Under the Sun

Chapter Twenty One

There were too many pages left to count in Shin's story. That's what Hanabi believed. She was convinced that he was a cat with nine lives - too stubborn to die and too full of pride to cop out. Over their brief time together, she came to understand how easy it was for him to shed an old skin and break in a new one. She envied Shin for this. He once caught her brimming with jealousy and asked, "What's got your panties in a twist, kid?" Hanabi let him have it. Injured or not, his tongue was going to get him into trouble.

...

After they had successfully managed to escape from Rena's house, they made a botched attempt at getting over to the other side of the cliff that separated them from their destination. Failure hit them literally. Hanabi lost her grip on Shin partway up the first few feet and together they dropped down, down, down. Some fast maneuvering on Shin's part spared them from a tragic fate. After this first brush with death, they rested to regain their confidence and energy. Hanabi had taken some food from Rena's kitchen pantry. They shared it between them, rationing what little they had. On their second attempt, they gave up on getting past the cliff and decided to take the long way around to the other side.

Then came the night when Shin decided to make use of the medicinal powder he'd had her steal. All was fine at first. He mixed it into some water and digested it fairly well. It even put a stop to most of the pain he was suffering through and temporarily restored his ability to keep up with Hanabi on their trek through the wood. However, the beneficial effects wore off without warning and they both realized that the powder had altered it's prerogative.

Over the next three days on the road, Shin struggled to keep going. He developed a high fever and fainted on Hanabi right as they were about to reach the crossroads to the other hidden villages. Not being a medic, Hanabi did what she could. She dragged his limp body under a tall tree whose branches were full of healthy-looking leaves. The cover they provided kept the rain from hitting them when the first of several storms passed through the area. She shielded his body throughout the next day, hugging him close.

Stumbling across the fishing village was like a dream come true. Hanabi dropped to her knees and practically kissed the ground when they arrived. She had shin's arm looped about her neck. His breathing was shallow and his legs gave out the moment the village came into view. Hanabi had to leave him on the ground to go get help. She was back within minutes with a pair of abled bodied fishermen with strong arms. They lifted Shin onto a stretcher and transported him to their medical ward. After that episode, the waiting game took over Hanabi's life.

...

When Neji appeared in the fishing village, it felt as if a breath of fresh summer air had passed through her. His presence changed everything. The day they spent together passed as a scene in a novel does. They walked, said some things, walked some more, and eventually got to talking, real talking where they exchanged words that were long overdue. The next morning he was gone and Hanabi woke to the sun filtering through her window and a message scribbled onto the back of mission itinerary. She hugged it to her chest and said a prayer for his safe return.

...

There was a ticking sound somewhere in the room with her. Hanabi couldn't pin point it. It was either coming from the square clock hanging above her on the wall or one of the monitors showing Shin's vitals. The sound plagued her ears. Tick, tick, tick, it went, testing her patience. Hanabi wanted to smash whatever it was into smithereens. She got out of her chair, next to Shin's bed, and walked about the small curtained-off space. She lowered her head and pressed her ear to the monitor and waited. Nothing. She moved close to the wall and looked up at the square clock, watching its secondhand move around the small dots meant to represent numbers. Again, nothing. Fed up, Hanabi stormed out of the ward. She didn't come back that day or the next. To hell with the ticking, she thought. Her talk with Shin could wait.