Floating Petals

Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Hanami trudged through the pouring rain with Torao limply hanging on behind her. His arm was over her shoulder and she was pulling him like a sack of potatoes; and in the state he was in, he might as well had been. They reached the, still standing, hunter’s tent right as dusk declined upon them. Hanami heaved Torao onto the twin sized bed and plopped down herself next to him. He moaned and turned over, away from her.

“For god’s sake, stop moaning!” Torao held his mouth shut. “You haven’t stopped moaning since I pulled you out of that stump. And now you’ve erased all of my progress, you jerk.” Torao had to snicker at that. But as the first snicker escaped his mouth, he winced in pain again. Hanami sighed and tugged at Torao’s shirt. He pushed through the pain and shoved her hand off.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Hanami chuckled and tried again.

“I’m going to wrench those rock chunks out of your back.” Torao stopped struggling and let her remove his shirt. She propped him up with the pillow and made sure he faced away from her. She began to search the tent and eventually snatched a garnet box with a ivory cross on the front. Wracking it open, she plucked gauze, bandages, Neosporin and tweezers out of the mess inside. Torao sealed his eyes shut and chomped on his shirt. “This might be painful.” She tenderly pinched a rock sliver with the tweezers and Torao chomped on the shirt harder. Quickly, Hanami tugged on the tweezers and the sliver shot out. Along with some blood. But on the other side, Torao had torn the shirt in half with his teeth and his chest was rising up and down hastily. He spat the other half of the shirt out and motioned for her to keep going. Hanami pressed the gauze on patiently and Torao began to gnaw on his fist instead. His neck veins were poking out and drips of sweat were hitting the mattress in a steady pace. Hanami yanked another rock sliver out, Torao’s back arched and a wail escaped his mouth. She clamped her hand over his lips and his eyes welled up, all his muscles tensing. Hanami sighed once more and propped him up again. He breathed in air and she patted his shoulder, trying to be reassuring but most likely told him, “This is going to hurt like hell.” She, one by one, heaved all of the rock shards out of his back and by the end, there were wet stains down his cheeks.

“I didn’t think men cried.”

“You don’t know what that felt like. Name is Torao. Yours?” Torao breathed in deeply and ran his hand through his messy black hair.

“Really? It’s Hanami.” Torao looked coldly at Hanami and she beamed at him. 

“Now, for the stump!” Torao joggled his head from side to side and fell back on the bed. He immediately jerked back up though, a patch of Neosporin left on the covers. Hanami tip-toed to the other side of Torao and poked the fat, serrated stump. 

“Seriously?!” Torao  clutched his shoulder, in pain. “You know, that actually doesn’t hurt; keep doing it, will ya?” Hanami chuckled light-heartedly and grasped the stump with both hands. 

“Might want to hold onto something, this is going to get painful real soon.” She yanked and Torao clenched the frame of the bed. The stump was stuck in his shoulder and the big hunk of wood was not coming out effortlessly. Hanami placed her feet on Torao’s lower abdomen and gripped the stump, better this time. She heaved on the hunk of wood, shoving her soles against Torao. He jerked back, trying to help with no avail. But as Hanami’s hands were slipping, the stump came loose and launched Hanami back. Torao yelped in pain and extended his injured arm to test it out. There was a steady stream of crimson running down his torso and the wound was filled with splinters. “Stop it! That’s just going to hurt it more. Just leave your arm down.” Hanami muttered as she dragged herself off the ground, bloodied block of wood in hand. She took the tweezers again and plucked the splinters out, making more crimson leak. A towel in one hand and gauze in the other, Hanami wiped up the blood from the mattress and the side of Torao. Their eyes met and Torao shied away awkwardly. She squished the gauze onto the open wound and Torao bit his tongue; that was painful. And god damnit got to contain myself. Hanami wrapped bandages around Torao, shoulder and all. By the time she was done, Torao couldn’t move his left shoulder, let alone his left arm. Hanami grinned and tried to cover him up with the blankets on the bed, his torn shirt sitting next to him. Torao struggled as she wrapped him tightly.

“Yay! All done! Now you look like a burrito!” Hanami burst out in giggles and pounded her fist against the bed. Torao looked un-amused. Hanami kept chuckling as Torao dashed out of the tent and to the nearest tree. He grasped it tightly and banged his head on it hardly. Okay Torao, you are fine. Just don’t think about her. She’ll leave you alone if you act like a psycho. But of course nothing ever goes right for Torao.

“Torao! Why did you run! Did I offend you?!” Hanami scampered to Torao’s side and tried to make him stop banging his head on the tree trunk. Torao forced his forehead through her hands and kept banging it, more viciously this time. Hanami elbowed Torao away from the tree and took his head in her hands.

“Stop! You’re hurting yourself more!” Torao shut his eyes and clasped Hanami’s hands to the sides of his head. “Torao, what’s wrong?” She came in close and her wide malachite eyes bored into Torao’s scarlet and azure ones. 

“Hanami...” Torao breathed as he came in closer. Hanami beamed once more and Torao yanked her into his arms. Their lips connected and Hanami’s back slammed against the tree trunk. She fought for a second but then let the resistance go. Torao’s kiss became more forceful and Hanami put up some force herself. Their tongue’s gently caressed each other. Torao was the first to pull back and Hanami tried to pull him back in by grabbing his tongue with her teeth. He jerked away just in time and Hanami’s teeth clamped onto nothing but air. Her circles of malachite stared up at Torao and he suppressed a laugh. Hanami held him tightly instead, laying her head on his upper abdomen. His slanted eyes widened for a second but then relaxed as his arms wrapped their warmth around Hanami.

“I was holding myself back before.” Torao’s eyes squeezed tighter. “I loved you too much and I thought you would never love me back. When you were hanging on that branch, I was sure, someone would find you. I was afraid my only sunshine would be executed and my life would go back to dreary streets and horrified citizens.” Torao clung to Hanami’s jacket.

“Silly.” Torao’s eyes shot open. He glanced down at Hanami’s small oval face as she grinned. “I always liked you, my savior in black.” She stroked his cheek lightly and he nudged his head into her hand. They stood there, his head in her hand for a moment, milking it of all its happiness and then Torao took Hanami’s hand in his. He led her back into the tent and on top of the bed. He tucked Hanami into the covers and then got under himself.

“Sweet dreams, rose serial killer.”

“Sleep well, onyx shrouded double crossing hunter.”