Chapter 6: Affliction
"What do you do in case the victim suffers a third-degree burn?"
"If it's pretty severe you need to protect the burn area by covering it loosely with sterile gauze. To protect them from going into shock, have them lay on the ground, lift their legs up and cover them with a blanket, until we can get them to the hospital. It's always important to monitor the victim's pulse, breathing, and blood pressure."
"What's the meaning of triage?"
"Determining the priority of which patient has to be treated first during an emergency or disaster, by the severity of their condition. So for example, someone with a gunshot wound gets priority over a person with a small incision on their finger."
"What if the victim suffers from a heart attack?"
"You first check if the symptoms of a heart attack are there. Have them sit down, rest and try to keep them calm, if they are unconscious and unresponsive begin administering CPR and immediately transport them to the infirmary… are you going to keep asking me First Aid questions or are you going to play?"
"Even if you are my daughter, I am hoping you would pass the exam tomorrow if you are going to be a 'certified' nurse at my hospital Mieko-chan… also, CHECKMATE!"
Reo and Mieko were sitting in a cold hangar opposite each other playing chess. Two days of the month every citizen of the 'unit' has to volunteer for service at different kinds of jobs around the sector. For this month it was Reo and Mieko's turn to be on guard duty at the hangar that was used to access the outside either through the blast door that leads to the top layer or using the elevator systems to get to the layers below. Besides the retrofitted old era vehicles it houses, there are also monitoring stations to observe the layers just outside the blast doors and the elevator. However, with the sensors and camera systems down from the blizzard, they were sitting blind for a few days.
"Otoosan, that's your 5th win in a row!" Mieko pouted as she rested her head on the table "Arghhh...I'm never gonna win against you!"
"Your 'otoosan' is the 'unit' champion 4 years in a row." Reo replied as he was placing back the pieces on the chessboard "And that was my personal best in 10 moves. You had your king out in the open with that last move, it was so easy to checkmate you with the rook and horse."
"Oh! You'll see who will brag about beating the 'unit' champion! I've been practicing with Kazuo-chan almost every day and I am soooo close to beating him!" Mieko exclaimed still resting her head on her table.
"Who do you think taught Kazuo-san?" Reo spoke with pride as he loved to brag about his chess skills every chance he had. "Ready for another round?"
"Naaaa… I don't want you to win 6 times in a row! We should play something I am good at, like 'Ludo'." She grinned still resting her head on the table "Ughhh… guard duty is sooo boring! I will be more useful at the hospital, otoosan!" Mieko complained as she lay back on the chair, her gaze fixed up at the lights that lit up the large hangar.
"Be lucky you are not on sewage duty this month, and beside Midori-san's fever there were no other patients there these past few days," Reo said as he placed the chessboard away from the table.
"Shoveling shit is more fun than this!" Mieko replied still pouting, as Reo looked at her with an annoyed expression. "Language, young lady!" he exclaimed.
"So when do you suppose they are going to fix the cameras and the sensors outside? They haven't been working for 3 days now." Mieko asked and sighed as she looked at the blank monitor near them with just the words '/1 - 97/ Lost Communication!' written on the screen.
"They should commission one of those useless apparatuses to go out and fix the grid. Besides, I don't think anyone from the engineering unit will go out in this weather. The forecast station said that the storm will pass us in 7 days. Its the biggest one of the season." Reo replied as he also looked into the blank monitor.
"Yesterday was a nice day outside. Someone could have fixed the cameras then, what if someone is out there?"
"Who knows, the last time we had an altercation outside that wall was 6 years ago. I think maybe they found one of otoosan's refugees and knew where to come. They were stubborn to just give up and leave until the last one of those idiots was standing alive." Reo grasped the metal mug sitting next to him, taking a sip of warm green tea. "You should drink your tea Mieko-chan, you will feel warmer."
"Ugh.. it might just make me sick again like this morning," Mieko replied placing away her mug aside as even the smell of green tea could send her sick to the toilet.
"Do you still get morning sickness?" Reo asked her after taking a few more sips.
"Sometimes... I really want to kill Kazuo-chan for making me pregnant!" she said laying back down on the chair.
"I should get my shotgun and make that boy marry you!" Reo replied jokingly with a grin on his face. He read somewhere about an old practice called "shotgun weddings" and has been fascinated with it ever since he found out his daughter was pregnant.
"You watch too many movies Otosan, I don't think anyone even in the 20th century got married, with their father pointing an actual shotgun at the groom." she chuckled looking back at him.
"Well, this will be the first one in our century. I'm gonna make him an offer he can't refuse!" Reo said imitating the voice of one of the characters from a 20th-century movie he watched a long time ago.
"Otosan, I swear you and how you described ojiichan are like cliche 'science fiction' characters that are so badly written that they are only obsessed with 20th-century classics. You know there are movies, music, and literature in the 'archive' from the 21st and 22nd centuries? I mean there is that one fascinating movie from 2113 just before World War 3 that they filmed in actual space." Mieko spoke reminiscing of an old science-fiction American movie she saw filmed back in the 22nd century.
"If you've been actually watching the '20th-century ones', you will know that one is just a remake of '2001: A Space Odyssey'. Just compare the two and you will see that the director of the first one 'Stanley Kubrick' was way ahead of his time." Reo replied as he went into another movie discussion yet again "But still what I find fascinating about the 2113 movie, is that they actually sent a film crew of about 25 people on a 365 days expedition to the successor of the International Space Station, after it was decommissioned and sent to crash in the Pacific Ocean. But all they could do was remake the old classic. They hardly even used computer graphics for ninety-five percent of the scenes in space, unlike the rest of the computer-generated movies they used to make in the 21st century... Back then they spent the whole budget on generic computer renderings instead of talented actors and writers. People lost their jobs due to those computers."
Besides chess, filmography was another one of Reo's passions as he loved to ramble on for hours about all kinds of movies he's seen from the archive. "But anyway! MARK MY WORDS YOUNGLIN! I am going to get my shotgun and you will marry that boy! I will not have my daughter bring shame to our family!" he laughed as he just loved to tease Mieko about her current predicament.
"Ugghhh otoosaaaan… you are only going to get me embarrassed on my wedding day! Do you think Kazuo-chan's father will bring his shotgun as well?" Mieko replied and chuckled as she looked back at him "Maybe you two will go on a duel about which family name I should take? I will bring the popcorn!" imagining their parents going into a duel with actual old era shotguns only brought a smile to her face.
"He is my best friend, He would probably let me shoot first." Reo laughed again with a wide smile on his face "You know I am just teasing you, I couldn't be happier about you and Kazuo-san starting your own family in your time."
"Thanks, otoosan, but you know we've been planning to get married for some time now, Kazuo-chan is busy with his culinary studies and we never found the right time. He has a lot of hungry mouths to feed up here, also you keep forcing him to perfect okaachan's curry recipe."
"That recipe has kinda a sentimental value, it reminds me of a lot of my family," Reo replied as he put away his empty mug to the side. "I hope otoosan will make it up here before your wedding as well. He will be so happy to find out he is an ojiichan and a hiijiji (great grandfather) at the same time."
"Yeah, I've really wanted to meet him for years now, and the two girls from his letters that he's been taking care of. I doubt he probably even know he has a granddaughter." Mieko always enjoyed talking about her grandfather who was exiled a long time ago from the 'unit'. She was fascinated with his life and his bravery. "I don't remember okaachan that much though."
"You were just a little toddler when she… errr..." Reo replied as he suddenly paused. Speaking about the tragic circumstances his family was in always felt painful for him.
"I know otoosan, it's really sad… ojiichan will be so heartbroken when he finds out, she was the love of his life." Mieko replied as she looked back at him.
"She was struggling a lot with her post-traumatic stress disorder, even for years after Itsuki-chan found her. She suffered a lot on the outside, and we tried to help her for years. I studied every kind of medication available from the 'archives' and for a long time she was drinking 'synthesized paroxetine'. It helped with the other patients that came from the outside with similar mental health issues like her. We even took a large portion of the hydroponics bay to grow cannabis that we found in the seed bank, to turn it into medication. At one point in her life her mood changed drastically, she had the most beautiful smile when you were born. She even went back to her painting and listening to the old era music from the 'archives'. But I guess that's just what we saw on the outside. Inside her, she was battling all kinds of demons with her emotions and mental health. In reality when Itsuki-san was exiled from the 'unit' her heart broke and it just made her feel worse." Reo replied as he looked back at Mieko before he continued talking.
"But you know… the 'archive' can be such a good thing to us at times. It gives us happiness and some kind of sanity up here in our own little isolated world. But later we found out that she used the 'archive' to learn how to synthesize 'potassium cyanide'. She and otoosan used to watch a lot of the World War 2 movies back in the days and even listen to the music from that period. She found out about those suicide pills that soldiers used in war and... I guess that is how she got the idea. It was too late, we found her lying on the sofa…" Reo replied as he brushed a tear from his face, he always got sad telling the story of his mother. "I don't think otoosan even know that she passed away a long time ago. Yet he keeps sending her letters from down there, and even if I am so eager to see him again, I am happy that he is helping those two girls for the journey up here."
After all these years Reo couldn't help but feel that he could have done something more for his mother and father who sadly suffered so much in their life apart from each other. "Last night I had a dream that they were sitting together with a large smile on their face... just underneath the sakura trees on-grid 9/16, and he told me everything will be alright and that we will have visitors soon… I don't know what he meant by that, but it was probably just a silly dream."
"Otoosan, do you think they are still alive down there? I know in his letters he said he was supposed to come 5 years ago and we kept sending search parties but we never even managed to find the village where he stayed at." Mieko asked him.
"I hope so Mieko-chan. From the 25 people that went with him, only 14 came back with families and orphans and none of them wanted to go out again. What hurts me most is that he didn't even know that the 'unit' decided to drop that rule that got him exiled, after the 'traveler' finally stepped in to have a say. Otoosan and Yasuo-san were welcome to come back home anytime they wanted. I really wanted to go on those search parties that were looking for them so much but the hospital needed me. Especially after the few altercations with those nut-heads outside." Reo replied as he looked back at her, laying back on the chair. "Those two sweet girls from his letter also deserve a happy life Mieko-chan, and even though I miss him so much and I wanted him to come home all this time... I am so happy that he saved two more lives from the cruel world outside. I hope the little girls know that Itsuki-san and Yasuo-san are heroes."
"Otosan…" Mieko held out her hand to him, as she gently squeezed his hand. She loved her father and mother more than anything in the world and was happy that she was given this life in the safety of their home up in the 'unit'. She hoped she would share that love with her fiance and her baby as well soon. "I am sure they will come here in due time. No one would blame you that you want your otoosan back in your life after all those years on the outside." she looked at him and smiled gently holding his hand. "So! Want to play another round of chess?"
"Well, I am just going to destroy you again!" he smiled placing back the chessboard on the table.
Waiting for their guard shift to end, Reo and Mieko continued playing a few more rounds of chess and spent the rest of the day discussing the old movies from the 'archive'. The evening was already at a start when suddenly they heard a loud explosive thump coming from the outside of the wall, slightly shaking the lights inside the hangar as bits of mortar fell from the ceiling.
"Huh? Was that an earthquake?" Mieko stood up quickly from her chair, by instinct she turned to the monitors which still had the words '/1 - 97/ Lost Communication!' written on them, they were still blind from the outside as the whole grid of sensors and cameras stopped working.
"No. We would have felt the seismic stabilization turn on. That wasn't an earthquake Mieko-chan - it was an explosive device planted on the wall! Shit, could it be raiders again? I thought those pests died off out there!" he exclaimed as he ran towards the weapon rack and pulled out his 'Maschinenpistole 34' he usually used to defend himself on the outside.
"Quick sound the alarm for the others, we are going outside!"
"What in this weather?" Mieko asked him as she went up to the wall of the hangar, pressing a button that sounded an alarm throughout the sector which they used in case of emergencies or raids from the outside. "We have to check it out Mieko-chan. You know they almost breached the walls down on sector 4 from the last raid."
Six people came running into the hangar from the outside who were also on guard duty that day. With a confused look on their faces, they looked at Reo and one of the men asked him "Reo-sensei… what happened? We heard something even out in the yard!"
"I don't know, it sounded like an explosive device someone set outside on the wall. Gear up in your winter suits and bring your weapons, we have to check it out. Tell the rest of the 'unit' to be wary in case of another raid..." Reo stated as he went putting on his winter uniform and a kevlar vest. Turning his head he saw his daughter who was doing the same.
"No young lady, you are staying here! You are pregnant and your okaasan is going to kill me." Reo exclaimed looking at her trying to stop her from dressing up.
"Otoosan… you know I am not a little girl anymore, I am coming with you in case anyone needs help. Besides Kazuo-chan didn't only teach me chess you know… I might be the best sniper in the unit thanks to him." she smiled running up to the weapons rack and pulled out her modified Type 99 Arisaka rifle with a scope. The rifle was almost as big as her, but she knew how to handle it pretty well. Checking out her ammo she reloaded it before she turned to face her father. He couldn't help but almost burst into laughter at the sight of his daughter holding an oversized sniper rifle in her arms, she was ready for battle with an annoyed reaction on her face from her father's laughter. "Well… those raiders better be careful, Mieko-chan is coming!" he replied grinning as Mieko punched his arm playfully.
Geared up for war, the squad led by Reo ran to one of the machines they used for extreme weather. It was a modified German snow-plower from the old era called a "PistenBully 600". The crane in the back was ripped apart to make way for an armored caravan filled with medical gear and ammo. A spotlight with a machine gun next to it was retrofitted on the top of the vehicle for defense and search and rescue missions. This vehicle got them through too much on outer layer explorations and it still worked for centuries after it was built.
Starting the engine they drove up to the tunnel up to the hidden blast door that leads to the outside just about 500 meters in front of the wall. Barely opening the blast doors as snow has accumulated on the top they could see how harsh the weather outside has turned with barely any visibility at all.
"DO YOU SEE ANYONE?" Reo shouted from underneath the vehicle sitting on the passenger seat, as he aimed his weapon through the opening of the window. Some time passed as they reached the wall looking for anyone that might have set off an explosive device. "NO… NO ONE!" Mieko shouted from the top of the vehicle as she stood ready with her sniper rifle scanning the horizon, two men from the group mounted the spotlight and the machine gun next to her.
"SCAN THE HORIZON AND BE CAREFUL, COULD BE AN AMBUSH!" Reo shouted to her before he turned to the driver "Drive carefully along the wall, we need to see where the explosion came from."
Driving through the piles of snow that accumulated on the top layer, they reached the point of the wall where the explosive device was set up. While it was insignificant, there was still concrete and fragments laying around on the ground gradually gathering snow. The wall absorbed most of the shockwave, but they could still feel the vibration and the sound on the inside.
"I STILL DON'T SEE ANYONE OUT HERE OTOSAN!"
"BE CAREFUL AND KEEP LOOKING!" Reo replied back at her as he continued scanning the horizon. They were sure that someone could be out here, walls don't have the tendency to just explode by themselves. "COULD IT BE A STRAY SHELL?" Mieko asked him back, as she continued looking into the blank horizon with her scope.
"NO! NO ONE COULD FIRE UP HERE AND HIT THE WALL! IT'S TOO FAR AWAY FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE LAYER!" Reo replied, however as he looked into the distance he could see something down on the ground.
"WAIT…" turning to the driver he pointed at the distance. "Drive over there, I think I see something… Pulling out his head through the window he shouted back at Mieko "MIEKO-CHAN CAN YOU SEE WHAT'S THERE IN FRONT OF YOU?"
"SURE," she said scoping the horizon with her sniper rifle. Looking careful she noticed two bodies laying down there on the ground barely visible. She could make out only two helmets and the rest of them was covered in snow. "OTOSAN… THERE IS SOMEONE OUT THERE ON THE GROUND! COVERED IN SNOW!"
"Oh no..." Reo exclaimed as he faced the driver "QUICK! We need to get there!"
Driving as fast as they could through the heavy snow, they stopped just outside where they saw the two bodies. Reo opened the door and ran out of the vehicle with his weapon pointed. He treated carefully, suddenly lowering his weapon as he saw two little girls laying cuddled under a blanket next to each other.
"MIEKO… EVERYONE… COME QUICK!"
Reo shouted back facing the vehicle, as he placed the weapon back on his arm and leaned down to check on the girls. Mieko and two men from the group ran out of the vehicle with their weapons ready.
"IT'S JUST TWO LITTLE GIRLS… THEY ARE FROZEN!"
Reo quickly brushed off the snow from the two girls laying huddled next to each other underneath the blanket, he kept trying to wake them up to no response. They barely looked alive, and he could swear the two little girls fit the same description in his father's letter. "Oh.. no… no… could it be them?" he softly mumbled as he placed his finger on the bloodied hand of the dark-haired girl. Luckily she still had a pulse and was breathing, which wasn't the case of the blonde girl. She seemed to have stopped breathing and he couldn't feel her pulse.
Just behind them were Mieko and the two men from the group who were waiting for his instructions. "They are dying! We need to get them inside now!" Reo carefully grabbed the blond girl in his arms as she was still covered in the blanket and started running as fast as he could through the snow up to the back of the modified vehicle. Mieko and the two men from the group were just behind him carrying the other girl along with her backpack.
Once inside the vehicle, Reo placed the girl on the makeshift table and started taking off her clothes to perform CPR with ease. Trying to keep calm, he turned to the driver "As soon as Mieko and the others get inside, drive as fast as you can back home! We don't have time to check if there is anyone else out here!" placing his hands on the girl's chest he started pumping her heart...
"Shit... I am sorry otoosan… I don't know if you are still out there..."
As soon as Mieko and the other two from the group went inside the vehicle, the PistenBully came to life driving back full speed to the hidden blast door before it was too late. Placing the other girl on the table, Mieko turned to her father who called her over for help as he was trying to resuscitate the girl and grabbed a CPR Mask.
"Cmon… CMON! Please be alive!" Counting up to 30 he faced Mieko and gave her a sign to use the bag on the CPR mask. She squeezed it two times, breathing in the air into the girl's lungs. Sadly she wasn't giving any signs of life yet. She still had no pulse, but that didn't stop Reo from continuing with his chest compressions.
"CMON! Fight little girl please!" he continued as sweat started flooding his face… "FIGHT FOR FUCKS SAKE!" Counting again up to 30, Mieko was ready again with the CPR Mask and squeezed it two times.
Finally, after a few tries, he could feel a faint pulse from the girl's neck. She came back to life... "Quick, connect her to the machine!" Reo exclaimed to Mieko as she inserted the breathing tube into the girl's mouth and placed the electrodes over her body to monitor her heart rate, before covering her with more blankets. Heaving a sigh of relief Reo faced the monitor as the girl seemed to be stable but in critical condition for now. "Uhhh… I am so glad…" he wiped his forehead from the sweat "I really hope she didn't suffer any brain damage!"
The dark-haired girl lay on the table next to her, covered in blankets to reverse the effects of hypothermia. The heaters inside the caravan were set to full, it felt almost like a sauna. In the midst of confusion, they never noticed that she was conscious for just a brief moment looking at Reo, in fact, it seemed like she could have recognized him from somewhere as she mumbled something. She was still bleeding from her hands completely covered in bruises from frostbite, and her left hand seemed like it was broken.
"Mieko-chan… do you think they were the girls from Itsuki-san's letter? Does that mean he is still out there in the blizzard?" He asked Mieko facing her, the soft rumble of the engine gently shaking the whole caravan on the back as they rode back to the 'unit'. "I don't know… Should we go back and check?"
"No… we can't! We will send someone later if the weather calms down… it's too dangerous even with the 'PistenBully'." Reo replied as he looked at the dark-haired girl, she gently slept underneath the blankets. Both of the girls were malnourished and almost frozen to death.
"We have to save their lives Mieko-chan! It's what otoosan would have wanted, even if they are not the two girls from his letter."
After a short time, the vehicle drove back into the 'unit' driving through the tunnel back to the hangar. Before they parked in the hangar, Reo with a sweaty face looked at Mieko and gently smiled.
"Mieko-chan… you don't know how much I am proud of you. You will be the best nurse up in this shithole..."
Smiling and exhausted Mieko looked back at him and replied "Language, old guy!"
A few days have passed since they rescued the girls from the cruel blizzard outside. Reo and Mieko both stayed at the unit's hospital day and night waiting for any signs of improvement from them. In the dead of night, Reo was sitting still awake in his office going through Itsuki's letters to see if he's missed anything. Itsuki always mentioned the two girls called 'Yuuri and Chito' and described them in detail in his letters, however, Reo wasn's completely sure that it was really them. In his father's letters, Itsuki explained that he never told them about the secret entrances and the layer on top because he planned to come with them on his last journey from the bottom layer. Something might have happened in the meantime and maybe Itsuki lost his life, or maybe it could have been two other girls that made this journey. It wasn't the first time that Itsuki sent refugees and families to the last layer, they all knew about the ninth sector or the hidden elevator beneath because of him. That is why they never sealed off the entrances at the far corners of the layer because unfortunate people were still seeking refuge and life from the world beneath them. For days they sent out search parties to look for his father who might have been lost on the last climb, but they never found anyone else out there.
"If it's really them… then where is otoosan?" he kept thinking to himself. Unable to eat and sleep for days, he was still contemplating whether Itsuki was still out there, malnourished or even dead. But his priority was the life of the little girls, he had to make a really hard decision for one of the girls on the day they arrived and it kept him awake almost every night studying the archives. Reo has been helping people in all kinds of emergencies, but this was completely different. He felt almost a fatherly obligation towards these two girls they found freezing out just the days before. He would never know what he would do if something similar happened to his daughter.
Reo must have drifted off to sleep in his chair as suddenly he was woken up by an alarm usually the nurses use in case of an emergency with one of their patients. Coming to his senses he got up and started running through the dark corridors towards the room where one of the girls was located. His daughter was inside the room calling out to him.
Wearing a white doctor's robe he stopped just outside the room to take his breath "What happened Mieko-chan?" Reo asked as he looked at her, suddenly his eyes fixed upon the terrified young girl crying on the bed. With a puzzled expression, the girl looked back at him and asked him, "What? Ojiichan? Is that you?"
All of a sudden it occurred to him that this was indeed the girl from his father's letter, both of the girls called him ojiichan and Reo strangely resembled his father's looks. Deep in his thoughts, he wanted to cry as loudly as he could, Itsuki was still outside in the blizzard. He turned to Mieko with a panicked look on his face.
"Oh my goodness... it's really her Mieko-chan!" he said looking back at her. "It's her... the dark-haired girl from Itsuki-san's letter... but... we kept searching he wasn't out there... in the blizzard. That means he is still out there!"
The girl with a sudden puzzled expression on her face kept looking at both of them before she asked "Wait how? How do you know that name? How do you know Ojiichan?"
Reo trying to compose himself answered her calmly… "Chito-san... Itsuki, he is my father"
Staring at her he resumed talking "He was supposed to come here with you, but we couldn't find him. Is he still out there?" he asked fearing for the worst answer.
Chito still confused tried to calmly answer him back "No… he stayed back at the village when a large group of people attacked us... we don't know if he made it out," she said still terrified with a puzzled look on her face "Wait - how… Who are you?" she questioned him again.
"Chito-san… it's a really long story but he is my otoosan. He was exiled from our home and he planned to bring you both up here... to give you a proper life, both you and Yuuri-san... He sent so many letters to us through refugees and families... I am so sorry Chito-san... My name is Reo and this is my daughter Mieko..." he replied still trying to compose himself… "Chito-san you two have been through so much out there, whatever you both did outside with the explosive device saved your lives... we would never have known that you were outside..."
Chito in the whole confusion again forgot about Yuuri as she was not in the same room as her... "Wait - Yuuri? Please tell me where she is?" Chito's heart started beating even faster waiting for the answer from Reo. She couldn't stop crying laying down on the bed, she was worried about her lover.
"Chito-san… Please, you have to understand when we found you two you were in really bad shape. Yuuri was dead… but we brought her to life, however, she is in a coma." he replied almost with tears in his eyes, looking back at Chito who's little heart was shattered in pieces.
"What… what is a coma? She died?" she asked him almost wanting to weep again… "Wha-"
"Sweetie… you were also in a short coma from exhaustion and you woke up... Yuuri is alive but she is just in a deep sleep… but please you have to be strong for her sweetie" Reo with tears in his eyes still tried to compose himself, In all his life doing this job this was the hardest thing he had to do as he felt like Chito and Yuuri were his family. "I am so sorry Chito-san… But Yuuri, we tried everything however she lost her leg... you broke your hand and she lost her leg from frostbite. We tried everything and we had you both on a tissue regenerator machine... but… we had to cut her leg to save her life."
Chito suddenly burst into tears as she wept loudly..."Noooo!" she screamed trying to hit the bed with her hands… the pain from her broken hand pulsated through her body, but she continued weeping... "What did I do!? It's all my fault! I pushed her through the snow! Why?"
Mieko with tears in her eyes tried to console her as she gently placed her hand on her head "Chito-san… it's not your fault… you were really lucky - the weather is still really bad outside you did the right thing. Yuuri still has a chance of life but only time will tell when she will wake up… please, you have to be strong for her, you can't ever give up for her... you made it up here for a better life and you are finally in your new home."
"No… my love… Yuu… what did I do?" she cried laying down on the bed, the chlordiazepoxide was taking in effect as she started calming down and closing her eyes "Why Yuuuuu... What did I do..." from exhaustion she fell asleep again with tears in her eyes.
Even though Mieko learned all her life to deal with patients and to always have professional composure, she couldn't help but start weeping as she hugged her father tightly who was standing there still in shock. The sudden realization that her grandfather and Reo's father was never going to come back home was too much for them to bear. "Otoosan… Itsuki..." he said to himself as he started weeping as well, hugging Mieko even tighter. "No..."
This was the day that he lost all hope of ever seeing his father back home. Deep in his heart, he wanted to believe that he was now finally together with his wife in heaven. Itsuki lost his life, but he gave life to two girls that never had the happiness of a happy, warm and safe home.
The storm outside raged on for days, completely covering the world in white snow. It seemed like it was the last storm of the season.
One would ask himself that maybe this wasn't really a nuclear winter and spring will be coming soon?
Maybe the world outside was beautiful in its own way even from the mountains and piles of shit that humanity left behind for what?
That constant greed for self-improvement and power?
Maybe anyone can find happiness and love just like the inseparable hearts of Chito and Yuuri out there, and just like the hearts of Yasuo, Haruki, Itsuki, and Yuriko they will beat for one another until the very end. They all shared a similar destiny to reach the top of the world together through life and death. In some way, Chito and Yuuri carried Yasuo, Itsuki and Haruki home in their hearts.
They reached their new home, but in some ways, it cost them a price!
Reo has seen the same spark in Chito's eyes for Yuuri before. It was the same that he has seen so many times in his mother's eyes and the way she felt about Itsuki. Reo knew her little heart wouldn't be able to survive without Yuuri by her side, and he felt that he had to do something to help them, he had to give more than what he could have ever done for his mother and father. "I won't let Chito go through what my mother did… I will help both of them get through this, even if it takes years..." Reo said to Mieko as he was hugging her tightly.
Sleeping peacefully in her bed, Yuuri was still in a coma after a month since they were rescued, however she was doing much better since they found her. Yuuri didn't need the help of the machines to breathe anymore and it just showed how strong she really was. Even in a coma, she never lost her will to live as long as Chito was by her side. Every day next to her, Chito never left her bedside as she waited patiently for her to wake up. Itsuki, Mieko and the staff from the unit's hospital couldn't find it in their heart to separate the two girls, and Chito was allowed to stay in her room and even sleep next to her on the same bed. They only hoped that this room was only their temporary home for now.
Chito's strength and the strong spark in her eyes have also returned. With her medication and daily nourishment, she was able to function on her own, but she refused to leave Yuuri's bed-side and always left half a portion of her food next to her bed in case Yuuri woke up hungry. She was always there taking care of Yuuri and snuggling close to her waiting for any reaction. Chito's hand was also getting much better since they removed her cast, however, she still had trouble to make a fist. It would take a long time for her hand to completely heal. She couldn't ever leave her side and her room.
It was late at night, Itsuki and Meiko checked on them before they went home for the day as Chito laid there on the bed re-reading all of Itsuki's letter that was addressed to the people of the 'unit'. Outside the window of their room, it was raining, everyone was asleep as just the street lights illuminated this wonderful isolated world of the 'unit'. Chito learned of Itsuki's heroics, his real home, how he came to be exiled from his home and she finally knew about her real father and mother. All of these letters were addressed to Reo and Yuriko... All of them were sent through families and refugees that made the journey up to the last layer and finally found their home. Even though there were so many letters addressed to them, Itsuki never knew about Yuriko's fate.
One short letter, in particular, was addressed to Chito and Yuuri, she kept rereading it with tears in her eyes.
"My Dearest Chito and Yuuri,
I am writing this letter to you in case I never make it on the journey with you.
I am so sorry for keeping the truth from you. After Chito arrived at our house on that day that my brother was killed, something snapped in me. I had to protect you both from the world outside, from the cruelty of the hungry and desperate bad people outside. You two were my only family here in the outside world. That is why I wanted to wait until you both were 18 and ready to make the journey up to our new home. You are both so precious to me and I never want to lose you.
The reason I never told you before about my life up at the unit was that I was really afraid that you will be disappointed in me for being exiled. I lived in the safety of the unit after they found me and Yasuo-san outside. I had a happy childhood and I tried all that I could to give you a happy childhood down here until you were ready to make the journey with me. I worked so hard every day for bits of ration so that you both can have the best food the outside world could offer and toys to play with. All that time I had you both, Reo and Yuriko on my mind and I kept writing to them about you two so many times. I only hope they will accept you as our own, Reo will probably be in his late 30's and my beautiful wife about 70 when you reach your new home up there. I admit that you both will have to work hard to help out the 'unit', but you will have a happy life and a roof over your head. I only wish that I could see the look on your faces when you see how amazing the 'unit' looks.
Chito, your mother, and father were the most wonderful people I knew. I loved them so much, and the day you arrived at our house I felt like a part of my heart died with them out there when I heard about their demise. I was so happy that you were living with us, but deep in my heart, I wanted your parents to be alive so that we could all have made the journey up to the 'unit'. I am sorry that I never told you much about them but I couldn't speak about it I never found it in my heart. I knew I had to be the best father or 'ojiichan' as you liked to call me to you both, I had to do it for them after they left you alone in this cruel world. Please remember their names Yasuo and Haruhi, they were strong, beautiful and selfless heroes just like you are.
Yuuri, I told you the story that I found you out in the ruins so many times. I am sorry I never knew your parents, but I am so glad that day I met you out there together with Yasuo. It was the same day that I found out that Haruhi was pregnant with Chito. I always said you both shared a similar destiny to be together and strong. You were such a beautiful and strong baby, and I am so happy that I found you out there. You are such a wonderful person and a beautiful soul, I know that you will do so many amazing things in your life. If you could survive to be out there alone as a baby, you can survive anything life throws at you.
Chii-chan, Yuu-chan...
Please take care of each other.
I love you both so much.
Your dearest Ojiichan
P.S
The name of your home is called "Towada-Hachimantai" it used to be an experimental unit built a really long time ago but please talk to the 'traveler'... it will explain everything to you both. Chito you should read in the history books about what a beautiful place it used to be back in another life."
Placing Itsuki's letters aside, Chito turned the bedside lamp off and huddled close to Yuuri, careful as to not pull the IV off from her hand. Gently stroking her hair she leaned close to her and slowly whispered in her ear.
"Hey, Yuu-chan... It's been a month since that day. So... I really miss you..." Chito said as she snuggled close to her underneath the blanket. "I really miss our little talks, I miss your beautiful smile, and I miss how you talk about food almost all the time. I wouldn't want anything more in life than to see your beautiful blue eyes open again... I would be even happy if you point your rifle at me again." she smiled closing her eyes. She cried so much every day that she was left with no tears anymore, just red spots underneath her eyes. "Yuu-chan, I really hope you will wake up soon. You have to see the world where ojiichan came from. It's so much different from the outside. They even have all kinds of food that we've never even dreamed of... Yuu-chan we even have a family here, they are all beautiful and wonderful people and they will never ever hurt us." underneath the blanket she reached out her right hand and gently squeezed Yuuri's hand. "Yuu-chan... please if you can find it in your heart to forgive me about your leg and everything else... I swear when you wake up I will help you with everything. Please, Yuu-chan... please just wake up... My love, I can't go on without you..." closing her eyes she quickly fell asleep cuddled next to her. She just wanted to sleep next to her and never wake up anymore, not without her.
Deep in her mind, Chito was in a deep emotional turmoil, every night she would wake up screaming and it was the same dream as always. They were outside dying in each other's arms in the blizzard. The bomb was just sitting next to them with the fuse lit and just before it went off Yuuri always looked at her with disgust in her eyes, she never forgave her for losing her leg, it was Chito's fault all this time. Every night they kept dying in her dreams, over and over and over again... no matter how much she screamed, the bomb went off and it was...
The End!
Early in the morning just before the sun woke her up every day, she could feel that someone was softly nudging her while she was asleep.
"Hey... Chii-chan... Chii-chan, wake up! Where are we?