A/N: Chapter 4 of Crimson Wing. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters except my own. Coppelion belongs to the rightful owner.
Chapter 4: Hope
Leaning Hotel...
"Alright!" Ibara shoved a magazine into her gun and heard a satisfying click, "You guys wait here! Kaige! Kaziah! Come with me!"
"Ibara-senpai! It's dangerous!" Taeko and Aoi shouted as Kaige and I ran after our leader. Without the protection of my wing, the rain started to cover them as well. "We don't know when it'll collapse! If the radioactive rain soaks into their suits it'll be too late!"
"There's no time...to waste!" Ibara replied and the three of us disappeared. The hotel was dark with debris around. The lights were all broken and it didn't look like electricity was currently running through the wires.
"Damn it." Ibara stated as we looked at a broken elevator. "The elevators are out of order...no choice but the stairs!"
"Ha! A little rain like that can't put out my parade!" Kaige smirked as she conjured a small fire ball in the palm of her hand. "I'm so excited I can practically feel the fire running through my entire body!"
"Easy for you to say." I grumbled and shook some rain out of my shoes. Taking off my furhat I turned it over and watched with disgust as the water filtered out. "Man, I hate the rain. Everything gets drenched and takes hours to dry. Oh and afterward it starts to smell like wet dog!"
"Naruse Ibara, we're here!" The vice-principal's voice came through the radio just as we proceeded to climb the set of stairs. "The survivor...where's the kid?!"
"We're looking for her at the moment!" Ibara replied, bringing the radio up to her mouth. "Come to the leaning building!" Leaning out of the helicopter, Mishima looked around until he spotted what Ibara was talking about.
"There! Aim for that hotel!" The pilot acknowledged the order and steered the helicopter towards the hotel without a second thought.
"It sounds like they're about to arrive," Ibara told us as we reached the second level. "let's speed up this search."
"Wait!" I reached over and grabbed the device from her pocket, its reading going off the charts as it released that annoying sounds. "Radiation is quite high around here." Peering around the corner I noticed that a picture of an angel hung on the wall, her hands clasped together in a silent prayer. Creeping down the dirty dark hallway, every single hair on our necks were standing on end in warning.
"GO AWAY!" A voice yelled at us and we jumped in fright, turning around to see Yukiko aiming a gun at us. "Come any closer...and I'll shoot! I beg you..." She was shivering and breathing heavily from behind her mask, "Please go away!"
"Where's Miku-chan!?" Ibara asked as she pointed her own gun at the woman. Kaige and I stood by her side, our gaze narrowing dangerously as we prepared ourselves for the worst possible scenario. "If we don't get out of here soon-"
"Th-T-There's no such kid!" Yukiko crowed with delight. "We've been tricking you guys from the beginning! Hahahaha! We tricked you guys pretty good!"
"Hand over the kid." Ibara ordered calmly, her expression stern.
"Aun..." A weak voice spoke and a nearby door opened slowly to reveal a small kid. "tie..."
"Miku-chan!" Yukiko yelled as Miku's breathing got labored, "Don't come out!"
"No!" Ibara exclaimed as she tried to move forward, "The remaining oxygen in her tank is..."
"If you come any closer, I'll kill her!" Yukiko immediately grabbed her niece and pointed the gun to her head. This stopped the president cold and she gritted her teeth in anger. "My cute child...I don't want to lose her again. My husband and I are criminals. Once they've captured us we'll be arrested again..if that happens this girl will be all alone!"
"Even so there's no meaning to hiding in this building!" I tried to reason with her but I realize that what ever we tell her will just go over her head. Ibara already refused to shoot her for fear of have the girl being shot by her own aunt, "Come on, if Ibara-san can give her the vaccine she'll be saved. Hurry and bring Miku-chan over-"
"I told you not to come closer!" Yukiko shrieked as she pressed the tip of the gun against Miku's head. "What exactly are you guys?!"
"C'mon, we're wasting time here!" Kaige growled with irritation. "Let's knock her out and take the girl back with us!"
"No. You can't add anymore fuel to the fire." I snapped urgently. "You'll put us all in danger..."
"Don't you doubt yourself at all?" Yukiko continued, keeping her gaze on Ibara. "Your friend was quietly crying in the bathroom, you know. So pitiful...She's doing her best to act cheerfully while desperately dealing with the hardships. Compared to her...you're like a doll without blood running in your veins!"
"WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY!?" Kaige roared, flames erupting from her hands. "How dare you...Apologize to her...Now!"
"Kaige! Calm down!" I said as I noticed that Yukiko flinched at my best friend. "You're scaring her!"
"We just want to live in this ruined city. As long as you can secure us food and oxygen, we can do something to..."
"No one can live in this hellhole." Ibara spoke.
"...You don't understand anything." Yukiko said, "Everyone stayed in Tokyo of their own accord! The only people here are those that ran away from human society. Even if this is a prohibited area enshrouded by the ashes of death...we can live here freely!" She pointed her gun at us once more. "So stop interfering already!"
"I don't understand...something as difficult as that!" Ibara sniffed and we all looked to see that she was crying. "I've been trained since I was young for this mission." She used her sleeve to wipe away her tears, "A rescue mission in Tokyo. That's it. I don't know about anything else. It's fine. I'm just a moving doll anyway. But..." She fell to her knees in a failed attempt to stop her tears from falling. "If I'm rejected by you guys as well...I'll lose my reason for living! Please! Let me save that girl!" She bowed her head towards Yukiko. Kaige and I were still shell-shocked, unsure on what to do. "Don't erase...my 18 years..."
"Aun...tie..." Yukiko looked to see Miku struggling to speak. "Together...let's allow her to save us! Everyone together..." Suddenly the ground they were stand on started to break away and the face of the hotel started to collapse.
"Naruse!" Mishima exclaimed as from the helicopter window he witnessed the toppling of the building. When the smoke cleared up, Ibara was barely hanging on as she clasped Yukiko's hand and refused to let go. The woman held Miku in one hand as she tried desperately to hold onto Ibara's hand. Kaige had her own arms wrapped around Ibara's stomach and I had my arms wrapped around hers, digging my heels in to stop us from sliding from the uneven floor.
"Principal...hurry!" Ibara yelled against the wind and rain as the helicopter hovered near the building.
"What're you doing? Get closer!" Mishima yelled at the pilot who replied that the propellers will hit and be damaged. Slowly Ibara was losing her grip on Yukiko's hand and the rain wasn't helping at all.
"Grab this girl's hand!" Yukiko spoke urgently, getting our attention. "Come on...hurry!" She maneuvered slightly so that Miku's arm was reaching towards Ibara. "Don't worry about me. Okay? Save this girl, Ibara-san..."
"Ibara-san! Don't loose your hold cause I got an idea!" Unwrapping my arms from Kaige's waist, I ran towards the open and jumped out of the building.
"Oi! Kaz!" Kaige yelled as she dug her heels in to stop slipping. Seeing the ground rise up to meet me, I shape-shifted and rose back up to the skies, hovering in front of them by flapping my wings.
"Nice!" Ibara smiled as I carefully placed my head underneath Yukiko's body, pushing them back up towards the building. Kaige unwrapped her arms from Ibara and grasped Miku's hand, pulling the girl close to her while Ibara pulled Yukiko to safety. Aoi and Taeko cheered from below as we waited for the storm to pass.
After the rain storm...
The helicopter descended safely on the ground and the crew immediately hopped out to assist the group, bringing out sketchers for the wounded and some equipment to test the radiation in the area. Some of them avoid coming close to me as I just eyed them with curiosity. Kaige leaned against my snout with a nonchalant look on her face but she was actually pretty happy and waved at a couple of them who waved back in response.
"Alright, the amount of radiation isn't out of the ordinary." Ibuse commented as he looked at the monitor on his device, "If it stays like this, we won't even have to change suits. Let's go!"
"Well done you three." Mishima said as the group watched Yukiko and Miku follow a crew member into the back of the helicopter. The girl kept looking back at us as she held onto Yukiko's hand.
"Ahem." Kaige faked a cough.
"Sorry...you five." Mishima corrected himself. "There's no need to be anxious about the kid's condition. We'll head to the hospital soon, just to be on the safe side."
"We'll cover the costs, so..." Ibara spoke as she dried her wet hair with a towel. "please take really good care of her."
"You don't need to be so worried." Mishima patted her shoulder.
"Um...come to think of it, where did that kid's father run off to?" Taeko asked and everyone was on the alert. It never occurred to me that the father was still alive and probably searching for his daughter.
"What?! She has a father?" Mishima asked as Ibara removed the towel from her head.
"We lost track of him near the Tokyo race course, off to the east." She replied, "Let's mount a search and rescue..."
"Vice Principal!" Ibuse shouted and pointed with his finger. "It's a smoke candle!"
"Huh?! What?" We all looked to see a column of smoke rising up into the sky. "About 3 kilometers east of here!"
"Kaz! Hurry!" Kaige roared and jumped onto my back.
"I'm coming too!" Ibara said and Kaige helped pull her up as I beat my wings furiously, flying straight towards the smoke column. Mishima ordered everyone else into the helicopter and followed after us. As the race course came into view, we looked around and I spotted Kawabata laying by the pile of bones, the same pile of bones we first witnessed when we first visited the course, and a small fire was still burning a few feet away from him. Descending quickly, my talons kicked up dust and my riders jumped off and hurried to his side.
"Is it you? My daughter..." came the hoarse whisper and as Ibara turned him over, we gasped in horror. Within his mask there were already blood stains covering the glass. "Mi...Is Miku...? Di...Did you find her for me?"
"Yeah...She's safe." Ibara spoke once she had found her voice.
"Is that right...that's good to hear."
"Hey..." Ibara knelt beside him and tried to help him up. "We'll be lifted out soon! Hang in there..."
"No...it's okay..." He replied weakly as another cough made his body tremble. "Just leave me here..." Slowly he lifted his trembling arm towards the sky. "I'm suffering from acute radiation exposure...I understand what's going to happen. I've seen so many people die from the same condition, after all..."
"We can definitely save you!" Ibara reasoned with him, "There's still time!"
"Please...Don't let my daughter see me like this..." Kawabata wheezed as another cough spased through his body. "It's okay... I guess I'm reaping what I've sown...and here ends my 20 years..."
"Why...How can you be so strong?" Ibara asked, tears threatening trickling down her cheeks. Kaige wrapped her arms around my snout and I crooned against her. "If you die, it's the end of everything!"
"You'll understand someday, too..." Kawabata spoke as he rested his hand against Ibara's wet cheek. "If you have something to protect, there's nothing to fear...no matter whether it's radioactivity, or anything else...Not even death is frightening..." He smiled from beneath his mask, "Truly, as long as I...could see Miku laughing..." Releasing a sigh, he went silent. Rising to her feet Ibara trekked slowly back to us and I waited patiently as they got on. Taking careful steps toward him, I gently nuzzled his suit as a farewell gesture. Taking a step back and beating my wings slowly I rose to the sky, circled the area three times and followed the helicopter back to Tokyo.
Back into the city...
After relying the sad news, Yukiko sat next to the bed where Miku was sleeping with a tissue in her hand. During the entire flight, everyone was solemn and kept silent out of respect for her.
"Thanks for doing everything in your power." She told us as she caressed the child's hair. "I understand how hard it must have been for you but, I'm still happy that I can look after Miku and keep her company."
"We'll make sure Yukiko won't be separated from the child." Mishima said as we took our leave, Aoi decided to say her final words to Miku before joining us. "You have your word." Once Aoi appeared and stood next to us, the helicopter's engine roared to life.
"Ibara-senpai, um..." Aoi approached her as the helicopter headed back to a hospital. "Miku-chan left a message for you."
"Oh..." She turned away, "A complaint?"
"She said thank you and keep doing your best!" Aoi replied as a soft breeze blew around us.
"What's up with that...like a kid's book report..." was the swift reply as she walked away but with a smile on her face. Looking at one another, the rest of us followed her in hopes of finding other survivors.