Return of Seamstress Cybunny: Part Three

     I looked at the object. "Mega Carrot Blaster," I read on the side. "It has the ability to blast with one to four carrots at a time. How very interesting." I sighed at the item and knew that I would have to face Colleen and Colette by myself.

     However, I felt faint. I couldn't just fight now! The dizziness made me collapse and I fell in the cracked hole. As I was falling, I thought about Shai and my sisters.

     When I regained consciousness, I looked around. I saw a strange laboratory with a large round area in the center. It was shaped like a tub. There were many sparks going around the room and I suddenly saw Shai, Colleen, and Colette. The twin Cybunnies had Shai tied in ropes.

     "Shai!" I shouted.

     "Oh, so you finally came after all, Sakura," Colleen giggled. Colette nodded.

     "Let her go!" I yelled at my sisters. They both giggled as they looked up at the tied Wocky.

     "I don't think we'll be able to do that," Colette replied and pushed a button. Nothing much happened, from what I could tell.

     "What the heck did you just do to her?" I held up my Mega Carrot Blaster.

     "We simply lowered the ropes a little," Colleen sneered. "The tub you see here is filled with stuff."

     "What stuff?"

     "Just…stuff in general! Why do you want to know so much?" Colette snapped. She knew that I was a curious Cybunny. Colleen continued to giggle and pressed the button a few more times.

     "Stop!" I commanded. My carrot blaster had four carrots in it. That was my only opportunity to finish off my twin sisters and to free Shai. I held it and aimed it at the machine.

     "This will conclude it all!" I fired the Mega Carrot Blaster. Four carrots instantly aimed toward different places. Two whacked Colleen and Colette, one pressed the button, and I didn't see the other one.

     I suddenly felt sweaty after releasing the carrots. I wished that there were a few remaining. As a result of my dizziness and heat, I once again collapsed.

     "Sakura? Sakura?" I heard a familiar voice calling me. Was it Shai?

     "Shai…" I muttered as I woke. I discovered that I was in my bed on the second floor of Shai's Outfitters. A Kougra was sitting next to my bed. I suddenly screamed.

     "I'm sorry!" the Kougra apologized.

     "Oh…Miss Kougra!" I sighed with relief. At least a thief wasn't next to me.

     "How are you feeling?" she asked with worry.

     "Hot," I replied. I felt the same way the moment before I collapsed again.

     "You do look flush." She nodded and touched my head. "You have quite a high fever, Sakura."

     "I do?" I felt worn out from the battle with my siblings.

     "Yup. You need to rest a little more," she nodded again.

     "But, what about Shai and my siblings?"

     "I haven't heard news yet, but I'm sure they'll be fine," she assured me. "I was lucky to get you out of the Rock Caves."

     So that's why I'm in my bed! I gave her a quick hug. Miss Kougra smiled at me and quietly closed the door. I placed my head again on my fluffy pink pillow. Somewhat relieved, I slowly closed my eyes again.

     By the time I woke up, it was morning. I yawned and hopped downstairs to make breakfast. Miss Kougra was still here, but was asleep. Shai's specialty tea was made along with toast. I placed a few pieces on a separate plate for my teacher and sat on my cushion.

     I accidentally woke up Miss Kougra after placing her plate of toast on the table. She slowly rubbed her eyes.

     "I'm sorry that I woke you up!" I exclaimed. Miss Kougra simply smiled.

     "It's okay. I stayed here and kept an eye on you for the entire night," she said as she drank her tea.

     "Did you find out what happened to Shai and the others?"

     "Yes I did," Miss Kougra passed me the day's Neopian Times. The story about Shai was on the front cover.

     "Let's see…Colleen and Colette were captured and sent back to the dungeon," I read and looked up at my teacher. "That's a good sign."

     "It is, it is," she nodded. "But, about Shai…"

     "Oh my!" I gasped. As far as the report went, Shai was nowhere to be found. I dumped the papers on the table and pulled on a sweater.

     "Sakura! You might have a fever still!" Miss Kougra called as I opened the door.

     "I'm okay! I have to find Shai!" I replied and slammed the door shut. Winds were blowing at me left to right. There wasn't any snow falling, which was a great weather sign for me. Few villagers were walking around in the snow.

     I knew the first place to search - the Rock Caves. I hopped quickly over. The hole from a while ago disappeared and the path was cleared. I started making my way through the dark tunnels.

     There wasn't much light around, so it was difficult for me to move around. I sometimes bumped into walls and rocks. The rocks weren't very big in size. Eventually, I found light after a long way.

     "Shai?" I started to call. My voice echoed through the caves. I felt winds coming towards me. The exit was near! I hopped quickly out of the Rock Caves. The winds slowed down, but snow started to fall from the wispy white clouds. I looked around the area. There were many cabins around.

     I had figured out where I was at - the other side of the village! That showed how big the actual village was altogether. I also figured out that I was very near to my house. My mother might know what happened to Shai!

     I hopped happily over to the familiar door and knocked on it.

     "Yes?" my mother called as she opened the door. As soon as she noticed me, she hugged me tightly.

     "Mom! I'm glad to see you!" I said with delight.

     "I'm glad as well, Sakura!" she replied. "Please come in!"

     "Okay!" I smiled. I noticed that most of the items from when Colleen, Colette, and I used to live here still existed in the house. The cabinet where the fabric was, the three feathery beds, the fireplace, and many more were still at home. My mother sat down at a chair near the fireplace. I went over and sat on the other chair.

     "What brings you here to home, Sakura? How are classes?" my mother asked. She smiled sweetly at me.

     "Well, have you seen today's Times? Classes are doing fine," I replied.

     "Yes, I have. I'm so sorry about Shai."

     "What? Did she…?"

     "No one is quite sure yet, Sakura. I'm sure they will find out tomorrow," she said and smiled. "Would you like a cup of tea?"

     "Yes please." I nodded. I now became more worried than ever about Shai. Was she well?

     "Here you go," my mother said and handed me my tea. I felt safe around my mother and trusted her a lot, even though she fought against the sandstorms in the Lost Desert.

     "Thank you very much," I said and drank my tea. I suddenly remembered about my teacher.

     "I'm sure you're very worried about Shai, Sakura," my mother noticed with concern. "She will be just fine. Shai did survive the high fever from a while ago, didn't she?"

     "Yes, but I'd better get going." I got up and placed my teacup on the counter. "My teacher is waiting for me." I bowed to my mother.

     "Your teacher must have been very worried about you also." My mother got up and opened the door. I nodded and hugged her again.

     "I'll come see you real soon. I promise." I winked at my mother and hopped off to Shai's Outfitters. The snow had stopped when I approached the store. I unlocked the door and entered quietly.

     "Sakura!" Miss Kougra rushed over. "I was worried about you!"

     "I'm sorry," I sighed.

     "Did you find Shai yet?" the teacher asked with worry.

     "Unfortunately, I didn't." I started to cry. Tears from my eyes continued to fall for a while. I had a feeling that Shai would not be coming back.

     "It is getting late." Miss Kougra hugged me. "I'd better get back to Neopia Central. Classes will start tomorrow." She opened the squeaking door. "Will I be counting you as absent, Sakura?"

     "I think that I will be able to make it tomorrow," I replied. "Thanks for rescuing me."

     "You're welcome. See you tomorrow then." Miss Kougra smiled and closed the door. Tonight would be the first time in a while that I would sleep in my own bed without Shai. I knew that someone had to run the store, so I wrote to my mother and sent it off.

     The next morning, I cooked breakfast and got ready to leave. My mother replied to my letter saying that she'd run Shai's Outfitters while I was having classes. I wandered out of the door and made sure it was locked. I looked up at the shining sunny sky.

     "Farewell, Shai. My true friend."

The End