Written on the Walls (self-insert #5)

Chapter 9

"We should get her out of there." Lin said sharply over the line, his voice harsh as the first notes of worry crept in. I would've been touched if I weren't on the brink of a break down. "This is obviously going to end up as another disappearance."

"No, this is perfect. Wait, give us a second." There were muffled panicky voices, one of them I recognized as Mai. "They just reported that you're missing. Nira, can you tell me more about the tunnel?"

"I couldn't tell you how to get to it, if that's what you're asking." I said dryly. "It's pretty small and cramped. Not enough space to turn around comfortably, and there's the question of the two men that aren't you guys. They're the henchmen, aren't they?"

There was an impaitient huff. "Naru..." Lin said.

"She'll be fine." Naru snapped, just as impatient. In any other situation, I would've felt touched by his faith in me. Right now, I just felt terrified. "Nira, I want you to go through the tunnel and come out on the other end. When that happens, do you think you can drive away the henchmen?"

"I hope so." I swallowed several times. "Though it doesn't seem like this tunnel is going to end soon. Like, it's almost endless."

Naru hmmmed, thinking to himself. In the background I could hear the clamor of people and the occasional distant thump of stuff being moved around. "You'll be going to the empty space below us. Have you gone down any staircases?"

"Not a single one. The tunnel isn't descending, either."

"A staircase outside of the tunnel, maybe?" Lin suggested.

I continued walking in silence, partially because 'Naru' hissed at me to be quiet. The thudding in the background got louder.

"What in the world are you guys doing?" I demanded, seizing the opportunity to distract myself from where I was headed.

More thudding. "Looking for you." Lin grunted, probably lifting something particularly heavy. "Madoka and Yasuhara are also here."

"Hello!" Madoka chirped, her voice muffled.

Huh. That also happened in the manga, which got me thinking. "Is Masako there?"

"Yes. Why?"

I grunted as I bumped my head against an overhang and hunched over even more to accommodate to the shrinking space. "In the manga, she's the one who goes missing." I explained. "I guess you could call this a sacrifice?"

Silence.

"Not even remotely funny. Got..." The rest of my sentence morphed into a cry as the floor vanished beneath my feet, dropping me into a abyss. At least, for a few heart stopping seconds I assumed it was a pit until I slammed into the floor. I lay on my back, trying to breathe through my pancake lungs. Adrenaline roared through my veins and the only thought I was capable of was how grateful I was that my bun had cushioned my head. Head trauma was the last thing I needed.

Gradually, I became aware of someone talking. "—should've told her to turn around." Lin was saying.

"Nira? What happened?" Naru demanded, ignoring his irate assistant.

"Fell through sone sort of hole." I managed to wheeze. "Oh, I hurt."

"You probably fell through to the floor below. That answers the question of stairs." He remarked, deaf to my agony. "Where did you land?"

I allowed my eyes to adjust to the black. "I think..." I shifted to get a better look, and as I did something crunched beneath me. "Yep. The hedge labrynth. What do I do? There's a chance the henchmen might come."

"Try to keep zzzzzzzz around zzzzzzzzzzz find you. Can you do that?" Naru half spoke and half buzzed as static ate through.

A strangled giggle slipped through my lips. As if the situation couldn't get any worse. "Can't tell what you said. The connection is getting bad."

Lin's voice faded in and out through the disruption. "Keep zzzzz piece zzzzzzzzzzz you when zzzzzzzzzzzzzz..." With that half baked piece of advice, the line went dead.

Great. Just wonderful.

I managed to get up despite my throbbing back. The hedges towered over me, their skeletal branches clawing towards the high ceiling. Well, relying on Naru and Lin was out of the question. The latter was probably having a heart attack right now, poor guy. "What now?" I asked the hedge to my right. "No comms. Blood-thirsty maniac straight ahead."

The hedge didn't respond, but its thick limbs gave me an idea. I managed to use whatever scraps of strength I had left to break off a particularly hefty branch and sawed off some of the twiggy bits with a key I found in my pocket. It was a perfect club and was most likely going to make Naru sneer and call me a troglodyte. If it was him, he'd probably start qigong-ing and PK-ing away. Maybe it was a good thing I was the one who got captured, though I could imagine Naru's response: I'm not dumb enough to get myself captured, you numbskull. Go make tea.

I realized I was wasting time and set off through the labrynth. With my luck, I'd get so thoroughly lost that I'd be back where I landed when the cavalry came crashing in.

Gravel crunched underfoot as I strode through with what little confidence I had left, which was about as much strength I had. I had to take frequent stops as pain stabbed up and down my back, doubling the amount of time it took to move through.

My luck ran out. I found myself standing in front of a metal door. When I tested the knob, it turned easily. Unlocked.

My bravado drained away just as I tried to draw on it. Instinctively I clapped a hand over my mouth, shoving down a hysterical giggle. "Come on, come on." I wheezed. Back into the labrynth or onward?

I deliberated over the question for too long. There was a blinding pain against the side of my neck and everything went black.

"....ira. Nira."

Hands were shaking me. I groaned, letting my head flop against something cold, hard, wet, and metallic-smelling. "Pressure points." I said fuzzily, staring at the glowing wall. A flashlight? "Like Tai Lee from The Last Airbender. Mai, is that you?"

"Thank God you're okay!" I felt the hands move to something strapping me to the table. "How do you feel?"

"My back hurts like crazy. Might be a massive bruise back there." I blinked as my brain finally pulled itself together. "Why am I wet?"

There was a strangled noise. "Blood."

I finally understood. "Mai. Hurry up and get me out of these straps. Is there a thick branch on the floor?"

A pause. "No?"

"It was worth a shot." I had been planning on telling her to chuck it at Kaneyuki if he tried something, but that plan flapped out the window. "Just...hurry it up, please."

Nearby, something bubbled. It was so slight that at first I barely noticed it, but it grew louder as it continued. Splash. Mai whimpered, her fingers faltering on the heavy straps. "Nira...oh, no..."

SPLASH!

"Urado!"