Hello lovely readers! After putting up the last chapter I got inspired to write this one. So here I am, giving you another update.
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Lian Yu 2008
Victoria was thankful that by the time that she had stood next to Slade, both Oliver and Shado were completely dressed and heading towards them both. Slade and Oliver stood in front of their group, both men remained silent, Oliver's cheeks were slightly red and Slade didn't want to comment on the state of undress he had found the young man and the Chinese youth.
Looking over at Shado, Victoria's thoughts were swirling in her head. She could tell that her normally no-committed brother seemed to truly to care about the Chinese youth. However, she wasn't sure if they should be getting so intimate already. Had Oliver fully explained everything that had happened on the ship? Did Shado know about his past relationship with Laurel? Should she tell the Chinese woman about it? Shaking her head at the idea.
"How is he doing?" Victoria finally broke the silence.
"Really shaken up. But I am confident he'll end up being alright. How are you? You looked really pale and like you were going to be sick when you and Slade left."
"I am alright now. Was able to talk it out with Slade. I just wish… Wish we could be rid of this island already."
"Perhaps, if given a chance, we might be able to now."
Of course, Victoria silently berated herself if there were soldiers here they had gotten her through some kind of means. Perhaps they would be able to attack them and have some way to get home. Trying to get back to reality she focused her attention on watching how Oliver was doing. Wanting to make sure that he really was going to be alright like Shado had said. It seemed that the time spent with the Chinese youth had calmed Oliver as he now appeared more relaxed. Though his shoulders were rolled and hunched. He wasn't completely better, but it was great seeing rally himself.
They finally stopped Slade held up the picture of the same rock formation that stood in front of them. Shado and Victoria looked at it curiously. Oliver broke from them, looking around the bottom terrain.
"Why were they looking for this place?" Shado asked.
Victoria forced her attention and tried to make out anything special about the large rock. Coming up with nothing, "All I can see is a large rock, nothing special."
"Your guess is as good as mine, Toria."
"Slade!" Oliver voiced below them.
Without thought, Slade backtracked with Toria following closely behind. It took a moment before Toria's eyes made out an opening to a cave. It was covered in foliage and seemed to not have been inhabited for an age.
"Careful." One of her arms rested on his sunburned forearm.
His expression warmed as he sent her a reassuring smile. Before bending down and grasping his hunting knife firmly in his hand.
Gulping down the anxiety in her chest, Victoria followed after him. Her own small pocket knife held tightly. Silently the others trailed them.
Victoria's eyes were blurred from the dark space until Slade pulled out a flashlight. All along the floor of the cave rested skeletons, a lone chest, rope, and other strange items. Oliver hesitatingly stepped forward, face full of disgust.
"What happened to these people?"
Slade looked down that the same corpse as Oliver and plucked the sword resting in its hand. "Whatever did happen, happened over sixty years ago. These soldiers belonged to the Japanese Imperial army."
Of course, Victoria chuckled inwardly, leave it to Slade to recognize something by a weapon or a uniform. She wasn't sure whether it was sexy or in this class, slightly strange.
"They've been here since World War II," Shado put together.
Slade handed the sword over to Victoria. The hilt was still in excellent condition. Victoria enjoyed the weight in her hand. Perhaps she should clean it up, add it to her weapons collection.
"We must be missing something," Slade remarked. Eyes flickering repeatedly over the corpse and space. "People don't come here just for corpses."
Oliver pulled off an arrowhead from one of the said corpses. Slade and Shado's attention drew to the small trinket.
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Slade gently placed the corpse that Oliver had pulled the arrowhead from and placed it down on one of their many crates. "Wonderful, now we have a dead, Japanese soldier in our home," the large Australian deadpanned.
"Not your idea of ideal decor, babe?" Toria quipped.
Slade smirked and stood beside her, about to put his arm around her waist before she stopped him. "You were just carrying a dead corpse a second ago."
Slade rolled his eyes and moved a few inches away.
Shado didn't waste any time as she began looking over the corpse. Her skilled eyes looking over for any possible injuries that might have been the cause of death, "Those soldiers were looking for them, aren't you curious to find out why?"
"I am more interested in how many more of them are there, where they are operating from. They'll be coming for that, which means they'll be coming for us. And as we've all seen, they aren't the friendliest bunch."
Slade got things ready and began walking to the opening of the wrecked plane, "Oliver, come on!" Throwing a backpack into the younger man's arms.
"Come where?"
"To higher ground, we need a good vantage point; where we can establish the enemies position."
"What about Toria and Shado?" Oliver's eyes lingered with longing on the Chinese woman.
"We will be fine here," Shado reassured him.
Toria shook her head in agreement. Forcing her attention to meal preparations, "Ollie, we will look after each other."
"We shouldn't split up," Oliver insisted.
Slade rolled his eyes and continued his movements forward, "Leave Shado to see if she can find something else out. We will be back before either of them knows it."
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Victoria paced the floor. Running a hand through her filthy blonde hair.
"Maybe we should have gone with them?" Victoria said.
"I needed to see what I could make out from the corpse and Slade thought it would be better if we stick in twos."
Victoria sighed. At the time it had seemed a perfectly good idea, now, now she was thinking she should have gone with them. A loud explosion made her jump into the air. It came from outside. Shado jumped closer to her, both of them ducked under wherever they could hide. Panic seized her heart. Where was Slade? Where was Oliver? Were they okay? She had to believe they were going to be okay. Not being able to accept the alternative. Shado looked over at her knowingly. Please God, keep them both safe, Victoria prayed. Folding her hands and joining them. Repeating the prayer until it became a mantra.
Time passed, the sound of explosions continued. Relief and horror at once rose in her chest as shouts were heard muffled outside. Her ears just made out one that sounded like Oliver's while the other sounded like Slade. Without thought, she rose from her spot, aiming to rush to help Slade, when two hands firmly pulled her back down.
"They need our help!"
"We can not help them if we are dead. Wait!"
Feeling trapped and useless, she continued hearing the muffled shouts. Then a loud cry of pain sounded from outside. It was Slade's. She couldn't tell why she just knew it was. They had stopped firing. More tense moments passed, no more missiles sounded from outside. Slowly she rose from her spot and rushed out of the plane. Horror filled her when a half-burnt figure laid on the ground, moaning and groaning in agony. Victoria forced her feet forward. Tears threatened to roll down her cheeks when the burnt features of the man she loved were made known to her eyes. Hands shook as she reached out to touch him. He was crying in pain. The sound cut at her heart.
"Slade." Voice cracking as her knees gave out.
"They took Oliver, I am sorry, Toria," his voice sounding pained by every word.
"Oh Slade." his words only half sinking into her mind. Everything was going too fast to process. "We need to get you to safety. And patch you up." They had to help him, had to save him. One of her hands brushed against the not brunt part of his features.
A hissing sound from his lips. "I wish you did not have to see me like this," he tried to force a smile and then grimace from the effort.
Sob escaped from her mouth before another figure knelt beside her. Eyes quickly flickered to the person, it was Shado. The Asian's eyes flickered over Slade's injuries like the trained nurse she was. "Slade we cannot fully pick you up. You'll have to help us."
"You both should get out of here," Slade said. His eyes looking pleadingly at Victoria.
"We are not leaving you," Toria said back. Trying to convey that there was no way she was leaving him.
With Toria's help, Shado lifted up the large man and they made it into the plane. The journey was slow going and it broke Toria's heart whenever Slade cried out in pain. She knew he was holding some of it back. How much pain was he truly in? Tears continued to roll down her cheeks. But she forced her focus onto the tasks that needed to be done. With their combined help, they placed Slade on his cot.
Shado went straight to work on a balm to help with the burns. Toria knelt at his other side, holding his strong calloused hand in her own. The maimed, black skin that rested on the other side of his face. It was almost more than she could bear, but she bore it, for him. He needed her now. She was not going to leave him for anything.
"This is going to hurt," Shado explained. Beginning to place the balm on his face.
"It looks and smells like, poo," Slade groaned.
Victoria chuckled before offering to help with the balm. Shado declined, focusing her attention on spreading it across his burnt face.
"Doesn't he need it on his chest and leg as well?" Toria asked.
Shado finished spreading it on his face and went to peel off the coat that covered his burnt flesh on his chest. A hiss wheezed between his clenched jaw.
"This will prevent infection," Shado said.
Gently, Victoria began spreading it across the burnt flesh on his chest. The skin and muscles looked mangled and blackened, not at all like she was used to.
"You need to get out of here," Slade whispered with urgency.
"Slade, I am not going to leave you." Eyes hard as she tried to prove her words.
His uninjured hand grasped onto her forearm, gently, eyes warm and misty as he looked up at her pleadingly, "I couldn't live with myself if anything happened to you."
"Then we are in agreement. I am staying here. I am not losing you. And I am not leaving you behind."
"Why do you have to be as stubborn as me sometimes?" Eyes misty as he gently squeezed her arm lovingly.
"I learned from the best."
He began to shiver and pushed the blanket up around his neck.
"Shado, what is happening?" Toria asked, panicked.
"The burns are making his body temperature go down."
Not needing any more of an explanation, Victoria hurried in next to Slade, hugging him close to her. Hoping to give him much-needed body heat. It was strange feeling him so cold underneath her touch. Normally so warm, even burning sometimes.
"Not exactly how I imagined you laying with me," Slade quipped.
Victoria shook her head, eyes rolling before cuddling closer to him. A grimace flashed across his face before he rested his good hand upon her shoulder.
"Not the time to joke, love," she deadpanned
Another wince hissed out from his mouth, "Sorry, trying to relieve the tension."
A second passed. His shaking body under her arms. It isn't how I pictured it either. Just be alright, Slade. The voice in her mind so loud it seemed to be screaming. Where was Oliver? Why had they taken him? What would she do if they did not end up alright? She shook the thought away. The sound of his heart beneath her ear reassured her that he was still alive. And yet, it was fantastic. Not calm and steady as it should be. Shado looked down at her, Toria turned a concerned expression to the Asian woman. Wanting to tell her about Slade's heart rate but not wanting to distress him. Hoping that he couldn't see her crying, as the tears cascaded down her cheek. Gently tightening her grip around him.
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