WARNING: This author most likely
Fails Biology Forever. If at any time you feel things are getting ridiculous, recite the
MST3K mantra. (TVTropes, BEWARE)
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"Mm?"
This wasn't what was supposed to happen. She'd jumped into the water just like Satori-sama had, but instead of floating back up she was just sinking. Had she done something wrong?
Clong.Her leg hit the bottom of the lake first, pulling the rest of her body down with it. She was vaguely aware that maybe it would have been a good idea to start at the other edge.
But still...it's so beautiful down here.The waters were once again pristine, fish of all different colours making their way through them. A few stragglers from a nearby school swam up to her, looking her in the eyes. She reached out to touch one, so she could softly run her fingers across it-
Smack.Oops, wrong hand.She hadn't hit it hard, but the control rod was heavy enough to leave the fish seeing stars. Its friends quickly took the hint and darted away, leaving the raven by herself.
"Unyu..."
She gurgled out a little groan, taking a few steps to try and find another set of fish to examine. She made a mental note to be a little more careful this time-
Tap, tap.A poke on her shoulder. Utsuho turned around, seeing a desperate-looking Satori pointing upwards.
That was enough to remind her of something that should really have been pretty obvious.
...Oh, crap! I need to breathe!Utsuho tried to jump upwards, flailing with her arms and legs. She sank back downwards quickly, her only reward being tired limbs. Satori wrapped her arms around her and tried to lift her to the surface, but she was even weaker physically than Utsuho was, so she achieved about as much.
"Blub..."
Utsuho gave a nervous gurgle, already feeling her cheeks bulge. Satori, knowing she wasn't going to get anywhere alone, rose back to the surface and called on aid.
"Sango-san! Where are you!?"
Sango?The name rang a bell in Utsuho's small brain. She remembered Satori-sama mentioning some sort of 'doll fin' youkai she'd met here that went by that name.
But...what's that fish thing swimming next to her? It doesn't look like a doll."Sango-san, one of my pets is down there! I need your help lifting her up!"
The fish thing nodded, phasing into a humanoid form. Apparently this was the girl Sango who Satori-sama had befriended after all.
"Wow...that's a pretty lifelike doll. How did she do it?"
Utsuho muttered to herself, unable to keep thoughts like that in her head. She pondered the question, wondering if it was magic or -
...Wait. What did I just do?Looking up at the newly formed stream of bubbles, Utsuho realised that her little monologue had just spent the last of her air.
"Craaaaap!"
She didn't have anything left in her lungs to shout with, but sound came out anyway. For some reason her body didn't seem to care about the air, just letting it go without a care in the world. Wasn't there meant to be some sort of reflex to stop that!?
Satori and Sango dove down with lightning speed, afraid that Utsuho had already drowned. They both grabbed her around the waist and started to heave.
"Hngggggggggggh..."
Even with all their effort, they were only able to lift her maybe a few inches. Utsuho, naturally, was reduced to panic.
"Satori-sama, what's going to happen to me!? I'm out of air, I'm drowning, I'm-"
""...""
Silence. Both girls stopped trying to carry Utsuho upwards, letting her fall back down to the lakebed. They were looking at her with expressions of awe, unable to believe what she'd just done.
She was...talking.
"...wait, no I'm not. This isn't what drowning's meant to feel like. Unyuu?"
Utsuho felt weird. She wasn't breathing, that was for sure, but it didn't hurt or anything. She put her arm to her chest to check if it was rising.
"Crap, wrong arm again. Better swi-"
Utsuho cut herself off, looking down the rod she had just pulled up to her chest. She could make out a faint glowing somewhere deep within.
"...Ohhhhhhhh."
Breathing is just a way for creatures to turn food into energy. If another method was available that didn't need air, logically a creature could survive without needing to breathe.
Utsuho, practically a walking nuclear reactor, was a perfect example of this. It was producing far more energy from her food than simple breathing did, allowing her to go for potentially hours without air if necessary. (Of course, it helped that since absorbing the Yatagarasu her dinners were now laced with plutonium - half because she thought it tasted good, and half because it stopped Orin from stealing her share.)
"...Uh...sorry for the worry, Satori-sama. Looks like I'm fine..."
Realising what was going on, Satori facepalmed hard. Sango rolled her eyes, turning to Satori with a face that asked 'is this some sort of joke?'
"Um, I think I'll just walk over to the other side of the lake and get myself out. Sorry again for the tro- hey, Satori-sama, why are you looking at me like that? I didn't mean to scare you, I just-"
Slap.---
"Satori-sama! What happened to Okuu!? Is she okay?!"
"...She'll be fine. Her cheek might be a little red for a while, though."
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I spent a while trying to come up with a valid way for Okuu to actually swim, but there's only so far I can possibly screw with the laws of physics. Now,
biology...