Chapter 6: Survival
Megumi turned on her side as she continued to slide along the car, her heart pounding loudly in her ears as a scream ripped from her throat. She felt herself being yanked, and she winced at the friction the action caused on her wrist. She looked up to see Aoshi with a firm grip on the doorway, his other hand circling her slender wrist.
"Aoshi!"
He gritted his teeth slightly before taking several breaths, attempting to gather strength. Straining, Megumi reached up to grasp his hand with her other one.
Almost there...
Megumi let out a startled cry as she slipped from his grip, before dropping into the water below. The last image she saw before she fell in was Aoshi diving in after her.
The sun was slowly rising into the sky. But even then, he had trouble seeing where she was. That, and he had managed to catch the tide when he hit the water, causing him to scrape against some rocks. He thanked the gods that she hadn't hit them on her way down.
He swam a few feet and dove underwater to look for her. With the salt stinging his eyes and very little light, he could barely see. Aoshi took a breath as soon as his head broke through the surface. The train track was a good fifty feet above them, however, the shoreline was a quick swim away. The shore grew to a steep hill, which he assumed would lead to the top of the cliff.
He dove again. When he reached the surface, Megumi's head appeared above the water several feet away. He immediately swam toward her in strong, purposeful strokes.
"What took you so long?" she demanded, sputtering water.
"What?" He blinked.
"At what point in time between you losing your hold on me then me hitting the water did you realize I needed help?" she retorted, treading water. "Has all that time sitting on your desk made you slow?"
He opened his mouth to protest then closed it. The woman was…insulting him. After everything he did. Nearly dislocating his shoulder in the process of preventing her fall…diving in after her and getting scraped against some rocks…
She tilted her chin up, as if struggling to stay afloat.
"Are you a weak swimmer?" he inquired, a tinge of sarcasm in his voice. "You seem to be having trouble."
Megumi shot him a dark look. "You try swimming in a kimono…" Her eyes then narrowed in suspicion as he moved towards her. "What are you doing?"
"Helping you get to shore."
"I can swim myself," she retorted.
He sighed, wondering if she realized she just contradicted herself. "Then it will take the entire day to get to shore if you don't adjust your clothing so you can move in the water."
"Oh…Of course…" Megumi reached with her hand and attempted to roll up her sleeves.
He watched her to make sure that she wouldn't sink beneath the surface, unable to help the slight twitch of his lips.
"I'm glad someone is amused about all this…" Megumi grumbled as she rolled her sleeves up before tucking the ends into her obi. "Considering…" She tugged at the bottom fabric of the kimono, near her ankles. "Why won't this stupid thing…"
"We're wasting time," he reminded.
"This has got to be the most humiliating experience…" she complained, Aoshi supporting her while she folded the bottom hem to her knees, placing the end in her obi.
"Propriety should be the least of your concern. Particularly since you were so adamant about swimming yourself."
"Do you always like to remind people in such a condescending tone of the choices they make?"
"Only if they complain about it," he replied smoothly.
"I'm sure you've received many friendship gifts for it," she muttered, pushing away from him as she headed to land.
It took a while, but they were able to swim easily to land. When they got to shore, he helped her to her feet, noticing that she was shivering, but she refused his offer for help.
"We need to get dry."
"I'm fine," she said.
He raised a brow.
"Honestly," she insisted, adjusting her kimono. "We need to get back to the train. There might be people who need assistance."
The cool, efficient doctor in her had emerged. He let her begin the ascent to the train, her attitude not bothering him in the least. It was better than focusing on those long minutes she had been unconscious in the train...or when she was in the sea. It reminded him of the time several months ago...when he believed that she had been burned alive. Only...the feeling had been more intense this time around.
Once at the top, they saw smoke rising from various parts of the train. Several cars were turned on their sides, others split in half. The cries of several children and sounds of despair echoed around them.
He moved to the car where their belongings were stored. Luckily, the car was in good condition. She followed him, turning in surprise as a young man ran up to the two of them, his arms waving.
"I need help! There are thirty passengers stuck in one car! Five others and myself are trying to get them out, and we need all the help we can find!"
Aoshi pushed Megumi's medical kit into her waiting hands.
"Where is the car?" Aoshi asked.
"Four cars back!" the young man, probably ten years Aoshi's junior, immediately responded, gesturing. Megumi didn't miss the boy's speculative glance, noticing the medical kit she held in her hands. "But if you're a doctor, there's another here as well, he's over there…" he pointed in one direction. "He could really use some help."
"This woman is a doctor. She will assist him while I help you rescue the passengers," Aoshi stated.
The boy nodded.
"Thank you." Megumi told the boy, before they headed in separate directions.
After walking a couple meters, she spotted a middle-aged man wrapping a bandage around a man's head. Perspiration dotted his forehead, and determination mixed with weariness shone in his eyes.
"Sensei?" Megumi spoke up.
He immediately turned.
She offered him a reassuring smile. "I was told you might need some assistance."
He glanced at her bedraggled appearance then at the medical kit in her hands. "That would be appreciated…Doctor…?"
"Takani Megumi," she responded to his open question.
He offered her a grim smile. "With those thirty trapped in the car, who knows how many more may need assistance. I've grouped critical patients together…" he gestured to two patients on the grass.
"Very well." She moved down the line of patients while the physician continued to work. Tying her hair back, she assessed the situation quickly.
One patient appeared to be clutching his stomach. The other his leg. Blood covered the fingers of the first patient and his eyes were screwed shut.
"Excuse me." Megumi placed a gentle hand on the patient's forehead.
His eyes opened, dilated with pain. She slowly pried the hands off of him, biting her lip at the sight of punctures to the skin. Various foreign objects had lodged onto his front.
"What's your name?"
"S...Sota..."
She smiled ruefully. "Sota-san...I need to take these out-"
"It...hurts...pain..."
"I know, I know. It'll be over soon," she assured. Megumi moved to her medical kit and found a chemical to render patients in a semi-conscious state. Holding her breath, she opened the contents and poured it into a clean cloth. She placed the cloth over Sota's face.
Megumi worked diligently, removing shards of glass and metal objects. It seemed as if she had been working for hours, disinfecting his wounds and stitching several places.
"What happened here?" she asked quietly, glancing at the doctor, who began to work on removing foreign objects from the other patient's leg.
The other doctor, who was named Kisho, answered, "The train exploded at different parts of the track. Not exactly sure how it happened..."
Several of the thirty passengers who had been trapped had sustained serious injury. Luckily, no one had died. A few passengers who had walked away from the incident with no harm returned with a couple residents of nearby villages, who offered to assist the passengers as needed. With the train track destroyed, there was no fast method of getting to their destinations.
Megumi and the other physician worked for many hours, with the help of a local doctor. Village residents escorted patients who needed assistance, providing them with a place to stay until their injuries would heal.
When the last patient was lifted away, Megumi relaxed from her sitting position, sighing with relief.
An elderly man who was surveying the entire scene came up to her. "Sensei...that was a very brave thing you did..."
"Absolutely," Kisho agreed. "Thank you, Takani-sensei."
Megumi nodded.
"My wife and I run a small inn not far from here. You both are welcome to stay there..." the elder offered.
"Thank you, Masakazu-san...that's very kind," Kisho responded. Some time ago, he and the elder had obviously made their introductions.
She looked up as a figure emerged from the small hill behind her, holding several bags and a briefcase.
Aoshi slowly made his way towards the group. Around them, other passengers were making their way far from the train after being assured that others were not injured and after retrieving their belongings.
He carefully set her bag beside her on the grass.
"Thank you, Aoshi," she murmured.
He had left the patients in the doctors' care while he assisted other passengers locate their relatives, friends, or items. He had heard a few praises throughout the day about the woman doctor saving lives. Aoshi could only imagine what coursed through her mind. Relief, perhaps?
She lived her life helping others…but when that was finished…who took care of the doctor?
She turned her head to the side before gracefully rising to her feet. "Excuse me…" Picking up her bag, she slowly moved away from the site.
The three men watched her walk away.
"Is...Takani-sensei going to be all right?" the elder asked quietly.
He and the other physician turned to the tall man who seemed to know her.
"She'll be fine," Aoshi answered in the same low tone.
Satisfied, the elder easily spoke. "Your wife is very dedicated."
"She's not my wife," Aoshi corrected mildly, not missing the curiosity in their eyes, and having no desire to explain to these two his relationship to the doctor. He looked out in the direction she had disappeared.
He released a breath. She was indeed an exceptional person, whose quiet strength and healing hands touched others. She wasn't just an ally or acquaintance. She was friend as well. And somewhere along the way…perhaps...
"Aoshi-san, was it?" the elder spoke up, interrupting his thoughts.
He turned to look at him.
"You are invited to stay at our inn. I invited Takani-sensei as well...if she wishes..."
"Thank you," Aoshi replied.
The man gave him directions to the inn before escorting the other doctor to the village. Aoshi then began to search for Megumi.
He found her in a clearing by the woods, far from the track, sitting against a tree. Her kimono, having long dried, was full of grass stains, water stains, and blood. Her hair had fallen in several thick strands from the ponytail she had tied it in.
Aoshi moved to sit on one side of the trunk, next to her, his left shoulder lining against her right. He said nothing for a long moment.
"I...I had to leave," Megumi said softly. "I was afraid...I'd break down...and...I didn't want that. I...I was able to save all of them..."
So that was why she left. She had had an emotional day and she needed a way to release all the emotions inside…if her red-rimmed eyes were any indication.
She cleared her throat. "I never really thanked you…for falling in after me…"
"Your scolding indicated that you were well and relieved to be alive," he commented, leaning back against the trunk. He released a quick breath and sat up straight.
"Aoshi?" she moved to study him critically.
He met her gaze head on. "Yes?"
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing," he denied.
His western suit contained streaks of dirt, but for the most part, he appeared normal. Megumi narrowed her eyes and promptly slapped his back, not missing the tightening of his jaw the action caused. He should have known better than to lie to a beautiful and very observant doctor. Aoshi frowned for a moment. Where had that thought come from? By standards, he supposed Megumi could be considered a beautiful woman, but since when did he start considering her to be one?
Said woman had moved behind him in an attempt to examine the reason for his discomfort, cutting off any more of his thoughts.
"Unbutton your vest," she instructed.
"This isn't really-"
"Now," she commanded.
He sighed and began to undo the buttons on his dark vest.
"Shirt too," Megumi stated.
Aoshi grudgingly shrugged out of his vest before he moved to the cuffs of his white dress shirt.
"What happened here?" Megumi stared at the horizontal streak of dark red contrasting against white on the middle of his back.
Silence. Until… "While I was helping retrieve those thirty passengers, I fell and scraped against something."
After he removed his shirt, she was able to examine his wound in more detail. "What did you scrape against? It's a fairly deep cut…"
"If I knew, I'd tell you."
"Hmm." The mark was several inches below his shoulder blades. "It's not too deep that it requires stitches, but I'll put something to help heal it..."
"Fine."
He heard a smile in her voice. "You're certainly agreeable…I seem to remember an onmitsu on two occasions made it difficult for me to examine him when he seemed unwell," she commented.
"Arguing was pointless," he responded.
After opening her medical kit and digging for the appropriate supplies, she cleaned the wound before applying an antiseptic. It stung slightly, but the sensation faded, and he was able to relax. She carefully applied a bandage over the scratch. After securing the bandage, her fingers leveled over the area of the bandage's line, at the space of skin just beneath his shoulder blades.
A tingle of awareness shot through him at the touch of her fingertips. At some point…her touch had stopped being clinical. Of course, he could be just imagining things…
Megumi moved away. "Finished."
She began to put away her medicinal items, while he remained quiet, watching as she placed all her items neatly away.
"Masakazu-san and his wife are expecting us soon..." Aoshi rose to his feet and offered her his hand to help her up.
She accepted it, and she easily pulled herself up. "Then I guess we'll be accepting their hospitality..."
They walked in companionable silence to the village inn.
A/N: This was painful, too. But not as much as Realizations...or the previous After All chapter, now that I think about it. =P
Oh yeah, and the back is my favorite part of the male anatomy. All that power and definition. Yum. =P
Why oh why do I enjoy making Megumi oblivious? Or perhaps the better word is 'subconsciously attracted'?
=P I have no idea.
The inspiration for Aoshi the entrepreneur came from my fiancé, who's a business major. It's important to have big ideas in business, but useless unless you can pull them off. And in this case, I have every intention of letting Aoshi succeed. Think of him as the CEO of a modern day Hilton or Marriott hotel. ^_^