IV:HUNT

The rough road formed countless lumps in his already bonked head. The low ceilinged vehicle did not help him at all. Not to mention that the ones who gave him the previous lumps were no ordinary ladies in particular. Each of them had a strength that rivaled five equally compelling soldiers fused as one.

But of course, they would always take his awful behavior as an excuse for their battering. Not that he cared anymore. They all knew that the ladies were just trying to release all their worried tension. And being always known the gentleman, he was more than ready to offer all his help. Although he didn't know until now as to how much that offer had cost him.

He worriedly felt his new lump again. He sighed. He just hoped it wouldn't add up to his disheveled state considering his already scruffy hairstyle. He looked at the exhausted crew in front of him. It only made him sulk more.

They'd been having this same static situation for three months. Hopelessly looking for Lime. They've left one place to another, asking strangers for the person who has suddenly disappeared. They were like that for a month when Yumeji finally got ill. It continued that way still until he, Cherry and Bloodberry all had the same dream with Lime shouting in pain, with some menacing voice laughing in the background.

Cherry had assured them all that if only Lime were fifty hectares away from them, she could already sense her. But nothing still happened. They are passing these deserted plains for how many days and yet no sign of Lime could be felt in the air.

And so it couldn't be helped that they felt lazier and less, less hopeful day by day.

A few seconds later he felt the strands of his hair prick as clammy and chilly hands grasp his arm. He felt his face turn to a balmy white.

It was Hanagata, of all people. Talking incomprehensively in his sleep.

This trip was surely a revelation to all of them, as far as Hanagata is concerned.

If only the whole pack was not dazed by Hanagata's sudden outburst—his sudden realization to his deep feelings for the missing girl—putting all of them in stunned silence, he would really feel less, less uncomfortable. That turning point of course relieved him to more than he expected he would be, but it didn't change the situation that Hanagata is still watching him close.

Actually even closer than what he has ever been experienced from him.

Because if before the guy had never taken off his eyes on him due to his unending patronizing, he still does the same unnerving act though this time he's keeping real real watch, intent on guarding his potential rival's every move.

And shred him to pieces—no doubt—if he'd do the first move before him.

"I've already given you enough time on her before! Don't you think you're too unfair if you won't let me talk to her, too! And after all that you did to hurt her when you chose that girl over MY Lime…!"

He didn't know if he should be happier with this sudden change. He noticed that the guy had grown more height than him and that his frame is sturdier than before. His voice had gone deeper, too. He is definitely the transformed one in this trip.

He sure still won't be let alone though. Even if countless times had he assured him that he won't interfere, Hanagata is as scrutinizing as an agent. He won't let anything just be left to chance.

After all, as what he so scathingly accused, he did have the habit to somewhat hurt his dear Lime, intentional or not.

He slowly shoved his hands off of the mumbling guy and inched closer to the lady who has been leaning on the windowpane of the low-ceilinged truck. She smiled up at him when she sensed that he was approaching near.

He couldn't help but smile back. Even if she looked as stressed as any of the people around them, her smile still radiates, like fresh water from a live well.

"Hey."

"Hey."

He sat beside her.

"How many hours more until we'd reach Japan?"

"Three, tops. I can already see treetops from this distance."

He arched his eyebrows. "So now you've developed another talent on this trip?"

"Oh, yes."

"And that would be having keener eyesight than Cherry and Bloodberry?"

"By their sleeping state, it's impossible they'd see what I'd see now."

"So you're saying…"

She gave him those sly, radiant smiles again. "I'm trying to teach you optimism, Otaru."

He smiled at that. But went back to sulk again. "We still haven't found her."

"It's still two months, Otaru. You did discover us a hundred years after we were…frozen."

"That's too much optimism, you know."

Smile.

"Now, you would mind letting other unromantic folks here sleep, now, would you?" that sly voice embodying the figure of Bloodberry disrupted them from their conversation. The two fell silently blushing at the woman's scrutinizing gaze.

A few seconds later, she laughed.

"C'mon, it's not that I'm the oblivious Lime who had no idea that you're closer to an item, you know."

With that, they fell to a more serious silence.

"Ow, c'mon, don't tell me you're still fussing over that guilt streak, do you?"

But before they could answer, they felt rather than heard their vehicle forcedly stopping in its track. And felt rather than heard Cherry suddenly get up.

"What happened, Tiger?"

Tiger, the one who was assigned to do the driving as of this moment, only looked her surprise.

"Sss…some…Somebody's out there."

"We knew that, Tiger. But why are we stopping? Our vehicle's very small and the rough desert's very wide. You could have just evaded that someone easily!" Bloodberry piped in.

But before Tiger could retort, Cherry already opened their vehicle door and went outside, meeting the person personally instead.

"Wha…What happened, Tiger? Why is Cherry going down?"

"That somebody…"

"What about that somebody, Tiger? C'mon, we haven't got all day and we possibly couldn't see that person in our position!"

"He is not just a somebody," she whispered.

"What?"

"He is not just a somebody!"

And before they could ask her more, Cherry finally got inside with a man slumped in her shoulders, wounded and barely breathing. They could only widen their eyes in surprise.

"At first it was very faint, but I am sure of it. Lime is with him a while ago! I'm sure of it!"

Right before Cherry's shoulders was, of all people, one of their greatest nemeses.

Doctor Hess.

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

They did say that sleep is the greatest antidote of all time. But sleep, when abused, also gives the reverse effect.

She woke up feeling twice as much dizzy as she felt the first time she woke in this same room. Everything is foggy and grainy in her eyes that she still had no idea where she is.

She knew nothing that's sure for particular but the fact that her bed is soft and warm. And that the place is dark.

Bed.

Again, again. A bed.

A soft and warm bed.

Why is she in a bed?

Why did she wake up in a bed?

Why did she sleep in a bed?

What happened?

What really happened?

"Oh, I'm glad you're awake!"

Uh-oh. She vividly had no idea what happened to her.

Who is this person talking?

At the sound of his slightly unfamiliar but comforting voice, she really couldn't help but close her eyes so hard as a very faint sensation of déjà vu crossed her nerves.

She's familiar with this situation before. Like she'd been tucked to this kind of bed before. And been met with that greeting as she opened her eyes before. Though the voice is different. Though the bed seems quite not the same. Though the words used now seems much more…homey to be heard.

But no matter how hard she'd close her eyes and try to squeeze the details out of her mind, it would only bring a sudden shot of electric shudder to her body, making her stop at her very persistence. The fact is inescapable.

She did not remember what happened to her last night, or the days before that.

"Don't worry, you'll forget everything…promise…"

Everything is just so much like a haze that she couldn't rearrange her thoughts chronologically that fast enough. So she simply rolled away to the opposite direction from where she thought the owner of that voice would be as she tried reorganizing everything once again, only to discover that by doing so, she only made the two of them get practically face to face. Or rather, his nose on her forehead. She silently complained in disappointment.

"Hey, dinner's ready." She even felt the smile of his voice. On her upper cheek.

She silently groaned once again, not grasping what the words that voice said conveyed. She was known—and she prided herself at that—for her super keen senses, but accomplishing that first unexpected mistake only proved that she really is more disoriented than what she thought she is. She'd never go wrong, as far as sensing a person's location and direction is concerned. She learned that from her sister.

Well, getting into this situation, normally never, anyway.

Guess everything has a first time. Go figure.

A few comforting shrugs and taps on her forehead and cheeks finally forced her to finally open her eyes and take a look at this man as a wave of irritation flowed through her. Goodness, but this boy is annoyingly persistent. All she wanted to do right now is sleep and spank him silly for bothering.

But this man…he really is persistent.

"Come on, if you'd sleep more, you'd get weaker. You haven't eaten anything for a day. Dinner's ready."

And that magical word—yes, food—finally did the trick. At the sound of food, her instincts to stay alive overrode any want of sleep or mind-organization and finally woke up.

What she saw rather made her blink, though. A sudden sense of déjà vu once again filled her. No boy, or man, would ever do this to her before. Tease her. Comfort her. Smile and laugh with her. Nobody except…

She really must be dreaming. Could it be…?

At the sight of her being wide-eyed, the lad coaxing her to wakefulness only smiled in admiration.

Living in his present world where deception is intense, he could only stare in fascination for he has never seen eyes that wonderfully open and innocent before. And he only liked to stare at them more.

"Ah, finally. I figured you'd be awake if I'd remind you of your state of hunger. Not having eaten anything since last night is no joke after all…" he added with a stifled laugh as he watched at her changing expression.

She only stared amazingly into the foggy image. Definitely only one male person would do this to her. Could it really be…?

"…I'm glad you're still fine. You really had us worried last night!"

Us? Worried?

Could it be…?

It doesn't matter. The outline sure told her it's him. And that he hadn't changed after all. He has the same round eyes, body structure and color of hair, though this time he finally took the time in fixing it neatly. And uncontrollably, the emotions she normally would feel at the very sight of seeing him alone came flooding back once more.

In a matter of seconds, Omi was just as surprised that the sea green eyes morphed to a new form as it started to shed some blissful tears.

"Oh…wait…miss…"

The next thing was more unexpected as the lad could only feel the maiden jumpingly sit upright from the bed and hug him so tight like she's the happiest person on earth. And that he'd die from suffocation if he couldn't control her excitement fast enough.

"Otaru! Oh, Otaru! Otaru! It's you! Oh, food! Oh, Otaru!"

Otaru? Oh, no, this has got to be something more like a mistake.

Too late. He could only faint in embarrassment as he heard the door being shoved open and the light switch being moved. Then came the lights. And expectedly that voice of his.

"My, my, my. Are you two getting that intimate already? Tsk, tsk, tsk. And here I was silently worrying for the two of you!"

Uh-oh. He could tell that the maiden was more surprised at the voice than at those words, if ever she still had the time to recover enough to be able to comprehend them. He felt rather than saw her slowly move away from him. He felt rather than saw her hands tentatively peel away from his shoulders. And felt rather than saw her stare hard at the bearer of the voice as it was she who is practically facing that one as of this moment.

Uh-oh. He knew she's stared at his co-employee hard. He knew those still seconds. He knew that stock-still body language of hers.

Oh, no. this is definitely not, not good at all. He felt her move away from him so she could look at him—her Otaru—this time.

Uh-oh. Oh, no, no. He definitely knew her stare. And knew that blinking. And that second blinking. And that blinking again.

Oh, no. He knew what would definitely happen next.

Oh, no.

He finally heard the same deafening shriek.

A few blank, black moments.

And the same solid, falling thud.

But this time, it was he who had fainted.

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

They waited for him to open his eyes after Doctor Lorelei had tended to his wounds.

He had slurred in his sleep. Then moved sideways. Back and forth. Restlessly talking to somebody in his dreams. Mumbling. Pained mumbling.

"I do believe that he's trying to tell us something," Lorelei concluded, her voice decisive.

Cherry made a go for his voice as she neared her ears to his direction. They watched her intently as her eyes took on a serious note. For three more minutes they stood that way, Cherry leaning closer to Doctor Hess to catch more of his slurring and the rest of the gang—with the exception of Yumeji who is patiently waiting in his own bedroll—leaning closer to Cherry to catch her news delivery in an instant.

A few more exasperating seconds…

"Well…what? Is he mentioning my Lime yet?" Hanagata insistently inquired.

"Shut up, skinny freak," Bloodberry admonished.

"Why…of all the nerve—"

"I do believe that our patient will die out on us if we continually shut down his source of oxygen, don't you think?" Cherry interrupted, her voice so sweet it is as painful as it was forced.

"We really are quite zeroing on him," Lorelei softly agreed as she took on their very-close-it-was-sure-to-suffocate-the-doctor position.

Otaru was the first one to move away. Hanagata was the last, if not continually nudged by Bloodberry.

"It's not that our Lime would appear out of the doctor's mouth, you know, freak."

"You wouldn't feel what I'm feeling anyway."

"Why, of all the—"

"Don't tell me that you're in love with my Lime?"

"She happens to be my youngest sister, idiot!"

"My gosh!" Cherry suddenly interrupted, shutting them up once again. But this time her voice and expression is not chiding. Her eyes were as big as saucers.

"Well…what?" Hanagata started once again.

"What have you got, Cherry?" Otaru asked, now a little perplexed.

"I…he…no…"

"What?"

"Well he…I…no…"

"WHAT!"

They might as well not ask Cherry for the doctor answered them himself.

"Lime…no…"

"WHAT?"

"Escape…now…death…"

Lime. No. Escape. Now. Death.

They looked at Cherry's aghast expression again.

Could it be that Lime is dead?