Chapter Eleven of A Story to Tell

Between a Rock and a Hard Place

Written by Yen (April 2000)

It was the third day of the Conference.

Shura was trying to calm down a panicked Yoda.

"Just what exactly did you see?" He was finally able to ask when Yoda quieted down. He couldn't understand what he had been babbling about.

"Lord Yomi and Mukuro kissing!!!"

"... Maybe you just had a nightmare," he said soothingly. Always remained calm when handling a stricken patient, his sensei taught him.

"That was not a nightmare! That was a disaster!"

"It couldn't be that bad. You're exaggerating."

"I do not exaggerate!"

Reluctantly, he decided to tell him about the rilan.

...

"... You gave them a love potion?!?"

"No no, it's not a love potion."

Meanwhile...

"There has to be a cure!" Shigure roared.

Seran covered his ears and shouted back at him, "I'm telling you there isn't one!"

***

Enki raised his hand, and the rest of the caravan behind him halted. Just ahead, a desert oasis glistened ephemeral in the sun.

"We'll stop here for a while before proceeding."

The rionite mines were a hour's travel further. There was a faster way to get there then via dromeds, but there was a tour through the desert city to consider as well. They have been travelling since early morn.

***

Water ran down refreshing rivulets. Mukuro shook drops from her hair as she refilled her water container. Yomi looked away and took a deep draft from his. The water had turned warm in the heat from this morning's short travel. He swallowed and gave the empty bottle to Shura who immediately went to refill it and his own. He had already replaced Yoda's water.

He ignored the loud complaints from the other travelers. There were fewer flies than from last night. The heat discouraged them. Many were still recovering from overdrinking and over merry-making.

Shigure was watching him carefully from his position beside Mukuro. Enki was slumbering under a shady tree. Kokou could be heard screaming at the laggards to hurry up. Seran was collecting plant samples.

He was bored.

***

At the mines...

"Papa, look." Shura held up a stone for him to see. The veins on its dull surface gleamed faintly "It's rionite."

"Keep it as a charm, boy," rumbled Enki's voice, "It will bring you fortune."

Kokou ruffled Shura's hair. "You're one lucky fella. You just picked that stone from the ground."

Yomi smiled, and Shura grinned at them before running up ahead.

"You must be very proud of him, Yomi," Enki said as he ducked slightly, his head barely passing under a beam unscathed.

"I am."

The deep subterranean mines look little more then black endless holes at the surface. Underground, they extended in vast networks underneath shifting sands. It was the sands that made mining more dangerous than it was. When improperly compacted, they gushed as raging rivers into the tunnels, burying and drowning any unfortunate miners.

Yomi glanced at the thick web of root-like plants holding back the sand. They were ordinary terani tubers biologically engineered to survive in desert conditions. They were common and virtually useless in Makai, considered as bothersome weeds, which grew well even in soil with little nutrients. Farmers in Gandara paid to the teeth to have invasions of terani destroyed. The wild ferocious jungle plants held more than well against terani but not the simple grain specimens.

They also held water well. Ahead, a miner slashed at a thick tuber and tore of a piece the length of his fore arm. He sucked at the cut end avidly.

"How do you mine the rionite with the terani covering the walls?" Yomi glanced to Mukuro who asked the question. Roots even extended across the mine floor.

Enki chuckled. "Terani cannot abide the presence of rionite." He suddenly stopped and pointed a bare patch on the wall. One of the miner guides quickly began digging at it with a small pick. Soon, he was holding up a large crystal ore and handed it to Enki.

Kokou continued, "Terani detects rionite and will not grow near it. Usually, the gap between the two must be a meter long before roots sprout." She glanced at Mukuro. "You know this already."

"I'm please to see it works as well in actual as it did in the labs."

"It works even more than well." Enki tossed the crystal up and down in his hand. "Production increased five hundred percent, and the miners were able to clear each area before proceeding. The old abandoned mines had a lot more rionite then previously thought."

"You will have to be careful that terani does not invade the lands you have terraformed so far," Yomi commented.

Unnoticed below, Yoda grimaced. Shura and Seran pretended not to hear while the others paid close attention to him.

"... And how would you suggest that be done, Yomi?" Asked Mukuro.

"Simple. Put rionite generators at the perimeters."

Yoda groaned out loud, and he realized he had just given away a state secret.

"Rionite generators?" Mukuro repeated.

He clamped his mouth shut. Rilan did more then inhibit negative emotions.

***

"Do you have any idea what a rionite generator is, Lady Mukuro?"

"No inkling whatsoever, my dear Shigure."

"... I suggest you do not talk too much, Lady Mukuro."

***

"Sensei, are you sure that's all what rilan does?"

"What did the book say, Shura?"

"... Feelings of strife, of battles and wars begone.

Drained away and walled.

Whatever else remains to be done.

Trust to faith and called..."

"... Who made that formula, Sensei?"

Seran sighed. "Who ever it was must have been full of rilan when he wrote it."

***

The inspection tour finished, they were near the entrance when it happened. It started as a tremor. Then, massive explosions shook the mines.

Shura yelped when Enki grabbed him by the waist and hauled him over his shoulder like a lumpy sack. "Hold on tight, Shura!" Enki bulldozed through the falling debris. The mines seemed to shake in time to his massive steps.

Shura coughed as he tried to get air in despite the thick dust and Enki's shoulder blade digging into his stomach. Through bleary eyes, he saw Yoda in a similar position over Seran's shoulder. Once in a while they faded from view as the ground shook wildly and large amounts of sand burst free past weakened roots.

He heard Kokou's screams for them to run faster. His leg throbbed in pain. He had been the first injured when a beam came crashing down on him. He hadn't been able to avoid it even when Yomi shouted, warning him

"You okay, boy?" He heard Enki's worried question.

"I- I'm all right," he managed to say. Nevertheless, the giant youkai shifted him off his shoulder to cradle him in his arms. Shura's eyes widened in alarmed embarrassment.

***

Outside the mines...

Shigure coughed and spat the sand from his mouth. Taking deep drafts of the hot desert air, he finally rose from the ground using his weapon for support. Just ahead of him, he could see the collapsed entrance of the mine. There was going to be hell to pay for this!

Yoda's cry made him whirl.

"Lord Yomi! Where are you?!"

One of his men rushed to his side. "Sir, Lord Mukuro is missing!"

"Papa!!!"

***

A spark of green light, and Mukuro carefully placed the broken pieces of the light stick on a flat rock. Carefully she made sure it would not fall off into the mud below. The light stick began to flare brightly, casting a yellow-green glow. Fortunately, it didn't consume oxygen and will last for at least an hour til the entire stick was consumed. She had two more with her.

Behind her, Yomi coughed weakly. There was a bloody wound on his head where a large sharp piece of rionite ore had struck him as it fell from the ceiling.

She examined his wound and relaxed when it was more superficial then it looked. She glanced down at the muddy ground. Terrani roots held more water then she realized. At least they wouldn't die of thirst. She stood up and examined their prison.

A hundred more paces, and we would have been out. They were fortunate not to be caught in the two sand slides sealing the small chamber. Mukuro glanced up when the terrani laced ceiling creaked under the weight of heavy sand.

... Nothing I can do if it decides to fall on us. A moan from Yomi made her glance back. Hmm... I better put him on a drier spot.

***

Yomi winced and opened his eyes slowly. He blinked when his vision confirmed what his other senses had informed. He was still in the mine. He tried to get up, but froze when whatever it was he lying on began to wobble and roll.

"Don't move too much." He turned his head to see Mukuro walking towards him. "I didn't have anything to tie the roots with."

Yomi realized he was on a bed made of terrani roots.

***

"How long have we been in here?" He asked as he gingerly examined the makeshift bandage on his head. His mouth and hands felt dry.

"Nearly two hours now. Here, drink from this." He automatically caught the root she tossed to him with his other hand. "You're dehydrated. Better get some water in." They had both lost their water bottles in the chaos.

He watched as Mukuro placed the cut end of another root in her mouth and followed her example. Not one drop came out. He frowned, lowering the terani. She had lowered her root too. There were wet streaks on the corners of her lips.

Mukuro smiled, seeing his bewilderment. She wiped her mouth with her hand before tossing a small knife towards him. He caught it easily and sliced off a new piece from the wall behind him. ... Still nothing.

She laughed. "No no, cut a small hole on the whole end of the root." She demonstrated with another piece. A similar knife emerged from her sleeve. "You need to produce a vaccuum."

"I know that. Yomi jabbed a small hole into his root. "I just never did this before," he said before finally taking a drink.

"You've grown too soft, Yomi," she remarked, sitting more comfortably on her similar pile of roots. "You wouldn't last long where I come from."

He shrugged. "I have learned to thrive in a different kind of jungle." He pointed the root at her. "You wouldn't last long in Gandara."

"I wouldn't want to live in your city." She shook her head slightly at the thought. "... It's too artificial."

"... Speaks the one who resides and travels in genetically engineered mutated plants and insects."

"Don't complain, rice stealer."

He gave her an innocent look, which prompted her to roll her eyes ceilingward.

...

"Why did you help me?"

"Hmm...?"

"You could have gotten out with the others if you didn't stop to help me."

"... Because of your son."

~~~

"I promise that nothing will happen to Yomi." "If I have to, I will protect him with my life."

~~~

"Shura again," he remarked, "He's a better charmer than I thought."

"Much better than you, clearly."

"I see... Would you like to marry him?"

...

"You know what, Yomi? If it wasn't for this rilan drug, you would be very dead right now."

"I take it you don't like Shura then."

"Of course I like him. ... That's not what I mean."

"What's wrong with marrying Shura?"

"He's too young."

"... Hiei."

"... What exactly do the rumors say about me and Hiei...?"

"I don't think you should know."

"I'll trade you with what they say about you and Kurama."

"Those are not rumors."

"... Damn, I envy you."

***

Yomi tensed when Mukuro suddenly raised her hand towards him. Her muscles tightened, and concentration darkened her eyes. Nothing happened.

After a while, she let out a tired sigh and lowered her hand. "Stupid rilan."

???

She rubbed her temples tiredly. "I guess you haven't noticed yet. We can't release our youki."

***

Mukuro watched as Yomi withdrew his fist from the sand wall. His knuckles were scraped and bleeding. Not one iota of youki had been released in his attack.

***

It's there... I just can't use it. Yomi stared at the clotted blood covering the cuts on his hand. I'm healing too slowly. The wound on his head throbbed painfully.

It was as if something was holding back his energy.

Nearby, Mukuro watched as the last light stick flickered and darkened.

***

"They are very near."

"How much longer until they reach us?"

"At the rate they are going... about an hour."

"Good. There's enough air in here to last further than that."

...

"Yomi, I'm curious."

"What about?"

"Why did you kiss me this morning?"

"... An old friend challenged me to kiss you."

"... It was a game then."

"Something like that."

"What did you win?"

"I beg your pardon."

"You said he challenged you. What was at stake?"

"... He said you intrigued him. I disagreed with him. ... I was wrong."

***

Bright lights pierced through the sand as the rescuers finally reached them.

***

"Papa, are you all right?"

"I'm fine, Shura."

"You are wounded, my lord," Yoda fussed over him.

He looked to where Shigure was helping Mukuro up. In more ways than one...

***

"Who was responsible for the explosions?"

"Enki's men caught the culprits, Lady Mukuro. They were paid a large sum in rionite by a tiny skinny weed of a youkai."

"Sounds familiar..." She glanced aside to where Yoda was informing Yomi. "They were after all of us, but Yomi and Shura in particular." Her eyes narrowed, detecting the slight limp in Shura's stride. She looked back at Shigure. "I thought they were in exile."

Shigure nodded. "They still are. They send the weed alone."

Mukuro closed her eyes briefly. "I'm sure Yomi and Enki will make certain no similar incident will happen again. Still, make sure it doesn't happen again, Shigure."

"Yes, my lady."

***

Later...

Azure energy died down as the healer withdrew his youki from Yomi. Shura and Yoda looked extremely relived when no trace of the head wound could be seen.

Shura ran forward and grabbed his father's right hand. There were only faint traces of the cuts. Shura had healed Yomi's injuries partially. He was still learning the craft. Seran had complimented him on his try before taking over.

His father's smile was a greater reward.

"I'm so glad you are all right, Papa!" He almost hugged his sire had there been no audience around.

"I'm glad you are fine as well, Shura." Concern tinged Yomi's face. "How is your leg?"

"It hurts a bit, but I can walk on it."

"I want you to rest, Shura," Seran interjected. He glanced at Yoda. "Make sure Yomi does the same thing," he added before leaving to tend to other patients. Many miners had been injured. Few have yet to be found.

At Yoda's insistence, both of them retired to their tent. They would soon be on their way back to the desert fortress, baring further difficulties.