Past Meetings
Chapter Seventeen
by, Cony
A couple of hours later, Mercury opened her eyes. At first, all she
could see was a blur, but with four or five blinks, everything started to
define. She was on her stomach, pressed against the mud. She
could feel water wetting her legs, and a strange weight over her. She
tried to move, but whatever was on top of her, was heavier than she
thought.
Her mind was still a bit dizzy, and the first thing she thought was
that it was a rock. She also could feel something under her,
something long and thin. She stood still, trying to remember what
had happened.
We were up in the waterfall, when Ren entered my mind. I tried to
jump, but Zoisite caught me. He pulled me up, but we both fell
anyway. It's a miracle I'm still alive. But, where is Zoisite?
Suddenly, a low breeze came from the waterfall, and some strays of
orange hair appeared on her sight. It was only then when she
realized that what was over her was hot and soft, not cold and harsh
as a rock would be. With a heart-stopping clarity, she suddenly
knew what it was.
It wasn't a rock, it was Zoisite! She blushed, happy that no one
could see her. His body had kept her warm, avoiding the danger of
frostbite. So, that long thing under her, was his arm. He was
embracing her!
I guess he is unconscious. I know what happened. When we were
falling, he embraced me, and put himself under us, receiving most
of the impact when we crashed the water. I don't know how, but he
managed to drag me here, and then he fainted. That's why he fell on
me. Now, let's see if I can get out of here.
She started squirming, and slowly moved off under Zoisite. His limp
body fell on the ground with a low thud, but he didn't move. Mercury
sat down on his side, and turned him around. When her hands
appeared in front of her, she saw a big red stain on her left arm.
Oh God. I think I broke my arm! Wait a minute, I don't feel anything.
She passed her right hand over it, and cleaned it as much as she
could. Hey, hold on. This is not my blood. I don't even have a
scratch. It means this is… Zoisite's blood!
Immediately, she looked at the general's body, and what she saw
made her gasp in horror. In his right arm, over his elbow, was a big
wound, still letting blood out! It wasn't big, but it appeared to be deep
and painful. She cleaned the blood as better as she could, staining
her white gloves completely red, leaving the wound for her to see. It
seemed to have been made by a sharp blade. I'm sure this was my
fault. He must have made it when we were falling. The rocks on the
bottom must have hurt him. Please Zoisite, wake up!
She cupped some water in her hands, and wetted his face. He
groaned, and opened his eyes. "Wha... where am I?"
"Zoisite, you are alright!" said Mercury. Dazed in happiness, she
embraced him, clinging to his neck. Tears started dripping on her
face, as she said: "Oh, Zoisite. I'm so glad you are alright. I thought
you were dead or something."
"Thank you, Mercury. But now, could you please release my arm
'cause it's hurting like hell?"
"Oops, I'm sorry."
"It's Ok. Why does it hurt so much? Oh, I see. I remember now.
When we crashed into the water, a rock in the bottom hit me. It
must have been that. Now, what are we going to do? I'm not very
useful with an arm like this."
"Sit down and relax. I have just seen some healing plants there. Let
me get them."
Mercury walked to the forest that surrounded the pool, and searched
for the plants. They were purple, with a green trunk. Going back to
her Natural Science class, she remembered as the teacher said: "If
you ever are in the need of healing somebody, and no one with
magical powers is near, search for the Frutz Plants. It's this one on
the left. You must grind its leaves, mix it with some water and wait
for it to transform into a paste. Then, put it over the wound. It will hurt
because of it acids, but that's a good sign, it means it's working. To
finish, cover the wound with a piece of cloth, and leave it there until a
Healer can take a look at it."
With a smile in her face, she searched for an appropriate rock, and
found one easily. The waterfall had eroded lots of stones, leaving
them like cups. She took one, and returned to Zoisite, who had put
his hand over his arm. "What's that?"
"Oh, just a little healing paste for your arm. It will prevent its
infection, and help it to heal."
They were silent, while Mercury smashed the leaves in the stone,
leaving them like a juice. Without looking at him, she said, never
interrupting her work: "Zoisite, tell me something. When we were up
there, why didn't you let me fall?"
Zoisite didn't answer at first. I can't tell her how I feel! What if she
doesn't feel the same?
"Well, I promised you I will get you safe to the Moon Palace. If I
didn't help you, I would be breaking my promise." He didn't know if it
was his imagination, but the sutile low on her shoulders could be
interpreted as a deception.
Nahh. It's just that I see what I want to see.
They fell silent again, until Mercury said: "That's it. Now, could you
stay still for a while? It will hurt at first, but it's necessary."
Zoisite stood still as Mercury kneeled before him, and started putting
the paste in his arm. She was right. It hurts! But she is so precise,
so gentle, so... she's so used to this.
When Mercury finished, she untied the bow on the back of her fuku,
which immediately appeared again, and tied it in his arm. She was
so confident doing this, but she had never done it before.
Guess it's him. Mercury, what are you saying? This man is just a
friend, nothing more. Now stop thinking, and finish this. She tied it
very tight, but loose enough for him to be able to use his arm as
usual. "It's done now. Try to move your arm."
"Hey, it's great. It doesn't hurt anymore. Have you ever done this
before?" She looked away to hide her blushing, started cleaning her
gloves, which were red because of Zoisite's blood and answered:
"Never. I just used what I have learnt in class. However, you need to
go and see a Healer. This is just temporary. I would have cured it
myself, but without our powers...."
"What do you mean you would have healed me? I didn't know that
Mercurians had healing powers. I knew that the Saturn princess had,
but...."
"I am the Mercury Senshi, right? Well, when I was born, God
Mercury gave me a gift. It's his caduceus, the supreme wand of
healing. I would have used it on you, but since our powers are
gone...."
"You mean you would have used it on me? But I thought the
Caduceus was only for very extreme occasions, and that it only can
be used on the Royal Family."
"Well, yeah, but... Hey, come on. We need to walk. Maybe we can
find our way back to the palace!"
Surprised for this strange answer, Zoisite didn't insist, but a little
tinge of hope was now flaming on his heart. They started walking
through the jungle. Mercury was a few steps behind Zoisite,
watching as his back moved while he walked. She was so
disappointed. She had thought that Zoisite felt something for her,
because of the way he had reacted several timed when they were
close. However, he had said that he saved her just for responsibility.
Why do I feel so sad? What did I expect? That he would say that he
loved me with all his heart? He must be at least three years older
than me. He must have a girlfriend back in Earth. She is very lucky
to have him.... Hey! Mercury, stop dreaming! He is nothing to you,
just a friend who is helping you! But I would give everything for him to
like me. Maybe I'm not as pretty as I have been told to be. Maybe
I'm a bore, a pest. Maybe...
(
geocities.com/tokyo/shrine) (
geocities.com/tokyo)