Disclaimer:
I do not own anything from Love Hina or any copyrighted material. Any other characters used in this fic are mine, however.
Chapter 6 – Running the Gauntlet
The Hinata Sou buzzed with activity as Naru and Keitaro prepared to leave for the airport. It had been a days since everyone had received the news that Kitsune had gone missing – an emotional two days at that. Not wanting to sit around any longer, Naru decided to go and search the many Red Cross centers near the border of Kosovo. If Kitsune's alive then there was a slim chance that she may be in one of those camps.
After the others got wind of Naru's intentions, they insisted on coming with her. After much heated discussion, it was decided that only Keitaro would go with her – it was considered too dangerous if Motoko, Shinobu or Su came with them. Because of this, Keitaro asked Haruka to take over watching the dorm until they return…whenever that may be.
"Are you sure you two want to go through with this?" asked a concerned Haruka.
"You already know the answer to that," replied Naru, still packing. "Kitsune is alive…and we're gonna get her the hell out of there."
"Haruka don't worry," added Keitaro. "We'll be fine."
Keitaro found it a bit ironic when he uttered those words. It was the same assurance Kitsune had promised them before she left. Hopefully he didn't jinx himself or Naru in any way – he didn't want the rest of the tenants to hear that he and Naru ended up missing as well.
"Well alright," sighed Haruka. "Just be careful."
Keitaro and Naru gathered their backpacks and walked down the steps of the Hinata Sou. Su, Motoko and Shinobu were already at the foot of the steps with the cab driver. Loading up the cab, Naru and Keitaro said their goodbyes to the others.
"Please be very careful," said Shinobu quietly. "Please."
"We will be," answered Keitaro. "Don't worry."
"Naru, I wish you and Urashima the best of luck," said Motoko. "May the spirits you protect you both."
"Thanks," replied Naru.
"Remember," commented Su, "you two better not do anything perverted while you're gone."
"Don't worry Su," said Naru. "Nothing will happen between us. Right Keitaro?"
She shot him a serious look after saying those last few words to Su.
"Right, right…nothing to worry about," Keitaro added nervously
Wishing them luck once more, the three stepped away from the cab as it pulled away from the Hinata Sou. The girls had said their goodbyes to two more people in the past month. All of them hoped that when Naru and Keitaro did return, they would be welcoming Kitsune as well.
~~
Three days earlier…The four journalists had stopped for a breather after driving for some time. While the others rested near the car, Kitsune sat under a tree some distance away writing in her notepad…or trying to at least. Every time she start writing, it gradually became harder and harder to put the images on paper. This put a big strain on her mentally and it seemed to take a lot out of her. Finally after fifteen minutes, she sighed and placed her notepad and pencil back in her bag.
"Hey Kitsune," said a voice, "you hungry?"
Looking up she saw Jay holding out a small paper sack. She soon realized that it was late in the afternoon – all sense of time, it seemed, had been lost at some point since she left the village safe zone.
"Thanks Jay," Kitsune said.
Taking the sack lunch in her hand, she opened it to reveal its contents: half of a corn beef sandwich, some crackers, and a cookie. Starting with the sandwich, Jay took a seat next to her.
"So uh…how's your article coming along?" he asked.
"Um…I still have a long way to go," replied Kitsune. "I'm just having a hard time starting it…you know."
"Oh," said Jay, turning his gaze toward the horizon. "Well, I'm sure you'll be able to."
'I sure hope so,' she thought.
Just then the all to familiar sound of gunfire could be heard in the distance. The chatter of automatic fire echoed as the war began to heat up elsewhere. None of them were really concerned with it – all of them have grown accustomed to hearing it.
"Kitsune," said Jay, "we're gonna be heading out again, so make sure to take care of any…personal business."
Kitsune nodded and managed to crack a half-smile at him.
"I'll be sure to take care of that," she replied.
Jay patted her on the back, and began to make his way back to the car. Turning forward once again, Kitsune began to survey her surroundings. The trees and gentle slopes seemed to give off a sense of tranquility and calm, even though the sound of war rang loudly in the air. An eerie sense of calm began to settle upon the landscape, and for the first time in a long while Kitsune's mind seemed to be at ease. The stress and trauma that the fox girl had been through began to weigh less and less at each passing second, and for that short period of time she felt calm. Unfortunately, this would not last for long.
A sudden explosion rattled Kitsune to the bone, causing her to press her body as close to the ground as humanly possible. Covering her head, she awaited further explosions, but none came. Slowly she lifted her head and saw something that made her stomach turn: a column of smoke…rising from where the car was parked. A moment later, she heard the painful cries of someone who was caught in the blast.
"Oh no!" Kitsune cried. "No!"
As fast as she could, she made her way back to the car. When Kitsune emerged from the brush, she caught a glimpse of the destruction – the car that got them out of many situations lay in a twisted heap, flames licking at the remains. Her gaze soon shifted to her fellow journalists. Jay was lying on the road clutching his left arm; blood oozed through his fingers as he cried out in pain. Gus and Sandy appeared to be unhurt and were already at his side pulling out a small med-kit from Sandy's bag.
"Oh Jesus!" cried Jay. "Oh god it hurts!"
"Dammit, loosen you fingers! I gotta see the wound," said Gus.
Gus pried Jay's grip off his arm, revealing a ragged gash that ran from his shoulder to his elbow. A three-inch piece of shrapnel stuck through his bicep, intensifying the pain the young man was feeling. Kitsune moved to the others and crouched next to them.
"What can I do to help?" she asked hastily.
"Just help me bandage him up," Gus replied.
After several minutes of treating Jay's injury, Sandy gave him some painkillers and helped him move to a place where he could lay down to recover from the initial shock. Gus took a seat and wiped his hands of blood and dirt as Kitsune sat next to him, followed by Sandy.
"Gus…what the hell happened?" Kitsune asked.
The older man took a deep breath and exhaled heavily, closing his eyes. Opening them once more, he turned his gaze to the remains of the car.
"Jay was about to get the car ready when it blew," he replied. "Looks as though we had it parked under a goddamn time-delayed mine of some sort."
A chill ran up her spine. She realized that if it blew the moment they stopped or started out again, they wouldn't be having this conversation.
"Is Jay going to be okay Sandy?" asked Gus.
"For the moment," Sandy answered. "But we need to get him to a hospital fast or his injury may become infect."
"That's gonna be difficult," stated Kitsune. "We still have a long way to go."
Gus took a swig from his flask. "We're about ten miles away from the border. If we start walking now, we'll be able to cover the distance by sundown."
Gathering up their things and helping Jay to his feet, the four of them set out for Albania. None of them had any clue what lay ahead or where they're going to end up.
~~
The sun had set behind the horizon as Kitsune and the others stopped. Taking a seat along the tree line, the group began to prepare the dangerous task of crossing the border. Using their cameras, they began to survey the route they'd be taking. From the looks of things, it was all clear – but looks can be deceiving.
"Okay…we have about a fourth of a mile of open field to cross until we hit the woods again," said Gus. "Pass the woods is the border, and then we're home free. But be prepared for anything."
"At least it's almost nightfall," said Jay, still grimacing from his injury. "If we move real quiet and keep some distance between each other, we should be alright."
"What do you mean by that Jay?" asked Kitsune.
"We have a better chance crossing the border of we weren't bunched up – it'll draw too much attention of anybody's watching the field or the woods."
Sandy nodded. "He's right. We have to keep a safe interval…it's the only way we can slip by unnoticed.
Kitsune took a deep breath. She was not comfortable to be separated from them – it's bad enough that her friends weren't with her…but without Jay, Gus, or Sandy by her side, it would be much more difficult. But like the others, it was the only way.
"So…I guess it's now or never than, huh?" Kitsune said.
"Yeah, you could say that," commented Sandy.
Kitsune could tell that everyone was nervous about the plan. It seemed too easy, considering what she and the others had been through over the past couple of days. They all hoped that their luck would last a bit longer – they were so close the tension began to build to greater proportions. Exchanging glances at one another, they wished each other luck…hopefully they'd see each other in Albania.
First to start was Gus, then Jay went a thirty seconds later. Sandy patted Kitsune on the shoulder and gave her a thumbs-up. After about half a minute had elapsed she too started off, leaving Kitsune by herself. Counting the seconds in her head, she began to ready herself to cross the gauntlet.
The moment she stepped into the field, she felt as if she was in her dream again…but she did not feel the same sense of peace it brought. Instead fear began to envelop her, making he feel like she was suffocating in it. As Kitsune forged ahead, she saw the others some distance away from her, moving deliberately toward the woods. Soon Gus entered the woods, followed by Jay. She was almost there – a surge of anticipation took hold of the fox girl as she neared the tree line. Then all of a sudden a flare shot out into the sky, removing the darkness that surrounded Kitsune and Sandy. All of a sudden, all hell broke loose.
"Kitsune! Get the hell out of there!" cried Sandy. "Come on!"
Kitsune got up and ran a fast as she could to the woods. Tracers flew by her head as bullets kicked up dirt all around. Soon mortar rounds began to fall like rain, explosions rocked the ground as dirt and debris rained on her head. Reaching the tree line didn't make the shelling stop – it only made it worse as tree burst saturated the area. Kitsune had lost all sense of direction as she stumbled through the woods. Sandy had stopped short, trying to make her way back to her. Just as she was only a few yards away, a shell struck right next to her. Sandy screamed in agony as she fell to the ground. Rolling into an indentation in the ground, her screaming ceased and she lay still – a pool of blood began to spread in all directions.
"Sandy no!" cried Kitsune.
Kitsune was shocked and on the verge of tears when she saw Sandy get hit, but the truth was clear – there was nothing that she could do for her. Regaining her senses Kitsune searched for cover. She caught a glimpse of Gus and Jay ahead of her motioning her to move faster, calling her name. A bullet struck Kitsune in her leg, causing her to tumble. Crying out in pain, she desperately tried to get back up.
~~
Gus and Jay took shelter in a crater as they watched Kitsune running toward them. It was heartbreaking to see Sandy fall, but the shelling had become so intense it was too dangerous for them to get out. The only thing they could do is watch.
"Come on Kitsune! Get out of there!" shouted Jay.
"Kitsune take cover! You're gonna get bombed!" cried Gus. "Take cover!"
Another explosion caused the group to fall back in the impact crater. Getting up, Jay was the first to get back up in time to see Kitsune fall to the ground. They soon heard her scream in pain, calling for help.
"Hold on Kitsune I'm coming!" shouted Gus.
He tried to run out to help Kitsune, but another explosion rocked the area around them. Falling forward, she managed to catch a glimpse of Kitsune – her face showed the fear and pain that she was in. Both Jay and Gus were horrified when a trio of mortars landed all around Kitsune – big columns of dirt, debris, and fire enveloped the area.
Kitsune's screams ceased and she was nowhere to be seen.
***
A/N – I hope you all enjoyed chapter 6! Whew…this one really took a lot out of me, mentally.
Anyway, I'd like to thank i won't tell, Gotenks01013, and lovehina-freak for reviewing. Hope you guys will keep reading more of my work!
Okay everybody you know the routine! Read and review and I'll have chapter 7 up soon! ^_^
