ᗰOᑎᔕTEᖇ [🧡 ᑎᗩᖇᑌᕼIᑎᗩ 💜] [Ɱҽէąʍօɾքհօʂìʂ] Bσσƙ Oɳҽ

Shukaku

"Ginjiro will take us through the water." he informed the two women.

Eiko made no objections as she wandered over to the silent jelly. Sou, however, turned to Hinata and explained further.

"He'll be transporting us inside his body. The experience can be...unsettling for someone that's never been inside before," he warned, "Stay calm, and don't panic. His insides are both breathable and harmless."

A large, slinky tentacle broke the water's surface. Hinata watched with a small sense of alarm as it wrapped around the dog masked male. Sou uttered not a word as he was lifted, tugged towards the curved head of the creature and sank slowly into its translucent body. Holding back a shiver of unease, Hinata willed herself not to squeak when a different tentacle found its way around her waist. It was felt cold and foreign even through her cloths, its strength frightening as she was lifted effortlessly off her feet. She was pulled towards the umbrella shaped crown where Sou waited, his large body suspended inside the jellyfish. Ginjiro's body was ice cold and covered in a layer of something slimy. Pressed against the invertebrate bell shaped head, goosebumps pebbled her flesh. Panic tightened her stomach when the jelly parted, the squishy sides slowly engulfing her body.

Chilly.

Jiggly.

Slippery.

Unease skated down her spine.

Her heart slammed against her chest.

Resisting the urge to fight the gooey substance sucking at her skin, Hinata took a deep, calming breath, holding it in as she was absorbed. Submerged in jelly, the nervous Hyuuga was reluctant to release her indrawn breath, fearing lungs full of jelly and subsequent suffocation.

"You won't be able to hold your breath long enough."

Sou's words, coated in a subtle layer of mirth were slightly muffled but clear, piercing through the twisting anxiety that was threatening to erupt into full blown terror.

"Try small breaths," he suggested, "You'll get used to it quicker."

Hinata paused, gathering her courage to take a breath.

Eiko sank into the open space next to her when she finally relented. Her lungs released the air trapped inside before searching for more. Hinata inhaled sharply, the intake small, experimental.

The ensuing sensation was terrible.

It went through her nose as goo, then into her lungs as air. It was the most disconcerting experience of her life and while her body was satisfied with the oxygen filling her lungs, her mind recoiled at the unfamiliar inhalation.

"Let's go, Ginjiro." Sou commanded.

Movement wasn't any better. She felt every single contraction of the jellyfish, the squishy walls squeezing and releasing around her adding to her unease.

Ginjiro swam swiftly through the spring, pulsating along the illuminated liquid. As Sou's gelatinous summons delved deeper, Hinata adjusted to the weird sensations, her body and mind coming to a truce, one that allowed the wrenching anxiety to drain from her tummy and her lungs to draw bigger breaths.

"There's another spring up ahead." Eiko murmured.

A spring within a spring.

Hinata's stomach dropped as the jellyfish sailed into the round, deep blue water, her world tilting when they landed with a splashed. Dark gray and bright green bubbles floated in the water, bouncing against and off the surface of Ginjiro. A low hum emitted from the creature, the sound sending ripples through the water and in turn pushing the floating orbs away.