March or Die

By the time Meiko woke up, the sun was high enough to melt the dew.

Rubbing her eyes, she noticed Tashiro was gone and quickly glanced around. It didn’t take her long to find him, cutting at the overgrown wildflowers with a Machete.

While patrolling the area, he had found in a small tool shed, buried under a cloak of foliage.

Taking a plate of cold bacon, Meiko let the flavours dance on her tongue and play with her senses. For it was something she had never tried before. It was the first she had heard herself hum with satisfaction.

Sitting down, she watched the stranger, in his ragged hemp kimono, slash at the tall grass with might and precision. It struck her how someone skinnier than her could exude such an elegant aura, almost like a warrior or dancer.

I waited so long, all by myself. Did my best to survive, to gather, to scrounge what was good enough to eat. Secretly hoping to find a deadly poison, powerful enough to…but nothing. So I endured, hoping that this was it…I was finally going to die in my sleep. Then he came along, with his loud breathing, and clattering and falling down in my place, uninvited! Hmph! Hmph! Then, to make sure I was well-fed and warm? Hmph! I guess he can stay. I will allow it.

***

Drinking down a gourd of water, Tashiro looked back and waved.

Meiko smiled weakly and waved back, unsure if she could still trust this person, despite all the nice things he had done. (The people who threw her off a cliff had also been friendly).

Tashiro returned to the cabin and plucked a slice of bacon.

“Are you really going to stay?” Meiko asked him.

“Truth be told, I still would have if you hadn’t been here. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but there is something calming about this place. It feels like it wants to change back, to the way it was.”

“How was it before?”

“I don’t know. All I can do is make repairs and make use of the soil. In among the bushes, I found some old fruit and veg, if I can utilise the seeds, we can grow our own food. If all goes well, we may never need to see another town for at least a year.”

“Can we make it longer?”

“Not interested in crowds, huh?” Meiko shook her head. Tashiro sighed heavily. “You should probably know I am on the run.”

Meiko froze, and only her eyes looked up. “On the run, for what?”

“I upset a bunch of gamblers who lost a lot of money,” Tashiro said. Meiko exhaled. “What? You thought it was worse?” The girl brought the tips of her forefinger and thumb an inch apart. “Don’t blame you. I could be anyone, you never know.”

“I want to trust you…”

“It’s too early, I get it. This is only the second day. Never trust anyone who asks for it. I guess all I can do is make your life better.” Tashiro started to walk off. “I’m going to bathe, guard the house while I am gone.”

“Guard it with what?”

Tashiro just waved and strolled merrily toward the nearby river.

***

This was a bad idea! Tashiro said, shivering in the freezing waters. Why did I think it was going to be like in Anime, where they frolic and splash each other?

The fast-flowing river was a mirror of dark green and broader than he expected to find in the middle of the forest. After acclimatising to the low temperature, he began to swim around, which took some doing after inheriting such a feeble body.

Gah! I can’t believe I have to start from scratch after all the work I put in at the gym. If only I had some dumbbells to play with. Yeah well, I can’t exactly waltz into a blacksmith with no money.

He lowered his body until only his eyes were above water. Hmm. Wait a minute! I’ve just spent the morning lifting heavy rocks of differing weights. If I can chisel in some hand holds, instant dumbbells!

In his delight, he stood straight up butt-naked in the water. The shock of this sudden exposure startled Meiko, who had been sneaking a peek, high above the deep end of the water.

Unsettled, she lost her balance, slipped and fell straight into the deepest part of the river.

Tashiro heard a scream and spun round, just in time to see a hand disappear underwater.

“Meiko!”

Tashiro swam into action, diving further and further into the murky waters. He watched as the girl closed her eyes and began to sink. Determined not to let her go, he defied the current and powered through, using a strength that belied his weakling body.

Catching up with her, Tashiro cradled Meiko in his arms and began to swim upward, screaming underwater, while willing his skinny, malnourished legs to propel him topside.

If only he had his old body, curse the dietary habits of this wretched vagrant!

Finally hitting fresh air, he carried the girl out onto the river bed and laid her down, immediately starting with unblocking obstructions in the throat, two breaths into the mouth and with chest compressions.

Come on, come on, not you as well, I can’t lose you too.

Remembering to keep calm, he continued the procedure of thirty compressions and two breaths until Meiko started to cough, splutter and vomit up water. He turned her onto her side, allowing the airway to clear. Wrapping her up with his Kimono, he rubbed her back to get the circulation going.

After a minute, Meiko caught her breath enough to speak.

“I can’t believe it, you saved me.”

Tashiro was beside himself with a tearful relief.

“I did. I didn’t let this one go, I didn’t let you go.”

Then, as if the weight of all his guilt washed through, he cried loud and fierce, not caring who heard him.

***

After the near-tragedy, Tashiro carried the girl home and lit up the fireplace until a warm glow settled inside the house.

Tashiro offered her a gourd of water.

“How are you feeling?” He asked.

“Stupid." Meiko said, taking slow sips. “It’s like you’re always rescuing me.”

“I mean it’s only been a couple of days. Believe it or not, you’re kinda my responsibility.”

“Says who?”

“Says…common sense? Huh. You’re right, I just feel I want to protect you. Hate me all you want, but it’s like a natural thing, for a sensible adult.”

“I’ve never met one of those,” Meiko said, with a sly smile.

“Yeah, me either,” Tashiro said, lying down and resting his head on folded arms.. “I hear they're a rare breed.”

“Please teach me all you know,” Meiko said softly. “The hunting, the fishing, the growing crops.I don’t want to rely on people anymore. The people I have relied on end up giving up on me. I want to be strong like you.”

“Have you seen my arms? They’re like a wet noodle.”

“Everyone knows real strength comes from inside. Being able not to accept defeat, even when it looks like it will happen.” Meiko turned to face him, her eyes hard with determination. “You have that in you. It’s like a blacksmith waiting to shape metal.”

“Takes a lot of hard work, long days, even to shape just a little bit.”

“Little bits form bigger bits, do they not?”

Tashiro scoffed.

“You survived two years in the wilderness. I’d say you’re already stronger than most adults.”

Meiko folded her arms. “If you don’t want to, just to say it..”

“To successfully use a bow, you need upper body strength, especially in the arms. We need to work on those first.” Tashiro, still clad in a fundoshi, rolled onto his side and propped his head with an arm. “Are you willing to hurt more than you’ve hurt before, in the name of getting ripped?”

Meiko stood up, slightly scared. “I don’t want to be ripped open!”

“It’s a saying, as in getting nice muscles.”

“Oh yes! Teach me how to do that.”

“Very well, then. You can quit at any time, but the longer you leave it, the more difficult it will be to return. Trust me, I’ve been there.”

“I..will try my best.”

“You’ll hate me, you’ll cry and say I’m mean, and every bad thing under the sun. I won’t take it personal, because it’s for your own good.”

Meiko started to pace; it sounded worse than she had imagined.

“I am ready.”

I think.

For the next few months, Tashiro helped them both build strength by carving handholds in rocks of varying sizes for dumbbells. He rolls bigger rocks into cargo nets and loops the rope over a branch to form a makeshift pulldown machine. He suspended one rock to create a kind of leg press.

He spent a week creating a fruit and veg garden, tilling the soil and planting seeds

Muscle building was a slow and patient process, involving basic exercises like jumping jacks, running in place, and planking.

Going for runs, they start with a lap of the clearing, then add more laps, followed by a fifth of a mile, a quarter, and a third before reaching a full mile.

Meiko hates it at first; she cries, collapses, yells, storms off, argues, cries and quits. Weeks of this happen on a cycle, until one day she returns, cries, yells and storms off (but doesn’t quit).

The passing weeks see her no longer crying or yelling.

Every time she collapses, she picks herself up and carries on. Tashiro notices that Meiko’s mental fortitude has increased to the point where her stamina sees a boost through sheer dogged determination.

Near the end of the year, the muscle definition is coming through, enough to teach this girl the basics of Archery.

First, with a stationary target, then a swinging target, and targets at a distance. Moving on to animals, she learnt how to shoot rabbits and field-dress them (much to her disgust), as well as game birds and Boarlets.

A couple of months later, she was moving onto medium-sized game, expertly firing a one-shot kill almost every time.

They survived on homemade noodles, broth and anything they could hunt.

Already one year has passed, and Tashiro is back to his original body size, with jacked muscles. Meiko looks like a completely different person, far beyond healthy; she is ridiculously fit for a seven-year-old. Tashiro wonders if he has overdone it, and should concentrate on survival skills rather than turning her into a tank.

All he knows is that they can run more, climb more, and when he teaches her basic hand-to-hand martial arts, she picks it up quickly..

In the new year, hunting with a bow improves, with Rabbits, piglets, and game birds. Meiko is given a wooden weapon, shaped like a Sai.

Months later, she learns Intermediate martial arts. Weapon skills, stamina, speed, and agility improve. He creates an obstacle course to hone their physique.

It tires them out, but they keep going.

Another month sees a vast improvement in every respect. Meiko can swim, climb rope,  do flying kicks and cartwheel kicks. Hunting is levelled up. She is able to hear heartbeats and breathing. Stealth techniques. Learn to blend with shadows.

With the end of the second year, the farm expands to bear more fruit and veg. The cabin become more secure and water-tight. They wear pelts and furs through the winter.

Life is finally good.