The Argument
1110 Words
Helena doesn’t know how long she was out, but when she awoke, all her wounds had been cleaned and bandaged, except for her shoulder, and a blanket covered her lower half. The smell of mildew wafted into her nose, and it was cold and damp. She lay there trying to remember what happened; it was all a blur. She remembered being tied between two posts, beaten and bleeding, when everything suddenly went dark. At first, she thought she had passed out. But then she heard scuffling and metal clanging. In the dim light, she saw the man with her kunai rush towards her and thrust it at her. She remembered closing her eyes and accepting her fate. As the knife pierced her shoulder, she heard the man groan and crumble to the floor. At the same time, she felt herself falling towards the floor and knew her bonds had been cut somehow. But instead of feeling the cement floor, she felt two sturdy arms wrap around her and pull her close. She remembered the smell of blood and sweat as the arms gently carried her through the darkness past the noise of battle as her rescuer navigated through the sea of clashing weapons to safety. She recalled using her last ounce of strength to reach out and grab her savior’s shirt on his chest and whisper, “Please…my daughter…save her.” A look of compassion and empathy stirred in his eyes, and she finally passed out.
As she became more aware of her surroundings, she heard voices in the hallway. It sounded like someone was having an argument. She strained to listen to what was going on.
“I can’t believe you brought a stranger into our hideout!” one voice yelled. “What if she tells people about us?”
“She asked me to help Kenji. I can’t do that without knowing what happened and how to help!” A second voice replied.
“Let the police help her! It has nothing to do with us!” Kenji yelled back.
“Will you two keep it down, you’ll wake her up,” a third voice says.
“Good, then we can kick her out and be done with it,” yells Kenji.
“Sensei didn’t raise us that way. He taught us to be compassionate,” another voice chimes in. Silence hovers a few moments.
“I hate it when you use sensei against me, Tenchi,” Kenji says angrily, but with a hint of sadness. “Fine, but don’t blame me if she ends up getting us all killed.” She hears a door slam, and all is quiet for a moment.
“Yukio, I know she’s a stranger, but I don’t think she’s a threat. I was listening to the spy roach while shutting off the power; they tortured her for information. They asked her all kinds of questions, but no matter what they did to her, she said nothing. I think she can be trusted,” said the third voice.
“She was protecting something,” Yukio said. “However, she may not be willing to go through that to protect strangers.”
“You might be right about that. What was the woman protecting? Do you know something we don’t?” Hiroshi asks.
“I’ll tell you later,” says Yukio. “You stay here and finish tending to her wounds. I’ll take Kenji out on patrol to blow off steam. Tenchi, you stay and help Hiroshi.”
When all was quiet again, she slipped back into oblivion.
While Helena once again succumbed to the darkness, Yukio took Kenji out on patrol. Yukio did want to talk to Kenji alone, but mostly he wasn’t looking forward to telling that woman he had failed to save her daughter. So, he found Kenji outside, and they headed off to patrol the city, looking for any sign of Green Viper activity. However, Yukio couldn’t stop thinking about his failure. Feelings of guilt and self-doubt swirled around inside him; he thought about his sensei and how he failed to save him, and nearly lost his brothers as well. Yukio would never forget the night his sensei died protecting them. Yukio knew he had been arrogant and led his brothers into the lion’s den. Yukio had put his brothers in unnecessary danger, and it cost him his sensei and almost cost him his brothers’ lives too. He failed them, and now he had failed again.
Kenji could tell something was on his mind; he could see the turmoil all over Yukio’s face. His voice softens as he says, “It wasn’t your fault, Yukio. I know you blame yourself for what happened to Sensei.”
Yukio snaps out of his stupor; surprised Kenji knew what he was thinking about.
“You can’t keep punishing yourself. Some things are just beyond your control. Helping that woman isn’t going to make things right. It won’t bring back sensei,” Kenji continues.
“I know that, Kenji,” Yukio says, a bit irritated. “It’s just she was depending on me to help her, and I failed.”
“How did you fail? You saved her life.” Kenji questions.
In all the chaos, Yukio hadn’t had time to tell his brothers about the woman’s daughter. He let out a sigh as he sat down on a rooftop. “I failed to save her daughter,” he said sadly.
Kenji looks at him, confused. Yukio tells him about the woman’s plea for her daughter before passing out and about the young girl he saw with Kane. “It all makes sense. She was there to rescue her daughter. She must’ve known it was dangerous, but she went anyway. It reminds me of how sensei risked everything for us. I must help her; it’s the right thing to do. I know the risks, and I won’t ask you or the others to help. But I’m helping her save her daughter,” he says with conviction.
“If that’s how you feel, I will help you, Yukio. Especially if it means kicking the Green Vipers’ butts,” Kenji says with a grin. “But I’m only helping, so I can keep an eye on her and protect you. And if the others want to help, I’ll protect them too.”
“Thank you, Kenji. Let’s go home; the sun will be coming up shortly,” he says.
As they near the hideout, Hiroshi comes over the headset, telling them that the woman is awake and responsive. Time to deliver devastating news and tell the others what he had just told Kenji about her daughter.
- Writer
