Paralyzing agony

 -------------------Furra's point of view-----------------------
 
     All I could see is black. I felt nothing. I opened my eyes and then a wave of pain hit me. I looked around me trying to remember what happened. I see that we're in a totally different environment. Everything had a black or white hue to it. The bark of the trees were black, but the leaves were white as the clouds on a summer day. The only things that actually color where the items Kushimo and I brought and the red moon in the sky. Kushimo! That's right! Where is she?! I looked around. About 20 feet from where I was sitting I saw her sprawled on the ground looking completely exhausted. I stood up with a lightheaded feeling rippling through my body. I made my way over to her. Her ankle was twisted in an unnatural position. I'm no doctor, but I can try to check it. She was asleep so she probably won't feel anything. I moved he ankle to try to see it better but instantly her leg recoiled in pain. She bit her lip and it began to bleed. "Damn. Defiantly a dislocation." I said to myself quietly, but obviously enough to wake her up somehow. As she began to wake up, she moved her leg, wincing in pain. I can't believe I have to be nice to her. "Don't move your left ankle, it's dislocated, you don't want to make it worse." I said as I opened my backpack to look for gaw-wrap. She nodded. "How did you stop us from hitting the ground anyway?" I asked as I began to warp her ankle. I could tell it hurt, but she kept her cool. "Shinteki." She replied basically. "H-how did you know that we fell anyway?" Stuttered Kushimo. "I don't know, I just remember falling." I stated as I tied the end of the bandaging. "Oh...” She said quietly.  I looked up at her. I could tell she was completely drained of all energy, which means, if we need to run, there's going to be a huge issue. "Let's get going." She said, breaking my train of thought. "But your ankle...." I trailed off. Right before me she stood up without a problem. "I know what you’re thinking, "Kushimo, how are you standing?"," she began in a mocking tone. "It's because I can ignore pain for a limited amount of time. And plus, we need to get the hell out of here. If you didn't notice, there's a strong energy approaching us at an alarming rate, and I don't want to chance it and see if it’s friendly, so let's get going." She said. Since when was she leader?
     As she walked forward I began to sense what she was. I'm amazed that she sensed it before I did with that little power but what she was sensing defiantly was not our ally. How I know this? I just feel it. We kept walking.
     About an hour passed and we've walked about 7 miles even with Kushimo's dislocated ankle. I was walking behind her. Now that my lightheadedness went away I could see more clearly. I saw that Kushimo was beginning to limp and her walk was unsteady. I walked a bit faster until I was right alongside her. She was gritting her teeth. Was she forcing herself to stay conscious? I wasn't gonna say anything because I know she would get mad.
     "Furra, see that cave over there?" She pointed. I followed her gaze. It was a small cave. "Yeah, what about it?" I asked. "I think we should stop there and rest, and plus we can hide from that thing." She said. I guess I hadn't realized this, but the creature was still pursuing us, and it was getting close. Real close. The ground began vibrating. I turned around to see a dragon. It had just landed on the ground and was staring right at me and Kushimo. It's not like a dragon I had ever seen before. "This thing looks like something from hell!" I said. Somehow, Kushimo managed to crack a joke. "Furra you dumbass, this is hell." She said. This creature looked like a 40 story building and with a wing span of about 45 stories. It was black with a cyan glow to its eyes, and red droplets of liquid dripped of its sword-like teeth. Blood. As large as it was, it struck with amazing speed. If Kushimo hadn't grabbed my hand and pulled me away that thing would have snapped me in half. We began running as the dragon used its torn wings to lift off the ground and chase us by air. We were running so fast my throat burned for the oxygen that couldn't keep pace with my breaths. I looked at Kushimo. Her breaths were short and whistley. Damnit! She has asthma?!   She tripped and fell. "Damn!" I cursed under my breath. I ran over to her as she picked herself back up. She winced as she shakily stood up but she began to run again.
     We were almost to the cave, but the creature was keeping up. In fact, it was gaining on us. We were 20 feet from the entrance when the dragon creature decided to make a move. It lunged forward and tried to grab us. Its teeth were the size of a b*****d sword (if you do not know what a b*****d sword is, it's just an ordinary sword but about 5 times as large (length: 7'3". Width: 2'1.5")) I was awed at the way it moved. It size should have slowed down its strike speed, but it was twice as fast, and if it weren't for Kushimo grabbing my arm and pulling out of the way, that strike would've cost me my head. "I could've dodged that!" I yelled as she ran even though I know I couldn't have. "'You could've dodged it' my a*s" she replied.
     We reached the entrance of the cave, but of course, just our luck the creature got its head stuck in the entrance, and had enough room to open and close his jaw. We went to the back of the cave. "Not a problem, that thing needs more oxygen than us, so it should die in about five minutes, but the problem is, how are we going to move it so we can breathe." Said Kushimo. She was right, that thing is larger and needs more oxygen than us, and with its head blocking the entrance, and we can't receive fresh air. It works the same way as putting the cover on a candle. We're the flames and the creature's head is the lid.
     It was a minute now and Kushimo wasn't catching her breath. "Are you okay?" I asked. "Yeah... I'm fine...." She said between short breaths. "You have asthma, don't you?" I said. "Yeah, so what." She replied, I could tell she was worried about lack of air, but she hates being worried about. "How long do you think you have before you pass out?" I asked. "Normally, about 10 seconds, but now, I'd say I'll push it and try for a few minutes." She said calmly. "Dumbass." I whispered under my breath. I mean really, if you’re going to pass out from lack of air, isn't that the one thing you can't push and stay awake? Kushimo stood up. "Well, this might be one of the dumbest plans I've ever head, and the bloodiest, but it could work." She said quietly. For some reason, this doesn't surprise me in the slightest. "What?" I asked. "Well, now that the creature is almost dead. We need to open its jaw, walk down its throat, and cut a hole through it to escape, because we have no chance of moving it." She said. "Well, I can't say it’s one of your better plans, but it's dumb enough to work." I said.
     We waited another minute to be sure it was dead, then we propped open its mouth with a tall stone we found. I walked in first, with Kushimo right behind me. It smelled of rotting flesh in hear. "Hold your breath, it's poisonous." Kushimo whispered quickly. I did as she said. We walked forward until we found a soft spot in his throat. I unsheathed my sword. I stuck my black through the squishy pink flesh. It went through like a knife cutting cake. It eventually made a whole circle. I turned around to see Kushimo swaying back and forth. I caught her as she fell. I put my sword back in its sheath and kick the cut I made. It move outward. I kicked it again and again until I saw the black and white of the Higure dimension. I pulled Kushimo out of there and laid her against a stone. I plopped down next to her. I should get some rest too, but I have to keep watch while she sleeps. I looked at her to see something I hadn't noticed before. She doesn't look angry when she sleeps. And she sleeps tight together too. She was resting her head within the pillow she made with her knees tight to her chest. I saw a tear run down her cheek. "Kushimo, do you hide your pain?" I asked myself more than to her. Her eyes fluttered open. "Maybe... But why would you care? Well anyway, you sleep, I'll keep watch, I don't want to sleep." She said firmly. Was she having a nightmare? I closed my eyes.
 
  (5 years ago in Furra's life)
 
     "Dad, are you going to teach me how to use a sword today?" I asked him. "Son, I am busy today, anyway don't you have plans to hang out with Kaze?" Asked dad. "No." I lied. I wanted more than anything for my dad to teach me how to wield a sword, and if I didn't hang out with Kaze, I'm sure he would forgive me. "Fine, but not today, tomorrow." He said. I pouted but at least I got close to what I wanted. I walked outside and decided I wasn't going to hang with Kaze today. I just didn't feel like it.
     I walked into town. I had a part-time job cleaning at an eating place, so I had some gold coins to spend. I decided to stop at a food stand and bought a small bowl of ramin noodles. I ate them and then walked to the gate of the village. My dad always tells me not to leave the village alone, but I do it all the time. There's a field a small distance outside the village where lots of animals hang around, and I love to chase and play with them.
     I walked the small distance until I reached the two birch saplings that marked the field. The saplings where about 7 feet tall, so I guess they're not really saplings, but they're still young trees. I used a pocket knife every now and then to draw a new animal I've seen on them.
     It was spring, so this is a good time to visit here. It's always pretty to see the flowers covered in frost, but it's never too cold for them to die, so they look like crystals. I walked around looking for the soul reason I came here. "Ryoshi!" I shouted. Ryoshi was a small coyote-bear cub. Occasionally, some animals would breed together and make a mix. Ryoshi had come up to me when he was young and we became friends. I met him a year and a half ago, and this is the time he comes out of hibernation. He looked like any other coyote, accept he was the size of a small bear and had a bob-tail.
     "Ryoshi!" I called again. He wasn't coming. And that was unusual, because he always comes the first time. "Oh, you mean this thing?" Asked a rough voice from behind me. I turned around. My face drained of color. I man who looked like he was in his late 30s was holding the dying body of Ryoshi. "If you want him back, tell me where the Yoseki's live." Said the man. "W-why." I asked trying to sound brave. "I have some unfinished business with Mr.Yoseki, kid. He killed someone I was close to, so now I am going to give him what he earns, an kill him. So kid, you can only save one or the other. "You're not going anywhere near my father!" I shouted angrily, but I realized the horrible mistake I made when I said that. "Father? He's your father? Well, never mind kid, I want kill this thing or your father. In fact, you'll do just fine." The man said. The man unsheathed his sword. "You work for someone, don't you?" I asked him. This was all I could do to stall. "Yes, my master is Kuraisora, he gave me permission to slay your father, so I took the chance." He answered. I backed up, then tripped on myself, leaving me on the ground, defenseless. The man put the sword to my neck. Not enough to slit it, but he made a small scratch. A small trail of blood dripped onto the ground. I swallowed. "Leave my son ALONE!" I heard a voice scream from behind me. It was my father. I turned to see him, and not to my surprise, he had his sword drawn. "Furra..." He whispered. This was the part I had to be calm. "Dad... Do you know this man?" I asked. The man pushed his sword harder against my neck. "Damn!" My father cussed under his breath. I wish I didn't get knocked out, otherwise, I would've been able to save my father. The man kicked my head and the color flew from my vision leaving me in a room of black.
     "F-Furra?" I heard the voice of my friend Kaze. I opened my eyes to see the worried face of my mother and Kaze. "Where's father." I asked. They didn't answer, but their gaze spoke of something awful. "WH-where's dad?!" I shouted. "They think he's dead. All we know is that Kuraisora caused this." Said my mother and Kaze. I blacked out again, all I felt was a drop of blood flow down my chin after biting it out of anger.
 
(5 years later)
 
--------------------Kushimo's point of view--------------------
     
     I'm assuming its night time, everything's getting darker, but the sun wasn't here earlier, so, who knows. I looked beside me to see Furra with his face down and his hands in the pockets of the orange hoodie he had put on before we landed in Higure. He looks a lot less like an idiot when he's asleep. "Maybe I'd actually be able to become friends with him...” I whispered silently.
     I only had one friend growing up, and that was Rozu. She was boy-crazed and we are exact opposites, but like they say, opposites attract. You probably can see how lonely that is, and as well as that, I've spent my life returning the darkened glares people give me as they look over their shoulder. Ever since my secret was released to the world, I knew it was hell soon to be, and I hit the nail on the head. Everyone began to hate me, and even people who didn't know my secret treated me the same as if they picked up on the demon within me.
     I sighed. Even I don't understand my past completely. I still don't know who I am, who I was, or who I'm going to be. All I know, is that I don't know. Living a life where tragedy after tragedy occur can be hell, but a light shines in even the darkest places, right. Even in this dimension, all of the shadows are lit up with the soft glow of the moon. I don't know, but maybe the perks in my life are just far away stars that only put a small glowing dot across the vast night sky, and I just need the people in my life to grow to be the sun and moon.
     I began to sing the same tune as I did before I embarked on my adventure. "Step-by-step I walk in the snow. Drip-by-drip my blood is aflow. Day-by-day memories cut like a knife. Night-by-night my demon comes back to life. I am lost in a world full of monsters and it's almost like I have another soul within myself... Full of darkness.... Step-after-step my body grows weak. Drip-after-drip blood continues to leak. Day-after-day I'm remembering more. Night-by-night opens a new hellish door" "You know that lullaby?" Furra asked. "Of course I do, I just sang it." I said. "Right..." Furra laughed. "Did your mother sing it to you when you were a kid?" I asked. "Yeah." He solemnly. "You’re lying." I said. "No I'm not." He said. "You are. Even if you are making direct eye contact fact with me, doesn't mean you're telling the truth. You avoided eye contact for the entire conversation, then you suddenly did, and that's how I know you're lying." I said. He gave me a mischievous grin. "Alright, you saw right through me. Yeah, my father sang it when I was a kid, but he went missing because of Kuraisora." He said. "Well I guess we'll have to go after him together." I smiled. His face brightened for a moment. "Since when were you nice." He asked. "I'm not a mean person, I just don't work well with other people. I'm always used to people looking back on me with hatred, so I instantly assume most people are my enemy." I said. "But when you find someone who's suffered a loss..." Furra began. "I tend to work better with them." I finished. We began to laugh, then, my stomach growled. I grimaced. "Hungry?" Furra asked. "Yeah." I said.
     We began to look through our packs to get some food out. He found a small bag of chips in his and I found one in mine. I quietly ate them while Furra ate his. "We'd better get going." I said as I stood up. "Yeah, you're right, but what about your ankle." Furra asked. "I this?" I gestured towards my ankle. "This is nothing, I've felt worse." I said. Furra sighed and I laughed.
     We began to walk. We walked quietly for a few hours and then the fatigue hit me. My vision began to fade in and out of focus. I swayed slightly. "You okay?" Furra asked. "Yeah." I answered. I refused to let the fatigue get to me so I just kept on walking. I looked up to see a silhouette a few miles ahead of us. "Furra, do you see that?" I asked, pointing. "I was about to ask you the same thing." He said. I don't feel a negative energy coming from it, but I don't sense a positive one either.
            “I hope it’s not another enemy.” I sighed. “Yeah, well don’t jinx it.” Furra replied. My ankle is beginning to hurt badly and I’m getting more exhausted by the minute, and I can tell that Furra isn’t in his prime shape right now either, so to fight now would probably kill us.
            We kept going that way knowing the risk, but if we’re lucky, they might just be a friend. The silhouette was getting bigger until it wasn’t long before we were face to face, and at this point, I was beginning to feel an energy with a dark intention coming from it, but it was at the point of no going back now. I turned to see that Furra obviously sensed it too, his gaze had turned to solid stone.
            We got close enough so see that the silhouette was a male. Like Furra, he had black hair, but instead of green eyes, he had orange. He was wearing a black cloak with no design
“Who are you?” I asked plainly. “Tanabota. And I believe you’re Jigokushimo?” he replied. “Yes,” I began quietly. I saw that he began to draw his sword, so, I pulled out my own. “Now, what do you want with me?” I asked. “Well, I wish not to, but I’ve been ordered to kill and bring back your head.” He said. I put my guard up. “Earlier, you called me by my full name, how do you know it?” I asked. “I heard from a little birdy.” He said toyingly. “Who?” I asked, this time with a dark tone. “You see, an acquaintance of yours works with me under the same person. We both work under Kuraisora.” He said, still avoiding the answer to tick me, and it was working. “Who, Damnit?!” I said angrily. “Your brother, Munarashi.” He said, content with the look of horror on my face.