Hua was wondering how many girls out there thought they could plummet from the sky to the sea without screaming. She figured there was probably a zero point zero, zero, zero one percent chance of that, and that her statistic was being generous. Without meaning to brag or anything, Hua thought of herself as brave, resilient, tough...
And right now, she was screaming her head off.
"I don't want to die!" she screamed. "Help! Brother! Brother!" She floundered helplessly in the air. Out of her element, without her feet planted firmly to the ground, she thought she was about to throw up.
"God, you're loud." Shuigu's voice slid quietly into her ear. She realized then that he had been falling behind her the whole time, so close they were almost touching—she had just been too panicked to notice. "Don't worry, while Fang might be a better choice in the air, we're going to fall into the water, and that's my turf. So, you can quit screaming in my ear already."
Then he looked down and swore under his breath. Hua did too and saw that they would be landing on an island, not in the water. This is not the reason I love ground...! And the island was getting closer and closer—she barely registered Shuigu stretching to put his body under hers, his arms wrapping around her, twisting their bodies in the air...
We're going to hit the sand...!
She screamed again. They hit the ground. Hua let out a gasp as the air was knocked out of her. There was pain before everything went black.
I fell.
... I'm thinking.
I'm alive...!
With a start, Hua forced her eyes open before groaning in pain. Her throat was parched and every small huff of breath hurt her whole body. She tried to move, and though that sent agony across her limbs, every part of her boy seemed to still be functional.
Come on, soldier! It took a few tries, but Hua finally hauled herself up on her knees, struggling to ignore the pain. Must have broken a few ribs, she thought, spitting out some blood. Her mouth really was completely dry. How did she survive? The landing ground had been sand so it must have cushioned the fall considerably, but even with that the odds were pretty impossible. No, it should have been completely impossible.
Then a question crossed her mind: Where was Shuigu?
"Shuigu?" she croaked, but her voice barely escaped her throat. Water first, she thought. Conveniently, she felt that the ground underneath her was wet and bent down, taking two long sips. It was freshwater that soothed her sore mouth.
But only for an instant.
Wait! I'm on an island covered with sand in the middle of an ocean! How can there be freshwater?
Unless... "Dammit," she muttered, spitting some of the water that was still in her mouth out. "Shuigu? Shuigu? Are you okay? Shuigu?!"
The puddle underneath her had once been a part of her dear brother. How had she not noticed?! She beat herself up internally for her stupidity. "Brother, where are you?!" Knowing she had to act fast, Hua began to shuffle across the beach on her hands and knees, feeling her pain less acutely in her desperation.
For Shuigu to have been reduced to liquid state... This had never happened before but she had been cautioned about the phenomenon. If Shuigu took too much damage, most of his body would cease to be held together and revert into a puddle of what would be largely water (as per his mutated human-body proportioning), leaving only his head. As long as his head was still solid, he was alive. Still, without his heart or his lungs, he wouldn't be for long. She cursed, knowing that her body had survived by automatically absorbing water and nutrients from his during the period in which they had been unconscious. That must have taken years of his life.
Please don't be dead, Shuigu.
In other words, finding his head was her only hope that he was alive. He had to be nearby since he had cushioned her fall. This was good since the island was surprisingly big—the coastline seemed to stretch on for ages towards water, and a thick forest in the other direction towards the heart of the island. Despite multiple attempts to get up, Hua found she didn't have enough strength to stand and resorted to crawling around to conduct her search.
"Where is he...?!" Her eyes scanned the surrounding area helplessly. At times like this, she greatly wished she hadn't been combined with measly plants. Fang's eyes would come in incredibly handy right now!
She scrambled towards an area near the wet sand upon noticing a small trail of darker sand. This trial led her to nearby palm trees trees growing very close to the coast. How much time do I have? She wasn't sure—the numbers weren't coming to her head. How many times can I afford to look in the wrong place? Turning to look in the other direction, her ears perceived soft but quiet gasping.
As quickly as her weakened form would allow, Hua pushed through the undergrowth scattered around the palm tree and found Shuigu's head. It looked gruesome, a severed head whose skin was beginning to peel off and liquefy around the neck area in uneven layers, but she pushed down the bile that was rising in her throat.
"Shuigu? Brother, can you hear me?" She bent down. Her voice trembled as she reached her hand over to him. I fear my own brother, which I've known since forever. Tears came to her eyes as Hua realized that she couldn't help but think that his appearance was disgusting and unnatural.
His eyes fluttered open after being called a few times, but all he could do was open his mouth listlessly—he wasn't receiving any oxygen or blood. His body's advanced survival mechanism was kicking in as much as possible, but they couldn't escape death for long.
"Shush! Don't try to talk," she cautioned. "I'll go get some water." Hua dragged herself up, supported by her arms, but then found herself unable to move. Darkness blossoming around her vision, her arms failed to support her and she collapsed forward. Her pain had been a warning, but she had refused to acknowledge the damage that had been dealt to her body. Broken ribs, it seemed, had only been a small part of it. Pushing herself hadn't been the best idea.
Meanwhile, her brother's lips were mouthing words he no longer had the capacity to say, in a manner that looked programmed—unconscious. "You... you can... use me..." His voice was in her head, even though no sound was emitting from his mouth. "Use... me ... up..."
"Shut up." Hua blinked hard, forcing the darkness from her vision. "You're going to live through this, so shut up!" His cracked lips faltered following her severe tone. "You've always been there for me, gege," Hua continued, stretching her arms out. She ignored the pain coursing through her body and gritted her teeth to keep herself from crying out. Fight it!
In one desperate motion, Hua grabbed onto her brother's feeble head and hugged it to her side. Using her other arm, she started to pull herself towards the water, unsure how she had the strength to even move. "You protected me and now it's my turn to return the favor."
It felt like forever, but the fading warmth in Shuigu's head as a solid mass to hold onto told her she still had time. If his head wasn't melting through her fingers, she still had time.
Not until it's impossible.
I won't stop until it's impossible...
With one final heave, Hua reached the ocean side and pushed her brother's head into the tide.
"Idiot," Shuigu mouthed. His eyes had become clearer—to Hua, he was already looking better. His eyebrows were furrowed in a worried manner but he made no sound, retaining the last of his conscious energy. Soon, this was no longer a choice; his eyelids were drooping, and Hua recognized that his mind was shutting down so he wouldn't expend his remaining strength before he was able to recover.
She smiled at full blast. "I know I am."
Finally, she let darkness take her, and the sand embrace her.
哥哥(gege):"Brother" in Mandarin.
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Mutants: Normal
Ciencia FicciónIn the year 20XX, the nation of Edo has declared war on the country of Qin. In its defense, the latter creates weapons of a new kind: Mutants. Zero is one of the six individuals who were given superhuman abilities and a clean slate to start on. But...