Speak not of sorrow for the dead

“Shiidou, bring purified water, the wound must be cleaned before it is healed, lest the leg suffer irreparable damage by infection.”
“On it.”

I run to the table where the nurses keep flasks of distilled water, and bring it to Ann while she inspects the large wound in the man’s leg.
I give the man a clean cloth to bite down on, while Ann pours the water over the wound to clean it out. His jittering makes it apparent that it’s causing serious pain, but it has to be done.

“Heal.”
Bright white mana streams from her hand, and the open wound on the man’s leg slowly begins to heal, his pained thrashings dying down until the wound seals completely.

“Th-Thank you.”
“It’s no problem at all, we’re happy to be of service.”
“Keep yourself safe, man.”
The man lays back on his bed, a relieved look on his face. Once the pain subsides completely, he should be able to walk fine. Others aren’t quite so lucky.

“Sealing wounds and even curing infections are within my ability, but there’s little I can do for those with unsalvageable limbs. There will be hundreds, maybe thousands left disabled by the end of all this.”
“At least you’re preventing further deaths. I’m sure plenty of them would happily trade an arm or leg if it means survival.”
“Even so, so many wounds that would be fixable if treated right initially. A wound bandaged but left unclean for days? Just how in over their heads are these people?”
“Most of the population of the east was affected by the floods. Every medical personnel on the island could assemble and we’d still be short staffed.”

Ann’s pained expression stays on her face as we walk. Despite all her good work, she still seems to see herself as a failure.

“These people have put their hopes and faith in me, and I’ve been naught but a disappointment. I’m no hero, nor am I a stand in for her ladyship. Our countrymen deserve better than myself.”

“You’re only human, Ann. You have limitations, same as everyone else. But you’re still making a difference. Not a single person has died since you showed up. That had to count for something, right?”
She glances at me, before staring ahead wistfully.
“I suppose you are right. To focus on what I cannot achieve is a waste of time. So long as I’m making a difference, I should be content.”

Some of the stress leaves her face, but I can tell she’s down on herself.
Aunt Hime’s death left the people of the east without a maternal figure to rally around, so for the week since we arrived they’ve clung to Ann as a replacement for such a figurehead. While I’m glad to see her efforts recognised, it’s taken a visible toll on her. To not only be tasked with caring for the health of so many, but their morale too? And in the wake of the dearly beloved lady they so recently lost? Of course she’d be stressed.

I think back to what Shimu said. About not letting the time we have together slip away. I want to do something for Ann, something that we can enjoy together. God knows she deserves it.
“Hey, since our work is done for the day, would you mind joining me for a walk? We’ve not really looked around the parts of Higashi that are still intact.”
“A walk? For leisure?”
“Yeah. A stress reliever. Help you take your mind off things.”

She smiles at me. It’s a tired smile, but a genuine one.
“I had planned to go straight to bed once finished with work, but I suppose we have time to spare.”
“Is that a yes?”
“Lead the way, I’ll follow you wherever you wish to go.”
Follow me, huh? Not what I was angling for.
“That won’t do at all.”
"Pardon?”
“Don’t follow me. Walk with me. By my side.”
“Of course. We are not master and servant, but partners. I have not forgotten.”
“Just making sure.”
I return her smile, and we set off out of the tent and into the town.

Despite the destruction in it’s eastern half, the western half of Higashi is a wonderful town. The merchants, in agreement with Shimu, are selling essentials for far cheaper than normal, with the local government making up the difference in profits. With the money in our pockets, Ann and I enjoy a few local delicacies and spend some time browsing the town’s large bookstore.

The mix of Japanese and European culture continues to feel jarring to me, although it’s clearly the norm for others around here. Ramen shops that also sell Frankfurt-style sausages, Japanese-esque temples with Christian-style stained glass, even the books in the bookstore are a strange mixed bag.

I’m reading what I’ve found to be this world's equivalent of Shakespeare, a collection of plays written in a format strikingly similar to Iambic Pentameter, when Ann calls for my attention.
“Shiidou, have you heard of this title? It is not one I recall seeing at the great library in Nishi.”
I look at the the cover of the book she hands me, and see a decayed town with crows nesting all over the show. Reading the synopsis on the back, it sounds like a pretty cliche Isekai story, but set in a place that sounds vaguely like the Shinto land of the dead.

Shakespearen poetry next to shitty generic Isekai. In the 21st century this would be unsurprising, but for a world that’s yet to go through any form of industrialisation, it’s just weird.
“Can’t say I’ve heard of it myself. I’m gonna grab this stage-play collection and head out, you buying anything?”
“Hmm… maybe I shall take this one back with me, since I’ve yet to read such a story.”
Ann’s interested in shitty Isekai. She’d have loved my collection back on Earth. Although I should avoid bringing that up to her, she still seems sensitive about that subject.

We both pay for our books and head out of the shop. It’s now dark outside, night slipping in while Ann and I perused the bookstore.
“Thank you for today, Shiidou. A weight feels to have been removed from my chest, and my heart feels lighter.”

“No problem at all, I enjoyed myself too. I do love your company, after all.”

And then a miracle happened. Instead of blushing bashful at my flirt, Ann lets out a girly giggle and actually flirts back.

“My, I’m beginning to think you may actually be falling for me.”
“You keep acting cute like that and I will.”
I feel like I’ve just found a unicorn. Ann? Returning my flirts instead of being evasive? Is this heaven?

We continue making chitchat all the way back to our room at the inn. Now more comfortable with the arrangement, we change quickly into our night clothes and tuck into the enormous king size bed. Just far enough apart for our hands to touch.

“Goodnight, Ann.”
“Goodnight, Shiidou.”

And perfectly comfortable in one another’s company, we drift off to sleep.

***

“I don’t wanna die! I don’t wanna die!”

“You’re not gonna die, ok? We’ve got an ambulance coming, just hold on a little longer.”
“I…love…you.”
“Wake up. Please, wake up. Don’t die on me. Not here. Not now. I love you so much. Please, just wake up.”

I sit bolt upright, my head throbbing once again from the sudden start. My heart beats a mile a minute. Why that dream? Why now? Is it because I’ve been thinking about what Shimu said so often recently?

“Shiidou? What ever is the matter?”
Beside me, Ann tiredly looks up at my face. I must have woken her up.
“Your face… you’ve gone so pale. What dreams trouble you so, that you would lose the life in your expression?”

I swallow and take a second to compose myself. I can’t brush her off this time, I have to tell the truth.
“Every… every now and then, I get a recurring dream. Or, more like a recurring memory. It’s of that time, back on Earth. When you got hit by that truck. I sometimes remember that scene, of you dying in my arms. It’s been some 17 years, but it never truly leaves me.”

For a moment, Ann simply looks at me, sympathy in her eyes. I must seem pathetic. It was so long ago, and she’s here anyway. Why am I so obsessed with this?

Suddenly, she sits up to face level with me, and shifts my head with her hand, looking deep into my eyes.
“Shiidou. My eyes, do they like those of someone who is dead?”
“N-no…”

She then moves my head so that my ear is to her chest.
“My heart. It beats, does it not? Does it sound like the heart of one who is dead?”
“No…”

Then, she moves my head to be level with hers once again and, for just a second, one heavenly second, her lips touch mine.
“My lips. Do they taste as those of one who is dead?”
“No. They don’t.”
“Then speak not of death. With you, I am here. Alive and well. To the very end, I shall be by your side. So speak not of sorrow for the dead. Enjoy the embrace of the living.”

She gently pushes me back down to the bed, and lays her head upon my chest. If my heart was racing before, it’s now at a full sprint. I look down at the face looking up at me, and everything but its beauty melts away. I know how I feel.

“Ann, I…”

“Wait. Save those words for a happier moment, that I may return them to you.”
Save them for a happier moment, huh. I’ve waited ten years, I suppose I can wait a little longer.

“Sleep well, Shiidou. And know that I am here.”
I wrap my left arm around her, pulling her closer to my body.
“Thank you, Ann. I can never repay everything you’ve done for me.”
She smiles. It’s the most beautiful smile I’ve laid eyes on.
“If you wish to repay me, continue adventuring with me once this is all over. Just the two of us. For fun this time.”
“How could I ever say no to that?”
“If you did, you’d break my heart.”

The moment of silence feels like it lasts forever, as we slowly drift off to sleep.

The rest of my dreams that night were pleasant.