Hello! I'm Atealia and this is the first story I've ever posted! (Not to mention the only story in which I've finished a chapter) but we'll not go there…. Anyway, umm… what am I supposed to say here???
Kai: Just think of what Tyson would say, then don't say that and you'll be fine.
Tyson: Hey! I heard that!
Kai: Good.
Max: Tyson! Just calm down!
Tyson: Calm down! How can I calm down?!
~three beybladers proceed to fight~
Kenny and Rei: ~sweet drop~
Kenny: Sorry about that…
Rei: Well, I guess all is left to be said it, Atealia doesn't own us….
Kenny: thankfully….
Atealia: I heard that! ~glares at Kenny out of the corner of her eyes~ Oh, and FYI, I am NOT a doctor, nor do I claim to know anything in the field of medicine. There, with that said, on with the fic!!
Chapter 1: The Initial Accident
It was after the Asian Tournaments. The Bladebreakers had won and now were on their way to America for the American Tournament. However, it was still 2 months till the Tournament began; but even so, they (or rather Mr. Dickenson) thought it would be a good idea for them to head over to the States anyway. He arranged for them to travel by ship, leaving from Britain. With just one and a half days left on board the ship, a storm hit the ship, knocking it off course. As a result of damages, and lack of fuel to reach it's destination: New York, it docked in South America. Brazil to be precise.
Since they didn't have to be in the US for about two months, the Bladebreakers made plans to stay for a while. The plan was to say a couple weeks, but as events would unfold, this time lengthened. With their connections to the BBA, they were able to get a lodge/cabin near a lake.
The first four days went by great. They took time swimming and exploring through the forest surrounding the lake and on the fourth day talked and played games indoors because of the heavy rain.
On the morning of the fifth day Kai came back, from wandering, around lunch time. He said he had found a nice spot to Beybattle and train. Everyone thought that that was a great idea seeing as they hadn't done so since arriving. Kenny suggested that they pack a lunch to eat and so, three baskets were packed, two for Tyson and one for everyone else.
The spot Kai had found was near a waterfall a good hour's walk from the cabin. Projecting out from either side of the waterfall were ledges that were a good 100 feet above the rocky bottom below. It was on the ledges that they held their beybattles after eating. The first match was between Max and Tyson, ending in a tie. Next Rei and Kai were up. Rei stood nearer to the edge, Kai closer to "land." The ledges weren't actually that narrow, for they could take a step in any direction and not fall. However, it was narrow enough to make the beybattle a challenge.
Just as Kai and Rei called upon their bit beasts, their powers collided and a loud crack! was heard to resonate throughout the area.
"Rei!" Kai called out, reaching desperately to grab his team mate's hand, but he was too far away.
Kenny, Tyson and Max rushed forward just in time to see him disappear into the mist at the waterfalls base.
"No…" Tyson murmured. "Hey!" He objected as he was roughly pushed aside. "Where are you going?! Don't you care?!"
"I think I saw a path leading to the base of the waterfall over there somewhere." indicating to the left with his head. With that Kai continued walking, soon followed by the others.
* * * * * * * * *
At the base of the waterfall was a small pool with clear water. Slowly a figure rose to the surface, head popping up gasping for breathe, black hair flowing free from any restraints. The combination of raven colored hair and white clothing made the person waver between blending in and standing out with the natural world. Far above the distant echo of a voice could still be hear echoing.
'Rei,' the person thought the voice said. Looking up with amber eyes the figure tried to make out something through the mist created by the waterfall, but could not.
* * * * * * * * *
"… Kenny… what … umm…" Max stuttered.
"What are the chances Rei survived the fall?" Dizzy finished. The blonde nodded.
"Not good I'm afraid." Kenny answered solemnly.
"No!" Everyone turned to look at Tyson. "He's alive, I just know it. He's too tough to die that easily!" Tyson persisted.
"I hope your right." Max said, not sounding at all convinced, as the group continued on.
* * * * * * * * *
SPLASH! SPLASH!
Quickly spinning to face the sound the figure looked and thought that she saw a body. Swiftly she dove beneath the surface after gulping a large breath. She popped up now and again for more air but quickly went back down. When she finally resurfaced she cradled a boy around her age in her arms. Very gently she emerged from the water, awkwardly carrying his body, but at the same time cradling his neck. After much struggle she got him lying down on his back on the shore. On either side of his head- at the base of his skull- she had placed two stones to keep his head still and give it support. Then, she began to check for vitals.
* * * * * * * * *
"So we reached the base, now where do we start looking for him?" Tyson pondered out loud.
"The bottom of the lake…"
"Max!"
"Sorry, Tyson…"
"Let's check the area surrounding the lake first, then we can check else where if we don't find him." The team nodded and followed Kai's orders, but stayed together.
The lake was much larger than they thought. As they walked around Kenny and Tyson would call out for Rei every now and then, but received no response.
The sun began to sink and as it did, they saw a small smoke cloud rising from not far off. Everyone's hopes lifted, thinking and praying that it was Rei over there.
And they were partially right…
In a small clearing about 30 feet from the edge of the lake was where they found the source of the smoke. It came from a small fire with a pot hanging over it. Also, in the clearing they saw two small packs to one side, near them, hanging from a branch were Rei's shirt and pants and a towel and below were Rei's shoes. However, what caught their attention was what was near the small fire in the center of the clearing. There, lying down was Rei in just his boxers with a rock on either side of his head and a blanket beneath him. The most interesting part wasn't even Rei… it was the other person leaning over him. It was a female with black hair held back by a ribbon, tied about her hair at mid-back. All she wore (or rather seemed to be wearing) was a thin clothed robe which hung loosely on her form.
Once they had all taken a few seconds to take in the scene… "Rei!" everyone (minus Kai) cried out, rushing forward. As they did, with lightning quick reflexes the girl reached up and restrained Rei's head from turning to look towards his friends. They all stopped short and watched as she said something inaudible to Rei, but her expression was very stern.
Max and Tyson exchanged a glance of confusion, then, as the girl continued to holding his face, she looked up at them. Tyson spoke up. "What do you think you're doing to Rei?!"
The look she gave him was unreadable, but before she could reply to the accusation, Kenny stepped forward. "What is that green-ish stuff?" He pointed towards a pile on a large leaf as well as indicating to the splotches of it on Rei's body (mostly on his right side which was closer to the black haired girl).
"It's a mixture of herbs and plants," she explained, hands relaxing but still remaining where they were on Rei's face. "It helps speed up the blood flow, allowing the skin to form a seal quicker to help prevent infection. In addition, it contains healing components that will seep into the wound helping it to heal from the inside. It can also be applied to bruises as well, to soothe them and help them to heal faster."
By this time, Tyson had made his way to the pot right to the left of the fire. "What's in here?" he asked suspiciously.
"Boiling water." When she continued to get a blank stare she indicated to the stripes of cloth lying near her. "I'm going to put the cloth in the boiling water before using it to bandage his wounds to 1) sterilize the cloth and 2) the heat from the cloth will also help in the healing process by increasing blood flow."
"So you're some kind of doctor or something?" Max asked as he kneeled down with a good two feet (and Rei) between him and the girl.
As she opened her mouth to respond Tyson moved up next to her and narrowing his eyes stated, "She's too young to be a doctor."
"I'm not a doctor," she replied, then added wistfully "But I want to be someday."
"So how come you know so much?" Kenny questioned, sitting next to Max.
"My mother's the healer in my home village. I grew-up helping her… I've just learned from watching and helping out." A blush of shy pride crept up her cheeks.
"How bad are his injuries?'
All turned to look at Kai, who had his arms crossed, face down and leaning against a tree (gee what a surprise ^.^), all except Rei that is, the girl had stiffened her grip on him to keep him from turning his head.
"He has minor scrapes, cuts and bruises on most of his body. His right shoulder has a small gash near it and… I haven't fully checked yet, but I believe that he may have damaged his ribs. Though even if any are broken, which I really doubt, they didn't pierce a lung, of that I'm sure because he's breathing perfectly fine…" After that she trailed off and they could tell there was something else that she hadn't said yet.
"Is he… paralyzed?"
Again, everyone but Rei and the girl turned to stare at Kai. When they looked back, she had her head down and wouldn't look up at any of them.
She bit her lip then said slowly, "His neck took a big blow when he hit the water, I've done all that I can so far to keep it still… and I can make a brace later to hold his neck…"
"Is he paralyzed or not?!" Tyson demanded.
Sighing she answered, "No… but the connection in his spinal cord is weak… I nudged he foot earlier and he barely noticed it… but he did. So that is encouraging." Looking Rei in the eyes she swore, "Rei, I will do everything in my power, use all I've ever learned to see that you walk again. I promise." Her eyes began to water but she blinked them away.
"Thanks… ummm…" Rei started.
"Kayla."
"Thanks, Kayla."
"So, what are you going to do next, Kayla" Kenny asked.
"Well…" She started, looking at him questioningly.
"Kenny. And that's Max, Tyson and the silent one by the tree is Kai."
She nodded her head at each of them as she was introduced. "Nice to meet you all. Well, Kenny," She started, looking at him questioningly and after getting a nod that she had the name with the right person she continued. "The next thing would be to wrap his shoulder… then" Biting her lip she thought as she examined the boy below her. "Probably… his ribs and lastly his neck…"
"If his neck is so … tender…? As you said earlier, why didn't you put a brace on it already?"
"Well… Max?... I knew that I should make sure his neck didn't move too much… but I didn't want to try anything without help because I didn't think that I'd be able to move him all by myself and well, you know. So, I decided to start on his surface wounds…" she let her hands slowly move away from Rei's face as she looked down and gave him a warning glance.
"So what were you planning on doing then?"
"Huh? What do you mean, Rei?" Kayla asked, completely perplexed.
"Were you just planning on leaving me lying here forever?"
For a few more moments the girl wasn't sure what he was talking about, but then something clicked and she finally understood what he was asking.
"Before you hit the water I heard someone scream 'Rei' from above… And I figured that it was either you calling out to someone or someone calling out to you… So I guess I was hoping that the other person would come looking for you and I was wrong." Kayla smiled at the others as they gave her strange, perplexed looks. "Four people came looking for you." At this last statement she looked into Rei's eyes and a solitary tear ran down her cheek. Kayla quickly brushed it away. "Okay, let's continue, shall we?" she exclaimed in false happiness. As Kayla looked about, mentally figuring out where things were and muttering to herself, she actually seemed to brighten up a bit.
"Can we help with anything?" Max offered.
"Yes, I will be needing some help." Turning to face the beybladers she pointed to each and gave them an assignment. "Tyson, take that small water container and go to the lake to get more water."
"Aye-aye, captain." He saluted and left.
"Max, go through the bag on the left and look for anything ragged looking, cut into more strips like these." the female ordered, pointing to the white strips of clothe lying next to her. With a nod, Max turned, but then turned back.
Sheepishly he asked, "What do I cut the cloth with?"
"You should find a small pair of scissors in the front pocket."
"Right."
"Kenny, I'll need you here to put the cloth in the water and to ring them out and hand them to me, okay?"
"Sure thing."
"Kai?"
"Hn."
"Could I ask for your help as well?"
"Hn." was all he said as he walked forward from his position in front of the tree.
"Okay. What I need you to do is to keep Rei's neck from moving while I treat his other wounds, kay?"
Kai sat down near Rei's head. "Hn."
"Sit in a kneeling position," Kai did so and then taking Kai's hands in her own, "place your hands here…" Sliding Kai's hands between the rocks and Rei's flesh. "Now hold firmly and I'll let you know when you can move." Than, moving the two rocks further away, Kayla began work on Rei's wounded shoulder and giving out orders every now and then. When Tyson got back with the water she had him pour most of it into the pot near the flames, for much of it had evaporated since the time she had started boiling it. When she had finished rapping his shoulder everyone else was gathered in a circle around their Chinese friend.
Looking down at Rei, the amber eyed girl asked, "Alright. How you doing?"
"Pretty good… except for the injuries." He joked.
The black-haired girl smiled, "Okay, now I'm going to check your ribs for cracks and breaks… and the only way to do that is to feel each one and that will hurt if some are already bruised, alright? It will hurt, but I need to see for sure that you only have bruised ribs and nothing worse."
"Okay."
"Now, Kai, I want you to slowly reposition yourself so that Rei's head is cradled between your arms and so that your hands are at the base of his neck and all your fingers (AN: I have been told that thumbs aren't considered fingers…) and on the back of his neck, but do it carefully so as not to move him."
It took the Russian boy several minutes but he was soon readjusted. Kayla then began the task of examining each of Rei's ribs with skilled precision. On the second injured rib, she noticed how tense Rei was making his muscles. "Kai, I know this will be hard, but try and massage Rei's neck muscles. And you, Rei, I know this is near impossible for you, but you have to relax your neck muscles."
Once Rei had relaxed his muscles she began again, and just as instructed, as Rei began to tense up, Kai tried to 'massage' Rei's neck, but all he really ended up doing was lightly brushing Rei's skin with his finger tips, as a result of the posture he was stuck in. Surprisingly though, Rei seemed to relax instantly even though it was evident through his facile features that he was still in pain.
"Good news, Rei!" Kayla announced what seemed an eternity later to the injured boy. "You have only 5 bruised ribs!" Rei managed a weak smile as Kayla than began the task of rapping his chest with the hot strips of cloth Kenny handed her.
Kayla bit her lip in thought as she scanned all people and supplies in front of her. "Okay… here's what we're going to do, Max, could you bring my two bags over here?"
Nodding, Max stood up and retrieved the bags. Kayla began to rummage through them and taking things out, laying some here and some there and some farther away, until the bags were empty. Then, taking items from various piles, she began to repack them.
"Umm… what are you doing?" Tyson asked, confused by her actions.
"I'm going to fill these bags so that they are of the same thickness throughout."
"Oh…" he replied, still clueless.
"With them, we'll make a sort of levitated place to lay Rei on so that I can work on his neck. There." The girl placed them next to Rei and their combined length went from the Chinese boy's shoulders to mid-calf. Taking a thin blanket she hadn't packed, she laid it on top of the two bags. "We're going to lift Rei onto this." She stated, pointing to the new "bed" she had just created. "But laying him on his stomach. I'm sorry Rei, but those ribs of yours are going to hurt, but there's no other way to do this…" sighing she continued, "Tyson, you get his legs, Max, his back, Kai, you stay where you are, and Kenny, you stay on this side and help to make sure he's eased onto it slowly and that everyone is at the same pace…"
Kenny nodded and everyone else gave a murmur of acknowledgement to their orders. Kayla took a place near Rei's shoulders to add support around his neck. It took a lot of effort, but they finally transferred Rei to his new spot.
"Kai, would you mind staying as you are?"
"Hn."
"Alright… Kenny, if you would continue to help and hand me things…"
"No problem, glad to help."
Slowly, Kayla used her hands to manipulate Rei's spinal cord in his neck ever so slightly, aligning it perfectly again. Time stretched by, but she was eventually satisfied and began constructing a brace around Rei's neck. Using a large, leathery leaf, she cut slits into it, allowing it to curve and conform to the Chinese boy's neck. Before securing that, however, she then took three small sticks and used a small knife to cut them down, taking time to make sure that there were no sharp points; she finally turned her immediate attention back to her 'patient.'
Checking again that Rei's spinal cord had remained in place, she began to apply a 'brace' of sorts. Starting with a rap of cloth so that it wouldn't be fully uncomfortable, she then added the leaf and sticks for strength and support. After rapping a third strip of cloth and securing it, she sighed deeply.
"Well, I've done my best… I only hope that it's enough."
"Thanks." Rei replied. "ummm…. I don't mean to complain, but could…"
"Oh, yes! I'm sorry!" embarrassed, she, Kai and Kenny helped him roll over onto his back on his original 'bed.' By this time, the remaining two Bladebreakers had fallen asleep leaning against a tree together.
"Oh my!" Kenny exclaimed, "Look how late it's gotten."
Indeed, it had gotten really late for the moon was fully up and casting its full moon light onto the world below.
"You're welcome to stay here for the night… though I'm afraid I have nothing really to offer you in form of hospitality."
Turning to face the young female, "Thank you, Kayla." Kenny said.
Sighing, Kai spoke up, "It is a little late to try and find our way back, even with a full moon out."
Kayla nodded her agreement. Since they had already moved Rei onto 'his' original blanket/bed, she began to pull other, small-ish blankets out of her packs. Since Max and Tyson were already asleep, she just dropped a blanket over the duo and then found one for Kai and one for Kenny, as well as one for herself. With only a mumbled 'good-night,' the remaining teens drifted off to sleep under the stars.
****
Well?? What did you think?! Please review!!!! And the more reviews I get the quicker I'll get to work on the next chapters.
Oh, and I already have the whole story outlined, and it'll be 6 chapters long in total. So… review or I'll set chibi Rei after you with puppy dog eyes until you do!!!!!!