Chapter Text
"Yo momo, this is really starting to piss me off" okarun grumbled. A puff of smoke coming out of his toothy mask as he ran with momo on his back. They'd been in a high speed chase with a ... entity, of some kind for the past 2 hours. They didn't exactly know if it was a yokai or an alien yet. They haven't been able to get close enough to found out.
Just to add another layer of annoyance to this, the thing that they'd been chasing for so long was somehow faster then okarun. Even when he'd used one of his all outs out of frustration. he hadn't even been able to reach side by side to it. Something about that made a primal part of him extremely irritated.
"Yeah, I know okarun...maybe we should just let this one be?" momo leaned down to suggest into his ear. "We've already wasted enough time today, grandmas gonna be wondering where we are by now."
The only reason they were even going after this was because it almost ran them over while on their way back to her place. Momo was the one who insisted they see what it's deal was, and of course okarun would follow her instructions.
Now tho she couldnt really remember why she had been so upset. But okarun? he was personally offended that he was being out run by some random blur. This wasn't a chase anymore. to him it was a race.
"Nah, we can't give up yet. Just Try to latch on to it one last time, yo. If it doesn't work then we can go home." He said, maw clenching as he pushed himself to try and go just a bit faster. Just that little bit more to at least be head to head with the dust cloud ahead of them.
He could hear momo audibly roll her eyes, but she obliged regardless. It wasn't often okarun pressed on something he wanted to do, even in his yokìa form. So she figured it wouldn't hurt to just let him have this one.
"Fine, I can work with that. When we get home tho I'm picking the movie for tonight."
The way she said it made okarun snicker to himself, "You got it babe."
Okarun kicked up more debris as he surged forward one last time. Not using an all out but getting just close to reaching the same amount of power. In a way he did need to practice this more. Going 100%- or at least 90- without completely exerting himself.
He was thankful that his glasses kept his eyes safe form the wind, while momo had to hold on for dear life and lean down to his neck. Using his head as a shield whenever a rock or stray branch flew their way.
He was close now. Just close enough to barely see the outline of the figure ahead. Well, not even a figure really, it looked more like some kind of slender structure on wheels but no one was riding it. Like a cavemans attempt at making a bicycle.
Okarun didn't give himself time to be confused about it.
"Now momo!"
In a blink, momo used her psych hands to reach forward now that she was close enough to grasp it. Closing her invisible fingers over the handle bars of the unmanned bike.
"Got 'em!"
She cheered at finally catching the nuisance of a thing that had eluded them for so long. Feeling her chest swell with pride.
Until her heart sunk with the realization that she was being slightly dragged forward off of okaruns back.
Time slowed down for okarun. The sudden absent weight of momo behind him made his blood run colder then it already was. Out of a panic, temporarily forgetting the speeding bike, he skidded to a halt and reached out for her. The both of them now being dragged while trying desperately to hold onto eachother.
"Momo let go!” okarun yelled, his normally flat voice now having an unsteady tremor at the thought of momo getting hurt as a result of his persistents.
"I'm trying! I don't wanna fall stupid!”
"Your not gonna fall, I'm gonna catch you yo!"
He stumbled slightly, struggling to stay upright with such unsteady terrain and unbalanced weight pulling him forward.
Momo shrieked as the wind flew past her ears. Stretched between the head of the bike and okarun holding on to her hips at an awkward angle for his arms.
Despite everything in her body begging her to hold on, she trusted okarun to keep her safe. With a bone shaking effort she released the handle bars of the ghost/maybe cryptid bike and let it speed off into the far distance.
Okarun immediately yanked momo back into his chest, curling around her like a human rolly polly and letting himself fall forward in a sloppy tumble.
Evidently, even in this form, his body just wasn't made to bend like that at the speed they were still going.
Mid roll, okarun felt something inside him shift uncomfortably. Not just uncomfortably, painfully. Not like how his body contorted to enter his yokai mode, but like something had reached its limit and straight up snapped under the pressure.
An audible crack made him clench his hands around momo for a split second.
He yelled as a bolt of white hot pain exploded from his right leg. It just happened to be the one momo was most leaning on which only made it feel worse.
God, he could feel his bone moving under his skin.
The two crashed to a halt on a nearby broken down light pole. Okaruns slamming on his back invertedly. Knocking the wind right out of his lungs in a way that was almost worst then going all out.
"UuHh...damn, okarun, good catch..." Momo groaned as she slumped out of okaruns grip. The adrenaline coursing through her making her slightly oblivious to the fact okarun wasn't in good shape.
Brushing pebbles and dirt out of her hair momo turned around to find okarun still upside down on the ground. His flamed collar flickering as his hair faded from black to white a few times like he was trying to transform back but couldn't.
Or, wasn't letting himself just yet.
"Okarun? Hey are you alright?” momo asked, tone full of concern as she crouched down and tried to help the yokai boy out of his awkward position.
Okarun didn't respond right away. he stared off into space for a hot minute, his red eyes ever so slightly flicking from one point to another. Not like he was actually seeing anything in front of him, but he was assessing his own body.
"Yo, momo...don't freak out...I think my leg is broken..."
He mumbled wearily. His monotone voice strained as he came to the conclusion that his leg hurt to much to move.
"What?!"
"I just told you not to freak out...what a bummer..."