kei_fic_diginibunoichi4

In the rain, Yamato could dimly see a feminine figure running ahead of him. With longer legs, he easily caught up to Taichi. Grabbing her by her shoulder, he spun her around to face him. "Tai, the springs are flooded right now!" he shouted.
     "So?!"
     Yamato rolled his eyes at the pure stupidity coming out of Tai's mouth. "So? It means if you go diving into one of these springs right now, you won't know what you'll turn into! Besides, I bet you don't even have an idea of where the Drowned Man Spring is!"
     "Yes I do! It's over...there..." Taichi vaguely waved her hands in the general direction of the springs, but with a sinking feeling, she knew Yamato was right. Her shoulders drooped in misery. "I don't want to stay a girl! This is so awkward! I'm a guy, dammit, I feel like a guy!" she confessed. To her horror, she felt tears rising in her eyes. Must be the feminine side of her, a detached part of her mind analyzed. Scrubbing at her face, she sniffed daintily.
     "You won't be a girl forever, Tai. Once the springs stop flooding, then we can reverse the curse. Until then, you'll just have to accept the fact that you're a... well, you're a girl." Yamato attempted to cheer his friend up. His lips quirked up in a smile when Tai looked up at him with teary eyes. With her eyes shining like that, Tai looked very cute. WHOA!! Stop right there! This is Tai you're thinking about! Your guy friend! Well he isn't a guy right now, but that's beside the point. Yamato mentally slapped himself. Belatedly, he realized that Tai was speaking. "What did you say Tai?"
     Shivering, Taichi wrapped her arms around herself. "I said you're right, let's go back. It's useless to do anything right now. Besides, I need to change out of these clothes."
     Yamato resisted the urge to put his arms around his friend like he would do to any other girl. Instead, he grinned good-naturedly. "Maybe Sora and Mimi can dress you up as a girl properly. Think of the fun they'll have with your hair!"
     Taichi stared at him in horror, "Oh no! You're not serious are you? Would they really do that to me?!" Apparently turning into a girl had also reduced Tai's courage. She was absolutely terrified of the impending doom.
      Yamato laughed, "Chill, I was just kidding ya know."
      Taichi looked immensely relieved. As they entered the cottage, the aroma of roast pork reached their noses. Yamato nearly fainted, "TAKERU!!" He rushed to the pot stewing on the stove. Behind him, Takeru poked his head out from the blanket he was dozing under, "Onisan?" Yamato sighed with relief as he realized it wasn't his little brother cooking in the fire. Meanwhile, Koushiro was tapping away on his computer. "Hey you guys, come here and look at this!" he called out to the rest of the group. Everyone crowded around him. "According to this," he waved to his computer, "We came here by means of a warp! Remember the hole we fell through? That must've been a portal of some sorts! We may be in China, but it's in a totally different time and space from ours!"