| Legend of the Kokoro Episode 12-Kiss of Death |
| Cye smiled a bit to himself as he looked over at Clara, who was sitting right next to him on the beach blanket. They were sitting on a small cliff overlooking Onaruto Bay, with a large picnic basket set off to the side. "So, Clara, did you enjoy the meal?" Cye asked curiously. Clara looked up into Cye's green eyes and smiled at him. "It was great, Cye, as always," she admitted as she affectionately rested her head against Cye's shoulder, causing him to blush a little bit. After a few minutes had gone by, Cye slowly, but hesitantly, wrapped his arms around Clara's waist, uncertain of how she would react to his awkward advance. "Getting a little bold, aren't you, Cye?" Clara asked teasingly as she looked up at him once again. "Oh, I-I'm sorry," Cye stuttered nervously as he started to pull his arms away. To his surprise, Clara gently grabbed his arms and put them back around her waist. "Cye, if I was ever uncomfortable with anything you did, believe me, I'd let you know," Clara told him. "And if you ever feel like I'm making you uncomfortable in any way, I want you to do the same, okay?" Cye silently nodded his head in agreement. Clara turned her head away and leaned back against Cye's shoulder as they both watched the sun set over the bay. "It's beautiful, isn't it?" Clara commented as the sun slowly moved closer to the water, reflecting a rainbow of colors on the surface of the bay. "It's nothing special...compared to you, that is," Cye whispered softly. "Aww, Cye, that's so sweet," Clara admitted with a slight giggle as she turned towards Cye and delicately traced her finger along his cheek. Cye leaned forward slightly and kissed Clara on the lips as she wrapped her arms around his neck. When they eventually pulled away from each other, Clara sighed softly, "I wish we could do this every day." "Me, too, Clara, but unfortunately, we can't," Cye reluctantly admitted with a slight frown. "We have school tomorrow, and I have basketball tryouts after that." "I know, Cye," Clara replied. "I also have tryouts for the swim team tomorrow, as well." "It's getting late. We should be heading back home," Cye revealed. "If we're not home soon, our mothers will probably worry themselves to death!" "I imagine they would!" Clara remarked with a quick laugh as Cye stood up from the blanket and held out his hand to her. Clara smiled slightly as she took Cye's hand and was pulled up by him a bit too quickly, nearly falling into his arms. The two teens both turned slightly red in the face as they shyly took a step away from each other. "Care to help me with this?" Cye asked, gesturing towards the blanket. "Certainly," Clara replied as she and Cye bent down and started to fold the blanket... "Torrent, come forth!" Dulcea commanded, who was sitting on her throne, with Devaki standing by her side. "You called for me, Lady Dulcea?" Torrent asked as he approached the throne from the surrounding shadows and bowed respectively to Dulcea. "I've heard that you have formulated a plan to rid us of one of the Ronin Warriors. Is that true?" Dulcea asked. Torrent lifted his head to look up at Dulcea and replied with a sinister little smirk, "Indeed, I have, Lady Dulcea. My plan will be the end of Cye of Torrent and his beloved kokoro of water!" "Sounds promising, Torrent. Explain your plan to me," Dulcea requested. "Actually, it would be best if I showed you," Torrent explained as he took out a large glass jar filled with what appeared to be water. He opened the jar, tipped it over, and poured the liquid onto the floor in front of him. "Torrent, what do you think you're...?" Dulcea started to ask. Before she could finish her question, both Dulcea and Devaki gasped slightly when the clear liquid formed into a small column and took on the shape of a human. The water soon solidified into a young woman with long golden blonde hair, pearly white skin, and sparkling green eyes. The young girl was wearing nothing but a long white shawl wrapped loosely around her body and shoulders, forming a simple dress. "What is this creature you have brought before me, Torrent?" Dulcea asked curiously. "This is what's called a Nereid, Lady Dulcea," Torrent replied, gesturing towards the mysterious young girl. "I found her a few nights ago off the shore of Onaruto Bay." "I've heard of this Nereids, Lady Dulcea," Devaki whispered to Dulcea. "It's said that their song can seduce even the most strong-willed man, and their kiss can literally drown a man from the inside." "My plan is to have the Nereid pose as a student at the school that the Ronins attend," Torrent explained. "Once there, she will use her powers of seduction to lure Cye of Torrent away from the others and finish off once and for all with her kiss of death!" "That could work, Lady Dulcea," Devaki muttered thoughtfully as he looked up at Dulcea. "That would take care of Cye of Torrent...but what about the kokoro of water, Torrent?" Dulcea asked curiously. "The Nereid has some special pets that will deal with the kokoro of water, Lady Dulcea, and anyone else who chooses to stand in our way," Torrent explained. "I want you to put this plan of yours into action immediately, Torrent," Dulcea ordered. "Right away, Lady Dulcea," Torrent agreed as both he and the Nereid quickly bowed to Dulcea before turning around and leaving the throne room... "Clara, since we both get out of tryouts around the same time today, do you think that we could walk home together?" Cye suggested as he and Clara walked down the street to meet up with Kento and Kim. "I don't see why not," Clara replied before they reached Kim's house, where their two friends were waiting for them. "What were you two lovebirds doing? Building a nest?" Kim retorted loudly. "Come on! Let's move!" Kento added a bit impatiently. "Since when are you in such a hurry to go to school, Kento?" Cye asked suspiciously. "I'm in no hurry. It's just that I hate waiting as much as I hate school!" Kento pointed out. "Well then, your waiting ends now, Kento. Let's go," Cye announced. Before the four friends even took a step, they heard a girl's voice shout, "Hey! Wait up!" Cye, Clara, Kento, and Kim turned around and saw a teenage girl around their age running towards them. She had shoulder-length blonde hair and green eyes, and she was wearing a simple white dress with gold trim, a gold charm bracelet on her left wrist, and white tennis shoes. "What's wrong?" Kento asked curiously as the girl stopped running and took in a few deep breaths. "Would you happen to be heading towards Han`a High School?" the girl asked. "Unfortunately, yeah. Why you ask?" Kim remarked. "Well, it's my first day and I'm not exactly sure how to get there," the girl explained. "No problem. You can walk with us," Clara replied. "We're all going the same way." "Thank you," the girl replied as they started walking down the street. "Oh, by the way, my name's Elena. I just arrived here this weekend from Greece." "Greece? What part?" Clara asked curiously. "Oh...just this little town called Piraeus bordering the Sea of Crete," Elena replied. "What about the rest of you?" "I'm Cye, and this is Clara, Kento, and Kim," Cye introduced. "Pleasure to meet you all," Elena admitted with a small smile. She looked up and noticed a teenage boy and girl standing at the street corner ahead of them, both with long black hair and red sweaters. "Who are they?" "Those are our friends, Ryo and Rita," Cye explained as they reached the street corner. "Hey, guys," Ryo greeted. "Who's the new girl?" Rita asked curiously. "This is Elena," Clara introduced. "She moved here from Greece." "Nice to meet you," Elena admitted. "Same here, Elena," Ryo admitted as the group of seven headed down the main road leading to the high school. "We should definitely warn her about Sage!" Kento suggested jokingly. "Why? Who is this Sage?" Elena asked curiously. "Only the biggest flirt I've ever seen!" Kim retorted. "That's an understatement, Kim!" Kento remarked. "I guess I'll have to be the judge of that," Elena muttered out loud as they approached another street corner, where Sage, Rowen, Sandra, and Roxie were waiting. "Good morning, everyone," Roxie greeted as her six friends and Elena approached them. "Good morning, Roxie. Everyone, this is Elena from Greece. Elena, these are our friends: Sage, Rowen, Sandra, and Roxie," Clara introduced. "Nice to meet you all," Elena replied. As the group of eleven continued down the main road, Sage asked curiously, "So...Elena, did you ever get the chance to see Toyama?" "No, not yet. I've been busy unpacking over the weekend," Elena revealed. "Well, perhaps I can give you a private tour after school," Sage suggested. "I'm afraid I can't. I still have more unpacking to do," Elena replied. "How about tomorrow, then?" Sage asked. "I can't. I'm busy tomorrow night," Elena muttered out loud. "What about the day after tomorrow?" Sage asked. "Geez, Sage! Give it a rest already!" Sandra retorted loudly. "Can't you tell that she's not interested?" "How can you be so sure, Sandra?" Sage asked. "Actually, your friend's right. I'm not interested in going out with someone right now," Elena revealed. "I was just telling you off politely." "Well, why not?" Sage prodded. "Well, being from a small town, I don't take kindly to chauvinistic boys!" Elena retorted loudly, causing Sage to turn red in the face. "Wow! She sure put you in your place, Casanova!" Kento teased with a quick laugh as Han`a High School came into view... "See you tomorrow, Elena," Cye announced as Elena walked past him and Clara. "Goodbye, Cye! Goodbye, Clara!" Elena shouted. She watched Cye and Clara enter their homes before continuing down the street. Elena soon stopped walking when she heard a faint noise from the forest bordering the side of the street. "What do you want?" she asked a bit rudely as Torrent stepped out from behind a large tree and joined her on the street. "You're taking quite some time to finish off Cye of Torrent. I'm not paying you to take your time with this!" Torrent pointed out sternly. "Relax, Torrent. Cye of Torrent will eventually meet his demise, but it's going to take some time," Elena replied. "And why is that?" Torrent asked suspiciously. "From what I observed in the past few days, Cye of Torrent's love for the kokoro of water is very deep and strong. It would be extremely difficult to lead him into my trap, unless he was alone," Elena explained. "I promise you, Torrent, by the end of this week, Cye of Torrent and the kokoro of water will no longer be a threat to you or Lady Dulcea." "I want action, not promises!" Torrent shouted angrily. "If you want action, Torrent, you'll get it," Elena muttered icily. "If you wish to witness the demise of Cye of Torrent, I suggest you go to Onaruto Bay this Friday around sunset." "I'll be there. You best not fail, or I can promise you that Dulcea will have both of our heads!" Torrent warned Elena... "All right, girls. You ready?" a young woman asked the eight teenage girls preparing to dive into the school's pool. The female coach had her dirty blonde hair up in a ponytail and was wearing white sneakers, black pants, and a maroon T-shirt with HAN`A HIGH DRAGONS printed on the front and GRILS' SWIM TEAM on the back in gold letters. Besides the coach and the girls trying out for the swim team, there was a small audience in the bleachers. The eight girls, who were all dressed in one-piece maroon bathing suits and gold bathing caps, including Clara, all nodded their heads as they knelt down and got into position. There were thirty-two more girls sitting on the bench, also wearing identical bathing suits and bathing caps. "Remember, four laps across the length of the pool done freestyle. And...go!" the coach shouted before blowing her whistle. Upon hearing the whistle, the eight girls dove into the pool and swam across the length of the pool using the freestyle stroke. Once they reached the other end of the pool, the girls flipped around underwater and swam back to the other side. They repeated the process two more times until they reached the last length of the race. "Nice job, ladies," the coach replied as the girls finished the race and climbed out of the pool one by one. "Good practice meet, everyone. I will have the final cuts posted by my office door on Monday. Those that made the final cut, I will see you at Monday's practice. That's all for today." "Thank you, Coach Hagen," all forty girls chorused as they grabbed their towels and headed to the girls' locker room, while the group of people in the bleachers started to leave. Clara was patting her face dry with her towel when she felt someone tap her on the shoulder. She turned around and smiled when she saw Cye standing there. "Hey, Cye. I'd hug you, but I would end up getting your clothes all wet," Clara confessed with a slight giggle as she tied the towel around her waist. "What are you doing here?" "Well, basketball practice finished up early. I got here just in time to watch that last race you were in, Clara," Cye confessed as they walked towards the girls' locker room together. They never noticed Elena, who had stayed behind in the now empty pool area. After making certain that no one was watching her, Elena walked to the edge of the pool while removing a small glass bottle from her pocket. She knelt down, pulled the cork out of the bottle, and poured the clear liquid into the pool. Once the bottle was emptied, a pair of large eerie blue eyes glowed in the pool for a few moments. Elena chuckled sinisterly to herself as the glowing eyes faded away into the water. "Now, to add the bait." Elena stood up, removed the charm bracelet from her left wrist, and tossed it into the deep end of the pool. After hearing the sound of her bracelet hitting the water's surface, Elena headed towards the girls' locker room, where she found Cye and Clara standing right outside the locker room door. "Oh, Clara! Thank goodness I found you!" Elena exclaimed as she approached Clara and Cye. "I have a huge favor to ask." "What is it, Elena?" Clara asked curiously. "Well, I was watching your practice meet earlier and, on my way out of the pool area, I slipped on some water," Elena explained. "Oh, my goodness! Are you all right?" Clara asked with concern in her voice. "I'm fine, Clara. Thanks for asking. When I got up, I noticed I was missing my charm bracelet," Elena continued as she showed Cye and Clara her now empty left wrist. "I think it might have fallen in the pool. And I was wondering, since you're still in your bathing suit, Clara..." "If I could check the pool for your bracelet?" Clara finished. "Yeah. Could you, please?" Elena begged. "Of course, I will, Elena," Clara replied as she turned to Cye. "Cye, how about you stop at my house, pick up the food I prepared, and head to our usual spot at Onaruto Bay? I'll meet you there." "All right, then," Cye reluctantly agreed. "I'll see you later, Clara." Cye gave Clara a quick kiss on the cheek before heading for the school's exit. Clara smiled a bit as she watched Cye leave the school. "Come on, Clara. The sooner we get this over with, the sooner you can get back to your boyfriend," Elena announced as she grabbed Clara's wrist and pulled her into the pool area. "Okay, Elena. Show me where you slipped. That'll give me an idea where to look for your bracelet," Clara requested. "It was right around...here," Elena muttered out loud as she led Clara towards the deep end of the pool. Clara knelt down next to the edge of the pool and looked down at the water. Her eyes widened slightly when she spotted something on the bottom of the pool. "I think I see it, Elena," Clara announced as she removed her towel from around her waist. "Could you hold this for me?" "Of course," Elena agreed as she took the towel from Clara. "I'll be right back with your bracelet, Elena," Clara replied before jumping into the water. After taking in a deep breath, Clara dove underwater and swam towards the bottom of the pool. She soon found Elena's charm bracelet, grabbed it with her hand, and started to ascend back up to the surface. Before Clara even got halfway there, she felt something wrap around her legs, preventing her from reaching the surface. She looked down, but couldn't see anything out of the ordinary. As Clara tried once again to swim to the surface of the pool, she could feel the unseen enemy coil around her waist all the way up to her neck. The invisible coils started to tighten, causing Clara to lose her breath. Clara closed her eyes, believing that if something didn't happen soon, she would drown. All of a sudden, she felt herself being quickly pulled back to the surface. As she broke the surface of the water, Clara took in a deep gasp of air. She hesitantly opened her eyes and gasped loudly out of shock. She was being held about ten feet above the pool by a giant serpent made entirely of water. "Elena! Get out of here!" Clara shouted to Elena, who was looking up at her. A small smirk played across Elena's face as she remarked sinisterly, "Why should I, Clara? Things are just getting interesting!" "What?" Clara gasped. "I see you met my pet water weird, Clara. It'll be the last thing you'll ever see!" Elena boasted. "This is...inhuman!" Clara shouted as she struggled to break out of the water weird's grasp. "That's because I'm not even human, Clara," Elena revealed. "Like my water weird here, I'm a creature of the water myself." "Why are you doing this to me, Elena?" Clara asked. "Nothing personal, Clara. Just doing my job," Elena replied nonchalantly. "And who hired you? Torrent, perhaps?" Clara demanded. "Of course, he did, Clara. Speaking of Torrent, I better get to Onaruto Bay to finish the job," Elena revealed. Clara gasped out loud when she realized what Elena was going to do. "Leave Cye alone, Elena!" "And how do you plan on stopping me when you can't even save yourself?" Elena asked sarcastically as she crossed her arms in front of her chest. "You'll never get away with this!" Clara proclaimed. "We'll see about that. But, don't worry yourself too much, Clara. You'll see Cye again...in the next world!" Elena retorted sarcastically as she snapped her fingers. Instantly, the water weird started sinking back down into the water, with Clara still in its watery coils. Elena chuckled evilly to herself as she left the pool area... "Come on, Sandra," Ryo muttered to himself as he impatiently tapped his foot on the wall he was leaning against. He was waiting outside of the girls' locker room for Sandra to emerge. Ryo and Sandra had volunteered to put away the soccer equipment after their home game ended, so they were the last ones to leave. A couple of minutes later, the door to the girls' locker room opened, and Sandra walked out, back in her regular clothes. "Ryo, you didn't need to wait for me," Sandra pointed out. "I don't mind, Sandra. I just didn't want you to walk home all by yourself," Ryo replied. "Well, I can see why Rita likes you so much!" Sandra teased, causing Ryo to blush slightly. "Ryo, you haven't seen Clara 'round, have ya?" "No, not recently, Sandra. Why do you ask?" Ryo asked curiously. "Well, Clara's clothes and stuff are still in the locker room," Sandra explained. "So, unless she left wearing nothing but a wet bathing suit, I'd wager she's still here." "I don't understand why Clara would still be here. Practice for the swim team ended long before our soccer game did," Ryo muttered thoughtfully. "Maybe she's staying after to put in a few extra laps?" Sandra guessed. "Hmm...maybe you're right, Sandra," Ryo agreed. "Look, since we're gonna cut across the pool area anyway, why don't we pop in and say hi?" Sandra suggested. "Why not?" Ryo agreed as he and Sandra headed for the door leading to the indoor pool. They were a bit surprised when they didn't see their friend swimming in the pool. "Clara? Where are you, Clara?" Ryo shouted as he and Sandra walked across the large room, his voice echoing off the walls slightly. As they reached the other side of the pool, Sandra glanced at the water and gasped loudly, freezing in her tracks. "Sandra, what's wrong?" Ryo asked curiously when he realized that Sandra had suddenly stopped walking. "R-R-Ryo?" Sandra stuttered nervously. "What is it, Sandra? What's wrong?" Ryo asked as he approached Sandra. "Please tell me I'm seeing things!" Sandra whispered quickly as she pointed down at the water in the deep end of the pool. Ryo looked down to see what Sandra was pointing at and gasped loudly out of shock when he saw Clara's lifeless body lying on the bottom of the pool. "Clara!" Ryo shouted. Without a moment's hesitation, Ryo dove into the pool and descended down to the pool's tile floor. He scooped Clara up in his arms and made a beeline for the surface. Ryo never noticed the pair of glowing blue eyes that briefly appeared in the deep waters. Sandra let out a sigh of relief when Ryo broke the surface of the water with Clara. Using one arm to keep Clara's head above water, Ryo used his free hand and feet to swim back to the edge of the pool. "Sandra, help me out," Ryo requested. Sandra quickly bent down and grabbed Clara's arms. She pulled Clara out of the pool, while Ryo pushed. "How is she holding out?" Ryo asked as he pulled himself out of the pool and joined Sandra. "She's breathing, at least," Sandra replied solemnly. She and Ryo could clearly hear Clara taking in shallow breaths of air. "I don't understand this, Ryo. Clara's an excellent swimmer. How could she nearly drown?" "I don't get it either, Sandra. Maybe she slipped and hit her head on the diving board or something," Ryo suggested. "Yeah...maybe," Sandra muttered thoughtfully. As Sandra and Ryo were talking, Clara opened her eyes slightly. She could see the water weird that nearly killed her coming out of the pool, apparently getting ready to attack her friends. "Ryo...Sandra...look out..." Clara whispered weakly. "Huh?" Ryo and Sandra gasped loudly as they looked up and saw the giant serpent made entirely of water. "What the blazes is that thing?" Sandra asked to no one in particular. "I have no idea," Ryo replied. The water weird glared at the three friends with its glowing blue eyes for a few moments before it started to move back slightly. "Look out!" Ryo shouted as the water weird dove right at them. He quickly scooped up Clara in his arms and jumped out of the way, while Sandra leapt in the opposite direction, barely avoiding the strange creature's attack. The water weird let out a strange hissing noise as it flung its tail at Sandra like a whip. "Ryo, help!" Sandra screamed as the water weird's tail wrapped tightly around her waist and lifted her high up in the air. "Hold on, Sandra!" Ryo shouted. He quickly propped the semiconscious Clara in the corner of the room before running off to help Sandra. "Let her go, you slippery snake!" Ryo demanded as he threw a punch at the water weird. "What the...?" Ryo gasped when he realized that his entire arm went through the creature's watery body, yet the water weird didn't even flinch. He tried throwing a few more punches and kicks at the water weird, but he ended up getting the same results as before. "This is impossible! How can I fight something that's made out of water?" Ryo wondered aloud. "Stand back, Ryo. I got an idea," Sandra announced as she squirmed around slightly in the water weird's tight coils. "But, Sandra..." Ryo started to protest. "Just do it already!" Sandra interrupted. "All right, Sandra," Ryo reluctantly agreed as he hesitantly took a few steps back. He watched as Sandra closed her eyes and concentrated. "THUNDER STRIKE!" Sandra shouted. The water weird let out a haunting howl as its body became enveloped in a blanket of electricity. The creature released one last pain-filled screech before it melted into a small puddle on the tile floor. "Sandra, are you okay?" Ryo asked as he quickly ran to Sandra's side. "I'm fine now, Ryo," Sandra replied as she stood up with Ryo's help. "That was incredible, Sandra!" Ryo confessed. "Thanks, Ryo. Now I know why they say water and electricity don't mix!" Sandra remarked. Just then, Ryo and Sandra heard a soft moan coming from Clara. "How you holding out, Clara?" Sandra asked as she and Ryo ran to Clara's side. "I'm fine, but we need to get to Onaruto Bay right away. Cye's in great danger!" Clara revealed as she struggled to stand up. "What's going on, Clara?" Ryo asked suspiciously as he and Sandra helped Clara to her feet. "There's no time to explain it. We must go now!" Clara insisted. "All right, Clara, but first, let's get you out of that wet suit," Sandra suggested as she and Ryo helped Clara walk out of the pool area... "That ought to do it," Cye muttered to himself as he smoothed out the beach blanket on the grass. Just then, he heard soft footsteps approaching him from behind him. "You're ten minutes late. I was about to call a search party," Cye joked as he turned around. He was surprised to see Elena standing there. "Elena! What an unexpected surprise," Cye confessed as he stood up. "Where's Clara?" "That's part of why I'm here. Turns out Clara's gonna be later than she expected. The swim team coach wanted to talk to her, and Clara asked me to tell you that," Elena explained. "I see," Cye replied. He looked down and noticed that Elena's left wrist was still empty. "So, Clara had no luck finding your bracelet, huh?" "Afraid not," Elena replied solemnly. "Clara guessed that it might have got sucked up into the filtering system, or maybe it didn't land in the pool, like I thought. When school starts again on Monday, I'm gonna check the Lost and Found and see if anyone turned it in." "Good luck with that, Elena," Cye replied. Elena nodded in response and looked out at Onaruto Bay. "That's an amazing view, Cye. It kinda reminds me of the Sea of Crete back home." "Oh, really?" Cye asked curiously. "It sure does. It also reminds me of this song my mom used to sing to me when I was little. But, you probably don't want to hear it," Elena revealed. "What makes you think that?" Cye prodded. "I better not, Cye. I wouldn't want to waste any more of your time," Elena confessed. "Come on, Elena. Don't be shy. I'm not going to critique you or anything. Let me hear you sing," Cye insisted as he sat down on the beach blanket. "Well...okay," Elena hesitantly replied as she took a moment to clear her throat and started to belt out a lovely tune. Cye soon found himself strangely entranced by the intoxicating melody. Elena stopped singing the single note and looked into Cye's green eyes. She smirked slightly when she recognized the vacant glazed-over look in Cye's eyes. "It worked. I knew that even someone as devoted as Cye would succumb to my powers," Elena muttered out loud. "Stand up." Cye immediately did what he was told, as though he was in a trance. "That's a good Ronin Warrior. Now, come closer," Elena instructed, gesturing with her finger for Cye to come closer. Cye slowly took three steps towards Elena, now face-to-face with her. "I'll have to admit, she's very good," Torrent confessed, who was watching the events unfold from behind a nearby tree, wearing his sub-armor. "If she succeeds, perhaps we can use her to rid us of the other Ronin Warriors!" "I hope you enjoy this kiss, Cye, cause it will be your last," Elena whispered into Cye's ear. Before Elena could kiss the spellbound Ronin Warrior, she heard a familiar voice shout, "Get away from him, Elena!" Elena turned around and sneered angrily when she saw Clara standing there. "So, you're alive. How did you manage to escape from my water weird?" "I had some help from my friends," Clara revealed as Sandra and Ryo, who was in his sub-armor, caught up with her. "Doesn't matter, anyway. I'd rather destroy you myself!" Elena announced as she narrowed her green eyes. Ryo, Sandra, and Clara gasped loudly out of shock when Elena spat out a steady stream of steaming red liquid at them. "Run for it!" Ryo shouted to Clara and Sandra. As the two girls quickly ran out of the way, Ryo did a backwards somersault in order to avoid the strange liquid. Unfortunately, a few drops of the red liquid struck Ryo's chest plate as he landed back on the ground. "What the?" Ryo gasped when he noticed the singe marks left on his sub-armor from the strange liquid. "Sandra, Clara, watch it! That stuff's poison!" "Now, this is starting to get interesting," Torrent murmured to himself as he continued to watch. "Cye, please help us!" Clara shouted to Cye, who was just standing there. "Ha, ha, ha! Nice try, Clara, but your little boyfriend can't hear you! He's under my control now!" Elena boasted darkly with a sinister laugh. "No! I don't believe you! Cye, wake up!" Clara shouted as she ran towards him. "Oh, no, you don't!" Elena shouted as she spat a stream of venom at Clara. Before Clara could reach Cye, the venom struck the ground just inches away from her. However, the force of the venom's impact managed to knock Clara down on her back. "Now to finish you off," Elena muttered out loud as she slowly approached Clara. "Clara, hold on!" Sandra shouted as she and Ryo ran over to try and stop Elena. "Not so fast, you two!" Elena announced as she took a glass bottle out of her pocket and threw it in Ryo and Sandra's direction. Ryo and Sandra quickly came to a stop as the glass bottle hit the ground just a few yards away from them, breaking in the process. "What's that stuff?" Sandra asked curiously as she pointed at the clear liquid from the bottle, which appeared to be moving. "You don't suppose it's another one of those water weird things, do you?" Ryo asked suspiciously. As though to answer Ryo's question, the puddle of liquid quickly took the form of another large water weird. "Oy! Not another one!" Sandra complained loudly as the water weird dove at them. "My water weird will finish off your friends, Clara, while I take care of you," Elena admitted sinisterly as she continued walking towards Clara, who was backing away from her. "Oh, no!" Clara gasped when she realized she reached the edge of the small cliff. "Looks like you ran out of room, Clara!" Elena remarked with a clever laugh. "This is going to be too easy!" Elena stretched her arms out towards Clara, intent on pushing her off the cliff. Before she could even touch Clara, Elena was surprised when someone grabbed her from behind. She turned her head around and gasped when she saw that it was Cye in his sub-armor. "Cye, you're awake!" Clara exclaimed happily. "I'm afraid that this is all a big misunderstanding, Cye," Elena tried to convince Cye. "Save it, Elena!" Cye interrupted. "Here's a little news flash for you: I might have been under your control, but I was fully aware of everything that was going on around me." Elena glared angrily at Cye with her burning green eyes. "So what? Just because you know my plans, Cye of Torrent, it won't save you or your friends!" "What?" Cye gasped as Elena's body completely liquefied and fell through his hands into a large puddle at his feet. As the puddle moved away from him, Cye turned his attention to Clara. "Are you all right, Clara?" Cye asked with concern as he helped Clara stand up. "Yes, I'm fine, Cye. I'm so glad that whatever Elena did to you wasn't permanent," Clara confessed. She looked at the moving puddle of water that was once Elena. "That just gave me an idea. Hey, Sandra! I need you to attack Elena when I say to!" Clara shouted to Sandra. "I'll try, Clara, but I'm a little busy at the moment!" Sandra muttered through clenched teeth as she jumped out of the way of the water weird's swinging tail. "And how do you plan on destroying me, Clara?" Elena asked sarcastically as she returned to her physical form. "You'll see soon enough, Elena," Clara announced. "TIDAL WAVE!" Elena didn't seem at all intimidated by the massive wave of water heading towards her as it crashed down on her. "I don't believe it! It didn't even faze her!" Cye gasped out of shock when he saw that Elena was completely drenched, but still standing. "Was that your ingenious plan to destroy me, Clara?" Elena asked sarcastically. "You seem to have forgotten what I told you earlier about the water being my element as well." "Far from it, Elena. That was just phase one," Clara revealed as she looked over at Sandra. "Now, Sandra!" "All right, Clara!" Sandra shouted. "THUNDER STRIKE!" "AHH!" Elena screamed loudly out of pain as her body became engulfed in electricity. Cye and Clara watched as Elena's body once again turned into a puddle of water, only this time, the water evaporated into the air. "Yes, it worked!" Clara cheered. "Look! The same thing's happening to the water weird!" Sandra announced as she pointed at the water weird in front of her and Ryo, who was screeching loudly in pain as it shriveled down into a puddle of water and evaporated away. "Nice job, Clara! Your plan worked like a charm!" Sandra admitted as she and Ryo joined Cye and Clara. Suddenly, Clara moaned slightly out of pain. "Clara, are you sure you're all right?" Cye asked worriedly. "Yeah, Cye. I'm just a little bit tired," Clara whispered. "It was probably from that other water weird that nearly drowned you in the school's pool," Sandra pointed out. "What?" Cye exclaimed. "Relax, Cye. I'm okay," Clara tried to reassure Cye. "Maybe I should have stayed at the school with you, Clara," Cye replied solemnly. "If I did wait for you instead of heading out here, none of this would have happened." "Cye, don't blame yourself, all right? No one saw this coming," Clara told Cye. "If anyone is to blame for this, it's Dulcea." "Clara's right, Cye," Ryo pointed out. "It's getting kinda late. We should all get going." "You're right, Ryo," Cye agreed. "I'm going to take Clara home so she can rest." "I won't argue with that!" Clara admitted with a small smile. As the four friends left the small cliff, Torrent peered at them from behind the tree. "It appears I have misjudged the kokoro's strength," Torrent muttered to himself as he watched the four friends leave. "Two kokoro teaming up like that is even more dangerous than fighting one of them. I can only imagine how powerful they would become if all five kokoro fought together. I see now why Dulcea's so determined on getting rid of them, along with the Ronin Warriors. Speaking of Dulcea, she won't be pleased to learn that the Nereid had failed." With that, Torrent teleported away from Onaruto Bay...TO BE CONTINUED |