Floating Petals

Chapter 4

Chapter 4

                        “Quite gruesome isn’t it.”

                        Hanami freaked and rolled in the opposite direction of the voice, pulling her knives out. The voice came from the boy, Torao. He was knelt down next to Hoshimi and he would have been right next to Hanami. Hanami only stared while he came closer. He flipped down his hood and tried to lower Hanami’s knife but she took out another one and slashed the top of his hand lightly. He jerked it back and cradled it in his other arm, while Hanami turned and bolted. Torao’s eyes burst open when he realized she wasn’t there anymore and blasted off after her.

                        “Hanami come back! I won’t take you in, I swear!” Hanami glanced back for a second and she saw Torao try to smile; but at the velocity they were going, his cheeks stretched back and he looked more like the Joker. She squeaked and kept running, faster this time. Torao sighed and stopped running. He collapsed on the ground and let her run. No way was he going to catch up to her without her trust. He tried to earn it, but he would need to try another time.

                        Hanami kept running until the trees started again. She was getting good at swinging up so she tried something new. She grabbed the tree branch, swung with all of her force through the canopy, did three summersaults and landed safely on a tree branch. Wow. I was certain that would never work. Hanami smirked to herself and ran faster through the trees.

                        By the time it was sun down, Hanami was clear away from the battlefield. She hadn’t stopped running and she swore she could see “The Wall” hundreds of miles away. As the sun went down, Hanami opened her pack and took an inventory of what was there.

                        “Three pounds of meat, one pound of fruits and vegetables, and one spice.” Hanami rolled her eyes and looked at the spice. “Rosemary...” Hanami chuckled at the joke. Chiyo was good. But now she was gone... Hanami took a chunk of the meat, about a quarter pound and pulled a piece apart from the rest to eat. Once she bit in the juicy flavors of the curing set in and Hanami found herself going ‘mmmmmm’. She ate about three strawberries from the rest and closed the bag, packing everything up for the day. She was still in the tree so she contemplated inside herself; Sleep on the ground and risk being caught, or sleep in the trees and risk falling off... Trees. Hanami searched around herself and she leaped to a thick looking branch. She put her pack in the nook of the tree and laid back. As she eyes closed, she saw the salmon color in the sky turn to a darkish charcoal color and then everything went into dreamland.

                        Torao rushed in the direction that Hanami had run off in. He whispered to his self: “Nu rezista. Nu oboseala.” (No resistance. No fatigue.) His eyes glowed and then he really took off. His feet barely touched the ground and his arms trailed behind him. Once he reached the trees, he slowed his speed by only a few miles per hour. Looking up in the trees, he kept dashing until his eyes caught something and he skidded to a halt. He glanced around and found what his eyes had seen a few feet back. It was Hanami. She was fast asleep and her arms and legs were hanging off a tree branch, sloth style. Torao smiled softly and jumped into the trees. His landing was feather soft and didn’t disturb Hanami at all. Torao sighed a sigh of relief. Nobody has gotten to her yet. I was sure she was going to get attacked. He slowly picked her up, back on his right arm and knees on his left. Her head sagged and her mouth hung wide open. Torao laughed and closed it for her. He landed, once again, feather soft on the ground and he placed her on the ground for only a second. He pressed a button on his wristband and a hologram of a hunter tent appeared. It was red at the moment because half of it was in a tree but Torao moved it to a slightly more open space and it turned green. He nodded and pressed the button once again. A small squealing noise came from the air and it got louder until a tent burst through the canopy and crashed on the ground in perfect condition, already built. Hanami stirred and Torao’s heart started racing. Shit. She can’t wake up now! She’ll bolt! But Hanami grunted and turned over on the ground, but she didn’t wake up. Torao sighed and wiped the sweat off his forehead. He picked her back up again and laid her in the tent. Once she was under the covers, Torao awkwardly stood there for a few moments but then stepped outside the tent. He let out his breath and sagged against the tent. He looked inside; just to make sure she was okay and shut the flap again. He did this once more and then sat on his hands. She’ll be okay. Stop worrying. Everyone fears the hunters so no one will bother her. And I can’t be here when she wakes up. He breathed in deeply and took one last glance at the tent before he bolted towards “The Wall.”