Part 82: Kid/Sara Route - Part 5

Track—Kosmisher Wal




"Huh?"


"Well, I'm already soaked to the bone...I might as well teach you a little."


"You mean it? Alright! Wow. You're being surprisingly nice, aren't you?"


"No I'm not."


"Oh! I know what it is."


"W-what?"


"It's because I look so good in this swimsuit! Better keep your hands off!"


"I, d-don't know what you are talking about!"


"Oh! See! I can tell I'm right 'cause you're getting all worked up!"


"Fine! I won't teach you anything then!"


"Oh. No. Wait! Pleaaaaaaasssee..."


"........."


"I won't tease you anymore."


"Promise?"


"Yeah. I promise."


"Hmmm."


"I said I promise! I swear to God, to Buddha! And anyone else who'll listen!"


"Well...alright."


"Really? You know I love you, right?"


"........."


"........."


"Anyway...I should be going..."


"Ohhhhh, I'm kidding! Come back here!"

Sara flapped her arms about making even more spray.


"Oh, alright. I'll teach you, okay?"


"Yeah! I was so hoping that you would say that!"


"I said stop that...!"

Track—Klamauk




"Just be natural like. Sara!"

I had to strain my voice to be heard over Sara's splashing. I had gotten out of the water. With my right arm in a sling, there were only so many ways to teach swimming. I just watched what she was doing and hollered out advice. But...no matter what I said...she still looked clumsy.


"If you keep that up, you'll never learn to swim!"


"Well, what am I s'posed to do? Pant, pant. I'm doing my best to do just like you said."


"I see...You can't swim if you're so tense! You need to be smoother..."


"Like this?"

Splish, splash, splish, splash!

She only whirled the water into a bigger froth with more spray.


"Whoa! S-Sara, slow down!"

I shouted instructions as I avoided the spray showering down around me.


"Are you doing that on purpose?"


"Why would I? Whaddya expect me to do?"


"You've gotta move more slowly...gentle like..."


"How am I supposed to know what you mean by gentle? What else can I do? You're no good at teaching!"

That ticked me off.




"What?"


"Sara, you don't need to learn to swim, do you?"


"Of course I do!"


"Hmmm. Really?"


"W-whaddya mean?"


"Listen, Sara. If you REALLY want to learn to swim..."


"........."


"Then you ought to listen to what I say."


"Oh..."


"If you can't listen to what I say... Then I'll be going."


"Oh..."


"Do you want me to teach you to swim?"


"...Yes."


"So is there anything you want to say to me?"


"Mmmmm...."

Sara glared at me menacingly.


"If not, then..."

I pretended I was about to leave.


"Uh, I'm sorry..."


"What? Did you say something?"


"I said, I'm sorry! Now just teach me without being mean."


"P-W-E-T-T-Y P-W-E-A-S-E!"


"Don't talk like a baby!"


"A wittle bit is fine...no? Besides, I think I look pretty good in a swimsuit. You should be happy just to be around me."


"...Not even a little."






"Oh! You're such a jerk."




"Whoa! Stop that right now!"


"Then you tell the truth! You like me in a swimsuit, right?"


"Why would I? You in a swimsuit...?"

I was blushing, completely giving away my feelings.




"See! You do like seeing me!"


"You're not listening to me!"


"You're a guy."


"What's that supposed to mean?"


"Well, any healthy guy in his right mind would like to be with a beautiful girl in a bathing suit."


"It's not like that."


"You're saying that even though you want to sneak a better look."


"I said I don't! I've had enough. I'm leaving!"




"Aiiiieeee!"

I heard Sara scream behind me.



I hurriedly looked behind me.


"Sara? Sara? What's the matter?"

I wondered if her leg had cramped. I sprinted to the water's edge. And then...

[Music—Stop]



Water suddenly sprayed in my eyes, blinding me. The next thing I knew I had slipped and was spinning in the air.

Crasplash!

The following instant I was in the water.


"Aaagghhh!"

It all happened so quickly that I swallowed a ton of water. And some went up my nose. My nose stung. I desperately fought to get to the surface.




"Whaaaaaaat is it?"

Track—Klamauk




"Cough, sputter...Sara, you're mean!"

I approached Sara.


"Paaa...A,HA,HA,Haaaaaa!"


"W-what?"


"You fall for EVERYTHING so easily! Hee, hee...."


"S-Sara!"


"It would seem you are still wet behind the ears, Kid. Paaa...A,HA,HA,Haaaaaa!"

Seeing Sara laughing with such enthusiasm, I realized that getting any angrier was pointless. Actually, for some reason I started to laugh.


"...Hee....Kya, Ha, ha, ha, ha..."


"A, Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!"


"Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!"

Sara and I laughed for a while.



Once my fit of laughter was done, I got out of the water.


"Uh, Kid..."

Sara called out to me shyly.


"So, should we start?"


"Uh...yeah."


"Okay wise teacher! Please fill me in with swimming knowledge!"


"You know I'm pretty strict. You think you can handle it?"


"Yes, sir!"


"Okay. Then let's get started."


"Okay."




"So you have to relax more."


"But...I'm trying to do it just the way you say..."


"Yeah, but you're so stiff. Like a scarecrow or you're made of wood or something...You need to let your legs flow freely...like a fish maybe."


"A fish... Alright then, I'm a fish now."


"Okay, Sara! You need to get pumped!"


"I just can't picture what you mean."


"Well, if you can't imagine a fish, then how about a dolphin or whale...anyway, you have to be relaxed and move freely."


"Uuuuh..."


"No. You're still too stiff! Relax more. Just let your feet go!"

Somehow teaching her to swim had become fun. It was fun to see Sara, who was always in control of things, in the opposite position.


"Sara!"


"Mmmmmmm."

Track—Ersteboden



I played with her pendant. Looking at it without the flame or the lighter, it was just a mirror. I ran my finger around the edge of the pendant.




"Both of my parents are gone."

Sara had looked so sad as she'd said it.




"What's wrong? Why the glum face?"


"Oh, it's nothing. But I brought this...."


"Oh you brought it for me. Sorry you had to stick around teaching me until the end."


"You're the one that made me stay..."

I mumbled this.


"Huh? What did you say?"


"Oh, nothing."


"Well, anyway, thanks a lot...And thanks for hanging out until the end."


"What?"

I was taken aback. I was waiting for some witty comeback. But Sara was sincerely saying thanks.


"W-wow. You're being surprisingly nice to me..."


"Yeah, well I'm really grateful. Because I finally learned to swim by myself."


"Only a little bit, but..."


"But it was fun. I was happy you were so serious about it..."


"Sara..."

I got a little bit embarrassed. Somehow, watching Sara struggle with something when she was used to always having her way, well, it was kind of fun. I had taught her how to swim correctly, but I did have an urge to be a bit of a bully about it. Still, I never thought that she would come out and say 'Thank you'...


"I really mean it. Thanks, Kid."


"Y-yeah. But don't let it go to your head, because you can't really call what you were doing swimming."

I was embarrassed, and reflexively went into mean mode.


"I know. If we have another chance, I hope you'll teach me again."


"S-sure."


"Next time, I'll really learn to swim."


"Yeah. You just need a little more practice."


"Teach me again. Nin! Nin! Ninja!"


"A, ha, ha. Sure."


"Somehow, I'm tired out..."

As she spoke, Sara took the pendant and put it on. Then she took it in her hand and stared at it.


"I'll bet, if my brother was around, it would be kinda like this..."

Sara mumbled it, sounding lonely.


"Your brother?"


"Yes. I..."


"I had an older brother...He was fun, strong and I adored him..."


"But when we were little, we got separated..."


"I see..."


"But he promised me..."


"Promised you?"


"Yeah, he promised. He promised that he would come get me no matter what..."


"Is that right?"


"Yup..."


"So...I'm waiting for him."


"Waiting for him to come save me...always..."

Sara's words, brought back a vision I had seen.

[Music—Stop]





Day 5: For a refresher, it’s a brunch picnic at the Rest Area, Takeshi’s 34-ingredient special is revealed to taste like pizza, Kid hears/sees Coco chiseling away at the statue, everyone else is concerned for his mental health, and he later chases an image of Coco to the Cosmic Whale room. This section starts right at the beginning of May 5th, as shown by the usual “May 5th Friday – Der erste Tag” image and goes all the way until the line “I followed in soon after her.”

[Music—Stop]



Instead, I saw Sara sitting in the same place we had sat earlier, on the whale. Sara was singing softly.


"Moon sprite shouldering a long bow/Waiting inside a dream/Tonight a story by moonlight/Hoping the wait will be short/Sleeping curled and snug/Sleeping in mother's arms."

Her voice echoed quietly as if it were seeping into the night sky. Somehow it sounded faintly sad and lonely. I couldn't make myself call out to Sara...



I didn't know if it was because of my broken arm, or the swimming with Sara...But I felt sluggish and feverish, so I took some medicine and went to bed. Vibrations shook through LeMU.


"I wonder if something happened."



I thought that if I went to the Security Office I might learn what happened.

Track—Kopfsprung




"I don't know. I just got here myself."

Tsugumi said it coolly. Then Sora appeared in the room.


"So you two are here."


"Sora, did something happen?"


"Yes. Water breached the Cosmic Whale Room..."


"Water breached it?"


"Yes. The room's wall collapsed under the water pressure and started flooding."


"Are we...alright?"


"The doors to the Cosmic Whale have been sealed so there will be no effect on other areas."


"What about everyone else?"


"You and Takeshi are in the Control Room."


"You and Takeshi...what about Sara?"


"Sara...her last confirmed location is in a corridor near the Cosmic Whale."


"Corridor?"


"Sensors in that area are not functioning at full capacity...so I have not been able to verify this. Presently it is completely cut off."


"What about Sara?"


"I am unable to confirmed her location anywhere else in LeMU."


"No way! Then she was in that room!"



Tsugumi followed on my heels.




"Sora, can you open the doors to the room?"


"That is impossible."


"But..."


"I am sorry..... If I open these doors down, this sector will flood as well. If the Generator Room floods, then we will be powerless. I cannot do that."


"What about Sara? Sara!"


"Calm down."


"Tsugumi..."


"Sora, are the emergency corridors around here still functioning? Is there any way to get to the room through them?"


"I will check..... Yes. There is a corridor directly above the Cosmic Whale."


"However, it is not possible to enter Cosmic Whale from there. That area is completely flooded."


"But we could enter it by diving, right?"


"Yes, but..."


"I'll go. We've got to save Sara!"


"With that broken arm? What're you gonna do?"


"B-but..."


"You'll start drowning and in the end I'll have to go save you, too."


"........."


"I'll go."


"But Tsugumi..."


"You're injured. So keep quiet."


"Sora, where is the nearest entrance to a corridor that'll get me there?"


"Use the connecting staircase out of here and to the left."

Tsugumi started running before Sora was done speaking.




"Tsugumi, why...?"


"...There's no other choice. We're in this...together."


"Tsugumi..."

Tsugumi sprinted the emergency stairs and climbed to the emergency corridor. I followed right behind her.



I hurriedly ran after her.




"Tsugumi! Wait!"

Tsugumi glanced at me.


"Wait here."

Saying that, Tsugumi leaped through hatch.


"Tsugumi! Sora! Is Tsugumi okay?"


"I don't know. Now we can only trust and wait for her."

Only Sora's voice echoed around me. She was speaking through a different set of emergency speakers and her voice crackled and mixed with static.


"You and Takeshi said that they will wait for you in the infirmary."


"Okay..."

I looked in the emergency hatch again. Inside, the hatch was brimming with cold water. Frustrated and feeling powerless because I could only wait, I tried to be patient.


"Tsugumi, please...find Sara...Sara..."

[Music—Stop]



It might not have really been that long. But at that time it felt like an eternity to me.



On her back she was carrying Sara...


"S-Sara!"


"Haaaaa.*Pant* Let's get her out of the water."


"Okay."

I forgot the pain in my arm and yanked Sara up. Sara was like ice - cold and hard. In her firmly clenched fist was the pendant. Tsugumi put her hand on the back of her neck.


"There's...no pulse."


"No! Sara...It can't be! Sara! Sara! Wake up! Sara!"

I shook Sara's cold body. Tsugumi tried to calm me down and spoke.


"Anyway, let's get her to the infirmary."

Track—Das Absuchen



Tsugumi immediately started giving her a heart massage. Takeshi and You were fiddling with the machines around the examination table trying to learn more about Sara's status. Takeshi got out the defibrillator. A beep signaled that they were charged and Takeshi placed two pads on Sara's chest.

Whaap!

Sara's body jumped. Tsugumi put her hand on Sara neck and shook her head. She went right back to massaging her heart.


"Damn. One more time."

The beep echoed again. And then the electric pulse again. Sara's face was drained of color and her lips were blue. Her body was stiff and unresponsive. All I could do was watch the three of them busily work to save her. There was nothing in the drawers of memory accessible to me, telling me how to act in this situation. Images of time I had spent with Sara until now flashed through my mind and the voices in the room barely reached me.

Finally...Tsugumi relaxed her hands. With a look of grief she moved away from Sara. Takeshi also put the defibrillator back on the table.


"No..."


"Damn...why..."


"What...happened? Hey, why are you all stopping? Hey. Why do you all have those looks on your faces?"


"....Kid."


"It can't...be! Sara! Sara! Sara! Wake up! Wake up! Sara!"

I started trying to copy Tsugumi's heart massage. The three of them watched with sad looks on their faces.


"Why...why do you all want to give up? Sara isn't going to die! She can't die here!"

I continued to pump her chest frantically.









You put her hand on my shoulder. But I shook her hand off and continued pushing on Sara's chest.




"Open your eyes!"








"No, I didn't run away! I wanted to help you!"

I put more power into the hand I was using to push on her chest. Her ribs bent under the strain. Still, I kept pumping.


"I told you, Sara! Sara! I told you I would come...to help you! I told you...I'd come to help you, didn't I?"

I prayed for Sara's heart to start beating!


"Sara! You said you'd wait like a good girl...You said you'd wait, didn't you?"

I pushed a little harder.

[Music—Stop]

Cough.

A little water came out of Sara's mouth.


"Cough..."

She started breathing faintly and more water came out of her mouth.


"Cough, cough..."


"Sara! Sara!"

I shook Sara desperately.

Track—Heilmittel



Sara's eyes opened slightly.


"Oh, Sara!"

That instant the tension in the atmosphere of the infirmary eased.


"Oh...uh...I..."


"Oh, thank goodness...Sara...Sara..."

[Music—Stop]



It was a soft, but somehow lonely voice singing.