The Rise of Shiroi Nami – Chapter 16

The ride back to Awashikawa is twice as long as the train ride to Amagasaki. The Kiiroi Yama officers flying the car are excellent at their job. We weave in and out of the city, evading our tail before flying low over the countryside and changing cars twice.

They let us out only a few blocks from the house. Rin patched up my wounds in the car, but it wasn’t enough. I’m still bleeding through my bandages.

“Let’s get home, and then we’ll get you a doctor,” Kazuo says, helping me from the car. “Someone will bring our bags from Amagasaki in a little bit.”

I nod, not caring about my belongings. I still have my knife. That’s all that matters to me now.

“Kiiroi Yama said they were sending a doctor, and…” Kazuo’s voice trails off as we round the bend and see who’s sitting outside of our house.

His face hardens, and his stare becomes cold.

Atsumi stands up from sitting on the porch, worrying her hands in front of her. She knocks on the door, and the doctor I saw only a few days ago launches out of the house, running towards us.

“Let me help,” he says, taking my arm and getting it over his shoulder.

I keep my eyes on the ground, unwilling to look at Atsumi or acknowledge her presence. I was just getting used to her not being around. I wish she would go to hell and actually stay there.

Rin runs up next to us, but he goes straight for Atsumi, grabbing her arm and tugging her away from the house.

“Why are you here?” His voice is so full of anger that I stop in my tracks, halting the doctor.

“I… I… Okamoto gave me no choice. Either I help you with this mission, or my life is forfeit.”

And from the pallor of her skin, I can tell this is the truth. Finally, someone else’s life is on the line but my own.

She spreads out her hands. “I have nothing left. My contract is in negative standing. It’s either this or I’m dead.”

“I don’t believe you,” Rin replies. “You have had nothing but hate for Yumi since the beginning. I’ll speak to Okamoto.”

“Yes, please,” she begs, bringing her hands to prayer position at her chest. “I can’t stay here. I’m too embarrassed by what happened, how awful I was. I just want… I want…” She wipes tears from her face, and I sigh. Her attention jerks to me.

“I don’t give a shit what you want,” I tell her.

“You heard her,” Rin says, pointing to me. His eyes are cold on Atsumi. “You will leave.”

Atsumi’s voice comes out like a childish whine. “I can’t. Just let me stay and help. I promise I won’t interfere.”

“Your promises mean nothing.” Rin turns his back on her and stalks towards me. I caution him with a look to slow down and handle me gently, and he closes his eyes, blows out a calming breath, and takes my arm to help me in.

Kazuo’s voice lifts above Atsumi’s sobbing. “Come with me. I’ll find work for you to do.”

The inside of the house is cold and dark with impending night. Rin switches on the lights and adjusts the temperature on the thermostat. I try to stand on my own, but my legs are too weak to hold me. I half crumble to the floor before the doctor saves me from falling straight onto my face.

“Whoa. Let’s get her to the bed.”

The bed is stripped clean. The sheets are probably in the wash, so I point to a towel in the bathroom. Rin lays it out to shield the bed from my blood.

“What did this?” the doctor asks as I lie down.

“A big, genetically engineered cat. Maybe a jaguar? I don’t know.”

The doctor glances at Rin. Rin shrugs. “Beats me. I think I’ve only seen something like it in an Aka Matsuba zoo.”

“Doctor, what’s your name?” I ask, reaching out for his hand.

He softens. “Everyone calls me Dr. Jimmy around here.” His face assumes that gentle bedside manner that all the excellent doctors out there have. My stomach settles a bit at the sight of it.

“Thank you for helping me with my migraine the other day. Sorry about this.”

He shakes his head, his kind smile never wavering. “Don’t worry about it. Look, we need to get your shirt and bra off so I can see the wounds. Are you okay with that?”

“Yeah.” My teeth chatter, and his hand touches my forehead.

“You’re running a fever. Let me get my medical tablet, and we’ll start on a blood workup and scan.”

I lie in bed as Rin rinses off my knife in the bathroom sink and then uses it to cut open my shirt and bra.

“This is exactly what I was worried about,” he mutters, sheathing the blade again.

“Sorry,” I burst out through the tears pouring down my face. “So sorry.”

He hovers over me. “Don’t apologize. I’m going to kill Gen,” he growls. “That’s the last time he hurts someone I love.”

Rin swoops in and kisses me gently before he places another warm towel on my chest while we wait for the doctor to run his scans. Then I close my eyes and wish I was somewhere else while Dr. Jimmy stitches my wounds closed.

“Damn,” he says, sighing and sitting up. “These wounds do not want to close or stop bleeding. I’m going to add a coagulant to the dressing. Hopefully, that’ll stop it.”

He works while I slip in and out of consciousness. I’m bone-tired, and my body hurts in a million ways. This is not how I pictured the mission going, but I suppose it’s not any worse than being dead.

“Mr. Hara, can I see you out in the other room?” He places his hand on my shoulder. “Get some rest, Miss Minamoto. I will start a new IV drip with some meds for the fever and an antibiotic. I’m pretty sure your body is fighting off an infection from those cuts. You’ll be all right in a day or two.”

I close my eyes and drift into a dreamless sleep for a while. Sleep. I need sleep. But I’m still exhausted when I reopen my eyes and find Saki sitting in a chair next to the bed. Her eyes are unfocused, staring at a spot on the wall.

“Hey.” I try to wet my lips, but my tongue is a dried prune. “Where is everyone?”

Saki snaps out of whatever trance she was in and turns to me. Whenever she does that, I worry Narumi has taken hold of her again. I’ve been afraid to ask, but maybe now…

“Rin and Kazuo are in the other room talking to the doctor.”

I strain my ears, and yes, I can hear the murmur of voices out there. Good. Nothing much has changed.

“Saki, I, um, I see you check out of reality a few times per day, and it’s worrying me.”

She smiles, a smile I remember so well from working in the kitchen together at Fourth Avenue Noodles. Remember when we used to spend time together… As friends?

“I’m taking the new laws you have given me and re-examining past actions, things I did before I had them. It’s…” She cocks her head to the side and thinks for a moment. “It’s been an interesting experiment. I think most of what I’ve done has been fine. I saved that man at the festival, and I wanted to help you. But…”

“But Narumi got in the way when she hacked you.”

“Yes,” she says, nodding and brushing invisible dirt off her pants. “She violated more of the laws than I ever did. I’m regretful over it.”

“There was nothing you could do,” I remind her. “No place for you to run. Nowhere you could hide from her, except for that town by the sea.”

“I want to go back there,” she says, leaning forward. “There was no other place that felt like home.”

“I hope you can return someday, then.” I hold out my hand to her, and she takes it, her smile bittersweet.

“I hope I can make up for the damage I caused you.” She places her other hand over mine and grimaces with a hiss. “You’re still burning up. My sensors tell me your fever is higher than it was before. I’m going to let them know you’re awake.”

Once she’s gone, I try to push myself up in bed, but I’m too tired to do anything, much less sit up straight. Shit. That Amagasaki mission took a lot more out of me than I thought.

I smack my lips together and drink more of the water at the bedside. Whatever this infection is, I will fight it off. Nothing is going to take me down now, not when we’re so close to accomplishing our mission.

When Rin enters the bedroom, yawning and stretching, I look past him to the front room. The lights are off, and everyone has gone home.

“What were you discussing with the doctor?” His yawn catches, and I hold back a yawn of my own.

Rin tugs his shirt off and shucks his pants to the floor. If I weren’t fighting an infection and tired, I’d want to run my hands all over him and drown my worries in his kisses and caresses. But that’s a plan better left for another day, and I’m sure he would tell me it’s not a good idea either.

“Nothing much. He’s worried about your infection since it came on so quickly, but he thinks the meds will be aggressive enough to give you the boost you need. You need to sleep, though, so a migraine doesn’t hit you when you’re trying to heal.”

He lifts the covers and slips into bed beside me, wrapping his arms around my waist and pulling me to lie down. So much for sitting up and trying to power through.

I roll onto my side and get into a comfortable position with the IV still in my arm. “I hope this thing comes out tomorrow. I hate IVs.”

“Dr. Jimmy will be back in five hours to take the IV out, so let’s get some rest now. Tomorrow is a big day.”

I push my hips into his and try not to laugh at his mournful sigh. He kisses the back of my neck.

“What’s tomorrow?” I whisper into the dark. “And how do we know we’re safe here?”

“Tomorrow, we bring Shiroi Nami back to this continent with a festival and a head start on your documentary.” He nuzzles his head into the pillow. “And we’re safe here because Aoi Uma knows their time is short. They will only attack us when they’re certain they’ll have the advantage. Not now.”

His confidence astounds me. I draw breath to ask more questions, but he stops me with a gentle squeeze.

“Shhh, Yumi. Save your questions for tomorrow. Go to sleep.”

Fine. But only because I can’t keep my eyes open anymore.

Sleep is my best option.