Mi Ho pov:

“Ugh….” I groaned and forced my eyes open. I sat up slowly and flinched as I held my throbbing head. “Aah…appo….[that hurts]” I winched as I felt a painful bump on my head and I looked up to get a view of my surrounding.“Na odhi isso? [where am I?]” I held my head and groaned again. I must have hit myself really hard to be hallucinating that I’m in a forest now.

I looked to the side and saw my luggage lying beside me. I reached for it and unzipped the bag. I got out a bottle of water and drank some water and then splashed my face with some water to ease the throbbing of my head. I just sat there for a while, not moving from the spot as I waited for the world around me to stop spinning and so that I would stop hallucinating that I was in a forest instead of the subway or a hospital.

After a while when my head wasn't aching as much anymore, I stood up and dusted my shorts. I wasn’t going to get anything from sitting around simply and unless I started moving, I probably wouldn’t find anyone either so I decided to start walking in a random direction. I pinched myself to make sure I wasn’t actually dreaming. It hurt so now I was sure that I wasn’t hallucinating.

Then again, it was kind of strange that I had popped up in the middle of a forest when I was in a subway before I lost consciousness. I should have still been in the wreckage or a hospital if the rescue squad had come, but a forest?

Ihoisted my bag over my shoulder and looked around. I was in a clearing and,there were some trees that had a gap between them....kinda like an opening.I walked through those trees and came across a slightly rugged path. It didn't look like it was used much, but there was a chance that I would run into someone, so I followed rhe path anyway. There were trees and dense buses on either side and I kept glancing around to make sure that I could react if some wild animal jumped out of the bushes.

“Chogiyo…..nugu ga opso? [excuse me….isn’t anyone there?]” I called out as Icontinued to walk. I gave an irritated sigh. “Chh….na jincha odhi isso?! [tch…seriously where am I?!]” I whined. I had been walking for almost half an hour and the trees were still really dense and I had found no sign of people or civilization.

I looked down at my feet which were now throbbing in pain because of walking on uneven ground in stilettos and I gave an annoyed sigh. “Jincha micchokuna. [this is really crazy, isn’t it.]” I bend down and took off the strap and took off my stilettos and huffed. I held my stilettos in my hands and began to walk again but I clenched my jaw and closed my eyes irritated. I had taken off my stilettos and now the stones in the ground were piercing my feet and hurting. C’mon! Where was I and what was I doing here in the first palce?!

I guess I couldn't help it and it was better than the pain in my heel. Besides, I was also worried that I would end up spraining my ankle if I lost my balance. I watched the ground as I walked avoiding sharp stones and thorns, but I snapped my head up and stopped walking when I heard a groan. I looked around trying to locate from which direction the noise came from, but I didn’t hear the sound again and I frowned. That was weird……what was that sound? It sure sounded like a person but maybe it was just a noise in the trees. I took a step forward, but I stiffened when I heard the noise again.

This time, I clearly heard it from my right and I looked at the trees there. “Nugu ya? [who is it?]” I asked sternly, a hint of threat lacing my voice. But I got no answer besides another groan and I narrowed my eyes. I slowly walked to the trees and then through them to the other side.

But when I reached the other side, I saw a man lying on the ground wounded and bleeding on his side. He also had scratches and bruises on his face and his arms and I gasped. My eyes went wide and I ran to him. I dropped my bag and kneeled next to him and touched his shoulder. “Yah! Yah quenchanayo? Yah irona ba! [hey! Hey are you ok? Hey wake up!]” I shook him gently and he groaned and shifted.

He was alive, but barely. From the amount of blood around him, I could tell that it was a serious wound and that he needed medical attention soon….or else he would die. I wasn’t afraid of blood or seeing injured people. I was used to these kinds of things because my parents were in the CIA. Even though I never joined, I had solved a few cases for them….I kind of enjoyed them. They were like real life mystery games.

And when I had taken the CIA exam, I had learnt basic first aid. Well, not basic; I had learnt quite a high level of first aid. And I knew what to do in different kinds of situation.

I looked over the person lying in front of me. I saw that he had a deep gash on his side and I took off his shirt to have a better look. I opened my bag and got out a few hand towels and bath towels that I had packed for my trip home and kept them beside me.

After I had taken off his shirt, I noticed that the wound was caused by a sword. I knew what a sword wound looked like and the wound was caused by a hit at a 60 degree angle. The blade must have been really sharp since it was a clean slice and thankfully the edges of the wound weren't ripped off. If the blade was blunt then the flesh would have been ripped in a jagged way and it would cause even more bleeding.

I took my towels and pressed it against his wound so that the bleeding would stop. He moaned at the pain and I looked at his sweating face. “Ajusshi, chimchag hae juseyo. [sir, please stay calm]” I said and kept the pressure on the wound for about ten minutes. When I felt that the bleeding had stopped, I relaxed on the amount of pressure I was applying.My towel was soaked with his blood and I felt a little queasy, but I pushed it aside and removed the towel. I used another clean towel and put it over his wound like a make shift bandage and used one of my jeans belts to hold it in place.

After I was done, I used some water from my water bottle and rinsed the blood off my hands. I looked back at the man and sighed. Well, I had to stay with him now. I couldn’t just leave an injured man like this right? I brought my knees to my chest and wrapped my arms around them. I rested my chin on my knees and watched him.

Thankfully, he wasn’t sweating anymore and he was just unconscious. But in case he showed a change in behavior, I had to do something so that he lived until someone got to where we were…..hopefully. I sighed. How did I get stuck in this situation in the first place?

>>Timeskip

About 4 hours had passed since I found this man lying here. He was still alive and it looked like my temporary first aid had worked. But he was starting to sweat again and I figured that he really needed medical attention...and I mean right now. I would have called an ambulance but my cell phone had zero signal. No matter what crazy poses and stances I took to try and get a signal, it was no use.

I mean, I even tried climbing a tree thinking that the dense canopy was probably causing a glitch in receiving any signal. But that didn’t work either.

So now, it was either someone turns up in the next 15 minutes to save this guy or else he dies. Well, I was hoping for the first option. I mean, saving this guy was top priority and if someone found us, I could probably get directions back to the subway or some sort of civilization.

I scooted closer to the man and wiped his forehead with a handkerchief. “Ajusshi, uri chajaneun geot…..nugu an olleyo? [sir, to find us….wont someone come?]” I asked him and he groaned. He scrunched up his face and blinked open his eyes and looked around. He coughed out blood and I widened my eyes. “Ajusshi, quenchanayo? Udong hajimaseyo! [don’t move!]” I said and touched his shoulder lightly. He looked at me while breathing heavily and frowned.

Actually, I was quite surprised he had survived this long and even regained consciousness with the kind of wound he had. He must have a lot of stamina and he might just be lucky to live and tell the tale. “Its ok, I have given you some basic first aid. I hope someone will find us soon though.” I said and he frowned more.

“Who….who are you?” He spoke and I blinked. “Oh….ilbon saram? [Japanese person?] Um, I found you injured so….I gave you some temporary first aid. Will someone come to find us?” I asked in Japanese this time and he shut his eyes and groaned in pain. I got a little flustered and I bit my lip. “Oh…uh….um….you shouldn’t move or talk….uh….ah ottoke....ottokeyo?! [ah what to do….what do I do?!]” I said to myselfas I looked around worriedand he stayed with his eyes closed as he tried to regain his breath.

“Thoa juseyo!! Appaneun saram yeogi issoyo!! Thoa juseyo!! [help! There’s and injured person here! Help!]” I yelled loudly, not knowing what else to do. Well, no one turned up and I sighed. “Ah jincha….[ah seriously….]” I looked back at the man and he was still with his eyes closed and his jaw tightly clenched in pain.

I really didn’t know what else to do. I didn’t have any sort of bandages or medicine to help him with. The most I could do was get him to eat some fruit that contained good amount of glucose so that his body would still have energy to recover. Hey wait, that’s a good idea. Im sure I could find some fruiting plant around here. Thinking so, I stood up and dusted my shorts and decided to go find something for him to eat. Well, me too since I was started to get a little hungry as well.

“I’ll be right back. I’ll try to find something we can eat.” I told the man and he opened his eyes to look at me. he gave a small nod and I smiled. I was about to leave but I paused when I heard a rustle in the bushes. I narrowed my eyes and picked up a stick that was lying nearby and I stood in front of the injured man. Two people stepped out of the bushes and when they saw us, one of them growled. "Hatsuko! You b****! Get away from my brother!" He yelled and ran at me. I jumped back and landed a few feet away from the man on the ground. The one who called him his brother kneeled down to check on him and the other pulled out a short sword and faced me while holding it up in defense.

I raised my brow and let the stick fall to the ground. I put one hand on my hip and gave a look of distaste to the people who had just appeared. "Did you just call me a b****? You know, that's really rude considering the fact that I was helping that person." I pointed to the man and the one holding him glared. "Like we will believe you! I'm sure you were the one who wanted to kill him! The way you're dressed....you're disgraceful." He said and my eyebrow twitched. "A-aniki.....s-she helped me....d-don't hurt her...." The injured guys said and I sighed.

"Hatsuko....she helped you?" The guy holding 'Hatsuko' asked and I rolled my eyes. "For your information, I have been staying with him for the past four hours. I managed to stop the bleeding of his wound....but the wound is deep and he really needs a doctor to check on him." I said and I walked closer to them. The one standing hesitated to keep up his defensive stance and I bent down to pick up my bag. "Well, now that things are settled here, could you give me directions back to the subway? Or the city....either of them is fine. I can catch a taxi and get to the subway." I said and they looked at me strangely.

"Subway? What is that?" They asked and I raised a brow. "C'mon, you cant not know of the subway." I said and they looked at each other lost. "Ugh...jeez." I muttered to myself and shook my head. I took out my cell phone and held it up to see if the signal had returned, but it hadn't. I sighed and shook my head. "That girl is so strange....and what ugly hair color." The 'aniki' said and my eyebrow twitched. I turned to him with a slight glare and he narrowed his eyes. "Hey, who gave you permission to talk about my hair? I paid a lot of money to get it done this color and I think it actually suits me! Besides, who asked you for your opinion?" I challenged and he frowned.

"I did not say anything." He said stiffly and I scoffed. "As if! I heard you so clearly! You said 'what ugly hair she has'. Don't pretend to be innocent!" I yelled and he narrowed his eyes again. "I didn't say that.....I just thought it." He said. "Psh....yeah right. I heard it ok? And what you said is really rude." I retorted and went back to looking at my phone and trying to call eonni. But of course it didn't connect and I threw my phone into my bag annoyed.

"You were able to hear my thoughts....impossible..." He said and I looked at him. "Look, I get it, you're sorry for commenting on my hair. You don't have to say ridiculous things just to prove your innocence. I'm not psychic. I cant read people's minds." I said and put my bag over my shoulders. "Now, are you going to give me directions or not? If you don't want to, I'll find my way myself."

He didn't answer and he picked up Hatsuko onto his back and looked at me. "Come with us. We will take you to Hashirama sama." "Hashi-what now?" I asked and he gave me a glare. "Don't you dare say his name so casually! Senju Hashirama san is one of the strongest ninjas alive and he is our clan leader!" He yelled at me and I cringed. "Alright alright.....jeez...." Talk about dramatic. "Ok, take me to this Hashirama sama." I said and then he nodded and turned around.

"A-aniki..." Hatsuko said and I bit my lip at the obvious pain in his voice. "Don't worry, you'll be fine. I promise." His brother said and I sighed as I began to follow them. "By the way, I didn't get you names." I said and they looked back at me. "My name is Kuzuma and this is my brother Hatsuko." "And my name is Raito." I nodded. "Nice to meet you. I'll overlook the earlier rude comment this time. And you can call me Mio." I said with a smile and they nodded.

Well, I was talking to Japanese people now and Mio was a Japanese name.....at least I think so. It was very similar to Mi Ho so might as well use the slight change so that these guys would find my name easy.

The rest of the walk was silent. I was still walking barefoot and my feet were starting to hurt quite a bit because of the sharp pebbles that kept poking my feet. But after about 15 minutes, the trees began to clear up and I saw a huge compound wall and a large wooden gate. Inside, I could see people walking around, but the building looked a little too old fashioned. I frowned but I followed the three people anyway. "So....this is your city?" I asked hesitantly and they looked at me. "This is the Senju clan settlement." He said and I nodded.

I didn't want to ask too many questions because I was sure I wouldn't get any answers I could understand. I looked around and people looked at me and pointed to me as they whispered among themselves. I frowned and stuck out my tongue to them and they gasped and glared at me. Jeez what did I ever do to them? They didn't have to stare and talk about me just because I was dressed differently. I sighed and shook my head and walked closer to Raito.

"Hey, why I everyone staring at me?" I asked and he glanced at me from top to bottom and turned forward again. "Obviously because of your clothes. Women should be more decent in their dressing sense." He said and I rolled my eyes. "Why is everyone here so primeval? Doesn't anyone have a fashion sense?" I muttered and crossed ny arms as I fell behind a little.

We came to a stop in front of a building soon and Kuzuma turned to us. "I will be taking my brother to the hospital. Raito will take you to Hashirama sama." He said and I nodded. "Rest well, Hatsuko." I smiled and he gave me a weak smile. "Thank you....for....helping me..." He said weakly and I giggled. "Don't mention it." I waved to him and followed Raito as he led me through the settlement again.

More people who passed by stared and whispered and I sighed again. I hope this Hashirama person they were talking about could help me get back to the subway.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Pic on the side is Raito! Please ignore the Konoha headband on his arm ^^'

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