Xantus quietly reached a silent hand out to Iñaki’s shoulder,
stopping her from moving forward. She turned, irritated, and saw him
deep in a meditative trance.
"Rashi. . .is in a place very familiar. He's . . .not in immediate
danger, but . . .I sense trouble. He'll need our help," Xantus said,
and Iñaki stifled a shudder.
"What do you mean, 'he'll need our help?'" Iñaki asked, her hands
resting on her hips. "And how are we supposed to get there?"
Xantus opened his eyes, and looked directly at her. He raised a
single finger to his lips, and closed his eyes again. He reached out
his hands towards hers, and she reluctantly took them. She did not
like the cold feeling they gave her, and she shuddered.
Sweat beaded on Xantus's forehead, and his brow furrowed deeply. He
became lost deep in concentration, and Iñaki suddenly felt faint.
The world began to spin around the two of them, gathering speed.
Iñaki blacked out, and fell into Xantus's waiting arms, his face
contorted in a painful gesture. As he fell to his knees, cradling
Iñaki, the world stopped spinning, and they were deep inside the
shadow zone.
Iñaki slowly opened her eyes, still slightly dizzy. She looked around, but could barely see anything. However, she did notice someone was holding her.
"Could...you please let go of me now?" she asked meekly. Xantus complied and said nothing. "Now what?"
"Find him."
"Me? Won't you help me?"
"You must find him. I will stay with you and help protect you, but you must find him." Iñaki nodded, a bit uncomfortable at the fact that Xantus would be following her, and at the same time, comforted by it. She began walking aimlessly through the shadow zone, searching for Rashi's warm aura.
A single flame shown through the darkness as Rashi lit a cigarette.
Kris: Hey! Where'd Rashi get a cigarette from?!
"Have you found them yet?" He asked into the darkness
"No, liege. There seems to be no s--" with a glare from Rashi, the
formless shape exploded into a fiery rage.
"Useless bastards... I MUST find Iñaki before her dark half does." he
turned to where the figure was standing and knelt down.
"you wont be needing this" he sad as he picked up DoRean's
Sword from a pile of ash.
Iñaki stopped suddenly. Xantus looked at her questioningly.
"I... I thought I felt Rashi's power just now. But something was strange about it..." She turned in the direction of the sudden explosion of power, making sure Xantus stayed with her. She chuckled softly for no reason.
"Is something funny?" Xantus asked curiously. Iñaki shook her head.
"Sorry. I just feel...like I must be insane. This is how Rashi and I first met...almost...minus the creepy darkness and the fact that we're _looking_ for Rashi. And Rashi was hurt... But... We just started traveling, heading north..." She smiled into the darkness, shaking her head. "Don't mind me. I'm just insane."
"We all are, to a certain extent," Xantus replied, coldly but not harsh. Iñaki sighed and sped up her pace a little.
"RASHI?! WHERE ARE YOU?!"