Chapter 11: Being Human
Somewhere inside the forest, eleven mercenaries stand around idly while carrying huge duffel bags over their shoulders. One of them looks down at the tablet in his hands and observes what the drone is showing to him on the screen. Another mercenary walks over to him on his left, and unlike the others who are wearing black ski masks over their heads, this particular mercenary openly shows off his blonde flat top hair, light blue eyes and the diagonal scar across his left cheek.
"Do you have visual?" The mercenary asked in an Eastern European accent.
"Yes, captain." The mercenary staring at his tablet responded as he sees five heat signatures lying face-up through the walls of the yacht on screen. "All five targets are inside the boat."
"Good work, Sykes." The Eastern European mercenary said before slightly tilting his head to the side and spoke to a radio attached to the left shoulder strap of his harness. "Keido, sir, we have found them."
"Excellent work, Captain Andronov. Find and capture Inori Yuzuriha. Kill the others."
"Understood." Andronov responded before turning off his radio. He and Sykes look back and nod their heads to each other before the latter turns off and puts his tablet aside on his back. Andronov turned to the other mercenaries behind them and yelled, "Get ready!"
All eleven mercenaries including Andronov and Sykes waste no time kneeling and placing their duffel bags down on the ground. Within less than two minutes, the mercenaries unzip their bags, take out their rifles, attach the scopes, flashlights, magazines and silencers onto their weapons and get back up. Sykes takes out his tablet again with his left hand before Andronov gave an order to his men, "Let's go!"
Everyone except Sykes swiftly held up their rifles and they all cautiously make their way to the drone's last known location. During their journey, Sykes would occasionally look down at the screen of his tablet to help guide his fellow men towards their destination.
After twenty-five minutes, the mercenaries arrive at the abandoned village. After walking past ten empty wooden houses, they arrive at the center of the village where they see Sykes's drone still hovering in the air and filming the docked yacht in front of it in the distance. Sykes looks down at his tablet again and confirms Shu, Inori, Haruka, Ricky and Darren are still sleeping soundly inside the large boat when he sees their heat signatures have not moved away from their positions. He turns to Andronov and nods his head.
Quietly, Andronov turns to five mercenaries behind him on his right and gestures them to head inside the yacht. The five of them lower their rifles and stealthily make their way through the village, past the drone and towards the boat.
When they arrive at the other end of the pier, the five men carefully step onto the stern, climb up to the top floor via the stairs and make their way down to the interior of the yacht, all while making as little sound as possible. Upon arriving at the sliding door at the bottom of the spiral staircase, one of the mercenaries activates his radio on the left shoulder strap of his harness and asked Sykes, "What now?"
Staring at his tablet, Sykes sees the heat signatures of his fellow mercenaries standing behind the door that separates them and the two teenagers. Recognizing the figure with pigtails over their shoulders to be Inori, Sykes turns to Andronov and said to his leader, "Two figures behind the door. One is on the floor, while our real target is on the couch."
Andronov slightly tilts his head to his left and activates his radio.
"Our target, Inori Yuzuriha, is on the couch. Eliminate the one on the floor." He said to his men at the yacht.
After hearing his instructions, one of the mercenaries takes out a syringe to sedate Inori while another draws out his combat knife. As the other three mercenaries stand back, the one with the syringe slowly slides the door open. As he and the other mercenary with his knife slowly enter the interior of the yacht, they look at the floor and couch in front of them.
To their surprise, they could only see blankets and a sleeping mat, but no sign of the teenagers anywhere. After thoroughly looking around the room, the mercenary with a knife activates his radio and whispered, "Hey Sykes! Is your drone broken? We can't-HUH?!"
To the shock of the mercenaries, Inori suddenly burst out from behind the bathroom door near the drink and weapons cabinet and at the right side of the interior of the yacht. Before the mercenary with his knife could react, Inori runs over to him and throws a punch across his right cheek with her left fist, sending him rolling over the floor and dropping his weapon in the process.
The other mercenary goes over and swings his syringe diagonally at Inori's left shoulder. The girl quickly dodges it by moving to her right. She jumps in the air and performs a spinning kick across the left side of the mercenary's head, which sends him rolling over the floor as well.
As soon as Inori lands on the floor, she looks up and sees the other three mercenaries aiming their rifles at her. When they fire, she quickly turns to her right and runs away as the bullets flew past her and splattered all over the sofa and wall instead.
"After her!" One of the mercenaries shouted as the remaining three now got inside the large room. However, as soon as they turn to the direction where the girl ran off to, Inori swiftly runs back to the nearest mercenary, grabs the barrel of his rifle and holds it up before he pulls the trigger, firing a few bullets at the ceiling instead. She swiftly throws a punch at the right side of his lower torso and pulls the rifle out of his hands. As soon as the mercenary looks up at her, Inori swings his own rifle horizontally at him and slams the stock of his weapon across the left side of his head. After the mercenary slumps onto the floor, the other two yelp in fear as they try to hold up their rifles, but Inori quickly runs over to them before they can fire.
When all he could hear was screaming from the other side, Andronov shouted at his radio, "Pires! Armstrong! Vucic! What's going on?!"
As the screams continue, Andronov grumbles under his breath as he deactivates his radio and turns to Sykes and the other four mercenaries.
"They have engaged the enemy! Let's get in there now!" Andronov ordered his men. After Sykes puts away his tablet, they all hold up their rifles and quickly make their way through the village and over to the yacht to help their fellow mercenaries.
However, when someone hiding inside a house behind the mercenaries on their right sees them nearing the hovering drone, he holds up a stick-like device and presses the button on top of it.
The drone suddenly explodes in front of Andronov, Sykes and the other mercenaries, sending all of them flying and falling to the ground by the impact of the explosion.
As soon as all six men hit the ground, Ricky tosses away the device, picks up his baton from the floor, and runs to the back of the house. After climbing through a window, Ricky rolls over the ground and makes a 180 degree turn as he runs his way over to the fallen mercenaries.
Andronov was the first to get up from the ground. He sees Ricky running towards him and he goes over to his enemy with his rifle in his hands. When they are near each other, Ricky swings his baton downwards at the top of his head. Andronov quickly holds his rifle up horizontally to deflect his attack and it sends Ricky stumbling back. When the mercenary sees an opening, he quickly swings his rifle horizontally and hits Ricky across his right cheek with the stock of his weapon. After stumbling to his left, Ricky turns back to Andronov in time to see him aiming his rifle at him. But before he could pull the trigger, a dart swiftly flew over his right shoulder, causing him to yelp and lower his rifle.
Andronov whirls about and sees Haruka standing near the burning debris from the drone. Realizing she missed her shot; she cursed herself while lowering her dart gun. As the other five mercenaries got back up, Sykes and two others held up their rifles and fire at Haruka. The woman yelps as the bullets flew past her, and she quickly turn to her left and run back to the wooden house where she originally hid.
"After her!" Andronov ordered his men. As Sykes and the others pursue her, Ricky fully regains his composure and goes over to Andronov from behind. He swings his baton diagonally and successfully hits him on the back of his head. The mercenary groans as he stumbles forward. He lets out an angry yell while he turns around and swings his rifle horizontally at Ricky, who dodges the attack by backing away. He quickly swings his baton upward to knock the rifle out of Andronov's hands. As the mercenary stumbles back, Ricky swings his baton downward at his head. Andronov quickly grabs the baton with his hands, stopping his attack mid-swing. Ricky quickly lifts his left leg up and stomps on the mercenary's right kneepad, causing him to groan and release his weapon as he stumbles back again. He growls at Ricky as the mercenary held up his fists in front of him.
"How the hell do you know we're coming?" Andronov asked Ricky.
"Please. You think we are heavy sleepers? As soon as your drone came near our location from a distance, my boat security system instantly scans every type of image of us before we were woken up by its alarm. Knowing that it detects our presence through heat signatures, the system sent the last thermal images it took of us over to the drone and fool you all that we are still sleeping like logs. After that, we head over to the village, plant a bomb underneath the drone and await your arrival so we can perform our ambush." Ricky explained while holding his baton in front of him.
Andronov scoffed in response. "Clever. And now you are trying to take down an unarmed man with that weapon of yours. Just like a snake."
Ricky narrows his eyes at the mercenary for a moment before tossing his baton away. Andronov smirks as he watches his opponent hold up his own fists in front of him.
"Let's see who the real snake is." Ricky said flatly.
Andronov yells as he and Ricky run up to each other and swing their fists directly at the left side of each other's faces.
Meanwhile, Haruka arrives at the wooden house where she originally hid. She hurriedly climbs up a small flight of stairs before entering through the main doorway.
As Sykes and the other four mercenaries continue pursuing her while making their way over to the house, they fail to notice Darren running up to them from behind. The bespectacled man swings his baton diagonally onto the back of the head of one of them, sending him collapsing to the ground face first. As Sykes and another mercenary kept running towards the house, two others stopped and turned around to face Darren.
Darren quickly goes over to the mercenary on his right and swings his baton horizontally across the right side of his head. As he falls to the ground, the other mercenary holds up his rifle at Darren. The bespectacled man quickly turns to him, grabs the barrel of his rifle with his left hand and holds it up high. Before the mercenary could pull the trigger to alert his allies, Darren thrusts the baton in his other hand directly onto his abdomen. The man groans in pain as he releases his rifle and stumbles back.
Darren briefly pulls the rifle back and thrusts the butt of the gun at the mercenary's face, hitting it directly onto his nose. The mercenary stumbles back once more before Darren goes over and delivers an overhead strike onto the top of his head with his baton. The mercenary yelps as he falls to the ground on his back and slips unconscious.
One of the mercenaries whom Darren took out earlier gets back up on his feet and aims his rifle at the back of the bespectacled man's head. Darren swiftly whirls about and throws the baton directly onto his forehead. The mercenary yells and throws his head back in pain as he drops his rifle, falls to the ground again and passes out this time. Darren sighs as he tosses the rifle in his left hand away.
At the house, Sykes and the other mercenary shine their flashlights and look around the living area. After briefly staring at the doorway to the room in front of them, Sykes gestures the other mercenary to get over there. The mercenary obliged and walks away while Sykes goes over to the other doorway on his right.
Shortly after Sykes entered the room, Shu suddenly goes over to him on his left and swings a clay pot in his left hand down onto the top of his head, causing him to yell and stumble to the right.
As soon as the other mercenary entered the other room, he heard the sound of a breaking pot coming from the other side of the house, causing him to turn around. He was about to leave and find out what was going on, until a dart stabs through the back of his right shoulder. The man groans in pain as he falls on his knees and collapses to the floor face first. Haruka steps out of the shadows and goes over to the fallen mercenary from behind to make sure he is down.
At the other room, Sykes quickly recovers and swings his rifle horizontally at Shu as he turns and goes over to him. The boy quickly backs away to dodge the attack before swinging the baton in his right hand down at his head. Sykes holds up his rifle to block the attack before he lifts his right leg up and delivers a kick to Shu's stomach. As Shu stumbles back, he quickly grabs a portable stove from the floor behind him and throws it directly at Sykes's face before the mercenary could fire his rifle. Sykes yelps as he holds up his rifle diagonally in front of him to block the stove, but the collision still sends him stumbling back. Shu takes the opportunity to run over and thrust the baton right into Sykes's abdomen. The man groans in pain as he leans forward, and Shu lifts his right knee up to kick him in the chest. Sykes stumbles back again for a brief moment before he holds up his rifle horizontally in front of him, charges at Shu and tackles him to the floor. As Shu now lies on his back, Sykes stays on top of him and pushes his rifle down on the boy's chest. Shu tries to swing his baton onto the mercenary's back, but Sykes quickly swings his arm and knocks the baton off his hand before pushing his weight down on the boy again. Shu yells in pain as he struggles to break free, and the weight was starting to become unbearable for him.
That is until Sykes suddenly yelps and throws his head back with his eyes wide as a dart stabs through the back of his neck. As Sykes closes his eyes and slumps his head down, Shu pushes the now unconscious mercenary off to the side and sees Haruka standing above him and beside the doorway while lowering her dart gun. Feeling relieved to see he was alright, Haruka smiled weakly and extended her left hand to her stepson. Shu quietly nods back to his stepmother before grabbing her hand, allowing her to help pull him up from the floor.
Back at the center of the village, Ricky whirls around as he stumbles back from another powerful punch across his left cheek from Andronov. The dark blonde-haired man yells as he runs up to Andronov again and delivers several punches at him, but the mercenary was quick to block all his attacks with his arms. Ricky tries to throw an uppercut, but Andronov grabs his knuckles and uses his right fist to punch his opponent across his left cheek again. As he releases his fist, Andronov throws another punch across his right cheek before jumping up and delivers a kick to his chest, sending Ricky sprawling through the ground.
After landing back down on his feet, Andronov tilts his head side to side and commented, "Is that all you got?"
After a few deep breaths, Ricky closes his eyelids, lifts his legs up, and throws himself back up on his feet. He tilts his head side to side as well before quietly holding up his fists while glaring at his opponent.
Andronov suddenly runs up to Ricky and swings his right leg at the left side of his torso. Ricky deflects his leg with his left arm before throwing a punch across the mercenary's left cheek with his right fist. The dark blonde-haired man takes the opportunity to grab the sides of his head, brings it down and throws a kick to his face with his right knee. Andronov yelps and stumbles back for a moment before Ricky jumps up and delivers a twirling kick to the left side of his head.
After stumbling to the side, Andronov delivers an uppercut to Ricky's abdomen with his right fist. Ricky yelps as he bends forward, allowing Andronov to bring down his left elbow onto his back. Ricky falls to the ground face first and quickly rolls to his left before Andronov brings down his right foot onto where he originally laid. As Ricky gets back up on his right knee, Andronov goes over and swings his left fist at the right side of his head. The dark blonde-haired man swings his right arm to the side to deflect his left arm before swiftly throwing his right fist into Andronov's abdomen. The mercenary stumbles back and Ricky yells as he now gets up on both feet, makes a brief run and tackles Andronov onto the ground.
Ricky gets off from the mercenary and rolls over to his right before both men get back up on their feet at the same time. Andronov runs up to his opponent again, only for Ricky to deliver a swift kick to his right knee with his left foot, causing him to yell in pain as he stumbles back. Ricky goes over and delivers another kick to Andronov with his right foot, this time to his abdomen. As the mercenary stumbles back further, Ricky runs up to him again and finishes him off by jumping in the air and delivering a twirling kick to the left side of his head, sending the mercenary falling to the ground on his back. After landing back down, Ricky quickly turns to him, lifts his right foot up and stomps on Andronov's forehead to knock him out.
The dark blonde-haired man backs away and stares at the unconscious mercenary for a few seconds. Confirming that his opponent is now unconscious, Ricky elicits a heavy sigh and lets his arms droop limply at his sides. He turns his head to his right and sees Shu, Haruka and Darren running over to him.
"The other men have been dealt with." Shu reported.
"Good." Ricky said with a nod.
"Everyone."
Upon hearing her voice, Shu and the others turn to Inori as she runs over to them.
"Inori." Shu said to her in relief.
"I've taken care of the men who boarded the yacht. I've thrown them off at the shore too." Inori said.
"Let's get the hell out of here." Ricky said. Without hesitation, the five ran past the area where they had their dinner earlier and made their way back to their yacht.
Suddenly, Andronov snaps his eyes open and sits himself back up on the ground. He draws out his pistol from the left side of his harness, aims at Shu and the others for only a second and fires a shot at them.
Shu, Inori, Haruka, Ricky and Darren swiftly came to a halt when they were startled by the gunshot. The five of them briefly stood still until the stepmother gave a weak moan. The others turn to Haruka and drop their jaws in horror upon seeing a pool of blood forming at the lower left side of her sleeveless top. After eliciting another moan, Haruka closes her eyelids, slumps to the ground and lies on the right side of her body.
"NOOOOO!" Shu cried in horror. But before he could go over to her, Andronov fires another bullet, causing Shu to stop again as it flew past him.
"Shu!" Inori cried as she runs over to him. She grabs his arm and pulls him to safety as they turn around and run away.
"Run!" Ricky shouted at Darren as both men turn to the opposite direction of where Inori and Shu head off and run for their lives.
Still angered at his defeat, Andronov turns to Ricky and fires his pistol at him. The dark blonde-haired man yelled as the bullet grazed across the back of his right thigh. Darren stops and turns around to see Ricky fall to the ground face first. As the bespectacled man runs back and kneels beside Ricky on his left to help him get up, Andronov aims his pistol at Darren and pulls the trigger again. However, the weapon only makes a click as its magazine has run out of bullets.
Andronov yells angrily as he tosses his empty gun away. He opens a pouch at the right side of his belt and takes out a grenade. Removing the safety pin, Andronov holds up his grenade and yells again as he readies to throw it at Darren and Ricky, who just got up on his right knee. The two men turn and stare at the mercenary in horror as they prepare for the worst.
Suddenly, a bullet flies over and shoots through the grenade, causing it to explode and killing Andronov in the process. As the deceased mercenary falls to the ground with his lifeless body engulfed in flames, Inori lowers her pistol which she took from the yacht's weapon cabinet while standing in front of Shu. Darren helps Ricky fully get back up on his feet as the dark blonde-haired man narrows his eyes at the burning corpse.
"Tch. Snake." Ricky muttered. With the threat now gone, Shu runs past Inori and over to where his injured stepmother lay.
"Haruka! Haruka!" Shu cried as he quickly went over to her side and got down on his knees. He turns and adjusts her body to have her lie on her back. With tears starting to form in his eyes, he sobs as he not only sees the pool of blood on her sleeveless top growing bigger, but also the color of her skin is turning paler.
"No…no…no…." He sobbed as Inori now kneels beside him. "Haruka!"
"S-Shu…" Haruka managed to choke out, breathing heavily and wincing in pain as Darren and Ricky kneel beside her on her left.
"Bring her back to the yacht now!" Ricky yelled at everyone.
"Haruka, please! Hang in there!" Shu cried pleadingly at his stepmother while Darren now carefully slid and put his right arm underneath the woman's thighs, and the other below her back. As Haruka closes her eyes and slumps her head to the side, Darren slowly gets back up on his feet and cradles the injured woman in his arms.
"Haruka!" Shu wailed one more time as he looked up at her with tears cascading down his cheeks.
"Shu." Inori said firmly to him as she placed her left hand on his right shoulder. Shu immediately fell silent as he turned to see her. "We'll save her."
"Move!" Ricky yelled. As Darren hurriedly runs past the teenagers while carrying Haruka in his arms, Shu gets up as he whirls about and the boy scurries alongside him and his stepmother.
When Inori sees Ricky wincing in pain from the wound behind his right thigh, she gets up and goes over to help him. She wraps his left arm around the back of her shoulders, and as she stands up, she carefully pulls Ricky back up on his feet.
"Thanks." Ricky said to Inori. The girl nodded before she and Ricky follow the others from behind, with the latter limping beside her.
They quickly traverse the shore where five unconscious men whom Inori removed from the yacht earlier are lying around. They walk across the pier and board the yacht. Upon arriving at the top of the large boat, Darren quickly brings Haruka down to its interior while Shu follows him from behind. After removing his arm from her back, Ricky orders Inori to drive the yacht away from the village. She obliged and went over to the cockpit while Ricky walked down the stairs, ignoring the pain from his wound as saving Haruka is the only priority in his mind right now.
As Inori sat on the driver's seat, she hurriedly turned on the lights, flipped the controls and pulled down the lever to bring up the anchor. After the anchor is fully raised, she pushes down the gear beside her, grabs the steering wheel and drives the boat away to anywhere but the village.
Knowing the possibility that the enemy may still be pursuing them; Inori chose not to drive in the direction towards Singapore. Instead, she keeps sailing straight for the next fifteen minutes until they arrive at an open area out in the sea where they are far away from any form of land with absolutely nothing around them in sight.
After looking at the radar for the umpteenth time to make sure nobody is within their proximity, Inori finally slows the yacht down by gently pressing her foot down on the brake pedal, bringing it to an eventual halt. She pushes up the gear, brings down the anchor and turns off the lights before getting off the driver's seat and hurrying down to the bottom of the yacht to rejoin everyone.
When everyone present in the bedroom hears the door open, they turn their attention to Inori and see her standing at the doorway with her eyes wide. Breathing heavily, the girl takes a moment to assess the situation in front of her.
While lying and resting on the double bed with her legs underneath the sheets, Haruka slumps her head to her left as she continues breathing and wincing in pain. Ricky has since wrapped several bandages around her lower torso to cover up her gunshot wound, but it would seem it was not enough to improve the stepmother's dire condition.
As he sat beside her at the right side of the bed, Shu held tightly onto his stepmother's left hand, whimpering and breathing shakily as he gazed into her eyes and prayed hopelessly that she would stay alive a little longer.
Finally, there were Ricky and Darren who both stood at the other side of the bed with their heads lowered and staring dishearteningly at the patient. The two men have clearly done everything they can to help Haruka, but to no avail.
Feeling as if the sight of the woman who had taken such great care of her for the last four days had ripped her heart in two, Inori walked over to the right side of the double bed and positioned herself beside Shu. Placing her fingers on the right side of Haruka's throat, she said dejectedly to everyone present in the room, "She is dying."
Shu, Ricky and Darren turned to Inori and gasped in horror upon hearing her words. The brown-haired boy especially felt as if his gut had been twisted, and his eyes were soon flooded with tears again.
"She lost too much blood." Ricky uttered as he and Darren looked back at the patient.
"No! That's not true!" Shu bellowed, turning back to his stepmother as well. As the others watched, he moves closer to Haruka and wraps his right arm around the back of her shoulders while still struggling to hold onto her left hand.
"Haruka, you can't die!" The boy sobbed at her. "You can't…"
As she feels her own tears pouring out from her eyes, Haruka gulps and manages to speak barely above a whisper, "It's alright, Shu…it's alright…"
"No, it isn't!" Shu yelled hoarsely as he unsuccessfully tried to fight the tears that are now flowing freely down his cheeks. "I've lost my father…my friends…my childhood…my old home in Japan…how can I afford to lose you too?!"
Weeping silently, Haruka slowly reaches out her right hand to her stepson and caresses her fingers across his left cheek to wipe away his tears. As the woman failed to stop a harsh sob from escaping her throat, Darren, Ricky and Inori stood quietly as they frown and watch hopelessly at the pitiful spectacle.
"H-How I wish…we had more time…" Haruka said weakly as another tear flows freely down her cheek. Unable to speak, Shu nods his head to her as she tried to lean her face closer to him. "I love you…S-Shu…"
Shu takes a hard gulp and lowers his head for a few moments as many memories of him and Haruka came flooding back into his mind. Although Haruka was not his mother by blood, he cannot deny that she has tried her very best to not only become closer with him but also help bring their lives back to normalcy after his father's death. To prove to him that although they nearly lost everything that day, at least they still had each other. But only now he was sitting at her deathbed did he realize she had proven how much she truly cared for him for the last seven years.
There were all the times when they bid farewell to each other before he headed off to another day at school. All the times when she tried to comfort him at home after experiencing another awful day over there. All the times when she tried to cheer him up by taking him on an outdoor trip to the beach, the countryside or the amusement park. All the birthdays and dinners they spent together before he was 15. Haruka was always there by his side whenever he needed someone to remind him that everything is going to be alright.
Shu felt ashamed of himself as his eyes brimmed with tears again, for he now realized that he was only hurting himself further by avoiding and resenting Haruka all this time. Knowing this could very well be the last moment that they can spend together as a family, Shu lifts his head up and looks back at Haruka with tearstained eyes.
"I love you too…M-Mom…" Shu said softly. With her tears now a mixture of sorrow and joy, Haruka manages to crack a weak smile as she bows her head to him with gratitude. The two silently weep as they painfully stare into each other's eyes, planning to stay that way until the stepmother's last dying breath.
"Shu…Haruka…" Inori suddenly broke the silence between them.
After the Oumas slowly turn their heads to the girl, Inori leans forward and gently places her hands on the area where Haruka's wound was.
"W-what are you…" Shu trails off as he and Haruka curiously watch Inori closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. Darren and Ricky look on in bewilderment as well as everyone is wondering what the girl is about to do next. Their answer came a few seconds later when Inori began singing in a soft and calm voice.
Saita no no hana yo
Aa douka oshiete okure
Hito wa naze kizutsukeatte
Arasou no deshou
After singing the first verse of her song, Haruka groans as she suddenly felt a strange sensation happening to her wound. Shu, Darren and Ricky watched idly in awe.
Rin to sakuhanayo
Soko kara naniga mieru
Hito wa naze yurushiau koto
Dekinaino deshou
As Inori kept singing to keep herself focused, Haruka was surprised to find herself starting to breathe normally as she feels her wound patching up to arrest her continued blood loss. She and Shu look down at her left hand and they are astonished to see her skin returning to its normal color as well.
Ame ga sugite natsu wa
Ao wo utsushita
Hitotsu ni natte
Chiisaku yureta
Watashi no mae de
Nani mo iwazu ni
The girl removes her hands from Haruka's body when she brings her singing to an end. The stepmother gently placed her left hand on where her gunshot wound was, and to her surprise, she could not feel an ounce of pain upon touching it. She had been healed.
"N-n-no way…" Haruka stammered in disbelief.
"She's all patched up." Darren uttered with his eyes wide.
"Unbelievable…" Ricky said incredulously.
The stepmother slowly turned her head to Shu, who continued staring blankly at her while trying to comprehend what had just happened. Soon, the boy bites down his lower lip as tears pooled in his eyes once more. And this time, they were not tears of sorrow, but relief. Shuddering violently, Shu lowers his head and quietly thanks the Almighty for showing him mercy before looking back at Haruka with a wide smile that he manages to crack up.
"Mom…" Shu uttered.
With her heart warming up, Haruka sobbed and burst into tears again as she said joyfully, "Shu…"
Without hesitation, Shu threw himself against Haruka and hugged her tightly as he openly wept on her right shoulder. Haruka returns the hug, and she too cried on her stepson's right shoulder as her emotions overwhelmed her. Not caring about Inori, Darren and Ricky, who all smile in relief that the stepmother is going to be alright, Shu and Haruka spent a long period of time clinging to each other and cherishing their rare moment of joy and solace.
When Shu and Haruka finally calmed down about ten minutes later, they let go of each other as the stepmother began to feel exhausted. She simply dozed off on the bed a few seconds later, and Inori checked her pulse to confirm that her breathing remains normal after her healing. When she did, Shu, Darren and Ricky were relieved from their doubts, and they all let Haruka be. They quietly leave the bedroom and close the door behind them.
Inori heals the wound on the back of Ricky's right thigh while Shu goes into the bathroom to wash himself up. When the girl is done, she decides to go back up to the top of the yacht and stay awake for a while to look out for any enemy presence within their proximity before returning to sleep. Ricky thanked Inori for all her help before she turned around, walked over to the stairs and closed the sliding door behind her.
Ricky and Darren go over to the couch and remove the bullets from the damaged cushions before the bespectacled man sits down and exhales while lowering his head.
"What a night." Darren said wearily.
"You can say that again." Ricky responded while walking over to the drink cabinet with his hands in his pockets. "At least the drinks are still intact. Can I get you anything?"
"Got something non-alcoholic for me?" Darren asked, looking back at him. The dark blonde-haired man takes a can of coke from one of the shelves and turns to his bespectacled friend.
"Help yourself." Ricky said as he tosses the drink can over to him. Darren easily catches it with his hand and pulls the lid, letting some fumes burst out from the top.
"Thanks." Darren smiled and briefly raised his can to Ricky before taking a sip of his drink. After pulling off the cap from a beer bottle in his right hand, Ricky places the opener aside and walks back to where his friend is sitting. He too lets out a heavy sigh as he sat beside Darren on his right and slumps back on the couch.
"Who would have thought that people like her exist in our world too?" Darren asked as Ricky takes a sip of his beer. After taking a gulp, the dark blonde-haired man sits up and turns to him with an arched eyebrow.
"What do you mean people like her? There's more?" Ricky asked in bewilderment.
"That's right." Darren nodded to him. "More people who can heal injuries with their own hands live in the world that we're taking her to."
"Piss off." Ricky rolls his eyes as he turns his head away from him.
"Oh, I'm serious." Darren said flatly as he points a finger at his own face. Ricky looks back at him with a frown. "See my face? Do I look like I'm doing a stand-up routine right now?"
"Maybe." Ricky shrugged. "Then again, I don't even know what to believe anymore."
He and Darren both slump back on the couch and stare silently at the door in front of them for a few seconds. They take another sip of their drinks before Ricky decides to speak up again.
"Every human weapon of Matou Industries I've ever encountered can have their wounds patched up within seconds. But never had I met one who can heal others. No wonder why Keido wants her so badly." Ricky said. Darren nodded in agreement as he continued staring straight.
"That is why she must never fall into the wrong hands. Anyone's hands. No matter what." Darren said.
Ricky turned to Darren and said flatly, "You better be right that this world you are talking about exists. Now, it's the only place I can think of where she can be safe forever."
Without saying a word, Darren looked back at Ricky and gave him a solemn nod in return.
Shu suddenly steps out of the bathroom and stands in front of the sliding door to look at Darren and Ricky.
"Hey, have you seen Inori?" Shu asked.
"She went up to keep watch." Darren replied.
"Arigatou." Shu bows his head to him before turning around and walking over to the door. He slides it open, steps out of the room, and closes it behind him.
As the lights shine at both sides of the yacht and above the cockpit, Shu arrives at the top and sees Inori standing behind the parapet at the starboard while seemingly staring blankly at the ocean in front of her. Slowly, he walks over and approaches the girl from behind.
"Inori." Shu greeted. Removing her hands from the parapet, Inori turns around and sees him.
"Shu." Inori responded before walking over to him. The two teenagers now find themselves standing in front of each other and beside the dining table.
"Why didn't you tell us sooner that you have this power?" Shu inquired.
Beset by genuine confusion, Inori frowned at her superior and replied, "Because…only now did I remember I have."
The two stared quietly at each other for a few seconds before Inori gave her explanation.
"As I watched Haruka lying on the bed in pain…and you sitting beside her…I…I suddenly…" Inori stammered as her voice grew hoarse. "I remembered my parents…" Shu widens his eyes with his mouth agape. "Shu…I did have a family before I was taken in by Matou Industries…I remembered them now…and how they died…"
As he sees the girl now shuddering violently, Shu quickly goes over and pulls her into a tight embrace to calm her down. Breathing shakily, Inori wraps her arms around her superior as well and rests her chin on his left shoulder.
"It's okay, Inori. Calm down. And tell me everything." Shu said soothingly to her.
Inori takes another deep breath before continuing, "I could…I could see myself…as a small child…singing to my parents every night…Every time I do that…especially when they were sick…it makes them happy…and they believe someday…I could grow up to do the same for everyone." Inori paused for a moment to take a hard gulp. "And one day…they came…and killed my parents while they were in bed…I rushed over to them…they looked at me…they were hurt…so I tried singing to them…but they would not respond…and that's when they came in…and took me away…"
"But when do you realize you had the ability to heal others?" Shu asked.
"It happened during my first month in the facility…" Inori struggled to explain as her emotions are slowly overwhelming her. "In one of my earliest training sessions…my friend Gai and I were both injured during the fight…and when we walked out of the room…Gai fell to the floor because his leg was hurt badly…his healing was not as fast as mine back then…so I kneeled by his side for a while…and that's when I realize…as I placed my hand over his bruise…it healed…and so for a while…after every session…I would help patch up his injuries in return for protecting me from Matou Industries' men…"
Shu and Inori now pull away from their embrace and look straight into each other's eyes again.
"But as the months go by…I became selfish…cynical…ignorant…" The girl said hoarsely. "I stopped caring for Gai…I forgot that I could heal altogether…I only cared about praise and admiration from my superiors…and so on the day of the live fire exercise…after he protected me one last time…I let him die…" Shu could feel Inori clutching the sides of his jacket. "And the next day…when I found your father bleeding to death…I let him die too…"
Shu widens his eyes and lets out a soft gasp.
"Shu…I'm so sorry…" Inori said apologetically upon seeing the shock on her superior's face. "I didn't-"
"Inori…your eyes…" Shu said.
As her vision became blurry, Inori backs away from Shu and wipes her eyes. Upon seeing a tear on her finger, she widens her eyes and gasps as well before she murmured, "Water…in my eyes…"
As the boy stood and watched, Inori shakes her head and whimpered as her tears keep coming and flow down her cheeks like tiny rivers, "No…this can't be…Why is this happening…I'm not…I'm not proud of what I did…"
The girl suddenly falls on her knees and pulls the sides of her hair as she fails to fight back her tears any longer.
"Gai was right…I couldn't save him…I couldn't save Kurosu…I'm not a protector…I'm not human either…I'm a monster!" She bellowed in front of Shu.
Now overwhelmed with shame and remorse of her actions, Inori places her hands on her knees and bows her head in front of Shu as she sobs in despair and inconsolable grief. Her superior frowns as all he could do was stand by and watch the pitiful display.
Inori felt sick. She is sick of what she had done. Even if she had forgotten she could heal others, it does not excuse the fact that she let Gai and Kurosu die from their injuries. Throughout her life, she always thought she was meant to be the perfect soldier to protect everyone around her. But how can she when she could not save the ones who cared for her the most? And now that everything she was taught was a lie too, there is no hiding and defending her actions anymore. Gai and Kurosu are dead because of her selfishness. She deserves scorn from her former friend, and she has no one to blame but herself.
But what about Shu? What will he think of her now? Now that he has learnt the truth that she let his father die, how can he ever trust and rely on her again? How can he forgive her for letting the man who raised him die? No. He wouldn't. Just like Gai, Shu has every right to hate her now, and he will never let the girl who refuse to save his father when she had the chance be his friend and protector again. She has nothing left now and does not deserve sympathy from anyone. As Gai rightly said in her mind again and again, she truly is a monster.
While Inori kept crying with her tears splashing on her hands, Shu quietly goes closer and kneels in front of her. Gently, the boy cups her chin and lifts her head up to have her face him. As her sobs begin to subside, Inori stares at Shu with puffy red eyes as she awaits the worst verdict from her former friend.
But to her surprise, Shu gently removes his hand from her chin and pulls her into another warm embrace to comfort the heartbroken girl. The boy closes his eyelids and rubs her back as he rests his chin on her left shoulder.
"I-I…I don't understand…I couldn't save your father…why would you still want to be with me?" Inori whimpered incredulously. She could feel Shu shaking his head.
"What happened to my father was not your fault. It was Matou Industries." Shu explained. "They were the ones who sent their men to kill your parents and take you away. They were the ones who pulled your strings and stripped you of your humanity. I'll never forgive them. But I'll always be by your side, Inori."
As more tears form in her eyes, Inori lets out another sob as she wraps her arms around her superior again and holds him tightly.
"You may not be able to save your friend and my father…but you remembered you had this power in time to save my mother…and I thank you." Shu said softly.
Inori sniffed for a moment before she replied, "And I thank you too…for making me realize…what it means to be human again…to live normally…and free…"
However, as if her words had struck his heart, Shu opens his eyes again with his brows furrowed.
"Sometimes, I wonder what it really means to be human." Shu murmured. After he and Inori pull away from each other, the girl quickly notices the pensive frown on her superior's face.
"For all our talk about keeping our heads high and moving forward, there will also be another tragedy waiting for us in the future to remind us of the harsh reality of life." Shu paused for a moment to elicit a heavy sigh. "I was only ten when I lost my father. I was so shaken to the core…that now I can only imagine how many opportunities I've missed for the last seven years…I even contemplated ending my own life…until you showed up to become my friend…and as we learnt to reconnect with our humanity…I was finally feeling happy again…but when my mother was on the brink of death…it all came flooding back to me…reminding me how easy it is to lose the things you care and desire the most all over again…"
Shu bites down on his lower lip as he struggles to hold back a sob.
"And now with the possibility of never seeing you again…what else do I have to lose?" Shu asked hoarsely with his eyes flooded with tears. "Why am I always being forced to lose the things that are precious to me? Why can't life ever let me decide the way I want it to be? How can I ever be happy with myself this way?!" Unable to hold them back, Shu grimaced as he lowered his head and closed his eyelids, allowing his tears to flow freely down his cheeks. "My father wants you to live normally and free…but sometimes I wish I can be like you before you learnt the truth…someone who doesn't know the feeling of pain and suffering…and the loss of life…maybe then, I would be able to live through this torture every day! I would be able to accept this wretched hellhole that we called life!"
Inori just stares wordlessly at Shu for a few moments as her superior continues weeping in sorrow. Fully understanding the pain inside him, she quietly places her hand on his left shoulder to comfort him.
"Shu…don't say that." Inori said softly. After managing to bring his sobs to a halt, Shu looks up and sees the weak smile on the girl's face, as well as the fresh tears welling up in her own eyes. Now getting his full attention, Inori proceeds to calm him down with words of wisdom she learnt from an acquaintance of hers who lives in a Magical Forest. "You should never wish to be something else. All of us are special in our own ways, and we should be happy for ourselves. You may not accept the way your life is, but acceptance is not based on what you are born as. Acceptance is based on what you have done for others and yourself."
Shu quietly watched Inori stand back up on her feet and kindly extends her hand to him.
"You have helped me and your mother when we needed you the most. I admire you, just for being who you are." Inori paused to wipe away her tears of joy. "You are special to me. I am proud to be your friend."
After a few more tears cascade down his cheeks, Shu wipes them away and musters the strength to grab Inori's hand. The girl pulls him back up on his feet before taking his other hand, and the two stare straight into each other's tearstained eyes. Inori elicits a sigh a few moments later before she spreads out their arms and begins moving side to side with Shu, who curiously went along with her.
A few seconds later, as Shu now dances comfortably along with her, they both lift their left arms together in the air. Inori twirls around elegantly before Shu extends his other arm. She grabs his right arm and hand and they both move around in a circle together without losing eye contact with one another. The two stop for a moment as Inori releases Shu's right arm and hand and performs another twirl. As she does, Shu turns around, places his right arm behind his back and extends his other arm to her. Inori catches his left arm and hand as she stops twirling, and they move around in a circle once more.
After Inori releases Shu's left arm and hand and performs another twirl, Shu turns around and extends his right hand to her while placing his other arm behind his back. Inori grabs Shu's hand as she turns back to him, and they move around in a circle again while staring into each other's eyes. They step forward and back away from one another before pulling towards each other, with Shu placing his right hand behind the girl's left shoulder, while Inori places her left arm and hand above the boy's right arm and shoulder. Extending their other arms and clinging onto their other hands, Shu and Inori move side to side before twirling around together in a circle, and they repeat this three times.
As Shu is now smiling blissfully at his partner, he holds up his left arm in the air and Inori twirls around underneath it while still holding onto his left hand. After briefly standing beside each other, Shu and Inori turn back to each other and catch their other free hands. They quickly release their other hands they were holding onto before as Inori turns around and moves to her right. Shu moves away from her, still clinging onto her left hand with his left arm now placed behind his back. When he pulls her back, Inori twirls and grabs his other hand when she briefly faces him. Now clinging onto his left hand, she releases the other as she turns around again and moves to her left. Shu moves away from her again while holding onto her right hand with his right arm behind his back. He pulls her back again, causing Inori to twirl and face him once more.
Now close to each other, Inori turns around and places herself beside Shu on his left to allow him to wrap his left arm around the back of her waist, and he extends her right arm to the side while holding onto her right hand. Inori clings onto his left hand as they begin dancing around in circles while staring into each other's eyes. The two teenagers smiled happily as they kept twirling around, no longer having a care in the world as long as they have each other's company.
After a few more rounds, Shu removes his left arm from her waist and releases Inori's right hand, allowing the girl to twirl around briefly before facing her partner again. They both step forward towards each other and Shu wraps his right arm around Inori's back. Inori places her left hand on his right shoulder and clings onto Shu's left hand with the other. Shu extends Inori's right arm to the side and they both dance around in circles once more. Closing her eyes, Inori throws her head back and lets Shu twirl her around underneath the beautiful night sky.
She eventually lifts her head back up and looks back at her partner. After a few more rounds, Shu holds his left arm up high in the air again and Inori twirls around underneath it. When she places her left hand above his right shoulder again, Shu wraps his right arm around her back once more and they dance around in circles two more times. When they perform their third round, Shu suddenly carries Inori up in the air, causing the girl to widen her eyes and gasp softly with a huge smile. The boy places her back down before they move to the side. After dancing around in another circle, Shu suddenly grabs the sides of her waist with both hands and carries her high in the air again as they twirl around, making Inori smile again.
After placing her down again, Shu and Inori wrap one of their arms around their backs and lock the fingers in their other hands together once more while standing close and staring straight into each other's eyes. They stand there and breathe heavily for a few moments before the two slowly dance around in circles two more times, and they end their dance with Shu leaning forward and gently bringing Inori down. The girl closes her eyes and throws her head back, and the two stay there momentarily. Shu later pulls his partner back up on her feet, and they back away and bow to each other as their performance comes to an end.
When Shu and Inori look back up at each other, they just stand there with smiles on their faces. Feeling the burning passion inside her heart and around her cheeks again, Inori exhales deeply before finally responding to her superior, "Shu…I am-"
Inori quickly cuts herself off when Shu suddenly walks over and cups her chin, much to her surprise. She watches the boy takes a gulp and said to her,
"Inori…I love you."
Shu now closes his eyes, tilts his head to the side and plants a tender kiss on her lips. Inori stood there for a few seconds with her eyes widened, completely taken off guard by his response. But after a while, the girl's eyes softened as her feelings for Shu finally overwhelmed her. Shutting her eyelids, Inori kisses him back and wraps her arms tightly around her superior. Shu returns the hug as well as the two teenagers now fully embrace one another.
Unbeknownst to them, Darren was standing at the top of the spiral staircase in the distance with his jaw dropped, awestruck by their display of love and affection for one another. With a scowl on his face, Ricky silently walks up to Darren from behind and grabs him by his left arm. Knowing that Shu and Inori need their time together, the dark blonde-haired man pulls his bespectacled friend away and takes him back down to the bottom of the yacht. Darren continues watching the two teenagers until Ricky finally pulls him out of sight.
When Shu and Inori finally break their kiss and back away, they stare blankly at each other for a few moments before they both let out a chuckle. With smiles on their faces, they grab each other's hands and continue staring for a few more seconds before they close their eyes and place their heads against one another as they finally found their true happiness.
Song Suggestions:
Euterpe by EGOIST (The first three verses) (When Inori was singing and healing)
Yuri on ICE by Taro Umebayashi (When Inori and Shu are dancing)
Sovereign: I would like to thank Darth Necron and LayLay lives for reviewing. We are reaching the final stretch of the story now. Stay tuned…