Survivors?

Tsuki sat outside the room the nurse had taken her to. She was taking deep breaths, not knowing what awaited her on the other side of the door. She wasn't sure she wanted to know. Why her!

"Miss Tenshi, we really need you to tell us who these people are."

"Why me? surely there's someone else."

"No, that's the problem."

Tsuki stared at the sweet looking nurse. She was short, slim, with large brown eyes and dark brown hair. She looked a bit like a baby deer.

"Please? This is really important for the police. We really need someone who can sort out this mess."

There was no way out, Tsuki knew. She sighed and nodded. Bracing herself she faced the door and pushed it gently.

Tsuki never did like hospitals. They were too clean. No comforting mess in a corner, even the magazines on the table were all arranged in neat stacks. Then there was the smell. Like a thousand different disinfectants all used at the same time. Coupled with the fact that you almost never entered a hospital for a happy reason made Tsuki avoid them like the plague. She nearly never went to the school nurse either.

The nurse opened the door, leading the way down the hall. Tsuki followed, not looking anywhere in particular because she didn't want the people in the beds to think she was rude. She looked down at the floor but the way-too-bright lights reflected in the floors polished linoleum made her left imprints when she closed her eyes so she stopped, opting instead for looking at the wall directly opposite them.

The nurse turned to the beds and then looked at tsuki. Tsuki stopped, taking a deep breath before turning to face the beds, where that same breath was released in a ghasp of amazed surprise and incredulity.

There were a grand total of six people, spread out over six hospital beds. The one Tsuki was looking at right at that moment was the only one who seemed to be unawake.

"Tadao!"

Tadao was seventeen, just a few months older than the girl. They had been childhood friends. He was tall and thin, slightly musceled around the chest and arms. His hair was an unusual length, neither long nor short, but it was scruffy and unkempt. He was pale and looked really ill.

Tsuki looked at the beds beside his. Surely….but yes! More familiar faces. Next to Tadao was Teijo ojiisan, and beside him Flora san, both looking like they'd been through the mill. Teijo, a man in his late seventies, was by far the oldest one there. He was sitting in bed, staring at Tsuki, as though he recognised her, but just didn't know from where. His beady black eyes scrutinised every aspect of her face from under fierce white eyebrows that matched his shock of white hair and beard. His wrinkled face and sunken cheeks when contrasted with the hair, made him look like a mad man.

Flora, a woman in her forties, with light brown hair and brown eyes, was also looking at Tsuki, her gaze inquisitive. She had a kind, round face and was birdlike in her approach to her family, always fixing the nest in some way. She also looked a mess, hair tangled and long.

Beside her were three children, one of which was Flora's son, Saru, and a brother and sister pair. The three of them were sitting on one bed, huddled together, staring around the ward, faces pale and alert.

"Teijo ojiisan, Flora san, Saru kun, Michi kun, Sani chan!" Tsuki mouthed behind the hand she held over her mouth.

The nurse was at her side, explaining.

"The police found them in the town. Apparently they've been seen all over the province, wandering around from town to village. They're all suffering from trauma. And this boy's got Pneumonia." She gestured at Tadao.

"why did you call me? these could've been anybody."

The nurse fidgeted uncomfortably. "in their dreams they scream about a great fire that consumes a city."

Tsuki shuddered, that night had been too painful. That night she'd lost everything. And now….

"there must've been more than one fire during the last few years,"

The nurse looked aside bashfully. "This boy." Again she gestured at Tadao. "has been in a delirium for the past few days. He mentioned the name Tsuki. We asked social services and they confirmed that you…."

"how thoughtful." Tsuki was being sarcastic. It wasn't that she wasn't pleased to see them, far from it. But she was shocked to find that they had escaped, that the idea that she had been alone for years. She had learned to think of herself as the sole survivor, almost as though she were the last of a proud race. Now, there were six others. Was she ready to face trying to be a part of the group again? She had already buried them once.

These six were the last to remain unidentified after the fire. They were marked as "missing presumed dead" in the rubble, ash and ruins of the town. And yet, here they were.

"Who are you?" the old man, who's eyes had never left Tsuki's face for a second.

"sorry?" asked the girl.

"I know you from somewhere. Who are you?"

Tsuki bit her cheek. He didn't recognise her, that was a blow. A severe blow.

"Calm down, old man." Said Flora san. "she's probably one of those bakers."

"the cold hearted bastards. Wouldn't even give the girl a crust!"

"old man, be quiet, you're scaring the children."

Tsuki looked from one to the other during this whole dualogue.

"Teijo ojiisan. Flora san."

Both looked at her, the expressions on their faces inquisitive.

"Who are you talking to, baker's brat?" asked Teijo.

"What do you mean?"

"You called someone."

"I was talking to you."

"Huh?"

"Those are your names!"

"what names?"

"Yours!"

"They're suffering from slight amnesia."

Tsuki stared at the nurse. "you didn't feel like telling me this before now?"

The nurse looked abashed. "if you hadnt been able to identify them….."

Tsuki heaved an exhasperated sigh. Why did things like this always happen to her?

"Teijo" the old man said the name. "Teijo. Teijo."

Now I'm stuck with a parrot, thought Tsuki.

"The name rings a bell." Thank heaven for small mercies.

"Yeh, it's yours." Tsuki was feeling irritated.

"Who are you?" this time, Teijo sounded simply curious.

"My name is Tenshi no Tsuki." She looked at him, wondering what to add to that. Should she tell him about the great fire? Did he already know?

"Tenshi!" the old man screamed. His eyes widened, and he stared at the young girl in front of him with a look of disbelief and shock. Beside him, the woman called Flora had fainted. The children just looked at her.

"Tsuki san!" cried little Sani, jumping off the bed and hugging her around the waist. Tsuki felt her eyes go hot and blinked rapidly. She wasn't the kind of person to cry.

"Tsuki hime." The old man sat up a lot straighter. That did it, Tsuki felt the warm tears cascade down her cheeks. How long had it been since she'd been called that?

When she was a little kid, daughter of the Mayor, she used to think it she was royalty. She had run around the town, calling herself "hime" as in princess. The townsfolk had found it amusing and so the suffix had stuck.

The eyes of the children and Teijo now looked at her with respect and recognition.

"And Jiko san?"

Tsuki shook her head. "he's a hostage."

"A hostage?"

"Do you not remember?"

"We all fainted during the great fire, and we have only just remembered it."

"He's…..he's been taken hostage."

There was a deadly silence.

"Hostage?" the old man sounded affronted. "Those bas….rascals!" he'd nearly sworn, but with two seven year olds and a six year old right next to him, he'd thought better of it.

Tsuki merely nodding, tears coming thick and fast now. She wasn't alone, not anymore. The emotions she now felt were in turmoil, joy mixed with wonder and disvelief. She let go of Sani and pinched her forearm, just to make sure she was awake as opposed to dreaming.

When later she met up with Usopp, she noticed the streaks his tears had left on his face. She realised that hers must look similar. He didn't notice, and no one could blame him, he'd just suffered a severe loss. They boarded the late night train back to the school's town. Usopp asked Ed for a stiff drink.

"Why, what happened?"

Usopp wanted to answer, but couldn't form the words around the blockage in his throat. He swallowed.

"It doesn't matter, just give me a shandy, please."

The barman looked at his tear streaked face and understood that something had gone horribly wrong. he looked at the girl sitting beside his friend. She also had a tear streaked face.

He didn't know what to do in this situation. He didn't want to ask Usopp, and he knew that this was prying but he also wanted to let his friend know that he had his support.

"scuse me miss."

Tsuki looked up, the barman was talking to her?

"Might I ask a favour?"

She nodded, antisocial behaviour was not needed at this moment. He couldn't ask her much, and if he went to far, she simply wouldn't answer.

"Come with me." the barman lead her to the end of the carriage, opening a side door, saying in a carrying voice: "I need a hand bringing out some crisps." Tsuki raised an eyebrow.

When they got to the storage room, for that was where Ed had been leading her, he turned to look at her.

"I'm sorry. I know I should be asking Usopp this question, but I don't want to upset him any more than needs must."

Tsuki looked at him, eyebrow still raised.

"Did Mrs Archer die?" Tsuki blinked, he was blunt.

"she did didn't she? I can tell by your face."

"who are you? Why did you ask me if you know the answer already?"

"My name is Flick Edgar. I've been running this food carriage for years." Indeed, this guy was in his late fifties, early sixties.

"Must've been a long time on this train, ossan." Said Tsuki.

"Yeh, but that's not the point. The point is that since I've been on this train for so long, I know Usopp well. He's been going to see his mother for years, over a decade. I know he's never happy when he returns but today's different. I'm assuming she's moved on."

Tsuki nodded. Now that she knew that the bartender was just confirming suspicions, she felt able to give confirmation.

"Poor lad." Edgar sounded genuinely upset for his young friend. Grabbing a box of crisps, he handed it to tsuki and took a couple himself. They walked back into the room. Neither felt able to look directly at the boy.

"Usopp, I know it's hard, but if you need someone's back you've got mine."

Ed heard something shatter. He span around. Usopp's hand was bleeding where the glass had cracked in his fist. He hadnt noticed, his face was awash with tears.

Tsuki winced. She might look like the Ice Queen, but she didn't like the sight of blood. She walked up to him, forcing his hand off the remnants of the glass, and together with Ed, she cleaned the mutilated appendage and tried to console the boy until they got to the school.

(Dear Readers,

Hi again. Edgar Flick is another random OC, and the survivors are from Anachan's original fic, though, some of the name slots have been filled in by me, with her permission. The fact that Usopp's allowed to order a shandy (beer and lemonade) at 17 is that I live in a country that allows 16 year olds to drink up to 10% alcohol, so I'm not allowing my characters to be illegal.

Can I just put in a request for more reviews please? It's nice to know that a lot of people enjoy reading this with all the favourite story alert thingies, but I'd like some criticism as well. Pretty please?

Thanks for reading.

Elichan)