Jasper just barely managed to halt before he ran full force into Mi-chan.
"Michiru-san?"
She had grown pale. "No," she said quietly. "No, it can't be." Jasper followed her gaze to see Neko trapped in a transparent crystal.
Mi-chan reinitiated her sprint, even faster this time. Jasper followed, wondering what had caused this sudden burst of fear. He considered that Mi-chan might just be worried because Neko was claustrophobic, but he was picking up a totally different vibe from her than when Neko had been inside the mountain. Then she had merely been concerned for her twin. This seemed to be full-on terror.
It wasn't until they reached the place where the path leveled out that they could see Tenshi. She stood dead center of a circle of fire. An air of great power surrounded her. Jasper didn't have any psychic powers, but even he could see the difference in her and feel the strength of that power.
Mi-chan didn't hesitate. She ran straight towards Tenshi, jumping over the flames. Jasper followed her.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Neko pounded the sides of her prison trying to get through to Mi-chan and Jasper below. What if the mountain kami didn't really give Tenshi back her body like he said he would? What if they couldn't get to her? What if Mi-chan had to die for her trial? Neko couldn't stand that.
But her stalwart sister seemed to be fearless. Neko could truly believe that she was more frightened for Mi-chan's life as she faced down the fire than Mi-chan was. Her heart almost stopped watching Mi-chan jump through it.
But her fear was replaced with horror as searing pain ran through her arm. She cried out unable to comprehend where the burn had come from.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
No sooner had he and Mi-chan jumped through the fire, than it began to spread. Jasper shoved her out of the flames reach as he just barely got out of the way.
His efforts were rewarded with a vicious look from Mi-chan. But that was the least of his concerns.
"Damn," he swore under his breath. They had just barely been able to get past those flames as it was. Now they were trapped.
He looked up at Neko. She seemed to be in pain. She caught him looking at her and began to call to him, silently. Her eyes pleaded to him.
"Neko-sama," he whispered. "Hang on."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Mi-chan didn't care about the burn on her arm. It hurt like hell, but she didn't have time to worry about it. She had to save Neko.
She ran up to Tenshi, who was obviously possessed by something. "Let her go," she commanded her.
Tenshi raised a hand, and Mi-chan found herself frozen in her tracks. "HER IMPRISONMENT IS OF YOUR OWN MAKING, MIZUNO MICHIRU. ONLY YOU CAN BANISH IT."
"No. No, don't do this to her."
Tenshi's face turned towards her. "YOU HAVE NOT TIME TO MERELY BEG FOR HER LIFE. YOUR TIME GROWS SHORT." She waved at the fire, which spread a little more. Then indicating Neko's prison, added, "AND HERS SHORTER."
Mi-chan looked up at her sister, just as she felt another pang of terror from her. "No," she prayed.
Gradually, the crystal was beginning to fill with a dark liquid. Neko was frantic now, her inaudible screams for help quite clear to Mi-chan.
"Stop it! She hasn't done anything!" Mi-chan cried. It wasn't fair.
"SHE MAY HAVE NO MEMORIES, BUT YOURS ARE QUITE CLEAR, MIZUNO MICHIRU. YOUR MEMORIES BETRAY YOU AND CREATE YOUR REFLECTION'S CONFINEMENT. YOU ALONE CAN STOP IT!"
"How? Tell me how!" But she was too late. Tenshi's eyes slumped back in her head and her body fell limply to the ground.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Neko was completely panicked. They black liquid rose to her calves as she watched Tenshi collapse. She didn't know who she was more frightened for - Tenshi, who lay there unmoving; Mi-chan and Jasper, who were still surrounded by fire; or herself. This was nothing short of a nightmare!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
This had to be a nightmare. *It can't be real. Please, it's just a dream.*
Mi-chan didn't even have someone to fight against. She couldn't reach Neko. If this was really out of her dream, her energy attacks would do no good, they'd simply be absorbed by the crystal.
In her dream, Neko had died. She hadn't been able to save her.
HER IMPRISONMENT IS OF YOUR OWN MAKING.
Mi-chan looked around desperately. If only she could get past the fire, she could get something to throw at the crystal and maybe crack it so the liquid would be released. But the fire was too large now. She'd die before she got through.
YOUR MEMORIES BETRAY YOU AND CREATE YOUR REFLECTION'S CONFINEMENT.
Mi-chan looked back at Neko, then the flames.
YOUR MEMORIES�. YOU ALONE CAN STOP IT.
*I have to destroy the cause of this! I have to end the nightmare before she dies!*
And there was only one way this nightmare ever ended.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Jasper's first thought was that Mi-chan was so overcome with terror, that she had just lost it and in her attempt to escape forgotten that the fire was too wide to cross at any point. But that didn't ring true with what he knew of her. Mi-chan was a fighter and completely loyal to Neko. She would rather die than abandon her twin.
And suddenly he realized that that was exactly what she had intended to do. She had gotten some idea that she could save Neko by throwing herself into the fire. And maybe she could, but he was damned if he was going to let her.
So as she valiantly ran towards the fire, he ran to intercept her. She was faster than he was, but she had also been further inside the circle than he was. And so he hoped he could catch her before she did something stupid like kill herself.
He managed to grab her and pulled her in the other direction.
"Let go of me!" she screamed. He was used to being yelled at by her, but this was the first time she had sounded so desperate.
"I can't let you kill yourself," he told her as he fought to keep her away from the fire. It was next to impossible. She was so bent on sacrificing herself.
Home
