The Tales of the Argonauts: The Osorezu and the Hana (Chapter 6-2)

The Present

Shun and Tara were resting on the bench beside the arena floor. They were awaiting the sound of the gong, which would announce Shun's turn in the tournament. He would be competing against another male that was nearly as fast as he was. However Shun was a Child of the Mist, and this male was not. This male's name was Ju Ri.

Ju Ri was a tall boy, with the long face and pale skin. His hair was blonde, but it was clearly an artificial color. His eyes were brown. The only sort of physical activity he seem to get, was inside of the facility.

Shun enjoyed resting in trees. This would often forced him to have extreme agility. This was a skill that he treasured. No other person could match him in speed or beat him in a tree climbing race. He was like a monkey. That was what Tara told him. Only in a tree was he ever able to breathe and rest soundly. He closed his eyes and began to drift off.

"Shun!" Tara's voice called to him from below. Her voice sounded urgent and a noticeable bit panicked. "Come down here! It's Kai!" However, only just as she had said this, The gong rang, summoning Shun to the arena.

He braced his hands before swinging upside down and penny-dropping from the branch.

"Is she dying?" he asked. Tara shook her head.

"Is she in big trouble?" She nodded.

"Can it wait?"

"I guess so, but—" Shun cut her off with a short kiss before he began to jog toward the arena.

"Tell her that I'll be there in a moment! I just have to win this match!" he called to her, looking back over his shoulder. Anything said afterward was lost to his ears. He was closed off to the world as he prepared himself for the match.

He took a deep breath. He began to chew on his lip. He brought himself to the edge of the sand trap that was his battleground. Ju Ri was already standing on the opposite side, awaiting the second gong. Shun slipped off his shoes.

The gong rang and the two boys charged at each other at full speed. Shun narrowed his eyes, searching for a weakness in his opponent's form. He faked to the left and sent Ju Ri running off with his momentum. Shun then wheeled around and struck. His thumb and forefinger grasped the nape of the other male's neck. His foot hooked around Ju Ri's and threatened to take him to the ground.

However, before anything could happen, another gong rang. This gong sounded sharp and in high alarm. It rung in Shun's ears, causing him to lose his grip. Ju Ri collapsed to the ground, gasping for the breath he had lost from the grip.

"The victor will be decided by a panel of judges. This is an emergency postponement. All students are to return to their dorms, unless otherwise instructed, until an announcement has been made." The voice was different than the one that had announced the games before. This was the voice of the headmaster. His voice was noticeably panicked.

Shun whipped around and began to search for Tara. However, he looked to the crowd just as they began to swarm. They were in a panic as well. The buzzed like bees, quickly darting from their places in the audience. They moved in a swarm around Shun, cutting through the arena as if it would make their trip shorter. There were several people frantically yelling. Some of them were officers, trying to guide pedestrians and students out safely, and others were hapless victims of hysteria— screaming without rhyme or reason other than the less than calm announcement.

Shun stood on his tip toes and he could not see an end to the mass of fleeing civilians. He could easily surpass the height of the average passerby, yet he could see no end to the mass. There was no way to find Tara in the endless mass except by chance.

A hand snatched Shun's wrist. He spun to see who had. His heart was beating erratically. He could only be in trouble. Panic wove through his being.

Tara's wide grey eyes pierced his with the same terror.

"I told you that you need to see Kai," she hissed before turning on her heel and dragging him toward an empty door. This door no one was escaping through. Passed this door was the medical wing, where all of the injured combatants would be carted.

Tara moved quickly, more quickly than Shun could have. He was in too much shock by the situation to move. His thoughts were too caught up by the alarm and the fleeing people and the near loss of Tara, that he couldn't move his feet. Stumbling and teetering, he fumbled after her, mind groping for what was to come.

Shun was led to a new, crisp white door. It had a number across the top and a tray of papers near the handle. At the head of one of the papers, it read, "Kai Hitari." He pushed open the door. Then he discovered the reason for the alarm.