Chapter Five:

To the Surface!

SHINARA POV

People screamed and began crawling over each other in an attempt to grab life vests that were under the chairs. Shinara reached for her own and Kaito's as she turned to look for him. She could hardly see anything in the dark of the plane, not to mention the people who were now standing and running around like chickens with their heads cut off. Hakuba, Aoko, and Harley were standing in the isle, all three of them watching the chaos with concerned frowns.

"Please ladies and gentlemen! Please!" yelled the stewardess trying to get everyone to calm down, "Please!"

"They aren't hearing her", muttered Harley.

"Then allow me", Hakuba said as he stepped up beside the stewardess who looked at him in surprise. He sent her a small cheeky smile before pulling a gun from his belt.

A gun! Shinara gaped as he lifted it and pulled the trigger. The sound of the gun being fired drew everyone out of their shock as they turned to look at him in silence.

"Good, now forgive me for worrying you lot, but this is not a real gun", he said as he showed them the flag now sticking out of the bottom that said in childish writing "Gotcha!" It belongs to a friend of mine who likes to play pranks."

Hakuba sent a grin at his friends who all looked at him flatly. He just shrugged as he smiled and turned to the stewardess who had her own mouth hanging open in shock.

"Please listen to this lovely lady as she explain what we must do if we wish to survive our battle out of the plane."

"R-right", started the stewardess as she began, "there are seven life rafts currently in this section. I will begin deploying them shortly. However, when I open the door, water will rush in. that will give us literally minutes to be ready to leave before our compartment is flooded. I know you are all scared and some of you have children, so please listen. Make sure all women and children have life vests on first. Men, please help support the women and children as they make their way to the surface. Because of the storm, the surface waves will be strong and can easily down a person who is not wearing any flotation device. Please pair up and have at least one floatation device every two people. Once everyone is prepared, I will open the door and begin deploying the life rafts. Help everyone you can get aboard one! Thank you!"

"You heard the lady!" yelled Hakuba as he started back to his own seat, "Call if you need help!"

"Hakuba", said Shianra as she looked around, panic in her eyes. He was surrpsied to see it, considering everyone else had finally calmed down.

"What is it? What's wrong?"

"I can't find Kaito!" she replied as she gazed over the people, "He went to see about some kids and I can't find him. He hasn't come back!"

"I'm sure he is fine, you know how he is when he meets a damsel in distress or a child who needs help."

"That's why I'm worried", she whispered.

Seeing the real fear behind her words, he nodded as he glanced at Aoko. He stepped forward and kissed her deeply before smiling and caressing her cheek.

"Stay with Harley, okay?"

She nodded as he grabbed Shinara's wrist and began pulling her with him through the plane.

"What direction did he go in?"

"Straight back", she answered as she struggled to get past the people and keep up with his fast pace. He kept his hand on her to make sure she didn't get caught in the chaos of a fearful crowd of people packing their things to take with them to the surface. He just hoped they knew better than to try and take too much.

Shinara and Hakuba had just gotten past the third section of their compartment when a young, frantic teenage girl ran smack into Saguru.

"S-sorry", she muttered frantically as she looked up, tears in her eyes before stuttering in surprise as she pointed at Shinara. "You!"

Shianra blinked at her.

"I'm Ami, remember?" she said with frantic eagerness before grabbing both Shinara's and Hakuba's hands with her own, "but that's not important right now. Come with me, please quickly! He needs help!"

He? She wondered as Ami pulled them along. The question was soon answered when a dark curly haired teen came into view, blood pooling beneath it.

"Kaito!" they both yelled as they kneeled by his side.

Hakuba rolled the teen onto his back, noting the pale colored clammy skin. He checked his pulse before sighing in relief.

"He's okay, but I think he took a pretty hard whack to the head. I can't really say what else might be wrong until I get the chance to check him over properly."

"We don't have time", said Shinara, hating that fact even as she said it, "We need to get a life vest on him. If he is unconscious, he won't be able to swim to the surface."

Hakuba quickly stripped off his own as he began to slip it onto his friend.

"What about you?" asked Shinara with surprise. She had been about to take off her own.

"Aoko has one, I will be going to the surface with her. Make sure you stay with him."

Shinara nodded as Hakuba rushed back to the others. As he passed the rows, he noticed a first aid emergency kit on the wall. He grabbed it on the way and stuck it in his backpack as he clipped it around him and turned to Aoko.

"Ready?" he asked her.

"Yeah", she muttered, wrapping her arms around him.

In the back, Shinara gave her own life vest to Ami who had given hers to the children, strapping two in together. The child who sat beside Kaito continued to stare down at him, tears in her eyes.

"Are you alright sweetie?" Shinara asked her.

"He saved me", she whispered, wiping her eyes, "I don't want him to die like papa."

Shinara's heart broke as she grabbed the girl to her. She didn't know whose child she was, but she wasn't going to let her die. She held on to her as she wrapped her other free arm around Kaito and his life vest.

"He won't die. I promise."

The girl could only nod as she clutched the teen with all her strength.

DCDCDCDCDCDC

The door opened not long after. The stewardess fought the rush of water that filled the compartment as she deployed the life rafts with the help of Hakuba and a couple other men. When they were out, people began rushing to get to the surface before they were completely covered in water.

There was no time to think. There was no time to talk or check on loved ones as they fought for each stroke to the surface. The water was freezing around them and the current strong, pushing them back down. Only those with life vests made it up without any real issues, but it was still slow going for those who were clinging onto them, trying to help get them there faster.

Hakuba and Aoko rose to the top of the surface. The wind was incredibly vicious as it turned the water, making for an almost whirlpool like effect. Hakuba strained to fight against it with Aoko holding on to him and his backpack pulling him down lower. Each stroke was a battle, but he finally made his way to an empty life raft a little ways from where the plane went down.

As he pulled himself in and then helped pull Aoko in after him, he could see the floating people in the rough water below. The storm was a fierce one where every wave meant drinking more of the disgusting liquid. He knew the raft would only get further from the plane if he didn't try to keep it there, so he took Aoko's life vest from her and jumped back into the water, grabbing the life rafts ropes as he swam against the current back towards the people. He needed to find the others.

Harley had just gotten to the surface. She choked and spat water as she kept her arms around the two boys who had clinged to her side during the chaos. Rubio and Santo, two teenagers who had been flying back home from Japan where they had visited their Uncle and Aunt. The two were alone on the plane and were frightened when the plane had started going down. They only had one life vest, so she had given them hers to ensure they made it up alright. However when she had started to try to swim to the surface, the two had appeared at her side, lifting her between them, allowing her a free ride to the surface above. She coughed and shivered in the cold water, her tank top and shorts not doing much to help her out, but their combined body heat helped her as they kept her between them, making sure she stayed above the harsh waves wanting to sweep them back down to the deep.

"Harley!" yelled Aoko, spotting the dark skinned girl against the plane's tail end that still stuck out.

"Here!" she shouted as she pointed the two boys in the direction of her friends. The two nodded, both tired from swimming, but they pushed as they worked together to make their way to Hakuba and Aoko. Harley climbed into the raft with their help before the two joined Hakuba with the rope. He sent them a thankful smile for their help as they continued to swim against the current, trying to stay there for other survivors to find.

Shinara held the girl to her chest as she pushed for the surface. Kaito was rising rapidly with the life vest on, but it was still hard to keep her hold on him, as the water pushed back against her. The girl in her arms seemed to be a slipping a little, but she couldn't take the chance of trying to tighten her grip now. If she did release the girl or released her grip on Kaito, there would be no going back, she knew that now.

Breaking the surface had never felt as good as she coughed, sputtering water like crazy. Shinara looked to the little girl against her chest and saw she was still clutching her shirt until her small hands had turned white. 'Good girl' she thought as she then looked to Kaito. The blood was gone from the water rinsing it away, but she had no doubt it would probably begin bleeding again soon if the salt didn't heal the wound faster. She couldn't tell if he was breathing, but there wasn't much she could do about that now. The thought was almost more than she could stand, but she had to, for the child's sake.

"Shinara!" yelled voices.

"Kaito!"

"Anybody!"

"Over here!" she shouted, trying to let them hear her above the storms claps of thunder and the pounding rain the on the ocean's surface. Not to mention the deep, loud groaning that come with the plane sinking lower and lower into the abyss.

"Shinara!" shouted Harley, "I see her! There!"

Shinara kept her hold on Kaitos life vest as she began kicking, trying to get closer to them. She was almost there, when the girl slipped from her grasp.

"No!" she shouted reaching under to grab her. She had let her go!

She had only just reacted when the girl came up again, coughing, her small eyes watering. Shinara stared at her a moment before seeing the hand clutching the back of her shirt. She turned in surprise to Kaito whose eyes were barely open to slits. He gave a small smile before his eyes rolled back in his head and he fell unconscious.

"Kaito!" she yelled, but it was useless, he was out cold again. She made sure to keep her grip tighter on the girl as the raft drew closer.

"How is he?" yelled Hakuba as he grabbed hold of Kaito and Shinara as soon as they were close enough.

Shinara just shook her head. She knew he needed medical attention. She just hoped nothing was seriously wrong. They loaded the girl and Shinara into the raft before then heaving Kaito on board. Hakuba sent Rubio and Santo in next and then he himself climbed in as they began to float further from the wreck. People were still floating, but anyone could see that most had stopped struggling long ago. Still, they called out to those around them, hoping someone would hear their call and answer.

Hakuba looked back at the small party he had in their own raft. Himself, Aoko, Shinara and Kaito, Harley, the brothers, the small child, and another couple and a single man they had rescued along the way. Just how many people died in the crash? He wondered as he looked out across the water.

Just how many more would die, trying to get to land?