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Panic filled Setsumi’s chest, squeezing out the air that her lungs so desperately needed. The cavern was darker than she expected. The water distorted the light and made it difficult to judge distances. Genma moved through the murk with a comfort and ease that made Setsumi jealous. When he’d said that he could complete this task easier if he didn’t have to watch after her, Setsumi rolled her eyes and insisted that she’d be fine. Now, she wished that she’d listened.
The cave grew darker, swallowing everything but the pinprick of light from Setsumi’s headlamp. That was another thing that she’d argued with Genma about only to find out that he was right. Setsumi had thought the warm sunlight that danced on the blue water would penetrate almost the entire way through the cave. She and Genma had covered maybe a third of the distance to their destination, if that, and it was black as pitch. This was a stupid mission from the beginning, Setsumi groused. If I die here, I’m going to haunt Hokage-sama for the rest of his miserable life, and Genma.
Setsumi drew another shallow breath through the mechanism that Genma had taught her to use five minutes before they waded into the water. She tried not to think about how the thin piece of plastic was the only thing keeping her alive. Or, the fact that there was no way out of this cave if something went wrong. If she had second thoughts about swimming into an underwater grotto and wanted to leave, the only option was to continue. The thought made her skin crawl. Part of being a good shinobi was knowing where the escape routes were at all times. Except, this time, there were none.
A flash of silver swirled the water in front of Setsumi, then something brushed her cheek. Jerking away, her head connected with the stone above. Setsumi cried out, and warm, salty water flooded her mouth. She twisted, grabbing for the respirator, but she couldn’t find it in the darkness. The lamp on her head didn’t penetrate the grit and dearth that Setsumi had kicked up in her struggle. Genma had warned her about that before taking the lead. It could be a couple of minutes before he realized that she wasn’t following.
Stars sparkled in Setsumi’s vision, and the burn in her lungs tripled while she tried to remember how long she could survive without air. A vice closed on Setsumi’s wrist, and she struck out blindly. Her fingers raked through something too soft to be stone, and the touch fell away. It returned a second time, dragging her to the ground by her shoulders. Setsumi kicked and fought, fingers finding purchase a second time. One arm slipped out of her assailant's grip.
Darkness threatened more urgently, gnawing at Setsumi’s consciousness.Then, something closed over her mouth, warm and pliable, and breath flooded into Setsumi’s lungs. She swallowed air and water as one, choking on both. The seal around her lips didn’t move so she exhaled through her nose. The dizziness receded. A second, fuller breath filled Setumi’s mouth and she drank it greedily.
The hand on Setsumi’s shoulder moved, she recognized the feeling now. Then, the mouth over hers disappeared. Before she could think to protest something different was pressed against her lips. They opened reflexively and recognized the taste of her respirator. Her vision cleared enough to notice the searing inches from her face, then Genma’s mask came into focus. He waved a hand to get her attention, then pointed to his mouth. Setsumi tried to figure out why it looked strange, then realized it was visible.
Genma held up his respirator, then closed his mouth around it. His hand tapped the one in Setsumi’s lips and flashed a thumbs up. Setsumi pulled another breath into her panic filled lungs, then repeated the sign. With a nod, Genma hooked something from his belt to hers and started moving away. The tug of his presence was more reassuring than she cared to admit.
Ten minutes later, the water grew shallow and Genma pulled himself onto a rough ledge. He offered a hand to Setsumi, and she collapsed next to him, resisting the urge to kiss the salty stone. Genma packed away their gear, then looked up. “You good?”
Setsumi’s mouth dropped open. Four long, angry gashes down Genma’s left cheek. “What happened to you?”
“A crazy woman tried to drown me because she panicked.” Genma flashed the type of smile that made most women weak in the knees, especially when it morphed into a smirk. “You left some on my shoulders, too.”
The suggestive lilt in Genmas tone made Setsumi roll her eyes. Then, she remembered the breath that he’d shared and the risks he’d taken to save her. Genma joked about it now, but she could have killed them both. “I’m sorry,” Setsumi began, hating the meekness in her voice. “You were right— ”
“About time you admitted that,” Genma interrupted. He waved off Setsumi’s huff of annoyance, and nodded behind him. “But, we’ve wasted enough time. Let’s get going, we have a deadline to meet.”
Grumbling under her breath, Setsumi followed Genma deeper into the cave.