After the Crash
Chapter 2: Survivors
Syaoran snapped opened his eyes, wincing at the pain in his head. He hesitantly looked beside him.
"Sakura!" He looked at the girl, her eyes closed, blood running down one of her arms.
He gently shook her as his eyes began to water. "Sakura! Wake up!"
She groaned softly. He stopped and waited. She slowly opened her eyes and looked at him.
"Syaoran…" she mumbled.
He hugged her impulsively. "I'm so glad you're okay…" Her eyes widened as she felt his arms around her. He quickly let go when they heard a baby's cry.
They quickly tried to get up and look around. Sakura gasped at the sight before her. The whole front end of the plane was smashed and burning and there was blood and people everywhere. She began to cry.
Syaoran was also stunned. He could only stand there and look at the horrid sight in front of him. This can't be real…
The cry of the baby suddenly caught his attention. He quickly walked toward the sound and found the baby on the ground, amazingly unharmed. He picked it up gently.
Sakura looked up quickly as she began hearing other sounds. There are some still alive!
Sakura and Syaoran quickly rummaged through the disaster and found a few others alive, but hurt, and carried them out of the plane. Another man who had escaped serious injury also helped them.
Sakura held the baby while Syaoran helped the man, who happened to be a doctor, take care of the survivors. The doctor had conveniently been carrying a case that had some of his supplies in it. Besides the baby, there was a woman in her 40's, a male college student, and a young boy and his mother that had survived.
After some time, the doctor and Syaoran walked over to her.
"It looks like your arm's been cut up pretty bad," the doctor said taking the baby away and handing it to Syaoran who then handed it to the older woman. The doctor quickly tore off Sakura's sleeve to get a better look at the deep cut.
Syaoran came and sat beside her, taking her hand. She looked over at him and then down at their hands in surprise.
"Just squeeze my hand if it hurts," he told her quietly.
The doctor suddenly began cleaning the wound, causing Sakura to almost cry out in pain. Syaoran frowned as Sakura clenched his hand tightly. I don't like this at all…I hate seeing her hurt.
After cleaning it, the doctor wrapped the wound in a bandage. "It'll be okay now," he said. He then turned to Syaoran and treated the small cut on his forehead. "You certainly were lucky," he told him.
"Everyone here is lucky because of you," Sakura told the doctor. He smiled.
"We should get everyone further from the plane," the doctor said, looking at the slow-burning fire at the front end of the smashed plane. "I'm going to try and find some more supplies," he said walking quickly toward the plane.
Sakura and Syaoran slowly helped the other injured survivors away.
"You're pretty…" the college student muttered looking at Sakura. She blushed as she helped him walk away. Syaoran's head snapped toward them as he heard the comment.
That guy…
Sakura suddenly stopped, her eyes wide.
"What's wrong?" Syaoran asked, noticing her expression. She slowly turned towards him after laying the college student down. "The cards!" she mouthed. His eyes also widened. He had forgotten about them.
Sakura suddenly started running back toward the plane.
"Sakura wait!" Syaoran called after her. They soon passed the doctor who was carrying some bags out of the plane.
Sakura barely even glanced at the fire moving further towards the back end of the plane when she got on and hurried to where she had been sitting. I can't believe I forgot about them. I'm such an idiot…
"Sakura! Can you find them?" Syaoran asked, coming up behind her.
"No," she replied. "Where could they be?" She was beginning to sound desperate.
"They were in your bag with wings right?" Syaoran asked.
"Yes…" she replied, continuing to search.
"Maybe it got thrown out of the plane or something," Syaoran suggested. "Can't you feel them?"
Sakura suddenly stopped and closed her eyes. "No, I can't." Tears began to well in her eyes.
Syaoran tried to concentrate and locate their energy as well, but to no avail.
Sakura suddenly sunk to her knees. "What if they…" she began pointing toward the fire.
Syaoran bent down beside her and helped her stand back up. "We need to get out of here." He quickly led her out of the plane and back toward the others. I hate seeing her cry...where in the heck are the cards? They couldn't have been that easily destroyed…
They had just made it back to the others when they heard a loud explosion behind them. They quickly turned and looked through the trees to see the plane burst into a big ball of flames, setting some of the nearby trees on fire.
"Well that can't be good," the doctor muttered. They all watched silently as the plane before them burned.
"We're going to have to get out of here," Syaoran said as he saw how the trees around them began to catch fire. And the fire was spreading.
"But if we leave, they won't be able to find us," the doctor said.
"Well we certainly can't stay here," Syaoran told him. He sighed as he looked at the others.
"It'll be hard for us to move them," the doctor said noticing Syaoran's expression. "The boy can walk, his mother will need to be carried, the student will need a little help, and the other woman should be able to walk since her legs are uninjured." He sighed. "We'll also need to carry the baby and the supplies I found on the plane."
"We have no choice," the college student said. "I'm sure that girl can help me walk." He smiled as he looked at Sakura who blushed. Syaoran glared at him.
"Fine, you can lean on the girl but be careful about her arm," the doctor began. "The boy can carry the supplies, and I'll carry his mother who can hold the baby." Then, looking at Syaoran, "You can help the other woman walk."
With that said, the group began walking slowly away from the plane and the burning woods.
"So, what's your name?" the student asked Sakura.
"Sakura."
"Well, it's nice to meet you Sakura-san. My name is Masato."
"It's nice to meet you too," she said.
"Whose that guy over there that keeps glaring at me?" he asked glancing at Syaoran.
Sakura smiled. "His name is Li Syaoran."
"Is he your boyfriend?" Sakura blushed. That would be interesting…nice even…
"No, he's just a friend."
"Do you have a boyfriend?" Masato asked. Sakura looked up at him surprised.
"No."
He smiled at her. "Well, that's certainly good for me." She blushed again and looked away.
As they continued walking, Sakura stole several glances at the young man leaning against her. He was tall and lean with deep dark brown eyes. His black hair was thick, some of it falling over his eyes. Sakura had a strong urge to brush them back but decided against it. He really is cute though.
Syaoran, meanwhile, watched Sakura watching the student. Why does she have to be the one to help him? His eyes suddenly widened as he realized he might be jealous. But why? I don't like Sakura like that…I don't think…but I still don't want that guy to be near her. I don't get it...And why does Sakura have to look at him like that?
He looked back at the glowing woods behind him. I can't believe we made it out of that okay…
"How's everyone doing?" the doctor asked them.
"We're fine over here," Masato answered glancing down at the beautiful girl supporting him.
"I'm hungry," the little boy replied. Sakura quickly fished in her pockets for a piece of candy she had put there before leaving Hong Kong and handed it to the boy. She smiled as she watched him smile for the first time since the crash. This must be really hard for him, but at least his mother is here with him.
Sakura suddenly gasped as she tripped over a large rock, falling hard on her injured arm. Tears came quickly to her eyes as a sharp pain crossed her arm.
"Sakura! Daijoubu-ka?" Syaoran asked, but sighed in frustration as he realized he couldn't go to her because he couldn't let go of the older woman he was helping.
"H-Hai." Sakura muttered. Syaoran looked on helplessly as blood began seeping through her bandages, and Masato slowly helped her up despite his own injuries.
They soon began walking again, quietly, thinking of all that had happened that day.
*sakura* I wonder if they're looking for us yet. I hope everyone's not too worried.
*syaoran* I don't like this at all. The farther we get from the plane the harder it'll be for someone to find us.
Night slowly began to creep up on them as they continued their walk away from the plane. They suddenly began to hear the sound of water ahead of them. They quickened their pace a little.
They soon came upon a wide stream, shimmering in the dim light. Some of the trees from both sides were hanging over the stream but not touching, letting them get a view of the clear night sky.
"If we can get across this stream, we should be safe from the fire if it burns this far. We can try and get some sleep then," the doctor said.
"I'll go ahead and check how deep it is," Syaoran offered.
"Be careful," Sakura called out after him. He looked back and smiled at her.
He quickly took off his socks and shoes and rolled his pants up to his knees. He slowly walked into the water and began to cross it. Near the middle, the water came up to about the middle of his thigh, but it never rose higher than that and the current was slow and steady.
He walked back toward them. "It's fine, but we're going to get pretty wet."
"We have no choice," Masato said. They all quickly removed their shoes and socks and slowly crossed the quiet stream.
Sakura helped sit Masata down then walked over to Syaoran who was standing by the stream. "Do you think they'll find us?"
Syaoran looked gently at her. "Yeah, I do."
*syaoran* She looks so unhappy. I wish I knew how to make her feel better.
"I've got some sandwiches from the plane that we can eat," the doctor told them.
They all slowly gathered around and began to eat. "So how about everyone introduce themselves," Masato suggested. "I'll start. My name is Tetsudau Masato. I'm a sophomore at Tokyo University."
"My name is Naosu Teizo," the doctor said.
"I am Taguchi Yoshio. I am in first grade," the little boy declared. His mother smiled sweetly at him. "I am Taguchi Maiko."
"My name is Kinomoto Sakura, a senior at Tomoeda High School."
"My name is Li Syaoran, also a senior at Tomoeda."
"I am Mei Chu from Hong Kong. I was going to Tokyo to visit one of my friends," the older woman said hesitantly.
"I wonder what the baby's name is," Sakura said as they all looked at the baby the Chinese woman was holding.
"Well, I'm going to try to get some sleep," the doctor said. "It's been a stressful day for me. This kind of thing doesn't happen everyday." Everyone smiled weakly at him.
Sakura lied slowly back on the soft grass underneath her. To her surprise, Syaoran came and placed himself gently beside her. He almost growled though when Masato took the spot on her other side.
*sakura* Well this is kind of weird.
"Oyasumi, Sakura-san," Masato said, smiling at her.
"Oyasuminasai, Masato-san," Sakura said. "Oyasumi, Syaoran-kun."
"Oyasumi," Syaoran said before slowly closing his eyes. I can't believe I'm lying next to her like this. She's so close…
*sakura* This Masato guy seems really nice. And Syaoran…I never would have imagined me sleeping next to him. I feel nervous somehow, but I like it too…weird…and what about the cards? I hope they're okay. I just wish I could find them.
She yawned and looked up at the trees towering over her. They were so dense that she couldn't even see the sky. I wish I could see the stars… Sakura yawned again and slowly closed her eyes. In only a few moments, she was asleep.
***
End of Chapter 2