Monotsuki

Chapter 2 - Azure rescue

Where am I? - Hiro slowly opened his eyes. - I don't recognize this ceiling - he said, surprised, as he was trying to look around. - It's so bright here – young boy covered his eyes with his hand.

- Finally, you woke up - a voice spoke nearby.
- Who are you? - he asked confused.
- Yo, did they mess you up so bad that you lost your memory?
Hiro turned towards the voice. After a moment, his eyes adjusted to the brightness of the room.
- Rui? What are you doing here?
- You ain't the only one who got jumped by some weirdos.
- Weirdos?
Boy with curly hair remembered what had happened that evening. In a sudden movement, he sat in bed.
- What's going on? Where's Ichika? - he asked, but he knew the answer.
- You shouldn't make any sudden moves. It's dangerous in your condition – the man uncovered the curtain by the bed, the voice belonged to Daichi.
- Daichi? You too? - Hiro grabbed his head. Suddenly, he felt a paralyzing pain.
- It is recommended to remain immobile. It would be prudent not to cause any additional inconvenience to Doctor Suguna, who has recently made great efforts to treat your injuries.
- Suguna? Who's that? - he asked disoriented.

A woman in her thirties approached Hiro. In one hand, she held the patient's card and in the other, a pen. Dressed in a medical apron under which she wore a navy blue shirt. Her eyes were the colour of yellow, and her brown wavy hair reached beyond her shoulders. She addressed Hiro.
- Finally, you woke up.
- Are you Suguna?
- For you, Doctor Suguna - she replied, writing something on a piece of paper.
- Did you put me back together? - the boy folded his hands.
- Put you back together? - she raised her right eyebrow slightly. - It was more like reconstructing a human body from scratch.
- Doctor Suguna treated you continuously for three days and three nights - Daichi sat on a chair. - You were in critical condition.
- Three days?! – short boy grabbed his head. - Wait. How did I end up here? I remember passing out on the hill - muscle pain was bothering him, he groaned slightly.
- Your injuries included multiple fractures, extensive soft tissue damage, and internal organ dysfunction. You also experienced substantial blood loss and hypovolemic shock. If it weren't for Orine bringing you here you would be dead - the doctor replied, leaning against the bed.
- Orine? How is that possible? I was supposed to pick up my sister from school and I didn't see her anywhere.
- I don't know exactly what happened between Orine and your sister, but she ran to your house and carried you on her back.
- How does the doctor know her?
- I'm her aunt. I come from the Kyushu region.
- Kyushu? That's quite far. How did you get here, Doctor?
- Too many questions. Just rest and get better because I don't intend to put your body back together again - she looked at him penetratingly.
The doctor listened to Hiro's heartbeat and then placed the chart back in its place before leaving the room.

- It's important that you recover as quickly as possible. We don't have much time - the green-haired man spoke with a serious tone.
- Indeed, we need to plan our next move - added the chairman.
- What are you guys talking about? - Hiro looked at his friends, not understanding.
- It's not just you who almost died - replied a dejected Rui. - I was with Naomi when some maniac attacked us. He suddenly attacked and Naomi... - the green-haired man clenched his fist. - Naomi shielded me. She took the blow for me.
Hiro was stunned. He couldn't imagine that his friend had also gone through hell that night.
- Did Doctor Suguna heal her?
- She was less fortunate than you. She suffered serious internal injuries. Your injuries were caused by regular blows, while Naomi was hit by some kind of special attack. I have no idea what it was - the helpless man replied, biting his hand.
- Let me explain - Daichi spoke up - Naomi was attacked by an aura combined with puncture wounds. Rui told me that the attacker wasn't holding any object resembling a weapon. It looked like he quickly jumped past them. The attack was aimed at him, but when the attacker saw that he hit the girl, he disappeared without attacking again.
Hiro listened carefully to Daichi. He tried to gather his thoughts, but he still felt inner chaos.
- Doctor Suguna found Rui running down the street with Naomi in his arms. She brought him here. Naomi's condition is stable, but Doctor Suguna alone can't completely help her recover. We need a device called "Hadake." Unfortunately, it's located in Chūgoku under strict control. Access to the device is very limited.
- "Hadake?" – he repeated the chairman's words.
- Naomi's main problem is the presence of a foreign aura inside her wounds. This aura prevents complete healing of the injuries. The only widely known method is to use Hadake on it, which removes all remnants from the body.
- In that case, we need to go to Chugoku - Hiro declared, propping his left eye with two fingers.
- If it were that simple, she would have been up and about a long time ago - Rui said, taking the second chair and sitting across from the chairman. - Break it down for him. I suck at this fancy talk - he crossed one leg over the other.
Do you know what happened over twenty-five years ago? - the chairman asked.
- The civil war. Emperor Hirohito was defeated by the Masaru Himura Corporation. Supposedly, some received superhuman abilities. - At that moment, Hiro connected the dots and understood why Daichi brought up a story from two decades ago.
- I see you understand - the chairman adjusted his glasses, leaning forward slightly. - The Masaru Consortium broke up into many other organizations, but Himura is still the biggest player. Okinawa was not affected by the war. Nobody cared about our native islands. However, the mainland is a collection of various organizations called "families." A quite pleasant name for totalitarian assemblies that hold their citizens with an iron hand - an ironic smile appeared on the chairman's face. - Since the end of the conflict, travel between the various regions of Japan has been an incredibly daunting task. Borders are closely guarded. Only a person who can show permission issued by the regional government can enter the territory controlled by the family. Well-known doctors or craftsmen have it much easier, but we don't belong to that group.
- That's why Doctor Suguna was able to leave Kyushu - Hiro interrupted.
- Exactly. It was much easier, although the Kyushu and Okinawa regions have always maintained close relationships, which have not changed even after the war. Honestly, I don't know why Doctor Suguna came here. Her goal or motivations are unknown to me. However, it doesn't change the fact that she saved you and Naomi from certain death.
Rui was also listening attentively to Daichi's words. He looked him straight in the eyes. He wanted to hear every detail so that he could obtain the necessary information to save his former girlfriend.
- Returning to the matter of crossing the border, I will try to ask Doctor Suguna how we can get to Kyushu. However, we still need to obtain permission to stay in Chūgoku. The easiest way would be to go to the Kitakyūshū prefecture, then take the Kanmon Bridge, which leads to the Yamaguchi prefecture.
- Kitakyūshū is practically at the end of Kyushu. We need to stop somewhere - Hiro replied, intrigued.
- I agree, so I recommend that we sail to the port in Kagoshima. We'll spend a few days there, and then we'll head to Kumamoto and go straight to Kitakyūshū from there.
- Sounds reasonable. Kagoshima and Kumamoto are about 180 kilometers apart, and we'll reach Kitakyūshū after traveling less than 160 kilometers from Kumamoto.
- You got a mental GPS, knowin' all them distances by heart? - Rui suddenly spoke up.
- No, but I recently helped my sister with her geography homework, and I happened to remember that - Hiro replied, adjusting the blanket that covered him.
- Are you going to bring your flashy car? - the green-haired man turned to the chairman.
- Unfortunately, I'm afraid I won't be able to transport my car to Kyushu. We can take the train instead.
- That will significantly lengthen our journey - Hiro said.
- Doctor Suguna is our passport to Kyushu. I'll ask her about transport options. Do you agree with my plan?
- We can't come up with anything better, and time is not on our side - the boy laying in bed said, rubbing his arm slightly.
- I agree. We need to get out of this hole as soon as possible - the green-haired man supported him.
- So, we have our travel plan established. However, that's not all. We need to find out as much as we can about the people who attacked us. In addition, we need training.
- Training? they both asked at the same time.
- The attackers were not only using aura, I suspect they possess many more abilities. We are not even able to determine if we can use such abilities ourselves.
A feminine voice spoke to the friends from behind the screen.