{These characters are not property of me. I would never attempt to claim them as my own. This story may not be used without my permission, and may not be used to make money in any way, shape or form. Characters and certain situations were created by Rumiko Takahashi, so don't try any funny stuff!}

Kuno's fingers digging into her flanks caused Nabiki to yelp with surprise. She snarled back at him, bracing herself by flattening her hand against the ground. She just wanted him to get it over with, dispense with the pointless act and just...

A single moment, uneventful as a whole, and then the teasing started. His fingers dug a little too deeply into her legs, forcing her to clench the muscles, turning them into iron. She knew that she had fallen right into his trap.

If he could not have her during the change, then she would have him, and she had done just as he hoped she would. The pain he had caused her, no matter how truly insignificant it was, caused her to tense up... totally.

Kuno's entire body shuddered at once with pain, pleasure, and effort. Not too fast, he didn't want it to end too soon. Self control was the thing that had served him beneficially countless times, and he would have it no different this time.

Nabiki felt it in his hands initially. They suddenly got a lot larger than they usually were, and she adjusted automatically for the change in height of his body. Any moment he would...

Getting off his knees and to his feet with his knees deeply bent, Kuno leaned forward, wrapping his arms around Nabiki's body. He then leaned forward and closed his mouth on the back of her neck.

He began moving again, holding back until their rhythm together had been re-established, Nabiki's panting louder than usual... She must have know what was going to happen. Only then did Kuno release the last thread of control, letting himself go the rest of the way.

There was a slight whimper from Nabiki as it happened, her body trembling within his hold, and then, as he continued to grow and she seemed to contract around him, he couldn't hold anything back. His change was sudden, almost violent, his teeth coming very close to piercing the skin of Nabiki's neck as he orgasmed wildly.

The only reaction from Nabiki the entire time had been the whimpers; otherwise her body was completely still. Even her panting had ceased. Kuno could imagine the look on her face though and released the hold on her neck.

As soon as his mouth was clear, Nabiki collapsed to the ground. She was shaking slightly, but her breathing was slow and deep. Satisfaction, total and complete, was what the look on her face conveyed.

Sitting back roughly, Kuno could only stare blankly, his body disbelieving of the pleasure it had just experienced. His mind wasn't that far behind, registering only the sound of the fire, Nabiki's breathing and his own heartbeat.

It was only a moment later that he realized she was asleep again, and it felt like he would be joining her shortly. Kuno looked down at himself, disgusted that he would still be stiff, still oozing even. If the afterglow of what they'd done could do that to him... A kind of sick curiosity made him wonder just how much... he still had in his tank.

Sighing deeply, he pulled his pants on, figuring on a trip to the river when he woke up to get himself clean. He laid down next to Nabiki, their bodies almost touching, and slept.

***

"You know, I don't think I've ever seen you so hesitant, and never about sex. You must have been pretty scared." Nabiki grinned, rather pleased with herself.

"You did not see the look in your eyes. Sometimes I fear for my life with you. And my manhood," Kuno responded defensively. It was exciting and scary at the same time, and he loved every minute of it.

"Self preservation kicks in now? You would have a lot more brain cells if you had some of it before you started attacking Akane and Ranma." A lot of the guys at Furinkan would if they had learned that.

Kuno smiled faintly. "I did not acquire such an instinct until the first time you saw me sans clothing."

"Oh, there's that sense of humor again too. You're just pulling out all the stops today." Nabiki slipped her arm around his waist and leaned against, completely out of habit, and laughed lightly.

"Your mood seems to have improved. To what do I owe this?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. I woke up and just felt good. Wipe that smile off your face. Maybe it was you, maybe it wasn't, but you don't need the ego inflation either."

"You will not allow me any confidence in my ability to make you happy? You are a most harsh mistress," Kuno lamented dramatically.

"Well... maybe it had something to do with last night, but that's all I'll say. I really do need to keep your ego in check." It was the truth too. Kuno got far too reckless when he believed he was unbeatable.

There was silence for a bit as they walked. Then...

"Did it hurt still?"

"Yeah. I take it it doesn't hurt when you do it?" Nabiki asked, jealous because she knew he didn't feel any discomfort.

"No, there is no pain to speak of. It faded after a week or so of regular changes. I believe we both know what is at the root of your problem."

"Yeah. Well, nothing to do about it now except live it. I guess I'll just deal with it until..." That was something she didn't want to think about. Not until she really had to.

"I do believe we have finally found what we have been searching for."

Nabiki blinked at looked at Kuno. That didn't make any sense. She had just been talking about... She followed his gaze and her breath caught in her throat.

That was how they would know where they were going. Rising high above the tree level, glowing with eerie light, was the mountain.

Actually, they could only assume it was the mountain. It was so dark, the only thing that was visible about was the multitude of lights and the fact that they seemed to float high in the air.

"I guess so," Nabiki said, clearly in awe. "That's where we go..."

"Aye, but I am less than confident about this. The dark is a formidable enemy in its own right. Consider the mysterious swamps we were warned of. We must watch for those. There is much more danger here than we might first believe."

Nabiki was about to laugh at Kuno for being so incredibly melodramatic, but... She walked toward the mountain and away from the the river to discover the downslope there. And that was where they would no doubt find the swamp. "Right, so what do we do now?" she asked.

Kuno stood next to her, looking down into the darkness. "We risk the swamp. What choice do we have?"

Nodding, Nabiki stared into the darkness as well and wondered what mighty be there waiting for them. She turned her gaze up to the lights glowing on the mountain. And what would be waiting there. "Do you think we should have lights? I don't know how smart it is to go walking into a swamp in the dark like this." Improved eyesight didn't make her that much more confident.

Kuno opened his bag and rummaged around in it before pulling out a pair of sizable flashlights. "Use this. I hope it will be enough."

Nabiki took one of the flashlights and switched on the powerful beam, almost blinding herself in the process. "Yeah," she said, turning it off, trying to blink away the spots in her vision, "I think that's fine."

"Then shall we be off?" He quickly checked his own flashlight, though it was slightly smaller and lighter than the one he had given Nabiki. It was better to keep the smaller one for himself in case he had to change quickly and lost it. He knew he couldn't count on Nabiki for any backup, so the larger light would be fine with her.

Nabiki hesitated for a moment then leaned up and kissed Kuno on the cheek. "For luck," she explained. She knew they would need it.

Kuno nodded, keeping a straight face. Shining his light in front of him, he started down the gentle slope.

Nabiki turned on her light again, keeping it pointed away from her face, and followed.

As they descended, the air, which had been perfectly clear before, began to grow hazy. The longer they walked, the hazier it got.

When they finally reached the edge of the swamp, it was a thick fog surrounding them, enough so that it was impossible to see each other if they were more than five feet apart. Even the lights were of no help.

"I think we've just discovered one problem with this place," Nabiki said, shining her light ahead to see only a wall of fog.

"Indeed. But if we continue in an eastwardly direction, it stands to reason that we shall encounter the mountain," responded Kuno, obviously lost in some sort of thought.

"Yeah, which is fine, but if we get separated, how will we..."

Nabiki made a noise of surprise as Kuno suddenly grabbed her. He moved his mouth up and down the side of her neck, making her believe he had finally lost it. "Kuno-chan, what are you doing?"

"I will not lose you," he whispered. "If we are separated, I will find you."

"How? And I don't really think this is the time or place for that."

Kuno pulled away. "I will find you," he repeated and inhaled deeply through his nose.

Understanding dawned on Nabiki. "Oh... Could I do that?"

"Of course. You need only try."

Nabiki stepped up to Kuno and delicately smelled the bare flesh of his shoulder. "Immediately she said, "I don't smell anything."

"Deeper. Breathe deeper. You may already know it and simply do not realize it." In fact, he knew she did. She just didn't realize it.

Giving him a strange look first, Nabiki did as he instructed. Still she didn't smell anything. "I don't get it. There's nothing different about you." She was beginning to think it was a big joke on her.

"Of course there is nothing different. I have never changed the way I smell. Hold. I will demonstrate for your benefit." Before Nabiki had a chance to question him, Kuno switched off his light and disappeared into the fog.

"Hey!" Nabiki snapped. "Where do you think you're going? Don't leave me here alone!" Foolish panic started to set in, but Nabiki was powerless to stop it. "Get back here!" she yelled, hysteria creeping into her voice.

"Come find me. It should be an easy task," Kuno said, his voice floating out of the fog.

Growling, Nabiki first tried following the sound of his voice, but the fog was too distorting, making everything sound strange.

"Do not use your ears, use your nose. It will not lie to you the way your ears will in this mist."

Grumbling to herself, Nabiki stood in the fog, crossed her arms over her chest and waited. She just wasn't going to play this little game.

"I was aware of the truth when you became pregnant," his voice seemed to taunt.

"Good for you. Are you done yet?"

"I knew it would happen. You were at your most fertile time, even with those pills."

"This won't work so just give it up," Nabiki said loudly, trying not to let him get to her.

"I knew it was. That last time before Gosunkugi... I could smell it in you, and I could not be denied. I smelled that you were ready."

"Shut up, you bastard! It wasn't enough for you. You forced me; I couldn't say no..." The sudden flood of memories about that night was almost too much for her to handle. Those were feelings she had locked up tighter than anything to keep the pain away, to not have to remember. That was where it had all started...

Nabiki growled, fighting back tears. He had gone too far this time, she would make sure that he knew that. It was instinct born of a desire for vengeance, of rage and anger. It didn't matter, Nabiki didn't care. It made no difference why he had done it, only that he _had_ done it.

He was close, not more than twenty feet, and holding his position. "Finally you have realized..." he started to say.

"Yeah, that I'm going to kill you. Isn't that nice to know?" She covered the remaining distance and lunged at the spot she smelled him at.

"But I am more accomplished at it," he taunted again from where he had dodged to Nabiki's left. "Even though I am unable to see you, I know you are there. I know that you are angry. I know that you are afraid."

Nabiki followed him in circles through the fog, his voice always taunting, mocking her. She knew what he had done and why, but that once carefully sealed off memory of pain and darkness, fire dancing around her... Awakening that was unforgivable. "Just stand still so I can beat the hell out of you," she commanded, tears of anger and frustration in her eyes.

He was suddenly behind her, holding her tightly. "Allow you to beat me senseless? I have already had enough of that from your sister," he whispered.

"Let go of me! Do you have any idea just how pissed off I am?" Nabiki yelled, struggling.

Kuno's nose moved lightly up and down her neck, and he chuckle quietly. "Of course I do. If given the chance, I am quite sure sure you would tear me limb from limb right now."

"Right now? Don't think that's going to change any time soon either."

"I think it will. Know that I am sorry for having to bring up such... traumatic memories, but often emotion brings forth that which words alone do not."

Nabiki shook her head. "I'm not going to break down just because you apologized. That point is long gone."

"Of course. And yet, we are all creatures of habit, and this is one of your habits, is it not? Deny everything and it shall not be able to harm you."

She could feel his breath on her ear as he spoke, raising goosebumps on her arms.

"It harms you in ways you could not possibly imagine, ways you would not wish upon your most intense rival. It eats at you, relentlessly, until there is no way for you to stand it any longer. Until you wake up one morning and the only thing you know is the hurt, the pain, the internal rot. And it has consumed you so completely there is no escape from it. But there are always ways to escape ... by fleeing into it."

Nabiki gasped and ripped herself free of his hold, away from his dark, seductive voice. "What happened to you?" she asked, gulping oxygen, the surrounding fog suddenly oppressive.

"It happened. We all did it. We fled into the pain; we had no other way to deal with it. And look what has happened. I fled into the madness with my sister and my father. What other choice did I have?"

Standing there, shaking her head, Nabiki felt a tightening in her chest. "No," she wheezed, short of breath, "it doesn't have to be. I didn't... not when my mother died. Not that night..."

"But are you positive?"

Nabiki sat up with a start, her heart thudding in her chest. She looked around wildly for a moment, then slowly relaxed. There was nothing, no taunting voice, no memories. Only the fog, the sound of insects and... She looked at Kuno, who was practically asleep in her arms. "Running into the pain, eh?" she said quietly and brushed some hair form his forehead. "You're right. We all did."

She yawned and wondered just what it was that was making her so tired. And the dreams... Those weren't so impressive either. There was a swamp they had to make it through too, and sitting at the edge of it made her very nervous.

"Don't make me... I love you..."

Not even thinking, Nabiki gave Kuno a shove to wake him up. When he started getting into the "I love you" dreams, he got fairly annoying, grabbing her and thrashing around. A stiff elbow to the ribs usually snapped him out of it.

Kuno mumbled a bit more, then quieted and was sleeping deeply again.

"Idiot," mumbled Nabiki, then stood and stretched. She looked out, through the light fog as where the swamp was. They didn't know how big it was, how far to the mountainous castle they would have to go, but they had no choice.

And again, the things Rhodes and Anatalia had said about the swamp... She didn't have any reason to disbelieve them, so what was it that was so frightening about it? That, in fact, was what worried Nabiki the most.

If they had told her there was a giant alligator, big enough to swallow them whole, she would have been scared, but at least she would have know what she was scared of. With no idea what there was... The idea of going into that unknown scared her more than anything.

But with the way Kuno was sleeping, she probably had another few hours to worry about it. Whee.

Nabiki switched on her light, annoyed at just how little it pierced the fog, and shouldered her bag. Taking one deep breath, she followed Kuno into the swamp. The swamp of doom she liked to joke to herself, but was finding that less funny as time went on. "Are we there yet?" she joked lamely. She was amazed when Kuno managed to return her humor, however slightly.

"No, and there is no bathroom nearby." He swore under his breath as he stepped into a pool of water that reached the middle of his calf.

"What is it?" The sound of him stepping in the water was obvious, but it shouldn't have been that big a deal.

"These pools of still water, they may contain dangerous... vermin."

Nabiki swallowed. "Dangerous vermin? Like what?"

"Leaches are my main concern. Though there may be other things as well," Kuno answered, checking his leg for any uninvited passengers.

"Other things... You're not making this any easier. You know that, Kuno-chan?"

"You ask and I answer. What would it accomplish to lie?"

"I don't know, but it might make me feel better about this," Nabiki replied, her light directed at the ground as she avoided the standing water.

"Granted."

They walked quietly for a while as the ground grew moister, more water appeared and more dead, stunted trees showed through the fog. It gave the appearance of a more typical movie swamp. Not that it helped at all.

"OK, so when does something nasty jump out at us?" asked Nabiki, her every nerve on edge.

"Ask and ye shall receive," Kuno responded grimly. He was in the same condition, straining his senses to detect anything at all. But for all intensive purposes, the swamp around them was dead. "I find it entirely too quiet here. Unnervingly so."

Sweeping her light in a wide arc around her, Nabiki nodded. It was awfully quiet, more than it should have been she was sure. She skipped over an especially large pool of water to a patch of land. Her feet sank deeply into the mud, and she took another step to free herself from it.

The next step was an unstable though and her feet sank even further. In an attempt to rip free from it, she lost her balance. Arms pinwheeling, shrieking, Nabiki could feel herself about to fall, her feet sinking still in the muck.

"Kuno!" she yelled, regaining her balance, but still sinking, unable to pull free.

He was at her side in an instant, holding her arm tightly. "I have you. Do not struggle; I will pull you out." His voice was calm and reasonable, and completely opposite of everything Nabiki was feeling.

Kuno pulled gently, but steadily, on Nabiki's arm and shoulder. It was keeping her from sinking any further, but it wasn't getting her out either. "I must change my hold on you. I will not let you go," he warned.

Nabiki nodded her head, tossing away the light she was still holding and the bag over her shoulder. Without those things, she could concentrate fully on holding on for dear life.

Kuno tried to release his hold from under Nabiki's shoulder so he could get her under her other arm, but when he took his arm away, he could feel her sink deeper into the mire.

Grunting, he tried to get his arm around her as quickly as possible, losing his light in the process. It slipped from his hand and landed a foot in front of them. He did not pay attention to it as it slowly sank beneath the surface of the mud.

Nabiki tried to brace herself on his arms as he pulled her back. "That's doing it," she said as she felt her feet and ankles begin to pull out.

Kuno continued until finally, with a disgusting sucking sound, Nabiki was free, and they both tumbled backward to the ground.

They got up slowly, Kuno partially winded from the effort and fear, and Nabiki staring blankly at what she had almost been consumed by. It had resumed disguising itself as a perfectly safe section of ground, and Nabiki couldn't help but shudder.

Turning away, Nabiki began to remove her shoes and socks, anxious to get the filth off her skin.

"Let me help," Kuno offered and sat down. Pulling her legs out straight, he set her feet in his lap and pulled a thermos out of his bag. He had filled it with water from the river before they had descended into the swamp, and although it was intended for drinking, it would work for a little washing as well.

He opened the thermos and began pouring the water over Nabiki's feet, wiping the mud away from them. "Be thankful," he said idly, "that you did not get this mess in your fur. It is difficult to clean."

Nodding silently, Nabiki could only watch Kuno's hand as he cleaned the filth away. This was definitely making her yearn for a nice, hot bath.

"Think, it shall only be a few more days before we can return home," Kuno continued. His eyes played over her delicate feet and ankles, and his voice was soft and dreamy. "Home," he repeated. The comforts of home, the safety of home... Taking care of Kodachi, making sure she was healthy...

Things he missed greatly, but also a routine he was dreading returning to. He didn't want to fall back into those ruts he had driven himself into. Ruts that did not allow him to see beyond what he wanted to, believe only what he wanted... Ranma would never be his friend and Akane would never want anything to do with him, but there was an internal peace he could find. There had to be.

There just had to be that peace because he didn't want Ranma as a friend and he didn't need Akane. Ruts. No more ruts. It was time to let things go, though that always proved to be harder in practice than in theory.

"Kuno-chan? I think my feet are clean."

Kuno blinked and looked at what he had been doing. Daydreams would be something else he would try to eliminate. While he was sitting there, who knows what he had missed, thinking about things that were unimportant to his situation. "Forgive me. I shall..."

"No," Nabiki said, standing. "We should get going anyway. As long as this stuff dries, I should be fine." Thank goodness for a change of clothes, even if it was only some clean socks.

Once she had replaced her socks and damp shoes, she reclaimed her bag and light, now the only light they had. "Now that I've narrowly avoided death, let's get going," she said with more levity than she felt.

A moment of awkward silence stretched, and a little nagging voice in her told her to just say it. It was no hit on her pride, nothing to be ashamed of. "Thanks. That could have been a lot worse than it was."

"Yes, but worse than it should have been. I was at fault for not watching closer than I was." The dangerous little games they played with each other finally had to stop. This was no place to be taking chances.

"Live and learn," Nabiki said shakily, fighting off the urge to blame him. "Next time, we'll know to look a little more closely at where we're going."

"There will be no next time. I will see to that."

Nabiki looked at Kuno, not quite sure how to read him. "No. I'm thanking you and I want you to accept it. Don't talk about there not being a next time because we just don't know."

Kuno flinched at her plainly stated declaration. "Then I... accept your thanks. You are welcome."

"Good. Now we can go." Nabiki realized she had her fingertips on his chest, preventing him from walking off, and quickly removed them. For some reason, that was just the wrong thing at the time. She felt her cheeks flush and had no idea why.

Kuno cleared his throat, strangely affected the same way Nabiki had been. "As distasteful as the prospect might be, I suggest we stay clear of the land. And we should stay within arm's reach of one another at all times. We should take as few chances as possible."

Nabiki looked at the water with a slight scowl on her face, her blush fading. Then she looked at the hidden pit of sludge she had stepped in. "Right. The water it is."

As they continued their trek through the swamp, the fog changed in various spots. Sometimes it was light, like a morning mist, and sometimes it was thicker than any they had seen before and swirled around them at knee level.

Nabiki considered those the worst times, when she could see that there wasn't anything around them. Yet, the mountain, the stronghold built into the mountain still glowed in the distance. It didn't seem that they were making any progress toward it at all.

Kuno shivered next to her briefly. "What's wrong?" she asked, whispering though she didn't know why.

"Nothing. It was nothing," was his answer, though it had very definitely been something. With the fog, it was impossible to see anything, but he had felt it. Felt something brush by his leg in the water. Something large. "It was nothing," he repeated, this time in a whisper as well.

He couldn't fool her. Nabiki had been able to feel the water shift, the displacement something had caused in the water. There was something in the water with them, and she knew it was large. "I don't like this," she said, her eyes trained on the thick layer of mist.

"You felt it?" Kuno asked, the grip he had on the strap of his bag tightening. He had felt it, but there was no smell, no sound, no warning. A small splash somewhere to his right got his attention. "Whatever it is, I do not believe its intentions are friendly." It felt like he was being toyed with, examined in preparation for an attack.

Nabiki began to move faster, walking more quickly than she had been before. She didn't dare run, fearing that whatever it was would be attracted by the quick movement. And while she could run pretty fast, in the water, she was pretty sure she wouldn't be able to run fast enough. "Do you think this is what they meant?" she asked.

"Possibly, though I sincerely hope not," Kuno replied, hoping it was a swamp manatee or something similarly harmless.

They stood that way, still and silent, for a minute, waiting for whatever it was to show itself. But instead of an attack, the mysterious visitor just seemed to leave, the water becoming completely still again.

Whispering, Nabiki noted, "I think it's gone." She was trying to see the water through the mist and failing miserably. "Let's just get the hell out of here before it decides to come back." Her voice wasn't frantic. Not yet.

"Calmly. Hurried movement may attract it. We were saved possibly by its refusal to exit the water. Let us not give it a reason to do so next time." Kuno was breathing in a most odd manner, taking long, shallow breaths.

Noticing this, Nabiki looked at him closely. "You don't sound so good. Maybe we should wait..."

Shaking his head, Kuno said, "No. We have wasted too much time already. It is important that we continue on our way." Without waiting for any kind of response from Nabiki, he started walking, keeping a steady pace through the water.

He wasn't too thrilled with the idea of whatever that thing was swimming around with them, but he really didn't want to give it a reason to investigate them any closer than it already had.

Thankfully, uneventful described the next fifteen minutes of slogging through the swamp. Doubt about their destination, whether they would really find what they wanted there or if it was all a huge mistake, was eating at them both. Silence was preferable to shared worry though, and in the deadness of the swamp, their voices seemed entirely too loud, even at whisper level.

It seemed, much to their relief, that their journey was at an end when the water grew shallow and a patch of rock rose from the swamp. The fog had returned to its state of existing all around them instead of just at their knees, and there was no way to see the mountain. It would have been helpful for finding a way in.

"I am so glad to get out of there," Nabiki said, clearly relieved, and removed her soaked footwear.

"As am I. We have not reached our goal however. It would be premature to stop now," Kuno warned. It was definitely nice to be out of that water though.

"Are you... are you sure we're heading in the right direction? We didn't make a big loop or anything, did we?" Nabiki was trying to find the glow of the mountain through the fog, but could not see it.

"Of course we are heading in the correct direction."

Nabiki waited for Kuno to explain himself, but he said nothing more. "How do you know?" she asked finally.

"I can feel it."

"Oh, well that's a comfort. As long as you can feel it, then I guess we're just fine. When we wander into another patch of quicksand... Just as long as you 'feel' we're going in the right direction." Nabiki backed off then, thinking she had gotten her point across adequately.

"Your doubt wounds me," Kuno said softly.

"My doubt? How would you feel if I told you something like that? There's not a whole lot to be confident about." Nabiki frowned to herself. "I don't like it, you know? I don't like it here and I don't like the way you treat me," she said, surprising herself.

Kuno gaped at her. "The way I... What about... How can you say such a thing?" he cried. "I treat you with the deepest respect and with all my love. What do you find wrong with that?"

"For one thing," Nabiki replied, getting into the infant argument, "you treat me like a side of beef. I'm not a prize and I'm not your conquest. I'm completely capable of handling myself, and I was long before I met you. What a dark day in my life that was," she muttered finally.

"You act as if every day for me has been a privilege to be an acquaintance of yours. I have paid a dear price to know you, Nabiki Tendo." Kuno was keeping his gaze directed forward, not wanting to see the look on her face.

"I guess that means the feeling is mutual then," she said, scowling. "Idiot," she added under her breath. The monotony of the fog was starting to annoy her as well. If she had been able to stare at some trees, or the mountain, anything else, Nabiki might not have been so grouchy.

The ground stayed rocky, though the air still held the smell of the swamp. Nabiki hoped that they had stumbled upon a portion of the mountain and that they really were almost there. With any luck, they'd be able to follow the rock finger right to the base of the mountain and the castle.

Kuno, walking in front of her, stopped suddenly, causing her to bump into him. "Did you hear that noise?" he asked, his voice a hushed whisper.

"I didn't hear anything. This time you're imagining things," she replied harshly. "Let's go."

"Stop. My ears are not deceiving me. I heard a noise, stealthy and near to us." Kuno tilted his head to the side, trying to hear it again.

Nabiki shook her head. "You said yourself that you couldn't trust your hearing in this fog, so why are you? There's nothing there." She could actually tell this time, not smelling anything out of the ordinary.

"Under different circumstances, I would agree wholeheartedly. This time I am not so sure."

Surprisingly enough, Nabiki found herself believing him. Maybe that sound she had dismissed really wasn't just her imagination.

"Slowly," Kuno said, advancing through the fog.

Peering into the white wall, Nabiki asked, "Is it getting thicker? I'm having a harder time seeing through it."

"It would seem so." Kuno took a few more steps forward and suddenly began thrashing around. "Come no closer," he warned, struggling.

"What is it?" Nabiki asked, taking another step forward. She couldn't tell what was going on, just that Kuno was struggling violently for some reason.

"Come no closer! There is something..."

Nabiki stifled her gasp when she saw the dark shape in the fog off to her left. "What are you caught in?" she asked, inching closer to the shape, needing to know before she started panicking.

"It feels... like webs of a spider," Kuno grunt, trying to pull himself free.

"That's what I was afraid of." She reached out a gently tried to touch the shape. What looked like a veil of silk fell away, revealing the shape to be a skeleton with an obviously lupine skull. "Stop struggling. That's only going to make it worse," she said, somehow hiding the panic in her voice. "I'm going to try to get you out. As long as I don't get caught too."

Moving back to Kuno, she could see the thick strands that blended in so well with the fog. The moment she laid her hand on of them, meaning to rip it away, she could feel just how he had managed to get himself stuck. It was like placing her hand on a piece of human-sized flypaper... and in a way, that's exactly what it was.

"Don't change," she warned, trying to break the strand. "That'll just make it hurt more."

Kuno stood still and silent, wanting to tear himself free desperately. He knew what exactly he had stumbled into and wanted as far away from it as possible before whatever had created it returned.

Nabiki was working as quickly as she could, but it was hard. The strands were very thick and strong. "Just a little bit more," she said more to herself than anything.

"There! I heard it again!" Kuno said suddenly, making Nabiki speed her efforts more.

He hadn't been imagining things, and now she could hear it too. A soft, far away clicking noise. It was a clicking, like someone in high heels...

"Please hurry," Kuno begged pitifully. It was a fight to not struggle wildly, to try and break himself free.

"I'm trying." Nabiki didn't want to mention the skeleton she had seen. She wasn't sure that if whoever that had been hadn't been able to escape, and Kuno couldn't, then she wouldn't be able to get him out.

Swallowing, she stared at her hand. If she could just get it to change, just her hand, she could probably slice right through those webs.

"Please hurry."

Nabiki ignored him and concentrated on her hand. She could do that, just her hand. Not her entire body, which she had trouble dealing with; just her hand.

Her eyes widened in surprise as her hand began to shift. Watching, fascinated, her hand doubled in size, started to grow fur, and a wicked set of claws began to emerge. The sensation started to spread up her wrist and she frantically willed it to stop.

The bones were shifting subtlely, lengthening, some splitting and fusing. Nabiki whimpered, her efforts to make the process stop failing miserably.

"What is happening?" Kuno asked, trying to turn and see.

"I can't make it stop," she replied, her wrist and forearm changing. There were tears in her eyes with the effort of trying to prevent herself from changing. "It won't stop."

The ache started in her shoulder, marking the slowed progress of the change through Nabiki's body. She could slow it down, but she hadn't learned what it took to make it stop.

"Don't fight it. Will it," Kuno said, sounding like a completely different person.

Nabiki froze and stared at Kuno, not sure if that was him talking or not. But... Will it. She could do that. Or try. Instead of holding the change back, she simply forced it, made it comply. Amazingly enough, that seemed to work.

Surprised at her success, Nabiki continued to stare at her hand, now fully transformed, but only her hand. Nothing more.

"Nabiki..."

Right, Kuno. Looking at his trapped figure, she casually swung her arm and felt the strands part as her claws tore through them, like so much crepe paper. A few more swings, each coming within millimeters of drawing blood from Kuno, and he was free.

Ripping the stray strands away from his body, Kuno stepped away from the destroyed web and looked at Nabiki. "Thank you."

Nabiki ignored him and looked at her hand again. Will it. Order it. Want it. Go away.

The process was quite quick actually. Without resistance and an active desire for it to take place, it took moments, and there was no discomfort. Shuddering briefly, she thought she might have some frightening possibilities bubbling in her brain for such an ability.

That tingling, like pure energy in her muscles, was still there, all up and down her arm, like she could change in an instant. If she wanted to.

Pleased with herself and just a little smug, she smirked at Kuno and his ridiculously grateful face. She figured he must have been deathly afraid of spiders for that kind of reaction. Then again, after the skeleton and the size of that web, she couldn't really blame him.

Their elation was short-lived though, interrupted by that tapping sound again.

"I think it's heading this way, and I have no interest in meeting up with it," Nabiki whispered, staring out into the fog.

She began backing up, not sure exactly from what, but not wanting to find out either. "Whatever's in that water... It's not here," she said.

"I agree, most assuredly." Kuno sprinted for the water, hoping the thing couldn't swim.

After slogging through the water for the better part of ten minutes without slowing at all, the pair realized they had a different problem when they realized they weren't being followed.

"So where are we?" Nabiki asked, slightly out of breath.

"Now I am unsure." Kuno slowed his pace, but did not stop. "Though we have lost that creature. It must not have a fondness for water."

"Yeah, no kidding. The last thing I'd want is to become a pile of leftovers in that web." Nabiki shuddered, realizing that maybe there were worse things she was refusing to consider. "So which way to we go from here?" she asked, changing the subject.

Finally, Kuno did stop, and looked around. Still the fog surrounded them and obscured any view of their surroundings. They could have been half a mile from the mountain and they wouldn't have known it. "Ummm..."

Nabiki threw her hands into the air. "Great. Just great."

"I am beginning to see the peril in this swamp," quietly Kuno said. He put his hand on his chin as he considered the situation.

"Well, look. If we were headed north before, then we went..."

"We were traveling in a westerly direction."

Nabiki blinked. "What?"

"We traveled south alongside the river, then west toward the mountain. West, not north." Kuno still appeared to be lost in thought.

"North, west... At this point, it doesn't matter. We were heading toward the mountain then went left to escape that spider thing. Maybe not straight left, but I'm sure that if we now go back to our right, we'll hit the mountain eventually." Nabiki crossed her arms and looked at Kuno.

"A reasonable assumption," was his only answer before he turned to his right and started walking.

For a moment, Nabiki watched him go, a bit unbelieving, a little disgusted. "No, really, Kuno-chan. It was no problem," she said and followed.

There was another close encounter with their underwater visitor, but other than that, the pair progressed with no trouble. No more spider webs and only the occasional patch of clinging muck. Things were looking up even if they hadn't found the mountain yet.

More than once, Kuno had caught sight of Nabiki staring at her hand as she walked. It seemed like forever to him; he couldn't even remember what he had felt like those first times when he had realized what had happened to him.

Then again, the stakes hadn't been so high. But with Kodachi around, he could never be so sure about that. But that was before... If anything, he wanted to see everything through for her. To prove that it hadn't been for nothing. "This way," he said sharply, gesturing Nabiki forward.

Nabiki was still trying to figure out just what was so dangerous about the swamp. Yes, the quickmud and the spider thing had been life-threatening, and whatever it was that lurked below the surface of the water, but other than that... "Kuno-chan, I just don't get it."

"And what is that?"

"What's so terrible about this place? From how people talked, you'd think we were walking into certain death. More than certain death. And yet here we are. So what's the problem?"

When Kuno didn't answer, Nabiki kept talking. "Wouldn't it just be some huge cliche if there was something else, every step is a new peril, like we're in some cartoon. Next thing you know, we'll have singing chopsticks and dancing swamp gnomes."

Kuno gave a chuckle, which turned into a small laugh, which turned into a full laugh. "There are times that I find you most amusing, Nabiki Tendo."

"Well, we pretty much think you're a full-time riot, Kuno-chan. We've never laughed so much at one joke before," she deadpanned. She knew it was a mistake before it had come out of her mouth.

"Oh, but do 'we' still laugh? How funny do 'we' think the joke is now?" he asked, an edge of steel in his voice.

Even though Nabiki was walking behind him, she could imagine the look in his eyes. Hard and cold like diamonds, tempered by time and pressure, tortured by nature, only to have transformed into something invulnerable to anything but its own kind.

Nabiki knew she hadn't become a diamond. Not yet anyway, though she hoped she never did. There was something cold, lifeless in that diamond. A sparkle, but empty, clear. A valuable gem if cut right, but if not... She stared thoughtfully at Kuno. She hadn't become that diamond yet, but maybe she needed to. Maybe the process wasn't one diamond shaping another, but two diamonds shaping each other. Chuckling at her own silliness, she pushed that idea away.

"You know I'm getting sick and tired of this place," Nabiki said in the most annoyed tone she could muster. They had been walking for longer than she thought they should have been without reaching the mountain.

The fog had once again changed to sit on top of the water, though a finer mist still hung in the air. They had come across two more of the rocky outcroppings, but neither had been directly connected to the mountain. They were right back where they had been before, but deeper in the swamp with no knowledge of how to get out again.

"Wonderful," Nabiki said. "This is the absolute last and only time I ever go tromping through a swamp like this. Because if I do, and fall in quicksand and fight off some giant spider, I'm..."

"Quiet!" Kuno snapped. "If you talk incessantly, I am unable to hear!"

Nabiki shook her head. "You're hearing things again. Give it up. The only thing dumb enough to be out here is us, and we're not exactly... in..." Her voice trailed because she could hear something too. It didn't sound happy. "Tell me I'm imagining that," she whispered.

"You are imagining that."

"Now is not the time to play games."

"I am aware of that. If it were, I would not be considering running like a frightened child." This looked like it might be too much for him to handle, and he couldn't count on Nabiki for any reliable help.

"What is it? I can hear it, but..." It was like a slow air leak, a steady hissing.

"I believe our subaqueous escort is making its presence known." And it was huge; he just knew it, and there was no place for them to run.

Nabiki was looking down for any sign of the thing. "How big can it be? The water doesn't even reach our knees."

"Did you know it is possible to drown in three inches of water? Or that fatal shark attacks have occurred in two feet of water? Water is a dangerous element even in small amount."

"Thanks for the science lesson I didn't need. Are we just going to stand here or are we going to do something?" Running was pretty high on Nabiki's list at the moment.

"And your suggestion for what we should do? If you are considering running, please inform me where we should go to." If the thing would just attack, it wouldn't be so bad. But the way it was just keeping out of sight and making that noise was driving Kuno mad.

"Anywhere but here. Let's just go." She tugged on his arm a little, not wanting to make the first move.

Kuno took a step to his right, splashing noisily. As he feared, the hissing grew in volume. "For some reason, it waits for us to make our move first. If we attempt to run, surely it will attack."

"Well..." Nabiki looked to her left and right. "What if we split up? It can only chase one of us at a time. Then you could..."

"No! I will do no such thing! I will not leave you."

"You idiot! How the hell are we supposed to get out of here then? Fly? I don't think so!" Nabiki yelled in his face. "Get a damn clue! We're screwed!"

"Do you remember that night when I rescued you from that truck after you had fallen into the street?" Kuno asked quietly, not responding to her outburst.

She sputtered for a moment. "Yeah, I guess. You saved my life. Why?"

Kuno turned his head slowly, grinning. He changed right there as Nabiki watched then lifted her into his arms.

"Don't do this," she hissed as if whatever the monster was would know what they were about to do. "You'll get us both killed."

Kuno shook his head at her and, without notice, shot into the air.

Nabiki couldn't help but scream at the sensation, and when they landed with a humongous splash, she released another shriek. "What are..." she started to ask.

Before she could finish her question, they were in the air again. Some how, she managed to keep her eyes open and looked down as they rose into the air. She saw, through the swirling fog, a vague glimpse of something black, a hint of the entire thing, skin shiny like a dead eel, rotting in the sun. And that hissing noise.

Another landing, filthy water fountaining up around them. The sound of something large moving through the water, a sleek vessel, parting the waves as if they were not even there.

"Go!" Nabiki screamed.

There was a moment as Kuno prepared to leap, and then Nabiki's stomach dropped. When she looked down at the water where they had just been standing, it exploded upward and the only thing she could focus on were the rows of sharp teeth. "Shit!"

Kuno landed and still Nabiki was staring at those teeth. "Don't stop now! GO!" she screamed, yanking violently on Kuno's fur.

Forgoing another leap, Kuno ran, more precisely skipped, knowing the monster was right behind them without having to look. And after Nabiki's reaction he didn't want to look. All he wanted to think about was running as fast as he could, away from the thing behind him.

"Faster! Run faster! It's gaining!" Nabiki begged. She could smell the stench of rotten meat coming from the mouth of the creature and making her eyes water.

The jaws gaped wider, revealing the black hole of the throat that would swallow their bodies after it ripped them apart.

Somewhere in the fog, Nabiki heard a shout, voices, other people, and she could only hope that Kuno had as well. They would provide an adequate distraction.

"There! I can see it! It's out of the water!" a voice shouted from somewhere ahead. A group of people came running out of the fog. They looked like primitive villagers, all carrying wooden spears.

We're dead was Nabiki's first thought. How a bunch of villagers with wimpy wooden spears could kill the thing...

Almost all the men lifted their spears as Kuno charged at them, but their attention was drawn by the monster following him.

"Quick! The drugged meat!" the man in the lead yelled, holding his spear up.

The huge snake beast reared up in the face of the man. Its lively prey had escaped and now it had these others to deal with.

A younger man, looking to be nothing more than a teenager, stepped forward. Armed with a spear and a piece of bloody meat, he nodded. "I'm ready."

"The meat will slow it down. The rest is up to you," the oldest of the group said and backed away. "Good luck."

The others murmured their good fortunes and also backed away, leaving the young man alone in front of the beast. He watched it with wide eyes as it weaved back and forth in front of him.

Shaking, the teen drew back his arm and hurled the meat at the monster.

Almost a blur, its head snapped forward and swallowed the meat whole, leaving the teen with only his wooden spear. But as the snake prepared to strike again, it gave a hideous shriek of pain.

Seeing his chance, the young man ran forward, tossing his spear aside and pulling a knife out of his belt. He ducked under the beast's body as it thrashed back and forth, then ran parallel its length. The point at which the snake was lifting itself off the ground, he stopped.

Gripping his knife tightly, he sliced deeply into the beast and sheared off a hunk of the rubbery skin. He was about to yell in triumph when the huge snake, howling with renewed pain, whipped around and slammed into him.

Ribs aflame, he flew backwards and landed in the water ten feet away. He had only a moment to consider the pain he was in before the monster lunged. With on hand holding tightly to his prize of flesh and the other holding his knife, he watched the beast come for him for one precious heartbeat.

Suddenly, his hand shot out and the knife was flying at the monster's face. The man closed his eyes and waited for his final moments.

Instead, there was a shriek that sounded like metal on bone but twenty times louder, that made him open his eyes. Looking up at the thrashing titan, he could just see where the knife had managed to pierce the skin just below the animal's eye.

Trying to shake the invader loose, the snake retreated, finally sinking back beneath the water and disappearing.

Finally, the young man let out a whoop of joy even though it caused intense pain in his chest. He had done it, he had passed. He was a man now. "It's gone! I've done it!" he shouted as loud as he could manage.

After a few moments, the villagers were reunited. Two of the men held Kuno at spearpoint, and another held tightly to Nabiki's arm.

No words were wasted as they headed through the swamp.