Drifted Apart

Chapter 12

Touko and Komaru exchanged glances. "We got this, okay? We're gonna get out of here." Touko nodded at her friend's little pep talk and they both crossed the rickety bridge that led to a loose tightrope. Monaca's smile stretched from ear to ear. The girls kept their eyes forward and sucked in their stomachs, each slipping up only a little on the way. So far, this was easy to both of them. However, as soon as they crossed the final, thinnest tightrope, things took a turn for the worst. "And that concludes the easy portion!" Monaca giggled and watched them sweat uncomfortably.
"We've made it this far, we can't give up." This time, Touko was doing the pep talking. Komaru grabbed hold of a rope and leaped forward, holding on tight. Touko flinched as she flew over flames, barely making it. By the time she reached the next obstacle, a small part of the bottom of her skirt had been simmered off, but it was nothing she couldn't handle. Touko did the same, only lifting up her skirt a bit so that the flames wouldn't catch it. Komaru couldn't help but blush a little. She had never seen Touko this courageous, she had always known it was there, it just didn't show too much before. A set of sharp blades-all different sizes- awaited them. Instead of a rope, they had to run across a thin, cracking wooden beam down the middle of them all. They sighed and ran one by one, right behind each other.
"Agh!" Touko yelped in agony. Komaru stopped and turned around. Touko had been cut straight across her left leg and arm. Crimson blood stained her long skirt and sleeves. Komaru, panicking, ripped off half of Toukos right sleeve and tied it around her leg, then the other sleeve around her injured arm. A small blade sliced across her right cheek, but she ignored it and helped Touko limp to the end of that obstacle.
"Alright, looks like we've still got some blades and flames to go, then we'll be done!" Komaru exclaimed, even more hopeful when she realized they still had 14 minutes left. She turned around to see Touko, passed out and bloody.