Chapter Five:
Adventure Begins
Hanna had finished her shower and was cooking breakfast, happily by herself.
Eienno stood in the doorway looking at Hanna. She seemed either really nervous or really worried about something. He couldn't see a reason for her discomfort.
Cordelia sat at the table, looking at Eienno, then at Hanna, then back to Eienno. She couldn't figure out why he couldn't keep his eyes away from her, and why she couldn't keep her nerve when he was around. She noticed that Hanna's skin was starting to look flushed and red, then she saw Eienno's body tighten as though he could feel her discomfort.
Both Eienno and Hanna had a certain something about them that made them look as though they were going to move towards each other.
Hanna felt 'his' eyes on her back again. Every time he looked at her like he did, she'd feel like he was feeling her skin with his hands and it made her nervous to imagine yet another guy feeling her up without her knowing or wanting him to. She looked behind her to see if he was there. She saw him lurking in the door.
She turned around upon seeing him. She'd known he was there but still found herself feeling afraid of him for some odd reason. She leaned back when he walked into the kitchen and started towards her. She lost awareness of herself and accidentally placed her hand on the burner.
She looked at her hand.
Cordelia chuckled under her breath so that neither would hear. She could sense that the subconscious of Hanna wanted to hold Eienno tightly, and never let him go; Eienno's pulled him towards Hanna, while his body didn't want to go and wanted to fight an urge to screw up.
"What the fuck are you doing?" she yelled, beginning to hyperventilate angrily.
"Nothing," said Eienno sarcastically. "I want food, without a fight."
"Keep dreaming then," she yelled, "Piss off."
"No," he mumbled as he came into the kitchen.
"Now," she began to calm down. She turned on the tap and ran the cold water over her burn.
"No, but I order you to tell me why are you so anxious right now?" he asked harshly.
"You scared me," she said. "I'm damn sure you meant to too."
"No, I just." he could himself wanting to admit he liked her and froze. ".Wanted food."
Cordelia chuckled again. Eienno's hesitation gave her a clue as to what may go on in the next few months, weeks or even days.
"So you sit there and stare, making me go totally nuts," she informed, sarcastically. "Piss off and let me cook."
"Fine." He walked off. 'Why the hell is she so anxious?' he wondered worriedly. 'Did I make her that uncomfortable?' He figured she must have had a moment where she felt like throwing up and he just happened to be lurking in the door at that time.
She couldn't figure it out. She hated him for always finding a way to make her feel like she was being held in uncomfortably tantalizing ways.
'Why would he even be interested in me?' she asked herself, 'I mean, he's probably got a girlfriend waiting for him to come home. More so, why do I seem to be interested in him?'
Hanna dismissed the thought and headed to her room.
"You never noticed me here." She watched Hanna become uncomfortable again.
'Great,' thought Hanna stopped just before the door, 'the psychiatrist to tell me I love someone I hate to the death.'
"No, I guess I was preoccupied." She looked at her burn; it was beginning to blister.
"I don't think that was the problem," she said, knowingly. "Why did you look so pale just then?"
"What's with all the god damn questions?" said Hanna. She'd never been as irritated as she was at that moment. "Leave me alone so I can relax before I need to sleep."
"Okay," Cordelia walked out of the room. She knew why Hanna was so agitated. She wasn't about to begin to assume things about her captain, but she was about to start keeping a careful watch on her, just to make sure she wasn't getting too sick to do things.
Hanna didn't quite have her senses back when she began to cook again. She didn't know why she got so sick when he starred. It didn't happen with anyone but him. Was it where he looked or how he looked? She just couldn't figure it out. Within all her training she hadn't heard of any sicknesses like that of what she seemed to be getting.
She dismissed the thought and began to focus on making dinner again.
Eienno was in a thoughtless daze. He didn't care about a thing in the world right now. He didn't even care if he died right then and there, at least he'd be at peace.
He had to admit, he was seriously missing Yukkarie at that moment. He wanted to hold her tightly in his arms for security. Even though it was obvious to him and others he was developing a likeness for Hanna, he only liked her, he loved Yukkarie and would still be willing to do anything for her, no matter the cost. He didn't want to call her, considering the assumption she'd be asleep by now. He sat up in his bed, now miserable from the feeling of loneliness and chill. He walked into the cabin to be greeted by his crew.
"Hi, Eienno," said Karameki with a tired smile. "How you doing?"
"Miserable," he replied, irritated that everyone was there.
"Why?" asked Cordelia with a glare that could kill a bat.
"Because," he hesitated, wondering if he should tell them exactly why. "I miss someone back home."
Karameki looked at her screen, "I think you might just want to look at this, sir." She gestured him to come.
"Yeah," he said carelessly, "It's the asteroid belt."
"Yeah," mocked Karameki, "full of debris, that we need Hanna to fly us through. We've only got one co-pilot and he isn't yet qualified enough to fly us through."
"Slow our speed and gravitation spin," he said calmly, as he headed for his door. "I'll go get our missing members."
He disappeared into his room and into the hallway on the other side. He had to push off wall with his arms, as there was only enough gravity to hold him down. He entered the kitchen and found the door to the balcony.
Hanna looked over at Chikara. They were eating their second dinner together and were quite enjoying themselves.
She was startled when the engines sounded slightly and she began to feel weight loss on her body. All of a sudden, Eienno burst through the door.
"Get your lazy asses to the control room to do your jobs," he demanded with seriousness staining his every movement and word.
Hanna and Chikara obeyed their commander without question. Knowing her seat was nowhere near the controls as there were two spots with hand controls, Hanna pranced to Sebastien's seat at the controls as soon as she reached the control room.
Sebastien sat willingly in Hanna's spot as Chikara sat down in his. They all strapped themselves into their seats upon order from Eienno. Hanna was calm and prepared for what was coming. She had flown through the asteroid belt before and was well equipped with the appropriate maneuvers to avoid the billions of pieces that would fly at them. She forgot to consider that the shuttle she'd flown in before was tem times smaller than the one she was in this time.
They could now see everything in plain view now. Small bits and pieces of rubble and debris began to harmlessly hit the front window of the shuttle, growing gradually bigger in size until they were big enough to be mistaken for small moons. Fortunately, Hanna was able to steer the shuttle out of the way before there could be any chances of hitting something.
They safely cruised though the asteroids without hitting or even coming close to hitting anything that could damage the shuttle.
"There's a colony on the other side that we will be stopping at for supplies," informed Karameki with sternness. She looked at her radar, just as Hanna made her way around an asteroid. "Hanna," she muttered nervously. "There's something coming."
Out of nowhere, came a rather large chuck of rock, striking the side of the shuttle where the engines had been built. The lights fluttered off, leaving a small amount of energy and fuel to get out without more damage. Hanna sped up a little to make sure no more rocks would damage the ship that bad. She was quick to get out and soon found everyone safe outside the rock barrier. She turned to Tomodachi.
"How bad is it?" she asked froze in her seat.
"It's worse then bad," she muttered bitterly. "Almost all of our engines are damaged but one. There was only enough in that one to get us here."
"That was a dumb move," said Eienno harshly. "Why the hell do I trust you at all?"
She glared at him spitefully. "Instead of being an asshole, how about you help me and your damned crew get to the stinking colony for repairs?" She began to hyperventilate in panic.
"That could be a thought," he teased, "except for the fact that we are stranded here, probably loosing a hell of a lot of O2 and be not remaining calm, you're going to kill us off!"
"Hello," she said sarcastically, "the ships O2 supply isn't going to run short. There are O2 filters that don't need electricity; they are made with natural filtration. Remember, trees and plants. Duh!"
Karameki looked at the two; something looked like they wanted to fall into each others arms and something else told her they hated each other so much they didn't want to know each other anymore. "You know what, you two?" she said angrily. "Instead of you screwing us all up and getting us all miserable, I'm going to take higher position without being ordered by anyone and leave you to tough it out like idiots." She peered over a Tomodachi. "Is there any way we can get enough power to get to the colony. It's not that far away."
Tomodachi smiled at Karameki for her brave decision. She quickly typed something into the computer and he smile disappeared from her face.
"Yes, but it would mean someone would have to put their life in danger," she looked around at everyone. "Someone tall, strong and incredibly brave." She looked at Chikara, who watched Eienno and Hanna like he was a hawk protecting its territory. "Chikara," she said gently, trying to find the right words to explain what needed to be done. "You're the only person who won't argue and I'm sure you're strong enough. Can you remember something without thinking about it for long though?"
"Yeah," he said, finally paying attention to the situation on hand. "What are you talking about, so I know what you're getting me into?"
"I need you to go and fix a broken cord in the engine." She looked back to the screen. "You'll know which one it is because it's the only one not fully damaged and not unharmed. It will have a fuel gage on it that says it's full, but will have no power. Can you find it?"
He nodded, knowing it was his responsibility to listen to Tomodachi's instructions and Karameki's leadership. "I'm going to need a suit," he said to Sebastien, who jumped at the opportunity to help. He grabbed the suit that looked the biggest and ran it back to his crewmate.
"Here," he said, handing pieces of it to him at a time. He began with the body suit and slid it up his clothes, then the gloves and boots that were slid over his own.
The suit was a grayish colour and wasn't at all bulky. It fit him as though it was made for him and fit snuggly around him. Sebastien fit the helmet on and fastened it securely to his suit. "You're good to go."
"We'll need someone to stand nearby," said Karameki, "you know, just in case something happens."
"I'll go," said Hanna. "I'm the doctor. Who would be better?" There was a tiny bit of enthusiasm in her voice. She grabbed her own suit and was able to put it on with only a little aid from Sebastien to fasten it.
"Good luck," he said gingerly.
"I'll need it."
"What you need to do," started Tomodachi. "Is to go to the girl's hangout and find a door. It's an airtight door, just like the one to get out of the shuttle. It doesn't lead outside, but leads to where the damage is. Be careful that you don't let the vacuum suck you out. It'll pull you right out into space. Empty every last little bit of air out of the air chamber before you exit it. Make sure that before you even begin to empty the chamber, you lock the door to get back in, so no air is lost in here. When you get there, Hanna will stay in the chamber with the door open and watch out for Chikara. Chikara goes in and finds the wires, then connects them, colour to corresponding colour. Then get out of there so we can go.
With that Hanna and Chikara headed to where they had been instructed to by Tomodachi. They headed down the hallway, not saying a word to each other. They enter the women's room and quickly found the right door. They opened the airtight door and climbed through, locking it and pushing the button to evacuate the air supply. Once the gage on the wall proved that there was absolutely no air in the chamber, they opened the door to allow Chikara to exit.
Chikara looked around the engines and found the one that he needed to fix. He reached up and realized he was about two inches too short to repair the busted wires. He floated back to the air chamber and explained his predicament to Tomodachi and Karameki.
Hanna could picture what was going to happen. Eienno was the tallest person there and was probably a good five inches taller then Chikara. They'd send him out the fix it, and she'd get stuck looking out for him.
Back in the control room, Tomodachi, Cordelia, Sebastien and Karameki looked over at Eienno. He leaned against the wall and looked at the floor.
His head shot up when he realized that they were looking at him.
"What do you want?" he said tonelessly.
"Eienno," started Karameki, "You're the only person tall enough."
"Fine," he said walking to the air-suits and sliding one on. He knew that if he didn't help, eventually they'd run out of food and supplies; that would mean that they would die, bringing all the colonies with them.
He managed to get the whole suit on without anyone's help and headed back to the shuttle engines. He met up with Chikara and Hanna, who waited for him in the air chamber. He made Chikara leave, as there was little room in the air chamber for more than one person. He floated past Hanna, bumping up against her without even think about what he was doing. She could feel the curves his muscles made as his body glided across hers.
When he realized he was getting into her "comfort zone," he pushed off the floor to avoid any confrontation. He made his way into the masses of engine.
Hanna could barely see him from where she was. She felt something bubble in the pit of her stomach; something that made her shutter.
He quickly found the wires he needed to fix and connected them as he was instructed to. The energy gage then showed that there was power in the engine again.
All of a sudden there was a loud crash from one of the broken engines.
Hanna jumped worriedly when one of the engines blew up, shooting jagged pieces of iron towards Eienno.
"Watch out!" she cried.
Eienno turned just in time to get hit by a large, oily piece of metal. He got hit right in the middle of his chest, just above his abdomen. A bunch of little pieces continued to strike him in many different spots, making huge gouges in his arms and legs.
Once the debris stopped, Hanna jumped out of the chamber to retrieve Eienno. She pushed off towards the chamber, with him in her caring arms. She closed the door and locked it, letting the air back in. She took off his helmet as fast as she could, letting him get fresh oxygen. She opened the door to the main areas of the shuttle and pulled him in. It was easy because Tomodachi hadn't turned on the gravity yet, but hard because Eienno couldn't help. She pulled Eienno to the couch and pushed herself to the control room.
"What was that?" said Tomodachi, seeing Hanna burst in the door and throw stuff around the room.
"An explosion. Hurry, give me gravity, I need to help him," ordered Hanna, carelessly digging through the first aid closet for surgical equipment and the proper bandaging.
"Why?" asked Chikara, "What happened?"
"I'll explain later," she said hurriedly. The gravity switched on, bringing Hanna to the floor with a boom. She quickly picked herself up and grabbed the bag labeled 'surgical,' and ran off to the room she had Eienno stationed in. Everyone else followed her intently, wanting to know why she was so rushed. They looked on it horror when they saw him on the couch with billions of little slivers stabbed into his skin and a huge stake-like chuck of metal in his chest.
"Get me an X-ray, now," she ordered, resting on the ground near the low- leveled couch. She gently stroked his forehead, not understanding why she felt like she needed to help him so much. He shuttered under her touch. He was now unconscious and unable to object to anything she was doing. 'Why am I so anxious to protect him? Oh, this is all my fault," she thought to herself, rocks of guilt filling her stomach angrily. 'I shouldn't have been going so fast. If I hadn't warned him, he wouldn't have been hit. I'm such an idiot.'
The hand held X-ray finally arrived. She turned it on and scanned over his chest wound, which at that point was the most serious of his injuries.
'Oh no,' she thought to herself, 'it's so close to his heart. His lung, oh no.' She felt so protective, he couldn't die, not when she could help him. She knew, now, exactly what to do. She ran to the bathroom, calling Chikara to bring her the sanitized gear from the kit, leaving them in the packaging.
She pulled off her blood drenched body suit and combed her hair back. She washed her arms to the elbows and got Chikara to pull the cover over top of her. He did so without second thoughts and then she slid her gloves on, ready to perform surgery.
She removed his clothing with the aide of her scalpel, careful not to cut him.
"Aren't you going to give him sleep or pain medicine?" asked Cordelia, like the know-it-all she was.
"Hello, does it look like he needs to be put to sleep?" retorted Hanna, turning her covered face to frown at Cordelia for a quick second. "Now shut up and let me work. Get out and leave me alone until I need you."
They all left, full of concern for both Eienno and Hanna.
Hanna cut small slits down Eienno's chest, above and below the wound. She looked at how deep it went and checked if it was caught on anything. When she found it wasn't, she pulled it out, preparing herself for his blood to gush. She quickly prepared stitches to close up the lung. She began to sew the broken tissue, before he fully lost the ability to breath. It only took her seconds to fix him, before she cleaned the wound and closed it up. She wrapped his chest, putting a non-stick adhesive over the wound and holding there by tying it tightly with an adhesive roll. She cleaned the rest of his blood drenched body and pulled her mask down her face to peck him lightly on the cheek. She dismissed herself to go clean up and shower herself.
"Chikara!" she called gently. He rushed to where she was in the hallway.
"Yeah?" he responded, "Do you need something?"
"I know he's got a gigantic body, but could you carry him to his room without ripping his stitches?" she asked, "You'd have to carry him like you'd carry a women."
"Sure," he said, "Anything to help you out."
Hanna threw her stuff in the garbage and tried to relax her nerves. She locked herself in the bathroom and striped to take a bath. She really needed to calm herself or she'd have a nervous breakdown. She turned the hot water on and climbed into the tub, desperately needing cleaning. She sighed as the water covered her tired body. She turned on the jets and turned off the tap when the water was high enough it wouldn't splash over. She dazed out and dismissed her worries for a few short minutes before she climbed out to go to sleep.
The next day, the first thing Hanna did when she woke, was check on Eienno, he was starting to show signs of coming back now. She hooked up an IV, which she found was too difficult and dangerous to do the day before, and began to try and feel his heart beat with her hand.
"Eienno?" she said, attempting to wake him up. His eyes only fluttered a little, but remained closed. Her face felt heavy, she could smile or even pretend she looked happy. She stood up off her knees and headed for the door.
"I thought you never." he said painfully, ".wanted to help me."
"Eienno?" she said with a lightening of her heart. "Are you beginning to come to."
"Am I ever fully awake?" he said with a weakened smirk.
"Oh," she sighed in relief. "I am so sorry, I never meant for you to get hurt so badly. I swear, I didn't know that rock was there, I."
"Shut up," he said gently, "that wasn't your fault."
"Yes," she said regretfully, "I wasn't looking hard enough, I was driving too fast, and I did so many wrong things."
"But I'm still not dead," he interrupted again. "I'm not dead because of you."
"I'm going to go," she said, quietly. "You should sleep." She walked away, no longer seeming to care. Now that he was beginning to heal as quickly as he was, she could leave the responsibilities of him to someone else. For some reason, she felt like she was leaving something behind. It was the same feeling she'd had with Chikara. She just didn't car anymore.
Chikara met her in the hall, "Oh, hey?" he said. "What's up?"
"Nothing," she answered, "He's awake, and he's healing well already. I think he'll be fine before long, a week maybe a little more."
"No," said Chikara, when he figured she was done, "with you?"
"Oh, me?" she asked, shocked he'd even care to hear.
"I'm." she didn't know if she wanted to say. ".I don't know."
"Come here," he instructed, taking her hand, "I've got a surprise for you." He led her to the kitchen and then into the dinning room again. He had breakfast on the table and was more than ready to eat it.
"I made pancakes, eggs, waffles, you name it, I got it," he pulled a chair out for her to sit in. "What would you like?" He walked over to a large banquet table with her plate in one hand and a serving spoon in the other.
"I don't know," she said in shock. "Waffles maybe?"
"Blueberry, or strawberry?" he pointed to the dishes holding the waffles on them and smiled cheerily.
She felt happy that he'd gone to all the trouble for her, and only after one date. "Strawberry."
"No kidding," he sighed, "That's what I would've chosen. Hey, after we eat you can tell me what's on your mind."
"There isn't anything on my mind that I need to talk about."
"I doubt that," said Chikara with a friendly grin. "You don't look like you have nothing on your mind."
"I'll tell you after," she caved, being easily convinced by his knowingness.
"Cool," he said handing her the dish. "Do you want any syrup?"
"No, thanks," she said, grabbing the plate and cutting at her food, starved and eager to eat.
Chikara looked at her in surprise. And then ate with her, enjoying the sudden peace she seemed to have had fallen over her.
He peered at her every so often, making sure she was still eating and enjoying the breakfast he had fixed especially for her.
After they'd both finished, he looked into her eyes and starred at her depths. He could see that there was something there that couldn't be explained.
"So," he said, "You going to tell me now?"
She smiled, knowing she could finally trust someone. "Sure." Her features tightened, as if anxiety was tugging at her again. "I can't stand his cockiness," she started.
"Who's he?"
"You should be able to guess easily, who I'm talking to." She starred at him.
"Oh, him," he said, lightening the situation a little, "continue."
"I do something nice for him and he shows absolutely no gratitude, but somehow I feel like I'm responsible for him, like I should make sure he doesn't get hurt in such a way, it could end his life." She looked him in the eyes. "I hate him. What came over me yesterday that made me throw all you guys out, just to save him? Why did I feel that need to help? Why can't I stop caring?"
"Because you're a great person, with a perfect heart," answered Chikara, talking with seriousness, for once. "Everyone here knows you had to help him, because you are the most caring and smart person they've ever met."
"You think so?" she said, admiring his every word.
"With all my body and mind," he answered.
She smiled, loosening up again. She loved him for saying that. He had no idea how much better his words made her feel. She couldn't see anything breaking her relationship with him.ever.
Hanna had finished her shower and was cooking breakfast, happily by herself.
Eienno stood in the doorway looking at Hanna. She seemed either really nervous or really worried about something. He couldn't see a reason for her discomfort.
Cordelia sat at the table, looking at Eienno, then at Hanna, then back to Eienno. She couldn't figure out why he couldn't keep his eyes away from her, and why she couldn't keep her nerve when he was around. She noticed that Hanna's skin was starting to look flushed and red, then she saw Eienno's body tighten as though he could feel her discomfort.
Both Eienno and Hanna had a certain something about them that made them look as though they were going to move towards each other.
Hanna felt 'his' eyes on her back again. Every time he looked at her like he did, she'd feel like he was feeling her skin with his hands and it made her nervous to imagine yet another guy feeling her up without her knowing or wanting him to. She looked behind her to see if he was there. She saw him lurking in the door.
She turned around upon seeing him. She'd known he was there but still found herself feeling afraid of him for some odd reason. She leaned back when he walked into the kitchen and started towards her. She lost awareness of herself and accidentally placed her hand on the burner.
She looked at her hand.
Cordelia chuckled under her breath so that neither would hear. She could sense that the subconscious of Hanna wanted to hold Eienno tightly, and never let him go; Eienno's pulled him towards Hanna, while his body didn't want to go and wanted to fight an urge to screw up.
"What the fuck are you doing?" she yelled, beginning to hyperventilate angrily.
"Nothing," said Eienno sarcastically. "I want food, without a fight."
"Keep dreaming then," she yelled, "Piss off."
"No," he mumbled as he came into the kitchen.
"Now," she began to calm down. She turned on the tap and ran the cold water over her burn.
"No, but I order you to tell me why are you so anxious right now?" he asked harshly.
"You scared me," she said. "I'm damn sure you meant to too."
"No, I just." he could himself wanting to admit he liked her and froze. ".Wanted food."
Cordelia chuckled again. Eienno's hesitation gave her a clue as to what may go on in the next few months, weeks or even days.
"So you sit there and stare, making me go totally nuts," she informed, sarcastically. "Piss off and let me cook."
"Fine." He walked off. 'Why the hell is she so anxious?' he wondered worriedly. 'Did I make her that uncomfortable?' He figured she must have had a moment where she felt like throwing up and he just happened to be lurking in the door at that time.
She couldn't figure it out. She hated him for always finding a way to make her feel like she was being held in uncomfortably tantalizing ways.
'Why would he even be interested in me?' she asked herself, 'I mean, he's probably got a girlfriend waiting for him to come home. More so, why do I seem to be interested in him?'
Hanna dismissed the thought and headed to her room.
"You never noticed me here." She watched Hanna become uncomfortable again.
'Great,' thought Hanna stopped just before the door, 'the psychiatrist to tell me I love someone I hate to the death.'
"No, I guess I was preoccupied." She looked at her burn; it was beginning to blister.
"I don't think that was the problem," she said, knowingly. "Why did you look so pale just then?"
"What's with all the god damn questions?" said Hanna. She'd never been as irritated as she was at that moment. "Leave me alone so I can relax before I need to sleep."
"Okay," Cordelia walked out of the room. She knew why Hanna was so agitated. She wasn't about to begin to assume things about her captain, but she was about to start keeping a careful watch on her, just to make sure she wasn't getting too sick to do things.
Hanna didn't quite have her senses back when she began to cook again. She didn't know why she got so sick when he starred. It didn't happen with anyone but him. Was it where he looked or how he looked? She just couldn't figure it out. Within all her training she hadn't heard of any sicknesses like that of what she seemed to be getting.
She dismissed the thought and began to focus on making dinner again.
Eienno was in a thoughtless daze. He didn't care about a thing in the world right now. He didn't even care if he died right then and there, at least he'd be at peace.
He had to admit, he was seriously missing Yukkarie at that moment. He wanted to hold her tightly in his arms for security. Even though it was obvious to him and others he was developing a likeness for Hanna, he only liked her, he loved Yukkarie and would still be willing to do anything for her, no matter the cost. He didn't want to call her, considering the assumption she'd be asleep by now. He sat up in his bed, now miserable from the feeling of loneliness and chill. He walked into the cabin to be greeted by his crew.
"Hi, Eienno," said Karameki with a tired smile. "How you doing?"
"Miserable," he replied, irritated that everyone was there.
"Why?" asked Cordelia with a glare that could kill a bat.
"Because," he hesitated, wondering if he should tell them exactly why. "I miss someone back home."
Karameki looked at her screen, "I think you might just want to look at this, sir." She gestured him to come.
"Yeah," he said carelessly, "It's the asteroid belt."
"Yeah," mocked Karameki, "full of debris, that we need Hanna to fly us through. We've only got one co-pilot and he isn't yet qualified enough to fly us through."
"Slow our speed and gravitation spin," he said calmly, as he headed for his door. "I'll go get our missing members."
He disappeared into his room and into the hallway on the other side. He had to push off wall with his arms, as there was only enough gravity to hold him down. He entered the kitchen and found the door to the balcony.
Hanna looked over at Chikara. They were eating their second dinner together and were quite enjoying themselves.
She was startled when the engines sounded slightly and she began to feel weight loss on her body. All of a sudden, Eienno burst through the door.
"Get your lazy asses to the control room to do your jobs," he demanded with seriousness staining his every movement and word.
Hanna and Chikara obeyed their commander without question. Knowing her seat was nowhere near the controls as there were two spots with hand controls, Hanna pranced to Sebastien's seat at the controls as soon as she reached the control room.
Sebastien sat willingly in Hanna's spot as Chikara sat down in his. They all strapped themselves into their seats upon order from Eienno. Hanna was calm and prepared for what was coming. She had flown through the asteroid belt before and was well equipped with the appropriate maneuvers to avoid the billions of pieces that would fly at them. She forgot to consider that the shuttle she'd flown in before was tem times smaller than the one she was in this time.
They could now see everything in plain view now. Small bits and pieces of rubble and debris began to harmlessly hit the front window of the shuttle, growing gradually bigger in size until they were big enough to be mistaken for small moons. Fortunately, Hanna was able to steer the shuttle out of the way before there could be any chances of hitting something.
They safely cruised though the asteroids without hitting or even coming close to hitting anything that could damage the shuttle.
"There's a colony on the other side that we will be stopping at for supplies," informed Karameki with sternness. She looked at her radar, just as Hanna made her way around an asteroid. "Hanna," she muttered nervously. "There's something coming."
Out of nowhere, came a rather large chuck of rock, striking the side of the shuttle where the engines had been built. The lights fluttered off, leaving a small amount of energy and fuel to get out without more damage. Hanna sped up a little to make sure no more rocks would damage the ship that bad. She was quick to get out and soon found everyone safe outside the rock barrier. She turned to Tomodachi.
"How bad is it?" she asked froze in her seat.
"It's worse then bad," she muttered bitterly. "Almost all of our engines are damaged but one. There was only enough in that one to get us here."
"That was a dumb move," said Eienno harshly. "Why the hell do I trust you at all?"
She glared at him spitefully. "Instead of being an asshole, how about you help me and your damned crew get to the stinking colony for repairs?" She began to hyperventilate in panic.
"That could be a thought," he teased, "except for the fact that we are stranded here, probably loosing a hell of a lot of O2 and be not remaining calm, you're going to kill us off!"
"Hello," she said sarcastically, "the ships O2 supply isn't going to run short. There are O2 filters that don't need electricity; they are made with natural filtration. Remember, trees and plants. Duh!"
Karameki looked at the two; something looked like they wanted to fall into each others arms and something else told her they hated each other so much they didn't want to know each other anymore. "You know what, you two?" she said angrily. "Instead of you screwing us all up and getting us all miserable, I'm going to take higher position without being ordered by anyone and leave you to tough it out like idiots." She peered over a Tomodachi. "Is there any way we can get enough power to get to the colony. It's not that far away."
Tomodachi smiled at Karameki for her brave decision. She quickly typed something into the computer and he smile disappeared from her face.
"Yes, but it would mean someone would have to put their life in danger," she looked around at everyone. "Someone tall, strong and incredibly brave." She looked at Chikara, who watched Eienno and Hanna like he was a hawk protecting its territory. "Chikara," she said gently, trying to find the right words to explain what needed to be done. "You're the only person who won't argue and I'm sure you're strong enough. Can you remember something without thinking about it for long though?"
"Yeah," he said, finally paying attention to the situation on hand. "What are you talking about, so I know what you're getting me into?"
"I need you to go and fix a broken cord in the engine." She looked back to the screen. "You'll know which one it is because it's the only one not fully damaged and not unharmed. It will have a fuel gage on it that says it's full, but will have no power. Can you find it?"
He nodded, knowing it was his responsibility to listen to Tomodachi's instructions and Karameki's leadership. "I'm going to need a suit," he said to Sebastien, who jumped at the opportunity to help. He grabbed the suit that looked the biggest and ran it back to his crewmate.
"Here," he said, handing pieces of it to him at a time. He began with the body suit and slid it up his clothes, then the gloves and boots that were slid over his own.
The suit was a grayish colour and wasn't at all bulky. It fit him as though it was made for him and fit snuggly around him. Sebastien fit the helmet on and fastened it securely to his suit. "You're good to go."
"We'll need someone to stand nearby," said Karameki, "you know, just in case something happens."
"I'll go," said Hanna. "I'm the doctor. Who would be better?" There was a tiny bit of enthusiasm in her voice. She grabbed her own suit and was able to put it on with only a little aid from Sebastien to fasten it.
"Good luck," he said gingerly.
"I'll need it."
"What you need to do," started Tomodachi. "Is to go to the girl's hangout and find a door. It's an airtight door, just like the one to get out of the shuttle. It doesn't lead outside, but leads to where the damage is. Be careful that you don't let the vacuum suck you out. It'll pull you right out into space. Empty every last little bit of air out of the air chamber before you exit it. Make sure that before you even begin to empty the chamber, you lock the door to get back in, so no air is lost in here. When you get there, Hanna will stay in the chamber with the door open and watch out for Chikara. Chikara goes in and finds the wires, then connects them, colour to corresponding colour. Then get out of there so we can go.
With that Hanna and Chikara headed to where they had been instructed to by Tomodachi. They headed down the hallway, not saying a word to each other. They enter the women's room and quickly found the right door. They opened the airtight door and climbed through, locking it and pushing the button to evacuate the air supply. Once the gage on the wall proved that there was absolutely no air in the chamber, they opened the door to allow Chikara to exit.
Chikara looked around the engines and found the one that he needed to fix. He reached up and realized he was about two inches too short to repair the busted wires. He floated back to the air chamber and explained his predicament to Tomodachi and Karameki.
Hanna could picture what was going to happen. Eienno was the tallest person there and was probably a good five inches taller then Chikara. They'd send him out the fix it, and she'd get stuck looking out for him.
Back in the control room, Tomodachi, Cordelia, Sebastien and Karameki looked over at Eienno. He leaned against the wall and looked at the floor.
His head shot up when he realized that they were looking at him.
"What do you want?" he said tonelessly.
"Eienno," started Karameki, "You're the only person tall enough."
"Fine," he said walking to the air-suits and sliding one on. He knew that if he didn't help, eventually they'd run out of food and supplies; that would mean that they would die, bringing all the colonies with them.
He managed to get the whole suit on without anyone's help and headed back to the shuttle engines. He met up with Chikara and Hanna, who waited for him in the air chamber. He made Chikara leave, as there was little room in the air chamber for more than one person. He floated past Hanna, bumping up against her without even think about what he was doing. She could feel the curves his muscles made as his body glided across hers.
When he realized he was getting into her "comfort zone," he pushed off the floor to avoid any confrontation. He made his way into the masses of engine.
Hanna could barely see him from where she was. She felt something bubble in the pit of her stomach; something that made her shutter.
He quickly found the wires he needed to fix and connected them as he was instructed to. The energy gage then showed that there was power in the engine again.
All of a sudden there was a loud crash from one of the broken engines.
Hanna jumped worriedly when one of the engines blew up, shooting jagged pieces of iron towards Eienno.
"Watch out!" she cried.
Eienno turned just in time to get hit by a large, oily piece of metal. He got hit right in the middle of his chest, just above his abdomen. A bunch of little pieces continued to strike him in many different spots, making huge gouges in his arms and legs.
Once the debris stopped, Hanna jumped out of the chamber to retrieve Eienno. She pushed off towards the chamber, with him in her caring arms. She closed the door and locked it, letting the air back in. She took off his helmet as fast as she could, letting him get fresh oxygen. She opened the door to the main areas of the shuttle and pulled him in. It was easy because Tomodachi hadn't turned on the gravity yet, but hard because Eienno couldn't help. She pulled Eienno to the couch and pushed herself to the control room.
"What was that?" said Tomodachi, seeing Hanna burst in the door and throw stuff around the room.
"An explosion. Hurry, give me gravity, I need to help him," ordered Hanna, carelessly digging through the first aid closet for surgical equipment and the proper bandaging.
"Why?" asked Chikara, "What happened?"
"I'll explain later," she said hurriedly. The gravity switched on, bringing Hanna to the floor with a boom. She quickly picked herself up and grabbed the bag labeled 'surgical,' and ran off to the room she had Eienno stationed in. Everyone else followed her intently, wanting to know why she was so rushed. They looked on it horror when they saw him on the couch with billions of little slivers stabbed into his skin and a huge stake-like chuck of metal in his chest.
"Get me an X-ray, now," she ordered, resting on the ground near the low- leveled couch. She gently stroked his forehead, not understanding why she felt like she needed to help him so much. He shuttered under her touch. He was now unconscious and unable to object to anything she was doing. 'Why am I so anxious to protect him? Oh, this is all my fault," she thought to herself, rocks of guilt filling her stomach angrily. 'I shouldn't have been going so fast. If I hadn't warned him, he wouldn't have been hit. I'm such an idiot.'
The hand held X-ray finally arrived. She turned it on and scanned over his chest wound, which at that point was the most serious of his injuries.
'Oh no,' she thought to herself, 'it's so close to his heart. His lung, oh no.' She felt so protective, he couldn't die, not when she could help him. She knew, now, exactly what to do. She ran to the bathroom, calling Chikara to bring her the sanitized gear from the kit, leaving them in the packaging.
She pulled off her blood drenched body suit and combed her hair back. She washed her arms to the elbows and got Chikara to pull the cover over top of her. He did so without second thoughts and then she slid her gloves on, ready to perform surgery.
She removed his clothing with the aide of her scalpel, careful not to cut him.
"Aren't you going to give him sleep or pain medicine?" asked Cordelia, like the know-it-all she was.
"Hello, does it look like he needs to be put to sleep?" retorted Hanna, turning her covered face to frown at Cordelia for a quick second. "Now shut up and let me work. Get out and leave me alone until I need you."
They all left, full of concern for both Eienno and Hanna.
Hanna cut small slits down Eienno's chest, above and below the wound. She looked at how deep it went and checked if it was caught on anything. When she found it wasn't, she pulled it out, preparing herself for his blood to gush. She quickly prepared stitches to close up the lung. She began to sew the broken tissue, before he fully lost the ability to breath. It only took her seconds to fix him, before she cleaned the wound and closed it up. She wrapped his chest, putting a non-stick adhesive over the wound and holding there by tying it tightly with an adhesive roll. She cleaned the rest of his blood drenched body and pulled her mask down her face to peck him lightly on the cheek. She dismissed herself to go clean up and shower herself.
"Chikara!" she called gently. He rushed to where she was in the hallway.
"Yeah?" he responded, "Do you need something?"
"I know he's got a gigantic body, but could you carry him to his room without ripping his stitches?" she asked, "You'd have to carry him like you'd carry a women."
"Sure," he said, "Anything to help you out."
Hanna threw her stuff in the garbage and tried to relax her nerves. She locked herself in the bathroom and striped to take a bath. She really needed to calm herself or she'd have a nervous breakdown. She turned the hot water on and climbed into the tub, desperately needing cleaning. She sighed as the water covered her tired body. She turned on the jets and turned off the tap when the water was high enough it wouldn't splash over. She dazed out and dismissed her worries for a few short minutes before she climbed out to go to sleep.
The next day, the first thing Hanna did when she woke, was check on Eienno, he was starting to show signs of coming back now. She hooked up an IV, which she found was too difficult and dangerous to do the day before, and began to try and feel his heart beat with her hand.
"Eienno?" she said, attempting to wake him up. His eyes only fluttered a little, but remained closed. Her face felt heavy, she could smile or even pretend she looked happy. She stood up off her knees and headed for the door.
"I thought you never." he said painfully, ".wanted to help me."
"Eienno?" she said with a lightening of her heart. "Are you beginning to come to."
"Am I ever fully awake?" he said with a weakened smirk.
"Oh," she sighed in relief. "I am so sorry, I never meant for you to get hurt so badly. I swear, I didn't know that rock was there, I."
"Shut up," he said gently, "that wasn't your fault."
"Yes," she said regretfully, "I wasn't looking hard enough, I was driving too fast, and I did so many wrong things."
"But I'm still not dead," he interrupted again. "I'm not dead because of you."
"I'm going to go," she said, quietly. "You should sleep." She walked away, no longer seeming to care. Now that he was beginning to heal as quickly as he was, she could leave the responsibilities of him to someone else. For some reason, she felt like she was leaving something behind. It was the same feeling she'd had with Chikara. She just didn't car anymore.
Chikara met her in the hall, "Oh, hey?" he said. "What's up?"
"Nothing," she answered, "He's awake, and he's healing well already. I think he'll be fine before long, a week maybe a little more."
"No," said Chikara, when he figured she was done, "with you?"
"Oh, me?" she asked, shocked he'd even care to hear.
"I'm." she didn't know if she wanted to say. ".I don't know."
"Come here," he instructed, taking her hand, "I've got a surprise for you." He led her to the kitchen and then into the dinning room again. He had breakfast on the table and was more than ready to eat it.
"I made pancakes, eggs, waffles, you name it, I got it," he pulled a chair out for her to sit in. "What would you like?" He walked over to a large banquet table with her plate in one hand and a serving spoon in the other.
"I don't know," she said in shock. "Waffles maybe?"
"Blueberry, or strawberry?" he pointed to the dishes holding the waffles on them and smiled cheerily.
She felt happy that he'd gone to all the trouble for her, and only after one date. "Strawberry."
"No kidding," he sighed, "That's what I would've chosen. Hey, after we eat you can tell me what's on your mind."
"There isn't anything on my mind that I need to talk about."
"I doubt that," said Chikara with a friendly grin. "You don't look like you have nothing on your mind."
"I'll tell you after," she caved, being easily convinced by his knowingness.
"Cool," he said handing her the dish. "Do you want any syrup?"
"No, thanks," she said, grabbing the plate and cutting at her food, starved and eager to eat.
Chikara looked at her in surprise. And then ate with her, enjoying the sudden peace she seemed to have had fallen over her.
He peered at her every so often, making sure she was still eating and enjoying the breakfast he had fixed especially for her.
After they'd both finished, he looked into her eyes and starred at her depths. He could see that there was something there that couldn't be explained.
"So," he said, "You going to tell me now?"
She smiled, knowing she could finally trust someone. "Sure." Her features tightened, as if anxiety was tugging at her again. "I can't stand his cockiness," she started.
"Who's he?"
"You should be able to guess easily, who I'm talking to." She starred at him.
"Oh, him," he said, lightening the situation a little, "continue."
"I do something nice for him and he shows absolutely no gratitude, but somehow I feel like I'm responsible for him, like I should make sure he doesn't get hurt in such a way, it could end his life." She looked him in the eyes. "I hate him. What came over me yesterday that made me throw all you guys out, just to save him? Why did I feel that need to help? Why can't I stop caring?"
"Because you're a great person, with a perfect heart," answered Chikara, talking with seriousness, for once. "Everyone here knows you had to help him, because you are the most caring and smart person they've ever met."
"You think so?" she said, admiring his every word.
"With all my body and mind," he answered.
She smiled, loosening up again. She loved him for saying that. He had no idea how much better his words made her feel. She couldn't see anything breaking her relationship with him.ever.
