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 Posted: Tue May 15, 2007 9:11 pm
The sun shone brightly as Kira lay soaked on the beach, the waves lapping over her, and rope tied tightly around her arm to a piece of drift wood; the only thing the kept her above water when she was too tired. Slowly, the girl woke up, only to receive a splash from the ocean. Her eyes widened and she screamed bloody murder, scrambling crawling and tripping over herself as she moved up the beach as far from the water as she could. Her breath was fast, her eyes dilated a bit, and she trembled more from her adrenalin rush than actually being cold. Looking up and down the abandoned beach, she wondered where she could be. She didn't dare enter the forest, she didn't know what terrain she was in and what dangers could be in there; not like it was any better with her back against the sea.
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Posted: Thu May 17, 2007 1:40 am
"I don't believe this. Didn't I just do this? Didn't I just hack my way through this same section of cursed jungle three days ago?!?"
With no heed to any possible Pokemon in the area, hostile or no, the uniformed guard angrily stalked his way through the forest, aiming for a particular section of beach. Seemingly out of character, Hayden was in a rare bad mood today. At least, an openly bad mood.
More and more, he was getting sent out on 'retrieval missions,' which was bad enough in itself. That meant more and more people that he was betraying, earning their eternal hatred and killing a portion of his remaining soul in the process. That wasn't the only thing, though. It also kept him away from Karen. The rare moments that they spent together made him feel...almost human again. Almost as if he could recover some of his lost soul, just by talking to her and spending time with her...
Now, they were denying him even that small pleasure with these endless missions.
Growing frustrated with it all, as soon as he reached the beach, his eyes scanned the shoreline. Not seeing anything, despite this being the area they'd said the girl had been sighted, he simply raised his hand to his mouth and called out, "Hey! Is anybody out here or not?!?"
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Posted: Thu May 17, 2007 12:45 pm
Kira jumped when she faintly heard another voice, snapping out of her sense of fear long enough to realize that the voice was deep, a man's; a human's! She quickly stood up, looking around and spotting him way at the other end of the beach. She moved to yell, but it came out cracked and dry. Wincing a bit, Kira started running, having only the clothes on her back as her belongings.
When she got closer the man though, she stopped, almost skidding to a halt. He was dressed in some sort of guard uniform, which meant that this island was probably someone's private property. 'Oh boy, I hope I'm not in trouble....' she thought to herself, then put on a smile and strode up, keeping a weary eye on the tide.
"Excuse me, sir? Can you help me?" She asked when she was within hearing distance.
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Posted: Thu May 17, 2007 1:48 pm
The fury that Hayden had been warring with instantly disappated the moment he saw the poor girl. His chest, previously tight and threatening to crush his very lungs, practically collapsed in on itself. "For the love of Lugia..." he muttered quietly to himself.
"Are you alright, miss?" His look softened considerably and a frown of concern crossed his face. He hurried to cross the beach towards her. She didn't need to be overexerting herself in this condition. "Please, don't push yourself! Maybe take a seat and rest while you tell me what happened to you. Err...if that's okay..." he trailed off awkwardly, realizing he'd taken her arm to offer support. Hopefully she wouldn't take that the wrong way.
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Posted: Thu May 17, 2007 2:46 pm
Nodding, Kira greatfully took his advice to sit down and slowly made her way onto her knees. She then looked up at him, finally feeling the dizziness of being exposed to the sun for so long and the emptiness of her stomach. "You wouldn't have any water... or maybe a cookie or something edible on you, would you?" Her voice came out scratchy, and almost perfectly timed, her stomach grumbled it's discontent. Cautiously, she looked over her shoulder once more to make sure she was out of the tides grasp, the looked back up at Hayden.
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Posted: Thu May 17, 2007 4:49 pm
Frowning, Hayden helped her to the ground gently. "I'm afraid I don't have anything to eat on me right now, though I know where we can get something. For now, take this." He pulled a small canteen of water from his belt, opening it and handing it to the young woman. "I haven't been out here long yet and it should still be reasonably cold, so don't drink too quickly. You'll make yourself sick," he warned.
"After you've had something to drink, if you feel up to it, I can try to help you to a place nearby. We can get you some food there and medical attention if you need it."
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Posted: Thu May 17, 2007 8:05 pm
Kira reached up and took the canteen carefully in her hands, not wanting the slight tremor going through her to spill anything. She counted herself lucky that her phobia wasn't bad enough to make her fear even drinking water or taking a shower, but it didn't keep her oblivious to the monstrous ocean behind her.
Sipping the water carefully, she felt the coolness wet her throat and mouth, finally feeling a little less dizzy. "I'm glad I'm not in trouble, I was worried when I saw your uniform." She took another slow drink of the water. "I would appreciate the help of those people you spoke of, please."
She handed him back the canteen when is was a little more than half empty. She wouldn't drink the last little bit in case something happened and they needed it. "Would you mind helping me up and to the people you spoke of?"
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Posted: Fri May 18, 2007 11:42 am
"My uniform?" Hayden repeated, momentarily puzzled. He shook his head, not quite understanding, but moving on nonetheless. "No, you're not in trouble..."
'Actually, you're in more trouble than you know...you'd have probably been better off staying out in the ocean...'
Shaking his head again, he tried to ignore the little voice in his head. "I don't mind. Are you sure you're feeling up to it? If you're feeling better, I'd be happy to help you. We need to get you something to eat and some rest as soon as possible, I'm guessing." He offered her his arm, ready to help her stand and to walk if necessary.
"There's a medical research lab not far from here. Probably...half a mile. It's a long walk, but I'll help you as best I can. They'll be able to help you more there than I can."
'...if you can call that 'help'...'
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Posted: Fri May 18, 2007 3:52 pm
Kira reached up and took his hand, slowly standing up. As soon as she was fully up, she almost fell again feeling a little lightheaded and dizzy. "You're dressed like a cop...." She commented while holding to his arm to steady herself.
Finding that she suddenly didn't even have the energy to carry a conversation, she leaned into the man, hoping for a little more support. Even though her throat felt better, she'd been out at sea and in the song long enough to be feeling the effects. Chances were, she was getting heat stroke.
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Posted: Fri May 18, 2007 4:12 pm
"s**t..." Hayden cursed under his breath, moving swiftly to catch the young woman in case she fell. "Come here...lean on me and don't worry about talking, okay?" He looped her arm up and over his shoulders, taking on most of her weight and wrapping his other arm around her waist.
Setting off into the forest, Hayden continued talking, hoping that if he could keep her distracted, she might manage to make it to the lab before she collapsed. "Nah, I'm no cop. Nothing quite that fancy. Just a lowly security guard. Ya' see, the medical place I was talking about is a research facility and they're really protective with their work. Industry competition is fierce apparently and they worry about work being stolen while it's still in the experimental stages. Something like that. Like I said, I'm just a lowly guard." He chuckled a bit. "Seriously low on the ladder. I mean, I don't even get a gun. Or a Pokemon. No weapons whatsoever. Not sure what I'm expected to do if we DID have a situation, but I suppose I'd have to figure something out."
He gave her a lop-sided grin. "I know I told you not to worry about talking, but could I just ask your name? That's all, I promise. Just so we can have something to call each other. I'm Hayden."
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Posted: Fri May 18, 2007 4:59 pm
Kira couldn't help but laugh a little at Hayden as he talked to her. "My name is Kira Hiromi. You're doing a wonderful job distracting me, by the way."
She just hoped that he was strong enough to hold her up for however long they had to travel.
"We.. we don't have to go over any rivers or lakes, do we?" She asked nervously, suddenly starting to worry. If they had to go through a river, then she wouldn't be able to. Nothing, not even the promise of civilization, could get her to get over her phobia, especially after what had just happened. Getting onto that cruise had taken a year's worth of therapy, not to mention a good chunk of money. Now it was totally waisted, and her phobia of deep or quickly moving water was stronger than ever.
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Posted: Fri May 18, 2007 6:08 pm
"Thanks," Hayden chuckled, smiling back at Kira. "I'm doing my best. And no, don't worry. No rivers or lakes." Unaware of her phobia, the guard thought she was just worried about overexerting herself further. "Just forest and clearings between here and the lab building. It shouldn't be far now, fortunately."
He glanced up, trying to estimate their position on the island. By his guess, they were maybe halfway there already. Not far at all now. Perhaps she'd hold out until they got there afterall. Good thing. While he was faring just fine in helping her like this, he wasn't sure he could carry her all the way by himself if she fainted.
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Posted: Fri May 18, 2007 10:19 pm
Kira didn't realize she had been holding her breath until it came out in a long hissing sigh of relief. "Oh thank goodness..." she whispered under her breath.
She hoped that her strength would keep up long enough to get to her destination. Already, her feet were dragging and her legs felt like they were solid lead. She was slumping more onto Hayden, and was struggling to keep her eyes focused and open.
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Posted: Sun May 20, 2007 2:40 am
Frowning, Hayden snuck a glance at Kira's face. Her eyes were looking a little strange. Every once in a while, she'd blink....for an exceptionally long time. 'Is it just me, or is she getting heavier?'
"Kira? Are you okay? I take back what I said earlier...keep talking to me. Let me know you're alright." Hayden struggled to keep his grip on her, hefting her higher onto his shoulders before pushing on again. He had to keep her talking. Keep her talking; keep her conscious. Right?
They were so close now to the lab...just a little more...the clearing before the lab should be just ahead...
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Posted: Sun May 20, 2007 9:28 am
Kira's head lifted a bit from her chest, hearing Hayden, and hearing the worry in his voice. "I'll be..." She had to close her eyes for several seconds to stop the world from spinning. "I'll be alright." Her voice was soft, almost a whisper at this point, much different from back on the beach. She sun and the accident at sea had taken it's toll on her and the effects were showing.
'Focus.... I have to focus.... stay awake just a bit more....' She shifted her focus to her breathing, in and out... in and out.
"Hayden... listen carefully..."
'In and out'
"If I fall unconscious, go and get help and leave me. It will be the best chance of me surviving..." She knew what she had to do in these sort of situations, and while being alone wasn't her first emotional response, it was more important that he leave her and get help. She had learned this in first aid classes.
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