Nero jumped up into the air over the crowd. Enol smiled as blood flowed out of his mouth past his lips. "I won't be the one to kill you. You are interesting Nero. It seems you were able to do what my son could not yet do. You will be a good test for him."
"Hey put me down now! I can run." Ouran fought against Frides' hold.
Frides dashed from the street down an alley trying to evade the Peace Corps Members. "I'm taking you to the transport station."
"Hold on, I passed the test already. I'm coming with you guys." The Peace Corps bunched at the end of the alley.
Nero crashed through them sending the Members flying. He finally caught up to them. "It's true he passed already with flying colors. You should have seen him slipping in between those stupid Peace Corps Members. Though that's all he was able to do. He kinda sucks at fighting."
"I can fight, there were just so many of them and I was trying to free the people." Then he remembered. "Shut up! I'm still mad at you."
"Are you still coming with us?" Nero grinned down at him.
Ouran smiled back at him defiantly. "Of course I am."
Elle jumped down in front of them. "Where are you guys going? We still haven't become Retainers yet."
"It seems Nero and Ouran were able to solve the riddle." He told her still in disbelief himself only to find Nero looking a little too pleased.
"You did? What was it?" Elle asked.
"I'll tell you once we get out of the city. Where's Imani?"
A tear slid across the side of Elle's face. "I don't know." Frides looked back at Nero and shook his head. "Hey! Where is Urs?"
Nero pointed down at the bag. "She's been in this bag the whole time?"
"Yeah, I put her inside and the bag didn't get lighter and I couldn't feel her squirm or anything. There's something weird about that bag." An arrow flew in between Nero and Frides. "Elle do you know a way out of here?"
Elle led them down an alley way and pulled up a man hole. "Get in!" They jumped in and she followed in behind them closing it before the Peace Corps could round the corner.
Nero splashed in after Frides. "Ewe."
Elle placed a hand over Neros' face trying to find his mouth. "Shhh." She backed them away from the ladder leading to the opening. They inched down the sewer pipes slowly.
The man hole was lifted up and light beamed down, shining on the place that they were just standing in. "What are you waiting for? Jump in."
"Awe it smells so bad. I'm not going in there. You go down there."
"No way!"
"Then don't ask me to go down there."
"Whatever! Do you see any thing?"
"No…" He leaned in and listened…
"Anything?"
"Shh." He craned his head further. He looks up at the other Peace Corps Member. "I really don't want to go in there but I also really don't think there is anyone down here. My eyes aren't adjusting, I can't really see anything. If you go down there, I will. What do you think?"
"If you say so, lets just go after the others." The man hole slammed closed and they could hear the Members footsteps become distant on the cobble stones.
"Their gone now." Elle whispered.
Nero pulled her hand from his mouth. "Ewe I think some of the sludge got in my mouth or something. I can taste it."
"You're probably fine the smell in here is so strong you can taste it."
Ouran took a breath after holding his breath. "Yuck bluh blah bluck." He spit. "I can. I can taste it."
Frides grunted. "Maybe we should just hurry up and get out of here. Elle do you know how to get out of here?"
"Yeah this way." She reached back and slid her hand down Frides' arm to his hand. "Grab Nero."
"What, huh? Oh Okay." Frides grabbed Nero's shirt pulling him froward causing him to stumble forward and splash in the muck.
"You're making it worse." Nero reached up and grabbed his hand.
"Nero, how did you solve the riddle?"
"I'm sorry, Elle, but can we wait until we get out of here before we start talking." He gagged.
Elle didn't have a particularly strong stomach either but she had been down here so many times on separate occasions. "Whatever it won't take long just don't throw up or anything."
They all gag. "Why would you say that!" Nero whined.
After about thirty minutes they could see a light. They could hear water crashing against rocks in the distance.
"Yes water I can get clean!" Nero raced past them towards the light. As he got closer he saw water falling in front of him. He slowed down because there was something weird about the water falling. Upon a second look the water matched the same color as the water he was standing in. "You've got to be kidding me."
Elle caught up. "Yeah this is where all of the pipes converge." She slid around the stream of sewage. "There is a clean water pipe over here."
Frides followed behind her slipping past the stream and then Nero inched around it cautiously. They jumped down onto the edge of the river. There are six pipes coming from different directions. Merging into one large waterfall. All of them spewing the same kind of sewage except one. The clean water pipe is sitting at the top. The sewage pipes were only letting out streams of water but the clean water pipe was forcing out large amounts washing the sewage down stream.
Elle pointed to the pipe at the top. "We can climb up there and hang our legs over that pipe to get clean." They followed her up to the top. Elle took off her shoes, sat down on the edge, and dangled her feet into the water. Ouran did the same and laughed.
"It tickles, right?" Ouran giggled again. "It feels like little fingers running under my feet."
"I want to try." Nero pulled off his shoes and sat down next to Ouran. He looked down at the boy and they laugh as the running water kicked their feet up.
Elle peeked over at them and smiled looking at the masks on their heads in disbelief. She pulled the mask off of her head and looks dow at it. It was weird and there was no string it just stuck to her face when she put it on before. She looks over at Nero. "How did you solve the riddle?"
"I don't think we did. After Ouran passed his test, I took him to pick out a mold. Speaking of, hey Frides where is the bag." Nero looked behind him and grabbed the bag untying it. Out popped Urs. "Hey little lady."
She ran across the pipe and slid turning back at Nero. She growled.
Nero puts his hands up. "Sorry sorry sorry sorry!" He apologized, reaching a hand out. She came closer sniffing his hand, then opened her mouth to chomp down on it. In an instant he pulls his hand back and jumped up. "I said I was sorry. Ouran was getting attacked. I didn't have time to hide you and there were too many Peace Corps Members to hold you under my arm." They tussled on top of the pipe.
Frides looked at Ouran. "Tell me how you passed the test." His voice gave away how skeptical he still was.
"I promise, I passed." He pleaded.
Frides looked back at Nero as he ran in circles away from Urs. Elle asked Ouran again. "How did you do it?"
Ouran gulped. "Nero said if I could catch him before we could get to the circus performers, then I passed. He didn't go easy on me but…"
"But what?" Elle asked.
"I promise, I was this close to catching him when he ran into one of his friends and stopped."
"So you caught him when he was distracted." Elle frowned.
"I swear. I was going to catch him anyway. Nero said I cheated then he changed his mind. But he did say I passed."
Elle shook her head. "Well its too late now. Our bonehead leader already agreed. There isn't much else we can do now."
Nero stopped. "Did you say leader? Ow!" Urs bit down hard on his ankle.
"I also said bonehead." She emphasized.
Urs growled at Nero and looked at Ouran. She walked over and climbed in his lap and licked at his shoulder. "Oh I see. You were just worried about Urs. Then we're going to have to teach you how to protect yourself. Your bite is strong but you're going to have to bring more to the table than that. Oh. We should teach you how to fly!"
Elle looked down at the bag next to Nero and saw the same strange markings. She looked over to the mask and noticed there were similar markings on it. "Nero hand me that bag."
Nero reached down and handed her the bag. She inspected the marking. "I think these are runes. I've only seen them in books. They hold ancient magic." They all take off their masks and compare the markings on each of their masks. "Just as I thought they are all different."
"Do you think that's why Urs disappeared into the bag?" Nero asked. "I've read a lot about runes. Their supposed to have different effects."
"I know but I didn't feel the mask doing anything to me." Frides said.
"Me neither." Ouran chorused Frides.
"I put my mask on in such a hurry. I didn't have enough time to figure out how to activate it." Nero said.
"This is all interesting but we have to hurry before the Peace Corps expands their search." Frides got up and grabbed his shoes.
Nero handed Ouran and Elle their shoes. "True. Elle, Where is Imani? Is she coming?"
Frides looked at Elle. She slammed her shoes down next to her. "What!"
"Elle." He could hear the pain in her voice.
She put her face in her hands. "I want to lie but you said I have to tell the truth." She sobbed finally letting go. She had been abandoned again. Used and thrown away. "You'll see. One day you'll cast me aside too. Can't I just tell you what you want to hear."
"Elle." Nero interrupted her.
"What! What do you want to know? That everyone leaves me once they see how complicated I make their lives. One day you'll leave too."
Ouran walked behind her and grabs her. "I won't leave you."
Elle leaned back against Ouran and whimpered into her hands. "Am I not worth keeping around?"
Urs ran into her lap and she leans down pressing her face against her soft fur.
Nero placed a hand on Elles shoulder. "Elle, I've never met Imani, but right now whether you do or don't, I hate her. I hate anyone who would ever make you feel this way. Even if you stab me in the back, I'll never stop hating her for making my friend cry."
Elle removed her face from her hands, staring in Nero's eyes. She wanted to yell at him but it came out in a whisper. "Why would you still want me around after…"
"Wrong!" Nero interrupted her in a blaring voice. "I don't want you around. I need you around. You're worth more than just keeping around, your presence is invaluable. Be here, stay here, and don't go anywhere without us. All of it, I'm begging you."
Frides put a hand on her shoulder. "Aren't we friends?"
"Yeah we're friends!" Ouran squeezed her tighter.
Nero grabbed the bag and walked away from them. "We are Retainers, but more than that its just us. Just us against everyone in our way. If someone is in front of any of you, then their blocking my way too. Get up Elle, your coming with us."
Frides helped Elle up from the edge of the pipe. She grabbed her shoes and Ouran got up holding her by her waist. Elle wiped her face against Urs fur in her arms. Elle shoved Nero. "You're the sappiest person I know. If you still want this reject I'll go with you guys."
Nero walked all the way to the wall that the pipe was jetting out of. "You keep trying to walk away from us, but you don't get it. If you try to walk away from us, we'll run after you."
He turns and faces them putting his hands up. He breaks out into a full sprint. Frides looks around not seeing anywhere to go. "Nero wait!"
Elle puts Urs in front of her with Urs's but facing him. "Kiss it!"
Ouran ran at him laughing. "I'll stop him."
Nero slipped under Ouran scooping him up. "Group Hug!!!"
He wrapped his arms around Elle and Frides, not without first getting a face full of Urs butt. With a big crash they fell over the pipe and were catapulted into the River.
To Be Continued...
Thanks for Reading!