I frowned at his words. Last time, it was a fluke. It was an embarrassing fluke, but it was not something I would repeat.

“Oh, how ironic, those are the exact words the girl who bound me to this tree said,” the crane says, his beak warping into a wicked smile. “Or at least that’s what I think she said; truth be told, being alone here for the last few years with nobody to talk to really did a number on me. Oh, how grand it will be to return to my old abode and partake in the delights of this world. Ahh, but I’m getting ahead of myself,” he says, returning his gaze to me. “First, I must deal with the pests before me.” He lowered his body as if reading a strike, but I was already prepared.

“Too slow,” I called as he moved into his fighting position; I leaped at him, using the slope of the valley to get the most out of my jump. There, I readied my first strike, letting down a devastating kick that shattered the ground before me right on the bird. I looked down, expecting to see a pile of loose feathers and pieces of bones, but nothing lay within the crater; it was stones.

“What was that about ‘too slow’?” I heard what he said. I looked up to see him sneering down at me from the tree.

“Dodge!” The dragon said, but I wasn’t here to defend; I was here to attack. But by the time I was ready to strike, he was already on the attack, leaping from the branch and diving at me, beak first; I narrowly dodged out of the way, feeling a tear in the gut area of my gi. I flipped and landed on my feet and looked out for the next attack.

“Guard low,” the dragon said just as the crane launched a rapid series of sweeping kicks. His narrow legs sliced through the air so quickly I could barely block them, relying entirely on my legs to deflect his relentless strikes.“Now high,” my guardian called again, but he was wrong. The crane was swinging again at my legs. No doubt if I were to be hit, it’d cripple my legs, and I’d be done for. I prepared to block the next sweeping kick, but just as it was about to make contact, he flapped his wings and gave himself an extra meter in height. Now, the kick that had been aimed at my legs was racing towards my head. On instinct, I fell to the ground, just barely managed to catch myself with my hands, and avoided a faceplant.

“Roll!” The dragon called as I felt the air move above me. His claws scraped the bridge of my nose as his foot stomped right where my head had been as I rolled to my right. I’d just risen to my feet when I saw the next kick coming, again aiming low, near my hips,

“Guard low,” The dragon said, obviously fooled by the crane’s games. Instead of preparing to receive and counter the blow to my leg, I guarded my head, thinking I could catch his leg if I saw it coming and then move into a throw. I waited for the shift. “Guard low!” the dragon kept calling, along with every fiber of my being. Still, I resisted till the very end, only for my effort to be rewarded with a swift, devastating blow to my leg. It sent me flying backward into a tree. The pain radiated from my leg and back. Looking down, I saw the blow had ripped right through my gi, leaving a vast black bruise right on my thigh.

“So fast!” I murmured. I could barely keep up, and the way his body moved was unlike any opponent I’d ever faced.

“You can’t fight him like you’re used to,” The dragon said as the pain swelled from my legs. It hurt me to admit it, but he was right. This was an opponent faster than me, not some hulking mass that stood head and shoulders over me and carried twice my mass like I was all too well accustomed to fighting. His wings let him instantly adjust the height of his kicks; now, if I guarded my legs, he’d strike my head, but if I left my legs unguarded, he’d shatter my bones. I tried to stand, but the pain was suffocating; I knew I was lucky the bone hadn’t snapped, but at least then there’d be no temptation to use it. I didn’t have time to think, though. Shino had launched himself back at me, his beak dashing right at my heart. I tried to move, but the pain in my thigh prevented me from doing so.

“NO, DON'T MOVE! WE’RE BROKEN,” my legs cried, drowning out any instruction from the dragon. The only other thought I could muster came from my head.

“MOVE OR YOU'RE DEAD!” It rang in my mind as I tried in vain to leap away. I could do nothing as the demon crane approached except close my eyes. Then I felt it, a swift, forceful impact, but not a pitching one. I opened my eyes and was greeted by a flash of red.

Blood was my first thought, but the thick, twisting fibers told me otherwise. It was a head of red hair. Hope had pushed me away; not only that, but she’d managed to dodge the attack herself. Looking back, I saw Shino standing on a split tree, the one I’d stood against. The impact then began to shatter the two sides into splinters that rained down on Hope and me, and she landed on me, shielding me from the worst of it.

“Are you okay?” is all she could manage to say. I don't know how, but those words managed to make me feel better. The pain in my leg numbed, and I felt I could walk again.

“It won’t last long,” I heard the dragon say. “I’m pushing your adrenal glands to their limits and blocking the pain signals from your legs, but I can only do it for so long before-” He says, but I cut him off.

“Thanks, I won't need long,” I say, rising to my feet. Just as he said, despite the bruise, it didn't hurt in the slightest; I felt fully rejuvenated as I stared down the crane. He also rose to his feet and turned his beak up as he glared.

“Wait your turn, little kitty; I’ll be playing with you soon enough.”

“Not before I end you,” I say again, reading my stance.

“Ahh, you really don't learn now, do you?” he said, raising his wings and preparing for another attack, and I did the same. Adjusting to put less pressure on my injured leg. I feel a tap on my shoulder and look to see Hope standing beside me. Her stance is entirely off-balance. It's amateurish, but the tremble in her lips is gone.

“You don’t have to do this alone,” she says, not taking her eyes off the bird.

“Hope you don’t know how to fight; let me take care of this-” I begin, making the mistake of taking my eyes off my opponent. Before I knew it, I felt the air in front of me shift, looking back just in time to see the wicked claw approach my torso.

“Dodge!” The dragon yelled, but it was too late. I threw my arms up in a desperate guard, but what good is a hand for blocking a sword? Blood oozed from the new cuts on my arms as I was thrown back. I see Hope’s lips move, but I don't hear her scream. I roll head over heels before hitting a new tree, my eyes focusing just in time to see the crane tower over Hope from a dug-up root, his foot clasping around her neck and staring into her eyes.

“I said I’ll get to you in a moment, kitten. Be patient!” he says, throwing her over his shoulder. She flew upward, tumbling helplessly until a thick strand of her hair shot out, grasping desperately at a branch before missing entirely. She crashed heavily onto her back, dust rising in a cloud.

“What are you doing?” I wanted to yell, but my voice wouldn’t go. “Don’t cats land on their feet? Or shouldn’t your hair catch you?” I wanted to say that and so much more. But there’s no way my weak voice would reach her over the crane’s taunts.

“It won’t take long to finish off the liz-'' he says, but then stops as a red cord tightens its way around his neck, thickening as it does so. I look and see Hope taking it in her hand and yanking, pulling Shino up by his slender neck. As he’s pulled up, another cord thickens around his feet, wrapping under the root he’d just been standing on. Hope grabbed the cord of hair, pulling hard with all her strength, stretching Shino like a taffy stick as his feet were pulled towards the ground and his slender neck was forcefully jerked upward. He flapped his wings and wiggled around in a desperate attempt to free himself.

“Now, Yui!” Hope calls, using her whole body to pull. She’s right behind him, yanking as hard as she can to give me this opening, and I won’t waste it. I found my footing, ignoring the throbbing in my leg, and launched myself forward with all my might, aiming to deliver a decisive blow. He’s right there before me, my fist centimeters from shattering his beak, but then, in a flash, he’s gone, and I’m barreling toward Hope.

“Huh!?” is all I can say before I make contact. My fist hits Hope right on the chin, sending her flying back.

“Hope NO!” I screamed as she smashed right through a tree, leaving a torn stump in its place. I watched as her unconscious body rag-dolled to a stop and her hair retracted back into her head. The lion-like features disappeared, leaving her face visible with a massive purple bruise on her cheek. I lifted my knee to chase after her, but my legs gave out. I fell face-first, leaving a crater as I hit the dirt.

Why I was in a crater was a mystery till I heard the snapping beak next to my ear.

“I was right to take you on first,” it cackled, so close I felt it could snap my ear off at a moment’s notice. As it got closer, I felt a sudden onset of pain flood over me. My leg throbbed, my forearms stung, but my back was the worst. It felt like circles of knives were lodging themselves in my back, twisting and driving themselves into my lungs. It hurt so much I couldn’t breathe, let alone scream, as I felt blood fill my chest. Then suddenly, they drew out as the crane jumped off me, and I realized what had happened when I saw his talons drenched in my blood. “Now I’ll do you a favor and let you watch as your friend there is drained for my freedom,” he said, kicking me. I landed right under the tree face up. I tried to move, but my body wouldn’t respond. I couldn’t move anything but my jaw as I heard flapping wings. I watch as the crane perches atop the tree, Hope in its claws. He flopped her down on the upturned branches; they warped and coiled around her like vines. As their coils constricted further, I gathered all my strength to grasp at her, but it only amounted to a clenched fist on the ground. I watched in horror, desperate to do something, anything to save her. I couldn’t watch her die. I couldn’t watch and do nothing while someone died right in front of me. Someone I cared about, someone who was only there because of me, not again. But my body doesn’t cooperate. It lies limply as the crane sneers down at me. His mangled teeth boom as he laughs at my dismay. But it suddenly changes. I hear the faint sounds of booms coming from in front of me as the crane's wings shift to shield his face, and my vision blacks out.