Chapter 3: You Again?
written on Saturday, March 25, 2000
The doctor was right, now that she was deeply thinking about it. No matter how much she wanted to find out about who she was or where she truly lived, there was really nothing she could do but wait. Looking for people who she didn't even know wasn't possible anyway you put it. Besides, her life now was as normal and happy as everyone else's. Why should she waste her time worrying over her haunting dreams from the past? There was a bright future for her to think about.
She bent down to pick up the small package that fell from her basket. She now felt irritated that she wasn't able to buy all the things she was planning to the other day. But it was her fault, she should have woken up earlier, that way, she wouldn't be parading onto the market along with a carcass of hoarding people who have wound up late just as she did. Nobody could help but stash what's left from the earlier batch that bought away most of the finest goods. At least, she was able to buy the primary ingredients for the afternoon snacks she used to bake for the children.
She was on a quick pace towards the clinic, but suddenly something made her slow down.
Glancing to her side, she realized, much to her dismay, that she was now walking on the road beside the Japanese berry bushes. Where there was a forever opened entrance, where inside there was a rotting garden, if not , a dead garden and where further inside there was a man , maybe even not in his sane self to be carrying around a heart-wrenching sword. That was one person she wouldn't like to see any day or minute sooner.
Forget about it. She bravely told herself. Eventhough her heartbeat was crazily beating on so fast, she thanked above that it was still beating, she couldn't keep her eyes from looking at the exact spot where she climbed into the garden from the bushes. Not to mention, keep her imagination from running wild. She was sure her eyes were making her see a somewhat looming, carnivorous man, the same one she met the other day metamorphosize into a humongous horrifying monster which was plodding now right after her.
She was being terrified by her stupid mindgames again, and she couldn't feel any other emotion than the two that was at work that very moment. That heart-stopping horrification suspense that she was desperately trying to keep from plunging out her throat and that other thing that still pasted her feet and soul to the ground by making her laugh at herself for being an ultimate fantasy freak and reassured her that she was still blinking her eyelids and breathing by a slow chant it chiropractored out: "It's just your imagination, Yume, it's just your imagination."
She finally reached the part of the road that was out of the garden's sight. She felt like reaching the finish line of a marathon. Only this marathon wasn't tedious or tiring, but was nerve-wracking like hell. Why did she have this feeling that she wasn't alone?
Suddenly, without any warning, as if dangers could warn, strong arms seized her back against her direction and pulled her around. Upon turning, she saw a man.
Reality dawned upon her as she realized she was being robbed! Not by one man, but by two.
The first one pulled the basket away from her. Yume flung an arm across his face. "Give that back, you JERK!" She screamed in mortification as she went towards him to get the basket. So much for feeling nervous.
"Oh, so you're feeling courageous, huh?" The man mocked and gave her an evil smile as he took out a small blade and used the back part to slap back at her. The hard impact she felt against her face sent her whole body down further the road. She let out a pained scream as she felt her back plummet to the ground.
She struggled to get up, cringing in pain for her head had directly hit the stone earth. She was finally experiencing that conscious emotion of being afraid as she watched the other man walk towards her with a knife. Looking at his other hand, he was then holding her purse.
She could feel her fingers move as they held onto nothing but the soil. She was really thinking of screaming, but somehow she lost her voice right at the moment. Ok, Yume, now this is not your average mindgame...this is for real.
Just as she thought that the man was going to pull her hair, the man's knife shattered to pieces!
The edged off blades fell against her legs, as it minorly cutted her skin. She saw them fall off the knife's handle and scratch thinly through her flesh , but because of her nervousness, her body became numb in fright. The only thing she could hear was the sudden beating of her heart, and this time it wasn't her imagination.
"Stop this now."
Hearing the voice of another person abruptly brought her back into real consciousness and kept her from fainting. Her eyes opened wide as she saw another man who had, in his right hand a longer and more deadlier sword.
His red eyes grew smaller. "Let the woman go. She has nothing for you people to rob."
"I hate people who don't mind their own business!" one of the robbers angrily yelled back at him as he took another blade from his pocket and seized it against her rescuer. The man easily shifted his location to evade the robber's attack and hit his his lower leg, the shin, with his sword.
"......It's..it's the man..man I met the other day!" Yume whispered as she got up from her crippling position. She barely saw him moving, now that was fast!
The robber screamed out a helpless yelp as he went down on the ground. He winced in pain as he held the leg that the man had slashed with his blade.
"You cannot beat me in your condition now, neither can your other friend. If you two don't want to die yet ,leave this place and never show your fucking faces." His voice still had that familiar coldness.
His threat seemed mediocre ,but when the robbers saw the deathly glint in his eyes, they knew that he was far off dangerous than they were. The other robber who didn't dare touch her rescuer after seeing his strength quickly helped his company. In a flash the two cowards ran off like scared puppies with the other one limping occasionally, leaving her basket of goods and her purse ransacked along the road.
She breathed a sigh of relief as she proceeded to step further towards where her things were and where the man was standing.
Before she could say any word, he turned to her. "Don't expect me to be here next time." He coldly warned. He placed his sword back into the scabbard. Yume stood still as she watched the man's eyes flicker at her for a moment and return back to his sword. He was about to leave when he bent down in pain for a moment------and coughed out what she thought was blood.
He used his sword to keep him from falling down.
Yume had no idea what came over her, her instincts quickly persuaded her to help the man who was, now that she saw it all, a life-threatening human who was expert in slashing about. She ran in front of him, catching him in her arms as he let out more blood. She saw a deep wound on his arm that she had never seen before, and it wasn't clotting properly, in fact, it wasn't clotting at all.
She knew, from the doctor, that if a wound wasn't clotting by itself the way it usually does even at the beginning, it should be stitched to prevent it from opening further. This man will lose more blood if the wound is not medically attended, she thought.
"Keep away from me!!" He yelled as he pushed her far from him. She was surprised at first, but she managed to balance herself.
"Your wound has to be treated now----" Yume countered at him as she went closer.
"Shut up! come any closer and I'll----just leave me alone!" He suddenly screamed at her as he began to walk away. It was the first time she heard an agitated feeling in his voice.
"Well, there won't be any more of you alive when you reach your home if you don't wrap that thing up." She froze to the ground. Did she just say that?
The man looked back. And he was very irritated. She did say those words. And now there was no backing up. She walked towards him again and this time she made it that close to be able to touch his arm. "....good...," she murmured as she examined it, very aware of the man's intensifying chi, "..your wound isn't so deep after all, I guess we can just----"
She suddenly felt him clasp his sword tightly as if readying himself for an attack against someone. And she was sure he was going to hit her. With a nervous lump in her throat she moved her eyes away from the blade and laid it on the wound. She took off the blue cloth that tied her hair up and gently wrapped it around his arm where the cut was.
As she took care of his wound, she saw his fingers loosen its firm grasp around the sword until it didn't hold it anymore.
For a moment, she found the time to look up at him.The face that she saw staring at her made her think that she had judged him recklessly. In his eyes she saw a person who was suffering inside. The deep red colour that she saw from a faraway distance a while ago had subsided into a mellow blue. He looked like any other normal man.
He quickly pushed her off to avoid more eye contact.
"--hey!" Yume yelped as he got out of her sight.
"I..I have to go." He murmured as he grabbed his sword and went down to the bushes.
Yume stood up brushing the dust off her kimono.
She looked up at him. "You still need treating, the clinic is on the right side at the end of this road!!------and thanks for saving me!" She added. She wasn't really sure if he heard what she had said. But she hoped he did. He really did need more medical attention with the way his skin was paling up when she was at close range with him.
For the second time, she breathed a long sigh of relief. Well, that was an encounter to remember. She looked across the road. Then she remembered.
"Oh, no..the vegetables I bought~~~!" She yelled as she got on her knees, grappling the goods and putting them back on the basket. She stashed her purse into the basket too. Her fingers were very fatigued and she really didn't want to use them anymore than she did when she was hell nervous.
She figured that at least there was one fear she had gotten over now. And boy, does she have a story to tell the doctor when she gets home.
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