Phoenix: The Fires of Unity

Chapter Two: Jiyu

Running. Running as fast as I can. I hear people dying and being enslaved. Just a few more miles. Soon, I'll be out of reach. While running I see a boy, unconscious. Short, light blue hair. Darkly tanned skin. I look closer. He looks about my age. And he's injured. I walk over to him and examined his injury. Shot in the leg. "It looks bad...", I whispered. Then, I notice a first aid kit, lying on the floor. Must've been dropped by someone. I quickly stitched and covered up his wound. "This kid's lucky that someone found him. If not... It would be bad news". I picked him up and carried him on my back, so that he wouldn't get found and shot at. "Just a few more miles...", I repeat over and over again. A couple of hours later, I find an abandoned warehouse. Perfect! I walk in. Pretty big area. Enough space to care for this boy. I set him down on the floor, looking for something soft for him to lay on. I notice some old blankets in the corner. Good enough. I drag the blankets over to the boy, and set him on top of them. I feel his forehead. Warm. That's good. Suddenly, he wakes up. Frightening me a bit. I yell at him, "Agh! Try not to wake up so unexpected!". He looks at me, "Well, hello beautiful". I blush. I reply angrily, "Grr. Shut up, kid!". He speaks again, "Oh, just admit that I was charming. I know you blushed". Ugh. This kid's really annoying. I tell him, "Look, kid. You didn't charm me, and i didn't blush. Got that?". He replies, annoyingly, "First of all: Don't call me 'kid'. We're basically the same age. Second of all: My name's Jiyu. Jiyu Nohono. And third of all: Where the heck am I?". I reluctantly said to him,"Ugh. well, since you told me your name, it's only polite that I tell you mine. Ai. Ai Nohikari. I found you unconscious and injured, so I brought you here and treated your wound. Just be grateful that I saved you". He looked up at me, "Thanks, gorgeous~", SLAP!, "Ow! Why do hot girls always slap me?!". I looked at him, angrily, "Why aren't you taking any of this seriously? People are dying! We are lucky that we didn't get caught. I mean, you were shot! Who knows what would've happened if I didn't find you?!". He spoke back, with a blank expression, "I would have died. Look, you don't think I'm scared? I am. More scared than ever. Do you think I'm not upset? I am. I've never been as angry as I am today. I'm taking this entire situation seriously. I just don't show it". I looked back at him, saw his expression, and his pain. He continued, "When I'm in front of people, I act like a goofball. But in reality, I cry myself to sleep every night. I cover my pain, so no one feels bad or cries for me", then he looked at me, "Can you help me be strong? Please?". I thought about it. This kid is sad. Alright, "Yeah. I'll help you. Just, try not to be creepy." It was dark outside, now. "Let's just go to sleep", I dragged some of the old blankets near Jiyu's pile, "G'night!". He said back to me, "Goodnight, beautiful". Grr...