Laying Low No Longer

[Yukki Kazuto]

Yukki wakes slowly to the feeling of something dragging him across a grainy surface on his back. Immediately he begins coughing violently, forcing the seawater out of his lungs. Whoever, or whatever, is dragging him stops, allowing him to roll onto his side and cough water up onto the golden sand that he is on. The coughing continues for a few moments before it eventually stops, and Yukki continues to breath heavily. 

A high pitched voice pierces the air. “Welcome back to the land of the living.” Yukki sees through blurry eyes as someone sits down on his right side and watches him. After a moment of silence they ask “Have you nothing to say?”

Yukki, slowly becoming more aware of what his body is feeling, is agitated by the soreness of his throat caused by the hacking and coughing that comes with nearly drowning. “Wa… ter…”

The person, who is now recognizable as a redheaded female, chuckles a little. “Survives a drowning, first thing he wants is water. I’ll be right back.” She returns a few moments later with a dark green canteen in her hands. “Here, drink slowly.” She said as she gently poures the clean liquid into Yukki’s throat. “There. Feel any better?”

Yukki finishes swallowing before answering. “A little.” As he sits up, he asks the woman next to him “Who are you, exactly? And where are we?” The woman stands up, and helps him to his feet.

“My name is Morello. It’s a pleasure to meet you, despite the circumstances.” Morello runs a hand through her hair. “As for where we are, I’m as lost as you are I’m concerned. In fact I had only been awake for a few minutes before you washed up on shore.”

Yukki begins looking around as he introduces himself “I’m Yukki.” The beach that he and is on stretches a round a hundred to two hundred meters before being lost behind the trees that occupy the middle of the island. “So Morello, how did you get here?”

Morello shrugs. “I was out sailing and came across a bad storm. I woke up on this beach.” She points into the forest. “In the trees there is a freshwater stream, if you want me to show you.” Yukki agrees, and follows her lead into the forest. The brush is dense, but there is a clear path that has been travelled a few times.

“Hey…” Yukki says as they walk through the forest. “What do you think we should do about this situation?” Morello stops in a clearing in the woods and turns to Yukki.

“The stream is right over here.” she says as she points to the other side of the clearing. As Yukki steps past her to go drink from it, he hears her give a small chuckle. Turning back, he’s grabbed quickly by Morello, who puts a damp cloth over his mouth and nose as he gasps. Yukki attempts to hold his breath, but the chloroform has already entered his respiratory system, and the world fades to black, leaving him with only the faint smell of cherries.